August 2021 – News

26th August

Olympiad team training camp: CEB joined the UK BAAO team and leaders for the week long 2021 International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics training camp, based at the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge. The team of 5 (3 girls and 2 boys) were introduced to observing techniques, specifically solar observing and analysis of multi-wavelength images, to prepare them for the Observational round of the IOAA to be held remotely in November from Bogota, Columbia.

12th August

Friends Observing: A small group of Friends met with CEB, GKWJ and JAG at the Dome to observe the Perseids Meteor Shower. The forecast was correct and the cloud cover cleared from the West as the group assembled from 22:00 BST. During the first hour 17 Perseids and 2 sporadics were seen. Meteor recording was carried out in earnest for the hour 22:00 to 23:00 UT, when 39 Perseids and 3 sporadics were observed and recorded, including 4 fireballs. It was a magnificent night with a beautifully clear sky, no Moon and the Milky Way clearly visible arcing over the sky. A wonderful return to observing at the Dome for the first Friends session in some 18 months due to the Covid pandemic restrictions