Society for Popular Astronomy

It is incredibly sad news. Whilst I only met in person with Paul a handful of times, we conversed via email on many occasions, and I followed his posts on Facebook. He was so kind, intelligent and supportive. When he wrote or spoke it was always a positive contribution to life. I shall miss him. Bes...

We are very sorry to have to announce that Paul Sutherland, who has been an integral part of the society for over 50 years, died from cancer on 20 June 2022. He only became unwell during April, and it turned out that the cancer in his oesophagus had spread to his liver. Paul wanted no fuss, and cont...

Well done, David. I have been very remiss this year so far in keeping tabs at the relevant time. I must try harder.

Best wishes, Jeff.

Cliff, observing in comfort, or even "semi-comfort", is the best way to observe. Usually these types of session are the most successful and rewarding. Observing for fun is also the best way to approach this hobby, in my opinion. If it isn't fun, then what's the point in doing it. So here's...

Wow, that's active! Good to see your sequence of observations, Cliff.

Best wishes, Jeff.

The filter really seems to bring out the mare areas, Mike.

Best wishes, Jeff.

Excellent observation, David.

Best wishes, Jeff.

I’ve just looked on the internet for 1950’s Mt. Wilson images. I see they sell as art now. They do look very nice.

Best wishes, Jeff.

Lovely sketch, Cliff. Thanks for posting the image - always great to see your observations and notes.

Best wishes, Jeff.

Thanks Brian. It's the view through my one remaining telescope - a 66mm William Optics refractor. The focal length is 388mm, and I was using a 12.4mm Plossl eyepiece. The photograph was taken using a hand-held digital SLR (Canon), on auto. Normally I keep the original photos, but I deleted them all ...

The light nights are most definitely with us now. Not far away from the longest day. I ventured out for 30 minutes observing, just after 10pm, and took this picture of the Moon. I noticed a slight yellow tinge to the Moon this evening - very subtle. I’m guessing, from the state of my hayfever, that ...

michael feist wrote: ↑Wed Jun 08, 2022 11:00 am Jeff, Your recent message were you mentioned that the "essay" on Venus in Daylight might be of interest to Robin for inclusion in Popular Astronomy.........Would it be worth contacting Robin about this? Regards mike f.

I've sent you an email regarding this, Mike.

Best wishes, Jeff.

brian livesey wrote: ↑Wed Jun 08, 2022 6:09 pm Regarding getting yourself a new ‘scope Jeff, are you missing the 8-inch Newtonian?

Yes - very much so. Foolish mistake to have sold it, but I would have struggled store it properly where we are now.

Best wishes, Jeff.

Wow - fabulous. It's a great way to present information. That must have taken a lot of effort to plan, design and build. Very informative, and the visual side really paints the picture.

Best wishes, Jeff.

Yes, I’d definitely pass it on to Robin. It’s fairly easy to scan and convert to text. I’ll have a look and see if I can scan and convert it, then you could email it to Robin or the SPA editor (not sure who this is at present).

Best wishes, Jeff.