News

22nd June

Radcliffe Society: Traditionally, the summer meeting of the Radcliffe Society is our opportunity to launch rockets on the sports fields by the Observatory. However, ‘adverse atmospheric conditions and excess precipitation’ meant that Mission Control was forced to cancel all launches. Instead, 6 pupils came to the Dome and discussed all things Space and Astronomy with GKWJ, touching on the eclipse on August 12th, the trouble with near light speed space travel, and the dark universe. The group also enjoyed their final KitKats and hot chocolate of this academic year.

21st June

Friends Observing: 13 Friends joined GKWJ at the Dome for the Summer Solstice Celebration observing session. Hazy twilight meant that we started the session with a view of the First Quarter Moon in the 10-inch and the 127mm Maksutov that a Friend set up outside. We moved on to Venus, showing a clear gibbous phase. As the twilight slowly edged towards almost darkness and stars started to appear, we moved to the Double Double in Lyra, at 95x magnification, an obvious double, then at 140x and 220x, becoming an easy split Double Double. The theme of double stars continued with Albireo, then followed by a quick stop at M57, there, but very faint in the not dark sky, on to M13, a better sight, but lacking good contrast. Back to doubles, with Alpha Herculis, Rasalgethi, an easy split, and Zeta Herculis, a much tougher challenge. By this time some had departed, leaving the hardy few to keep going towards midnight, rewarded with a clearing and darker sky, we went to ‘the other globular’ in Hercules, M92, which was stunning, so much so, that we returned to M13, which now showed as the punchy ‘sprinkling of salt’ in the eyepiece. Then the challenge really started, with a Friend suggesting that we try for the Veil Nebula in Cygnus; in a first for the 10-inch, at least in recent times, we found the clear hazy veil structure of ‘The Witches Broom’, the western Veil Nebula, which really ‘popped’ with the OIII filter. Our final target was NGC 6826, the Blinking Planetary Nebula, a clear planet like ‘blob’ through the OIII, then with no filter, its name became apparent – stare straight at the object and you see the small, bright, central white dwarf star piercing through, but when you look to the side, the white dwarf vanishes and averted vision reveals the fainter, larger nebula, flick between the two views and the white dwarf blinks on and off. A fabulous, fun evening on the ‘worst night for astronomy’!!

19th June

Solar Observing: Two teachers visited GKWJ to discover the secrets of teaching Astronomy GCSE as they prepare to offer the course at their schools next year. The visit included a Remove Astronomy lesson held at the Observatory for some solar observing. The photosphere was seen in the Celestron 8-inch with a white light filter, the Lunt 50mm showed the full disk in hydrogen alpha, while the 10-inch, also with the hydrogen alpha filter, was zoomed in to reveal detailed structure in a number of prominences. The spectroscope was also used to see the solar spectrum with clear Fraunhofer lines.

10th June

Promo Filming: GKWJ assembled a group of 6 Remove pupils at the Observatory for a film shoot to be part of the latest promotional video for Science at the College and the refurbished Science buildings. The group delighted at views of the Sun with the hydrogen alpha filter in the 10-inch, with a range of crisp prominences and active regions on display. The film crew delighted at their first view of the Sun in such detail! The final film should be out in the autumn.

6th June

Open Day Outreach: The torrential rain did not deter GKWJ from providing an astronomical point of interest in the Learning Zone at the future pupils Open Day in the marquee in Court. He showed many interested families the Campo del Cielo iron meteorite, the NWA chondrite, the lunar meteorite and the Martian meteorite. The chondrite slice was under the USB microscope, with its structure of chondrules displayed on the laptop screen.

27th May

Friends Solar Observing: The mini heatwave allowed the postponed Friends Solar Observing session finally to go ahead. 12 Friends joined GKWJ at the Dome where a range of instruments were tracking the Sun. First up everyone had a view of the Sun’s disk through eclipse specs, though no active regions were large enough to be seen by naked (filtered!) eye. The Celestron 8-inch had a white light filter, allowing four large sunspot regions to be seen. There was a range of hydrogen alpha telescopes outside: a double stacked Lunt 50mm, an Acuter 40mm Phoenix, and a Coronado 40mm PST; all gave beautiful views of the full disk, with active regions, prominences, filaments, and an impressive filaprom, all clearly visible, changing as the session progressed. In the Dome, the 10-inch was fitted with the hydrogen alpha filter and 2x PowerMate which allowed the diagonal to be used, making observing much more comfortable. The magnified view showed exquisite detail, particularly in the prominences around the solar limb. The final instrument used was a small handheld spectroscope, which allowed the Fraunhofer lines in the solar spectrum, the Sun’s fingerprint, to be viewed, most clearly when using the reflected sunlight from a sheet of white paper. It was a hot, but fascinating solar session!

23rd May

Solar Observing: The Dome was open on Prize Day for an hour in the afternoon. GKWJ had a small number of visitors, who enjoyed the Sun in white light through the 10-inch and the Celestron 8-inch, seeing four large sunspot groups. The Lunt 50mm gave excellent views in hydrogen alpha, with two particularly impressive prominences visible.

25th April

Solar Observing: GKWJ set up the mobile solar observatory in Court to provide lunchtime entertainment for the College Open Day. A constant stream of over 60 prospective pupils and parents marvelled at the Sun through eclipse specs, the Celestron 8-inch in white light, and the double stacked Lunt 50mm in Hydrogen Alpha. Two large sunspot groups were visible in both, and in H-alpha, there were multiple prominences and filaments clearly seen.

14th April

Friends Outing: This year’s Friends Outing was a two day trip to the North for GKWJ and 15 intrepid Friends. The tour started in Preston at the University of Lancashire’s Jeremiah Horrocks Moor Park Observatory, home to an 8-inch Cooke refractor. The evening was spent at the University’s main Alston Observatory, which has a number of instruments including: the Wilfred Hall 1894 15-inch Grubb refractor and astrograph, the Moses Holden 700mm Planewave CDK telescope, and the Isabella Holden 350mm Planewave DeltaRho telescope. Dr Mark Norris hosted the visits, giving the group a wonderful tour of all the facilities, a fascinating talk on ‘Cosmological Conundrums’, and a planetarium show. On the second day, the group met at Jodrell Bank to spend the day looking around the site, home to the 76m Lovell radio telescope, the Mark II radio dish, and a range of other radio instruments. The group enjoyed the wealth of information and exhibits on display, as well as various films in the Space Dome. Astronomically content, the group headed home, but not before admiring the eleven beautiful vintage Bugatti cars that were gathered in the car park!

21st March

Messier Marathon: After three years of poor weather thwarting the event, the Messier Marathon finally took place, with 13 pupils and 6 members of staff (GKWJ, DGR, AL, KAH, IIAM and SCB) gathering at the Dome at 7pm under a spectacularly clear and still dusk sky. The 2 day old Waxing Crescent Moon with superb Earthshine, and the bright dot of Venus were sinking in the west; both were viewed with the 10-inch and the 8-inch Newtonian. The 8-inch Cassegrain was also used throughout the night. The event was a huge success with the clearest sky for quite some time allowing observing to run through to dawn. All observed until 11pm, when the pupils split into two groups. The first group continued observing to 2am, while the second group camped at the XI Pavilion. At 2am the groups swapped round and observing continued until 5am. Observing was at a steady pace with the suggested observing list followed by all three instruments. The final tally was 98 out of the 110 Messier objects observed – a new school record – consisting of 4 planetary nebulae (highlight – M27), 1 supernova remnant (M1), 7 diffuse nebulae (highlight – M42), 21 globular clusters (highlight M13), 26 open clusters (highlight – M38), 26 spiral galaxies (highlight – M51), 11 elliptical galaxies (highlight – M87), 1 irregular galaxy (M82) and 1 double star (M40). The objects not found were all very close to the horizon and obscured by terrain, trees or buildings. The new Seestar was also used to capture ‘holiday snaps’ of highlight targets as the evening progressed, including a stunning capture of M16, the Eagle Nebula with the Pillars of Creation visible at its heart. An excellent event that was enjoyed by all, despite tired heads by the end!

19th March

Radcliffe Society Observing: The sky was a little hazy, but clear enough for GKWJ to open the Dome for Radcliffe Society members and Common Room. 7 pupils and 7 staff attended through the evening. The session started outside with a sky tour and a high ISS pass, though it was eclipsed by Earth’s shadow at about 80° altitude. Jupiter was the first target in the 10-inch, where its belts, 4 Galilean moons and a Ganymede shadow transit were all visible. A deep sky tour then started with the following objects: Castor, M37, M36, Tegmine, M81, M82, and M51, though M51 was not immediately visible on slewing, so a recalibration was done on Mizar, showing as a tight double, with its optical double partner, Alcor, visible at the edge of the field of view.

18th March

GCSE Observing: It was the turn of the 4 Hundred Astronomy pupils as the clear spell continues. They joined GKWJ under a wonderful sky and started with a refresher Sky Tour. They then worked together to plan and carry out observations to map the path of the Milky Way through the Winter Wreath using stellar densities measured through binoculars.

17th March

GCSE Observing: 4 Remove Astronomy GCSE pupils came to the Dome on a wonderfully clear evening. GKWJ started with a revision session around the sky. They then completed a worksheet on Jupiter, sketching the naked eye view of the Winter Wreath and Jupiter in Gemini, estimating Jupiter’s horizontal and equatorial coordinates, and calculating its Hour Angle. The pupils moved to the 10-inch to sketch the planet at 140x magnification; 2 moons were visible, along with a shadow transit of Io and a transit of Callisto. They estimated the planet’s apparent size. The session finished with a view of M42.

15th March

Friends Observing: Following a day of sunshine and showers, the annual Friends Double Stars observing session was given the go ahead, with fingers crossed for a clear patch of sky! On early arrival at the Dome under a beautiful clear sky, GKWJ slewed the 10-inch to Algieba, Gamma Leonis, a lovely double at 4.8″ separation, and the few early attendees caught a glimpse before cloud spoiled the show. A total of 9 Friends came to the Dome and thankfully their patience paid off as the cloud bank started to pass over. The 10-inch was slewed to Jupiter which was cutting through the thinning cloud, and looked magnificent with its 4 Galilean moons. The sky cleared completely and Castor, Alpha Geminorum, at 5.2″ separation, was viewed, followed by Wasat, Delta Geminorum, at 5.3″ separation, but it was a really tough challenge as the two members of the binary are mag +3 and +8, so difficult to spot the fainter partner. Next up was Tegmine, Zeta Cancri, an easy split at 5.9″ separation. The 10-inch was sent on a meridian flip for the next target and the group went outside for a Sky Tour, including a look at the double star Alcor & Mizar, Zeta Ursa Majoris, in the handle of the Plough. A Friend set up a live view system outside and created a detailed image of Alnitak, Zeta Orionis, with the surrounding Horsehead and Flame nebulae. Unfortunately, clouds gathered and the session was cut short.

9th March

Outreach Visit: The final group from Hardenhuish School, consisting of 9 pupils and their teacher, joined GKWJ on a cloudy evening. They followed the meteor detector live stream, seeing multiple satellites and meteor events, and looked at a range of meteorites from the Wetton collection.

5th March

Outreach Visit: The second group from Swindon Academy were not so lucky… the 12 pupils and 2 teachers visited the Dome on a completely cloudy evening. GKWJ showed them around the Observatory, they looked at a selection of images, and handled the Wetton Meteorite collection.

4th March

Outreach Visit: The first group from Swindon Academy, consisting of 13 pupils and two teachers accompanied by TJD, joined GKWJ at the Dome on a clear evening. The session started with a Sky Tour around the darkening sky, pointing out the main asterisms, many satellites and the rising Full Moon, an impressive sight! M45, the Pleiades were viewed through binoculars before moving inside to the 10-inch. The first target was Jupiter with 4 moons visible, then on to Castor, then to M42, the Orion Nebula. The SeeStar was operational outside, imaging M42; GKWJ showed the group around the 10-inch the live photo on the app, looking similar in shape, though of course more detailed in colour and structure than the view through the eyepiece. The session ended with a view of the Full Moon through the 10-inch as it had risen to a suitable altitude.

2nd March

GCSE Observing: A wonderful clear sky, but drowned with light from the Full Moon, allowed the 4 Hundred GCSE pupils to join GKWJ at the Observatory to continue their Aided Observing Tasks. M45, the Pleiades, was sketched as seen through binoculars. M1, the Crab Nebula, was hunted, but to no avail in the 10-inch. M40, the double star in the Messier Catalogue was found in the 10-inch and sketched by all. The recently acquired SeeStar S50 was put into action with great success, first with the Globular Cluster, M3, and then finally, M1 was found and a 30 minute exposure obtained.

25th February

Outreach Visit: The Aldbourne Cubs enjoyed the continuing clear skies for their visit to the Dome. The pack was split into two groups, the first of 12 Cubs and 4 adults, and the second group of 11 Cubs and 4 adults. GKWJ gave each group a Sky Tour, with many satellites seen across the sky, followed by views of the Waxing Gibbous Moon and Jupiter with the GRS and 4 Galilean moons in the 10-inch.

24th February

GCSE Observing: Continuing good weather allowed GCSE observing to resume. 2 Remove pupils came to the observatory at dusk and observing started with a view of Mercury both by naked eye and through the 10-inch. We then had a refresher Sky Tour, with more satellites spotted than ever, before settling down to sketching a stunning First Quarter Moon as seen at 93x in the 10-inch.

Outreach Visit: Next to visit on this busy evening were 20 members of the Newbury Astronomical Society. GKWJ started the session with a detailed Sky Tour before moving inside to the 10-inch to observe the Moon, followed by M42, then to Jupiter and its 4 Galilean moons. Next up was the core of M44, the Beehive Cluster, then a double of doubles, starting with Tagmine, Zeta Cancri, and finishing the session on Castor, Alpha Geminorum, all beautifully resolved at 140x magnification. The group enjoyed a cup of tea and a cake in the warm room before departing.

GCSE Observing: To finish a great evening of activities at the Dome, the 4 Hundred GCSE pupils arrived to make some progress on their aided observing tasks, finally. Unfortunately, broken clouds were starting to rush overhead, but sufficient gaps allowed observing. M42 was sketched through the 8-inch, which was rapidly dewing up; it was also observed and sketched through the 10-inch. Attention then turned to the Bode’s Galaxy (M81), Cigar Galaxy (M82) pair, high up above the vertical Plough. The pupils selected M82 as the target for their Galaxy sketch. The session continued to 10.30pm, by special permission from their HMs. One more session and they will be able to finish their projects, will the Sky Gods acquiesce?!

22nd February

Friends Observing: 20 Friends attended this year’s Lunar Observing session. Following an eternity of cloudy, wet nights, the session started with broken cloud and stars visible, so the group were able to observe the Waxing Crescent Moon through the 10-inch. We started at 94x magnification, showing the full visible Moon in the eyepiece, with great detail along the Terminator and crater Theophilus being the most prominent. Magnification was increased to 220x for a closer view. The cloud was coming and going, so the 10-inch was slewed to Jupiter, high in the South, at 140x the planet’s bands were visible along with 3 Galilean moons; Io not visible as in transit. Improving conditions allowed observing to continue, with the next target the Orion Nebula (M42) at 93x. The view was enhanced with an OIII filter. One Friend took an image of M42 with a SeeStar, allowing the view to be compared between eyepiece and image. Next up was Castor, an easy double at 5″ separation. We returned to nearby Jupiter under now completely clear skies. The view was stunning, with the GRS visible and the sharp black dot of the Io shadow transit now well underway. We finished the session with an attempt to split Alnitak at 140x magnification – most, but not all, observers agreed that there was definitely more than one star visible. An excellent observing session following so many cloudy nights!

12th February

Outreach Visit: 5 Urchfont Scouts accompanied by 4 leaders came to the Dome on a not entirely cloudy evening, finally! There were some breaks in the cloud, so GKWJ started the session outside, pointing out Jupiter and Orion. The group moved to the 10-inch to catch glimpses of Jupiter between clouds, with all 4 Galilean moons visible and the dark spot of a shadow transit. Cloud and rain cut the observing short, so the group moved to the warm room where they followed the radio meteor detector live stream, looked at the Wetton Meteorite Collection and considered a whole range of astronomical questions.

11th February

Outreach Visit: 10 members of the Inkpen Stargazers visited the Dome on a cloudy and wet evening. GKWJ recounted the story of the Cooke 10-inch and the Blackett Observatory, followed by discussion around a selection of images taken through the 10-inch and around the observatory. The radio meteor live feed was followed for a short while, but very few meteor events were seen.

9th February

Radcliffe Society: The abysmal weather continues… so, this term’s Radcliffe Society meeting was held at the Observatory, but no observing was possible. 9 pupils attended. GKWJ showed a selection of his most recent images from the River Park Observatory, ranging from distant galaxies, to a globular cluster and a planetary nebula. The final images were of the Crab Nebula taken 10 years apart. Measurements of the two images were taken to estimate the expansion rate and therefore age of the supernova remnant. Readings from the whiteboard were very inaccurate, but one pupil did the measurements with Photoshop and calculated a supernova date of 1062, an impressive 8 years off the accepted date of 1054!

5th February

Shell Visit: The final Shell visit of this academic year saw the 13 boys from Turner, accompanied by their HM and his daughter, join GKWJ at the Dome on a filthy wet evening! No visual observing was possible, but the group watched the meteor detector live stream and inspected the Wetton Meteorite collection.

3rd February

Shell Visit: 7 boys from the Summerfield Shell visited the Dome with GKWJ on a wet and windy evening. No observing was possible, but the boys had plenty of questions about Astronomy GCSE and the Universe.

29th January

Outreach Visit: 22 members and partners from various Wiltshire WI groups visited the Dome on a cloudy evening. GKWJ showed the group around the Observatory, giving a complete history of the Cooke telescope and the observatory. They then looked at a selection of images, watched the Meteor Detector Live Stream (which featured more satellites than meteors!) and enjoyed the Wetton Meteorite collection.

28th January

Outreach Visit: 18 members of the Ramsbury Beavers accompanied by 5 adults joined GKWJ at the Dome. It was cloudy, but with some gaps through which the bright Waxing Gibbous Moon and Jupiter could be spotted outside. A clearing sky allowed the group to observe the Moon in the 10-inch, followed by Jupiter and its 4 Galilean moons. The sky clouded over as the group were leaving.

27th January

Shell Visit: 10 girls from the New Court Shell were accompanied to the Dome by a current Remove astronomy pupil. It was a wet, cloudy and windy evening, so no observing was possible. They discussed Astronomy GCSE and looked at a variety of images.

22nd January

Outreach Visit: 11 Cubs and 5 adults from the Ramsbury Cubs visited the Dome with GKWJ. It was partly cloudy to begin with and the Waxing Crescent Moon was spotted through gaps in the cloud, Jupiter and Orion were also seen by naked eye. The group went to the 10-inch to try and open up to observe Jupiter, but rushed outside to catch an overhead ISS pass, which was seen through thickening cloud. The sky then completely clouded over, so the group enjoyed a selection of images and a plethora of questions.

Shell Visit: The 10 boys from the Preshute Shell were delivered to the Dome by their HM and his dog. It was completely cloudy, so no visual astronomy was possible, but the radio meteor detector live stream was observed, with multiple events seen. The boys asked many questions and enjoyed images of the recent aurora as photographed by GKWJ from his garden.

20th January

Outreach Visit: The fourth and final group from Cothill Prep School, consisting of 16 pupils and 2 teachers, visited the Dome with GKWJ. It was a very wet and windy evening. They spotted multiple meteors on the live feed and looked at a selection of images.

Shell Visit: The 14 girls from the Morris House Shell were accompanied to the Dome by their HM and her daughter. It was horribly wet and windy. GKWJ showed the girls the facility, they watched the meteor live stream and considered a whole range of cosmic questions.

19th January

Outreach Visit: 14 pupils and 1 teacher were the third group from Cothill Prep School to visit the Dome with GKWJ. Unfortunately, it was completely cloudy, but the group enjoyed the main telescope, a series of images, and a barrage of questions.

15th January

Outreach Visit: 9 Cubs, 1 leader and 3 parents from the Ramsbury Cubs joined GKWJ at the Dome. It was cloudy. They explored the virtual night sky in Stellarium, saw the telescope, and travelled through the Solar System in images.

Shell Visit: 13 girls from the Mill Mead Shell and their HM visited the Dome on a cloudy evening. They were introduced to the Observatory and enjoyed a series of images along with much discussion.

13th January

Outreach Visit: The second Cothill group, comprising 13 pupils and 2 teachers, came to the Dome on a cloudy evening. GKWJ started the visit with a look around the virtual night sky in Stellarium, then took the group through to the Dome. A gap in the cloud allowed a view of Jupiter and its 4 moons in the 10-inch, but the cloud soon closed up again, so the group enjoyed a slide show of images and explored the Wetton meteorite collection.

Shell Visit: The 10 boys of the Littlefield Shell and a tutor joined GKWJ up at the Dome. Another gap in the cloud allowed them to view Jupiter and its moons through the 10-inch. The cloud gathered again, so the group moved to the warm room where the meteorites were examined and a whole range of questions were considered.

12th January

Outreach Visit: The first group for this year from Cothill Prep School, consisting of 14 pupils and 1 teacher, visited the Dome with GKWJ. It was a cloudy evening, but as the group arrived, gaps started to appear in the cloud so the 10-inch was immediately slewed to bright Jupiter. We then went outside for a Sky Tour and viewed the Pleiades (M45) in binoculars. Back to the 10-inch to try for the Crab Nebula (M1), but this was very faint, then on to the Orion Nebula (M42), and finally to the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) and one of its satellite galaxies, M32. As the group departed, the clouds rapidly returned to hide the celestial sphere – what a lucky group!

8th January

Shell Visit: The 10 girls of the Ivy House Shell and a tutor visited the Dome on a cold, cloudy, wet and windy night! GKWJ showed them the Cooke 10-inch and a selection of images taken at the Observatory.

7th January

Outreach Visit: The second group from Hardenhuish School, Chippenham, consisting of 8 Yr 12 Physics pupils and their teacher, visited the Dome with GKWJ. It was a cloudy night, but thinner patches allowed a glimpse of a bright dot in the east, identified as Jupiter as the group disembarked from their minibus. The virtual night sky was explored with Stellarium, before moving to the Dome to show the 10-inch. Sufficient gaps in the cloud had developed to allow deployment of the 10-inch and a great view of Jupiter and its 4 Galilean moons. We then moved outside to look around the sky and viewed a hazy Pleiades in binoculars. Cloud thickened again, so we retreated to the warm room, watched the radio meteor detector live stream, looked at various meteorites and enjoyed a slide show of deep sky objects taken at the River Park Observatory.

3rd January

Friends Observing: A group of 8 hardy Friends joined GKWJ at the Dome for the annual Quadrantids meteor shower under a very clear, but moonlit sky. The temperature gauge read -5°C, so thermals were essential! The group observed the sky for an hour, but only recorded two Quadrantid meteors; the Full Moon won the evening. Meanwhile, in the (much needed) warm room, the radio meteor detector live feed showed a plethora of meteors, with around 80 to 90 events per hour. In the Dome, Jupiter was in the 10-inch, first at low magnification, with the GRS clearly visible and all four Galilean moons stretching out to one side. The session continued for a further hour after the disappointing meteor watch, with a handful of Friends enjoying some of the clearest views of Jupiter, with magnification increasing to 140x and 220x; features visible in the bands were exquisite.

10th December

Friends Observing: A clear forecast brought 17 Friends to the Dome for the Winter Sky observing evening. Unfortunately, majority cloud cover left the group wondering whether to activate the ‘Cloudy Alternative’. Thinner patches of cloud persuaded GKWJ to slew the 10-inch to Saturn, first at 92x, then at 140x, with 2 moons (Titan and Tethys) coming and going in the variable seeing. Clearing skies in the west brought the Summer Triangle into play, so the globular cluster, M15 was the next target. A brief view of a low down and faint Dumbbell Nebula (M27) was next, before a completely clear, though hazy, sky enabled a meridian flip to M42, the Orion Nebula. Outside, live stacking with a Dwarf-3 smart scope and a 114mm Newtonian gave detailed views of M42 and the Soul Nebula (IC 1848). The session ended with a lovely view of Jupiter and 3 Galilean moons (Io, Ganymede and Callisto) and the GRS, first at 92x, then at a useful 140x. Eventually the ‘window of opportunity’ closed as cloud thickened, bringing a lovely session to an end.

8th December

Outreach Visit: The first group from Hardenhuish School joined GKWJ at the Dome on a cloudy, wet evening. The 10 Yr 13 Physics pupils and their teacher enjoyed a look around the Observatory, followed by a ‘cosmic journey’ slideshow.

4th December

Outreach Visit: A perfectly clear, but very moonlit night, led to a run of activity at the Observatory, starting with a group of 11 Urchfont Beavers accompanied by 10 adult leaders. GKWJ gave them a Sky Tour of the few bright stars visible in the glare of the Full ‘Super’ Moon, before moving to the 10-inch to view Saturn and the Full Moon.

Shell Visit: All 14 girls in the Elmhurst Shell and a tutor were the next group to visit the Observatory. They started with a view of the Full Moon through the 10-inch, then moved outside to find The Plough and identify Polaris. The group then moved back to the 10-inch to view Saturn and three moons.

GCSE Observing: 2 pupils from the Remove Astronomy set were the final group to come to the Observatory. They put the theory of telescopes currently being studied in the classroom into practice using 10×50 binoculars, the 4-inch refractor, the 5-inch Newtonian, the 8-inch Cassegrain and the 10-inch refractor to experiment with magnification and field of view with a number of targets including: the Full Moon, Jupiter, Saturn, and the Orion Nebula, M42.

2nd December

Shell Visit: The 14 girls from the Dancy Shell and a tutor visited the Dome with GKWJ. It was partly cloudy, but with big enough gaps to allow the session to start at the 10-inch for a view of the 91% Waxing Gibbous Moon at a magnification of 92x. This was increased to 224x, showing excellent detail in craters along the Terminator. Passing cloud interrupted observing briefly, before it could resume with a meridian flip to Saturn, where the planet and 3 moons were visible: Tethys, Rhea and Titan.

27th November

Outreach Visit: The second group of 15 Marlborough Cubs and 5 leaders joined GKWJ at the Dome, on a mostly cloudy night. Thinner patches of cloud allowed a brief glimpse of the Waxing Crescent Moon through binoculars outside before it completely clouded over. The rest of the session was spent inside with a Stellarium sky tour and a number of images to fuel questions and discussion.

Shell Visit: 9 boys from the Cotton Shell visited the Dome with GKWJ on a cloudy evening. The group enjoyed a series of images, the Radio Meteor Detector Live Stream and the Campo Del Cielo meteorite.

26th November

Outreach Visit: A much reduced second group from the Savernake Explorers, consisting of just 2 scouts and 2 leaders, joined GKWJ at the Dome on a cloudy night. A virtual sky tour in Stellarium and a slide show catalysed a range of discussions.

25th November

Blackett Lecture: This year’s Blackett Lecture was given by Professor Lewis Dartnell from the University of Westminster on the topic: ‘Astrobiology – the search for alien life’. A large audience of around 100 Friends, pupils and staff packed the Ellis Theatre to hear about life, where and how we are looking for it, and what we might expect to find. Prof. Dartnell also ran two workshops in the afternoon, one for a group of pupils and one for a group of Friends. It was a most thought provoking lecture!

21st November

Friends Observing: To end a perfect week of observing, the gathering clouds held off long enough to allow 18 Friends to join GKWJ at the Dome for the annual planetary observing session. We started with Saturn and its edge on rings, along with moons Rhea and Titan clearly visible. Despite haze, the magnification was increased from x92 to x224, allowing a more detailed view, in the moments of steadier seeing. We then moved to Neptune, visible as a tiny blueish dot, though resolved as a disk even at x92. We took a detour to Globular Cluster, M15, as it was nearby in that region of the sky before doing a meridian flip all the way to Jupiter, rising in the East. Starting at x92, the planet’s two larger bands were clearly visible, along with its four Galilean moons. An increase to x224 brought further detail in the bands, showing the subtle oval of the Great Red Spot and two or three darker features in the upper band. The session ended with a view of Uranus at x92, a very obvious matte blue-green disk. A great session!

20th November

Outreach Visit: The clear skies persisted, giving perfect conditions for the second group of Marlborough Cubs to visit the Dome with GKWJ. 14 cubs and 3 leaders enjoyed a very cold sky tour outside, including a high and bright pass of the ISS, before moving to the 10-inch to view Saturn, M31 and Almach. The group then viewed the Pleiades through binoculars outside.

Shell Visit: The 12 boys from the C3 Shell, along with a tutor, came to the Dome for their tour of the facility. They started with a view of Saturn through the 10-inch, then all moved outside for a sky tour. The group then returned to the 10-inch for a look at the core of M31, the Andromeda Galaxy.

19th November

Outreach Visit: Another beautifully clear night at the Dome! 11 Savernake Explorers and 2 adults enjoyed an in-depth Sky Tour with GKWJ. They moved inside to the 10-inch where they observed Saturn and four moons, followed by the core of the Andromeda Galaxy, M31, then Almach, and finally the globular cluster, M15. An excellent observing session!

GCSE Observing: The evening of near perfect skies continued with 2 GCSE Astronomy pupils coming up to the Dome to work on their Aided Observing Tasks. Sketches were made of M15 in the 10-inch, M31 in the 4-inch refractor, M45 in 10×50 binoculars and M27 in the 10-inch, with the help of an OIII filter to bring out more detail in the Dumbbell Nebula itself. A great start to their Messier projects.

18th November

Shell Visit: 10 boys from the C2 Shell and a tutor came to the Dome for their Shell Visit. Despite the forecast being for it to cloud over, the clear skies continued. GKWJ showed the boys around the sky outdoors, then all moved in to the 10-inch to view Saturn and multiple moons, then the core of M31, the Andromeda Galaxy, on to Almach, then finally outside to view the Pleiades through binoculars.

Outreach Visit: The clear skies persist, which made for a wonderful visit for the first group of Marlborough Cubs. A huge group consisting of 22 cubs and 6 helpers joined GKWJ at the Dome. They were given a Sky Tour, which included a string of StarLink satellites marching across the sky through Cygnus, this time a bit slower and further spaced apart. Saturn was observed through the 10-inch, back outside to view the Pleiades through binoculars, before returning to the 10-inch to see Almach.

17th November

GCSE Observing: Finally, a cold snap has gripped the south and clear skies have returned. The 5 Remove GCSE Astronomers and one pupil from the Hundred joined GKWJ at a very cold Dome. The session started outside with a revision sky tour taking in the main asterisms, the visible planets, a relatively rare view of Fomalhaut close to the southern horizon, the Milky Way overhead, and a number of Leonid meteors. The various invisible lines in the sky were identified and the hour angles of Saturn and Jupiter were estimated, with impressive accuracy! The frozen group huddled inside the warm room over a cup of hot chocolate before observing Saturn and three of its moons through the 10-inch, first at 93x magnification and then at 141x. A great observing session under a magnificent dark sky!

13th November

Outreach Visit: The second group from Great Bedwyn Primary School, consisting of 10 year 3 pupils and two teachers, were joined by a group of 6 pupils from Oare Primary and a teacher. GKWJ welcomed them to the Dome on a very wet evening. The session started with a view of the sky behind the clouds in Stellarium, followed by some time with the telescope, before looking at photos, accompanied by a constant cascade of curious questions!

12th November

Outreach Visit: The first group from Great Bedwyn Primary School visited the Dome with GKWJ. There were 16 year 3 pupils, their teacher and two helpers. The session started outside, where large gaps in the cloud allowed a view of some stars and a procession of recently launched StarLink satellites. It soon clouded over so the group went into the Dome to discover the Cooke telescope and look at a number of photographs. At the end of the session, thinning cloud meant that GKWJ could open the Dome, slew the telescope to Saturn, and glimpses of the planet were enjoyed by the pupils and also their parents who had arrived to collect them, leading to excited chaos in a very full Observatory!

11th November

Shell Visit: 8 boys from the C1 Shell visited the Dome with GKWJ. It was cloudy and wet, so the group followed the radio meteor detector live stream, where multiple meteor events, and satellites, were seen. They were also shown the iron Campo del Cielo meteorite and the chondrite from the Wetton Meteorite collection.

10th November

Radcliffe Society: Following torrential rain during the day, the skies cleared to allow the main Michaelmas Radcliffe Society meeting to be held at the Observatory. 15 members joined GKWJ over the course of the session to observe through the 10-inch. Targets were: M27, the Dumbbell Nebula, with an improved view using the UHC filter, Gamma Delphini, two Globular Clusters, NGC 7006 and M15, Saturn and 4 moons (Rhea, Tethys, Titan and Iapetus), Neptune, Almach, Uranus and the season’s first view of Jupiter, along with its 4 Galilean moons. The Pleiades were also viewed in binoculars outside. As the final members departed the Waning Gibbous Moon was rising over the eastern treeline, very atmospheric!

6th November

Shell Visit: 9 boys from the Barton Hill Shell were escorted to the Dome by an Upper Sixth ex-Astronomer. Sufficiently large gaps in the cloud allowed the group to view the 98% Waning Gibbous Moon in the 10-inch, followed by glimpses of Saturn through ever increasing cloud. The edge-on rings were very clear to see. The session ended with a look at the Campo del Cielo meteorite from the Wetton Collection.

Outreach Visit: 20 Cubs and 6 adult leaders from the Urchfont Cubs filled the Dome with GKWJ on a partly cloudy evening. The bright Waning Gibbous Moon was the only object that could be observed through the intermittent, but generally thick cloud. Despite the cloud, the detail visible was much to the delight of all present! The group then moved to the warm room to discover what was behind the clouds with the use of Stellarium, and a barrage of questions from the curious Cubs.

4th November

Shell Visit: The first Shell visit of this academic year took place with the 12 boys from B1 and a tutor coming up to the Dome on a cloudy and rainy evening. GKWJ showed the boys the facilities at the Observatory, followed by a number of photos; much questioning and discussion ensued.

3rd November

Outreach Visit: 19 members from 6 different local WI groups visited the Dome on a cloudy evening. Thankfully thinner patches in the cloud allowed GKWJ to open the Dome anyway to observe the Waxing Gibbous Moon to everyone’s delight. Thick cloud returned, so the group moved to the warm room to look at a range of images which evoked a plethora of questions.

21st October

Friends Outing: 36 Friends, across three groups, enjoyed a fascinating visit to the Science and Innovation Park at Wroughton, the Science Museum’s storage facility. The Hawking Building is full of amazing artefacts, from which the Wroughton staff selected a range of astronomical items for us to see. These included a mural quadrant and the original Heliometer from the Radcliffe Observatory, one of William Herschel’s reflectors, the Spacelab 2 X-Ray telescope that flew in space, the contents of Stephen Hawking’s office, and Sir Patrick Moore’s monocle! It was a fabulous visit; the only problem was that it was too short – the collection would take weeks to enjoy completely!

17th October

Friends Observing: The first observing session of the new Friends year was clouded out, so a Cloudy Alternative was offered. 12 Friends joined GKWJ at the Dome where a Friend who is an expert on meteorites guided us through the Wetton Meteorite Collection and further samples from his own collection. Close-up views of meteorite structure and composition were provided by the new USB microscope. It was a fascinating hour of space rock discovery.

Outreach Q&A: GKWJ chaired an Astronomy Question Time event in the Town Hall with a local professional astronomer and the Director of the North Wessex Downs National Landscape. A small (a clash with the closure of the High Street for the second Mop Fair did not help numbers!) but enthusiastic audience of twelve attended and enjoyed an hour of questions covering topics from astrophotography to local dark sky sites, satellites, manned missions to Mars, and observations from JWST bringing cosmology into question. All attendees received a free NWA chondrite and the best question of the event was rewarded with a small piece of lunar meteorite. Funds were raised from the sale of meteorites which will go towards more SQM devices for the Dark Sky project.

26th September

Friends Drinks Party: Around 40 Friends joined GKWJ at the Dome to celebrate the 21st Anniversary of the Friends and the 90th Anniversary of the Blackett Observatory. Drinks and nibbles were enjoyed by all, and even a couple of stars were evident through gaps in the cloud towards the end of the party!

25th September

Radcliffe Society and Staff Observing: Continuing clear skies allowed GKWJ to invite the Radcliffe Society and members of Common Room to the Observatory for some time under the stars. A total of 10 pupils and 4 staff attended. The session started with a view of M31, the Andromeda Galaxy outside in the 8-inch and binoculars, while inside we had M13, the Great Hercules Cluster in the 10-inch. The group enjoyed a Sky Tour, before returning to the 10-inch to slew to Saturn, with multiple moons visible, and the final target of the session, double star, Almach.

23rd September

GCSE Observing: A second clear night in a row led GKWJ to invite the Hundred Astronomers to the Dome. All four pupils attended, starting off with a revision session of asterisms, pointers and invisible lines across the sky. We considered Hour Angle and then our current topic, magnitudes, with estimates of star magnitudes using Vega as our magnitude zero reference. A band of cloud forced us into the warm room for a delicious cup of hot chocolate, before the clearing sky gave us a fabulous view of Saturn and six moons (Titan, Rhea, Tethys, Dione, Iapetus and Phoebe) in the 10-inch.

22nd September

GCSE Observing: The new Remove Astronomers enjoyed their first session under the stars on a cold and clear night. Three pupils joined GKWJ, who showed them around the sky. They then observed Saturn through the 10-inch, with three moons clearly visible: Titan, Tethys and Iapetus. The group returned outside to make sketches of the main asterisms: the Plough, Cassiopeia, the Summer Triangle and the Great Square of Pegasus. The session ended with a restorative cup of hot chocolate!

20th September

Open Day: The second College Open Day was inflicted with cloud yet again, so GKWJ occupied a table in the ‘learning zone’ to share the Wetton Meteorite Collection with prospective parents and pupils. A constant stream of people visited through the session, enjoying the large Campo del Cielo iron meteorite and NWA Chondrite, both with slices to show their internal structure. Those who showed most interest were given the chance to ‘hold a piece of the Moon’ with the new lunar meteorite and inspect the new Brahin pallasite.

13th September

Open Day: The first Open Day of the academic year saw mixed weather conditions. Large gaps with blue sky tempted GKWJ to set up the solar observing station in Court and a few prospective pupils enjoyed a view of the Sun in white light with two large sunspot groups visible. The clouds soon closed, so observing was aborted. GKWJ moved into the marquee with the Wetton Meteorite collection, including new lunar meteorites, and a number of parents and pupils enjoyed discovering the world of space rocks.

12th August

Friends Observing: JAG hosted the 2025 Perseid Meteor Shower observing session, with no fewer than 25 Friends joining him through the evening. The first hour of observing gave 17 meteors (13 Perseids and 4 sporadics), while the second hour provided 21 meteors (16 Perseids and 5 sporadics). The brightest two meteors recorded were magnitude -4 and the meteors showed their typical ‘clumpiness’, coming in little groups of two or three followed by a lull.

1st July

Outreach Talk: GKWJ & JAG were invited to present their talk entitled ‘Cosmic Recycling’ to an audience of thirty at the Probus Club of Devizes. It generated much interest and a range of searching questions.