There are many readers who have been with us all the way, having been subscribers since issue one. Here we meet a few and hear about their enduring interest in the night sky
Our readers are a special bunch and we’re always keen to hear from them with ideas to make BBC Sky at Night Magazine something for them. But for this celebratory 200th issue we got in touch with some of them – subscribers who have been with us from issue one. We found that an amazing 120 people have received every one of our 200 issues through the post. Here are five of these very special subscribers, who have kindly agreed to tell us a little about their associations with the night sky, astronomy, and with BBC Sky at Night Magazine. To all you stars of the magazine, thank you, and we salute you!
Name Alan Hodgson
Occupation Writer on printing and imaging
Location Cheshire
Age 64
Favourite section ‘First Light’ equipment reviews
Do you still keep any past issues? I have them all at home and I am in the process of compiling an index of particularly interesting articles.
Alan’s background in photographic science informs his work and his astronomy, he says, and articles in BBC Sky at Night Magazine have too. “I worked in the photo industry on scientific applications and did various ‘astro-facing’ projects. Since issue one I’ve done some work for Cape Instruments, who made telescopes, and have been president of two different international imaging societies, so your articles have been referenced in other work.
“Our interests have evolved in similar directions. You’ve covered both current events and the evolution of imaging hardware and software,” Alan explains. “In early editions I was an advertiser, but as I moved on I developed a wider interest. The series commemorating the anniversary of the Apollo space programme was excellent. Although not a binocular astronomer myself, I find that section useful for my photography. And I have to say that I’ve enjoyed it when you’ve printed my images!”
As a photographer, Alan says he uses DSLRs with standard camera lenses and gives talks on these, as well as imaging with assorted DSLRs and lenses. “My imaging is mainly done from Cheshire, but I also take them when I travel – most recently to Iceland, New Zealand and Galloway.”
“I used to build technical cameras for a living and the bug has never left me, so I have various ongoing construction projects,” he reveals. “My current interest is in following on from Galileo and showing what he saw. I’m doing a series on Venus but I want to move over to lunar imaging. I have a long-term project (pictured) to rebuild Warren De La Rue’s Moon camera from 1854.”
Growing up under urban skies, Alan says he learnt a few constellations from these. “As a child, my parents bought me a very shaky small refractor and it went from there, with a few Patrick Moore books.”
Name Jayne Waters
Occupation IT business consultant
Location South Wales
Age 53
Favourite section ‘Bulletin’
Do you still keep any past issues? Yes, all of them, mostly in binders; plus the CD-ROMs they used to come with.
Jayne began reading BBC Sky at Night Magazine when it first came out, because most of the available magazines back then were American and The Sky at Night TV programme was something she’d grown up with. “The magazine has always had a good selection of articles that range from practical guidance on observing to more theoretical articles,” she says. “These support the astrophysics and cosmology which sit behind the astronomical objects we observe. It’s that combination of practical ‘how to’ and insight into the science that I’ve always enjoyed.”
As a child, Jayne says she was fascinated by the night sky and never grew out of it, and she has been lucky to have always lived in areas with reasonably dark skies. Her fascination later led to a degree with the Open University, which she focused around astrophysics and cosmology. “It rekindled my interest in astronomy again,” she remembers.
“However, the science and observation are two different things for me. I’m fascinated by the science, and the underlying theories of our Universe and the objects and phenomena that exist within it,” she says, “But the act of observing the night sky is much more of an emotional experience – the aesthetic beauty is breathtaking.”
Today Jayne has a Sky-Watcher ED120 refractor, “…and an ancient Meade LX200,” she says. “These days, most of my observing is unstructured and done [without them].” A few targets were favourites for telescopic observation, she says. “Globular clusters – they are amazing objects both from a visual and scientific perspective. And I remember seeing a lunar occultation of Saturn at about 3:30 in the morning many years ago – it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. It was an amazing example of the dynamic, three-dimensionality of our Solar System.”
Name John Thatcher
Occupation Engineer and space industry project manager (retired)
Location Shrewsbury
Age 71
Favourite sections Telescope advice and tips, ‘First Light’ equipment reviews
Do you still keep any past issues? I have the first 55 issues in binders, and the 100th issue. I keep the last few years’ worth and recycle the oldest on a rolling basis.
John nearly didn’t make it past the first few months of his subscription: a busy work and family life meant the first few issues were put to one side to read later. “After four or five issues formed a little pile, I made a determined effort to catch up, and found the mix of articles and information a good match for me,” he recalls. “Since then I’ve not stopped reading the magazine every month.”
He’d been a regular watcher of The Sky at Night and had met Patrick Moore several times, so when the magazine was launched it seemed a good opportunity to find out more. “The history of orbital spaceflight and planetary exploration has occured during my lifetime and I was gripped by the Space Race in the 1960s,” he says. “My interest in astronomy followed on from that.”
This led to a 30-year career in the space industry, working on a number of scientific spacecraft. “For the last 10 years of my career I was the European Consortium Project Manager for the Mid- Infrared Instrument (MIRI) on the James Webb Space Telescope and worked with many professional astronomers all around Europe and the USA.
Now retired, John observes with various binoculars up to 15×70 size and a Sky-Watcher 200mm reflector on an EQ5 mount, as well as the naked eye. He reveals: “I made a decision not to get into astrophotography, having been advised it was a good way to lose hours of your life and spend a lot money! But I enjoy seeing what others can do.”
Being a member of Shropshire AS and an honorary member of Bedford AS allows him to do just that: “Their observers take some extremely good images,” he says. “We do lots of public outreach and I’m a big believer in encouraging people to look at what is free-to-see right above their heads.”
Name Jackie Harris
Occupation Retired
Location Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire
Age 78
Favourite section ‘The Sky Guide’, especially ‘The Planets’ section
Do you still keep any past issues? Originally I did, but I donated them to my Society library when I moved house. Now I only keep the past few months.
Jackie was always curious and interested in the sky above, studying applied physics after leaving school. In 2003 she followed her interest, she says, and hasn’t looked back. “I got my first telescope then and joined the local Wycombe Astronomical Society, and when I saw that BBC Sky at Night Magazine was first published I started reading it.”
She became the Secretary of Wycombe Astronomical Society, arranging its outreach events for 15 years, and later became a Friend of the Royal Astronomical Society. “Until the pandemic I went up to London for a couple of [RAS] lectures a month and attended two more at the Society. These have more recently taken place on Zoom, allowing our interest to be continued.”
As for practical observing, Jackie says she is very interested in the planets and the Moon in particular, and also deep-sky objects. “Sadly I live in quite a bright area so I didn’t get into astrophotography,” she says. “Luckily we have a large scope at our Society observatory for use by members, and we hope to be opening it again very soon for practical astronomy following the COVID shutdown.
“Now I’m older I do less observing, as I found it difficult to carry my 8-inch Celestron telescope,” she says, “But I have now passed that onto a friend’s family member and have an 80mm William Optics scope on an iOptron mount, and also a solar scope.
“I’ve enjoyed all the magazine articles and found the guidance on what to look for each month extremely helpful for my observing,” she says. “I have kept reading the magazine because I have learnt so much from it over the years.”
Name Stewart Chambers
Occupation Science teacher (retired)
Location Isle of Wight
Age 66
Favourite sections ‘Bulletin’, ‘Cutting Edge’ and ‘Moonwatch’
Do you still keep any past issues? I used to keep them but now I only keep a year’s worth. I pass on the previous year’s issues to local schools through the astronomical society I belong to.
“Like many people of my generation, it was the Apollo missions that sparked my interest in astronomy,” says Stewart. “That and watching Patrick Moore on The Sky at Night.” Many years later he was left some money that enabled him to purchase a telescope, he says.
“The first views of the surface of the Moon in detail, the rings of Saturn and the dance of the moons of Jupiter had me hooked.”
Stewart started reading BBC Sky at Night Magazine because it was endorsed by Patrick Moore and was linked to the television programme, he recalls. “I also liked the CD-ROM idea, containing bonus material and archive TV programmes.
“I’ve kept on reading the magazine to keep up to date with the recent developments in astronomy and to see what the monthly observing highlights are,” Stewart says. “I also like reading the features. It has been interesting to read the articles reviewing the outcomes of previous and continuing missions exploring the Solar System, such as the Apollo missions and those to the outer planets.”
With an Orion Optics SX250 10-inch Newtonian reflector mounted on a Sky-Watcher HEQ5 Pro mount, Stewart says he does observe the night sky but not always on a regular basis. “I tend to observe the Moon and planets but have not yet ventured to view deep-sky objects.”
“Based on a review in BBC Sky at Night Magazine, (‘First Light’, April 2019) I’ve purchased a solar telescope to observe the Sun,” he says. “My solar scope is a Daystar Solar Scout SS60-DS, which I mount on a Star Adventurer tracking mount placed on my camera tripod. Astrophotography is an area that I have dabbled in but only with my DSLR.”