January 2025 – News
30th January
Shell Visit: Clearing cloud allowed GKWJ to start the 11 Shell boys from Summerfield’s visit with a Sky Tour outside, including the ‘Greek Eye Test’ with Alcor & Mizar (only one boy was hired!). The group then moved inside, where GKWJ opened the Dome, prepared the 10-inch, and slewed first to Jupiter, using 90x magnification to see all 4 Galilean moons and a hint of the GRS, then increased magnification to 140x, giving a clear view of the GRS. Next up was Mars, with the polar ice cap visible. The final target of the session was M42, the Great Orion Nebula, with a beautiful view of the Trapezium and the nebula’s great clouds of gas and dust.
28th January
School Visit: The third and final group from Cothill House Prep School, consisting of 11 pupils and 2 teachers, visited the Dome with GKWJ. It was cloudy, so the group looked at a range of images, watched the meteor detector live stream, handled the Wetton Iron Meteorite, and asked a plethora of searching questions.
Shell Visit: The 10 boys of the Preshute Shell visited the Dome with GKWJ on a cloudy evening. They were shown the Cooke 10-inch and a selection of astrophotos.
25th January
Public Open Evening: The two public sessions at 6pm and 8pm were fully booked within half an hour of tickets being available and all 41 attendees came to the sessions with GKWJ and JAG. The 6pm session started off cloudy, with Venus, Jupiter and a hint of Mars shining through the hazy cloud. The cloud started to thin, so the 10-inch was moved to Jupiter and the roof opened. The planet was seen in reasonable detail along with its 4 Galilean moons. Next on to Mars, with a bonus view of the ISS as it passed by, visible through the roof opening by those in the right position! The first session ended with a Sky Tour through the thinning cloud. The 8pm session enjoyed a clearing sky, starting with a Sky Tour outside, before moving inside to the 10-inch to see a much clearer view of Jupiter, its 4 main moons and the Great Red Spot rotating into view. We then slewed to Mars, where the northern polar ice cap was clearly visible. Next up was nearby Castor, a beautiful double star at 5 arcseconds separation. Then on to M42, the Great Orion Nebula, which was a stunning view as the sky had cleared completely and Orion was on the meridian. The session ended with a great view of the open cluster, M35.
24th January
Friends Observing: The annual ‘Bring Your Own’ Friends observing session proved as popular as ever, despite poor observing conditions. 20 Friends joined GKWJ at the Dome, bringing with them an assortment of instruments including a 10-inch Dobsonian, four different 4 inch Newtonian reflectors, a Meade 80 ETX, and an 80mm refractor. A range of objects were seen through the hazy sky, including Jupiter, Mars, the Pleiades, and a live stack image of the Orion Nebula. Meanwhile inside, the Cooke 10-inch was slewed first to Jupiter with 3 Galilean moons visible, the fourth (Europa) being in transit, but not visible, then on to the Orion Nebula (M42), and finally to Mars. Conditions might not have been perfect, but it was a fascinating evening, giving Friends a chance to see a range of kit in use and get help with how to use their own kit.
22nd January
Outreach Visit: 22 members of the Wiltshire WI visited the Dome with GKWJ and JAG. At the start of the session there were sufficiently large gaps in the cloud to tempt GKWJ into opening the Dome and slewing the 10-inch to Jupiter. Luckily, the gap in the cloud grew, allowing all visitors a great view of Jupiter and its 4 Galilean moons. We then moved outside to admire the ‘Planetary Parade’ of Venus and Saturn in the west, Jupiter in the south and Mars in the east. A brief Sky Tour of the visible constellations was given before returning to the 10-inch to view Mars, where an increased magnification of 140x showed evidence of the northern polar ice cap and a hint of darker surface detail. Unfortunately, it soon clouded over completely and the group moved to the warm room to enjoy a selection of photographs and associated discussion.
21st January
Shell Visit: 13 girls from the Morris Shell visited the Dome with their tutor. It was cloudy so GKWJ showed them the Cooke 10-inch and then a series of photographs that catalysed much discussion.
20th January
School Visit: The second group from Cothill House, made up of 9 boys and 2 teachers, visited the Dome with GKWJ. It was cloudy, but there were some tempting breaks in the cloud when the group arrived. Venus, Jupiter and Mars could be seen by naked eye through gaps, but by the time the Dome was opened with the 10-inch pointing at Jupiter, the cloud was thickening rapidly and we never saw the planet properly in the eyepiece. The group moved to the warm room to enjoy a series of photographs, but we never got beyond the title slide as the boys asked a continual torrent of questions!
Radcliffe Society: An extra meeting of the Society was held to discuss the ‘Muon Project’. The President gave a short introduction to muons, then JAG gave a deeper insight into the relativistic life of a muon, and then GKWJ introduced the group to the muon detectors and showed some early data. The group discussed the series of observations that will be made to investigate how muon rates vary with location, with a possible trip to Pen-Y-Fan. More to follow as the project develops.
16th January
Shell Visit: The 14 Shell girls from Mill Mead, accompanied by a tutor, visited the Dome with GKWJ. It was cloudy, but that didn’t stop a good discussion about all things astronomy and space!
14th January
Shell Visit: The 9 Shell boys from Littlefield and a tutor visited the Dome with GKWJ on a cloudy, foggy night. No observing was possible, but they enjoyed a tour and asked a whole range of questions.
13th January
School Visit: The first of three groups from Cothill House comprising 10 pupils and two teachers visited the Dome with GKWJ. The sky was completely cloudy, so the group enjoyed a tour and a selection of photographs, though not many were seen as the group were so full of questions! The Full ‘Wolf’ Moon was glimpsed through a thinner layer of cloud as the group departed.
9th January
Shell Visit: The 10 girls of the Ivy House Shell visited the Dome with their tutor and a parent on a beautifully clear and very frosty evening. Unfortunately the cold had frozen the Dome in place; GKWJ tried in vane to release the Dome, but could only open the shutter, not rotate the Dome. Thankfully the ‘window of opportunity’ was placed such that the Waxing Gibbous Moon could be seen. The group enjoyed detailed views in the 10-inch, under time pressure of the Earth turning. Being quite close to the Moon, Jupiter was visible with the 10-inch too, with good detail in the planet itself and all four Galilean moons visible. The group then moved outside for a Sky Tour and challenged GKWJ with a constant stream of searching questions!
GCSE Observing: Once the IH girls had departed, GKWJ returned to de-icing the Dome, this time with success, meaning that the 4 Remove Astronomers were able to use the 10-inch freely. The session started with a quick look at Jupiter and its moons in the 10-inch. They then moved outside to refresh memories of the main asterisms visible and to consider the placement of the North Celestial Pole, Celestial Equator, Ecliptic and Meridian. The astronomers then moved to the 10-inch, having 10 minutes each to create a detailed sketch of the Waxing Gibbous Moon, labelling the features they could identify.
7th January
Staff Observing: GKWJ opened the Dome for All Staff to drop in and enjoy the clear sky on the first night of term. A total of 43 members of staff and family from all corners of the College community attended. The evening started with a view of Jupiter in the 10-inch, with clear band detail on the planet and all four Galilean moons visible. Outside for a Sky Tour, then back to the 10-inch to view Mars at low magnification – a hint of surface detail was just visible. Next to the Moon, Waxing Gibbous but just one day past First Quarter, plenty of exquisite detail along the Terminator. The session ended with a return to Jupiter for those who had missed it at the beginning. A great way to start the term!
2nd January
Friends Observing: 20 Friends gathered at the Observatory for the first observing session of 2025 to monitor the Quadrantid meteor shower with GKWJ and JAG. It was perfectly clear and bitingly cold – the stage was set. However, the Quadrantids has a narrow peak and the 1 hour 30 minute session was not during that peak! Only 12 meteors were spotted, 9 Quadrantids and 3 sporadics, but everyone enjoyed watching a beautiful starry sky. Inside, the 10-inch started on Mars, where some surface detail and the northern polar ice cap were just about visible; we then moved to Jupiter, with two moons to one side and Io in transit, its shadow clearly visible as a ‘black full stop’ in the moments of steady seeing. All in all, a fine start to 2025.