Society for Popular Astronomy

Hello Cliff, hope you are well. Nice to see a solar image. Have you just acquired the video camera? Bob

Cliff, thanks for posting this interesting sketch. The Sun certainly seems to be stirring the spotty pot now. Kind Regards to you, Bob

Exciting activity here that you've captured Cliff, I look forward to your sketches. Bob

Great to see a sketch Cliff, I am still not observing but hope to resume in autumn. In the meantime I look forward to seeing your work. Best wishes Bob

Nice memories and photos here. I took some not-very-good pics of of the 2004 transit while I was in France using a lash up projection screen on a small telescope, while very much under the influence of pastis. I'll see if I can find one. Bob

Rainbows are eternally fascinating and significant. They have played a part in the development of cultural (and scientific) ideas throughout time.

Hi Jeff, thanks for your comments. The template is just a 50mm circle on a stencilled field notebook sheet. The first task in drawing is to sketch in the elliptical shape of the terminator. The numbers on the sketches refer to the baa Venus intensity scale (0= extremely bright, eg white spots, 1= br...

Here's a series of Venus drawings from the evening elongation of 2001, done in reasonable conditions with my old 4 inch refractor, Bob

Yeah, who says there's no such spectrum colour as indigo! Bob

Beautiful shot Mike, came across a couple of drawings of a Mercury-Venus conjunction in 10x50s in my notes the other day. I'll see if I can post it. You might also have a sketch of it, hopefully. Regards, Bob

Hello and thanks. Its pencil and chalk. The colours are emphasised because its impossible to render them accurately - so delicate really. I didnt see Encke's division, but the outer part of Ring A was white, while inwards it was a bluish tone, and that faint contrast might give a false impression of...

Digging back through my observing log, here's a sketch of Saturn done on New Years Day 2002 with my old 4 inch achromatic. The Crepe Ring is much exaggerated and seen only in glimpses with averted vision. Bob

Thanks for posting your sketch Mike, it shows me what I’m missing at the moment. My wife mentioned the conjunction a couple of nights back but clouds, domestic upheaval due to kitchen refurb and grandkids sleepover have stopped all viewing. Bob