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The Southern Astronomer No.105 – June 2017
SOUTHERN
ASTRONOMER
THE
MONTHLY MAGAZINE OF WORTHING ASTRONOMERS & WORTHING SKYWATCHERS
The Southern Astronomer No.105 – June 2017
WORTHING ASTRONOMERS
No fees, no Committee; just enjoying the night sky together.
F
ormed in 2008 by a group of regular and practical observers,
Worthing Astronomers is a free to join society now with a
membership of over 450 persons, who have a common
interest in Astronomy and its associated subjects – no internal
politics, no fees, no committees, just astronomy!
The Southern Astronomer
This Issue
Astronomy This Month; The Planets in
June
Comets, Meteors; Noctilucent Clouds
An app controller for DSLR camera;
Workshop Night; The Night Sky in June
Our aim is simple – to bring astronomy to the public in general and
to help and assist our membership in observing the night sky.
With the aid of this newsletter, website, social media, regular star
parties, workshops and public observing events we hope to
encourage and share our interests in observing the sky with the
public, our colleagues in our own group and with those of
neighbouring astronomical societies.
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Cover & Comment
The cover constellations this month are Bootes and Canes
Venatici which are both well placed in the evening skies this month
for observing deep sky objects and even a comet.
We try and meet at least once a month (when weather conditions
allow) to do some observing but at the moment we do hold, every
two months, a Workshop evening when we get a chance to meet up,
exchange ideas and tips and help each other to make the most of
observing the sky above us. Occasionally a guest speaker will talk
about an aspect of practical, hands on astronomical observing.
The Workshop evening this month will be our last until October as
the Church Hall facilities will not be available to us in August.
Originally we were to meet on the second Friday in August – the
11th – which would have been appropriate for the subject matter; it
will be 18 years since the ‘Cornwall’ Total Solar Eclipse of August
11, 1999. There will be a total solar eclipse visible throughout the
northern continental America’s on the 25th this year and many
amateurs will be going to see it. The presentation, it is hoped will
give those of us who will be unable to cross the world to see it, a
taster of what an eclipse is like.
These Workshop evenings are held on the first Friday of every other
month (February, April, June, August, October and, December) at
Goring Methodist Church Hall, Bury Drive (off of Aldsworth Avenue),
Worthing, BN12 4XB. The small admission charge of £3 helps pay
for the room and free refreshments and goes towards supporting
our membership. Doors open at 7.00 pm BST with the meeting
starting at 7.30.
We can be found at: worthingastronomers.org.uk
Contact addresses:
Acting joint coordinators - [email protected] –
general society details, Janet Halls or Brian Halls
[email protected] – donations contact
Janet Halls acting-treasurer.
[email protected] – events contact
Steve Bassett, Mike Williams
There are several astronomical groups in the coastal area of Sussex
- several WA members are also members of the Adur
Astronomical Society, who meet every first Monday of the month
for a lecture regarding an astronomical subject. Details for the AAS
can be found at Adur Astronomical Society.
[email protected] – contact for website
Perry Wilkins
[email protected] – newsletter content detail
Brian Halls
CONTRIBUTIONS AND UNSUBSCRIBING
Contributions – written articles (word processed in .txt, .doc or .odt
format), photographs, letters, advertising copy to the editor for the
July issue should be in by June 15 and sent to the editor at the
contact address: [email protected]
If you no longer wish to subscribe to the group and cancel
newsletters and other information, please send an email to:
[email protected] with 'Unsubscribe' in the subject
line; we do not want our stuff to end up like spam littering your inbox.
Volunteers are always welcome: if you want to find out more, call
01903 521205 or drop us a line at the e-mail address above.
If you like the newsletter or its content please feel free to distribute it
to anyone you know who might be interested. Content is subject to
copyright to the group and/or the individuals whose images or
articles are used.
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The Southern Astronomer No.105 – June 2017
LUNAR PHASES FOR JUNE
ASTRONOMY
THIS MONTH
June 2017
All times expressed as Universal Time (UTC – Co-ordinated Universal
Time) unless otherwise stated which can be considered the same as GMT
i.e Summer Time, minus 1 hour. Information given, unless otherwise stated is
for the 15th of the month at 21.30UT. Lunar and other phenomena in the
Quick View Diary are shown to the nearest hour.
Officially this month, we pass into summer as the Solstice occurs on the 21 st.
How the weather conditions will be, is anyone’s guess. Over the last few
months, regular observers across the UK have reported some unsteady
seeing. The warm(!) conditions of summer cause turbulence in the air but,
equally summer nights can cool down rapidly leaving a steadiness and clarity
in the eyepiece.
A rule of thumb – if stars twinkle prettily then the seeing is poor. If stars
appear steady then the seeing is going to be good.
JUNE QUICK VIEW DIARY
Day UT
1
13
2
8
9 13
10 01
15 10
17 12
20 22
21
14
23 10
24 02
08
28 00
31
Sunrise 04.36 Sunset 19.25
Moon: First Quarter
Workshop Evening
Moon at apogee – furthest in its orbit from Earth
Full Moon
Saturn 3.1°S of Moon
Saturn at opposition
Moon: Last Quarter
Venus 2.3°N of Moon
Solstice at 04.24UT
Mercury at superior conjunction
Moon at perigee – nearest in its orbit to the Earth
New Moon
Mercury 5.2°N of Moon
Regulus occultation by Moon (not UK)
Sunrise 03.55 Sunset 20.07
The other inner planet, Venus is visible in the predawn sky. At the
beginning of the month, the planet is showing a half phase
(dichotomy) – by the end its phase will be 62%. The planet will be
decreasing in angular size as it also heads for superior conjunction
in the early part of 2018, when it once more becomes an evening
object. In the meantime however, possessors of moderate to large
equipment may still get the opportunity of observing the dusky cloud
features of Venus.
A planet that is not often mentioned here is Earth. The Solstice
occurs during the early morning of the 21st. Northern summer (or,
southern winter – depending on where you live) is at its maximum.
The earliest sunrise from Worthing is 03.48UT on June 12 and for
the following nine days. The latest sunset is 20.22UT which occurs
on June 20 and for eleven days after (July 1.)
OBSERVING THE PLANETS:
M
June
One planet that is not difficult to look for in the long twilight skies is
Jupiter though it is low in our skies at the moment because of the
summer. The next page shows the positions of the bright inner
moons of the planet through the month and, transit times of the
Great Red Spot.
ercury is at superior conjunction on the 21st – it is at its
furthest in its orbit from Earth. The planet lays about 1.6°
north-west of the Sun and is thus poorly placed in the sky
for observing. Technically speaking, the planet is visible but, unless
you are experienced and have an accurately aligned telescope setup, I would avoid observing the planet at this time due to its
proximity to the Sun.
The only other planet visible in the evening sky at the moment is
Saturn and its ring system.
The planet is at it opposition on
June 15 – almost due south at
midnight. Like Jupiter, it is low in
the sky but well worth the effort to
look even through a small
telescope that will show the
enigmatic ring system which as I
write, is being probed by the
Cassini space mission.
For those with larger instruments,
the belts and their divisions as
well as planetary cloud features
are worth capturing and digitally
processing.
Planets in June
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The Southern Astronomer No.105 – June 2017
Transits of the Great Red Spot for the month
Note: Not all GRS transits listed will be visible from the UK
The positions of the Galilean satellites during the month (inverted view)
OBSERVING METEORS AND COMETS:
O
NOCTILUCENT CLOUD
SEASON BEGINS
June
ne of the lesser known meteor showers occurs at the close
of the month – the June Bootids. This shower commences
around the 22nd, peaks on the 27th and ends about July 3.
Maximum is around 01.23UT. Moon light will not be a problem as it
will have set earlier.
O
nce more, we are reaching the time of year when the rare
phenomenon of noctilucent clouds (NLC) once more can be
seen in our skies.
Quite literally, NLC can translate as ‘night glowing clouds’.
A 6m comet, C/2015 V2 (Johnson) will be in the Bootes region
during the month – imagine the constellation as being kite shaped,
the comet will be to the east and moving southerly relative to the Vshape of the constellation at the start of June and will rapidly
traverse the area between Bootes and Virgo, entering Virgo around
June 20.
The best time to see them is late into the evening and early into the
morning when the Sun is 6°to 16° below the northern horizon after
sunset or before sunrise. From our latitude they will be visible
towards the northern horizon and will have a an ‘electric’ blue type
glow about them while conventional clouds will appear dark across
the lighter sky.
As it moves south it will start getting fainter though, slightly.
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The Southern Astronomer No.105 – June 2017
DSLR Controller:
Workshop
Evening
An App for the EOS
camera range
June 2nd
By Graham Dargonne
“ADVENTURES IN ASTRONOMY:
CHASING THE DARKENED SUN”
The method of linking your telescope mounted digital SLR camera to a PC
and viewing the subsequent image is known as tethering. However an app
can take over that role from the PC.
A
s you may be all aware, there is a major total solar eclipse
occurring across the north American continent in August.
D
SLR Controller was the first and remains the best app to fully
control your Canon EOS DSLR from your Android device,
through USB cable or Wi-Fi connection. No computer or
laptop required, no root required, only a compatible mobile device, a
compatible camera, and if connecting through USB, the right cable
– OTG (for, on-the-go.)
Some people will be lucky enough to see it – others will not. In
anticipation of this event and to give those of us who cannot go, a
taste of what a total eclipse of the Sun is really like, the adventure of
a solar eclipse trip will be the subject of the workshop.
I strongly suggest you read up on the website about what DSLR
Controller can do, how it works, and how to use it, before
purchasing. The website contains a wealth of information you
should know before using.
A full solar eclipse is more than just watching the Moon cover the
Sun and then it is all over – there are many other things about a
solar eclipse which sometimes astronomy books leave out.
Hopefully the anticipation and thrill of an eclipse will be captured by
the presentation.
Not all devices are compatible, especially if you want to use a USB
connection. For a free app you can use to test compatibility, see the
"Remote Release" app, here.
As usual, any recent images of astronomical interest yoy might have
done will also be welcome.
Usage notes, feature lists, device compatibility lists, FAQs, can all
be found at: http://dslrcontroller.com/
As usual, the entry per person is £3 which covers the cost of hall
hire and of refreshments. Details on page 2.
Some of the Features:
Live View- Auto Focus (tap Live View)- Manual focus adjustments
(in AF mode)- Histogram- Zoom control- Grid and aspect ratio
overlay- Bulb capture-- Shutter speed-- Aperture-- ISO speed-Auto-Focus Mode-- Focus and Zoom area (tap-and-hold Live
View)-- Picture Style-- Drive Mode-- White Balance-- Colour
Temperature-- Metering Mode, and still some more.....
THE NIGHT SKY
W
Available options depend on the mode you have your camera set to
(M, Av, Tv, etc) and camera model.
ith sunrise occurring early and sunset falling late, the hours of
darkness are few.
As previously mentioned, the season for noctilucent clouds is with
us. Though these are not astronomical in nature they are likely to be
seen by astronomers.
Supported Canon EOS models:
Newer cameras than listed below are usually supported.
Full support for 1D Mk IV, 1DX, 1D X MkII, 5D Mk II, 5D Mk III, 5D
MkIV, 5Ds(r), 50D, 500D, 550D, 6D, 60D, 600D, 650D, 7D, 7D Mk
II, 70D, 700D, 750D, 760D, 80D, 1100D, 1200D, 1300D, 100D.
There is limited support for: 1D Mk III, 1Ds Mk III, 30D, 40D, 400D,
450D, 1000D.
These bright cloud like structures (as previously mentioned) can be
seen in the hours after sunset or before sunrise.
Caused by ice crystals forming on dust particles in the mesosphere
(80km or so high in our atmosphere) they can be seen for a brief
period during our northern summer. There is some contention
among scientists about this phenomenon. Is the dust meteoric, manmade pollution or volcanic? There are no observational records of
NLC until the latter part of the nineteenth century. Could this be a
sign that heat that would normally stop the ice crystals from forming
being blocked by a greenhouse effect and thus a sign of global
warming?
What ever the arguments, they cannot detract from the ethereal
beauty of the clouds.
On the front cover is a star map of the constellation Bootes – The
Herdsman and Canes Venatici. Both are high and almost over head
– face due south and look up and the ‘kite’ shaped constellation with
the bright Arcturus will be above you, Canes will be to the west.
Android phone screenshot
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The Southern Astronomer No.105 – June 2017
The sky mid-evening from Sussex at 21.30 UT
This month Bootes is a target for some deep sky objects and a
comet as well – see page 4 for information about Comet Johnson.
Near the top right corner of the cover chart in Canes is M63, The
Sunflower Galaxy - a spiral galaxy which we are seeing at an
oblique angle.
The constellation has a kite like shape. Using the cover page star
chart we have the red star Arcturus at its base. Moving northwards
is the bright star Izar or ε Boötes. In reality this bright star is a close
triple star system. The primary Izar, is a yellow/orange star at 2.5m
while the second star in the system is a 4.6m blue star. The tertiary
object is a 12m star.
Canes is not as obvious as Bootes. Effectively it is just two stars –
the brightest being Cor Caroli (Charles’ Heart). Laying just above it
is M94 - another spiral galaxy at 9m.
There are many other deep sky objects that are in this region of sky
– some easy to find, while others may require a moderate to large
telescope to sneak out.
The primary and secondary stars are ideal objects for binoculars
while you will need an aperture of at least 120mm to see all three.
From mid month, the Moon is waning and will be rising late, giving
the sky some darkness.
Follow Arcturus up and you will see just over the border in the
neighbouring constellation of Canes Venatici, a globular cluster,
M3. This object is considered to be one of the finest northern sky
globular clusters and can be easily made out in a pair of binoculars.
To the north-east the unmistakable cross-angle constellation of
Cygnus and over night some of the deep sky features of this group
of Milky Way stars will be showing themselves off.
Located at an estimated 34 thousand light years away it comprises
1⁄2 million stars. The age of the cluster is estimated at 8 billion years This may be mid-summer but the skies can still show themselves
making it almost twice the believed age of our solar system
off.
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