The Peak Star Party

Yesterday afternoon, I spent a lovely three hour's at Shallow Grange, (the venue for this years PSP).
A committee, has been formed with the event organiser as chairman.

The camp site is excellent with everything you need to make the PSP a success. All the camping field's offer very good unobstructed views, with particularly good views towards the south, where Orion will be rising at that time of the year.

The site owners, are bending over backwards to make this event a success. The owner, although not an amateur astronomer, is very concerned about light pollution, and the effect's it has on the environment. And with this in mind, he has agreed to cover all, naked white light's. This will give us a totally dark environment.

We are also planning to have lecture's and we were shown, a very spacious shed, that we can use for this. We already have two speaker's booked, and it is hopped to find possibly a third.

The event is officially open for booking in on Friday October 21st, with a meet and greet station inside a marque, that will be kindly provided by a local scout group. It is also hopped to have hot water for drinks.

The committee all agreed that we need to be there on site from Wednesday 19th, to get everything ready.

There will be facilities provided, for a small fee (50p) for charging of batteries or mobile phone's and laptops during the week-end.

If people wish, they can stay on after October 24th.

I have agreed to give, new comers to astronomy, tour's of the night sky, and a tour, during day time of the telescope's. I am also planning a co-ordinated meteor watch on Saturday 22nd for the peak of the Orionid meteor shower.

Everything is looking, positive. All that we need now is you're support. 

Please take a look at our web site.

http://www.peakstarparty.co.uk/ 

And please sign UP.

If we can get a full compliment of 40+ the owner has agreed to close the site!

Supernova in Galaxie NGC2655

I have another report for you all , by my guest observer/imager Paul Cannon.

Paul was lucky enough, to image SN 2011B after being alerted by myself, after I received an alert from the BAA.

I how ever have not been so lucky, with work and fighting continue cloud coverage.

NGC 2655 Supernova

 

The images show a Supernova taking place in Galaxy NGC 2655 as it was on the 3rd of February 2011. The first picture is a wide field  image of 300s and the second a composite of

3 x 300s stacked images cropped to emphasise the action. Both were taken taken with a Canon1000D through a Celestron 8" SCT.

The Supernova was first discovered on 7th January 2011 by Koichi Itagaki and  Masaki Tsuboi