{"id":38064,"date":"2022-11-11T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-11-11T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/?post_type=purple_issue&p=38064"},"modified":"2022-11-25T12:35:07","modified_gmt":"2022-11-25T12:35:07","slug":"interactive-15","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/2022\/11\/11\/interactive-15\/","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

Solar showcase <\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Debbie\u2019s eclipse montage created with the help of a collage app on her smartphone <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I captured the images above today during the partial solar eclipse using my Google Pixel 4 smartphone and Celestron NexStar 8SE telescope with solar filter attached! <\/span>
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Debbie Townsend, Doncaster <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n


What a great record of the event, Debbie! Your montage of the whole passage of the eclipse is a really effective way to present the afocal images you captured on the day.
\u2013 Ed. <\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\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 2022 <\/em>and Robin Scagell\u2019s Guide to the Northern Constellations<\/em><\/p>\n\n

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

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<\/p>\n\n

The glare essentials <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

<\/p>\n\n

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Nifty shades of Graham<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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All set up ready for the eclipse<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

For the partial solar eclipse on 25 October, I used a 4-inch reflecting telescope to project the Sun\u2019s image onto a screen in my garden, capturing it with my mobile phone. I also viewed the eclipse with a pair of solar eclipse glasses that I have owned since 1999, when I bought them for the total solar eclipse. <\/p>\n\n

Graham Sinagola, via email<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Model behaviour <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n
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Alan\u2019s models in the finished Apollo diorama <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

Having read in the November issue\u2019s Message of the Month about the young lad who had made the Lego model of the Apollo 11 lunar module, I can endorse just how pleased he would have been to have put this terrific model together. Last Christmas my daughter bought me the very same kit and I was equally pleased at the result, so much so that I treated myself to the Saturn V Apollo rocket model. This was equally as impressive once constructed, standing around a metre high! Having created a diorama to display the model of the lunar module, I then set about creating one for the Saturn V. I\u2019m old enough to have witnessed the Apollo 11 Moon landing in 1969 and I\u2019m eagerly looking forward to witnessing the next, although I didn\u2019t expect to have waited so long!<\/p>\n\n

Alan J Robinson, Cheshunt <\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Giza teaser <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n
\"\"
The eclipse grazes the top of Giza\u2019s Great Pyramid<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

This photo (above) was taken a few minutes after the peak of the partial solar eclipse from the Great Pyramid of Giza. The duration of the eclipse in Cairo was two hours, but the weather conditions were so extreme there were only 30 minutes without heavy cloud cover. I had been planning this image for three months and made three visits to the Great Pyramid to select the best scene. I also bought a Sigma 28\u201370mm lens and Formatt-Hitech ND 3.0 nautral density filter for my modified Nikon Z6 camera especially for this capture.<\/p>\n\n

Osama Fathi, Cairo <\/strong><\/p>\n\n

In plane sight <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n

This is my first shot with the Sun and a plane. I was trying to focus the Sun to take a photo when a plane went by, so I just clicked quickly, which explains why it\u2019s not in the best focus. But I\u2019m over the Moon that my first shot of the Sun with a plane also included the partial solar eclipse! The equipment I used was a Sky-Watcher 10-inch Dobsonian, Seymour thin solar film and a Google Pixel 6 smartphone. <\/p>\n\n

Sonia Turkington, North Reddish, Stockport <\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Cloud pleaser <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n
\"\"
Norman caught a brief break in the clouds <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

For me, the 25 October eclipse was hampered by clouds almost throughout the event, however I managed to get a few pictures I was happy with. I took this image with a hand-held Canon R6 camera and RF70\u2013200mm lens at 200mm, using a Lee Big Stopper 10x neutral density filter. <\/p>\n\n

Norman Woolley, via email <\/strong><\/p>\n\n

<\/p>\n\n

\n\n
Tweet <\/strong><\/h5>\n\n

Alan Crossland <\/strong>@alan65834785 \u2022 27 Sep <\/span> <\/p>\n\n

Winter skies are here! Andromeda rising over Beacon Mill, Rottingdean. #Andromeda #astrophotography #Brighton #stars #Southdowns<\/span><\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n
ON FACEBOOK <\/strong><\/h5>\n\n

WE ASKED: Why do we always see the same side of the Moon? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Steve Green <\/strong>Is this a trick question? The moon is a sphere, so it doesn\u2019t have a side! <\/p>\n\n

Ed Jonze <\/strong>I thought it was in synchronous rotation with Earth but no \u2013 it\u2019s apparently some white-tac that got stuck on the camera lens. <\/p>\n\n

Gilles Blanchette <\/strong>The Moon rotates one turn in the same number of days that it takes to make one revolution around the Earth. That\u2019s why we always see the same side of the Moon. <\/p>\n\n

Philip Horn-Botha <\/strong>Coz the Moon is shy? The other side is full of junk? <\/p>\n\n

Pete Madge <\/strong>The Moon\u2019s rotational period is almost the same as its orbital period around its parent body, with some libration. <\/p>\n\n

Mark Pearsons <\/strong>The 19 largest moons in our Solar System are all tidally locked to their host planets. <\/p>\n\n

Stephen Croft <\/strong>Because a lunar day is about 29.5 Earth days. <\/p>\n\n

Instagram<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n

cellistontheroof \u2022 25 October <\/p>\n\n

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

My only option for getting an image today was the RedCat51 with an Explore Scientific white-light solar filter and ZWO ASI224MC \u2013 the only setup that can fit the whole Sun in frame. I couldn\u2019t get my larger telescope out because while the Sun was out it was actually RAINING! #solareclipse #astrophotography <\/span><\/p>\n\n

<\/p>\n\n

\n\n
SOCIETY IN FOCUS <\/strong><\/h5>\n\n

Bristol Astronomical Society <\/strong>celebrates its 80th anniversary on 8 December. The UK was in the midst of the Second World War 80 years ago, with heavy bombing and air raids a common occurrence. But with the city lights out, the wonders of the night sky became more visible. In winter 1942 an advert in the Bristol <\/em>Evening <\/em>Post <\/em>invited those with an interest in astronomy to join a meeting on 8 December. <\/p>\n\n

Little is known about the group in the early years, but enthusiasm clearly grew. In the 1970s the society built an observatory southwest of the city in Failand. An 18-inch telescope was donated by Cyril Swindin CBE and the observatory was officially opened by Sir Patrick Moore in 1972. <\/p>\n\n

The society is much changed. Our telescope is now a 12-inch Meade LX600, polar-aligned and fitted with a CCD camera, ideal for astrophotography, group viewings and Zoom meetings. We host star parties during autumn and winter and have a full calendar heading towards 2023.<\/p>\n\n

Our meetings are held at the Bristol Photographic Society in the Montpelier area of the city. During the pandemic, they moved online to keep the society together during difficult times. Now, all meetings are over Zoom as well as at the BPS. For more info on our talks and observing events, visit our Facebook page or our website. <\/p>\n\n

Fiona Lambert, Chair, Bristol Astronomical Society <\/strong><\/p>\n\n

> bristolastrosoc.org.uk<\/a> <\/p>\n\n

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Bristol AS chair Fiona Lambert solar observing during an outreach event <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
<\/div>
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SCOPE DOCTOR<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

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

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

I have a pair of Celestron SkyMaster 20×80 binoculars with a Horizon Heavy Duty Tripod, but I find the screw in the tripod\u2019s mounting plate is too short to hold the binoculars. Am I doing something wrong? <\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

ROGER ROOKES <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A male to female adaptor should solve the problem <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

This is a rather puzzling problem as there is no reason why this combination shouldn\u2019t work correctly. The binoculars have an adjustable, but not removable, tripod adaptor attached to a cylindrical bar running from the front to the back. This adaptor is tightened onto the bar using a thumb bolt at the top and projects downwards, exiting from underneath the binoculars where you will find a 1\/4\u201320 threaded hole. The captive bolt in the Horizon Heavy Duty Tripod\u2019s quick-release mounting plate screws into this threaded hole. The quick-release plate is then fitted into the quick-release shoe at the top of the tripod and locked in place.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the plate cannot be attached to the binoculars\u2019 tripod adaptor for some reason, a simple solution would be to use a small 1\/4-inch male to 1\/4-inch female tripod adaptor between the binoculars\u2019 adaptor and the mount\u2019s quick-release plate. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

How can I prevent vignetting? <\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vignetting is the appearance of the light intensity through a telescope falling off towards the edges of the field of view, and can be very obvious in deep-sky images. It can be caused by an obstruction in the light path, the natural effect of light passing through a lens, or pixel vignetting where light falling on the edges of a sensor arrives at a slight angle, whereas light falling on the centre arrives perpendicular. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cure for all forms of vignetting is to calibrate your images with a series of \u2018flat\u2019 frames, captured with a diffuse material over the front of the telescope while aimed at an even light source, such as a cloudy daytime sky. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

CORRECTION <\/h5>\n\n

In the feature \u2018Mars season has arrived\u2019 in our October 2022 issue, the caption for the map of Mars\u2019s surface features on page 62 mistakenly mentioned areocentric longitude, where it should simply have mentioned longitude. <\/p>\n\n

<\/p>\n\n

PHOTO: STEVE RICHARDS <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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