{"id":27840,"date":"2022-01-20T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-01-20T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/?post_type=purple_issue&p=27840"},"modified":"2022-02-02T15:07:32","modified_gmt":"2022-02-02T15:07:32","slug":"interactive-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/2022\/01\/20\/interactive-5\/","title":{"rendered":"Interactive"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Emails \u2013 Letters \u2013 Tweets \u2013 Facebook \u2013 Instagram \u2013 Kit questions<\/p>\n\n

Email us at inbox@skyatnightmagazine.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n

<\/div>
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MESSAGE OF THE MONTH<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ancient light<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
A small part of the Hubble Ultra Deep Field image, which captured nearly 10,000 galaxies including small, red examples 13 billion years old<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Recently, I have been listening to a number of Professor Brian Cox\u2019s fascinating lectures on YouTube. He mentioned that light travels in straight lines and I have a question about that. Does this mean that in the Hubble pictures of multiple galaxies \u2013 where the farthest object is 13 billion lightyears away \u2013 the 13 billion-yearold light has not been blocked or absorbed by any other object? Are we only observing the light that got through, and could there be more that we do not see \u2013 or is this where gravitational lensing comes into play?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

David Hewitt, Leigh on Sea<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s correct, David, the light we see from 13 billion years ago is indeed only what manages to get through the dust and gas that fills the cosmos. Lensing is a bit different, though, and is where distant light is \u2018bent\u2019 around massive objects closer to us and not absorbed by it, sometimes making the light dimmer, sometimes brighter \u2013 Ed. <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n

This month\u2019s top prize: two Philip\u2019s titles<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n

The \u2018Message of the Month\u2019 writer will receive a bundle of two top titles courtesy of astronomy publisher Philip\u2019s: Nigel Henbest\u2019s Stargazing <\/em>2022 <\/em>and Robin Scagell\u2019s Guide <\/em>to <\/em>the <\/em>Northern <\/em>Constellations <\/em><\/p>\n\n

Winner\u2019s details will be passed on to Octopus Publishing to fulfil the prize<\/p>\n\n

\n\n

Great ball of fire?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n

At around 5pm on 23 November I was running with friends between classes at the Southend Campus of Essex University, when we suddenly all noticed what looked like a fireball falling in front of us in the sky. Fortunately, I was lucky to have my phone in my hands and I took a quick picture (above). I have no idea how long the meteor\u2019s tail was because it wasn\u2019t that close, but I think it was between 50 and 100 metres long. The trail also smoked a little and lingered for about 30 to 40 seconds after the fireball had vanished. When I took the photo, the meteor was falling practically vertically and was in a northwest direction.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

I didn\u2019t hear any particular noise or a sonic boom coming from the fireball; we all just noticed it in front of us as it was very bright.<\/p>\n\n

Kristina Valeri, Southend on Sea<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Well done on being vigilant, Kristina! But this looks rather like an aircraft contrail catching the winter evening sunlight: when they\u2019re illuminated like that it\u2019s easy to mistake them for a meteor fireball. A fireball as spectacular and close as the object in your photo is likely to have made a sonic boom. One useful place where you can check up on potential fireballs is the UK Meteor Network, and its Fireball section (ukmeteornetwork.co.uk\/fireballs<\/a>). <\/strong>Keep looking up! \u2013 Ed. <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n

New Big Bang?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

I\u2019m sure Professor Brian Cox said on his TV programme, Universe, <\/em>that \u2018far away\u2019 galaxies were racing away from us and Andromeda, our nearest galaxy, over 2.5 million lightyears away, is racing towards us. Can I ask why the Milky Way isn\u2019t racing in the same direction as Andromeda? If the Universe is supposed to be expanding, how can galaxies be charging together?<\/p>\n\n

I always understood that we were peering further and further back in time but haven\u2019t been able to see as far back as the Big Bang yet, but if the Andromeda Galaxy is charging towards us while distant galaxies are charging away from us, surely the Big Bang happened somewhere between Andromeda and the outer galaxies? One imagines that if galaxies millions of lightyears apart can come together, the expanding Universe is at some point going to stop, contract and end up in one more Big Bang!<\/span><\/p>\n\n

Kind regards, Peter Haste, via email<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Because of the way galaxies formed, they are clumped together in groups. Even though these groups are all moving away from each other as the Universe expands, inside the groups they\u2019re close enough to be affected by each other\u2019s gravitational pull, causing them to jostle about and sometimes collide.<\/span> \u2013 Ed.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n

Creating squares<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n
\"\"
The RAS Bicentennial Quilt takes shape<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

There have been some exciting developments with the RAS (Royal Astronomical Society) Bicentennial Quilt this year. The side showing the orbital paths of the Solar System is now completed, but the Sun and planets still require a skilled embroiderer\u2019s hand; plus a number of squares have been joined together for the patchwork side.<\/p>\n\n

Also, I\u2019ve almost finished populating the online image gallery with all the squares for the patchwork side of the quilt (https:\/\/ras.ac.uk\/ras-bicentennial-quilt-100-patchwork-squares<\/a>). With any luck we will be able to host some in-person stitching sessions in the RAS building next year.<\/p>\n\n

Annie Hogan, Royal Astronomical Society, Piccadilly, London<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Society in focus<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n
\"\"
The EAS during a public Sunwatch at the Brewery Arts Centre in Kendal<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

The Eddington Astronomical Society of Kendal (EAS) was formed in 2004 by local author and astronomer Stuart Atkinson to promote and celebrate the transit of Venus. EAS is named after Sir Arthur Eddington, one of the founders of modern astrophysics, who was born in the Cumbrian town of Kendal.<\/p>\n\n

The Society meets each month and hosts guest speakers at meetings that cover a wide range of topics. EAS also holds public \u2018Moonwatches\u2019 and outreach events, particularly when there is something significant happening. We set up telescopes and encourage the public and passers-by to look through them: in many instances it\u2019s their first view.<\/p>\n\n

Despite COVID, the EAS has met regularly and has had some fascinating talks via Zoom, and our monthly newsletters have proved to be popular. We are currently experimenting with hybrid meetings, where members attend either in person or via Zoom.<\/p>\n\n

Our most recent planned Moonwatch \u2013 our first since the pandemic \u2013 was due to take place in November 2021 along with Friends of the Lake District. Sadly, the weather was not in our favour, but we hope to host another one soon!<\/p>\n\n

If you are in the area and want to join in, why not get in touch. Our programme and blog are on our website (address below).<\/p>\n\n

Ian Bradley, chairperson; David Glass, meetings coordinator > <\/strong>eas-online.org.uk<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n\n

\n\n

CORRECTION<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Nikos Charalambidis wrote to point out that in the main text on page 46 of the January issue (\u2018Sky Guide\u2019, Big Three, Quadrantid Meteors), for the name of the stars in the Plough asterism, the Greek letter zeta should have been \u2018\u03b6\u2019, not \u2018\u03be\u2019, which is the Greek letter xi.<\/p>\n\n

\n\n

Tweet<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n
\"This<\/figure><\/div>\n\n

Andrew Morl @AndrewMorl \u2022 Dec 14 <\/strong>
There was normal cloud for the peak of the Geminids, but gaps in the cloud gave us views of the Moon through the 8-inch Dobsonian. The picture is straight off the phone, not edited. @GrassholmeObser @ThisisDurham @ThePhotoHour @skyatnightmag #moonshots<\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n

Naturehawk @NaturehawkPhoto \u2022 Dec 30<\/span><\/strong> <\/span>
Grid No. 1… #Astrophotography #milkyway #astro #nightsky @BBCStargazing @skyatnightmag @practphoto @UKNikon @NikonEurope @Adobe<\/span><\/p>\n\n

On Facebook<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

WE ASKED: What are you most looking forward to in 2022?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Harold Siddons <\/strong>The lunar occultation of Mars in December! Jim <\/strong>Hendrickson <\/strong>Getting clouded out of another lunar eclipse on 15 May.<\/p>\n\n

Keith Mountjoy <\/strong>A partial solar eclipse, oh, and a clear sky!<\/p>\n\n

Steve Roach <\/strong>To seeing if Comet 15P\/Finlay is going to give parental guidance to the Delta Cancrids.<\/p>\n\n

Instagram<\/h4>\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n

daydreamastro \u2022 10 December<\/strong>
The Rosette Nebula, as captured with a SkyWatcher Evostar ED80 telescope, HEQ5 pro mount, ZWO294 OSC camera, L-eNhance Optolong filter, using 14x 10min subs, with a total integration of 2 hours and 20 minutes, and processed in Photoshop.<\/p>\n\n

<\/div>
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Scope Doctor<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Our equipment specialist, Steve Richards, cures your optical ailments and technical maladies<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Email your queries to scopedoctor@skyatnightmagazine.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have a pair of Vixen BT 80mm binoculars and observe from a moderately light-polluted site. Are there any eyepieces or filters that would help improve my views? <\/strong><\/em>ANDREW WELLS<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Vixen SLV Lanthanum eyepieces of 12mm and 25mm focal length<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Vixen BT-80 binoculars have an effective focal length of 900mm achieved by the use of a built-in teleconverter within the 500mm-long optical tube, and they use two Amici prisms to produce a correct orientation image with a 45\u00b0 viewing angle for 1.25-inch eyepieces. To achieve the best views through these binoculars, keep the magnification to below 85x, which means selecting eyepieces with focal lengths down to about 11mm at the shortest. There\u2019s eyepieces that shipped with this instrument. These include: <\/span>Vixen SLV Lanthanums (12mm and 25mm); Baader Hyperions (13mm and 24mm); or BST StarGuiders (12mm and 25mm).<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Observations of nebulae under your Bortle class 4 skies would benefit from the use of OIII (Oxygen) eyepiece filters like those made by Astronomik or Explore Scientific. For more general observations, a UHC (Ultra High Contast) filter from either of these companies would also be worth considering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Steve\u2019s top tip <\/strong><\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

What is backfocus? <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Backfocus describes the distance from the end of the eyepiece drawtube to the focal plane of a telescope. It is important to ensure that the focuser has sufficient travel both inwards and outwards to achieve focus with either an eyepiece or a camera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finding focus with eyepieces is normally straightforward, but the use of a camera can make it difficult to achieve, especially with Newtonian reflectors that often have insufficient inward focuser travel. Insufficient inwards travel is difficult to resolve without moving the primary mirror or inserting a Barlow lens in the optical path. When it comes to a refractor, an extension tube will easily resolve any issue of insufficient outwards travel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Steve Richards is a keen astro imager and an astronomy equipment expert<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n

Photos: NASA\/ESA AND S. BECKWITH (STSCI) A ND THE HUDF TEAM, WWW.HARRISONTELESCOPES.CO.UK<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Emails \u2013 Letters \u2013 Tweets \u2013 Facebook \u2013 Instagram \u2013 Kit questions<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":28751,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ub_ctt_via":"","purple_page_number":"20","purple_custom_meta_purple_page_number":"20","purple_seq_number":"1","purple_custom_meta_purple_seq_number":"1","purple_source_article":"article_20-1.xml","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_article":"article_20-1.xml","purple_source_issue":"February-2022","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_issue":"February-2022","purple_external_id":"February-2022-20-1","purple_custom_meta_purple_external_id":"February-2022-20-1","purple_issue_code":"|0000086549||","purple_custom_meta_purple_issue_code":"|0000086549||","purple_android_product":"com.im.skyatnight.201","purple_custom_meta_purple_android_product":"com.im.skyatnight.201","purple_ios_product":"com.im.skyatnight.201","purple_custom_meta_purple_ios_product":"com.im.skyatnight.201","purple_web_product":"","purple_custom_meta_purple_web_product":"","purple_publication_id":"075fab74-0a21-4201-866a-899d6c41c40c","purple_migrated":"","kt_blocks_editor_width":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[14],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/01\/95a05e9c-b5f7-4749-8309-21f3fbe75919.jpeg","author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"9","apple_news_title":""},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/01\/95a05e9c-b5f7-4749-8309-21f3fbe75919.jpeg",768,1004,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/01\/95a05e9c-b5f7-4749-8309-21f3fbe75919-150x150.jpeg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/01\/95a05e9c-b5f7-4749-8309-21f3fbe75919-229x300.jpeg",229,300,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/01\/95a05e9c-b5f7-4749-8309-21f3fbe75919.jpeg",768,1004,false],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/01\/95a05e9c-b5f7-4749-8309-21f3fbe75919.jpeg",768,1004,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/01\/95a05e9c-b5f7-4749-8309-21f3fbe75919.jpeg",768,1004,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/01\/95a05e9c-b5f7-4749-8309-21f3fbe75919.jpeg",768,1004,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Emails \u2013 Letters \u2013 Tweets \u2013 Facebook \u2013 Instagram \u2013 Kit questions","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27840"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27840"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27840\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29766,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27840\/revisions\/29766"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28751"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27840"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27840"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27840"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}