December 2021 – News

15th December

Outreach visit: 14 Scouts with 2 Scout Leaders visited the Dome with GKWJ. It was cloudy

11th December

Friends observing: Unfortunately, cloudy skies prevented the Friends from observing the Winter Wreath, but around 20 Friends joined CEB, GKWJ & JAG on Zoom to enjoy a presentation and Q&A session on the topic of ‘Comets’ instead

9th December

House visit: 8 Shell from LI were lucky to be chauffeured up and down by their HM in the pouring rain. This was the last House visit of 2021
Next House visit: 6th January (MM)

8th December

Outreach visit: 8 Scouts with 2 Scout Leaders visited the Dome with GKWJ. The evening was cloudy
External lecture: CEB gave the lecture “The ‘computer’ who unlocked the Universe” to Hertford Astronomical Group. The talk was delivered over Zoom to celebrate the Centenary of the death on 12th December 1921 of Henrietta Swan Leavitt, perhaps once of the most pivotal forgotten astronomers

7th December

House visit: 10 pupils from IH Shell came up with a tutor to join CEB at the Dome. Despite poor weather forecasts, the sky cleared for the hour slot they were there. Polaris was located, followed by the Summer Triangle, Northern Cross and Milky Way. The Andromeda galaxy was then seen with averted vision, almost at the Zenith. The Pleiades were viewed in Binos and then Jupiter and 3 moons in the 10 inch; the planet was low and the seeing poor. The rain set in as the group left
Next House visit: 9th November (LI)

6th December

Radcliffe Society: 14 members of the society met at the Dome with GKWJ, CEB & JAG. The sky was clear, which enabled a varied evening of observing. Multiple instruments were used with the 10-inch slewing to: Jupiter with 4 moons, Neptune and Uranus. While outside, M45, the Pleiades, was seen through binoculars, an ETX was used to find M45, M31 (Andromeda Galaxy) and globular cluster M15; the 8-inch was set up to observe M45, M42 (Orion Nebula), double star Almach, M31 and C14, the Double Cluster. Next meeting: 17th January 2022

2nd December

House visit: 14 pupils from EL Shell and a Tutor came up to join CEB at the Dome. Bar a brief sighting of Jupiter by eye, the evening was cloudy

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