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#148 SEPTEMBER 2017

VOYAGER
CELEBRATES 40 YEARS
The epic mission
WKDW UHGH QHG
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Your guide to planning
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 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR SEPTEMBER 03

Welcome
This month’s
contributors
include...
Maggie Aderin-Pocock
Sky at Night presenter
Maggie Longer nights mean more opportunities for an astro adventure
joins the hunt
for space
Now that the evenings
rocks in an are once again starting How to contact us
earlier and we can look Subscriptions, binders and back issues
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Planet comes to a dramatic end with a final write in capitals)
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your eclipse Bristol Ltd, Tower House, Fairfax Street, Bristol, BS1 3BN
photos to the
ending for the spacecraft on page 32.
next level with a tutorial Not all spacecraft have such abrupt endings.
on coaxing detail from The twin Voyager probes are still going, and this month we celebrate the mission’s 40th
the Sun’s corona. Page 84 anniversary. On page 67, Jenny Winder charts

Jenny Winder
Subscriber update a journey that has rewritten our understanding
From 24 August 2017 we will be moving our customer service
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04

CONTENTS
C = on the cover
NEW TO ASTRONOMY?
Get started with The Guide on
page 80 and our online glossary at
www.skyatnightmagazine.com/dictionary
Regulars
06 EYE ON THE SKY

Features 32 11 BULLETIN

19 WHAT’S ON
32 DIVING INTO
THE DEPTHS 21 A PASSION FOR SPACE
As Cassini approaches its violent end at With The Sky at Night co-presenter
Saturn, we look back at how its discoveries Maggie Aderin-Pocock.
surprised scientists again and again.

23 JON CULSHAW
38 WILD ASTRONOMY Jon’s off-world travelogue continues.
C We show you how to have an astro
adventure in remote rural locations. 67 24 INTERACTIVE
44 BUZZ ALDRIN: WE’VE
26 SUBSCRIBE
GOT TO GET TO MARS
C Why the veteran moonwalker wants a Mars
colony by 2039, and his plan for how to do it.
28 HOTSHOTS

67 VOYAGER: THE 40 49 THE SKY GUIDE C

50 Highlights
YEAR SPACE JOURNEY 52 The Big Three
C The incredible journey to the outer Solar The top three sights for this month.
System and the realm of interstellar space.
54 The Northern Hemisphere
All-Sky Chart
75 WHO HAS THE 56 The Planets
58 Moonwatch
RIGHT STUFF?
Twelve men and women undergo the rigours of
astronaut training in a new BBC Two series. 90 59 Comets and Asteroids
Minor planet 56 Melete.
59 Star of the Month
60 Stephen Tonkin’s Binocular Tour
61 The Sky Guide Challenge

38 The most southerly star you can see.

62 Deep-Sky Tour
64 Astrophotography
The thinnest of lunar crescents.

80 SKILLS
80 The Guide
Getting to grips with altaz mounts.
82 How To...
Build a rolling telescope platform.
84 Image Processing
C Elevate your solar eclipse astrophotos.
87 Scope Doctor

89 REVIEWS
FIRST LIGHT
90 PrimaLuceLab Airy APO 65F
apochromatic refractor
94 iOptron SkyGuider Pro tracking mount
98 QHYCCD QHY367C CMOS colour camera
102 Books
104 Gear

106 WHAT I REALLY

WANT TO KNOW IS…
Where does antimatter come from?

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 CONTENTS SEPTEMBER 05

SEPTEMBER’S BONUS CONTENT

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Highlights and much more…

Z Hotshots gallery
Z Eye on the sky
The Sky at Night Z ([WUD (402' OHV
While astronomy and planetary
exploration have revealed many of
Z Binocular tour
the secrets of the Solar System, until Z Equipment review guide
recently not much was known about
Z Desktop wallpaper
what lies beyond Neptune. In July’s
The Sky at Night, the team find out Z Observing forms
more about this mysterious outer Z Deep-sky tour chart
realm, while Pete Lawrence attempts
to observe a trans-Neptunian object
using amateur equipment.

EVERY MONTH
Interview: returning Sneak preview: Vacation Guide to
Virtual
to the ice giants Planet Factory the Solar System Planetarium
NASA’s Mark Hofstadter Download the first chapter Print out these retro-style With Paul Abel and Pete Lawrence
on why we need to return of Elizabeth Tasker’s book postcards imagining a Explore September’s night-sky
to Uranus and Neptune, on the hunt for planets future in which planetary highlights with Paul and Pete.
and how we can do it. outside the Solar System. tourism is the norm.

Production Coordinator Derrick Andrews Publishing Coordinator Eva Abramik

Ad Services Manager Paul Thornton ([email protected])
Ad Co-ordinator Emily Thorne www.bbcworldwide.com/uk--anz/ukpublishing.aspx
BBC Sky at Night Magazine is published by Immediate Media Ad Designers Cee Pike, Andrew Hobson
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skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 06

Juno on the

spot
Jupiter’s Great Red Spot appears as we’ve never seen
it before, courtesy of the Juno spacecraft’s recent
close pass over this swirling, centuries-old storm
JUNO SPACECRAFT, 11 JULY 2017

September marks 40 years since the conditions on Jupiter. It is a detail of a

launch of the Voyager spacecraft, which larger image that was processed by citizen
visited the four outer giant planets of the scientist Kevin Gill, who used raw data
Solar System and 48 of their moons. It captured by Juno that was made available
was humanity’s reconnaissance mission, to the public on NASA’s Juno website
enticing us with incredible planetary (www.missionjuno.swri.edu).
encounters and inspiring the current Zooming in on the Great Red Spot shows
era of planetary exploration: Cassini, the whorls of the storm in detail, but also a
New Horizons and most recently the certain amount of graininess in the final
Juno mission to Jupiter. image. This is because JunoCam captures
In July this year Juno celebrated its images that are about 1,600 pixels wide, a
own anniversary – one year since its relatively low resolution. Nevertheless, this
arrival in Jupiter’s orbit – with a close image is the best close-up of the Great Red
flyby over the Great Red Spot, gifting Spot ever achieved, and a testament to the
us with an unprecedented view of the success of the Juno mission so far.
huge storm. On 11 July at 01:55 UT it Ultimately, the purpose of Juno is to
flew within 9,000km over the ruddy follow up and delve deep where Voyager
anticyclone, capturing images of it with scratched the surface. Its goal is to help
the JunoCam instrument. scientists understand the formation and
The Great Red Spot appears to be evolution of the planet by analyzing its core,
NASA/JPL-CALTECH/SWRI/MSSS/KEVIN GILL

shrinking, but it’s an astounding 16,350km magnetic field, its atmosphere and aurorae.
wide, which still makes it about 1.3 times Juno launched in August 2011, finally
as wide as Earth. It has been monitored arriving at Jupiter in July 2016, and is
by humanity since about 1830, and may scheduled to end its mission in February
have been raging for over 350 years. 2018 by deorbiting into the planet.
When this image was taken, Juno was
9,886km above the planet’s cloud tops. YOUR BONUS A gallery of these
The view shows a tempestuous atmosphere and more stunning
and provides a glimpse of the stormy
CONTENT space images

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
EYE ON THE SKY SEPTEMBER 07

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
NASA/ESA AND Z. LEVAY (STSCI), NASA/JPL-CALTECH/CORNELL/ARIZONA STATE UNIV, ESO, NASA/JPL-CALTECH/SPACE SCIENCE INSTITUTE
08

S Phobos photobomb T Perseverance is key

HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE, 20 JULY 2017 MARS EXPLORATION ROVER OPPORTUNITY, 7-19 JUNE 2017
Astronomers were capturing images of Mars when they happened to This incredible view of the Martian landscape is a panorama
spot the moon Phobos appearing from behind the Red Planet. Thirteen above Perseverance Valley in the Endeavour Crater, captured by
images taken over 22 minutes reveal the moon’s motion as it orbits the Opportunity rover. To the far right you can see tracks left by
Mars, which it does every seven hours and 39 minutes. Phobos is the rover in the spring of this year. The rover is currently investigating
edging closer to Mars with each orbit, and it is predicted that in the area to provide clues as to whether the valley was carved out
30-50 million years it may eventually crash into the planet. by liquid water in the past.

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 EYE ON THE SKY SEPTEMBER 09

W Galactic
double ring
VERY LARGE
TELESCOPE,
24 JULY 2017
Galaxy NGC 7098
is an unusual-looking
spiral galaxy, in
that its arms form
two distinct rings.
As well as this, the
galaxy has
developed two
ansae, which are the
bright areas of stellar
density seen at the
top and bottom of
the central region.
These can be found
at either end of the
central bar in some
galaxies, although
their exact origin is
not known for sure.

Saturn’s hazy
horizon X
CASSINI SPACECRAFT,
16 JULY 2017
Haze on the limb of
Saturn gives a view of
the atmosphere into
which the Cassini
spacecraft will plunge
when it ends its mission
on 15 September 2017.
This image captured by
Cassini also shows Saturn’s
rings rising above the
planet’s horizon. The
spacecraft is likely to
lose contact with Earth
before it reaches the
depths of the haze.

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
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 BULLETIN SEPTEMBER 11

PLUS

Bulletin
The latest astronomy and space
news written by Elizabeth Pearson
CUTTING
14 CHRIS LINTOTT
16 LEWIS DARTNELL
Our experts examine the hottest
new astronomy research papers
EDGE

EBLM J0555-57Ab is smaller

than Saturn, but many times
denser, which is ultimately why
it is a star and not a planet

COMMENT
by Chris Lintott
This new star is smaller
than Saturn, but the team
estimate it has the mass of
85 Jupiters. That makes
this one of the densest
objects known – not quite
up there with neutron
JUPITER SATURN EBLM J0555-57Ab TRAPPIST-1 stars and black holes,
Gas giant Gas giant Low-mass star Low-mass star but ahead of almost
everything else.

Smallest star ever

That density is why
this is a star not a planet.
At the surface the star is
nearly as hot as the Sun,

DISCOVERED
and at the star’s core the
temperature is high enough
for the nuclear fusion of
hydrogen into helium to
Red dwarf found by planet hunters examining another star proceed. That’s about as
close to a sensible
The tiniest star ever observed, with a diameter star not only makes it easier to find planets, dividing line between
slightly larger than Saturn, has been discovered but also means that features caused by star and planet as there
is. Large planets like
600 lightyears away. EBLM J0555-57Ab, a potential atmospheres will stand out and
Jupiter do produce some
red dwarf in a binary system, was found by can be measured. Last year it was announced
internal heat, but are
researchers on the WASP exoplanet hunting that red dwarf TRAPPIST-1, which is only nowhere near hot enough
experiment, who were looking for 30 per cent larger than EBLM J0555-57Ab, is for hydrogen fusion.
planets passing in front of a larger star now surrounded by seven Earth-sized worlds. The importance of
thought to be its stellar companion. Despite their importance, little is known EBLM J0555-57Ab is
“Our discovery reveals how small stars can about red dwarfs. Although stars with that it lies very close
be,” says Alexander von Boetticher, the lead masses less than 20 per cent of the Sun are to what’s supposed
author of the study, from Cambridge’s the most numerous in the Universe, their to be the theoretical
AMANDA SMITH/UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE

Cavendish Laboratory and Institute of weak light output makes them incredibly minimum, a mass
Astronomy. “Had this star formed with only difficult to find. equivalent to 83 Jupiters.
Weigh in at anything
a slightly lower mass, the fusion reaction of “This star is smaller and likely colder than
less than that, and
hydrogen in its core could not be sustained, many of the gas giant exoplanets that have
your chance of
and the star would instead have transformed so far been identified,” says von Boetticher. stardom is gone.
into a brown dwarf.” “It might sound incredible, but finding a star
Red dwarfs are thought to be fertile grounds can at times be harder than finding a planet.” CHRIS LINTOTT co-
for exoplanet hunters, as the dim light of the > See Comment, right presents The Sky at Night

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 12

NEWS IN Enceladus is thought

to host a global

BRIEF subsurface ocean

– there might still
be life yet

UK BOOSTS
SPACE SECTOR
The UK government has
pledged over £100
million to grow the nation’s
satellite production
industry. Most of the
money will be used to
extend the National
Satellite Testing Facility
in Oxfordshire, with
additional funding
UK/RAINER SCHOEDEL UNIVERSITY OF GRANADA SPAIN/ INCENT GEERS UKATC/RAY JAYAWARDHANA YORK UNIVERSITY CANADA/JOANA ASCENSO UNIVERSITY OF LISBON UNIVERSITY OF PORTO PORTUGAL/
RAL SPACE, NASA/JPL/UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA/UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO, NASA/JPL/SPACE SCIENCE INSTITUTE, KORALJKA MUZICUNIVERSITY OF LISBON PORTUGAL/ALEKS SCHOLZ UNIVERSITY OF ST ANDREWS

going to a rocket motor

production and testing
centre in Wescott,
Buckinghamshire. “Having
Surprise methanol found around
LUCAS CIEZA UNIVERSITY DIEGO PORTALES SANTIAGO CHILE, ESA–C. CARREAU, ILLUSTRATION BY ZHENYANG XIA/UW-MADISON COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, UNIVERSITY OF HERTFORDSHIRE

access to a National
Satellite Facility will

Enceladus
help companies
develop and encourage
new business to come
to the UK,” says
Graham Turnock,
chief executive of the
UK Space Agency. Suggestions that the molecule might signify life now seem unlikely
Methanol has been detected at Enceladus from The researchers suggest that the unexpectedly
Earth for the first time, a finding that suggests large amount of methanol was either trapped by
the chemical may not be an indicator for Saturn’s magnetic field, or had spread further
extraterrestrial life after all. out into Saturn’s E ring than expected. In both
It was NASA’s Cassini spacecraft that scenarios, the methanol is greater than what
revealed the water plumes that erupt from can be explained from the plumes alone.
TINY WAVES, this moon of Saturn and feed into the “Observations aren’t always straightforward.
TINY WINDS? planet’s E ring were rich in methanol, but To interpret our results, we needed the wealth of
The waves on the methane at a level so low it could not be detected from information Cassini gave us about Enceladus’s
lakes of Saturn’s moon Earth. Detection from terra firma – made environment,” says David Clements from
Titan are only 1cm high, by researchers looking for completely Imperial College London, who was also on the
according to the latest
different molecules using the IRAM 30m team. “This study suggests a degree of caution
research on Cassini
millimetre radio telescope in the Spanish needs to be taken when reporting on the
images. It’s encouraging
news for those hoping Sierra Nevadas – implies there is much more presence of molecules that could be interpreted
for a future mission to of it than scientists had imagined. as evidence for life.”
the moon. “There’s a lot “Recent discoveries that icy moons in The ability to observe such complex
of interest in one day our outer Solar System could host oceans chemistry from Earth will be a boon to
sending probes to the of liquid water and ingredients for life astronomers hoping to continue their studies of
lakes, and when that’s have sparked exciting possibilities for the moon after the end of the Cassini mission on
done, you want to have their habitability,” says Emily Drabek- 15 September. To truly appreciate Enceladus,
a safe landing, and you
Maunder from Cardiff University, who though, a more direct approach will be needed.
don’t want a lot of
was part of the team. “But in this case, our “To understand the complex chemistry
wind. Our study shows
that because the waves
findings suggest that methanol is being created in these subsurface oceans, we will need
aren’t very high, the by further chemical reactions once further direct observations by future spacecraft
winds are likely low,” the plume is ejected into space, making it flying through Enceladus’s plumes,” says
says Cyril Grima from unlikely it is an indication for life on Drabek-Maunder.
the University of Texas, Enceladus,” says Drabek-Maunder. www.iram-institute.org
who led the study.

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 Þ Material is being drawn off the white dwarf into the BULLETIN SEPTEMBER 13
black hole, but it’s thought the star will survive all the same

NEWS IN
Super-Earths excite at Tau Ceti
Four exciting new worlds have been found, two in the habitable zone
BRIEF
Four potentially habitable planets have been but their diminutive size suggests that they are
found around Tau Ceti, the closest Sun-like star to on the edge of what can be observed.
Earth at a mere 12 lightyears away. Two of them “Our detection of such weak wobbles is a
are in the star’s habitable zone, the region where milestone in the search for Earth analogues
water could exist as a liquid. and the understanding of the Earth’s habitability
With masses as low as 1.7 times that of Earth, through comparison with these,” says Fabo BEPICOLUMBO
they are the smallest planets ever detected around Feng from the University of Hertfordshire, IN FINAL TESTS
a Sun-like star. They were found by observing the who led the study. The Mercury spacecraft
wobbles they create in the movement of the star, www.herts.ac.uk BepiColumbo passed
one of its last sets of
tests in early July. The
0.5 AU 1 AU 1.5 AU 2 AU
craft was configured
Tau Ceti
as it will be for launch
– with both orbiters, one
built by Japan, the other
by ESA, stacked on top
of each other – then
subjected to extreme
vibrations and noise to
ensure it will survive
g h e f the beginning of its
7.2-year journey to the
innermost planet.
BepiColumbo will now
undergo final thermal
tests before being
transported to French
Guiana for launch in
October 2018.
Two of the exoplanets (e and f) are thought to exist in the star’s habitable zone, where water would be a liquid

The Milky Way’s hidden masses

As many as 100 billion brown dwarfs may be hiding makes them difficult to spot as they don’t emit DARK MATTER
within the Milky Way, according to observations much radiation. MAPPED
made with ESO’s Very Large Telescope. A study of star cluster RCW 38 conducted in The most accurate map
It’s thought that brown dwarfs form in much 2016 determined that it contained around one of dark matter has
the same way as stars, but lack the mass needed brown dwarf for every two stars. The finding been released, helping
to kick start hydrogen fusion in their cores. This corroborates previous observations from another to explain how the
cluster, one with a much substance has shaped
lower density of massive our Universe. It was
stars, suggesting that the created by analysing
number of brown dwarfs is the light of 26 million
independent of the type of galaxies using the first
cluster they grew up in. year of data from the
“We’ve found a lot of Dark Energy Survey,
brown dwarfs in these a five-year project to
clusters,” says Aleks Scholz investigate the role
from the University of St of dark matter and
Andrews. “Whatever the energy in the cosmos.
cluster type, the brown Where previous dark
dwarfs are really common. matter studies looked
Brown dwarfs form alongside back to 380,000 years
stars in clusters, so our work after the Big Bang, this
suggests there are a huge one observed how
number of brown dwarfs galaxies have changed
out there.” over the past seven
Þ The central 1.5 lightyears of RCW 38 and (inset) some of its faintest brown dwarfs www.eso.org billion years.

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 14

CUTTING clear it was destined to be a superluminous

Our experts examine the
hottest new research EDGE event. Previous supernovae of this type have been
found exclusively in small, dwarf galaxies, but
NGC 3191 is a massive spiral. Just by observing
it, we’ve learnt something; these rare events
(only 40 or so have ever been seen) can happen
An exciting death in massive galaxies, rich in elements other than
hydrogen and helium produced by eons of
Supernova SN 2017egm is a rare ‘superluminous’ vigorous star formation.
What’s more, the thing is still bright. In a recent
explosion – only 40 or so have ever been seen paper, a team led by Matt Nicholl of Harvard points
out that while currently hidden behind the Sun, the
The supernova is in slow fading of the supernova means it may remain
NGC 3193 in Leo and bright enough for observation for another two
should remain bright for years. Understanding that decay is essential if we
another two years
want to understand what causes these unusual and
powerful explosions; when we see light from a
supernova, we’re not seeing the explosion itself, but
rather light released from the radioactive decay of
elements produced in the initial maelstrom.
Watching the decay therefore helps us understand
what happened right at the beginning, when a star

SN 2017egm “Watching the decay

helps us understand
what happened right
at the beginning,
when a star reaches
the end of its life”
in this galaxy reaches the end of its life and
collapses in on itself. Its core will have become

A
supernova is always exciting, but one either a neutron star or a black hole, and both
in a relatively nearby galaxy is even offer possibilities. Elsewhere in the Universe,
more so. Supernova SN 2017egm, which at the centres of galaxies with growing black
lit up nearby spiral NGC 3191 in May, holes, the inflow of material onto an accretion
is a spectacular and potentially important find, disc surrounding the black hole produces energetic
and not just because of its proximity to us. jets. Something similar could happen here,
At a distance of just over 400 million lightyears, boosting the luminosity of the supernova. Or a
it’s not the closest supernova of the past few years, newly created magnetar – a neutron star with a
but it is the nearest example yet of a very special strong magnetic field – could be slowing down
kind – the still mysterious ‘superluminous by interacting with its surroundings, pumping
supernova’. As the name suggests, these explosions energy into its surroundings.
STERNBERG ASTRONOMICAL INSTITUTE/MOSCOW UNIVERSITY

are more powerful than their luminous Further study of SN 2017egm will help distinguish
counterparts, shining brightly and remaining these models from each other, a unique opportunity
visible for a long time after the initial explosion. presented by its proximity to us. Even after only
SN 2017egm was spotted on 23 May 2017 by a couple of months of observation, it’s already
the Gaia team; the Milky Way-mapping satellite a strong candidate for being the most exciting
had recorded the appearance of a star that wasn’t event to be observed this year.
there when it last looked in April. Swift work by CHRIS LINTOTT is an
a team at the Xinglong Station Observatory in astrophysicist and
co-presenter of The Sky CHRIS LINTOTT was reading… The superluminous
the north of China just three days later seemed supernova SN 2017egm in the nearby galaxy NGC
at Night on BBC TV.
to suggest it was a Type II event, representing the 3191: a metal-rich environment can support a typical
He is also the director
death of a massive star, but further follow-up of the Zooniverse project. SLSN evolution by Matt Nicholl et al.
from telescopes in the Canaries and the US made Read it online at https://arxiv.org/abs/1706.08517

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 BULLETIN SEPTEMBER 15

Milky Way has distant origins NEWS IN

Half of the Galaxy may have started a million lightyears from home BRIEF
Fifty per cent of the atoms in this magazine, your
body, and everything else in the Milky Way could
have started life in another galaxy, according to
the latest research into intergalactic winds.
These powerful streams blow at hundreds
of kilometres per second between galaxies, SPRITES FIRED
transferring matter between them. New computer INTO ORBIT
simulations have revealed that as much as half The smallest ever
of the Milky Way’s matter could have been satellite, weighing only
brought into our Galaxy by this process. 4g, has successfully
“Our origins are much less local than we made contact with the
previously thought,” says Prof Claude-André ground from low-Earth
Faugher-Giuguère, from Northwestern University orbit. The tiny spacecraft,
Half of the atoms that and who took part in the research. “This study named Sprites, are only
make up everything we 3.5cm long yet contain
gives us a sense of how things around us are
know could have emigrated a solar panel, radio
connected to distant objects in the sky.”
here from somewhere else transmitter and several
www.northwestern.edu sensors. They were
developed for the
Breakthrough Starshot
New Horizons asteroid may be a pair project, which aims to
send a fleet of
NASA’s New Horizons probe, which previously nanospacecraft to
flew past Pluto, could be heading towards not Alpha Centauri within
the next few decades.
just one target, but two. On 10 July its current
destination, asteroid 2014 MU69, passed in
front of a distant star. Observations of this
occultation revealed that the space rock is
either elongated or is in fact two bodies orbiting
closely – perhaps even touching.
“This new finding is simply spectacular. The
shape of MU69 is truly provocative, and could
mean another first for New Horizons going to a PLANET HUNT
binary object in the Kuiper Belt,” says Alan Stern, AT BARNARD’S
New Horizons’ principal investigator. “I could not A new planet hunt
be happier with the occultation results, which began on 16 July,
when the Arecibo radio
promise a scientific bonanza for the flyby.” 2014 MU69 could be two space rocks posing as one,
telescope turned its
www.sofia.usra.edu as illustrated here; alternatively, it could just be very long
eyes towards Barnard’s ESA/HUBBLE & NASA, NASA/JHUAPL/SWRI/ALEX PARKER, NASA/JPL, NASA/ESA/STSCI/G. BACON
Star, the second closest
star system to Earth

LOOKING BACK THE SKY AT NIGHT after Alpha Centauri.

There have been
previous hints that a
28 September 1976 super-Earth planet
exists in a ‘cold’ orbit
On 28 September 1976, The Sky The landers were stationed far out from the star,
at Night looked at the first science on opposite sides of the planets. beyond the habitable
results from the Viking landers, They sent back over 1,400 images zone. The team will
the first probes to successfully of the surface, as well as conducting now scour the Arecibo
touch down on the surface of chemical, seismological and data looking at the
Mars and send back data. meteorological tests. One of emissions from the
Two missions – both consisting these looked for living microbes star, such as those
of a lander and an orbiter – were on the planet and at first appeared caused by flares.
sent to Mars and both made it to to be positive. The result was From these, the team
the Red Planet’s surface. The quickly discounted as having will characterise the
orbiters managed to map all of a non-biological origin, though radiation and magnetic
Mars’s surface to a resolution of the debate over whether Viking environment, looking
150m per pixel, the most complete detected life still continues over The Viking landers provided our for any perturbations
view of the Red Planet at the time. 40 years later. first close glimpses of Martian terrain
that could be caused
by planets.

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 16 BULLETIN SEPTEMBER

CUTTING away, transmitted at a radio frequency of 452.13

Our experts examine the
hottest new research EDGE MHz. Within a month, he had received 66 correct
solutions, about half of which were independent
instances of the message having been cracked – the
other half were based on help provided on public
online discussion forums.
Citizen scientists could So what did this dummy SETI transmission
consist of? The first clue in decoding this message

decode an alien message comes from realising that the total number of bits
– 1,902,341 – is the number that results from
multiplying three prime numbers: seven, 359 and
The SETI Decrypt Challenge asked social media 756. Thus there are seven pages of data, each made
user to interpret an ‘extraterrestrial’ signal up of a grid of binary numbers 359 wide by 757 tall.
The first page contains just a frame of 1s to specify
the size of the other six sheets. Page two defines the
number system by counting up to 756, and page
three lists the first 757 prime numbers – these
establish that the message speaks in binary. Page
four is an image of a sine function, just like the
transmitted radio wave, with two numbers denoting
the universal physical parameters of the Plank
length and the Plank time. Taken together, this tells

“Any effort to
decode a received
alien message may
LQGHHG EHQH W IURP
he search for extraterrestrial
the collaborative

T
Þ The final four pages
intelligence (SETI) deals with the
possible receipt of a message transmitted
of Heller’s message
– all vital information
efforts of amateurs”
about the sender you the alien civilization knows that the Solar
from an alien race and attempts to
contact them with broadcasts of our own. But the System is 50 lightyears from them; this is a direct
key question is: would we be able to decode and message intended specifically for us. Page five is an
understand any message we receive from the image of the extraterrestrial species, with a header
stars? Or, visa versa, how should we construct containing the information 2.45m and 180 years,
our own messages to make them easily their average height and lifespan. Page six is a
understandable to extraterrestrial civilisations? picture of the transmitting radio dish, and the final
To explore this, René Heller at the Max image is of the alien homeworld with the number
Planck Institute for Solar System Research six billion years, the age of their planetary system.
in Germany ran an experiment – the SETI Heller says that the lesson learned from this
Decrypt Challenge. He constructed a test test-run is that any effort to decode a received alien
interstellar message and released it to the message may indeed benefit from the collaborative
internet to see if crowd-sourcing the solution efforts of amateurs around the world, rather than a
could be effective. select few experts in a decryption team. And it’s not
The message that Heller composed consisted just a numbers game; without any prior knowledge
of a sequence of almost two million bits (1s of the psychology or motivations of an alien race the
and 0s) the format that can be transmitted by chances of successfully understanding a message are
a high-powered radio dish. It was also about a LEWIS DARTNELL is an greatly improved by involving people from a range
thousand times larger than the ‘Arecibo message’ astrobiology researcher of cultural and educational backgrounds.
transmitted towards globular cluster M13 from at the University of
Westminster and the
the Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico in 1974. LEWIS DARTNELL was reading… Decryption of
author of The Knowledge:
Heller posted this message on social media,
RENÉ HELLER/SETI

How to Rebuild our World Messages from Extraterrestrial Intelligence Using the
inviting anyone interested to have a go at from Scratch (www.the- Power of Social Media – The SETI Decrypt Challenge
deciphering it. He explained the scenario that this knowledge.org) by René Heller
signal had been received from a star 50 lightyears Read it online at https://arxiv.org/abs/1706.00653

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 The Widescreen Centre
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 The Nature of Matter:
Understanding the
Physical World
E D TIME OF Taught by Professor David W. Ball
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14. Materials for Body Implants
15. The Chemistry of Food and Drink
16. Fuels and Explosives
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18. Materials: The Stone, Bronze, and Iron Ages
19. Again and Again: Polymers
20. Recycling Materials
21. Resistance Is Futile: Superconductors
22. Resistance Is Useful: Semiconductors
23. Out of Many, One: Composites
24. The Future of Materials

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 WHAT’S ON SEPTEMBER 19

What’s on
The UK’s Beagle 2 Lander
:LOOLDP +XOPH V *UDPPDU 6FKRRO 6SULQJ HOG 5RDG
Manchester, 11 September, 7pm

The Beagle 2
lander, the mission
Our pick of the best events from around the UK led by the late
Prof Colin Pillinger,
was sent to Mars
PICK to search for life
OF THE in 2003 but lost
MONTH communication
with Earth on landing. In 2015, images captured
by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter showed that
Beagle 2 had in fact landed intact on the Red Planet.
Dr Dean Harris explores this astonishing story of how
the UK reached Mars. Entry is free.
www.wdas2.com

Cassini at Saturn
Stornoway Library, Cromwell Street, Stornoway,
Isle of Lewis, 5 September, 7.30pm

Stornoway
Astronomical Society
hosts a talk
exploring Cassini’s
mission to Saturn.
Donny Mackay looks
back on the launch
Þ Get new perspective on the Solar System at this year’s Herstmonceux extravaganza
and the spacecraft’s arrival at the Saturn system,
Herstmonceux Astronomy Festival 2017 including a close look at the Huygens probe’s landing
on Titan. The talk will include many incredible photos of
The Observatory Science Centre, Herstmonceux, East Sussex, 1-3 September Saturn’s rings and moons and summarise the findings of
the past 13 years. Admission is free.
The Herstmonceux Astronomy Festival, shows and solar observing sessions will
www.stornowayastro.org
hosted in the beautiful former home of take place throughout the weekend, if
the Royal Observatory, is back with an you can draw yourself away from the
exciting weekend for the whole family. trade stalls, raffles and compelling Gravitational Waves:
This year’s talks will cover topics indoor and outdoor science exhibits.
ranging from the Apollo missions to There will even be family workshops in
An Update
a potted history of the telescope and which you build robots and pit them 'HSW RI 3K\VLFV $VWURQRP\ &DUGLII 8QLYHUVLW\
the anatomy of a solar eclipse, with against each other. 15 September, 7.30pm
speakers including former NASA For anyone wishing to camp under Gravitational waves are
Manned Space Flight Scientist David the backdrop of the iconic domes, ripples in the fabric of
Baker and The Sky at Night presenters there is a limited number of pitches spacetime, and further
Pete Lawrence and Chris Lintott. available. There is alternative evidence supporting
You’ll also be able to look through accommodation at Herstmonceux Einstein’s general theory
historic telescopes, among them the Castle, just a short walk from the of relativity. Patrick Sutton,
observatory’s Thompson 30-inch Observatory Science Centre. a member of LIGO, gives
reflector, 13-inch astrograph and the www.the-observatory.org/astronomy a fascinating talk at
OBSERVATORY SCIENCE CENTRE, CHARLIEDAVIS, ESA/DENMAN PRODUCTIONS, NASA/JPL-

Thompson 26-inch refractor. Planetarium _festival_2017 Cardiff Astronomical Society about the progress
so far and what these remnants of some of the
most violent processes in the Universe mean.
BEHIND THE SCENES www.cardiff-astronomical-society.co.uk
CALTECH X 2, LIGO CALTECH MIT/SONOMASTATE(AURORE SIMONNET)

THE SKY AT NIGHT IN SEPTEMBER

Four, 10 September, 10pm (first repeat Four, 14 September, 7.30pm)*
CASSINI’S GRAND FINALE MORE LISTINGS ONLINE
On 15 September the Cassini probe Visit our website at www.
will be purposely crashed into skyatnightmagazine.com/
Saturn, ending its incredible whats-on for the full list of
20-year mission. In this month’s this month’s events from
around the country.
episode of The Sky at Night, Chris
and Maggie look at Cassini’s major To ensure that your talks,
discoveries and explore three ways observing evenings and star
in which the mission has changed parties are included, please
the future of space exploration. submit your event by filling
in the submission form at
After 22 ‘deep dives’ between Saturn’s clouds *Check www.bbc.co.uk/skyatnight
the bottom of the page.
and rings, Cassini will make a fatal plunge for subsequent repeat times

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017


   
  

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 A PASSION FOR SPACE SEPTEMBER 21

A PASSION FOR

with Maggie Aderin-Pocock

The Sky at Night presenter hunts for space rocks
not on Antarctica, but on a roof in Sidmouth

Þ Maggie climbed onto the roof of the Norman Lockyer Observatory to search for tiny micrometeorites in the detritus collecting there

I
t’s classic thriller movie material: a still feels like a long shot. I am told by description of a micrometeorite but it is
comet or asteroid is heading straight my hunting guide Matt Genge not to small – just 10µm in diameter, less than
for Earth and only one person can expect much: he usually totals around the diameter of a human hair As the
save us. In reality, however, the 10 micrometeorites per 30kg of roof muck. micrometeorites hit our atmosphere they
majority of stuff that lands on Earth from heat and melt, forming a droplet of molten
space is really quite small and does us no Sludge science metal. As these fall through our atmosphere
harm at all. It may even have been the We collect about a dessert spoon’s worth, they cool, forming dendritic crystalline
precursor to life on the planet. so I’m not holding my breath. The sludge structures that look like feathers. The cone
Some 40,000 tonnes of space rock lands we’ve gathered is dried in a conventional is formed due to friction with the air.
on Earth every year, in a range of size oven, then a magnet is passed over it to There’s still one last check to make:
– scientists often make pilgrimages to pick up any magnetic material it might some pollution from smelting plants and
far-flung corners of the Earth to find contain. The stuff we end up with is similar processes can look like our
specimens. Antarctica is good spot: metal attached to some double sided sticky tape potential micrometeorite. So with the
meteorites that have been burnt by our and then analysed using a semi-portable microscope we do a chemical analysis, and
DENNIS KUNKEL MICROSCOPY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

atmosphere stand out nicely against scanning electron microscope. this gives us more evidence that we have
the sheer white expanse of the ice sheets. It Matt helps me to home in on any found some space dust. Matt is 95 per cent
sounds like an ideal place to look, so why potential candidate micrometeorite certain that this is a micrometeorite.
was I looking on the roof of Sidmouth’s particles: we are looking for material with I am still looking forward one day to
Norman Lockyer Observatory instead? high density and a regular spherical shape. getting out to Antarctica and looking for
Well it turns out that although you get We see a few objects that fit the bill and meteorites there, but to have found space
better contrast searching for meteorites in zoom in, increasing the magnification dust just by looking on a roof in the UK,
the snowy expanses, micrometeorites or from 40 times to 5,000 times. to me, seems quite amazing.
space dust falls everywhere. So looking for At this level of magnification we can
it on a large, flat undisturbed roof is see spherical bead-like structures with a Maggie Aderin-Pocock co-presents The
actually a good place to start – though it tapered cone at one end. This fits the Sky at Night and CBeebies Stargazing

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

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 EXOPLANET EXCURSIONS SEPTEMBER 23

JON CULSHAW’S

EX PLANET
EXCURSIONS
Jon explores an ancient planetary system and its close-knit companions

S
ir Patrick Moore frequently is the smallest and completes an orbit that makes Stonehenge seem like a
spoke of the unfathomably in 3.6 days at a distance of 0.04 AU. new-build garden installation at a
huge distances and enormous My observing point is nestled at the Wetherspoon’s pub.
spans of time involved in side of Kepler 444f, the largest and outer The lack of atmosphere makes for a
astronomy, far beyond the parameters planet of the system. Despite being the jet-black sky festooned with thousands
we would ordinarily deal with as human farthest out, it’s still relatively close to of stars in unfamiliar constellations.
beings. But as he said, “Nevertheless, its home star at only 0.08 AU, making Letting my imagination construct some
we simply have to accept them.” one orbit in just under 10 days. asterisms of its own, in a few minutes
The system we’re visiting this month Being so close to their star, all of I’ve created a triceratops, a TARDIS
is believed to be 11.2 billion years old. these planets are far too hot to support and the Angel of the North.
At around 80 per cent the age of the life as we know it. I decide to make a Launching from the surface of Kepler
Universe, Kepler 444 is the oldest cautious landing on the surface of the 444f and making a looping fly-past so all
planetary system that we know of. It dark, cooler side of Kepler 444f. There’s planets come into view, it’s amazing to
centres on an ancient red star and formed a sobering sense of age on the surface see what a tight, compact system this is:
when our Galaxy was a mere toddler at of this world. Stepping out onto those reminiscent of a Pocketeer maze game,
MAIN ILLUSTRATION: MARK GARLICK, SPACECRAFT: PAUL WOOTTON, PHOTO: EMMA SAMMS

just two billion years old, proving stable oldest surfaces of lava and igneous with its concentric ball bearings whizzing
planetary systems formed very early on rock brings a sense of deep, deep time round a central circle. The soft shimmer
in the history of the Milky Way. of Kepler 444 and its planets close by,
You can see mag. +8.9 Kepler 444 many with visible volcanic activity, takes
from Earth with a small telescope or on the collective look of a Christmas orb
binoculars: it is 117 lightyears away surrounded by miniature scarlet baubles,
in the constellation of Lyra. But I’m occasionally emitting subtle glints of
piloting my ship closer, to the outer tangerine and amber light.
limits of the system, to see if I’ll use this image as a temporary
its great age has resulted in screensaver on board the Perihelion.
a situation of settled calm Farewell until our next voyage!
or instead, perpetual chaos Perhaps we’ll travel to a giant icy
and orbital eccentricity. moon that exists in a permanent
There are five planets silvery dusk, bathed strongly in
orbiting this star. All are its own version of earthshine.
terrestrial and smaller than
Earth, ranging in size from Jon Culshaw is a comedian, impressionist
Mercury to Venus. Kepler 444b and guest on The Sky at Night
24

Interactive
EMAILS \ LETTERS \ TWEETS \ FACEBOOK
Email us at [email protected]
MESSAGE
OF THE
A Homeric eclipse MONTH

I have been lucky enough to have

chased six total solar eclipses
round the world to date, and
I hope to experience the US
This month’s top prize: total solar eclipse at Idaho
Falls on 21 August 2017. On
four Philip’s books my recent holiday to Greece in
The ‘Message of the May 2017 I had the chance to
Month’ writer will visit the island of Ithaca, homeland
receive four top titles courtesy of of Odysseus, the hero of Homer’s epic Michael beside
astronomy publisher Philips: Robin the iconic statue
poem. I was intrigued to discover that in
Scagell’s Complete Guide to Stargazing, of Odysseus at
The Odyssey, an eclipse coincided with
Sir Patrick Moore’s The Night Sky, Robin Ithaca harbour
Scagell and David Frydman’s Stargazing Odysseus’s homecoming after a decade
in Greece and
with Binoculars and Heather Couper and fighting the Trojan War and another 10 (inset) a partial
Nigel Henbest’s 2018 Stargazing. years voyaging home. Using NASA eclipse eclipse image he
data, Greek geologists and physicists have took in Turkey
narrowed this eclipse down to an annular
eclipse that occurred on 30 October 1207 from now on will have a perspective of
Tales from BC. In turn, this ancient eclipse research ancient history.

THE EYEPIECE suggests that the Trojan War commenced

in 1227 BC and ended in 1217 BC. No
Michael Knowles, Mansfield

Stories and strange tales from the world matter what anyone’s circumstances are Some remarkable insight into one of
of amateur astronomy by Jonathan Powell during an eclipse, we can be sure these the oldest works of Western literature,
For many years, when my turn came to events had a big influence in the time of Michael. Good luck with your upcoming
look through the eyepiece when observing Odysseus and of Homer. Any eclipses I see trip to the US! – Ed
in a group I became flustered: fumbling to
remove my glasses, let alone knowing where
to put them, followed by the banging of
the bridge of my nose on the eyepiece,
Unexpected delights
then squinting at an object that was out I was just settling down on my sunlounger Tweets
of focus and just about to leave the field to go through Stephen Tonkin’s Binocular Colin Whitman
of view. Many times I would say that I had Tour of Cepheus when a bright meteor @R30ColinWhitman • Jul 24
seen the object to avoid embarrassment, but raced up from the southern horizon past First attempt at photographing
in truth I hadn’t, and it was highly frustrating. Vega. Looking at the star map I realised it the #Milkyway coming out
Decades on, with motor drives keeping a of my right chimney #Stars
constant lock on an object, it isn’t a problem
must have come from the vicinity of
@newslineweather @barrabest
– but the question of whether to take my Capricorn and being a couple of days off @WeatherCee @angie_weather
glasses off remains a bone of contention. the maximum of the Alpha Capricornid
For me it’s off, quickly followed by meteor shower, I suspect it was one of
“where did I put my glasses?” and the them. To paraphrase Forest Gump – the
realisation that I might have left them night sky is like a box of chocolates – you
where someone else is now sitting!
never know what you are going to get!
Jonathan Jeff Mason, Stockport
Powell is the
astronomy
correspondent You’re quite right Jeff: unexpected
for the South pleasures like bright meteors are one of the
Wales Argus great things about this hobby of ours. – Ed

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 INTERACTIVE SEPTEMBER 25

Meanwhile on
SOCIETY in focus FACEBOOK…
Pupils from schoolchildren WE ASKED: Buzz Aldrin wants to send humans
Burdett-Coutts from Moscow and to Mars. Would you like to be one of the first
& Townshend professional settlers? What would you take with you?
Foundation CE astronomers via
Primary School Skype to discuss Wayne Ryles
(pictured) have and exchange I’d certainly be up for it I’d take a large crate
been searching for ideas during of beer, a guitar and a telescope so I could
stars as part of the the search. look back at the Earth and sing a rendition
Mayor’s Fund for During last of Bowie’s life on Mars.
London initiative year’s initiative,
Discovery in a another group Paula Attwood-Rees
Week, organized of pupils from I would love to go and be one of the pioneering
by Russian Hammersmith Settlers. I would take my golf clubs because
philanthropist look at the size of those bunkers!
Þ The pupils also received copies of this magazine Academy
Yelena Baturina’s discovered
charitable organization Noosphere. four new variable stars, which are Tony Moss
Discovery in a Week brought together classified as low-mass contact binary My telescope as light pollution should not
London primary and secondary school stars. They are all in the constellation of be a problem.
pupils with PhD astronomy undergraduates Centaurus, and have been recorded in
from University College London. Over the International Variable Star Index. Adrian Strand
the course of three days at City Hall, They have been named Reynolds V1, My hiking boots, adapted for my Mars suit to
the children joined other pupils from Hamed V1, Mousa V1 and Mousa V2 walk in that desolate but beautiful landscape.
London schools to learn about astronomy after the pupils.
and look for new stars by accessing the Each of the children from Hammersmith Al Higgs
20-inch T31 telescope in Australia Academy received certificates from the I would take a soil sample from Earth.
robotically. They were able to spend time International Astronomical Registry,
on the telescope via the internet and documenting their role in the stars’ Shareen Ismail
analyse data to search for signs of discovery. You can search for the children’s No way, I’m too much of an outdoors person,
undiscovered stars. They also joined newly discovered stars at www.aavso.org. give me fresh air and flowers any day.

Michael Marshall
come down on either side and I look Mashed potatoes.

Tweets forward to learning more in the magazine

once further research is published.
Mike Perkins
David Burlington I’d go as long as there was a good supply of
Jennifer Shelden, Leicester cheese and bacon.
@19burly68 • Jul 21
pier taking shape @
skyatnightmag I’m glad you enjoyed the feature, Jennifer. Michael Brown
It’s a fascinating area to consider. – Ed Assuming that the mission sent the essentials
for survival and sufficient computing power
with an uplink to earth, I’d bring one home
Here’s a crash course comfort to remind me of the family I leave
Meteors and meteorites come in all shapes behind, a toy Bagpuss. Besides that I would
and sizes, so I’m wondering why they all like to bring durable pressurised tents, freeze
produce perfectly round impact craters on dried biomass for compost and seeds for
every planet and moon they land on? a variety of tasty nutritious plants with
low light requirements.
Brian Slack, Milton Keynes
David Konstantinou
Not all impact craters are round, Brian. I would take some paint and brushes so
Those that are are the result of an impact I could be the first person to paint the first
that explodes like a bomb, creating a Martian landscape.
circular crater that is many times larger
Dean Woodward
than the original space rock. – Ed
I’d take some spare fuel to get back.

OOPS Steven Pranckevicius

- The Welcome note on page 3 of the August A photograph of Slough!
2017 issue mentioned Blue Horizon instead of
aerospace company Blue Origin. Chris Russell
The origins of life The entire works of Mozart and my telescope.
I was intrigued to read all about the theory - A caption on page 44 of our August 2017
issue, which said the rockets that launched the Robb Crow
that life on Earth came as a spark of life Sausage rolls.
Shuttle burnt up in the atmosphere, was
from matter outside our planet (Life from incorrect. It was the Shuttle’s fuel tank that
Space, July 2017). Thank you for explaining burnt up in the atmosphere; its solid rocket James Schuck
both sides of this complex argument and boosters fell back to Earth to be retrieved for Have to have trees and green rivers and snow
making me exercise my grey matter. I didn’t reuse after each launch. so I think I’ll stay on my home planet.

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 Sky at Night
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28

Hotshots
YOUR
BONUS
CONTENT
A gallery
containing these
and more of your
stunning images
This month’s pick of your very best astrophotos

PHOTO
OF THE
MONTH

S Sunspot region AR2665

DAVID SEARLES, KENT, 9 JULY 2017

David says: “With the BBC Sky at Night Magazine says: “David has then deep-sky objects and most recently
Sun heading towards solar captured an incredible level of detail in this hydrogen-alpha and white light solar
minimum, this shot chose solar image, not just in the sunspot itself but imaging. My particular interest in solar is in
itself! It was just good to see also the texture on the surface of the Sun. close-ups rather than full discs; hence the latest
some activity, the Sun having Patience is a virtue in any solar imager, setup using my CPC 925. Imaging in white
been quiet for a while. Working waiting for interesting and dynamic features light at a 5m focal length is not the easiest,
at a focal length of about to appear on the surface of our host star, and but I enjoy the challenge of getting decent
5m, achieving good focus is a big challenge in David’s case it has certainly paid off.” data captured and the subsequent processing
as the daytime seeing can be quite variable.” to get as much fine detail out as possible.
About David: “I’ve had an interest in The Sun is constantly changing so there is
Equipment: ZWO ASI120MM-S mono CMOS astronomy since being a student back in the usually something of interest to image,
camera, Celestron CPC 925 XLT Schmidt- 1980s and got into astrophotography about though it is a shame we are now heading
Cassegrain, 2x Barlow lens, white light filter. seven years ago. I started with planetary, towards solar minimum.”

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 HOTSHOTS SEPTEMBER 29

W The
Lobster
Nebula
DELBERSON
TIAGO DE SOUZA,
SILVÂNIA, BRAZIL,
24 JUNE 2017
Delberson
says:
“The
Lobster
Nebula
is very faint and it
requires a careful
imaging session and
careful processing.
It has so many
details and great
colours and deserves
a well done job.”

Equipment:
QHY163M mono CCD
camera, Orion ED80
apo refractor,
Sky-Watcher HEQ5
Pro SynScan mount.

T Saturn W The Dumbell Nebula

RONALD PIACENTI JR, BRASÍLIA, BRAZIL, MATT DUNFORD, SHROPSHIRE, 18 JUNE 2017
11 JUNE 2017 Matt says: “The skies where I am
Ronald says: “The position of the are light polluted so I am limited
planet was east at an altitude of in how far I can go with exposure.
49°. There was some turbulence This was starting to overexpose,
and the seeing was regular, but but I was able to bring it back in
still I managed to capture an possessing. It was my first shoot with a guide
image I was pleased with. On previous camera and wow, what a difference it makes!
attempts I had failed to capture this target.” I can’t wait for some clear skies to get back out
there, as the weather has been a let-down lately.”
Equipment: ZWO ASI120MC CMOS camera,
Celestron C6 XLT Schmidt Cassegrain, Equipment: Canon EOS 700D DSLR camera,
Sky-Watcher HEQ5 Pro SynScan mount. Sky-Watcher Explorer-200P Newtonian,
Sky-Watcher EQ5 Pro equatorial mount.

The Veil Nebula X

DAVID CANNON, HAMILTON, 17 JULY 2017
David says: “The only scope I
have that can cover an area of
this size is my 3-inch refractor.
I have imaged parts of the nebula
with larger scopes, but I wanted
the whole nebula in one image. I was amazed
how well it came out due to it being shot in
summer from a light-polluted back garden.”

Equipment: Canon EOS 60Da DSLR camera,

Altair Astro Starwave 70ED triplet apo refractor,
Sky-Watcher NEQ6 Pro SynScan mount.

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 30 HOTSHOTS SEPTEMBER

W The Milky Way

DAVID DE CUEVAS, TREIZE VENTS, FRANCE, 23 JUNE 2017
David says: “We had beautiful clear nights at the end
of June and I took advantage by spending time walking
around the countryside. I wanted to immortalise the
early summer and the harvest by showing nature
against the night sky.”

Equipment: Canon EOS 700D DSLR camera, Sky-Watcher Star

Adventurer mount, Tamron 17-50mm lens.

W Jupiter
HOUSSEM KSONTINI,
TUNIS, TUNISIA, 4 JULY 2017
Houssem says: “Knowing that
the Great Red Spot is bigger
than Earth is just incredible,
which is why I chose to shoot Jupiter
when it was visible. I was excited to try my new camera, despite
poor conditions. Fortunately, its high sensitivity and frame rate
allowed me to get a good quality image.”

Equipment: ZWO ASI224MC CMOS camera, Sky-Watcher 150/750

Explorer reflector, Sky-Watcher NEQ3-2 mount.

T Moon montage
SARAH & SIMON FISHER, WORCESTERSHIRE, 3-5 JULY 2017
Sarah says: “The UK skies are usually quite
changeable, but the seeing on these nights was
outstanding. Each image is a prime focus single
shot. This isn’t the easiest technique to master, but
we were thrilled with the results and decided to
create a montage showing the waxing gibbous Moon.”

Equipment: Canon EOS 600D DSLR camera, 5-inch Maksutov-

Cassegrain telescope.

ENTER TO WIN A PRIZE! We’ve teamed up with Altair Astro UK to offer the winner
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£59 Submit your pictures via www.skyatnightmagazine.com/astrophotography/gallery or email

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skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
2016
 32

Cassini’s final descent

will begin in a blue
Saturnian sky not entirely
alien from our own

Diving into the

depths This month,
the Cassini probe’s epic
seasonal change are probably responsible for
the bluish colour in the ring-shadowed
hemisphere,” she continues. “The haze particles
give Saturn its golden hue glow when sunlight
endeavour at Saturn shines on the atmosphere. When shadowed by the
rings, or in shadow in the winter, the haze seems
comes to an end. to dissipate, allowing scientists to see deeper into
the atmosphere. The blue colour is primarily
ABOUT THE WRITER Ben Evans looks back due to the absorption of light by methane.”
Ben Evans has
written nine books on one of humanity’s It offers a fittingly wistful reminder of home
for a mission conceived over three decades ago by
on space exploration
KEVIN GILL/FLICKR

and is the senior

writer for
greatest exploratory 17 nations, including NASA, ESA and the Italian
space agencies. Cassini launched in October 1997
AmericaSpace. missions into space and travelled 3.5 billion km to reach Saturn,
picking up gravitational boosts from Venus, Earth

S
peeding towards its doom at 33.5km/s, and Jupiter along the way. It arrived in July 2004,
the final moments of Cassini’s 20-year and released the tiny Huygens lander down to the
voyage may see the bus-sized spacecraft surface of the giant moon Titan in December of
pass briefly through Saturn’s brilliant, the same year. Cassini went on to perform three
cobalt-blue skies, as it concludes one of the most extended phases of scientific study: in those past
spectacular scientific ventures in history. When 13 years it has orbited the planet over 290 times,
Cassini plunges into the ringed planet’s yellow- taking in Saturn’s equinox and part of its northern
brown atmosphere, the seasonal blue sky will summer solstice as it did so.
be uncannily reminiscent of Earth’s, a small
reminder of the world where it was created. A mission of discoveries
“Saturn’s atmosphere starts to turn blue in The mission found seven new moons and
the winter hemisphere,” explains Cassini project explored dozens of others, whose appearance
scientist Linda Spilker. “The ring shadow and ran the gamut from spherical to potato-shaped >

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
CASSINI AT SATURN SEPTEMBER 33

Prof Lucie Green charts

how Cassini has helped
us in the search for
life elsewhere in The
Documentary: Cassini’s
Last Adventure, on the
BBC World Service at
1.30pm on 22 August

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 34

> and from meatball-like to a kitchen sponge, some The seven new moons As for Saturn itself, the spacecraft witnessed a
planet-sized, others equivalent to the dimensions of discovered by Cassini. complex atmosphere on the cusp of seasonal change
a football stadium. More than a hundred flybys of L-R: Aegaeon, Anthe, as the planet progressed along its 29-year orbit.
Titan uncovered hydrocarbon rivers, lakes and seas, Daphnis, Methone, Cassini occupied a ringside seat, observing exotic
Pallene, Polydeuces
as well as a potentially habitable subsurface ocean. and S/2009 S1
storms and jet streams, including the 30,000km-
“Methane plays the role on Titan that water plays wide north polar hexagon, whose winds peak at
on Earth, carving river channels and filling Titan’s 320km/h. It photographed violent lightning storms
lakes and seas, while a subsurface ocean resides by day and night, mapped the planet’s magnetic
beneath Titan’s icy crust,” says Spilker. field and observed the evolution of an annually
Cassini saw water-ice jets spurting from fissures recurring white storm in the northern hemisphere.
at the south pole of the moon Enceladus, providing
Planning for goodbye
NASA/JPL/SPACE SCIENCE INSTUTE X 16

a reservoir of material for Saturn’s E ring and

betraying the existence of a deep global ocean, Yet all good things come to an end. Several end-
with all of the ingredients necessary to host some of-mission scenarios were considered, including
form of life. Still other moons, including the a prohibitively long trek back to Jupiter, killing
Death Star-like Mimas, with its prominent crater, Cassini off through an impact with Saturn’s rings
might also possess oceans, whilst tenuous oxygen or moons, or entering a semi-stable graveyard orbit.
atmospheres, trillions of times thinner than our For the aging spacecraft, none of them promised to
own, were found around Rhea and Dione. be scientifically profitable. And as its fuel dwindled,

TOUCHDOWN ON TITAN
How Huygens reached the most Earth-like moon in our Solar System
Deep beneath the murky atmosphere, a wake-up timer
brought its six instruments 150km
orange clouds of Saturn’s
large moon Titan lies an online. Descending via
Australia-sized plateau parachute, it was buffeted
called Xanadu. Since 14 by vigorous eastward-
January 2005, it has blowing winds, which
diminished to gentler 15km
been home to ESA’s tiny
Huygens probe. Until gusts as it neared the
then, the very nature of surface to land.
Titan’s surface – whether From an altitude of
liquid or solid – was open 15km, its images seemed
to considerable debate. As to indicate an area of
a result, Huygens was drainage channels, perhaps
designed to survive a landing leading to a liquid methane
on mountainous or flat terrain, ‘shoreline’, together with tendrils of 2km
and even in a lake or sea. Titan appears as hydrocarbon ground-fog.
The spacecraft separated from a fuzzy ball due to its However, Huygens landed on
Cassini on Christmas Day 2004 thick atmosphere solid ground, kicking up a cloud
and coasted for three weeks to of organic aerosols and leaving
its destination. Shortly before entering Titan’s a 12cm indent. It bounced, slid, wobbled a
few times, then came to a stop.
On the surface, Huygens For 90 minutes, the probe took a look
spied fist-sized pebbles at its gloomy environs, littered with
hydrocarbon-coated water-ice pebbles, 0.4km
of water-ice
typically rounded and fist-sized. Early
notions of a sticky, clay-like composition
were later revised to be a sort of icy ‘sand’.
Hauntingly, Huygens’ on-board microphone
provided the first audible sounds from
another celestial body, recording the roaring
of Titan’s wind during descent before its
batteries ran dead. Huygens’ view as it descended to Titan, our
first glimpse of the surface of this moon

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 CASSINI AT SATURN SEPTEMBER 35

The sunlit side of Saturn’s

iconic rings, with bright
spokes visible above

Cassini imaged Titan through its murky atmosphere,

revealing what we now know to be lakes of methane
SATURN’S SPARKLING
SPOKES
another worry arose. The risk of a long-dead
and out-of-control Cassini someday hitting and
contaminating pristine Enceladus did not bear
thinking about. A safe disposal was imperative.
Saturn’s hydrogen-rich atmosphere provided
that means of disposal, as well as offering the Cassini has taught scientists much about the
potential to gain new insights into the formation mysterious features in the planet’s rings
of the giant planets. Specifically, an enigmatic
Although Pioneer 11 and the two high above the plane of the rings by
region of liquid metallic hydrogen, deep inside Voyager spacecraft observed electrostatic charging. Cassini showed
the gaseous planet, is thought to power Saturn’s Saturn’s magnificent assemblage these spokes appeared and dissipated
magnetic field. “Cassini will look for the of water-ice rings more than three in a matter of hours, and its data
boundary between the molecular hydrogen decades ago, it was not until the suggested that they might represent
layer and the metallic hydrogen layer in the arrival of Cassini that their nature a seasonal phenomenon throughout
magnetometer data,” says Spilker. “Gravity was more precisely understood. Saturn’s 29-year orbit, vanishing in
Even as the spacecraft completes midwinter and midsummer, and
data may reveal whether or not Saturn has a its Grand Finale of 22 ‘dives’ reappearing as the giant planet
rocky core, one or two Earth diameters in size, between the innermost edge of approaches the equinoxes.
and the depth of Saturn’s winds.” the rings and the gas giant itself, With a breadth of 282,000 km, the
The result was the Grand Finale: a multi- it is revealing astonishing new rings extend the equivalent of three-
month campaign that required the spacecraft details, including features likened quarters of the distance between Earth
to execute 22 death-defying ‘dives’ between the to straw and propellers, on and the Moon, and their dazzling
scales the size of the Earth’s reflectivity owes itself to the fact that they
planet and its rings from April to September 2017.
tallest buildings. are composed of 99.9 per cent water-ice,
On five of those dives, Cassini would actually The Voyagers observed strange along with contaminants. Cassini’s radar
enter the upper atmosphere, approaching > radial ‘spokes’, up to 16,000km and visible observations – together with
long. The spacecrafts’ data on the stellar occultations – have shown varying
spokes’ formation and dissipation dimensions of ring particles, which
lifecycles implied that they were extend from sand-like grains to
indeed small particles, suspended mountain-sized boulders.

The propeller ‘Earheart’, a disturbance Straw structure due to clumping,

Cassini not only spotted jets spewing from Saturn’s in the ring caused by a central moonlet observed on the edge of Saturn’s B ring
moon Enceladus; it determined they were mainly water

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 36

2010 2011

Cassini witnessed a churning white storm in Saturn’s northern hemisphere, which appeared to grow and leave a tail in its wake

< Lightning was seen on

Saturn (left) and the same
spot after the flash had
dissipated (right)

> Saturn’s north polar

hexagon, a jetstream that
NASA/JPL/SPACE SCIENCE INSTUTE X 6, NASA/JET PROPULSION LABORATORY-CALTECH/ERICK

evolves with the seasons

STURM NASA/JPL-CALTECH/SOUTHWEST RESEARCH INSTITUTE, NASA/JPL-CALTECH

> within 1,700 km of Saturn’s one-bar level, the first time and resolved features as large as the
roughly equivalent to sea level pressure here on tallest buildings on Earth.
Earth. “This planned conclusion for Cassini’s
journey was far and away the preferred choice The final countdown
for the mission’s scientists,” says Spilker. “Cassini The ring grazing phase ended on 22 April, when
will make some of its most extraordinary Cassini gained a gravitational tweak from Titan
observations at the end of its long life.” Saturn’s Death Star-like
to establish the proper conditions for the Grand
Early in 2016, the spacecraft completed five moon Mimas, dominated Finale. Four days later, moving at 34.4km/s, it
manoeuvres to drastically reshape its orbit from by crater Herschel made its initial dive through a gap between
an equatorial one into a higher inclination. Last Saturn’s cloud-tops and the inner edge of the
November, a series of 20 ‘ring-grazing’ orbits innermost D ring. This positioned Cassini closer
commenced, during which Cassini hurtled within to the planet and its rings than ever before.
Cassini has made 22
a thousand kilometres of the F ring – the outermost As a precautionary measure, its high-gain
dives between Saturn
boundary of Saturn’s dazzling necklace – every and its rings; the orange antenna was used to shield the delicate scientific
week for almost five months. At this distance, it track is the final loop instruments against particle impacts, but the
could directly sample particles from the rings for before its final descent region proved surprisingly dust-free. It was even
nicknamed “the big empty” by Cassini project
manager Earl Maize. Over the following weeks,
the spacecraft dived through the rings every
6.5 days, imaging their entire radial extent at
breathtaking resolution, measuring Saturn’s
gravitational and magnetic fields and extensively
mapping its northern and southern hemispheres.
Rhythmically looping out to 1.3 million km
from the planet, then sweeping inbound for
another dive, the spacecraft’s last five orbits from
mid-August 2017 promised great drama, great risk
and even greater reward. At this stage, Cassini was
so close to Saturn that it would physically pass
through its tenuous upper atmosphere, sampling
various species of molecular hydrogen and helium,
examining small-scale structures and observing its
powerful polar aurorae and fast-moving vortices.
As it completes its 292nd and final full orbit on 12
September, Cassini will perform a distant flyby of
Titan. The moon’s gravity will offer a ‘goodbye kiss’,

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 CASSINI AT SATURN SEPTEMBER 37

AS ABOVE, SO BELOW?
Observations of Enceladus have revealed much about what lies below the moon’s icy crust
Reflecting 95 per cent of the sunlight that strikes
How water could react
it and brighter than a field of freshly fallen
with rocks on the bottom
snow, Enceladus’s youthful façade was
of an ocean on Enceladus
first observed by the twin Voyager
spacecraft, which raised the
possibilities of ‘cryovolcanism’ and
perhaps the existence of a life-
sustaining ocean beneath its frozen
crust. A quarter of a century later,
in 2005, Cassini turned its gaze to
Enceladus and validated long-held
theories that water-ice geysers in Ice shell
the polar region – gushing from ˜5km
deep fissures at hundreds of metres per
second – were responsible for supplying
many microscopic particles to Saturn’s E ring. Ocean
Later that year, Cassini passed directly through one of the plumes,
revealing the presence not only of water vapour, but also volatiles such ˜65km
as nitrogen, methane and carbon dioxide. This enhanced the possibility
that some form of hydrothermal activity could be at work deep within
Enceladus and strengthened theories that the tiny moon could harbour Rocky core Hydrothermal
circulation
a salty subsurface ocean ripe for nurturing microbial life. Plumes of
salty particles from so-called ‘tiger-stripe’ fissures at the south pole
and gravitational field data from Cassini strongly inferred the existence
of a salty ocean, perhaps up to 10km deep.
“Cassini’s revolutionary findings at tiny Enceladus include a
subsurface global, salty ocean containing organics, ammonia,
hydrogen and silicates, with hydrothermal vents on its seafloor,”
says Spilker. “These discoveries have fundamentally altered many
of our concepts of where life may be found in our Solar System.” Water-rock reactions Hydrothermal vents Surface jets

Cassini is only expected to adjusting the spacecraft’s course and causing it to

send back data from the plunge deep into Saturn’s atmosphere. The final,
upper reaches of Saturn’s partial orbit will end at 10:44 UT on 15 September,
atmosphere during its
and Cassini will begin its descent just south of the
downward plunge
equator, in the dead of the Saturnian winter.
With thrusters pulsing as it struggles to keep its
high-gain antenna locked on Earth, Cassini will
continue to gather new data, transmitting until the
very end. Its demise will be swift. “Cassini’s tiny
thrusters will not be able to keep the spacecraft
pointed at Earth very deep into the atmosphere,”
explains Spilker. “The flight team is not sure when
the spacecraft will begin to tumble, but it will
happen quickly. Cassini will only send back data on
the uppermost portion of Saturn’s atmosphere.”
Back on Earth, we will know nothing of the
speccraft’s end for over an hour. Travelling at the
speed of light, across the 1.2 billion km gulf
between Saturn and Earth, its final data will reach
the electronic ears of NASA’s Deep Space Network at
12:07 UT. Confirmation of the final loss of signal is
anticipated only a minute or so later; a bittersweet
end to one of our longest space missions. Yet as
Cassini vanishes from existence and becomes part
of the planet it has spent its life exploring, we can
modify a line from the famous poet Rupert Brooke,
and be certain that some tiny corner of a foreign gas
giant will remain forever Earth. S

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 38

Heading into the wilderness can

give you a fresh perspective on
the skies and new options for
composing your astrophotos

a Palma, the Australian While the UK might not have the to a rural spot to observe or image

L Outback, the Namibian Desert,

the icy Arctic; for many of us
just hearing names like those
conjures up visions of pristine dark
skies and awe-inspiring phenomena
night skies to rival Down Under or the
climate of the Canary Islands, there
are still adventures to be had closer to
home. Journeys where breathtaking
astronomical sights or transient events
– for a few hours – away from urban
lights, under darker skies than those
you have at home. Many observers and
astrophotographers do this on a regular
basis as part of their local astronomical
all mixed with an intoxicating sense of can be seen and chased, alongside the society’s activities or on nights when
STUART MCINTYRE, ISTOCK

wanderlust. They are the destinations excitement of exploring a new place there’s a decent meteor shower peaking
of our dreams, of our bucket lists. But or a beautiful landscape. We like to or a display of aurora anticipated.
these beautiful locations, and the thrill think of it as ‘wild’ astronomy. Although it may sound like overkill,
of exploring them, needn’t be the only A ‘wild’ astronomy adventure, then, if you’ve never observed or imaged from
subjects for such wistful imaginings. could be as simple as an evening drive a remote location before, planning your

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 WILD ASTRONOMY SEPTEMBER 39

ABOUT THE WRITER

Will Gater is an
astronomy
journalist, author
and presenter. Follow
him on Twitter at
@willgater or visit
willgater.com

>

Will Gater shares his advice on ditching

your back garden for an astronomical
adventure in Britain’s darker rural reaches
skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 40

You don’t need to pack a mighty too. Local societies and astronomers may
telescope for stunning views. Under be willing to point you in the direction
properly dark skies even the naked- of their favourite observing sites, as well as
eye sights will be incredible
offer advice on places to avoid.
A great deal of amateur astronomy in the
UK happens in the winter months and going
on remote observing or imaging trips at this
time of year requires a cautious approach and
additional preparations. Road conditions during
the winter can be treacherous and some smaller,
rural roads that lead to good sites for observing
and astrophotography – such as high-altitude
terrain or remote moorland hills – might not
necessarily be treated for any potentially icy
conditions, like many main roads are. Here you
should always follow the advice of the police
and local authorities. If the road conditions look
hazardous, don’t put yourself in danger – there’s no
observation or astrophoto that’s worth the risk.
Changeable and harsh weather is itself something
to be prepared for. You’ll obviously want to take
warm, waterproof, clothing on your trip to wear
while you’re observing or imaging, but it’s also

> trip carefully – however long it may be– will make

One of the simplest pleasures
things go much more smoothly and help mitigate of a summer wild camp is
some of the risks you may encounter along the way. an unfettered view of the
There are many practical aspects to think about meandering Milky Way
when planning a wild astronomy trip, but there
are other considerations too. It’s not just about
remembering to bring the power cable for the
mount, or making sure your DSLR’s spare battery
is charged. It’s also about your personal safety and
comfort while in the field.

Playing it safe
STUART MCINTYRE, WILL GATER X 3, ISTOCK

It’s always good practice to let a family member or

friend know exactly where you’re going, along with
a map grid reference of your observing site and
when you expect to return. If you can, take someone
with you on your trip; not only will you have
someone to share the fun of the adventure with, but
they may also be a useful pair of hands if you run
into difficulties. Local knowledge can be invaluable

“Changeable and
harsh weather is
itself something to
be prepared for”

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 WILD ASTRONOMY SEPTEMBER 41

Travelling light
SLEEPING BAG
An anatomy of a lightweight
imaging and observing kit
DRY BAG
When wild camping you’ll naturally want to take A high-quality dry bag is an essential addition to any
a sleeping bag. But even if you’re just driving out wild camping kit list. It’ll act as an extra line of
for an evening to a remote observing site it’s still defence against dust, debris and splashes of rain for
a good idea to carry one in case of emergencies, your most valuable and sensitive camera equipment.
especially in winter.
POWER IN THE FIELD
PORTABLE TRACKING MOUNT Keeping your phone charged in case
Most portable tracking mounts can either of an emergency (and for checking
be disassembled or packed down into a the weather) is important on remote
small volume allowing them to be taken on trips. Lightweight portable power
observing or imaging trips in remote locations. banks can typically charge a
modern smartphone once or twice.
FIRST AID KIT

CAMERA/OBSERVING GEAR

PADDED
CAMERA/
LENS BAG FOOD & WATER SUPPLIES
Even if you don’t intend to camp
overnight at a remote observing or
WARM CLOTHING & STURDY SHOES TENT imaging site, it’s good practice to
take food and a supply of water in
A remote observing site might not always If you camp at your observing
case you get into difficulties.
have the same climatic conditions as or imaging site you’ll obviously
your home base, so prepare by bringing need to bring shelter. Small,
enough warm layers, including gloves semi-geodesic tents are useful TORCH/HEAD TORCH
and a warm hat. Sturdy boots will also for exposed locations, but make A decent torch and headtorch are
protect your feet from the cold ground sure you’re able to fit both you vital pieces of safety equipment for
in the winter months. and sensitive kit safely inside. wild camps and night hikes.

worth throwing in a sleeping bag (or even better, Taking a friend means
a bivvy bag) for emergencies. Be sure to have a you can spread the
good supply of food and water with you too. astro kit between you
Not all wild astronomy adventures will be
evening drives to remote locations of course. Night
hikes or even multi-day wild camps, out in the
countryside rather than at a campsite, are a wonderful
way to get out and see the stars from some of the
UK’s few remaining truly dark-sky sites. What’s >

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 42

Planning a remote observing trip

Practical considerations to get the best observing experience while out in the wilderness
Kielder Forest, Galloway Forest Park, or
Wind exposure, ground stability similar – most of the organisations that look
and skyglow all need to be after these landscapes have published leaflets
factored into your planning which recommend observing sites.
For visits elsewhere light pollution maps are
great for a general overview, but they’re not
necessarily indicative of actual skyglow, the
light pollution domes or individual light
sources you’ll experience at a given location
– especially when it comes to astrophotography.
A site that looks ‘dark’ on a map could still
suffer from any of these. If you can find
‘nightscape’ astrophotos online taken from or
near your planned observing site, these can
sometimes give a rough indication of the
presence and position of any light domes.
We recommend visiting your chosen site
in daylight beforehand if you’re able to. This
will allow you to have a detailed look around
the area and find interesting angles for
astrophotos. Try to go at the same time of
year as when you intend to visit, not least
because changing greenery may dramatically
affect your compositional choices and
obstruct lower parts of the sky.
One of the keys to a successful remote view? All of these things, and more, will need Sometimes a daylight reconnoitre
observing or imaging trip is extensive to be considered before your trip. beforehand just isn’t possible. Instead,
planning. Careful preparation is important Your choice of destination will likely vary you can get a rudimentary impression of a
for safety reasons, but it’s also invaluable in on a number of factors: how much time you location – and see where celestial targets
terms of the more practical requirements of have for travelling, whether you intend to will be in relation to the surrounding
stargazing and astrophotography. Is the camp or visit briefly, the time of year and the topography – using an Ordnance Survey
location exposed to the wind? Is there stable object or phenomenon you want to catch. If Explorer map, online tools such as Google
ground for your telescope? Is it safe and you’re thinking of visiting one of the more Street View and smartphone apps such
legal to get to? Will the landscape block your famous dark-sky locations in the UK – Exmoor, as The Photographer’s Ephemeris.

> more, many of these dark sky areas are places comfortable observing, small refractors also tend
where there are spectacular landscapes and to require a very solid tripod, but sturdy tripods
picturesque towns and villages to explore are usually heavy and cumbersome to carry on
during the daytime. long walks. Alternatively, simply enjoy the
You don’t even need
naked-eye view of the skies on these sorts of
to camp. With the right
The kit conundrum precautions, you can
trips – which, alongside the occasional meteor,
One of the major challenges surrounding hike under the stars can often be entertainment just in itself – and if
WILL GATER X 4, STUART MCINTYRE, ISTOCK

astrophotography or visual observing as part of a

hiking or remote camping trip is keeping the weight
of your astronomical kit down as much as possible.
Some small refractors are portable enough to be
taken on night hikes and wild camps, but – just
like DSLRs and the fast, wide-angle lenses that
are usually the go-to choice for remote imaging
trips – they’ll need to be very carefully protected
from dirt, the elements and accidental knocks. For

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 WILD ASTRONOMY SEPTEMBER 43

you want to explore the sky a little deeper, As long as you observe the
take a pair of binoculars with you; they’ll be local rules when wild camping,
perfectly adequate for observing the larger and the sky is yours all night long
brighter star clusters and nebulae.
Wild camping (ie, camping outside an official
campsite) is allowed on certain parts of Dartmoor
and in some areas of Scotland, but be sure to
familiarise yourself with the by-laws and wild
camping guidelines (or restrictions) at these
locations before you set out. Certain parts of
Dartmoor, for example, are used as live-firing
ranges by the British Army. For anywhere else
in the UK you’ll need to follow the local rules
and by-laws regarding camping and if necessary
get permission from the landowner or relevant
authority before you embark on your trip .
Wild camping naturally requires more kit
than a quick evening trip, such as a tent, a decent
sleeping bag, cooking equipment and walking
boots, but just as with short excursions always
tell someone where you are going and take enough
water and food supplies with you. A properly-
stocked first aid kit is a must and insect repellent

is advisable too in the summer months. All the

“Wild camping is allowed in parts effort of hiking to an isolated observing spot
is worth it though. If you ask us, there are few
of Dartmoor and in some areas greater pleasures in life than lying back while
on a wild camp and scanning the summer
of Scotland, but familiarise Milky Way with binoculars. So, the only
question remaining is, where will your first
yourself with relevant by-laws” wild astronomy destination be? S

Wonders of wild astronomy

Why should you even consider leaving the comfort of your regular observing site at all?
Wild astronomy isn’t just about the thrill of an home. For events like major meteor showers such trips to push the boundaries of
adventure and the pleasure of stargazing or it’s great to get out to a dark-sky site, as the your observing experience. For example,
imaging in beautiful locations. It’s also about darker skies will allow you to see fainter we’ve enjoyed marvellous naked-eye
going in search of things that we can’t ordinarily meteors, really enhancing the excitement of views of the elliptical ‘smudge’ of light
be seen from a light-polluted home location. the ‘shower’ experience. Similarly, phenomena that is the Andromeda Galaxy (M31)
Even just an evening’s drive from the skyglow such as the faint zodiacal light or the rich on wild camps on Dartmoor and even
of suburbia can reveal more stars and is likely star fields of the summer Milky Way make caught naked-eye glimpses of the
to give you better views of deep-sky objects wonderful celestial targets to build a night Triangulum Galaxy (M33) on nights
you may struggle to see with your scope at hike or wild camp around. You can even use with excellent sky conditions.

The zodiacal light is only visible

under the darkest skies

The faint smudge of M33 and

the constellation of Cepheus

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 44

Buzz Aldrin
Why we’ve got to get to

He may be one of the most famous moonwalkers, but

Buzz Aldrin has spent the past 30 years developing a plan
to get people to Mars. He tells Jamie Carter why
“What concerns me most about
expeditionary missions is that we may
go there once or twice and never go back.
,W ZRXOG EH DJV DQG IRRWSULQWV DJDLQ

C
olonising regarded as
the Solar Buzz Aldrin a seminal moment
System is for humanity, but only
becoming the ‘in’ thing until someone sets foot on Mars.
among billionaires. SpaceX supremo Elon “I want to be remembered as the man
Musk recently talked putting a million who led the world to Mars, for a permanent
people on the Red Planet within 100 years, settlement,” he points out.
while Blue Origin’s Jeff Bezos thinks he can
help spread a trillion people throughout Occupation vs exploration
the Solar System. That’s big talk, but Aldrin, who is constantly refining the ideas
there’s one man who’s spent the last he first set out in his 2013 book Mission to
three decades telling anyone who’ll listen Mars: My Vision for Space Exploration,
about his plans to go to Mars, and why now wants to play a pivotal role in
ISTOCK, NASA, NASA-JPL-CALTECH, MARK THOMAS/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK

it’s so important we do so. the push to the Red Planet. But there
“I’m 87 years old and I’m getting remains a fundamental question: why
impatient,” says Dr Buzz Aldrin, who do we need to occupy Mars? Why not
walked on the Moon in 1969 as part just pay it a quick visit?
of Apollo 11. “We’ve been stuck in “What concerns me most about
low-Earth orbit for too long and I believe expeditionary missions is that we may
that we need to break this malaise,” go there once or twice and never go back
he says. “I do believe we can establish – it would be flags and footprints again,”
permanent habitation on Mars by 2039, and says Aldrin, citing the Apollo Moon landings,
I have a plan to achieve it.” the last of which was 45 years ago. “But the
If that date seems rather specific, there’s a more important reason is that it’s vastly more
good reason for it: it would be the 70th anniversary Aldrin seen expensive to send people up there with all their
of Apollo 11’s Moon landing. Not that Aldrin spacewalking during infrastructure in one spacecraft and the quality
wants to be constantly reminded of that. It may be the Gemini 12 mission of the science would be dramatically lower.” >

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
BUZZ ALDRIN SEPTEMBER 45

He’s been to the Moon, now

he wants us to go further;
Buzz Aldrin is adamant
that the human race should
establish a permanent
outpost on Mars by 2039

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 46

7+( ($57+ 0$56 &<&/(5

How Aldrin’s interplanetary ferry might work

Earth-Mars Cycler
on return leg

Phobos

Earth-Mars Cycler
on outward leg
Deimos

Aldrin’s expertise in orbital mechanics is a big part of his plan to land

people on Mars. The Earth-Mars Cyclers are spacecraft that would take
astronauts to Mars every two or four years, when the two planets align
favourably, which happens every 26 months. Aldrin has calculated a
trajectory that makes the journey in only three months, rather than the
usually quoted 150–300 days.
“The technology is not any sort of magical propulsion, it is just an orbital
trajectory I began developing over 30 years ago,” says Aldrin. “The easiest
way to think about it is that it’s like an orbit around Earth except that it is
orbiting between Earth and Mars.”
There’s another unique characteristic to Aldrin’s plan: astronauts would use
the Martian moons Phobos and Deimos as stepping stones to the surface.

> According to Aldrin, once you have the right a single launch, with refuelling in Earth orbit,”
kind of surface and transportation infrastructure, explains Aldrin. “Using spacecraft that cycle
the cost of sending individual astronauts would between Earth and Mars would be an order of
be affordable. His is a pragmatic plan built upon magnitude cheaper than using an entirely new series
orbital calculations that could make inhabiting of rockets to send each crew to Mars.”
Mars far more affordable than anyone imagines.
Aldrin’s idea revolves around the concept of Following on from Von Braun
‘Cycling Pathways’: one or possibly two Earth- Although his ideas pre-date those currently being
Establishing a colony on
Mars spacecraft (a ‘Cycler’) that travel constantly Mars could reduce the cost
proposed by various billionaires, Aldrin is certainly
between Earth and Mars. “The astronauts will of subsequent missions not the first to consider how to carry out a manned
be transported to the Earth-Mars Cycler with to the Red Planet mission to Mars. Dr Wernher von Braun, developer
ISTOCK X 2, SPACE X, CAT VINTON/CATVPHOTOGRAPHY.CO.UK, CHUCK DAVIS/DRACONOIR

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 BUZZ ALDRIN SEPTEMBER 47

recently at the White House, standing alongside

President Donald Trump as he signed an executive
order re-establishing the National Space Council
after its 24-year hiatus, but he’s not getting too
carried away with that decision. “I don’t expect
the Space Council to fundamentally change the
US space programme by itself. But it will really
become critical if the administration decides to
fundamentally rethink major aspects of our
civil and national space programmes,” says
Aldrin. That’s what he’s hoping for.
Aldrin will be keeping a close watch on
what President Trump says on 24 July 2019
when the world marks 50 years since Aldrin
and Neil Armstrong set foot on the Moon.
“I’m personally very committed to the idea
that the President should, and indeed must,
announce a major US commitment to Mars
of the Saturn V rocket, briefed NASA’s Space Task Þ SpaceX is one of permanence by the 50th anniversary,” he
Group just after the Moon landings on a plan to the private companies says. “It’s essential to force us to make the
land two expedition spacecraft on Mars in 1982. working on plans to hard choices we must make in order to get
“Werner von Braun’s vision of Mars exploration send humans to Mars to Mars in the next 20 years.” S
was a tremendous inspiration to many of us,” says
Aldrin. “But von Braun was really interested in
using very large rockets. I think we can get to Mars ABOUT THE WRITER
without the same reliance on state-developed and Jamie Carter is the author of
A Stargazing Program for
operated rockets.” Aldrin’s plan also differs from
Beginners: A Pocket Field
Von Braun’s in its level of reusability. Guide and edits
Ambitious space exploration plans always WhenIsTheNextEclipse.com
come with a huge caveat: politics. Aldrin was

A RED CARPET FOR THE RED PLANET

How Aldrin is using his lunar legacy to help the next generation get to Mars

Þ The 2017 Apollo 11 Anniversary Gala Þ From left: Walt Cunningham, Michael Collins, Þ Funds raised at the gala will go to projects
took place underneath a Saturn V rocket Buzz Aldrin and Harrison ‘Jack’ Schmitt including the Giant Mars Map school tours
Although Aldrin thinks that landing on Mars Foundation’s educational projects. One of those Aldrin was joined on stage at the gala by
would be a far greater achievement than the projects is the Giant Mars Map, a 8x8m map of Apollo 11 command module pilot General
Apollo 11 landing, he knows the lunar mission the Martian surface, with the landing sites of all Michael Collins, in a rare public appearance,
he took part in still gets space fans excited. Mars rover missions marked upon it. It’s already as well as Walt Cunningham (Apollo 7),
So in July, his ShareSpace Foundation staged being taken around schools to inspire the next Harrison ‘Jack’ Schmitt (Apollo 17) and
an Apollo 11 Anniversary Gala at the generation to aim for Mars. Jeff Bezos, founder of Blue Origin. Bezos
Kennedy Space Center in Florida to raise The money was raised through ticket sales collected a Buzz Aldrin Space Innovation
funds for children’s education projects. and auctions. Aldrin sold a signed, framed Award for his work on reusable rockets.
It was the first event of a three-year sample of Kapton foil from the Apollo 11 The event also saw the launch of the
fundraising campaign that builds towards the Command Module for $4,500 (£3,400). Buzz Aldrin Space Foundation (BASF)
50th anniversary of Apollo 11 in 2019, when But perhaps the most impressive lot was a First by his son Andrew. “Somewhere out
Aldrin hopes the US will commit to a manned Day Cover signed by all three Apollo 11 Crew there tonight is a kid who will be the first
Mars mission. The event raised almost members that had flown to the surface of the human on Mars,” he said. “She just
$200,000 (£152,000) for the ShareSpace Moon. It fetched $42,500 (£32,400). doesn’t know it yet.”

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 September
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 THE SKY GUIDE SEPTEMBER 49

PLUS

Stephen Tonkin’s
BINOCULAR TOUR
Turn to page 60 for six
of this month’s best
binocular sights

WRITTEN BY
PETE LAWRENCE
THE SKY GUIDE
Pete Lawrence is an
expert astronomer
and astrophotographer
with a particular
interest in digital
imaging. As well as
writing The Sky Guide,
SEPTEMBER
The spectacularly bright planet Venus pays a close call to the delicate
PETE LAWRENCE

he appears on The collection of stars in Cancer known as the Beehive Cluster at the start
Sky at Night each of the month. The planet will clip the southern boundary of the cluster,
month on BBC Four.
creating a sight that will be worth setting the alarm early for.

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 50 SEPTEMBER THE SKY GUIDE

SEPTEMBER HIGHLIGHTS
Your guide to the night sky this month

TUESDAY WEDNESDAY
FRIDAY Neptune reaches Being September,

1
This morning and
tomorrow morning
the blazingly bright planet
Venus can be seen passing
just to the south of the Beehive
5 opposition and is
visible all night long. It is
in Aquarius, close to
mag. +3.7 Lambda (h) Aquarii.
6 some sources
would list today’s full
Moon as the Harvest
Moon. However, this one
occurs 16 days from the
Cluster, M44 in Cancer. Look out for Mars very low northern hemisphere’s autumn
and close to mag. +1.4 equinox. The full Moon on
The Aurigid meteor shower Regulus (Alpha (_) Leonis) in the 5 October is closer (13 days
reaches its peak zenithal morning sky. from the equinox) making it the
hourly rate of six meteors true Harvest Moon of 2017.
per hour tonight.

SUNDAY TUESDAY
Today mag. Mercury

10 +0.2 Mercury
is close to mag. +1.4
Regulus (Alpha (_)
Leonis). Look for the planet and
star in the pre-dawn sky. They’ll
12 reaches
greatest western
elongation. It
will appear separated from the
Sun by almost 18º in the
appear to be separated by just morning sky.
39 arcminutes.

THURSDAY X SATURDAY X
The 41%-lit Mag. –0.7

14 waning
crescent Moon is
a little under 6º
south of open cluster M35 in
Gemini in the early hours.
16 Mercury is
28 arcminutes to
the west of mag.
+1.8 Mars in this morning’s sky.
The planets continue to close in
on one another throughout the
day, appearing just 3.5 arcminutes
apart at 19:00 BST (18:00 UT)
when they are close to setting.

WEDNESDAY FRIDAY X
Mag. Jupiter is

20 –3.8
Venus appears
28 arcminutes
north of mag. +1.4 Regulus
(Alpha (_) Leonis) in this morning’s
22 close to the
6%-lit waxing
crescent Moon in
this evening’s sky. The mag. –1.5
planet is 5º west of the Moon at
sky. This is also the date of 19:45 BST (18:45 UT)
September’s new Moon, making
this a great time to take our Today is the northern hemisphere
deep-sky tour (page 62). autumn equinox.

W TUESDAY
The

26 beautiful
planet Saturn can
be seen around
3.5º south-southeast of tonight’s
37%-lit waxing crescent Moon. View
PETE LAWRENCE X 8

them at 21:00 BST (20:00 UT).

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
THE SKY GUIDE SEPTEMBER 51

NEED TO
KNOW
The terms and symbols
used in The Sky Guide
SATURDAY
The Moon shows a good libration

9
81,9(56$/ 7,0( 87
to favour the northwest limb. AND BRITISH SUMMER
Despite being under high illumination,
7,0( %67
features such as 129km-wide crater
Universal Time (UT) is the
Pythagoras will be well positioned and can
standard time used by
be followed as the evening terminator
astronomers around the
approaches on 17 September.
world. British Summer
Time (BST) is one hour
ahead of UT.

5$ 5,*+7 $6&(16,21
$1' '(& '(&/,1$7,21
These coordinates are the
night sky’s equivalent of
longitude and latitude,
describing where an object
lies on the celestial ‘globe’.

FAMILY FRIENDLY
Objects marked with
this icon are perfect for
showing to children

NAKED EYE
Allow 20 minutes for
your eyes to become
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY dark-adapted
Mercury This The linear

17 appears
20 arcminutes
to the east of
Mars this morning. Catch them
both around 90 minutes before
18 morning’s
4%-lit waning
crescent Moon is
0.5º south of mag. +1.4 Regulus
(Alpha (_) Leonis). Mercury,
19 planetary
alignment
continues into
this morning with a really thin
1.3%-lit waning crescent Moon,
PHOTO OPPORTUNITY
Use a CCD, planetary
camera or standard DSLR

BINOCULARS
sunrise – that’s 05:20 BST Mars, the crescent Moon and just visible before sunrise. 10x50 recommended
(04:20 UT) from the centre Venus will also appear in a line.
of the UK. SMALL/
MEDIUM SCOPE
Reflector/SCT under 6 inches,
refractor under 4 inches
SUNDAY MONDAY X LARGE SCOPE
The Mag. +12.7

24 25
Reflector/SCT over 6
20%-lit comet 24P/
inches, refractor over 4 inches
waxing crescent Schaumasse can
Moon, low in be seen against
the southwest at 20:00 BST the northern region of the Beehive
(19:00 UT), shows a favourable Cluster, M44 in Cancer. Catch them
libration for the southeast limb. together in the early hours.
It also occults mag. +3.9
Gamma (a) Librae at 19:48 BST
(18:48 UT), reappearing at
20:55 BST (19:55 UT).

W WEDNESDAY
The )$0,/< 67$5*$=,1* SEP GETTING STARTED

27 Lunar X
will be visible
at around
21:20 BST (20:20 UT). It’s
fascinating to watch the letter
The Great Square of Pegasus is a large, prominent
pattern of stars, approximately square in shape. On a
moonless night, identify the pattern – its sides are about
1.5 times the width of an adult’s fist at arm’s length – using our all-
sky-chart on page 54. Set the challenge to count the stars within its
IN ASTRONOMY
If you’re new to astronomy,
you’ll find two essential
reads on our website. Visit
‘X’ form as the dawn terminator boundary. Young eyes should find it easier to pick out the fainter http://bit.ly/10_Lessons for
approaches the region, roughly stars. The total can be used to gauge your sky transparency. Not our 10-step guide to getting
one-third of the way up from including the corners, a count of 0-2 is poor, 3-7 average, 8-11 started and http://bit.ly/
the southern limb. good and 12 or more excellent. Conditions and totals may vary First_Tel for advice on
between nights. www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/shows/stargazing choosing a scope.

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 52 SEPTEMBER THE SKY GUIDE

THE BIG THREE

The three top
sights to observe
or image this month

DON’T MISS 29 Aug

d
Venus and 30 Aug

M44
a
Asellus Borealis Venus
M44
31 Aug

1 Sep
WHEN: 1-3 September; also look for
the planet on 18-21 September for
its meeting with Regulus

Venus makes a close pass along

CANCER 2 Sep
the southern edge of the Beehive b
Asellus Australis
Cluster, M44 in Cancer, at the
start of the month. There’s something quite
compelling about seeing Solar System 3 Sep
objects close to deep-sky ones. Comets
against distant galaxies, or planets
passing through or near familiar clusters
4 Sep
create a wonderful opportunity to
contemplate the three-dimensional
nature of our skies. Þ The location of Venus at 04:30 BST (03:30 UT) as it passes the Beehive Cluster at the end of
The Beehive Cluster is a familiar August and in the first few days of September. They will be low in the east-northeast at this time
object in the spring, but during autumn
additional effort is required to view it. From the UK this makes the planet
It rises in the northeast around appear directly below the cluster. By
03:30 BST (02:30 UT) as seen from the the 3rd the main event is all but over,
centre of the UK and takes a while to Venus now appearing 2º from M44
climb out of the thick, often hazy and 0.5º east of mag. +3.9 Asellus
layer of atmosphere close to the Australis (Delta (b) Cancri).
horizon. However, brilliant If you get clear skies at the
Venus will fare better. start of the month, try to
The cluster is ranked at mag. catch the pair just after they
+4.0, although it’s harder to rise and keep watch over the
spot with the naked eye than next hour until the brightening
this figure suggests. Typically, twilight washes the cluster’s
under reasonably dark stars from view.
conditions, M44 can be seen as a Later in the month Venus
hazy smudge with direct vision. passes very close to mag. +1.4
It has an appreciable apparent size, Regulus (Alpha (_) Leonis). On
measuring approximately 1.5º M44 18 September the planet can be
across. It is best seen through a pair of seen 2.3º northwest of the star.
binoculars, which do both its size justice A lovely 4%-lit waning crescent Moon
and help to bring out the myriad stars hangs immediately below Regulus on
that appear to swarm around the core this date. Venus appears to close in on
like bees around their hive. Þ Located near the ecliptic, M44 is no the star over the next couple of mornings,
On 1 September Venus sits 1.25º stranger to Solar System visitors; here sitting 0.5º north-northeast of it on the
it is with an overexposed Moon
PETE LAWRENCE X 4

southwest of the cluster. From the UK morning of 20 September. This presents

this places Venus below and right of field to contain the cluster and planet an opportunity to try and spot Regulus
the cluster’s core. Again, binoculars at the same time. during daylight using a telescope. Lock
are an ideal way of getting a good view, On 2 September, Venus appears 1.5º onto Venus as the Sun rises and see if you
a typical pair having a sufficiently large east of south of the cluster’s centre. can spot the star nearby.

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
THE SKY GUIDE SEPTEMBER 53

Mercury meets Mars

WHEN: Closest approach occurs in the morning skies of 16 and 17 September
Mercury and Mars appear to converge.
Visible approximately 90 minutes
before sunrise low in the east, on
15 September, mag. +3.8 Rho (l) Leonis,
mag. +1.8 Mars and –0.6 Mercury form
16 Sep 17 Sep 18 Sep Mercury, Venus, Mars and a right-angled triangle, with Mars at
Mercury Mars the Moon line up on the 17th; the right-angle. The planets appear
Mars this will be the view at 05:40
1.2º apart at this time.
BST (04:40 UT). Mars and
Mars Mercury’s positions are inset On 16 September the separation
Mercury
Mercury will be 28 arcminutes, with Mars,
Mercury and Rho Leonis now forming a
Moon thin isosceles triangle. If you can keep
17 Sep with the planets as the Sun rises, under
very clear skies it may be possible to follow
them in daylight as they continue to
Venus
converge. As they approach their setting
point around 19:00 BST (18:00 UT,
times for the centre of the UK) they
Moon will appear just 3.5 arcminutes apart.
18 Sep
On 17 September the apparent
Mars separation is 20 arcminutes. By the
Mercury 17th, Mercury will have brightened to
mag. –0.8 making it easier to spot despite
losing altitude. On 18 September, the
ENE E celestial meeting ends, the apparent
separation having increased to 1.2º.
Mercury rises approximately the pair, you’ll also want to catch the Although it’s not impossible, it’s
90 minutes before the Sun on spectacular meet-up between Regulus unusual to have perfectly clear skies for
10 September and should be and Venus on 20 September. morning observing sessions during
relatively easy to see at mag. +0.2. On this On 10 September, mag. +1.8 Mars September. Despite this, having a range
date it is 38 arcminutes south-southwest can be seen 3º east of Regulus. From of dates to pick from will hopefully
of mag. +1.4 Regulus (Alpha (_) Leonis). the UK this places it below and left of ensure you see something of this
If you manage to take a photograph of the star. Over the next few mornings impressive early morning show.

Comet 24P/Schaumasse and the Beehive

WHEN: 24-26 September, from 04:00 BST (03:00 UT)
Venus is The cluster rises above 22 Sep

not the only the northeast horizon just

Solar System after 01:30 BST (00:30 UT) 23 Sep
object passing close to the and manages to attain an Comet 24P/Schaumasse d
Beehive Cluster in Cancer, altitude of about 30 º at
24 Sep
M44, this month. Comet 24P/ 05:00 BST (04:00 UT) in
Schaumasse is also in the a dark sky, astronomical a
vicinity, travelling in front of twilight beginning shortly 25 Sep
the northern part of the cluster after this time.
between 24-26 September. On 24 September at
When Venus passed south 04:00 BST (03:00 UT), the 26 Sep

of the cluster at the start of comet is 1º to the northwest ¡

the month the stars of the of the cluster’s centre. On
M44
Beehive were completely the morning of 25 September, 27 Sep
outshone by the blazing the apparent separation
light of the planet. With will have decreased to just
28 Sep
24P/Schaumasse the tables 0.5º, the comet lying due
are turned because the comet north of the cluster’s CANCER
is predicted to be a 12th- centre. Then on the b
magnitude object at this morning of 26 September, 29 Sep
time. This means that the separation will have
it’s best suited to at least an increased to 1º again, with
8-inch telescope or as a target the comet being found to Þ Comet 24P/Schaumasse will cut through the Beehive Cluster,
for astrophotography. the east-northeast. appearing as a faint smudge passing between the sharp cluster stars

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 54 SEPTEMBER THE SKY GUIDE

THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE

IN SEPTEMBER N
WHEN TO USE THIS CHART O
RT
KEY TO

HE
1 SEP AT 01:00 BST

A
STAR CHARTS

ST
15 SEP AT 00:00 BST
Arcturus STAR NAME 30 SEP AT 23:00 BST
On other dates, stars will be in slightly different places b

A lp
PERSEUS
`
CONSTELLATION

ha Peak
due to Earth’s orbital motion. Stars that cross the sky

AURIGA
NAME

Aq 1
ua Sep
will set in the west four minutes earlier each night. M

riid
GALAXY 35

s
M3 M3
OPEN CLUSTER
HOW TO USE THIS CHART M3 6
7
8 _
GLOBULAR

Capella
CLUSTER

UV
`
PLANETARY
NEBULA

TAURUS
DIFFUSE
NEBULOSITY

b
PERS
k

_
Ald
DOUBLE STAR

E
US
eba
VARIABLE STAR

ran
Al
go

_
THE MOON, l
1. HOLD THE CHART so the direction you’re facing

b Hyades

Pleia
SHOWING PHASE

`
is at the bottom. M3

des
2. THE LOWER HALF of the chart shows the sky

a
COMET TRACK

M4
ahead of you.
TRIA

2
3. THE CENTRE OF THE CHART is the point

y
NG

tour, p6
Deep-sk
EAST

ULU
ASTEROID directly over your head. M

a
TRACK

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Al
Pe pha
ak Tr
STAR-HOPPING SUNRISE/SUNSET IN SEPTEMBER* 11 ian

AR
/1 gu
2 lid
Se s
PATH p

IES
DATE SUNRISE SUNSET 10

_
th
1 Sep 2017 06:19 BST 19:59 BST
l
Hama

_
METEOR
11 Sep 2017 06:36 BST 19:35 BST
RADIANT
21 Sep 2017 06:54 BST 19:10 BST

`
1 Oct 2017 07:11 BST 18:46 BST
et
rcl

a
_ M
Ci

ASTERISM

MOONRISE IN SEPTEMBER*
Ec
enka

lip
a

tic
PLANET MOONRISE TIMES
r

Uranus
1 Sep 2017, 17:26 BST 17 Sep 2017, 03:04 BST
PIS
b

QUASAR 5 Sep 2017, 19:42 BST 21 Sep 2017, 08:03 BST C

_

9 Sep 2017, 21:20 BST 25 Sep 2017, 12:34 BST

STAR BRIGHTNESS: 13 Sep 2017, 23:48 BST 29 Sep 2017, 16:04 BST M
ira
k

MAG. 0 *Times correct for the centre of the UK

& BRIGHTER

MAG. +1 LUNAR PHASES IN SEPTEMBER

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY
MAG. +2 CE
1 2 3 TU
MAG. +3 S
MAG. +4
& FAINTER
SO

4 5 6 7 8 9 10
5º N
UT
H

W COMPASS AND
EA

FULL MOON
E FIELD OF VIEW 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 T
S

`
S Deneb Kaitos
CHART: PETE LAWRENCE

MILKY WAY 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

NEW MOON
25 26 27 28 29 30

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 SEPTEMBER 55
NORTH

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skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
SOUTH
 56 SEPTEMBER THE SKY GUIDE

THE PLANETS
3 Sep

PICK OF THE LEO Venus

MINOR

MONTH URSA
MAJOR
Sickle

LEO Mars
MARS 4-6 Sep
1 Sep

(Mars-Regulus
BEST TIME TO SEE: 16 September, Conjunction) Regulus
05:30 BST (04:30 UT)
16-17 Sep
ALTITUDE: 2.5º (low) (Mercury-Mars
1 Sep HYDRA
Conjunction) Mercury
LOCATION: Leo
DIRECTION: East-northeast
FEATURES: Colour, dark surface 30 Sep
Alphard
Denebola
markings, bright polar caps, weather
30 Sep
EQUIPMENT: 6-inch or larger telescope

Mars is a morning object gradually

pulling away from the Sun’s glare VIRGO A waning crescent Moon passes through this region
in September. Telescopically, it’s of sky between 17-19 September (omitted for clarity)

rather challenging. It does not 30 Sep

attain a decent altitude and appears

rather small through the eyepiece. E
The planet is on the far part of its
orbit relative to Earth and this Þ Mars and Mercury cross paths; constellation positions shown for 05:30 BST on 30 September
renders its disc small. At present
it has a similar apparent size it will be low in the sky for mag. –0.7) on 16 and 17 September.
to the planet Uranus. those of us in the UK. The two planets will have an apparent
However, it’s good This month the separation of 27 arcminutes on the
to see Mars on the emphasis is more 16th and 21 arcminutes on the 17th.
western side of the on the naked eye On the morning of 17 September,
Sun, a course and binocular Mars and Mercury fall into a straight
that will take it appearances of the line with Regulus, Venus and a slender
towards its next Red Planet. Mars is waning crescent Moon that’s just 10% lit
opposition close to mag. +1.8 and forms – you can read more about that encounter
the end of July 2018. an interesting pattern in this month’s Big Three (page 52).
This will be a perihelic with mag. +1.4 Regulus It’s fascinating to watch how these
opposition, one which (Alpha (_) Leonis) and patterns of planets, bright stars and the
occurs when Mars is in mag. +1.5 Mercury from Moon appear to change over subsequent
a part of its orbit that Þ Mars will appear small, 5-8 September. Look to mornings. By 30 September, Mars and
its disc about the same
PETE LAWRENCE X 3

takes it closer to the Sun. the east-northeast from a dazzling mag. –3.8 Venus will appear
size as Uranus’s
As a consequence this will about 05:20 BST (04:20 UT). to be 2.7º apart. This comes ahead of a
be a favourable situation for There’s a really close encounter between further close encounter set to occur in
earthbound observers too, although Mars and a much brighter Mercury (now the first week of October.

The phase and relative sizes of the planets this month. Each planet is
THE PLANETS IN SEPTEMBER shown with south at the top, to show its orientation through a telescope

VENUS MARS JUPITER SATURN URANUS NEPTUNE

15 Sep 15 Sep 15 Sep 15 Sep 15 Sep 15 Sep

MERCURY
1 Sep

MERCURY
15 Sep

MERCURY
0” 10” 20” 30” 40” 50” 60”
30 Sep
ARCSECONDS

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
THE SKY GUIDE SEPTEMBER 57
MERCURY
SATURN’S MOONS BEST TIME TO SEE:
Jupiter is too low for serious
telescopic observation, located
16 September, 18:00 BST in the evening twilight close to

SEPTEMBER
Using a small scope you’ll be
(17:00 UT)
ALTITUDE: 7.5º (low)
LOCATION: Leo
the west-southwest horizon
just after sunset. A thin, 6%-lit
waxing crescent Moon is 5º
DIRECTION: East above and left of Jupiter on
able to spot Saturn’s biggest
moons. Their positions change Mercury is a morning object the evening of 22 September.
dramatically during the month, that has a close encounter with
as shown on the diagram. The mag. +1.4 Regulus (Alpha (_) SATURN
line by each date on the left Leonis) on the 10th. Mag. +0.2 BEST TIME TO SEE:
represents 00:00 UT. Mercury appears 38 arcminutes 1 September, from
from the star. After greatest 20:45 BST (19:45 UT)
DATE WEST EAST western elongation on the 12th ALTITUDE: 14º
(Mercury will be 17.9º from the LOCATION: Ophiuchus
1
Sun) the planet swings sunwards, DIRECTION: South
2 chasing Mars as it goes. As it Saturn is past its best for 2017
3
enters a brighter part of the and during September slowly
sky, Mercury compensates by dims from mag. +0.4 to +0.5.
4 appearing brighter itself. On A scope will shows the planet’s
5 the 19th, at mag. –0.9, it shares beautiful rings currently tilted
the sky with mag. +1.8 Mars over by 27º. The planet is 3.5º
6 and mag. –3.8 Venus, 2º and below a 37%-lit waning crescent
7 12º west respectively. You may Moon on the evening of the
also be able to see a 1%-lit waning 26th; look low in the southwest
8
crescent Moon 3.6º east of the around 21:00 BST (20:00 UT)
9 planet just before sunrise. On
10
the 23rd, it is mag. –1.1 and sits URANUS
at one end of a line also formed BEST TIME TO SEE:
11 by Mars, Jupiter and Regulus. 30 September, from
12
02:20 BST (01:20 UT)
VENUS ALTITUDE: 47º
13 BEST TIME TO SEE: LOCATION: Pisces
14 1 September, from DIRECTION: South
04:00 BST (03:00 UT) Uranus is well placed and
15 ALTITUDE: 5º (low) reaches its highest point in the
16 LOCATION: Cancer sky in darkness all month. It’s
DIRECTION: East-northeast mag. +5.7 and approximately
17 On the 1st, mag. –3.9 Venus is 1º north of mag. +4.3
18 1.5º south of the centre of the Omicron (k) Piscium.
Beehive Cluster, M44 in Cancer.
19
It’s a spectacular sight through NEPTUNE
20 binoculars or a telescope using BEST TIME TO SEE:
a low power. Telescopically 5 September,
21
Venus appears 11.7 arcminutes 01:08 BST (00:08 UT)
22 across on 1 September, with a ALTITUDE: 29º
23 phase of 88%. On the 20th it LOCATION: Aquarius
passes mag. +1.4 Regulus (Alpha DIRECTION: South
24 (_) Leonis), by less than 0.5º. At Neptune reaches opposition
25 month end, Venus is 3.3º from on 5 September and remains
Mars and, through a telescope visible all night long for most
26 appears 11 arcseconds across of the month. By month end
27 and 90% lit. Neptune is 39 arcminutes
southeast of mag. +3.7 Lambda
28
JUPITER (h) Aquarii. Binoculars are
29 BEST TIME TO SEE: required to see the mag. +7.8
22 September, 19:20 BST planet; a telescope will show
30
18:20 UT its tiny 2.3-arcsecond disc and
1 ALTITUDE: 4º (low) its blue hue. The full Moon
LOCATION: Virgo on 6 September will be 2.3º
3 2 1 0 1 2 3 DIRECTION: West-southwest southwest of Neptune.
arcminutes
Tethys Dione Rhea Titan Iapetus Saturn YOUR BONUS CONTENT Planetary observing forms

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 58 SEPTEMBER THE SKY GUIDE

MOONWATCH “Mons Huygens is the

N highest lunar mountain,
MONTES
APENNINUS but not the highest point”
TYPE: Mountain Range
SIZE: 600km long, crater Wallace C. The Apennine Huygens Beta. Immediately
150km wide arc continues northeast marked east of Mons Huygens is
LONGITUDE/LATITUDE: by number of lumps and bumps, Huygens A, a 6km crater
20.1ºW, 9.6ºN but is interrupted by surprisingly named after the mountain.
AGE: 3.2-3.85 billion years few craters considering the age Although Mons Huygens is
BEST TIME TO SEE: First of the range. Wallace D is the the highest mountain on the
quarter (28-29 September) only serious contender here, Moon, it is not the highest point.
or six days after full Moon although at 4km across it’s This seemingly contradictory
(12-13 September) hardly a major intrusion. statement arises due to a region
MINIMUM EQUIPMENT: The next major Apennine on the Moon’s far side, where
10x binoculars peak is 3km high Mons Ampere, the surface height deviates from
which juts out slightly into the the mean lunar radius by
There are many lunar mountain just north of 60km-wide crater Mare Imbrium towards 3km 10.8km. This region is simply
ranges visible from Earth but Eratosthenes. The range curves Huxley, formerly Wallace B. To an elevated surface and not a
the sheer majesty of the lunar gently east, climbing to its first the east of Mons Ampere we see true mountain, so Mons
Apennines takes some beating. peak, Mons Wolff, at 3.5km the ridge of 5.5km-high Mons Huygens retains its title.
This 600km arc, bordering the high. A deep valley runs adjacent Huygens. Its ridge runs for 28km An impressive set of jutting
Mare Imbrium, contains the to Wolff, cutting the range in a from the southeast of Mons northwest facing slopes leads
Moon’s highest peak – Mons northwest-southeast direction. Ampere, curving to the north the eye northeast towards 4.2km
Huygens, rising to 5.5km. The Across the way sits the peak of where it partially juts out in a -high Mons Bradley. This is
southern end of the range begins Mons Serao, cradling the 5km region once referred to as easily recognised, lying 40km
west of the centre of 22km
Few lunar mountain crater Conon. Also look out for
PROMONOTORIUM the snake-like form of Rima
ranges are as famous
FRESNEL
as the Apennines; Conon 80km to the south.
Apollo 15 set down The Apennines continue
MONS HADLEY
in this region, close
northeast towards
to Hadley Rille RIMA HADLEY
MONS HADLEY DELTA Promonotorium Fresnel, a
HADLEY C transition between the
Apennine and Haemus
mountain ranges. Situated
between Promonotorium
Fresnel and Mons Bradley is the
Mons Hadley region. Here we
find an impressive set of peaks
MONS BRADLEY CONON including 3.5km-high Mons
Hadley Delta, a distinctive
HUYGENS A mountain that formed part of
the dramatic backdrop to the
MARE
HUYGENS BETA Apollo 15 landing site.
IMBRIUM RIMA CONON
HUXLEY North of Mons Hadley Delta
MONS HUYGENS
is the imposing form of 4.2km
MONS AMPERE
high Mons Hadley. This towers
WALLACE
MONS HADLEY over a flat lava plain to the
southwest, where Apollo 15
WALLACE C
WALLACE D landed. The region is defined
MONS SERAO by an amazing sinuous rille
RIMA HADLEY known as Rima Hadley. This is
MONS WOLFF
visible in 8-inch or larger
APOLLO 15 instruments, snaking its way
HADLEY C
across the lava field for a
distance of approximately
70km. The 6km crater Hadley
PETE LAWRENCE X 3

C sits midway along the rille,

ERATOSTHENES providing a navigational guide
for identifying the area with
smaller telescopes.

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
THE SKY GUIDE SEPTEMBER 59
COMETS AND ASTEROIDS
56 Melete – a minor planet that offers us the chance to do some serious science
56 Melete occults a star in Orion this Another occultation is
month, but be warned, it’s a quick predicted to occur during the
event lasting only a minute TAURUS morning of 24 September,
r1 56 Melete when 56 Melete will occult the
mag. +11.0 TYC 1313-01143-1,
d
1 Sep 21 Sep which is in the northern part of
GEMINI r2
Orion, near the Hunter’s ‘club’.
11 Sep
The occultation track passes
56 Melete across the south of the Republic
of Ireland, much of Wales and
21 Sep TYC 1313-01143-1 central England. The event is
26 Sep
predicted to occur between
h
i Meissa 04:05-04:06 BST (03:05-03:06 UT)
on 24 September. At that time,
j
56 Melete will be mag. +13.8
Bellatrix a
and cause the star to dim by
ORION
2.9 magnitudes.
As asteroids go, 56 Melete is
Minor planet 56 Melete is a 0.15 magnitudes caused by its be seen from Earth – is finite. pretty faint, remaining at mag.
main belt asteroid discovered rotation. The repeat of this Within the track, accurate +13.8 all month long. Despite
160 years ago on 9 September curve, and hence the asteroid’s timings can help derive the this, imagers should be able to
1857. It takes 4.18 years to orbit rotation period, is 18.15 hours. profile width of the asteroid. pick it up as it passes from the
the Sun, its elliptical orbit Occasionally asteroids If enough observers record southeast corner of Taurus into
bringing it in as close as 1.97 appear to pass in front of stars, timings within the track path, the northern part of Orion. If
AU to our star and out as far as and 56 Melete was observed doing it is possible to add all of their you are located within the
3.21 AU. It’s a dark object, 129km so in 1997 and 2002. Such events occultation results together occultation track, this is a great
across, its light curve showing a are important because the and built an approximate opportunity to do some quite
small variation in brightness of occultation track – where it can profile of the asteroid’s shape. important science.

STAR OF
THE MONTH ANDROMEDA
NGC 404

Mirach – the haunted q

Mirach
semi-regular varaible M31
Mirach (Beta (`) Andromedae) is halfway i
along Andromeda’s body, between Alpheratz
(Alpha (_) Andromedae) and Almach
(Gamma (a) Andromedae). The name +
Mirach probably results from a corruption Alpheratz
/ _
of mi’zar, meaning girdle or waist-cloth. Almach
`
Mirach and Alpheratz have the same a
average brightness of mag. +2.06, but look b
Mirach ¡
markedly different because Mirach is a
red giant and Alpheratz a hot blue star.
Mirach is 197 lightyears away and 1,900 Mirach and NGC 404 appear close as a line of sight effect; the galaxy is 51,000 times farther
times more luminous than the Sun. Its radius
is estimated at around 0.4 AU, or 85 times Like many stars, Mirach is not alone and has Through the eyepiece Mirach has an
larger than the Sun, giving it a circumference a 14th-magnitude main-sequence companion additional deep sky companion in the form
equivalent to the orbit of Mercury. As the that is 60,000 times dimmer than Mirach itself. of the isolated dwarf lenticular galaxy, NGC
star is approaching the end of its life its core Their orbits bring them physically to within 40 404. The apparent separation between star
probably consists of helium or carbon. As is times the Sun-Pluto distance of one another. and galaxy is just 7 arcminutes giving NGC
common with old red giants, Mirach’s light is From Mirach the companion would appear as 404 the appearance of a lens flare caused
inconstant, and it’s classed as a semi-regular bright as Venus appears from Earth. Mirach by Mirach. Known informally as Mirach’s
variable. The changes in brightness are small, would appear 120 times brighter than the full Ghost, one of the biggest hurdles to seeing it
ranging between +2.01 to +2.10. Moon from the companion. is the brightness of Mirach itself.

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 60 SEPTEMBER THE SKY GUIDE
STEPHEN TONKIN’S runs northeast-southwest before curving east and
passing 1° west of 27 Aquilae. The eastern edge

BINOCULAR TOUR is quite distinct, but the transition to the Milky Way
background is more diffuse to the west. � SEEN IT

September offers a debated globular, a dark 5 THE COATHANGER

lizard and the delight of a famous asterism 10x We now head north to a popular
50 star-party piece, an asterism variously
designated Collinder 399, Brocchi’s Cluster and

�  Tick the box when you’ve seen each one therefore older. It is an intermediate age cluster Al-Sufi’s Cluster. Find it 5° south of mag. +4.4
at just under 700 million years old. � SEEN IT Anser (Alpha (_) Vulpeculae) or 4° northwest
1 THE SUMMER BEEHIVE of mag. +4.4 Sham (Alpha (_) Sagittae). Even
10x Our first target’s brighter stars form the 3 GRAFF’S CLUSTER small binoculars will reveal the 10 brightest
50 word ‘HI’. Locate mag. +2.7 Cebalrai 10x Pan 3° from NGC 6633, in the direction stars that give this asterism its common name.
(Beta (`) Ophiuchi) and you will see IC 4665, 50 of mag. +4.6 Alya (Theta (e) Serpentis), It spans 1.5°, which means that it will stay within
the Summer Beehive, in the same field of view. where you will find a misty patch just over 1° the field of view long enough for several
It’s just over 1° northeast of the star. You should in diameter. This is Graff’s Cluster, IC 4756, an consecutive star-party observers to see it in
be able to resolve a dozen or so stars with a enormous grouping of stars over 20 lightyears mounted binoculars. It was first recorded by
pair of 10x50s, including the curved chain of across and approximately 1,300 lightyears away. the 10th Century Persian astronomer Abd
hot white stars that forms part of the letter H. It richly rewards patience: try averted vision on al-Rahman al-Sufi. � SEEN IT
This is a relatively young cluster, being less it. As more detail comes into view, you may
than 40 million years old. � SEEN IT experience what others have described as being 6 M71
“brighter stars, scattered over a background of 15x Is M71 a tight open cluster or a loose
2 NGC 6633 diamond dust”. Its yellow stars suggest that it is 70 globular? After decades of dispute, the
10x From IC 4665 navigate 10° eastwards, a similar age to NGC 6633. � SEEN IT consensus is that it is the latter. You can find this
50 where you will find NGC 6633. This enigmatic object just south of the mid-point of a
lovely little cluster is often overlooked in lists of 4 BARNARD 138 line joining mag. +4.3 Delta (b) and mag. +3.5
binocular objects because it can be tricky to 10x You will need a transparent dark sky for Gamma (a) Sagittae. M71 is quite faint at mag.
find, but it is easily visible in a pair of 10x50s, 50 our next object, Barnard 138, or Barnard’s +8.2, but 15x magnification should at least reveal
the four brightest stars shining against the Black Lizard. Identify mag. +3.4 Delta (b) Aquilae that it is not a star and averted vision will confirm
20-arcminute elongated glow of unresolved and navigate 2.5° southwest to mag. +5.2 23 this. The cluster spans 27 lightyears and is
fainter stars. Compare it to the Summer Beehive Aquilae. Let your eyes to settle and you should 12,000 light years away from us. It’s about
and you will see that its stars are yellower, and see that this star is in a narrow dark band that nine billion years old. � SEEN IT

M27 _ VULPECULA
a Anser
_ a k
b SAGITTA j
` M71 b +
_ 5
DELPHINUS 6 Sham Collinder 399
¡ `
HERCULES

a ¡
Tarazed c
Altair
_
Alshain
`
+

Rasalhague _

b 2
d e NGC 6633
Alya IC 4756 NGC 6572
23
3 1
27 IC 4665
AQUILA B138
4 `
5° N Cebalrai
a
SERPENS
E h SCUTUM OPHIUCHUS
CAPRICORNUS CAUDA
_ W ` Collinder 350

S M11
d

` b

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
THE SKY GUIDE SEPTEMBER 61
THE SKY GUIDE CHALLENGE
The most southerly star you can detect from your regular observing site
-26°
-25°
¡ -27°
-26°
-28°
-27°
PISCIS AUSTRINUS -29°
-28°
-30°
-29° e
_ Fomalhaut
-31°
-30° ¡
o a -32°
-31°
` + f -33°
-32° b
a p -34°
-33° _
-35°
-34°
/ -36°
-35°
a
-37°
-36° MICROSCOPIUM
-38°
-37°° GRUS
h -39°
-38°
e1 -40°
-39° +1 2
+2 e -41°
-40° l
-42°
-41° b1 -43°
-42° b2
Þ Fomalhaut is south at 01:20 BST (00:20 UT) on the 1st and four minutes earlier each following day. Gamma Gruis is south an hour before it
Our minds tend to should only appear for an relatively straightforward spot. Identify a number of stars
compartmentalise the sky instant when due south. Once you’ve found it, its host around your theoretical
into regions that are easy However, this threshold is constellation of Pisces limit throughout the year
to view and those which somewhat relaxed by Austrinus, the Southern Fish, and keep a log of your
are harder to examine. atmospheric refraction. can be used to push your attempts. Different results
One common example of The atmosphere refracts southern limits. Mag. +4.2 can be achieved using
the latter is the murky part (bends) light. The closer to Delta (b) Piscis Austrinii is binoculars and telescopes.
of the sky very close to the the horizon you’re trying 3º south-southwest of A camera on a fixed tripod
horizon, where the stars to see, the more refraction Fomalhaut at a declination pointing south can also be
appear dimmer and less occurs, allowing us to see of –32.5º and is dimmer, so it a great help. Capturing an
easy to identify. a little farther south than will be harder to find. South exposure between one and
This month, our challenge maths predicts. Refraction of the Fish’s tail is mag. +3.0 five minutes long should
asks how far south you can also varies according to Gamma (a) Gruis, in the produce a star-trailed image,
actually see. In theory this atmospheric conditions, so constellation of Grus, which which may make finding your
should be easy to answer the limit is not a constant. has a declination of –37º 17’, elusive southern declination
so long as you know your If your view to the south a much trickier prospect still. limit that much easier.
latitude. In the northern is built-up and obscured,
hemisphere, subtract 90 you’ll have a false elevated Gamma Gruis, just visible
from your latitude to give horizon and your limit will above a low cloud bank
the lowest theoretical be further north. A flat from 50.75ºN
declination visible due south. seaward southern horizon
For example, from 53ºN , the is about as close to perfect
lowest theoretical declination as you can get, but if you live
should be 37ºS (53 – 90 = –37). at altitude, an elevated view
Of course, it’s never that to the south should give you
straightforward. an additional advantage.
The first issue is to identify A good starting point is
a bright star exactly on your Fomalhaut (Alpha (_) Piscis
PETE LAWRENCE X 3

declination limit. You also Austrinii), the most southerly

need to consider how close to first-magnitude star. Shining
your limit you can go. For at mag. +1.2 and located at a
example, given a perfect declination of –29.5º,
horizon a star on your limit Fomalhaut should be a

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
0°
02

5°
0°
h3

+5
02
0m Almach

+4
+4
h0
5°

a 0m
+3

ANDROMEDA
Hockey Stick

4 5 NGC 752
NGC 956 NGC 891
6

0
3h
3

0 0m
02
M34 ` h0
¡ 0m

5°
+4
12
TRIANGULUM
IC 239 b
PERSEUS NGC 1023
a 7
2
N
0°

14 W
+3

1
` / 16 NGC 925

Algol
20
5° 5 ° 02
h3
2. 0m
l
t
0
E S
3h
0
0°

0m

0° 5°
+3

+4 +3
7+( 6.< *8,'( SEPTEMBER 63

'((3 6.< head northeast for three times the Beta-

Gamma distance. A 6th-magnitude star sits
just southeast of this position. Forty arcminutes
further northeast is NGC 1023, a mag.
THIS DEEP-SKY TOUR
HAS BEEN AUTOMATED
ASCOM-enabled Go-To

TOUR
This month we explore
+10.2 barred spiral galaxy, 7.9x3.5
arcminutes across. A 10-inch scope will
reveal its barred core as a thin, bright
needle of light measuring 3x1 arcminutes,
while averted vision will let you see a fainter
outer envelope. Larger apertures may
mounts can now take you to
this month’s targets at the
touch of a button, with our
Deep-Sky Tour file for the
EQTOUR app. Find it online.

the borders of Triangulum, provide a glimpse of galaxy NGC 1023A

towards the eastern end of the faint haze,
Perseus and Andromeda the open cluster NGC 956. It can be
a tricky 14th-magnitude target that’s
found 2.5º northwest of M34. At mag.
1.3x0.7 arcminutes across. NGC 1023 is

� Tick the box when you’ve seen each one +8.9 and a diameter of 7 arcminutes it is
 the brightest member of the NGC 1023
completely outshone by M34 in all senses
Group, all of which are located 20.6 million
of the word. A small telescope shows a
lightyears away. � SEEN IT
1 NGC 925 subtle concentration of around 10 stars,
The first stop on this month’s best seen with a low power. With a bit of
tour is NGC 925 in Triangulum, 3 M34 imagination, the brightest stars appear
which can be found by extending a line A little over 3.5º north of NGC 1023 to form an S shape. Sadly, if you do
east of mag. +4.0 Gamma (a) Trianguli is mag. +5.2 open cluster M34. manage to identify NGC 956, the bad
for 2º – the same apparent distance between With a 35-arcminute diameter, this object news is that although it is listed as an
Gamma Trianguli and nearby mag. +3.0 is well suited to small instruments using open cluster, it is now known to be
Beta (`) Trianguli. NGC 925 is an 11th- low power eyepieces. A 6-inch scope nothing more than a chance alignment
magnitude, almost face-on spiral galaxy. reveals a concentration of around 50 stars of stars! � SEEN IT
Visually it appears to be 6x4 arcminutes brighter than 11th-magnitude, with the total
star count believed to be approaching
in size, although in reality it extends to
400 stars. The cluster is located an estimated
5 NGC 891
11.2x6.3 arcminutes. NGC 925’s surface After the let-down of non-cluster
brightness is low and a 8-inch or larger scope 1,500 lightyears from Earth and thought to
NGC 956 you’ll be pleased to know
is required to show a faint elongation in an be around 200-250 million years old. Look
that our next target is more impressive.
east-southeast to west-northwest direction. out for a close pair of mag. +8.4 and +9.1
The edge-on spiral galaxy NGC 891 is
Low powers or small apertures may hint at stars, 1.4 arcseconds apart, on the southern
within the borders of Andromeda, midway
a north-south elongation caused by nearby edge of the cluster. You can also navigate to
between M34 and the beautiful mag.
foreground stars, the brightest of which is M34 by looking 5º west-northwest of Algol
+2.2 binary star Almach (Gamma (a)
around mag. +10.0. � SEEN IT (Beta (`) Persei). � SEEN IT
Andromedae). The galaxy has a visual
magnitude of +10.8 and is visible in a
2 NGC 1023 4 NGC 956 10-inch scope as a faint needle of light
Imagine a line from Beta to Gamma We hop across the border into that’s 10x1 arcminutes in size. A 12-inch
Trianguli. Turn 90º at Gamma and Andromeda for our next target, instrument doubles its thickness and hints
at a faint dust lane passing across the
4x2-arcminute core. This galaxy is
27.3 million lightyears away and is often
< NGC 925 is an almost face-on described in terms of how similar it looks
spiral galaxy; with a large to our own galaxy, having a similar
scope, you may be luminosity and size. � SEEN IT
able to see a hint
of elongation
6 NGC 752
Mag. +5.7 open cluster NGC 752
is 3.5º northwest of Beta Trianguli.
A 6-inch scope using a low power will
reveal around 75 stars within its 45-arcminute
diameter; 60 of these cluster stars are
brighter than 9th-magnitude. A bright,
yellow-red pair of mag. +5.9 and +5.7
CHART: PETE LAWRENCE, PHOTO: GÜNTER KERSCHHUBER/CCDGUIDE.COM

stars are prominent on the south-southwest

edge. Many ‘star-strings’ are visible,
including a pretty 10th-magnitude quartet
aligned southwest of the core. Another fainter
line pours south out of the core towards the
southeast. Brighter stars to the west of
NGC 752 form a hockey stick shape, with the
yellow-red pair mentioned earlier marking
the bottom. In this context, NGC 752 would
be the ball about to be hit. � SEEN IT

YOUR BONUS CONTENT

Print out this chart and take an
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skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 64 SEPTEMBER THE SKY GUIDE

ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY
The thinnest of lunar crescents
beautiful view. This is an excellent
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT training session for tomorrow’s Moon.
DSLR with shutter release cable, telescope or lens, tripod or tracking mount On the morning of 18 September, at the
recommended for longer focal lengths same time you ventured out on the 17th,
things will have changed. The Moon’s
crescent will now be noticeably thinner
at 4% lit. The Moon’s position will also
have changed so that it now sits between
Venus and the Mercury-Mars pair. Mag.
+1.4 Regulus (Alpha (_) Leonis) is also
visible 0.25º north of the Moon’s
northern limb. Despite being thinner,
this Moon shouldn’t give too many
problems for photography. It’ll still
have a decent altitude in reasonably
dark twilight and should be relatively
easy to frame and focus.
On 19 September, big changes will
be apparent. Mercury and Mars will
now appear separated by four times
the Moon’s apparent diameter. The
Moon’s crescent will now be only
1.3% lit and it will lie below and left
of Mercury. Use the Mars-Mercury
line to locate it, extending that line
You can start watching the
waning crescent Moon a couple by roughly twice the distance again,
of days before the thinnest down towards the horizon.
one and see its phases shrink By carefully noting the settings
you used on previous mornings it
Photographing the thin crescent 50 minutes before the Sun pops up should be possible to achieve a
Moon is both challenging and great above the horizon. From the centre convincing shot of this thin waning
fun. There are two opportunities in of the UK, this means a 06:00 BST crescent Moon. If the weather holds,
any given month, one for the waxing (05:00 UT) start. The 11.1% lit waning and you do manage to grab a shot of it,
crescent in the evening twilight sky crescent Moon will be 10 º above and as well as having a trophy of the Solar
and one for the waning crescent in right of brilliant planet Venus, over System to keep, you’ll feel a definite
the morning. Not all occurrences are in the east. Mars and Mercury are there sense of achievement. Good luck!
favourable, however. During the spring too, a similar distance from Venus in
months, it’s the waxing crescent Moon the opposite direction to the Moon.
that’s best placed, the waning one These planets will be in close proximity KEY TECHNIQUE
tending to be too close to the horizon to one another this morning and a SWIFT SETTING CHANGES
as the Sun rises. During autumn lovely sight to photograph in their Imaging a thin waxing or waning crescent
the tables turn and it’s the waning own right. Compare their separation Moon is challenging. Appearing against
crescents that are easier to see. to the diameter of the Moon: on the a bright twilight, the delicate crescent is
In many ways hunting the waning 17th they will be two-thirds the easily lost both to the eye and to the
camera. Choosing the right settings here
crescent is more useful than its waxing Moon’s apparent diameter apart. is essential as is keeping a constant eye
counterpart, the reason being that This Moon is a relatively easy target on the camera’s preview screen. Adjusting
spotting a thin waning crescent provides to photograph. Take your time, focus as settings on the fly is a key skill that
training to spot and even thinner one accurately as possible and take your shot. astrophotographers have to master and
the next morning. With waxing crescents As indicated in our step-by-step guide, here the technique is pushed to the limit.
the thinnest event happens first. Miss it make sure you don’t overexpose the With mastery over the settings it’s often
ALL PIUCTURES: PETE LAWRENCE

possible to use the camera in thin Moon

and the next night it becomes a little lunar surface to white. Just below white situations to record the crescent even
easier. This month there is a golden at the brightest points is fine. Make a when it’s not visible to the naked eye.
opportunity to catch a 1.3%-lit waning note of your settings and take in that
crescent Moon on 19 September.
Start two days before, on the morning
Send your image to: [email protected]

of the 17th. Aim to make your attempt

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
THE SKY GUIDE SEPTEMBER 65
STEP BY STEP

STEP 1 STEP 2
Decide what sort of capture you’re after. A general wide shot is easier Pick a location that gives an unobstructed view towards the east that’s
than a close-up of the Moon’s crescent, but the shape and appearance free of bright lights. If you have to travel to achieve this, make sure you
of the crescent will be hard to pick out with really short focal lengths. arrive in good time to set up properly. If you’re using an equatorial
Try a focal length between 100mm and 1,000mm. Connecting a mount, a rough align with Polaris should be fine. If Polaris is hidden,
camera to a telescope is a great way to achieve a larger image scale. a compass is a good way to get an approximate alignment north.

7 3 7

STEP 3 STEP 4
Set your camera lens to manual focus, then focus on a bright star A low ISO (100-400) can be used if a tracking mount is being used.
or planet. Use Live View if available. If using a standard lens, open A fixed tripod necessitates a higher ISO and shorter exposures to
the lens fully (set it to the lowest f/number) then close it by a couple avoid motion blur. For longer focal lengths, adjust the exposure to
of stops. This avoids distortion which may occur with some lenses achieve a bright image avoiding pure white. For wide-field shots,
when fully open. Set the camera to manual operation. overexposing the crescent often reveals earthshine.

STEP 5 STEP 6
Use a remote shutter release cable to avoid camera shake. Bracketing If you’re using a wide-field setup to capture nearby planets as well, a
exposures is also good practice. For example, if you think that a dramatic diffraction burst effect can be achieved by stopping a standard
six-second shot is best, take one followed by four more lasting five, lens down (increasing the f/number) to around f/16 or f/22. Here
four, seven and eight seconds. Shoot in RAW+JPG. The RAW files you’ll need to raise the ISO, or with a tracking mount extend the
give the cleanest results while the JPG ones offer quick editing. exposure. Take the shot, examine and adjust to suit your taste.

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
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 VOYAGER AT 40 SEPTEMBER 67

The Voyagers delivered

revelatory findings at their
very first destination, the
gas giant Jupiter. More
surprises would follow

Astronaut Ron Garan

talks to the scientists
behind the Voyager
mission in The
Weekend Documentary:
Space 1977, on the
BBC World Service at
2pm on 20 August

VOYAGER
NASA/JPL-CALTECH X 5/PROCESSING BY STEVE MARSH, MARK GARLICK

7+( <($5 63$&( -2851(<

In 1977, two spacecraft left Earth to explore the gas and ice
giants. On the anniversary of their departure, Jenny Winder
charts their journey towards the edge of the Solar System
skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 68

Voyager
mission
timeline
On their long travels, the
Voyagers visited four planets
and imaged 48 moons. 20 AUGUST 1977 5 SEPTEMBER 1977 10 DECEMBER 1977
Voyager 2 launches from Cape Voyager 1 launches at 12:56 Voyager 2 enters the
Now they are at the very Canaveral at 14:29 UT atop a UT from Cape Canaveral also asteroid belt, swiftly
edge of the Solar System Titan IIIE-Centaur launch vehicle atop a Titan IIIE-Centaur followed by Voyager 1

orty years ago, in August and September

F 1977, NASA launched two spacecraft

on an audacious mission that would
eventually study all four giant outer
planets and 48 of their moons, and go on to
explore the outer reaches of our Solar System.
Today, Voyager 1 is our most distant spacecraft,
and in 2012 became the first to enter interstellar
space. Voyager 2 isn’t far behind; it’s hoped that
it too will ‘go interstellar’ in the next five years.
The origins of the mission hark back to 1965,
when it was realised that a planetary alignment in
the latter half of the 1970s would enable a spacecraft
to make a complete survey of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus,
Neptune and Pluto. Such an alignment only occurs
every 175 years – it was an opportunity not to be missed.
To make the most of it, NASA settled on two
identical spacecraft to travel on two separate
NASA/JPL-CALTECH X 8, NASA/JPL-CALTECH/JHUAPL, MARK GARLICK

trajectories. Both would study Jupiter and Saturn. The two final
Voyager 1 would then go on to fly by Saturn’s trajectories were
largest moon Titan. Voyager 2, meanwhile, would chosen from 10,000; this
have the option to go to Uranus and Neptune, is an early one, covering
Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto
becoming the first spacecraft to visit either. Each
planetary flyby would alter the spacecraft’s flight
path to deliver it onto the next planet and increase that they would be able to complete the extended
its velocity, reducing the flight time to Neptune mission to Uranus and Neptune. They launched
from 30 years to just 12. Pluto was off the table; with 11 scientific instruments: four on Voyager 1
the choice was between it and Titan, and Titan þ The Voyager LECP continue to send back data about its surroundings,
instrument; like all others
was seen as a more interesting target. while five remain operational on Voyager 2.
that remain operational,
Budget constraints meant the spacecraft were it has long surpassed its One of the instruments still active on both is
officially only built to last five years, with the hope expected working life the low-energy charged particle detector (LECP)
instrument, which scans the sky through 360 º every
few tens of seconds measuring cosmic rays. That
it continues to function is extraordinary, says its
principal investigator, Dr Stamatios M Krimigis.
“The most remarkable design feature of LECP
was the stepper motor,” he says. “A mechanical
device like this in space was frowned upon because
everyone thought it could get stuck in short order.
We tested the motor for about 500,000 steps,
twice the expected usage and it survived. Now it’s
performed over seven million steps and counting.”
Science data from the instruments is returned
Rotating stepper
platform to Earth in real time via each probe’s high-gain
antenna. The signals are picked up by the Deep
Space Network (DSN), a global spacecraft tracking

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 VOYAGER AT 40 SEPTEMBER 69

CONTINUED OVER THE PAGE

19 DECEMBER 1977 8 SEPTEMBER 1978 21 OCTOBER 1978 5 MARCH 1979 9 JULY 1979
Voyager 1 overtakes its Voyager 1 exits the On a slower trajectory, Voyager 1 makes Voyager 2 makes
twin, placing it on course asteroid belt and Voyager 2 finally exits its closest approach its closest approach
to reach Jupiter first continues on to Jupiter the asteroid belt to Jupiter to Jupiter

Like the Golden Records,

< The Golden Records are a snapshot of Earth as it was
in 1977; etchings on the covers explain how to play them
this small flag also made
it to space – it’s sewn into
some thermal lining it overtake its twin and reach Jupiter first. Between
January and August 1979, the Voyagers studied the
Jovian system. They revealed Jupiter’s famous Great
Red Spot to be a complex anticyclonic storm,
found smaller storms throughout the
planet’s clouds and saw flashes of
lightning in the atmosphere on the
night side. Jupiter’s faint, dusty
rings were also discovered, along
with the satellites Adrastea,
Metis and Thebe. But the
highlight of the Jupiter mission
was the discovery of active
volcanism on the moon Io.
Together, the Voyagers observed
the eruption of no fewer than nine
volcanoes on Io. “At that time, the >
system, which was also used to reprogramme the
spacecraft remotely on more than one occasion.
Voyager 2 thunders into
Travelling too far from the Sun for solar panels to the sky on 20 August 1977.
be employed, the probes rely on three radioisotope It launched two weeks
thermoelectric generators for power. These convert ahead of Voyager 1, owing
heat produced from the radioactive decay of to its slower trajectory
plutonium into electricity.

Messages for ET
Each spacecraft also carries a message from humanity
in the form of a 12-inch gold-plated copper record.
The cover for the Golden Records bear diagrams
explaining how to play them, showing the location
of our Sun and the two lowest states of the hydrogen
atom as a fundamental clock reference.
The selection of content for the record, by a
committee chaired by Carl Sagan, was completed
in six weeks, chosen to portray the diversity of life
and culture on Earth. There are spoken greetings
in 55 languages; 116 images; recordings of natural
sounds; music from Bach, a Navajo Indian song,
Azerbaijani folk music and Chuck Berry; and even
a recording of the brainwaves of Ann Druyan, the
creative director of the project.
Voyager 1 was launched two weeks after Voyager 2,
but on a shorter and faster trajectory that would see

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 70

12 NOVEMBER 1980 25 AUGUST 1981 24 JANUARY 1986 25 AUGUST 1989

Voyager 1 flies by Titan and Voyager 2 flies by Saturn but Voyager 2 has the first-ever Voyager 2 is the first probe to
Saturn, then begins its journey remains within the plane of the encounter with Uranus, revealing observe Neptune, a stormier
out of the Solar System planets, bound for Uranus a bland visible surface planet than its neighbour

The Great Red Spot as Europa was found to

seen by Voyager 2. Even have an icy crust, the
in the three months since streaks suggesting
the Voyager 1 encounter fractures
it had evolved, the white
band north of the spot
had not been there

Callisto was found

to be remarkably
unscarred,
save for this
tremendous
bullseye

Io was revealed
to be violently
volcanic; three
plumes are
visible here

> only known active volcanoes in the Solar System Dust within Jupiter’s latitudes and aurora-like emissions of ultraviolet
were here on Earth, and here was a moon, just a newly discovered rings hydrogen at mid latitudes. They measured Titan’s
moon of Jupiter, that had 10 times more volcanic (top) and lightning on mass, studied its thick nitrogen atmosphere and
NASA/JPL-CALTECH X 22, MARK GARLICK

activity than here on Earth,” explains Voyager the night side of the imaged 17 of Saturn’s moons, including three new
planet (bottom)
project scientist Ed Stone, who has been with the discoveries: Atlas, Prometheus and Pandora.
mission from the start. The Voyagers also found Io From there the two probes parted company
was shedding a thick torus of ionised sulphur and as Voyager 1 began its long journey out of the
oxygen, and revealed evidence for an ocean Solar System. Voyager 2 headed to Uranus, where
beneath the icy crust of Jupiter’s moon Europa. it discovered 11 new moons and visited 16.
At Saturn, they studied the planet’s complex rings It discovered the planet’s magnetic field and studied
and its atmosphere, and found aurorae at polar the ring system. At Neptune Voyager 2 discovered

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 VOYAGER AT 40 SEPTEMBER 71

14 FEBRUARY 1990 17 FEBRUARY 1998 17 DECEMBER 2004 30 AUGUST 2007 25 AUGUST 2012
Voyager 1 takes the Pale Voyager 1 becomes the Voyager 1 passes the Voyager 2 passes the Voyager 1 crosses the
Blue Dot image of Earth most distant human- termination shock and termination shock and heliopause and enters
from 6 billion km away made object in space enters the heliosheath enters the heliosheath interstellar space

From 33.9 million km, Voyager 2

saw the famous rings and even
cloud patterns on Saturn

Surprisingly, Uranus was seen to be featureless when Voyager 2 arrived (left)

but moons like Ariel (above right) and Miranda (top right) revealed wild and varied
surface features pointing to pasts marked by dramatic geological activity

Icy world Enceladus seen

here by Voyager 2,
is one of the most
reflective bodies
in the Solar
System
Spokes were
revealed in Saturn’s
complex ring system

storms, including the Great Dark Spot, and 1,600km/h Titan’s atmosphere is so sunlight – the now famous ‘Pale Blue Dot’ image
winds – the strongest on any planet. It imaged eight thick that the Voyager of Earth. Carolyn Porco planned and executed this
of Neptune’s moons, discovering five of them and could not see down to the Family Portrait alongside Carl Sagan. “As soon
saw active geysers on the largest moon, Triton. surface (top) but pearly as I joined the Voyager imaging team in fall 1983,
white Dione was seen the idea arose in my mind to take an image of the
glimmering in front of
One last glimpse Saturn’s clouds (bottom)
planets, but especially Earth, as they would be seen
On Valentine’s Day 1990, Voyager 1 took the final from far away, to force that ‘reckoning’ that comes
pictures of the mission. Turning its camera back from seeing our cosmic place as it really
towards the Sun, from about 6 billion km away, is ... alone and isolated,” she says.
it took images of Neptune, Uranus, Saturn, This marked the end of the Voyagers’ planetary
Jupiter, Venus and – suspended in a beam of explorations – the Grand Tour, as it’s known – and >

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 72 VOYAGER AT 40 SEPTEMBER

The spacecraft and its instruments

Each Voyager is the size of a small car, has a 3.7m high-gain antenna and launched with 11 scientific instruments
Plasma spectrometer Low-energy charged
Radio Science System particle detector
Magnetometer Defective on Voyager 1;
Used communications active on Voyager 2 Measures cosmic radiation,
Investigates magnetic system to determine and analyses interplanetary
fields of planets, their planets’ physical Cosmic ray subsystem energetic particles.
moons, interplanetary properties Active on both
space, the solar wind Studies energetic particles
and interstellar space. Active on both
Ultraviolet spectrometer
Active on both
Radioisotope thermoelectric Disabled on both.
generators
Imaging
Supplies power for the spacecraft systems science system

Plasma wave antenna Narrow- and wide-

angle camera system.
Studied plasma Optical
Disabled on both
(ionised gas) signals calibration
from planetary rings; target and
Infrared
continues to study radiator
radiometer,
plasma in interstellar interferometer
space. Partially disabled Planetary radio and spectrometer
on Voyager 2; Active Bus Photopolarimeter
antenna
on Voyager 1 Defective on Voyager 1; Disabled on both
Disabled on both Main body housing
electronics disabled on Voyager 2

Voyager 1 has now left

the heliosphere, with
Voyager 2 expected
to follow in the next
five years

< Neptune had a huge

storm named the Great
Dark Spot (left) while its
moon Triton was found to
have ice geysers (above)

> the beginning of the Interstellar Mission. In 1998, as they are sending us something new to learn,”
Voyager 1 overtook Pioneer 10 to become the explains Ed Stone. From 2020, however, the
most distant spacecraft from the Sun. Voyager 2 remaining instruments will be switched off one by
is expected to pass Pioneer 10 by April 2019. one to conserve power. It’s hoped they will fly for
In December 2004, Voyager 1 crossed the at least 10 more years. “My goal is to have a 50th
NASA/JPL-CALTECH X 3, MARK GARLICK

termination shock, marked by a massive drop in anniversary party for Voyager,” says Suzanne Dodd,
particles detected from the Sun and a rise in cosmic project manager of the Voyager Interstellar Mission.
ray particles. Voyager 2 followed in August 2007. ABOUT THE WRITER Stone considers the Voyagers to be “our silent
Finally, on 25 August 2012, at 121 AU from the Sun, Jenny Winder is a ambassadors”. In 40,000 years, they will each
Voyager 1 officially crossed into interstellar space. science writer pass 1.5 lightyears from stars in Andromeda and
The Voyager team is still listening. “We listen and broadcaster Camelopardalis. Having increased our knowledge
with a passion for
every day, for four to eight hours per day, per of our solar neighbourhood, the Voyagers will take
astronomy outreach
spacecraft, and we’ll continue to do that as long the story of Earth on to other star systems. S

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 SP
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ONLY

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FROM THE
MAKERS OF

The story of
voyager
The twin Voyager spacecraft have been speeding through the
cosmos for two-thirds of the entire Space Age. Between them they
visited four planets and 48 moons, 23 of which we had no idea
existed. They saw new rings, volcanoes, geysers and even aurorae.
Now Voyager 1 is pushing the very limit of exploration, as it ventures
into the unknown of interstellar space. In The Story of Voyager we
explore their astounding and complex legacy, joined by some of
the scientists who worked on the mission, a majestic tale that
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 ASTRONAUT TRAINING SEPTEMBER 75

A dozen people will be pushed to their limits to see if they could

survive a space mission in new BBC Two show Astronauts: Do
You Have what It Takes? Elizabeth Pearson investigates
These are the judges the contestants
will have to impress: medical expert
Kevin Fong, astronaut Chris Hadfield
and psychologist Iya Whiteley

BBC/JAMES CHEADLE

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 76

The 12 contestants will be

evaluated for their fitness,
skills and quick thinking

eing an astronaut takes a Have What It Takes? The contestants

B certain kind of person. Ever

since the selection of the
original Mercury Seven, space
agencies have tried to find people with
‘the right stuff’ to be an astronaut – the
face the challenges that await real
trainee astronauts, tasks that will test
all aspects of their fitness, skill, quick
thinking and team work.
At all times they will be watched by an
ABOUT THE WRITER
Dr Elizabeth Pearson
is BBC Sky at Night
Magazine’s news
editor. She gained
her PhD in from
perfect blend of personality, knowledge, expert panel of judges: Canadian astronaut Cardiff University.
intellect and physical capability to travel and former International Space Station
BBC/JAMES CHEADLE X 3, GCTC

to space and thrive there. commander Chris Hadfield, psychologist

Astronauts: Do You
This year, BBC Two will attempt to Dr Iya Whiteley and space medicine expert
Have What It Takes?
find someone with just that potential Dr Kevin Fong. Every week, the judges will be broadcast
by putting a dozen men and women will send contestants home if they don’t on 20 August at
through six weeks of astronaut training meet the cut as they try to decide who 9pm on BBC Two.
in a new TV show Astronauts: Do You might make the grade.

The contestant
Jackie Bell is originally from Liverpool, where she gained her
PhD in theoretical particle physics, and currently works as a
guide at the Science Museum in London

What was it like to be on the show? underwater spacewalk training. Even

From the first day, it was exciting. We though we didn’t know it was guaranteed,
went into a hangar and Canadian that was on all our minds. There was
astronaut Chris Hadfield turned up in something I wasn’t looking forward to,
a helicopter and told us, “You’re going though. I was training all through the
to fly one of these things right now.” selection process, but it was only when
We got a 10-minute briefing and then I was chosen that I realised, oh god, this
we got put in the cockpit to hover the is real… and I can’t really swim.
helicopter for as long as we could. There was a real panic the three weeks
That was the first challenge. before the show as I tried to learn to swim.
Every day a task was announced I was
What were you most looking dreading it. Please don’t make me swim,
forward to? please don’t put me under water.
I’ve known since I was a kid that
astronauts train in a centrifuge, What was the selection process like?
they do parabolic flights and I have always wanted to be an astronaut,

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 ASTRONAUT TRAINING SEPTEMBER 77

and this was probably the closest I am I applied was that I have always felt very there. But if you don’t perform, then you
going to get. I had to apply. Once we different to the people around me. So to go. It was always on your mind.
were shortlisted we had interviews and be put with people who are very similar,
were given group tasks to see how we for me that was really rare. Was being an astronaut trainee
coped under pressure, but I think the a tough experience?
medical and psychological assessments Was it hard to see the other Yes. Not only do you have to be very
were the most nerve-wracking, because contestants go home? skilled, but if it were real you’d then have
it’s out of your hands. That was the hardest thing for me, to actually get into a spacecraft on top of
All the candidates who made it personally, knowing that not everyone a rocket and launch, which is terrifying.
through to the final selection had a similar was going to get a chance to do all of the But if they turned around tomorrow and
personality to real astronauts in that tasks. Everyone wanted everyone else asked me to be an astronaut I would say
we’re all quite selfless. One of the reasons to do well. Everyone deserved to be yes. Definitely, 100 per cent.

The judge
Kevin Fong is a consultant anaesthesiologist who has worked
ZLWK 1$6$V KXPDQ DGDSWDWLRQ DQG FRXQWHUPHDVXUHV RI FH
He served as one of the judges on the show, helping to
decide who would get sent home
What tasks did you set the pressure, has some operational experience
candidates? in the real world.
It was a very enviable set of tasks. We But it’s not just a test of skill. There is
had them in the Dunker, a box that no unique personality type that makes
simulates an aircraft cabin, which is someone an astronaut. In some ways,
thrown in a swimming pool and they you don’t know what you’re looking for
have to escape from. We spun them up until you find it.
to a few G in a centrifuge, had them do
simulated spacecraft dockings on the real How did you choose who to
Soyuz simulation that astronauts train send home?
with, sent them diving in the Aquarius You have to study them carefully,
subaquatic habitat and doing parabolic looking for something to differentiate
flights. These were actual astronaut them. I wasn’t just studying how they
training facilities, or close representatives. accomplished an end task, but their
Any single one of them would have been attitude towards it.
an incredible experience. We all had our own way of looking at
On the one hand, I was very envious, them. Iya, because she’s a psychologist on paper aren’t always good in a field
but on the other it was so hard to be who has worked on astronaut selection environment under pressure. Chris had
under the microscope. Everything before, was really looking at their the advantage of being a veteran astronaut.
was a test and they felt that. behaviours. I was much more operational He knew what astronauts look like.
in my approach – people who look good These weren’t random eliminations.
What were you looking We watched them evolve
for in the candidates? throughout the process and
We put them through their as the tasks went on, we took
paces in these tasks to try and what we already knew about
work out who was and wasn’t them into consideration.
suited to being an astronaut. There was always some
It’s difficult actually. With different aspect of their
astronaut selection, there’s no capability that was revealed
single character type or set each time. By the end
of skills that makes you an I think we were making
astronaut. It’s a cross section some informed decisions.
of the normal population, Every single one of them
albeit a high-performing one. The contestants all the way through looked
You’re looking for the things used the actual like they might have been
Soyuz training capable of applying to be
that anyone will ask for in an
facility that real
astronaut: good at working in astronauts use
a real astronaut. Anyone
a team, good at working under could have succeeded. >

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 78 ASTRONAUT TRAINING SEPTEMBER

The tests The candidates were faced with challenges

on land, in the air and even underwater

CENTRIFUGE PARABOLIC FLIGHTS

Spinning at high speeds, long-arm centrifuges can mimic the forces an To mimic the effects of microgravity, astronauts train on specially
astronaut experiences during take off and re-entry. Such high G-forces outfitted planes which repeatedly fly up and down at an angle of
can pull blood away from the brain, or push down on an astronaut’s 45º. At the top of the curve, they experience around 20 seconds
chest making it difficult to breathe. Through sessions in the centrifuge, of weightlessness. As well as making passengers feel sick (earning
the trainees can learn how to tense muscles to maintain blood pressure the plane the nickname The Vomit Comet), candidates get a taster
in the head and learn breathing techniques to fight against these forces. of using equipment specially adapted for use in space.

AQUARIUS UNDERWATER HABITAT THE DUNKER

Located 6km off the coast of Florida, Aquarius is a subaquatic habitat An underwater escape training unit, the Dunker is a mock cockpit that
20m below the surface, where trainee astronauts live for weeks at a can be repeatedly dropped into a swimming pool so that pilots can
time. During their stay, the ‘aquanauts’ experience what it’s like to live practise exiting the aircraft in the event of a crash. The tests are often
in an isolated environment where they rely completely on life support done in the dark or with key routes blocked so trainees have to learn
systems. It also helps develop good expedition behaviour, the art of to keep calm to make their escape. Often the unit is flipped to odd
keeping morale up and working as a team, which is vital on the ISS. angles to assess how trainees deal with emergencies while disorientated.
GCTC, ESA/A.GERST, NASA, MICHAEL BUDDLE/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO, ILLUSTRATIONS BY PAUL WOOTTON

Can you train like an astronaut?

$VWURQDXWV GR VSHFL F H[HUFLVHV WR WUDLQ WKHLU ERGLHV IRU VSDFH ZKLFK \RX FDQ IROORZ DW KRPH

BACK CORE BALANCE AGILITY STRENGTH

Lie face up on the Alternate between Stand on one leg Assume a press-up Holding a kettlebell in
ground, lift your legs a front plank and a and throw a ball position and lift one knee both hands, squat down
and arms then return lateral plank with arm back and forth with to your elbow. Return and and swing the weight
to the start position. raise, holding each a partner. Repeat three then repeat with the other from between your legs to
Repeat five times, for 30 seconds. times for 30 seconds knee. Continue for 30 chest height for one minute.
slow and controlled. Repeat three times. on each leg. seconds, repeat three times. Repeat three times. S

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 80
SKILLS

SKILLS
80 The Guide
82 How to
84 Image Processing
87 Scope Doctor
Brush up on your astronomy prowess with our team of experts

The Guide
Getting to grips with altaz mounts
With
3DXO 0RQH\

What altaz mounts are, how they work and why ‘simple’ doesn’t always mean ‘bad’

A
ltaz mounts can be regarded as
the oldest form of mounting < The typical elements of an altaz
mount; the one you see here is the
for a telescope. They have two Celestron NexStar Evolution 8
axes of rotation, one level with Optics
the horizon and the other moves in
elevation (altitude). ‘Alt’ derives from
altitude and ‘Az’ from azimuth, the latter
being the position measured from
north, usually through east along the
horizon. Last month we looked at
equatorial mounts, which are technically Single-arm fork
altaz mounts tilted so that one axis is
aligned with Earth’s polar axis.
Unlike equatorial mounts, altaz systems
don’t track the stars, but they are quick
and easy to set up. Unpowered versions Counterweights
require no alignment whatsoever. The Ports
simplest forms are push-pull variants
and Dobsonians (we’ll cover this second
variant in detail next month), where you
either manually move the scope and point
it at your target or have simple slow- Go-To hand controller
motion controls to move the mount.

Growing sophistication Tripod

With the advent of computerised,
motorised ‘Go-To’ systems, altaz mounts
have become more sophisticated. Some
now support Go-To, and can track targets
in the night sky once an alignment
process has been completed. Initially
this technology was limited to high-
WWW.THESECRETSTUDIO.NET X 3, TRACK THE STARS

end, high-cost systems, but no longer.

Single- and dual-arm altaz mounts are
now widely available, for example the
Meade ETX, Celestron NexStar and
Sky-Watcher SkyMax series. iOptron
has also launched an unusual take on
the design with the iOptron AZ Pro,
where the mount has been designed as
a cube. Such systems have helped bring
Go-To technology to a wider audience

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 SKILLS THE GUIDE SEPTEMBER 81

ALTAZ MOUNT VARIANTS

Single arms are the ‘standard’ but, as with EQ mounts, there are others

386+ 38// '8$/ $50 )25. 776 3$17+(5

The simplest altaz design, push-pulls have no For larger aperture telescopes, turn to a The TTS 160 Panther altaz mount from
drives on either axis. You manually move the dual-fork mount. By supporting the optical Track The Stars is a portable system
telescope on a simple tripod. These make tube between the two arms the weight is that has all the same features and
great, simple to operate and relatively cheap spread evenly between them for greater connectivity as other altaz Go-To systems,
systems for beginners. Birdwatching spotter stability. Many dual-arms support equatorial and with the addition of an optional
scopes on a tripod can also be used for visual wedges, meaning they can be used ‘telescope rotator’ it can also be used
astronomy in the same way. for deep-sky astrophotography. for deep-sky astrophotography.

and to beginners who don’t mind the of Solar System targets, a Go-To altaz setup adjustable tripod. There will be a
extra cost involved compared with basic could be an ideal choice. mounting bracket for either a Losmandy-
mounts and telescopes. All is not lost, however, if you do want or Vixen-style mounting bar, and
Unlike equatorial mounts, altaz to try out deep-sky astrophotography often ports for connecting a Go-To
mounts don’t follow the sky smoothly in with an altaz mount as two things can hand controller and an external power
an arc as they aren’t lined up with Earth’s help. First, camera technology. Many modern supply. Some will have extra ports for
polar axis. This leads to ‘field rotation’ DSLRs and CCDs can capture good detail other accessories. Most mounts also
in altaz systems, which poses a problem in short exposures, take a lot of them and have a battery compartment for
for anyone interested in deep-sky then stack them. Stacking software such as cable-free operation.
astrophotography. Field rotation occurs the free DeepSkyStacker can deal with the Computerisation has revolutionised
because the altaz view remains lined up in rotation you will see in the images. Second altaz mounts: some can now be controlled
relation to the horizon, whereas your is an accessory called an equatorial wedge, wirelessly, using an app on a tablet or
celestial target moves with the sky, so which some manufacturers produce for smartphone. Whether you want a
when you stack multiple images they won’t their altaz systems. This add-on effectively straightforward push-pull system, one
align. For visual purposes, this doesn’t turns the mount into an equatorial one, with Go-To, or one with dual arms, there
matter, you just keep on adjusting the making long-exposure imaging possible. is an altaz option out there for you. S
mount to keep your target in view. If your Single-arm mounts can usually hold
primary interest is simply viewing the telescopes up to 8 inches in aperture Paul Money is BBC Sky at Night
night sky, or perhaps taking short videos and are typically supplied with an Magazine’s reviews editor

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 82
SKILLS

How to…
YOUR BONUS CONTENT
Download templates for this project
in this month’s Bonus Content

With
Build a rolling dolly
Mark
Parrish Wheel your setup in and out of storage without delay

Our setup atop the allowing you to take the dolly apart for
completed dolly; the easy storage or transport. Furthermore,
tripod plates should the design allows for re-sizing should you
be as close to the ever decide to upgrade your tripod.
wheels as possible Downloadable plans are available
in the Bonus Content. They show
dimensions for our example dolly, and
these measurements should suit most
small to medium tripods. We have
indicated the positions we drilled holes
in the bracing plates, but we’d recommend
lining up your beams and tripod support
plates with your own tripod to determine
the best position for these holes before

TOOLS AND
MATERIALS

TOOLS
Handsaw or jigsaw, hacksaw, drill
and bits (for 12mm and 8mm bolts),
spanners, screwdriver.
ost medium-sized mounts position. If the weather turns against

M and telescopes are too heavy

and unwieldy to move once
they’ve been assembled,
which means setting up and packing away
each night can become a slog. There’s the
you, you can be back in the warm in
next to no time, secure in the knowledge
that nothing is left behind.
The timber for the dolly’s axles can be
readily obtained from a builder’s merchant.
MATERIALS
Approximately 3m of 45x45mm
construction timber, 1,200x600mm
sheet of 9mm plywood, length of
suitable timber or rope for the handle.
numerous journeys back and forth to the We chose ‘prepared’ (planed) 45x45mm
SUNDRIES
garden, for one. Refitting mount heads and timber because it is nice to handle and can
Four 150mm-diameter wheels with
weights takes up time when you could be be painted to match your other equipment. rubber tyres, 1m of M12 studding
out observing, and rebalancing a telescope The plywood parts provide bracing: we (diameter to suit wheels) with nuts
can be fiddly work in the dark. It is also all made ours from 9mm thick sheet, but you and washers, six M8x75 bolts,
ALL PICTURES: MARK PARRISH

too easy to misplace leads and small parts. could use a slightly different thickness if 75mm butt hinge, epoxy resin
This month’s project, an inexpensive you already have some available. The dolly glue, 25mm woodscrews.
rolling dolly, provides a workaround. frame needs to be rigid, but as most of the
Leave your fully assembled setup on top scope’s weight is supported close to the FINISH
of it and whenever the skies are clear wheels it doesn’t need to be too heavy. Preservative wood stain or paint.
you can simply roll the whole unit into Individual parts are bolted together,

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 SKILLS HOW TO SEPTEMBER 83

STEP BY STEP

The steering mechanism and the rigid

handle; for a soft handle, use some rope

drilling. Ideally the wheels and jacking

points should be as close to the tripod
feet as possible. For wheels, we chose
150mm plastic ones with rubber tyres. STEP 1 STEP 2
These run well on M12 studding axles After carefully marking out the parts, use Drill the holes in plywood parts first,
a saw to cut them to size. You can tape then line them up with the axles. Place
and they seem to cope with regular
multiple plywood parts together and cut your tripod on top to check size. Mark
gravel drives and garden lawns. Because in one go so they match each other. If through the holes to find out where to
the speeds involved are low and distances you have access to a band saw or jigsaw drill into the axles. Do this, then assemble
relatively short, pneumatic tyres and you could save some time here. the timber and plywood parts.
proper bearings are not necessary
unless you are scaling up the design
for a heavyweight mount or you have
particularly bumpy ground to cover.

Finessing the design

If your tripod legs have slightly pointed
feet, a simple hole drilled in the leg
support plate will help locate them. If you
have a tubular design you could make
L-shaped corner blocks and screw them
into each plate to prevent your tripod
from sliding off. Tying your tripod down
with straps or bungees is also a good idea, STEP 3 STEP 4
in case you bump against something or Make the steering ‘box’. It’s held together Cut lengths of studding for the axles using a
have to stop suddenly. The last thing you with 25mm woodscrews inserted through hacksaw. Allow enough for a nut and
want is for your setup to pitch forward the plywood plates into the axle and front washer either side of the wheel, plus about
and crash to the ground. blocks. A piece of studding provides a pivot. 50mm to be glued inside the wood. File the
Use Nylock nuts and washers and make ends of the studding so they aren’t sharp
On the front of the dolly is a rigid
sure it turns smoothly but is not wobbly. and the nuts fit on nicely.
towing handle. It attaches to the front
of the steering mechanism via a hinge,
so it can be folded back against the tripod
when not in use. You could also use a
loop of rope or webbing as a simpler
alternative. When you have your dolly
in position, screw down the jacks to
stop it moving accidentally. Once you
are polar aligned, you could also mark
the jack positions on the ground to aid
repositioning on future nights.
We also found that the bracing plate
below the tripod is ideal for holding
accessory cases and a power tank, but
you could consider customising this STEP 5 STEP 6
area to provide specially made racks Check the wheels spin without wobbling. Once the tripod foot plates and jack blocks
Use epoxy resin to glue each axle in, are screwed into position, drill through both
and boxes for your accessories and
taking care not to get any glue on the for the studding. An enlarged hole on the
imaging equipment. S moving parts. If the wheel needs to be underside gives you room to glue in a captive
removed later on you should be able nut (normal type). Use a Nylock nut (or a
Mark Parrish is a consummate craftsman. to simply undo the outer nut. wooden disc) to make the upper turning knob.
See more of his work at buttondesign.co.uk

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 84
SKILLS
Image With
Daniel Lynch

PROCESSING Revealing coronal detail in solar eclipse images

Elevate your eclipse photos and see the full majesty of the Sun’s plasma aura

Editing each frame before stacking can make a huge difference to detail; on the left is an untouched still, right the same frame after minor editing

T
he total solar eclipse of included. It’s amazing what results you can the shadow slider to +10 to enhance it.
21 August 2017 will probably get with even modest equipment. Save the file by clicking Done and repeat
be the most photographed in We shot in RAW mode to achieve the for all the photos you will be stacking.
history. If you want to make best image quality. The telescope wasn’t Already you should see a big improvement
your images of the eclipse stand out, motor-driven, which adds to the challenge in each of your individual photos. Now we
you’ll have to go the extra mile. One of stacking the images, but we’ll also show are ready to stack the images to bring out
way to do that is to stack your images you how to align your photos in Photoshop even more detail.
to enhance detail in the Sun’s corona. to overcome this problem. Open Adobe Bridge and select each of
The corona is made up of the bright the prepared images by holding down Ctrl
inner corona and the dimmer outer corona. Process individually first and left-clicking each image. Click Tools >
While our eyes are excellent at handling Choose several photos of totality that have Photoshop > Load Files into Photoshop
the difference in brightness, cameras are different camera settings. Preferably, you Layers to open them in Photoshop. They
not. This difference in brightness is called want images of the inner and outer corona. will be visible on the right-hand side as
dynamic range. Here we outline a method It is a good idea to process each photo separate layers. In the layers tab on the
ALL PICTURES: DANIEL LYNCH

to achieve high dynamic range (sometimes individually before stacking them. Our right-hand side, highlight each layer by
abbreviated to HDR) for your eclipse recipe for preparing each image starts with holding down the control button and
photos using three photos taken in Libya in opening them in Adobe Bridge. Right click single-clicking them. Make them smart
2006. They were captured using a Canon on your first image and select Open in objects by clicking Layer > Smart Objects
EOS 20D DSLR attached to a Bresser Camera Raw. Set the clarity slider to +75 > Convert to Smart Object – doing so
70mm refractor that cost only £50, tripod to show the finer detail of the corona and preserves the original photos and allows us

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 SKILLS IMAGE PROCESSING SEPTEMBER 85

Photos taken with untracked mounts will Setting the layer blend mode to Difference The solar discs aligned, but the blending
not line up properly – but this can be fixed will help when you align the solar discs mode is still Difference; that needs changing

to edit the images without reducing their that the layer you are moving is the only image you were looking for. S
quality. We are now ready to stack. Click layer highlighted. Once every layer is
Layer > Smart Objects > Stack Mode > aligned, select each one (hold Ctrl and left DANIEL LYNCH is a veteran eclipse
Objects > Mean. We have now stacked the click) and change the Blending Mode back chaser whose images have appeared
images and taken the average of the to Normal. Finally, you have the eclipse in The Wall Street Journal and Time
exposures to give the best result.
If your photos were captured with a
setup that included a driven mount, they
should be perfectly aligned. You’re done!
If your setup did not track with the motion
of the sky, then you will have a clear
problem. The stacked images won’t line
up over each other.

Aligning the layers

Thankfully there is a way to fix this
alignment issue. It can be a little tricky to
follow, but it’s easier than lugging a
tracking mount halfway across the world.
In Photoshop’s layers channel, highlight
each layer by holding down Ctrl and
left-clicking it. Above the highlighted
layers, in the Blending mode drop-down
menu (which is Normal by default),
select Difference. This will guide you
in lining up your images.
In the layers channel, turn off the
visibility of every layer except for the top
one. You can toggle visibility of any layer
on and off by pressing the eye icon beside
it. Highlight the second layer from the top
only (hold Ctrl and left click) and then
make it visible. The difference between the
pictures should now be apparent.
Use the move tool (find it in the toolbar
on the left) to drag this second layer over
the top one so as to leave no difference.
You can also do this by holding down Ctrl
and using the arrow keys.
Repeat the process for every layer. Make
sure that only the top layer and the layer The final image, achieved by simply reverting the blend mode to Normal. Detail in
you are moving are visible. Also make sure the corona is much greater and more subtle here compared to a single frame

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 SKILLS SCOPE DOCTOR SEPTEMBER 87

Scope
Simply lying back in
With a camping chair will
Steve alleviate some strain
Richards

DOCTOR
Our equipment specialist cures your I have a pair of binoculars, but struggle
optical ailments and technical maladies to keep them steady. What’s the best
way to stabilise them?
JO COCHRANE
A good dry garage is an
excellent place to store Binoculars are a really great way of enjoying the
a telescope; but also night sky as a wide range of fascinating celestial
consider boxing it up objects can be observed through them. However,
after a relatively short period of observing, your
neck muscles may well start to ache and soon after
that, your arm muscles will start to complain at the
weight. It is at this point that the view will start to
waver as you fail to hold the binoculars steady.
A low cost, low tech solution is to simply
lie back on a sun lounger. However, there are
technical solutions ranging from simple altaz
mounts on a basic tripod through to substantial
parallelogram mounts such as the Orion
Paragon-Plus. You can even make or buy a
simple cradle with a front silvered mirror that
will allow you to look down at the reflection
of the night sky in a very comfortable seated
I am planning to store my Meade LX90 in position. Have a look at the ScopeTeknix
Binoflex ST50 mirror binocular mounting.
an airtight and waterproof box in a brick
garage. What else should I consider?
CHARLES MCCAUL

Telescope storage is a common box will offer some good protection

STEVE’S TOP TIP
FDWLRQ
problem for astronomers as the from this. The advantage of a +RZ GR , FDOFXODWH WKH PDJQL
unwieldiness of our instruments cool environment is that the of my eyepiece?
t magnification
is not always compatible with family temperature stabilisation, which It can often be useful to know wha
whe n obse rvin g the night sky,
life or smaller dwellings! is so important at the start of an you are using
if you are follo wing som eone else’s
The main requirements for safe observing or imaging session to especially
ct.
storage are that the storage area is avoid tube currents, will be achieved guide to observing a particular obje
nific ation is affe cted by two para meters,
secure, dust-free, dry, free from quicker – thus extending your Mag
and the focal
extreme temperature changes but time at the eyepiece. the focal length of the telescope
teles cope foca l length
ideally cool, and easily accessible. Storing your telescope in a well- length of the eyepiece. The
on a plaq ue atta ched
Outbuildings make useful storage sealed box, as you intend, will protect can usually be found
s have their
areas and a brick-built garage it from dust and direct water ingress, to the telescope and most eyepiece
scre en prin ted on the barrel.
like yours is a good starting point, but there is still the potential for focal length silk
mag nific ation of your teles cope/
although the roof construction moisture from the air to gain access. To find the
e the
eyepiece combination, simply divid
PETE LAWRENCE, STEPHEN TONKIN

and position with regard to the Because of this it would also be focal
teles cope foca l leng th by the eyep iece
Sun are important considerations. worthwhile placing some silica gel
Temperature stability is a bonus inside the box as a precaution. length in the same units.
because temperature changes and Always ensure that the telescope
high humidity levels result in is free from condensation before
condensation, which should be returning it to its box by leaving it Steve Richards is a keen astro imager
avoided at all costs. Your sealed in a dry area for a few hours first. and an astronomy equipment expert

Email your queries to [email protected]

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 Ar��u�
s��i��s b��k Severe stroke survivor makes model recovery

When stroke attacked Arthur speechless, and unable to grip a

Pickering, aged just 58, he tennis ball, to building a devilishly
thought he would spend the detailed 4’ 6” monster model of
rest of his life in a care home. the world’s biggest ferry.
And no wonder. Then he sailed away with �rst
prize at the Blackpool Model
Stroke is the UK’s leading cause
Boat Show.
of severe adult disability, as well
as our third biggest killer. Helping people like Arthur is the
work of the Stroke Association -
But then, Arthur struck back.
and the very best way you
With the help and care of the can help us strike back against
Stroke Association, he went stroke is to leave us a gift
from being semi-paralysed, in your Will.

To �nd out how you can help us strike back against stroke by leaving us a gift in your Will, please
call 020 7566 1505 email [email protected] or visit stroke.org.uk/legacy

Registered office: Stroke Association House, 240 City Road, London EC1V 2PR. Registered as a Charity in England and Wales (No 211015) and in Scotland (SC037789). Also registered in Northern Ireland (XT33805), Isle of Man (No 945)
and Jersey (NPO 369). Stroke Association is a Company Limited by Guarantee in England and Wales (No 61274)
 REVIEWS SEPTEMBER 89

HOW WE RATE

Reviews
Each category is given a mark out
RI YH VWDUV DFFRUGLQJ WR KRZ ZHOO
it performs. The ratings are:

+++++ Outstanding
+++++ Very good
+++++ Good
Bringing you the best in equipment and accessories +++++ Average
each month, as reviewed by our team of astro experts +++++ Poor/Avoid

90
Is colour fringing consigned
to the past with the AIRY
APO 65F’s FPL-53 triplet lens?

SEE INTERACTIVE 360° MODELS OF

ALL OUR FIRST LIGHT REVIEWS AT
WWW.SKYATNIGHTMAGAZINE.COM

This month’s reviews

FIRST LIGHT BOOKS GEAR

WWW.THESECRETSTUDIO.NET X 4

90 PrimaLuceLab
Airy APO 65F
apochromatic refractor
94 iOptron
SkyGuider
Pro tracking mount
98 QHYCCD
QHY367C
CMOS colour camera
102 We rate four
of the latest
astronomy titles
104 Including
these Vixen
HR planetary eyepieces

Find out more about how we review equipment at www.skyatnightmagazine.com/scoring-categories

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 90

FIRST LIGHT See an interactive 360° model of this scope at

www.skyatnightmagazine.com/airyapo65f

PrimaLuceLab Airy APO 65F

apochromatic refractor
A three-element FPL-53 scope that takes aberration avoidance seriously
WORDS: PETE LAWRENCE

any regard refractors SKY SAYS… The Airy APO 65F possesses a
VITAL STATS
• Price £793
• Optics FPL-53 triplet
objective with
integrated FPL-53
M as the perfect design
of telescope, giving
high-contrast views
thanks to the lack of the central
obstruction found in mirror-based
Biased towards
ZLGH HOG ORZ
SRZHU YLHZV
this is a scope
permanent flattener made from
FPL-53 glass, fitted internally.
Testing during the summer gave
us a good choice of star clouds and
large, expansive nebulae to pick
field-flattener instruments. On the downside, large best suited to from. To a large format imaging
• Aperture 65mm refractors are expensive and can be stunning deep- sensor objects such as the North
(2.5 inches) unwieldy. PrimaLuceLab’s Airy APO sky vistas America Nebula in Cygnus,
• Focal length 420mm 65F is small enough at 2.5 inches to be NGC 7000, provide a tough test
(f/6.5) both affordable and manageable. subject, with a field of view covered with stars
• Focuser Hybrid drive One negative effect of using a lens is right across the frame. Using our Canon EOS
focuser (Crayford- chromatic aberration, where the main lens 6D DSLR, the Airy APO 65F delivered some
style plus lockable
is unable to bring all visible wavelengths to a excellent results: stars at the centre of the frame
rack and pinion) with
common focus, resulting in colour fringing. appeared pin sharp, with only the slightest hint
60mm movement
The Airy APO 65F uses a three-element of distortion creeping in towards the extreme
• Extras Tube rings,
1.25-inch OnAxisLock FPL-53 glass objective to address this issue. corners. Our large sensor test produced only
adaptor A fully colour-corrected telescope is termed slight vignetting in the corners of the image.
WWW.THESECRETSTUDIO.NET X 6

• Weight Tube 2.3kg, apochomatic, APO for short. The 420mm focal
tube rings 0.5kg length makes this a relatively fast (f/6.5) Easy grip, easy grasp
• Supplier 365 instrument. Coupled to a Canon EOS 6D full- The scope uses what’s called an OnAxisLock
Astronomy frame DSLR, we produced images covering a mechanism to hold equipment into the focuser
• www.365astronomy. 2.1x1.7° rectangle of sky, an ideal size for extended drawtube. This is an alternative to the traditional
com
objects such as star clouds, open clusters, nebulae, thumbscrew locking found on most focusers and
• Tel 020 3384 5187
and galaxies like M31 and M33. works by having a large, easy-grip locking ring
Fast instruments can suffer from coma, which that causes an internal collar to tighten around
leads to distorted stars towards the edge of frame the barrel of whatever has been inserted when
and is normally addressed by attaching your tightened. A 1.25-inch OnAxisLock adaptor, using
own field-flattener between scope and camera. the same principal, is supplied to complement the >

OBJECTIVE TRIPLET LENS

Refractors make superb deep-sky optical properties of fluorite, a material
imaging instruments because of their that is easily damaged, expensive
contrast performance. To get the best and not particularly environmentally
results the optics need to bring all friendly. Stronger, cheaper and greener
colours of light to focus at the same alternatives are now popular. The
point. The triplet objective lens at FPL-53 name indicates that the glass is
the heart of the Airy APO 65F is made from a fluorite-lead compound
designed to do just that. Using three (F = fluorite, P = lead) with a low
FPL-53 glass elements, all colours refractive index (L) and is the 53rd
are brought to a single focus leading member of the material’s development
to a clean image that is free from family. In use, we didn’t encounter any
unwanted colour fringing. colour fringing even around bright
FPL-53 is an optical material that extended objects, and found the optical
attempts to replicate the exemplary qualities of the scope to be excellent.

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 FIRST LIGHT SEPTEMBER 91

HYBRID PLUS TUBE RINGS

DRIVE The substantial and beautifully machined PLUS (Prima Luce
FOCUSER Universal System) support rings clamp the scope for mounting.
Three pre-threaded M8 female screw-holes and two head-
The hybrid drive focuser recessed non-threaded holes are provided on the top and bottom
combines the qualities of of each ring. This gives excellent flexibility for both mounting the
a Crayford-style focuser scope on a dovetail as well as attaching extra kit on top.
with that of a lockable
rack and pinion. This
produces a fast, smooth
focusing action that won’t
slip with a heavy camera
attached at high angle.
A 1:11 fine-focus knob
ensures you achieve the
accurate focus with ease.

INTEGRATED
),(/' )/$77(1(5
Short focal length, wide-field
instruments are great for
covering large sky areas,
but are prone to
distortions noticeable
at the edge and
corners of the
imaging field.
This can be a big
problem if you’re
ONAXISLOCK using a camera
The Airy APO 65F has a serious camera connector in the shape with a large sensor.
of the OnAxisLock system. The telescope offers a 2-inch fitting The Airy APO 65F
as standard and a 1.25-inch adaptor is supplied. A locking contains an internal
ring ensures the barrel of attached equipment is held securely field-flattener made
and exactly on the central optical axis of the scope. from FPL-53 glass.

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 92 FIRST LIGHT SEPTEMBER

FIRST LIGHT
> built-in 2-inch version. The mechanism’s design
means that anything locked in place will be
perfectly on-axis with the main telescope.
The grip-ring is chunky and usable even when
wearing gloves, but we found that the system tends
to rotate the inserted equipment during tightening.
The focuser itself allows full 360° movement, so
this isn’t too much of an issue. We also found that
barrels with recessed sections needed special care,
because the reduced diameter of the recessed ring
didn’t always grip properly with the 1.25-inch adaptor.

Cancelling creep
A dual-speed hybrid drive focuser merges Crayford-
style friction focusing with the direct action of a Excellent stars were visible
rack and pinion focuser, and gave us one of the best across this image of
focuser experiences we’ve ever had. The movement NGC 7000, shot with a full-
was smooth, responsive and direct, with the 1:11 frame unmodified DSLR
fine focus knob producing no backlash. The focuser
design eliminates the creep that sometimes occurs This is a great grab-and-go scope with some nicely
when using a heavy camera at a steep angle, which thought out features. It is supplied with a set of Prima SKY SAYS…
can cause the focuser to extend. We couldn’t budge Luce Universal System (PLUS) tube rings for mounting, Now add these:
it even when reasonable manual force was applied. but you’ll also need a dovetail. Its short focal length
1. Canon EOS
Using our own diagonal and eyepieces, the isn’t particularly demanding in respect of its mount,
Airy APO 65F delivered high-contrast views free unless you intend to use it for seriously long exposures. 700Da astro-
from any colour fringing. The bright gibbous Biased towards wide-field, low-power views, this is a PRGL HG FRROHG
Moon, viewed at 84x magnification, appeared scope best suited to stunning deep-sky vistas. S DSLR camera
beautifully detailed. We could make out the
2. PrimaLuceLab
6km-diameter crater Hadley C quite convincingly, VERDICT
but the nearby Hadley Rille escaped us. At low (DJOH &RUH '6/5
BUILD AND DESIGN +++++
magnification, we were delighted to see the Moon FRQWURO XQLW
EASE OF USE +++++
and stars visible in the field of view. With a 20mm 3. 2SWRORQJ
eyepiece giving a magnification of 21x, it was FEATURES +++++
wonderful to sweep along the Milky Way’s rich IMAGING QUALITY +++++ L-Pro Max
star fields. The stars really do look vibrant with OPTICS +++++ OXPLQRVLW\ OWHU
the scope’s superb contrast. OVERALL +++++

OPTICAL TUBE
This scope is built like a tank. The 2.3kg,
350mm-long tube is made from aluminium,
and feels incredibly solid and well-
constructed. There’s an extending dew
shield and the inside of the tube has been
flocked to help increase contrast.
WWW.THESECRETSTUDIO.NET, PETE LAWRENCE

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 NEW Flagship Cameras

TRIUS SX-56 Introducing a new and exciting range of large

format CCD cameras from Starlight Xpress.
Utilising the new KAF16200 16M pixel APS format
CCD and the renowned large KAF16803 16M pixel
CCD sensor. The new TRIUS SX-46 and TRIUS
SX-56 bring large format imaging to your optics.

Rolling-blind Shutter

Designed and manufactured

in-house, this rolling-blind shutter
allows for shorter exposure times
DQGVLJQLÀFDQWO\VKRUWHUÁDWÀHOG
exposures.

TRIUS SX-46

Key features:
• Full-resolution
(16M) download in
6.5 seconds Built-in 3 port USB hub
• 3 stage cooling
(-50C delta)
• Sapphire AR coat-
ed window
• Built-in RBI-Flash
• Light-weight
(1.7Kg)
• Low read noise
• $UJRQÀOOHG&&'
chamber
• Low power

For further information, please take a look at

www.sxccd.com
 94

FIRST LIGHT See an interactive 360° model of this mount at

www.skyatnightmagazine.com/skyguipro

iOptron SkyGuider Pro

tracking mount
A revised variant of a popular camera mount with plenty of surprises
WORDS: PAUL MONEY

C
amera tracking mounts have exploded EOS 300D DSLR with a 16mm wide-angle lens, and
VITAL STATS in popularity over the past few years, taking test exposures of the Milky Way in Cygnus
a trend iOptron has been at the and Lyra lasting for five, 10 and 20 minutes. The
• Price £449 forefront of. This variant is a fresh light summer sky meant we had to stop the last
• Latitude adjustment look at the original SkyGuider, which we exposure down to f/11, but the stars were pinpoint
–30º to 65°
reviewed in our July 2014 issue. and not trailed on close examination. Swapping to
• Tracking rates
Sidereal, half-sidereal, The SkyGuider Pro is supplied in a soft padded a 70-300mm lens set to 70mm and f/5.6, we took a
lunar and solar, for case, along with a dec. camera mounting block, five-minute exposure of the Cygnus region. Again,
both hemispheres a dec. mounting bracket with camera-mounting there was no star trailing.
• Polarscope Illuminated disc, an integrated illuminated polarscope, a 1.35kg If you want to use a heavy lens on your camera,
with 6° field of view counterweight and counterweight shaft, and a you may need to remove the ball head and mounting
• Power Internal Vixen-type dovetail saddle. You’ll also find a micro block, swapping them for the dec. mounting bracket
rechargeable Li-Poly USB charging cable and a clearly written manual in and counterweight to achieve balance. In this
battery, 3.7V,
the box. Power comes from an internal Li-Poly configuration we took one-minute exposures of
2000mAh
3.7V, 2000mAh battery that can be recharged by the star cluster M11 with the same DSLR and a
• Extras Vixen-type
dovetail, dec. using the supplied micro USB cable when the 100-400mm lens set at 400mm. The image
mounting block & mount is connected to a computer, smartphone was likewise free of star trails. >
bracket, 1.35kg charger or portable battery pack. In the course of
counterweight plus our review we used the SkyGuider Pro for
shaft, mini USB cable,
soft case
around 12 hours; iOptron states that a
single charge can provide up to 20 COMPACT,
• Weight 1.45kg without
counterweight and shaft
hours of use in ideal conditions.
PORTABLE
• Supplier Altair Astro
• www.altairastro.com
A slew of choices
Assembly was quick and
AND VERSATILE
• Tel 01263 731505
straightforward, though you do We were impressed with how sturdy the camera
have several options depending on mount is given its weight: just 1kg without the
SKY SAYS… the sort of imaging you have in mind. altaz base and 1.45kg with it attached.
On its own, the camera mount
The SkyGuider The mount’s adjustable altaz base is detachable
fits into the palm of your
Pro’s adjustable – a new feature of this variant of the mount – so hand, and along with its
you could simply remove the base, attach the mount accessories fits into a
altaz base is
directly to a standard tripod and use the tripod’s convenient padded
detachable – a own pan/tilt mechanism for polar alignment case. You only need to
new feature of adjustment. In this configuration, the mount can add your camera gear
and tripod to create an
this variant of also be used for slow-motion terrestrial panoramic
ideal travelling system that
the mount photography. That being said, we did find that could be taken anywhere in
making the sorts of adjustments to polar alignment the world. Offering the ability
you need for astronomical purposes became much to capture both wide star fields,
easier by adding the altaz base to the tripod. To and closer views of nebulae
and other large deep-sky
WWW.THESECRETSTUDIO.NET X 8

aid with this there is a free smartphone app called

iOptron Polar Scope available for iOS and Android. targets, there are plenty of
targets to keep this system busy
In this configuration, you must polar align first for hours of imaging at a time.
before adding the camera mounting block, as it Throw in the excellent tracking for
covers the view through the polarscope. visual use and it also has use
We tested this second setup by attaching the for solar eclipse chasing.
mount, ball head and our own modified Canon

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 FIRST LIGHT SEPTEMBER 95

POLARSCOPE
The in-built illuminated polarscope is perfect for getting good alignment.
Its adjustable illuminated reticule can be used for both northern and
southern hemispheres, ideal if you want to take the mount on holiday.

ADAPTABLE
HEADS
The SkyGuider Pro
comes with adaptors
for simple wide-field
imaging (top left),
cameras with heavier
lenses (bottom left)
and even small scopes
via the Vixen-style
adaptor (right). You
can also add a second
mounting disc to
the base of the dec.
mounting bracket for
dual imaging.

ALTAZ BASE
The altaz base is sturdily constructed and is easy to adjust
with its fine latitude adjustment control, even while aligning
to Polaris using the polarscope. There are two azimuth
adjustments and a bubble level to help level to unit.

SWITCHES AND GUIDE PORT

The rubber switches include forward/backwards slewing,
while the centre button allows you to select the operating
mode. These are solar, lunar, sidereal and half-sidereal,
as well as northern/southern hemisphere tracking.
Below these are the ST-4 and camera control ports, the
USB port for recharging the battery and an HBX port
for connecting a hand controller.

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 96 FIRST LIGHT SEPTEMBER

FIRST LIGHT

A wide-field view of the Milky Way, a single 20-minute exposure A stack of eight one-minute exposures of star cluster M11,
at ISO 400 and f/11, taken with a modified Canon EOS 300D DSLR captured with the same camera at ISO 400 and f/5.6

SKY SAYS…
> The camera mount has BRACKET AND
a port for attaching a
Now add these: Go2Nova 8408 hand
COUNTERWEIGHT
1. Sturdy controller, but this was The SkyGuider Pro’s counterweight
not available at the time shaft, counterweight and dec. mounting
photo tripod bracket are now removable, instead
of the review. There is
2. iOptron of being integrated. The mounting
also an ST-4 autoguiding
bracket allows you to balance a heavy
SkyTracker port, though you should camera with a large lens – or mount a
ball head bear in mind that it can lightweight telescope – and does not
only guide in RA as there obstruct the polarscope view.
3. iOptron is no dec. motor.
Go2Nova 8408 However, for our tests we
hand controller were very pleased with
the general tracking
without either, as it works so well.
If you were to purchase a second
camera mounting disc, you could attach it to the
base of the dec. mounting bracket and add another
camera – perhaps for meteor shower photography.
That way you can cover double the area of sky and
track too. It’s also worth noting that this mount has
uses beyond astrophotography: using the dovetail
saddle, we attached a solar telescope to catch a
glimpse of the Sun and later a 3-inch refractor
to show one of our neighbours a wide-field view
of Jupiter and its moons. It is a great piece of kit
and highly recommended. S
WWW.THESECRETSTUDIO.NET, PAUL MONEY X 2

VERDICT
ASSEMBLY +++++
BUILD AND DESIGN +++++
EASE OF USE +++++
FEATURES +++++
TRACKING ACCURACY +++++
OVERALL +++++

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
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This 81mm astronomy Tourism Silver Award. Drew Buckley’s image below features Pentre Ifan.
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Luton, LU4 8EF
 98

FIRST LIGHT See an interactive 360° model of this camera at

www.skyatnightmagazine.com/qhy367c

QHYCCD QHY367C
CMOS colour camera
A well-cooled one-shot camera with excellent sensitivity
WORDS: PETER JENKINS

Q
HY’s latest one-shot- SKY SAYS… and as long as 60 minutes. It is capable
VITAL STATS colour camera, the of recording 3.2 frames per second at
A versatile one-
QHY367C, is a high- full resolution. Reduce the resolution
• Price £4,199 resolution CMOS device shot-colour by selecting a ‘region of interest’ and
• Sensor Sony capable of Solar System camera that you can increase the frame rate up to
IMX094 CMOS
imaging but primarily intended for pushes the 83 frames per second.
• Pixels 7,376x4938
(4.88µm square) deep-sky astrophotography. boundaries of
• Resolution The camera uses Sony’s IMX094, GH QLWLRQ DQG Optional streaming
36.4 megapixels one of the highest-resolution full frame There is no physical manual in
sensitivity
• Exposure range (36x24mm) colour sensors available, the box, nor any software; both
60 microseconds to create an instrument that QHY dubs are available as downloads from
to 60 minutes a ‘COLDMOS’. The sensor is cooled by a QHY’s website. QHY provides both EZCap
• Read Noise 2.4e at two-stage TEC (Peltier cooling system), which and SharpCap for camera control and image
unity gain
provides cooling of up to 35º below the ambient capture, as well as the necessary drivers.
• Dimensions 90mm
temperature. This results in low noise and a huge 14 ASCOM drivers are available if you want to
diameter, 110mm long
stops of dynamic range. Both the sensor glass and connect the camera to other capture software,
• Power 12V power
adaptor 3.5A the glass for the optical window have such as MaxIm DL or Sequence Generator Pro.
• Weight 788g anti-dew heating, which works exceptionally well SharpCap can be used to enable a live video
• Extras USB 3.0 cable, and is particularly useful when humidity is high. feed from the camera for capture or even for
power cable, 2-inch The resulting RAW file size of an individual live broadcast. The live broadcast feature
nosepiece, angle exposure is almost 71MB, which means the may be useful for members of astronomy
WWW.THESECRETSTUDIO.NET X 6

adjustment ring camera’s USB 3.0 connection is a welcome one societies who want to share the views through
• Supplier Modern (a USB 3.0 cable is included), providing extremely their scope either live or as a webcast.
Astronomy
short download times; in our case, quicker than The camera is supplied with an M54 to 2-inch
• www.
modernastronomy.com
two seconds for each full frame capture. The adaptor and an angle adjustment ring. Other adaptors
• Tel 020 8763 9953 128MB DDRII image buffer acts as a cache to insure will be available, including one to fit Canon or
against frame loss, especially useful when shooting Nikon lenses for wide field views. A 2-inch infrared-
videos for planetary imaging. Of course, this all cut filter is recommended for planetary work; it
means you need a powerful computer to process was not available to us at the time of the review,
such large files, and one with a USB 3.0 port. but can be supplied as an optional extra.
The QHY367C uses a rolling shutter design, The QHY367C is simple to use. Attach it to a
allowing exposures as short as 60 microseconds 2-inch drawtube, then connect a 12V power >

SONY IMX094 CMOS CHIP

The full frame Sony IMX094 chip diagonal (43mm). You need to ensure
has an impressive resolution of 36.4 that the image circle provided by your
megapixels. It measures 36x24mm, telescope provides adequate coverage,
providing a 7,376x4,938 pixel array particularly if you are using a flattener/
where each pixel is 4.88x4.88µm. reducer, otherwise vignetting may occur.
Extremely low noise can be achieved Many telescopes are available that
when the sensor is cooled by the provide a large enough image circle
two-stage TEC (Peltier cooling system). so check when buying this camera
Image captures can be ‘binned’ at that your intended scope and field
2x2 to further increase sensitivity. flattener/reducer (if you use one)
One thing to bear in mind is its large provide a large enough light cone.

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 FIRST LIGHT SEPTEMBER 99

PELTIER COOLING $17, */$5( &2$7,1*6

The two-stage Peltier cooling There are anti-reflection coatings on both sides of the optical
system can reduce the operating window over the sensor, and this helps prevent star haloes. Note
temperature to 35º below the that the window does not have an infrared-cut coating, so a
ambient temperature, providing separate 2-inch screw-in filter is recommended for Solar System
a huge reduction in noise. The imaging. It is not required for deep-sky imaging.
ambient temperature at time of
testing was 14°C and a steady
temperature of –15°C was easily
achieved after five minutes.

THREADED
POWER SUPPLY
The threaded connector
and provided cables
prevent accidental power
disconnections, which
can especially occur with
unthreaded connectors when
slewing. Disconnections can
be problematic as the cooling
system shuts down and needs
to be re-enabled. A 12V
power supply is not included.

USB 3.0
CONNECTION
The large file size and high
frame rates that can be
generated by this camera
require a high-speed
connection to download
images as fast as possible.
This is particularly true
when capturing video for
lunar or planetary imaging
and for the ‘live broadcast’
capabilities of the camera.
A USB 3.0 cable is provided.

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 100 FIRST LIGHT SEPTEMBER

FIRST LIGHT
> supply and the USB 3.0
SKY SAYS… cable. These are the only
Now add these: two ports on the camera
– there is no guide port,
1. Astronomik so an external guide
2-inch infrared- system is required for
EORFN OWHU longer exposures.
After fixing it to our
2. QHYOAG-M own 4.5-inch reflector,
off-axis guider we selected M13 in
3. QHY5L-II Hercules as our first
target and quickly
monochrome
found that our regular
camera kit flattener/reducer
produced serious
vignetting. It did not provide a
large enough image circle to cover
TELESCOPE CONNECTION & ADJUSTMENT RING
such a large chip. Once removed, the remaining The M54 to 2-inch screw-threaded adaptor/nosepiece allows the camera to be
vignetting was easily dealt with by calibrating easily inserted into a 2-inch focuser. There is an M48 thread on the nosepiece
with flat frames. Without the reducer, the scope so you can attach a filter. The angle adjustment ring allows you to get the sensor
was working at f/7, so we were surprised that a precisely square to the image plane.
two-minute exposure seemed to be longer than
required. Cutting the exposure time to one minute M13 stacked from 24 one-minute
exposures and then cropped to
we took 24 images of M13. Our cropped frame of
10 per cent of the sensor area
the final stacked image – showing only 10 per cent
of the original frame area – showed superb detail,
including the propeller feature.
Encouraged by this, we moved to the Iris Nebula
in Cepheus and captured 30 two-minute exposures.
Although somewhat noisy (more frames would be
needed to clean this up) the result was surprising in
that it even revealed some of the dust surrounding
the nebula. QHY has, with the 367C, produced an
outstanding and versatile one-shot-colour camera
that pushes the boundaries of definition and
sensitivity for deep space astrophotography. S

VERDICT
BUILD AND DESIGN +++++
EASE OF USE +++++
The Iris Nebula, comprised
FEATURES +++++
of 20 two-minute exposures
IMAGING QUALITY +++++
OPTICS +++++
OVERALL +++++
WWW.THESECRETSTUDIO.NET, PETER JENKINS X 3

The difference cooling makes can be seen in the noise

of dark frames taken with cooling system off (left, ambient
temperature) and on (right, 30º below ambient)

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
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 102

Books
RATINGS
HHHHH Outstanding
HHHHH Good
HHHHH Average
HHHHH Poor
New astronomy and space titles reviewed HHHHH Avoid

The Planet TWO MINUTES WITH

Elizabeth Tasker
Factory
Exoplanets and What can the study
of other planetary
the search for systems tell us about
a second Earth our Solar System?
One example is planet
Elizabeth Tasker migration, where a
Bloomsbury Sigma young planet changes its orbit to be
£16.99 z HB closer or farther from the star. This was
known about since the 1980s, but our
Solar System showed little evidence of it
There’s an old Indian fable called ‘The
Blind Man and the Elephant’, in which six happening. It was assumed that migration
blind men examine an elephant. One finds similar to Earth, and the possibility of was not important in shaping a planetary
the smooth membrane of the elephant’s the existence of other life forms. Tasker system. This changed with the discovery
ear, the other a carved tusk. Another clearly knows her field very well, sharing of exoplanets, which commonly show
grasps the tail. Each is correct and yet stories of the countless discoveries of strong evidence of major rearrangements.
none has properly described the elephant. exoplanets in the past 20 years, starting The question then became “Why didn’t
The same can be said of the current state in 1995 with 51 Pegasi b. our planets move more?”, with an answer
of play in astronomy and the rapidly Detailing all the ingredients necessary that may lie in Jupiter and Saturn
growing field of exoplanet research: with for stable planetary systems, how they anchoring one another.
more than 4,600 exoplanets are formed, their structures
detected (and counting) and features, The Planet What are some of the strangest
since 2002, are we any Factory is packed with exoplanets we have discovered so far?
closer to seeing the interesting insights The first discovered were some of the
Universe for what it and scientific content strangest. Huge hot Jupiters should not
truly is, or are we that capably captures be able to form so close to their star, so
blindly making the current state of how did they get there? Or the planets
conclusions based on exoplanet research. around the dead corpses of stars known
a series of observations? However, it does as pulsars: did they form when the
That is the premise of feel repetitive at pulsar was a regular star, or are they
this book, which times and there is the grizzly rebirth of a star that the
attempts to summarise almost an overload of pulsar ripped into pieces?
this vast field of research. detail. We leave with
Starting with the early many new observations Which is your favourite?
Universe and the building We’re detecting more and that collectively support It might be 55 Cancri e. It is about twice
blocks that were necessary more exoplanets, but the the argument that the size of Earth, with an orbit lasting just
for planet formation, big picture eludes us planetary systems exist 18 hours. It could be a highly volcanic
Elizabeth Tasker chronicles the around pretty much every star, but the lava world covered in molten magma,
exoplanetary detection methods of the bigger question of our place in the Universe or with an ocean consisting of a strange
past, and new techniques currently applied and how it all weaves together remains state of water that is neither liquid nor
for more rapid and accurate detection, the unsolved. In this relatively new field of gas. It could even have a mantle of
success of the Kepler space telescope in astronomy, we are still blind to that one. diamond and seas of tar.
advancing the discovery of exoplanets in the HHHHH
‘Goldilocks zone’ (not too far and not too ELIZABETH TASKER is an astrophysicist
near from the star) that could potentially NIAMH SHAW is an engineer and and an associate professor at the
ISTOCK

support life with water and atmospheres space science communicator Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 BOOK REVIEWS SEPTEMBER 103

Vacation Guide substantial or interesting moons, and

always with a focus on what to see and do The Earth
to the Solar BOOK in these amazing, alien environments.
We first get briefed on what to pack, Gazers
System OF THE what to expect in different gravities
MONTH – including artificial – choosing a Christopher Potter
Olivia Koski and Jana Grcevich spacesuit and how to not die as you Head of Zeus
Square Peg are exposed to radiation that could cook £25 z HB
£12.99 z PB a steak in nanoseconds. Then the fun
starts. After a visit to the Moon, we The Earth Gazers
Would you like to reach sunwards to find Mercury, before tells the story of the
ski on Pluto? Tour the heading outwards, stopping at every Space Race from a
blistering surface of planet along the way until we reach more personal
Venus in a giant Pluto and beyond. perspective, rather
submarine on wheels? Each chapter is broken down into than a solely
What about plunging sections detailing how to get there, technical one. It
into the subsurface, when to go, what to do, getting around, considers the long-
briny ocean of and so on – like a regular travel guide, lasting effect on those who saw Earth
Europa? Look no with an emphasis on scientific accuracy. from such a detached vantage point,
further than this lavishly illustrated But what really brings this book alive both in person and from the many
tome and you’ll find out how to do all are the stunning illustrations, all done iconic images returned home.
of this – and more. in an art-deco style, like the travel The book opens with Charles
Vacation Guide to the Solar System reads posters of yesteryear. My only quibble is Lindbergh and his historic
like an actual travel guide. However, the the persistent and frustrating use of
transatlantic flight, and takes us
destinations are far more exotic than Fahrenheit. But still, superb.
through the development of rocket
anything on this overpopulated and HHHHH flight, both in the US and the
polluted Earth. This is a study of the Solar
USSR, up until the final manned
System at its most majestic; a blow-by-blow MARK GARLICK is an illustrator, author
lunar landing. From rocket pioneer
account of all of the major planets, selected and computer animator whose work
Robert Goddard in the US to the
dwarf planets, and some of the more graces our Exoplanet Excursions column
advancements made by Germany
during World War II – and how
that went on to influence both
The Spirit and the Sky sides of the Iron Curtain – it’s a
very human story.
Lakota Visions of the Cosmos Despite this refreshing take on the
Mark Hollabaugh material, the book is sadly spoiled by
counts”. The people measured winters
University of Nebraska Press numerous factual errors. The author
instead of years, and every winter each
£41 z HB states that by the end of the 14-day
tribe would draw an image that best
Our perspective of the represented that year. Celestial phenomena Gemini VII flight, the crew “had been
night sky is shaped by were clearly of importance to them, as the in space more than twice the length
our culture and our winter counts show the 1833 Leonid of any of the future Apollo missions”,
knowledge of science. meteor storm, as well as solar and lunar which lasted up to 13 days. He
Science has unveiled the eclipses from that century. These have the wrongly describes Gemini as having
secrets of meteor showers, added importance of helping to synchronise a launch escape system similar to
eclipses and aurorae, the winter counts with our own calendar. that found on Mercury and Apollo,
but to some cultures It does seem apparent that celestial rather than the ejector seats that
throughout history these spectacles objects played a part in the Lakota were actually used. Apollo 15,
often had a spiritual meaning. spiritual beliefs – for instance they had rather than Apollo 17, is said to
In The Spirit and the Sky, Mark their own names for the stars and be the mission that spent the longest
Hollabaugh investigates how the Native constellations – but some of the time on the lunar surface, and so
American Lakota people might have connections made in the book do seem the errors continue.
interpreted the night sky in the 19th quite vague. It is also obviously quite It’s a great shame that these
century. Understanding how they viewed a niche subject, which can make it errors weren’t spotted as the book is
astronomy is surprisingly difficult. The difficult to appreciate, although it may otherwise well written and takes a
Lakota had no written language at the still intrigue those with an interest in different, more personal viewpoint
time, and much of what is known comes the history of astronomy. than many others on the subject.
from the often biased accounts produced HHHHH +++++
by the American settlers. Despite this,
Hollabaugh brings together all of what is AMANDA DOYLE is a freelance science MARK BOWYER is an expert in the
known about Lakota astronomy. Of writer and a postdoctoral researcher at US manned space programme
particular interest are the Lakota “winter the University of Warwick

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
104 GEAR SEPTEMBER

Gear
Elizabeth Pearson rounds up the latest astronomical accessories

1 1 Astroart 6.0 4
Price À135 • Supplier Astroart
+39 339 273 9548 • www.msb-astroart.com
A complete software package that lets you
both control your telescope during an imaging
session and process the shots afterwards.

2 PrimaLuceLab
2-inch OnAxisLock
Price £70.20 • Supplier 365 Astronomy
020 3384 5187 • www.365astronomy.com
Avoid flexure and keep your 2-inch
accessories centred in the focuser with
this accessory. It uses a special double
ring to maintain even pressure.
5
3 Vixen HR Planetary
Eyepieces
Price À289 • Supplier Astrogarten
https://astrogarten-shop.de
These 1.25-inch, 42º field of view eyepieces
2 are designed for observing fine detail on the
surface of the planets or the Moon. Available
in focal lengths of 1.6mm, 2mm and 2.4mm.

4 Lunar Sketch Prints

Price From £32 • Supplier Will
Gater Astrophotography •
www.willgaterastrophotography.com
Based on pastel pencil sketches made at
the eyepiece, these fine art prints are
Giclée printed on 300gsm paper.

5 Observer’s Notebook,
Astronomy Edition
Price £13.95 • Supplier Bureau Direct
020 8834 4700 • www.bureaudirect.co.uk
6
3 Keep track of all your observations in this
notebook. The writing pages are based on
classic lab books, with an additional eight
full-colour pages of astro info.

6 Minty Geek
Astronomer’s Torch
Price £12.60 • Supplier Rapid Education
01206 838008 • www.rapidonline.com
Why buy a red-light torch when you can build
one! This kit has all the elements needed to
create an LED torch. Requires a soldering iron.

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 GALLOWAY ASTRONOMY CENTRE      
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High Reflectivity
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To learn more about the night sky or for help using a telescope our astronomy Find out more on
courses are for you. our website: Optics >
As a Skywatcher and Celestron dealer we offer free help and advice on buying a Mirror Recoating
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At the centre we also provide B&B style accommodation and evening meals.
Our Stargazer Gift Voucher is a great gift at any time.
tech enquiries: [email protected]
Prices from only £26 pppn. Children and pets welcome.
To book contact Mike Alexander: Craiglemine Cottage, Glasserton, Wigtownshire, Telephone 01782 614200
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FIND THE TELESCOPE SERVICE LINK ON ALL PAGES
 106 EXPERT INTERVIEW SEPTEMBER

WHAT I REALLY WANT TO KNOW IS…

Where does antimatter come from?
Dr Roland Crocker has been on a quest to discover what
produces anitmatter particles called positrons in our Galaxy
INTERVIEWED BY PAUL SUTHERLAND

I
t has been known since the 1930s that the best map of the distribution of gamma rays
antimatter exists alongside ordinary across the Galaxy.
matter in the Universe. It was first About 10 years ago, astronomers
discovered in cosmic rays from realised that positrons were being
deep space – but where does it come created at low energies, supporting
from? I’ve been trying to find out. the idea that they come from the
For every elementary radioactive decay of unstable
particle, there’s an antimatter isotopes. One isotope, nickel-56,
particle with an opposite is produced copiously in
quantum state. So for the Type Ia supernovae, where
electron, which has a a white dwarf star becomes
negative charge, there’s too massive and destroys
an antimatter particle, itself. But that explanation
called a positron, with a doesn’t solve our problem.
positive charge. Positrons Those supernovae don’t
are the dominant occur in stars as old as
component of antimatter those in the Galaxy’s bulge.
in our Galaxy. We use We also ruled out the
them medically in PET supermassive black hole at
scanning – positron the heart of the Galaxy and
emission tomography. dark matter as possible causes.
When an antimatter particle My team looked for a
encounters its ordinary-matter weaker type of supernova that
partner, they annihilate each other. can occur in older stellar populations
However, ordinary matter greatly approaching the age of the bulge. Our
outweighs antimatter in the Universe, by many calculations showed that a good candidate
orders of magnitude. We also can’t detect positrons would be a binary system with two fairly low-mass
in the Galaxy directly; we infer their existence from An unusual type of ‘dim’ stars that are exchanging material. Each star isn’t
the gamma-ray signal emitted when they collide supernova seen in old that massive – more massive than the Sun but less
stellar populations may
with electrons in the interstellar medium. explain the origin of
than two times its mass. Because they’re fairly
most of the antimatter low-mass stars, they have long lifetimes. You end up
Something strange is going on detected in our Galaxy with two white dwarfs. One will be a helium white
The first instruments capable of detecting gamma dwarf, because it’s not massive enough to undergo
rays were attached to high-altitude balloons in the helium burning in its core, and the other is a
early 1970s and later launched on satellites. Even carbon-oxygen white dwarf.
those early experiments indicated that the centre Eventually, the helium white dwarf gets so close
of the Galaxy was quite bright in gamma rays to its more massive companion that it’s disrupted
produced by annihilating electrons and positrons. by its tidal field. The two stars merge into a single
Over subsequent decades, the quality of object with carbon and oxygen at its centre and
ABOUT ROLAND
instrumentation improved. It became clear CROCKER
an unstable shell of helium, ready to explode. It
that the central bulge of the Galaxy is producing Dr Roland Crocker produces an unusual type of supernova, a much
a lot of positrons. This seemed odd because the studies high-energy fainter subclass of a Type Ia supernova. The
bulge is made up of ancient stars that are about astrophysics, cosmic rays explosion produces another type of radioisotope,
10 billion years old. You wouldn’t expect much and galactic astronomy called titanium-44, which is also a positron source.
to be happening there. In all other wavelengths, at the Australian This looks to be the answer because the process
National University’s
the bulge is quite dim, but in gamma rays it’s can explain about 90 per cent of the antimatter
College of Physical and
MARK GARLICK

about as bright as the rest of the Galaxy. We’ve Mathematical Sciences, in the Galaxy. It neatly explains both where the
been investigating using data gathered by ESA’s in Canberra. positrons are being created and the number that
Integral space telescope, which has produced are being created too. S

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 SEPTEMBER THE SKY GUIDE

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planet is always an attractive sight. the oldest constellations. From Down
Ecliptic
This month sees close conjunctions with Under it is below bright Fomalhaut (Alpha
both Venus and Jupiter. On the 18th (_) Piscis Austrini) in the northern evening
10th
radiant Venus is only 2° from the 27-day- sky in September. Its mythology shows a
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old Moon in the dawn sky. Look low in the human figure pouring water from a jar. Its
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(around 05:00 EST). The Jovian meeting under suburban skies, its two ‘stand outs’

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lower right of Jupiter, close to the western These Arabic names are associated with
horizon one hour after sunset. luck when wishing for good rainfall.

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high in the northwest for Saturn. It is soon low in the eastern dawn. Mars rises slowly

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at month’s end. Neptune and Uranus are September is only 3° from Venus.

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In Aquila, close to its border with you’ll find the globular cluster NGC 6760
Serpens, is open cluster NGC 6755 (RA 19h 11.2m, dec. +1° 02’; pictured).
CHART: PETE LAWRENCE, IMAGE: MICHAEL BREITE / STEFAN HEUTZ/ WOLFGANG RIES/CCDGUIDE.COM

(RA 19h 07.8m, dec. +4° 16’). It has an This is a challenge: being quite small
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CLUSTER VARIABLE STAR QUASAR MAG. +3
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NEBULA COMET TRACK PLANET & FAINTER

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
 NORTH
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