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 Explaining the Universe
As we launch our new Innovation in Science series, The Royal Mint celebrates the life and legacy of Stephen
Hawking on a commemorative UK 50p coin for the first time. Available as a gold Proof, silver Proof, silver
Proof Piedfort and Brilliant Uncirculated edition, it’s a fitting tribute to one of science’s brightest stars.

• The first time Stephen Hawking • The first coin in an exciting new series
has been celebrated on a UK coin celebrating innovators in science

• Only available as a commemorative • Features a design approved

edition – it won’t appear in your change by the Hawking estate

Prices from £10.00

royalmint.com/Stephen-Hawking 0800 03 22 152

(For FREE UK delivery on orders over £45 please enter (Lines open 9am-6pm Monday-Sunday)
the Promotional Code P1970B on Your Basket page)

Coins shown are not actual size. Full Specifications are available on request. Packaging may change without notice. Prices may change due to fluctuations in raw
material prices. Limited Edition Presentation is the maximum number of coins, presented in this specific style, that will be issued. © The Royal Mint Limited 2019. P1970B
STEPHEN HAWKING is a trade mark of, and is used by The Royal Mint under licence from, the acting executors of the Estate of Professor Stephen Hawking.
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April 2019 BBC Sky at Night Magazine 3

 35
CONTENTS
Features Regulars
C = on the cover
Reviews
86 Daystar Solar Scout SS60-
ds H-alpha scope bundle C
90 Bresser Photo Mount for
28 Astronomy under cover 6 Eye on the sky
astrophotography C
C Can you still look at the night sky 10 Bulletin / Cutting edge
94 Books
in bad weather conditions? We 16 Inside The Sky at Night
explore all the ways of observing
96 Gear
18 Interactive 16-PAGE
COVER MAIN IMAGE: XXXXX, THIS PAGE: PETE LAWRENCE X 2, WILL GATER, NASA/JPL-CALTECH/R.

from the comfort of your home CENTRE

23 What’s on The Sky Guide PULLOUT

35 A buyer’s guide to telescopes 25 Field of view 44 Highlights

HURT, NASA AMES/JPL-CALTECH/T PYLE, WWW.SECRETSTUDIO.NET, NASA/JPL, BBC

C In the first of a three-part series 26 Subscribe to BBC Sky 46 The big three
we’ll help you select the best type at Night Magazine 48 The planets
of telescope for your stargazing
60 Explainer 50 April’s all-sky chart
63 Banish the blur 68 DIY astronomy 52 Moonwatch
C How to transform your imaging 98 What I really want to 53 Comets and asteroids
of the planets with high-frame- know is… 53 Star of the month
rate technology
54 Binocular tour
Astrophotography 55 The sky guide challenge
70 What Kepler did for us C
The incredible legacy of NASA’s
74 Capture 56 Deep-sky tour
planet-hunting scope and how it 76 Processing 58 April at a glance
changed our view of the Universe 78 Gallery

4 BBC Sky at Night Magazine April 2019

New to astronomy?
Extra content
ONLINE
To get started, check out our guides and glossary at
www.skyatnightmagazine.com/astronomy-for-beginners

28 Visit www.skyatnightmagazine.
com/bonuscontent, select April’s
Bonus Content from the list and
enter the authorisation code
XCESX3D when prompted

April highlights

47 90 Interview: Opportunity’s end

The NASA Opportunity rover’s 15-year mission on Mars
is complete. Watch our video interview with Abigail
Fraeman, the deputy project scientist, who discusses
the rover’s investigations into Mars’s history, and
whether the Red Planet could ever have hosted life.

63 70
Watch The Sky at Night: Sample the latest
Cosmology in Crisis? astro audio books
The team look into the Download and listen to
expansion of the Universe, chapters from new titles
and meet the scientists by Neil deGrasse Tyson

This month’s contributors trying to discover how

and why it is happening.
and UK astrobiologist
Dr. Lewis Dartnell.

Pippa Goldschmidt Tim Jardine

Astronomy writer Amateur astronomer
+RWVKRWV JDOOHU\ H[WUD (402' ƅOHV
A quest for exoplanets – and &KRRVLQJ \RXU ƅUVW VFRSH binocular tour, observing forms,
much more. Pippa reviews needn’t be a daunting deep-sky tour chart, desktop
Nicholas Mee’s The Cosmic process. Turn to Tim’s guide
Mystery Tour on page 94 on page 35 for essential tips
wallpapers…and much more

Steve Owens Elizabeth Pearson PLUS: Every month

Dark skies consultant News editor The virtual
As dark skies become more See page 10 for new
planetarium
sought after, Steve advises discoveries about gravity
April’s night-sky highlights
KRZ EHVW WR ƅQG DQG on Mars, and the size
with Paul Abel
protect them. See page 60 of Earth’s atmosphere
and Pete Lawrence

April 2019 BBC Sky at Night Magazine 5

 Reclaim
the NIGHT
Switch off your lights on 30 March for Earth Hour 2019 and
become part of a worldwide movement to celebrate darkness
ANDREW WHYTE, WEST SUSSEX, AUGUST 2014

Ask any astronomer what frustrates them most When the streetlights were switched off at 1am,
about the hobby and light pollution will be high on $QGUHZ FDSWXUHG WKH VFHQH ZLWK DQRWKHU VHFRQG
the list. Whether it’s the skygkow from a nearby exposure. The striking difference is visible in the
FLW\ RU WKH JODUH RI VLQJOH EULJKW XQLW DUWLƅFLDO OLJKW image on the page opposite, where the Milky Way
limits how many stars we see in the night sky. is seen extending down to the rooftops. The three
In these three images all taken at f/2.8 and ISO LPDJHV VKRZ FOHDUO\ WKH HIIHFW WKDW OLPLWLQJ DUWLƅFLDO
2500, astrophotographer Andrew Whyte has used light has on the visibility of the stars.
different exposures to demonstrate the effects 2Q  0DUFK DW  SHRSOH DURXQG WKH ZRUOG
RI OLJKW SROOXWLRQ 7KH ƅUVW SLFWXUH WRS OHIW ZDV ZLOO EH VZLWFKLQJ RII WKHLU OLJKWV IURP SP
H[SRVHG IRU WKH LOOXPLQDWHG VWUHHWOLJKWV Š DQG XQWLO SP IRU (DUWK +RXU DQ DQQXDO FDPSDLJQ More
demonstrates how bright lighting robs the night of demonstrating the impact of light pollution. Visit ONLINE
ANDREW WHYTE

VWDUOLJKW 7KH QH[W WRS ULJKW ZDV H[SRVHG IRU WKH www.earthhour.org to get involved, and for advice A gallery of these
0LON\ :D\ Š ZLWK VWUHHWOLJKWV RQ GHVSLWH VWDUV on how you can help protect darkness in your area and more stunning
being visible, they are drowned out by glare. UHDGWKLVPRQWKŝV([SODLQHURQS space images

6 BBC Sky at Night Magazine April 2019

April 2019 BBC Sky at Night Magazine 7
 U Kuiper Belt close-up
NEW HORIZONS, 1 JANUARY 2019
The New Horizons spacecraft captured
WKLV LPDJH RI 8OWLPD 7KXOH DV LW ƆHZ E\ WKH
Kuiper Belt object at 50,000 km per hour
on New Year’s Day 2019. Ultima Thule is
about 30km in diameter, its odd shape
probably the result of two bodies merging
after a collision. The Kuiper Belt is a ring of
rocky, icy relics on the edge of the Solar
System, and studying it may reveal clues
OPTICAL ASTRONOMY OBSERVATORY, ESO, ESO/A MCLEOD ET AL, ESA/HUBBLE & NASA/S. LARSEN ET AL

about the formation and evolution of the

ASA/JOHNS HOPKINS APPLIED PHYSICS LABORATORY/SOUTHWEST RESEARCH INSTITUTE/NATIONAL

planets orbiting the Sun.

Testing the optics Z

SPECULOOS, 25 FEBRUARY 2019
SPECULOOS is the latest addition to ESO’s
Paranal Observatory in the Chilean Atacama
Desert. The observatory’s four 1m telescopes
will search for exoplanets orbiting stars so
follow-up investigations can be made with
more powerful telescopes. SPECULOOS
has been observing familiar objects to test
its capabilities. Here its Ganymede telescope
imaged spiral galaxy NGC 6902, located
120 million lightyears from Earth.

8 BBC Sky at Night Magazine April 2019

Y Nebula in a nearby galaxy
VERY LARGE TELESCOPE, 6 FEBRUARY 2019
Newborn stars glow brightly in colourful nebula LHA 120-N 180B. The
region is a stellar nursery that hosts energetic bursts of star formation.
It’s located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of the
Milky Way 160,000 lightyears distant, making it a cosmic neighbour.

V Separated at birth?
HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE, 25 FEBRUARY 2019
Because stars in globular clusters formed around the same time in the
early Universe, they should all be roughly the same. But studies of NGC
2419 reveal two populations of red giant stars with different chemical
compositions. Unlocking the mystery of whether this globular cluster
was formed by other means may reveal clues about the early Universe.

April 2019 BBC Sky at Night Magazine 9

 BULLETIN
The latest astronomy and space news, written by Elizabeth Pearson

SWAN
instrument
line of sight
Geocorona

Earth’s atmosphere Comment

ENVELOPS by Chris Lintott

Old data can tell us

THE MOON
new stories. This
Moon result uses data
IURP 62+2ŝV \RXWK
Earth LQ WKH V EXW
WKH PRVW IDPRXV
Its outer layer of observations of the
hydrogen reaches geocorona go back
further than that.
much further than As part of the
Earth’s orbit originally thought $SROOR  PLVVLRQ
around the Sun astronauts John
Young and Charlie
Duke deployed the
ƅUVW WHOHVFRSH RQ
the lunar surface in
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SOHO
but was equipped
By using data collected by ZLWK D FDPHUD WKDW
the SOHO observatory's was sensitive to the
SWAN instrument, scientists
VDPH XOWUDYLROHW
have traced the extent of
the Earth’s hydrogen cloud Direction to the Sun wavelenghts that
SOHO would look
at. The astronauts
Earth’s atmosphere is far bigger than we realised, XOWUDYLROHW UDGLDWLRQ IURP LW DUH PLQLPDO EXW LW FRXOG had to point the
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H[WHQGLQJ RXW EH\RQG WKH 0RRQ 7KH FORXG RI VWLOO LQWHUIHUH ZLWK VSDFHEDVHG REVHUYDWRULHV telescope by hand
hydrogen that surrounds our planet, known as the “Space telescopes observing the sky in ultraviolet – not easy in a
JHRFRURQD UHDFKHV RXW WR NP Ś DOPRVW WZLFH ZDYHOHQJWKV WR VWXG\ WKH FKHPLFDO FRPSRVLWLRQ spacesuit. Once the
WKH GLVWDQFH WR WKH 0RRQ Ś DFFRUGLQJ WR D QHZ of stars and galaxies would need to take this into ƅOP ZDV SURFHVVHG
DQDO\VLV RI PHDVXUHPHQWV WDNHQ RYHU  \HDUV DJR DFFRXQWŠ VD\V -HDQ/RXS %HUWDX[ IURP WKH )UHQFK the results included
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E\ WKH 6RODU DQG +HOLRVSKHULF 2EVHUYDWRU\ 62+2 The discovery could also help in the search for a feature we now
EHWZHHQ  DQG  7KH\ ORRNHG DW D VSHFLƅF KDELWDEOH SODQHWV EH\RQG (DUWK ,Q RXU RZQ 6RODU know extended
UNIVERSITY/UNIVERSITY OF AIZU/AIST

ZDYHOHQJWK RI XOWUDYLROHW OLJKW FDOOHG /\PDQDOSKD 6\VWHP ƅQGLQJ K\GURJHQ DURXQG D SODQHW LV DQ to engulf the
OLJKW ZKLFK VLJQLƅHV WKH SUHVHQFH RI K\GURJHQ 7KH VL]H indication that there is water vapour nearer the astronauts as
of the cloud has gone unnoticed due to its low density planet’s surface. they stood on
Ś DW WKH GLVWDQFH RI WKH 0RRQ \RX ZRXOG KDYH WR ORRN “This is especially interesting when looking for the lunar highlands.
DW ƅYH FXELF FHQWLPHWUHV RI VSDFH WR ƅQG MXVW RQH DWRP planets with potential reservoirs of water beyond Chris Lintott
7KH H[WHQGHG DWPRVSKHUH SRVHV QR ULVNV WR IXWXUH RXU 6RODU 6\VWHPŠ VD\V %HUWDX[ co-presents
VSDFHIDUHUVHLWKHUKXPDQRUURERWLF DV OHYHOVRI http://sci.esa.int/soho/ The Sky at Night

10 BBC Sky at Night Magazine April 2019

 NEWS IN
BRIEF

Lost in space: NASA

has given up hope of Hayabusa 2 touches down
contacting the Mars Japanese asteroid
rover Opportunity investigator, Hayabusa 2,
touched down onto Ryugu

Opportunity mission ends

IRU WKH ƅUVW WLPH RQ 
February. The spacecraft
FROOHFWHG D VDPSOH RI WKH
DVWHURLG E\ ƅULQJ D SURMHFWLOH
The rover helped to trace the history of water on the Red Planet
into the surface and retreiving
NASA made LWV ODVW DWWHPSW NASA hoped the rover would ZHUH LQLWLDOO\ PHDQW WR ODVW MXVW the particles kicked up.
WR FRQWDFW YHWHUDQ 0DUV SKRQH KRPH DIWHU WKH VWRUP  GD\V KXQWLQJ RXW VLJQV RI +D\DEXVD  ZLOO DWWHPSW
H[SORUHU 2SSRUWXQLW\ RQ  SDVVHG EXW DIWHU HLJKW PRQWKV SDVW ZDWHU RQ WKH 5HG 3ODQHW another two touchdowns
)HEUXDU\ PDUNLQJ WKH HQG RI DQG RYHU  DWWHPSWV WR ş)URP WKH RXWVHW 2SSRUWXQLW\ before returning to Earth with
WKH URYHUŝV \HDU PLVVLRQ UHHVWDEOLVK FRQWDFW 1$6$ delivered on our search VDPSOHPDWHULDOLQODWH
The agency lost contact HQJLQHHUV KDYH ƅQDOO\ for evidence regarding
ZLWK WKH URYHU RQ  -XQH  DGPLWWHG GHIHDW water,” says Steve Squyres, Chip off the old Neptune
ZKHQ D JOREDO GXVW VWRUP 2SSRUWXQLW\ ODQGHG RQ 0DUV principal investigator of the
One of Neptune’s tiniest
SUHYHQWHG 2SSRUWXQLW\ IURP RQ  -DQXDU\  DORQJ rovers’ science payload at
PRRQV NPZLGH
charging its solar panels. with its twin, Spirit. The pair Cornell University.
+LSSRFDPS ZDV FKLSSHGRII
IHOORZ PRRQ 3URWHXV

Superwinds suggest secondary stars

according to a recent study of
9R\DJHU LPDJHV +LSSRFDPS
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Superwinds from red giants, which appear these red giants and found it was being
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be the effect of a second ş,W RQO\ VHHPHG DV WKRXJK QRWLFHG DQ LPSDFW FUDWHU RQ
star orbiting the giant, they were losing a lot of 3URWHXV ODUJH HQRXJK WR KDYH
according to a new study. PDVV EHFDXVH WKHUHŝV DQ FUHDWHG+LSSRFDPS
0RVW UHG JLDQWV area between the two
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prodigious rate, but so ZLQG LV PXFK PRUH 6SDFH; PDGH LWV ƅUVW WHVW
IDU  KDYH EHHQ IRXQG concentrated due to launch of its Crew Dragon
KXUOLQJ RXW RYHU  the gravity of the capsule, which will one day
WLPHV WKH DPRXQW WKDW second star,” says Leen take astronauts to and
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thought these superwinds /HXYHQ ,QVWLWXWH RI 6WDWLRQ ,66  RQ  0DUFK 
ODVW EHWZHHQ  WR  $VWURQRP\ ş7KHVH UHG ,W VXFFHVVIXOO\ GRFNHG ZLWK
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/DUJH 0LOOLPHWUH RI  (DUWKV SHU \HDU had yet to undertake the
VXEPLOOLPHWUH $UUD\ LQ Þ An artist’s impression of the gas disc EXW UDWKHU  RI WKHP MXVW ULVNLHVW SDUW RI LWV PLVVLRQ
&KLOH WKH WHDP VWXGLHG around a red giant. New research suggests like regular red giants.” ŚDWPRVSKHULFUHHQWU\
the gas disc around one of the gas is been twisted by a second star www.kuleuven.be

April 2019 BBC Sky at Night Magazine 11

 BULLETIN
The latest astronomy and space news, written by Elizabeth Pearson

Coloured wavelengths of light,

representing different temperatures,
UHYHDORXU6XQŝVVRODUƆDUHDFWLYLW\

Most intense stellar flare ever spotted

A giant superflare gives vital clues about the formation of a new star
A stellar ƆDUH  ELOOLRQ WLPHV PRUH young star. It’s thought the star’s youth of space weather. The rush of particles and
powerful than those produced by our Sun PLJKW EH WKH FDXVH RI WKH ƆDUHŝV LQWHQVLW\ UDGLDWLRQ IURP D VRODU ƆDUH DUH H[WUHPHO\
has been spotted erupting from a young The star is still gathering gas from its KDUPIXO WR OLIH DQG ZRXOG FDXVH VLJQLƅFDQW
VWDU LQ WKH 2ULRQ 1HEXOD 7KH ƆDUH RQO\ surroundings as it grows, which is then damage if they reached the surface.
lasted a few hours, but the James Clerk funnelled onto the star by its magnetic 7KDQNIXOO\ (DUWKŝV PDJQHWLF ƅHOG DQG
Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) managed to ƅHOG DPSOLI\LQJ WKH HIIHFW RI WKH HUXSWLRQ DWPRVSKHUH PHDQ SDVVLQJ ƆDUHV DUH NHSW
capture it. ş2EVHUYLQJ ƆDUHV DURXQG WKH \RXQJHVW at bay – though satellites and astronauts
NASA/SDO, KO ARIMATSU, NASA/JPL-CALTECH/MSSS

Flares are created by the interaction stars is new territory and it is giving us key beyond these protections must sometimes
EHWZHHQ D VWDUŝV LQWHQVH PDJQHWLF ƅHOG DQG insights into the physical conditions of WDNH PHDVXUHV DJDLQVW LQFRPLQJ ƆDUHV
plasma – the charged particles which the these systems. Using the JCMT, we study +RZHYHU LI WKH 6XQ UHOHDVHG ƆDUHV DV
star is made up of. Plasma gets trapped the birth of nearby stars as a means of powerful as the star in Orion, those
DORQJ WKH PDJQHWLF ƅHOG OLQHV XQWLO D understanding the history of our very own protections would not be enough to save
GLVUXSWLRQ LQ WKH ƅHOG PDNHV WKHP VQDS DQG Solar System,” says Steve Mairs, a support XV )RUWXQDWHO\ WKHVH ƆDUHV DSSHDU WR
hurl out plasma at nearly the speed of light. astronomer at the JCMT. be simply the growing pains of a young
6RODU ƆDUHV FUHDWHG E\ RXU RZQ 6XQ DUH 6WXG\LQJ ƆDUHV LV DOVR YLWDO IRU star, and so we shouldn’t fear a similar
one of the most powerful events to occur understanding the current Solar System VXSHUƆDUH HUXSWLQJIURPWKH6XQDQ\
within the Solar System, but they are – and particularly us humans within it – as time soon.
dwarfed by those seen coming from this the outbursts are an important component https://www.eaobservatory.org/jcmt/

12 BBC Sky at Night Magazine April 2019

 NEWS IN
BULLETIN
BRIEF
Planetary missing link uncovered
The 1km-sized space rock bridges the gap of planetary evolution
before merging to form
planets. Until this discovery,
astronomers theorised that
there should be many of
these kilometre-sized objects
in the Solar System. Ancient dwarf has a ring
To hunt for them, a team The oldest white dwarf
of astronomers set up two with rings ever seen was
28cm telescopes, monitoring unexpectedly discovered
2,000 stars for the temporary by citizen science project
dimming caused by an object Backyard Worlds: Planet 9,
passing in front. After 60 hours a venture which usually looks
of observation, they discovered for strange objects within our
an object 1.3km in radius. own Solar System. The star’s
“Our team had less than 3-billion-year age calls into
0.3 per cent of the budget of question how these rings
large international projects. form, as most theories
Yet we still managed to make state they should only last
Þ An impression of the space rock discovered in the Kuiper Belt a discovery that is impossible 100 million years or so.
for the big projects,” says Ko
The missing link in planetary 7KH QHZ ƅQG YDOLGDWHV Arimatsu from the National Distant Solar System
evolution has been found theories that the rocky bodies Astronomical Observatory
object found
using off-the-shelf telescopes, of the early Solar System grew in Japan, who led the study.
The most distant object ever
it was announced in February. slowly to kilometre sizes, www.nao.ac.jp
seen within our Solar System
has been found 140 times
further from the Sun than

Mars’s gravity measured by accident Earth. The object, nicknamed

FarFarOut, was uncovered by
astronomer Scott Shepherd
The Curiosity rover has measured Previously, geologists thought that Mount
from Carnegie Institution for
the gravity of Mount Sharp, the Sharp was once buried under
region it is currently exploring, sediment which then eroded Science while he was snowed
IRU DOPRVW ƅYH \HDUV away, but the sediment’s in by February’s polar vortex.
– completely by accident. weight would have pushed
The Curiosity team down on the rock, making First commercial lunar
recently discovered it denser. Curiosity’s lander underway
that the rover’s ƅQGLQJV VXJJHVW WKHUH 7KH ƅUVW 0RRQ ODQGHU IURP
accelerometer was less sediment a non-government agency,
readings can be than predicted early Beresheet, launched towards
used to measure on in the feature’s the Moon on 21 February,
ƆXFWXDWLRQV LQ WKH geological history. and is due to touch down on
planet’s gravity, caused 7KH ƅQG FRPHV VKRUWO\ 11 April. The lander’s creators,
by changes in rock after news Curiosity is on Israeli company SpaceIL,
density under the surface. the mend after a computer were initially competing for
Using data from October fault. The rover entered safe the Google Lunar X Prize, but
2012 to June 2017, the mode during a reset on 15 continued the mission even
team found that the rock Þ A self-portrait of NASA’s Curiosity Mars February, but has booted after the competition ended
beneath Mount Sharp is rover, taken in 2016 on the rugged up 30 times since. https:// in March 2018 with no winner.
less dense than expected. Naukluft Plateau of lower Mount Sharp mars.nasa.gov/msl/

April 2019 BBC Sky at Night Magazine 13

 CUTTING EDGE
Our experts examine the hottest new research

< Kepler-107c has a dense core, indicating that a huge

planetary collision could have stripped its outer layers

away. The planets have orbital periods between 3.2 and

 GD\V ƅWWLQJ LQWR D SDWWHUQ RI RUELWDO UHVRQDQFHV
that indicates these planets originally formed further
from their sun, before migrating inwards and becoming
locked into these resonances. (This is similar to the 4:2:1
orbital resonance exhibited by Jupiter’s large moons Io,
Europa and Ganymede, respectively).
Kepler discovered these planets using the transit
method, but Bonomo and his colleagues wanted to
ƅQG WKH PDVV DQG WKHUHIRUH GHQVLW\ RI WKHVH SODQHWV
So they observed the star with the high-resolution
HARPS-N spectrograph at the Telescopio Nazionale
Galileo in La Palma to measure cyclical shifts in its
radial velocity caused by the gravitational tugs of these
orbiting planets. They found that although the two
inner planets, Kepler-107b and c, have nearly identically
radii (both 1.5–1.6 Earths) the second planet is almost
twice as dense as the innermost. This means, just like

Mercury’s twin found “Huge planetary collisions

are thought to be behind
in exoplanet system the characteristics of several
planets in our Solar System”
Does the formation of Kepler-107c Mercury, that Kepler-107c must have a huge iron core;
mirror that of our innermost planet? making up about 70 per cent of its total mass.

W
One possible explanation for the stripping-away of
e’ve explored in previous the planet’s outer layers, leaving behind the denser iron
‘Cutting Edge’ columns the core, is it having been baked by extreme X-ray and
quirky nature of the Solar ultraviolet radiation early in the star’s lifetime. But, as
System’s innermost planet, Bonomo and his colleagues point out, such a stellar
Mercury. Despite being much LQƆXHQFH ZRXOG KDYH DIIHFWHG WKH ƅUVW SODQHW HYHQ
smaller than Earth, Mercury is more, and Kepler-107b isn’t particularly dense. Thus, he
notably dense. Planetary scientists estimate that its concludes, Kepler-107c’s dense nature must be due to a
heavy iron core must make up around two-thirds of the huge collision. Such an impact would likely destabilise
entire planet; far larger, proportionally, than that of any the current resonance pattern of the four planets’ orbits,
of the other rocky planets. The leading theory for how and so it must have occurred early in the system’s
SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO, ISTOCK

Mercury got so dense is that it originally formed with a Prof Lewis Dartnell HYROXWLRQ EHIRUH WKH SODQHWV KDG ƅQLVKHG PLJUDWLQJ
larger fraction of lighter, silicate mantle, but that much is an astrobiologist Huge planetary collisions are thought to be behind
of this was blasted off by a colossal planetary collision. at the University of the characteristics of several planets in our Solar
So far, there has been no clear evidence of such Westminster and System – Mercury’s dense composition, the origin of
world-altering collisions in extrasolar planetary systems. author of Origins: Earth’s Moon, and the high orbital obliquity of Uranus
That is until now. Aldo Bonomo, at the INAF How the Earth Made – and now it seems that they may also be a common
Astrophysical Observatory of Turin, Italy, and his Us (geni.us/origins) feature of planetary systems across the Galaxy.
colleagues were studying an exoplanetary system
discovered in 2014 by the Kepler Space Telescope. The Lewis Dartnell was reading… A giant impact as the likely origin of different
Kepler-107 system is made up of four known planets, twins in the Kepler-107 exoplanet system by Aldo S Bonomo. Read it online
orbiting around their Sun-like star about 1,700 lightyears at arxiv.org/abs/1902.01316

14 BBC Sky at Night Magazine April 2019

 CUTTING EDGE

Fluffy asteroid or OLJKW Ś LV VLJQLƅFDQW ,Q /RHEŝV FDVH KH DUJXHV IRU D YHU\

EURDG ƆDW VWUXFWXUH Ś WKH NLQG RI VRODU VDLO DOLHQV LQ
VFLHQFH ƅFWLRQ XVH WR JHW DURXQG ,Q 0RUR0DUW­QŝV

alien spacecraft?
paper, the effect of radiation pressure is made more
important by adding a fractal structure.
Fractals – objects with structure on all scales – exist
everywhere. An classic example is an island like Great
Prof Chris Lintott Britain – measure its length with smaller and smaller
What ‘Oumuamua’s unexpected is an astrophysicist rulers and you get bigger and bigger answers! In the
change of direction tells us and co-presenter context of an object like ‘Oumuamua, instead of a solid
of The Sky at Night
about our interstellar visitor surface you would have a highly porous surface. We

T
on BBC TV. He is know interplanetary dust particles are fractal; if they
also director of the
KH YLVLW RI Ŝ2XPXDPXD WKH ƅUVW REMHFW assemble gently it’s not too much of a stretch to
Zooniverse project
ever observed passing through the Solar imagine the whole body might be similarly structured.
System on an interstellar trajectory, is How does this help? If ‘Oumuamua does have this
still causing excitement nearly 18 ŜƆXII\ŝ VWUXFWXUH LW ZRXOG EH VSHFWDFXODUO\ OLJKWHU WKDQ
months after discovery. Much of the fuss we might otherwise assume for a body of this size, and
is because ‘Oumuamua didn’t behave so the radiation pressure from the Sun would have a
OLNH LW LV VROHO\ XQGHU WKH LQƆXHQFH RI JUDYLW\ DQ HIIHFW bigger impact, exactly as observed. A simple tweak to
which has led Avi Loeb, a Harvard professor, to suggest ‘Oumuamua’s structure solves the problem, though it
that it might be an alien spacecraft. leaves open the
Avi may be disappointed by this month’s paper, from “What’s needed is an question of how such
Amaya Moro-Martín at Baltimore’s Space Telescope a fractal body, unlike
Science Institute, who sets out to explain the observed explanation that doesn’t require the comets in our
behaviour. It’s actually not that unusual for small bodies
to behave like this – as icy comets swing past the Sun,
this first interstellar wanderer own Solar System
visited by spacecraft,
the effect of our star’s heat is to cause outgassing, to be anything odd” might form.
creating the spectacular tails we see.
Such activity acts rather like a small
An artist’s impression of ‘Oumuamua.
jet engine, pushing the comet and
Its gravity defying movements could be
altering its orbit. explained by a highly porous structure
The trouble is that ‘Oumuamua
showed no sign of cometary activity,
despite an intensive search for the
carbon dioxide that appears in
comet jets with the Spitzer space
telescope, and there was certainly
not enough to account for the
observed changes in its orbit. One
option is that ‘Oumuamua, being an
unusual object, may have produced
jets of different material, invisible in
these Spitzer observations. It
wouldn’t have to be anything too
weird, water would do, but it would
make ‘Oumuamua unusual. What’s
needed is an explanation that
GRHVQŝW UHTXLUH WKLV ƅUVW LQWHUVWHOODU
wanderer to be anything too odd.
That’s what Moro-Martín thinks she’s got. The
solution is actually the same as that provided by Avi Chris Lintott was reading… Could 1I/’Oumuamua be an icy fractal aggregate
Loeb and his collaborators, in which all that’s happening ejected from a protoplanetary disk? A fluffy radiation-pressure-driven scenario
is that the radiation pressure – the push from the Sun’s by Amaya Moro-Martín. Read it online at arxiv.org/abs/1902.04100

April 2019 BBC Sky at Night Magazine 15

 The Sky at Night TV show, past, present and future

INSIDE THE SKY AT NIGHT

Astronomer Simon Bennett (left)
with Sky at Night presenter Pete
/DZUHQFH GXULQJ WKH ƅOPLQJ RI DQ
episode in London’s Regent’s Park

February’s Sky at Night programme joined a London astronomy society to observe

the night skies. Society co-founder Simon Bennett tells us more

A
Sky at Night production team is an It’s all a far cry from the Baker Street Irregular
unusual set of guests to welcome to $VWURQRPHUVŝ ƅUVW PHHWLQJ EDFN LQ -XQH  %DFN
a monthly society meeting, but that’s WKHQ D JURXS RI DURXQG  SHRSOH JDWKHUHG WR VHW XS
exactly what happened at our Baker their telescopes outside in the park and enjoy a warm
Street Irregular Astronomers’ January summer evening with clearing skies.
get-together. Presenter Pete One hundred meetings later, the Baker Street
/DZUHQFH DQG D FDPHUD FUHZ RI WZR DUULYHG WR ƅOP ,UUHJXODU $VWURQRPHUV KDV EHFRPH D ƅ[WXUH LQ FHQWUDO
astronomers in action in central London, observing London. Indeed, it is the only group allowed to use
the scale of the Universe. what is a locked, high-security park after hours. The
The clouds cooperated and although it was proximity of embassies and ambassadors’ residences
exceptionally cold – ice formed on telescopes and in the streets surrounding Regent’s Park means we
the dew froze – there was no wind. A classic, lively must tread a tightrope of rules and regulations, but
BSIA meeting ensued: we imaged distant galaxies its worth it to be able to take advantage of the
WKURXJK OLJKW SROOXWLRQ ƅOWHUV VRXJKW RXW &HSKHLG stunning location that it offers.
variables, and were on hand to answer the many
questions from newcomers and show them the view Capital benefits
through the scopes. The Sky at Night team came Our venue, The Hub, sits on a grassy mount close
away with exactly the footage they wanted. WR WKH FHQWUH RI  KHFWDUHV RI SDUNODQG 7KHUHŝV D
7KLV ZDV D ƅWWLQJ ZD\ WR PDUN RXU WK PHHWLQJ paved circular terrace around it, and from the centre
BBC, NASA/JPL, NASA

We have had instances of meetings going ‘viral’ with of the Park, the trees block out much of the glare
vast numbers showing up. Not wanting this to from the city’s bright lights. The café stays open for
KDSSHQ IRU WKH WK PHHWLQJ ZH GLGQŝW DQQRXQFH us in the evenings, providing a place of refuge as well
our surprise guests on social media beforehand. as welcome refreshments.

16 BBC Sky at Night Magazine April 2019

 INSIDE THE SKY AT NIGHT

The Baker Street Irregular Astronomer’s are a relaxed can be regular or one-off. Everyone is free to come
DQG LQIRUPDO EXQFK $ FRPPLWWHH RI ƅYH DQG D SDFN DORQJ WR PHHWLQJV WR ƅQG RXW ZK\ ZH GR ZKDW ZH
of regular ‘Irregulars’ entertain and engage the many do, and ask for advice. We aren’t going to let a little
newcomers to each meeting, where numbers usually light pollution stop us from bringing astronomy to
KRYHU DURXQG WKH  PDUN :H JHW SHRSOH IURP DOO central London, where millions of potential stargazers
walks of life, all ages and backgrounds. We’ve done this go about their lives unaware of the stunning natural
month in, month out, since the beginning and over that beauty that hangs above their heads, far above the
Simon Bennett time have dealt with all manner of questions regarding city skyline.
LV FRIRXQGHU the nature of the Universe, choosing a telescope and
of the Baker
the scale of the heavens above us. Find out about Baker Street Irregular Astronomers’
Street Irregular
Unlike most astronomical societies, we don’t meetings on Facebook and Twitter and sign up to
Astronomers and
a lifelong amateur require formal membership or currently charge any receive monthly email newsletters at
astronomer fees for joining. We rely instead on donations, which www.bakerstreetastro.org.uk

Looking back
The Sky at Night April
24 April 1974 Marsquake!
Little is known about what’s going on below
On 24 April 1974’s episode of The Sky Mariner 10 revealed the planet had the surface of Mars, but answers may soon
at Night, Patrick Moore was looking no atmosphere and was just as cratered be coming via NASA’s latest mission:
towards Mercury. The previous month, as the Moon. This indicated that any InSight. It aims to peer into Mars’s interior,
on 29 March, humanity had been given volcanic or other geological activity learn about how the Red Planet formed
LWV ƅUVW FORVHXS which might and why it’s different from Earth. The Sky
view of the have refreshed at Night brings us the latest news from the
planet, thanks the surface had mission and bids farewell to Opportunity
to NASA’s ceased long ago. rover, which transformed our view of Mars.
Mariner 10 Unexpectedly,
Four, 14 April, 10pm (first repeat
spacecraft. Mariner found
Four, 18 April, 7.30pm)
Over the next that Mercury had Check www.bbc.co.uk/skyatnight
year, Mariner D PDJQHWLF ƅHOG for subsequent repeat times
visited Mercury 7KHVH ƅHOGV DUH
another three created by the
times. Due to motion of a
the timing of planet’s molten
the orbits, the iron core, but
same side of Mercury is so
the planet was small that it’s
in shadow, so centre should
only 40 to 45 per cent Þ A mosaic of images taken KDYH VROLGLƅHG ORQJ DJR
by Mariner 10 revealed the
of the surface could be (YHQ WKRXJK WKH ƅHOGŝV
cratered surface of Mercury
photographed. But strength is barely one
these images were enough to reveal per cent that of Earth’s, the fact that it
what kind of world Mercury was. exists at all is something of a surprise. Þ InSight will drill below the surface of Mars
to reveal the secrets of the Red Planet

April 2019 BBC Sky at Night Magazine 17

 INTERACTIVE
Emails – Letters – Tweets – Facebook – Kit questions

Email us at inbox@skyatnightmagazine.com
MESSAGE
OF THE
MONTH
This month’s top prize: Uncovering a solar mystery
four Philip’s books
AVI movie. I cross-referenced the data I’d
captured with the National Solar Observatory’s
Global Oscillation Network Group (https://
gong.nso.edu) for the same time and there
it was, but only on one frame.
The The feature is strange for various reasons:
‘Message one, it’s very short-lived; two, it has a curious
of the Month’ writer will bubble-like shape; and three, it’s at an unusual
receive four top titles latitude – you don’t normally see H-alpha
courtesy of astronomy
prominences so near the solar pole (north is
publisher Philip’s: Robin
at the top in the image).
Scagell’s Complete Guide to
Stargazing, Sir Patrick I don’t know what this anomaly was but I’m
Þ Roger’s puzzling solar image was taken with LQWHUHVWHG WR ƅQG RXW 'R DQ\UHDGHUVKDYHDQ
Moore’s The Night Sky, Mark a Lunt LS35THa telescope, Bresser MikrOkular
Thompson’s Stargazing idea of what it might be?
Full HD eyepiece camera and a 2x Barlow lens
with Mark Thompson and Roger Samworth, Nuneaton
Heather Couper and Nigel I came across this strange solar anomaly after
Henbest’s 2019 Stargazing. examining one of my windowsill-based solar What a fascinating observation, Roger. This
Winner’s details will be passed on to hydrogen-alpha observations from early looks to be an active flare caught in a rare
Octopus Publishing to fulfil the prize
February. It was present on all 200 frames of my loop phase. Well done for spotting it! – Ed

lunar surface can create effects such as

Tweets the Lunar X and Lunar V, but what
Nick Williams surprised me on this occasion was that it
@nick5170 • 19 Feb made the mountain range resemble an
The clouds cleared to reveal the unravelling braided rope. On closer
#SuperSnowMoon over NE observation it struck me that it looked
London this evening @
just like a chicken’s foot. Other readers
skyatnightmag @
BBCStargazing @VirtualAstro @ might be interested in checking out this
SkyandTelescope region and reporting back: if others
witness this phenomenon, may I
propose naming it the Lunar Claw?
John Consadine, Norfolk

Patience pays off

I read Robert Stewart’s letter in the
January issue about his frustration at
being unable to see the Andromeda
A rope or a claw? Galaxy with the naked eye, and wanted to
Ten days after New Moon I was panning say I empathise with his predicament. It
down the lunar terminator with my 8-inch took me almost four weeks of trying to
STEVE RICHARDS

Sky-Watcher and happened to observe see Andromeda. Aside from the cloud
the Montes Riphaeus mountain range, cover I had to contend with, I also live in a
near Crater Euclides. I know light on the city and have a lamppost just across the

18 BBC Sky at Night Magazine April 2019

street from me. I didn’t see
Andromeda with my naked
echoed by a potato I grew
(and managed to scar with SCOPE DOCTOR
eyes (I’m also ‘the better my spade). It is even the same
side of 60’) but I was able to size as the photograph in Our equipment specialist cures your
glimpse it through a pair of the magazine. optical ailments and technical maladies
binoculars. Knowing where John Hitchens, Petworth, With Steve Richards
to look helps, but patience is Sussex >
the key. I was thrilled when I Email your queries to
ƅQDOO\ PDGH LW RXW .HHS WU\LQJ scopedoctor@skyatnightmagazine.com
– with or without observing
equipment – it is there. I have a Meade LX10 telscope tube. Is it possible
Gary Brown, via email
to attach this to a Sky-Watcher HEQ5 mount to
Space spud make a Go-To system?
NIGEL BELL
In response to the lead
story in February’s ‘Bulletin’ The Meade LX10 is a
Ŝ1HZ <HDU Ɔ\E\ IRU 1HZ fork-mounted Schmidt-
Horizons’, page 10) I thought Cassegrain telescope
you might be intrigued to (SCT) with an 8-inch
see this photo. Ultima Thule’s aperture. Although
amazing shape is perfectly motorised, the LX10 fork
mount doesn’t have
Go-To slewing features.
ON FACEBOOK You can do this
FRQYHUVLRQ E\ ƅUVW WDNLQJ
WE ASKED: What’s your advice for people buying Þ If you apply packaging felt to a the telescope off the fork
their first scope? (see our guide on page 35) set of oversized tube rings this will mount. Remove the three
help protect your LX10 scope tube
Gary Anderson through different types of mounting screws on each
Get as large a Go-To scope as scopes to see what suits you. side, which hold the mounting plates for the fork arms, and
IXQGV ZLOO DOORZ <RXŝOO ƅQG WKLQJV then very carefully slide the tube out. You then have the
DUH HDV\ WR ƅQG DQG \RXŝOO NQRZ Gillian Rushforth choice of either installing a Vixen-style dovetail bar and radius
what you are looking at. The Think what you’d like to see blocks on the telescope tube, or using tube rings and a
Sky-Watcher Star Discovery with it and look at your viewing GRYHWDLO EDU $OWKRXJK WKH ƅQLVKHG DSSHDUDQFH PD\ EH
150p is a great starter scope. circumstances (could you house superior, the radius blocks are a much riskier proposition as the
a big scope?) and think whether tube would need to be drilled and tapped and we really
Daniel Rayner you would need a portable one wouldn’t recommend this.
Don’t buy a telescope if it’s or one to use at home to view. The LX10’s optics are pretty good and if your existing
being sold for its magnifying telescope is in good condition you can obtain a set of
power. It’s the size of the lens Vincent Caddell oversized tube rings and apply some packing foam or felt (as
or mirror that matters: at least Join a local group and ask pictured) to suit.
3-inch for a refractor and at questions. Learn the rhythm of
OHDVWLQFKIRUDUHƆHFWRU the stars and planets with the

Andrew Gray
naked eye, master it, then get
a good Dobsonian like a 200P.
Steve’s top tip
+DYH D ORRN WKURXJK VRPH ƅUVW Why do I need a sturdy mount and tripod?
What you can see through even Mick Cassidy It is amazing how simply touching the focus knobs on a
an expensive scope is often Research, research, research... telescope can really unsettle the view just when you need it
underwhelming. You can often then after all that buy a all to stay perfectly still. Wind buffeting can also make the
get just as good views with Dobsonian. The best scope to WHOHVFRSH YLVLEO\ VKDNH ZKLOH WKH PDJQLƅFDWLRQ IURP WKH
binoculars and a deck chair. start with in regards to value for telescope’s optics will only amplify this movement.
money is an 8-inch model. A sturdy mount and tripod will, therefore, make a huge
Stuart FR difference to the quality of your observations by helping to
The best scope is the one Bradley Swift dampen down unwanted movement quickly.
you’ll actually use. If it’s too %X\ D SDLU RI ELQRFXODUV ƅUVW $W You can make some improvement to the stability of a lighter
time-consuming to set up or least 10 x 50s: any bigger than duty tripod by suspending a substantial weight underneath it,
complicated to learn, you’ll this and you will need a tripod attached to the underside of the tripod’s head.
ƅQGH[FXVHVQRWWRJHWLWRXW to hold them steady for a sharp
image. Download Stellarium, it’s
Jonathen David Harty free planetarium software. You Steve Richards is a keen astro imager and an
Join a local astronomy society. FDQ ƅQG QLJKW VN\ REMHFWVYLVLEOH astronomy equipment expert
You can often have a look from your location.

April 2019 BBC Sky at Night Magazine 19

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goods or services that may be advertised or referred to in this issue for any errors,
omissions, mis-statements or mistakes in any such advertisements or references.
%DUQDUGPDGHVRPHRIKLVJUHDWHVWƅQGV Instruments at Salford Observatory.
WKHUHVXFKDVJHJHQVFKHLQLQDQGKLV www.salfordastro.org.uk

20 BBC Sky at Night Magazine April 2019

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 WHAT’S ON
Our pick of the best events from around the UK

More listings online

Visit our website at www.
skyatnightmagazine.com/whats-on
PICK OF THE MONTH
If you want to tell the world about your
HYHQWƅOOLQWKHRQOLQHVXEPLVVLRQIRUP

Croydon stargazing
Kenley Observatory, Kenley,
6, 13, 20, 27 April, 7.30pm
Every Saturday this month, Croydon
Astronomical Society opens its observatory
Þ The 50th anniversary of the Moon landing inspires this year’s ‘frontiers’ theme
to the public for an evening of observing.
It’s weather dependent, so contact the
Edinburgh Science Festival
Various venues, Edinburgh, 6–21 April
society before making the journey.
www.croydonastro.org.uk The annual science festival returns to the SURƅOHV WKH VFLHQWLVWV ZKR SUHGLFWHG
Scottish capital for two weeks of events the existence of gravitational waves,
HOYS-CAPS citizen science on the theme of ‘frontiers’, with a focus antimatter and black holes.
Birnie Village Hall, Moray, 5 April, 7.30pm on the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Join Astronomer Royal Martin Rees for
Dr Alexander Scholz gives an overview of Moon landing. a look at the challenges facing humanity
star and planet formation and reveals the Science presenter Neil Monteiro hosts over the coming decades, or discover
goals of HOYS-CAPS, a citizen science D SXE TXL] ERDUG JDPH DQG VFLƅ HYHQLQJ the sounds of distant worlds and
project to monitor young star clusters. asking teams to prepare for establishing undiscovered life forms with comedian
www.sigma-astro.co.uk new life on Mars. Helen Keen, presenter of BBC Radio 4’s
In ‘The Consolation of Physics’, science It Is Rocket Science.
Kendal Moon-watching writer Tim Radford guides guests through There is also a range of space – and
CROYDON ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, EDINBURGH SCIENCE FESTIVAL X 4

Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal, 13 April, 8pm the vast unknown, from tiny particles other science-related events suitable for
Join Eddington Astronomical Society for to huge cosmic objects, while in ‘The children and young people.
a spot of lunar observing this month. For Magicians’, author Marcus Chown www.sciencefestival.co.uk
further information, see their website.
www.eas-online.org.uk
Space meets art Astronomy school
North Wales stargazing Rhondda Heritage Park, Pontypridd, Crown East Scout Hut, Rushwick,
Llandyrnog Village Hall, Denbighshire, 23 April, 10am Worcester, 18 April, 8.30pm
30 April, 7.15pm Cosmic craft for kids and families, including Worcester Astronomical Society hosts
Join Llandyrnog Astronomical Society a planetarium show and a workshop a series of short video presentations on
for a talk on observatories of the world. turning images of planets, galaxies and cosmology and astronomy, followed by
Stargazing afterwards, weather permitting. nebulae into works of art. Tickets £7.50. an observing session. Free to visitors.
Entry £2 including hot drinks and biscuits. www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/space- Arrive 8.30pm at the earliest.
www.facebook.com/llandyrnogastro meets-art-tickets-54674280244 www.worcesterastro.weebly.com

April 2019 BBC Sky at Night Magazine 23

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 FIELD OF VIEW
The amateur astronomer’s forum

The dark thrill of an eclipse

How the heady mixture of wonderment and fear turned
Stuart Clark into a totality chaser

N
othing I had seen before prepared 7KHƅUVWHFOLSVH,ZLWQHVVHGZDVLQ&RUQZDOOLQ
me for the experience of a total 1999. It was raining. I still loved the experience, but
solar eclipse. The moment that when I saw a clear eclipse in Turkey in 2006, my
I watched the Moon slide across life changed. The utter blackness of the Moon’s
the face of the Sun and I stood in silhouette, the little beads of light that ringed the
the lunar shadow is something I Moon as the sunlight poked through the lunar
will never forget – and will always want to experience valleys, the ghostly tendrils of the solar atmosphere
Astronomy author again. The phrase ‘once seen, never forgotten’ doesn’t that could suddenly be seen reaching into space.
Dr Stuart Clark is convey the moment’s emotional weight, but it could It was breathtaking. So when I was invited to be
leading six tours have been written with a total solar eclipse in mind. WKHDVWURQRPHURQDQHFOLSVHWULSWR&KLQDLQ
to the spectacular
Instantly, I understood why some people become I jumped at the chance.
Chile eclipse this
‘umbraphiles’ – people who chase eclipses across the But as I stood waiting with so many people on
summer with travel
specialists Wendy world so that they can stand in the shadow of the that August day, I felt a great weight of responsibility
Wu Tours. Visit Moon. I certainly wanted to see another one. Little resting on my shoulders. I had told everyone
www.chileeclipse. did I know that when the time came, I would be who would listen on that trip of the wonders to
co.uk for more info advising almost 1,000 other people on how to see it. come. But when the day came, the clouds were
threatening and I knew the spectacle stood a good
chance of being hidden from our view. I felt I was
letting everyone down. Thankfully, in the event,
we caught glimpses through the clouds and it was
a satisfying experience.
It was the feeling that I experienced in the
moments of totality during the Turkish eclipse that
I have continued to think about. Firstly, I was excited
to be seeing the event. Then, I was stunned at the
unearthly beauty of it. But as totality arrived, I was
shocked at the shiver of fear that slid through me
as the world around me plunged into an unnatural,
unstoppable darkness.
I have since learned that philosophers would call
this feeling the sublime. Scholars of aesthetics draw
a distinction between the merely beautiful and
the sublime. The beautiful is something that brings
pleasure to the viewer. It is usually small(ish) and
capable of being seen as a part of a larger whole.
$ERYHDOOLWLVQRQWKUHDWHQLQJDƆRZHURUDKXPDQ
face can be beautiful.
The sublime is also beautiful, but is so large and
it represents something so powerful that even
RUI RICARDO/FOLIO ART

though we are drawn to it, we are also overwhelmed

by it. It is this cocktail of delight and fear that gives
us the sublime feeling of awe. And in that sense,
a total solar eclipse is the most awesome thing
I have ever seen.

April 2019 BBC Sky at Night Magazine 25

SkyMAGAZINE
at Night
SAVE WHEN YOU SUBSCRIBE
TO THE DIGITAL EDITION

Available from
 The perfect addition to your stargazing, BBC Sky at Night
Magazine is your practical guide to astronomy, helping you
to discover the night skies, understand the Universe around
us and learn exciting techniques for using your telescope.

Enjoy our Premium App experience now available from

SkyMAGAZINE
at Night
 With the right preparation,
pointing your scope out of
an open window can produce
better results than you might
have thought possible
PETE LAWRENCE

28 BBC Sky at Night Magazine April 2019

Astronomy
UNDER COVER
Can you observe the night sky without leaving
your house? Steve Richards looks at your
options when going outside is off the agenda

A
s the celestial bodies are most For some, it’s the technical challenge of operating
certainly ‘outside’, astronomy indoors astronomical equipment remotely from home that’s
may seem like a contradiction in DSSHDOLQJ6RPHƅHOGVRIDVWURQRP\GRQŝWHYHQ
terms, but there are many reasons require you to be outside at all. Many astronomers
why you might decide to do some gain great pleasure from simply researching the
astronomy from inside your home. subject or taking part in people-powered research
It could be that you live in a city and the ravages DQGFODVVLƅFDWLRQSURMHFWVZLWKRXWHYHUWRXFKLQJ
of light pollution render observations pointless. a telescope. Others just want to dip their toe in
Poor weather, especially the cloudy UK skies, can the water before investing in high-cost equipment,
drive you inside on many nights you’d set aside for not to mention a large chunk of their time.
stargazing. Equipment faults and incapacity due Whatever your reason, there are many ways that
to illness can keep you from enjoying an observing you can get involved with astronomy without ever
or imaging session outside too. having to step outside. >

April 2019 BBC Sky at Night Magazine 29

 Observing from inside
with a conventional
telescope and eyepieces
PETE LAWRENCE X 3, WWW.THESECRETSTUDIO.NET, MARK PAYNE GILL, WWW.ICASTRRONOMY.COM

Sitting outside on a cold night observing the sky above isn’t for
everyone. It takes some fortitude to assemble and align your
equipment in the dark and cold before you even start your
observing session. Then at the end you have to take it back
down again. This is without doubt the best way to physically
observe the night sky, but you can still stargaze from a more
comfortable vantage point inside your home, if you are prepared
to accept some compromises.
Observing through a closed window is a fairly futile exercise, as Positioning your scope
the distortions imparted by light refracted through the glass to straddle a patio door
frame will give a better
SDQHOV ZLOO GHVWUR\ WKH ƅGHOLW\ RI WKH YLHZV $GG LQ UHƆHFWLRQV
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and the light-sapping effects of grime build-up and you are really
limiting the usefulness of your telescope. Opening a window and
observing through the aperture removes the optical issues of the Don’t underestimate the effect of poor temperature stabilisation
JODVV EXW \RX ZLOO VWLOO EH YHU\ UHVWULFWHG LQ WKH ƅHOG RI YLHZ \RX between the inside and outside. Currents within the telescope will
DUH DEOH WR REVHUYH $ EHWWHU EXW VWLOO FRPSURPLVHG VROXWLRQLVWR spoil the view and the motion of air moving from the warm room
open patio doors, if you have them, and site the mount into the cold outside will combine to create an unstable view too.
straddling the threshold so that most of the telescope is outside. If you have a southerly view, you may want to consider solar
This means you can still observe from the relative comfort of astronomy. The temperature differential isn’t so great during the
inside your home. day, meaning you should have more stable views.

Observing through
a closed window is
not recommended,
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and distortions

Solar observing is achievable

from the comfort of your home

30 BBC Sky at Night Magazine April 2019

Electronically assisted astronomy
While Solar System objects are eye-
catching even through modest equipment,
the cause of most disappointment in
newcomers to astronomy is how relatively
dim and colourless deep-sky objects are.
There is only so much light that you can Video cameras such as
project into your eye and because of the the MallinCam Xtreme
way your eyes function in the dark, colour is Color Video CCD (above)
HVSHFLDOO\ GLIƅFXOW LI QRW LPSRVVLEOH WR VHH are perfect for live-
Electronically assisted astronomy streaming a view from
your scope into your
comes to the rescue in the form of video
home. This image of
or high-frame-rate cameras with very M27 was taken with one
sensitive colour sensors that continuously
stack image data during a session. They
produce bright and colourful images in a
short period of time – a process known
as integration. This means that your
exposure to the outside is limited to just
setting up the equipment at the start of
the session, running a cable into the
house to carry the video data and
dismantling it at the end of the session.
The rest can be carried out inside as you
watch the images develop on your
monitor as if by magic.

Imaging remotely with your own or time-shared equipment

Dark skies are at a premium these days. several companies specialising in remote abroad. You can just as readily set up a
It’s not always convenient to haul all your KRVWLQJ LQFOXGLQJ ,& $VWURQRP\ H(\( remotely controlled observatory in your
equipment to a dark site, so a relatively Deep Sky West (DSW) and itelescope.net. own back garden, although you would still
new industry has sprung up offering either Of course, you don’t have to have your HQG XS ƅQGLQJ \RXUVHOIDWWKHPHUF\RIWKH
use of shared equipment or hosting of equipment hosted by an organisation ƅFNOH8.ZHDWKHU >
your own kit at a location with low levels
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the considerable advantage of a high
number of imaging nights in great
conditions is very appealing indeed.
To offset the cost, it’s common for
astronomers to join a syndicate to buy and
run the equipment, either pooling all the
images captured or creating a schedule for
each syndicate member to use the system
individually. Telescopes are normally housed
in long, low buildings with state-of-the-art
computer control, communication and
weather monitoring facilities, with roll-off
roofs giving extensive views of the night sky
DERYH DERXW p DOWLWXGH $FFHVV LV YLD
high-speed internet connection using
UHPRWH DFFHVV VRIWZDUH OLNH $Q\'HVN RU
TeamViewer to give you full control of the
equipment from the comfort of your home
using a laptop or desktop PC. There are Þ IC Astronomy provides expert equipment which can be remotely accessed by a home PC

April 2019 BBC Sky at Night Magazine 31

 Radio and meteor
astronomy
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PAUL HYDE X 2, WWW.ZOONIVERSE.ORG X 3, HTTPS://SKYVIEW.GSFC.NASA.GOV

Steve Richards is
an astro imager and
author of Making
Every Photon
Count: A Beginner’s
Guide to Deep Sky
Astrophotography

32 BBC Sky at Night Magazine April 2019

Zooinverse – online astronomy research
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Þ NASA’s SkyView portal gives astrophotographers a chance to hone their processing skills

April 2019 BBC Sky at Night Magazine 33

 A buyer’s guide to
TELESCOPES
PART 1: What type of telescope?
With so many models and prices out there, choosing
what scope to buy can seem baffling. In Part 1 of his
guide, Tim Jardine helps you take the first step
PANTHER MEDIA GMBH/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

:HŝOOKHOS\RXƅQGWKHVFRSH
WKDWZLOOVXLW\RXUVWDUJD]LQJ
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RUD&DVVHJUDLQ
>

April 2019 BBC Sky at Night Magazine 35

 > A small refractor is
ideal for beginners and
is well-suited for wide
views of the night sky

T
ucked away in the corners of many
garages and spare rooms sit dormant
telescopes. Telescopes designed to
gather views of moons, stars and
planets, no doubt purchased with
excitement, but now sitting forlornly
gathering dust. Perhaps some of these scopes were
too cumbersome to take in and out at night, others
too complicated to set up, or maybe underwhelming
views led to disappointment.
With this in mind, as we look at the question ‘What
type of telescope should I buy?’, we can say from the
outset that the best telescope for anybody will be
one that is practical and comfortable to use regularly, “The best telescope for anybody is
and that provides exciting views of the night sky.
Admittedly, there is a bewildering array of one that is practical and comfortable
equipment available. However, we can divide all those
variations into just three basic types: refractors, to use regularly, and that provides
UHƆHFWRUV LQFOXGLQJ'REVRQLDQV DQG&DVVHJUDLQV
0RVWSHRSOHZLOOUHFRJQLVHWKHƅUVWW\SH5HIUDFWRUV exciting views of the night sky”
have glass lenses at the end of a tube to bring a
PDJQLƅHGYLHZRIWKHVN\WRIRFXV7KHVHFRQGW\SH speaking, smaller refractors less than 90mm diameter
LQYHQWHGE\,VDDF1HZWRQDUHNQRZQDVUHƆHFWRUV are best suited for wider views of the night sky, which
because they use mirrors instead of lenses to achieve might include star clusters like the famous Pleiades,
WKHHQODUJHGVN\YLHZ)LQDOO\&DVVHJUDLQVLQYROYH M45. Although some detail may be seen when
mirrors with a hole in the middle. Let’s have a look at observing Jupiter and Saturn as well as their moons,
WKHEHQHƅWVDQGFRPSURPLVHVRIHDFK both planets will appear quite small and very bright in
the view. Some brighter galaxies and nebulae may be
Refractors visible under good skies, and with experience it
As the most popular type of telescope, refractors have becomes easier to pick out the interesting objects.
many appealing qualities. They tend to be lightweight, However, larger refractors 100mm in diameter and
easy to set up and intuitive to use, give sharp views and
require practically no maintenance. Interchangeable > A properly
H\HSLHFHVRIIHUYDU\LQJPDJQLƅFDWLRQVDQGLQFUHDVH mounted refractor
can provide
the range of viewable objects. Good portability allows
many hours of
for trips to enjoy darker skies away from light-polluted stargazing delights
areas. However, there is a saying in the world of
telescopes that ‘aperture is king’. Or, in basic terms, the
wider the front end of the scope the better. With their
ability to gather more starlight, bigger telescopes yield
more impressive views.
In this respect refractors have limits. Very large lenses
WWW.SECRETSTUIDO.NET X 3, JON HICKS, PAUL WHITFIELD

are prohibitively expensive and quite unmanageable

IRUDPDWHXUV5HIUDFWLQJWHOHVFRSHVDYDLODEOHWRGD\
therefore tend to have front lenses between 60mm and
PPLQGLDPHWHU:LWKLQWKDWUDQJHZHƅQG
inexpensive models with a single front lens, up to
telescopes with multiple lenses that provide a sharper,
more natural view, at a premium price point. The
quality of the optics in the telescope, determined
SUHGRPLQDQWO\E\WKHLUFRVWZLOOKDYHDVLJQLƅFDQW
bearing on the quality of the views, and the really cheap
refractors that tend to be popular at electrical goods
and camera shops are often disappointing. Generally

36 BBC Sky at Night Magazine April 2019

 > A Dobsonian,
ZKHUHDUHƆHFWRU
is mounted on a
rotating base,
offers some of the
most rewarding
views of the night sky

upwards can really open up the skies, and under

reasonably dark skies there will be hundreds of
deep-sky objects that can be viewed,
including galaxies, globular clusters of stars
and bright nebulae. Surface colours and
details may be seen on Saturn, Jupiter and
even Mars on a good night. Lunar views too
VKRXOGEHVKDUSZLWKJRRGGHƅQLWLRQLQ
FUDWHUVDQGULOOHIHDWXUHV YDOOH\VDQGWUHQFKHV 
< The handy, compact size of
as the larger optics enable the telescope to reveal
a tabletop Dobsonian makes
more detail. There is no doubt that a decent it an ideal scope for children
refractor, on a sturdy mount or tripod, can provide
a thrilling stargazing experience, and whet
the appetite for further sessions for many years. you just point it at what you want to see – or
they may include a full ‘Go-To’ control, which
Reflectors automatically points the telescope at hundreds
5HƆHFWLQJWHOHVFRSHVDUHTXLWHGLIIHUHQWLQ of sky objects.
nature, having an open tube at the front and There are FRPSURPLVHVDVUHƆHFWRUVQHHGWKHLU
a round mirror inside the bottom of the tube, PLUURUVDGMXVWLQJIURPWLPHWRWLPH DOWKRXJKWKLV
called the primary mirror. Light entering the tube VKRXOGQŝWSXW\RXRII DQGELJJHUPRGHOVFDQEH
LVUHƆHFWHGEDFNLQVLGHWKHWXEHRQWRDPXFKVPDOOHU KHDY\DQGEXON\7KHODUJHVW'REVRQLDQVPD\HYHQ >
angled secondary mirror, and then out through the
side of the telescope near the top end, which is where
the interchangeable eyepieces go. This design allows
for much larger apertures than are possible with
UHIUDFWRUVDQGDPDWHXUUHƆHFWRUVDUHDYDLODEOHULJKW
up to a whopping 500mm diameter.
7KHUHDUHWZRZD\VRIXVLQJUHƆHFWRUV6PDOOHU þ $VWDUWHUUHƆHFWRU
models up to 300mm or so can be used on tripod- will only require
a simple mount
style mounts similar to those used for refractors.
A popular alternative option, though, is to mount the
telescope tube onto a rotating base that sits on the
ƆRRU7KLVFDQEHWXUQHGIUHHO\DURXQGZKLOHWKH
telescope can pivot up and down and thus be
pointed anywhere in the sky. Telescopes
PRXQWHGLQWKLVZD\DUHNQRZQDV'REVRQLDQV
and, penny for penny, offer the most cost-
effective and rewarding views of the deep sky.
6PDOOHUUHƆHFWRUVXSWRPPLQGLDPHWHU
also come on mini mounts that sit on a table
top. Easy to use, compact and quick to set up,
WKHVHWDEOHWRS'REVRQLDQVDUHLGHDOO\VXLWHG
for introducing children to using a telescope.
The views offered by a relatively modest
UHƆHFWRUFDQFRPSDUHIDYRXUDEO\ZLWKWKRVH
offered by expensive refractors. 'REVRQLDQVPD\
be elegantly simple affairs – no wires, no batteries,

April 2019 BBC Sky at Night Magazine 37

 “Cassegrains
> need a tend to have
stepladder to get to
the eyepiece at times.
shorter tubes, and
Cassegrains this compactness
In use, Cassegrain telescopes are quite similar
to refractors, in that you point the front end at the sky Þ From Saturn’s
makes them ideal where
and you look into an interchangeable eyepiece on the rings to Jupiter’s storage space is limited”
WWW.SECRETSTUDIO.NET X 5, PAUL WHITFIELD X 4

back. Comparatively heavy, they tend to have shorter colour bands,

tubes, and this compactness makes them ideal where Cassegrains
are great for
storage space is limited. These telescopes may need seen within the coloured bands of Jupiter and different
picking out
a little tweaking from time to time to make sure the colour bands on Saturn, along with the Cassini division
planetary details
mirrors are lined up properly. Cassegrain designs give a and other details in Saturn’s glorious ring system, not
FRPSDUDWLYHO\ PRUH PDJQLƅHG YLHZ IRU D JLYHQ VL]H RI to mention polar caps and features on Mars. Of course,
eyepiece, and if you want to experience the best views other deep-sky objects may be viewed, with larger
of the planets and our Moon, a Maksutov-Cassegrain aperture Schmidt-Cassegrains over 150mm in diameter
or a Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope may well be the providing the most satisfying experience. Although the
best option. When sky conditions allow, details can be views may not be quite as ‘pin-sharp’ (where the main
subject is clearly in crisp focus) as those from refractors,
they are a popular choice as a happy compromise
EHWZHHQ ODUJH HQRXJK DSHUWXUH DQG PDQDJHDEOH VL]H
%HFDXVH RI WKH KLJKHU PDJQLƅFDWLRQ YLHZV WKHVH
telescopes will give you, the object being observed
will move out of view in the eyepiece more quickly, and
so they are often purchased with electronic Go-To
< A compromise
between a refractor tracking mounts to follow the targets as they move.
DQG D UHƆHFWRU
a Cassegrain Taking the next step
combines higher Now we’ve looked at the main telescope types, you can
PDJQLƅFDWLRQ ZLWK decide which one is right for you by thinking about
compact design
where and how you will use it – maybe at home, or
perhaps at dark-sky sites. All three designs are available
as basic models or with fully computerised Go-To
controls and even built-in ZLƅ IRU RSHUDWLRQ YLD
smartphone. A ‘grab and go’ simple setup may best
suit your needs, or you may want more complicated
equipment with fully automatic operation to reveal
more wonders of the night sky. Whatever your choice
Ś UHIUDFWRU UHƆHFWRU &DVVHJUDLQ Ś LW LV DGYLVDEOH WR
make your purchase from specialist astronomy dealers
Tim Jardine is that know all about the telescopes they offer and
an experienced can answer your questions.
amateur
astronomer and Next month
astrophotographer Part 2: accessories to go with your new scope

38 BBC Sky at Night Magazine April 2019

Selecting your scope
There’s a wide variety of scopes available on the market. Here’s our pick of some top performing models

Refractors Reflectors

Sky-Watcher Evostar-90 Explore Scientific Sky-Watcher Explorer Orion Optics VX8 f/4.5
AZ Pronto AR152 refractor 130PS & Avant mount Newtonian reflector
£259 • www.opticalvision.co.uk £713 • www. £219 • www. £528 • www.orionoptics.co.uk
An easy to set up and use rothervalleyoptics.co.uk opticalvision.co.uk The 200mm mirror inside
entry-level refractor A large aperture refractor A firm favourite with this reflector helps to reveal
with useful accessories - with achromatic optics beginners, this reflector is the sky’s hidden gems.
including two eyepieces providing bright views. supplied with two eyepieces, Coupled with a suitable
and a finderscope - mounted Supplied with a carrying a red-dot target finder and mount, this telescope enables
on a lightweight, well- handle and finderscope, dual mode mount, giving serious observation of the
constructed tripod. it requires a sturdy mount. enjoyable views. night sky.

Dobsonians Cassegrains

Meade LightBridge Sky-Watcher Sky-Watcher Celestron

Mini 130mm Skyliner 200P Skymax 127T NexStar 8SE
£229 • www.widescreen- £275 • www.firstlightoptics. £254 • www. £1,299 • celestron.uk.com
centre.co.uk com opticalvision.co.uk Serious observation is
Tabletop Dobsonians are Deservedly the UK’s most Compact and portable and possible with this sturdy, fully
compact, portable and easy to popular Dobsonian, this good for lunar and planetary computerised Go-To scope.
set up, making them suitable easy-to-use 8-inch telescope observation, along with It provides excellent views
for impromptu observing provides stunning views at a brighter deep-sky objects. of deep-sky objects and after
sessions or transporting to a remarkable price. Perhaps Supplied with 10 & 25mm completing sky alignment,
dark-sky site. the ideal first telescope? eyepieces and red-dot finder. locates them for you.

April 2019 BBC Sky at Night Magazine 39

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

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30
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 16-PAGE
CENTRE
PULLOUT

The Sky Guide APRIL 2019

MARS AND THE

PLEIADES
The open cluster
gets a visit from
the Red Planet

HUNT A QUASAR
Can you find these
distant targets?

24 COMAE BERENICES
PETE LAWRENCE

Spring’s hidden treasure

About the writers Red light friendly Don’t miss... Get the Sky
Astronomy Stephen ✦ A striking lunar sea Guide weekly
expert Pete Tonkin is a ✦ Some great shadow For weekly updates on
Lawrence is binocular transits of Jupiter what to look out for in the
a skilled astro observer. To preserve your night ✦ Pallas at opposition night sky, sign up to our
imager and Find his tour vision, this Sky Guide in Boötes newsletter: www.skyat
a presenter on The Sky at of the best sights for can be read using a red ✦ Last chance to spot nightmagazine.com/
Night monthly on BBC Four both eyes on page 54 light under dark skies the spring zodiacal light iframe/newsletter-signup

April 2019 BBC Sky at Night Magazine 43

 APRIL HIGHLIGHTS Your guide to the
night sky this month
Tuesday Wednesday

2 3
Monday

1
Mag. +0.9 Mercury, With little
Mars is currently a 9%-lit waning interference from
close to the crescent Moon and the Moon, this is an
Pleiades open mag. –3.9 Venus appear ideal time to look for
cluster, providing an close in the morning sky. This is the zodiacal light, a rounded
excellent opportunity a tricky event to see due to its conical glow aligned along
for astrophotography. low altitude just before sunrise. the ecliptic. With dark skies,
See pages 46 and 76 it will typically be in the west
for more information. for 90 minutes, starting
90 minutes after sunset.

Friday X

5
Minor planet 7
Iris is at opposition
today. It appears as a
mag. +9.4 object in
Corvus, not too far from
M014, the Sombrero Galaxy.
See page 53.

Tuesday X Wednesday Thursday

9 10 11
This evening the The 29%-lit Mercury reaches
thickening lunar waxing crescent greatest western
crescent, now 20%-lit, Moon gives a chance elongation at
will sit just to the east to see Alexander’s 27.7°W. Despite
of the bright orange star Beaded Rim, a clair obscur this, it is poorly positioned
Aldebaran (Alpha (_) Tauri). effect. View around 23:30 BST in the morning sky, rising
(22:30 UT) to see star-like points only a short time before
at the rim of crater Alexander. the Sun.
2 Pallas reaches opposition at
mag. +7.9 in Boötes. See page 47.

Tuesday onday Tuesday X

16 2 23
Mag. +0.3 The Lyrid meteor A telescopic
Mercury and shower peaks view of Jupiter
mag. –3.8 Venus are tonight, but the just after 01:00 BST
just 4.3 ° apart in this presence of a bright (00:00 UT) will show
morning’s sky just 30 minutes on will interfere with the Ganymede's shadow in transit.
before sunrise. This will be a al show. The shower has The mag. –2.3 planet appears
difficult spot, requiring a very HR of 18 meteors per hour. close to an 84%-lit waning
flat eastern horizon. gibbous Moon. At 04:40 BST
(03:40 UT), both appear due
south, separated by 4.5°.

ursday X esday X

5 0
This morning A telescopic
the 67%-lit view of
waning gibbous Jupiter just after
Moon will appear 04:40 BST (03:40
° west of mag. +0.9 Saturn. ), as the sky is brightening,
orrow morning the now reveal Ganymede’s giant
PETE LAWRENCE X 8

-lit waning gibbous Moon dow beginning its transit

be 6.7° to the east oss the Jovian disc. This
he planet. uld remain visible as the
n breaks (see page 47).

44 BBC Sky at Night Magazine April 2019

 NEED TO
KNOW
The terms and symbols
used in The Sky Guide
Thursday X

4
There is a great Universal time (UT)
opportunity to and British Summer
see Io’s shadow appear Time (BST)
on Jupiter’s disc this Universal Time (UT) is the
morning. View from around standard time used by
03:00 BST (02:00 UT). Io itself astronomers around the
will be in transit from around world. British Summer
04:05 until 06:15 BST (03:05 Time (BST) is one hour
until 05:15 UT). ahead of UT.

RA (Right ascension)
and dec. (declination)
These coordinates are the
Saturday night sky’s equivalent of

6
Monday longitude and latitude,

8
This evening sees the
This month’s describing where an object
peak of the weak
Moonwatch is on the celestial ‘globe’.
Kappa-Serpentids
meteor shower. target, Mare
Although it has a low ZHR Fecunditatis, will Family friendly
(zenithal hourly rate) of be nicely presented Objects marked
4 meteors per hour, the sky on this evening’s with this icon are perfect
will be dark thanks to a new waxing crescent Moon. for showing to children
Moon on 5 April. Turn to page 52 for
more information. Naked eye
Allow 20 minutes
The 12%-lit waxing for your eyes to become
dark-adapted
Sunday crescent Moon

14
will join the Mars,
A telescopic
Pleiades and Hyades Photo opp
view of this
grouping this evening. Use a CCD, planetary
evening’s 73%-lit
camera or standard DSLR
waxing gibbous
Moon will reveal the clair
Binoculars
obscur effect known as the
10x50 recommended
Jewelled Handle. This is
formed by morning sunlight
Small/
illuminating the tops of
Jura Mountains.
medium scope
Reflector/SCTunder6inches,
refractor under 4 inches

ednesday Large scope

4
Minor Reflector/SCT over 6
planet inches, refractor over 4 inches
44 Nysa reaches
opposition
ag. +9.9 in Virgo.
s evening Nysa is
ated about 1° south
ota (f) Virginis.

Family stargazing – Mars and M45 GETTING STARTED

The passage of Mars south of the Pleiades open cluster IN ASTRONOMY
at the start of April is an ideal event for youngsters If you’re new to
to observe. Both Mars and the Pleiades can be seen astronomy, you’ll find
with the naked eye, so find them this way at first before making two essential reads on
a challenge of trying to see them through binoculars. This can our website. Visit http://
be tricky to get right if binoculars are unfamiliar, and it may bit.ly/10_Lessons for our
take several attempts. The Pleiades are unmistakable through 10-step guide to getting
binoculars and make a great reward for all the effort of trying started and http://bit.ly/
to get them in view. First_Tel for advice
www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/shows/stargazing on choosing a scope.

April 2019 BBC Sky at Night Magazine 45

THE BIG THREE
c
The three top sights to observe or image this month

 Apr

PERSEUS
1*& 
25 Apr

2 0 Apr
c
TAURUS o
Mars
k
15 Apr

p
g
10 Apr
Ain
¡ Alcyone
Aldebaran _ 
5 Apr
d
Hyades Pleiades
1 Apr
a
Mars charts a course between
two open clusters, the Pleiades
and Hyades, providing
wonderful opportunities 25 Mar
for astrophotography

started to pull off its standing still trick, it At present, Mars is unable to achieve

DON’T MISS gained altitude as it appeared to shrink.

At present, Mars looks tiny through the
eyepiece, at around 4 arcseconds across. It’s
its highest point in the sky, due south, in
darkness. By the time the sky darkens,
around 22:00 BST (21:00 UT), the planet
also a lot dimmer than it was at opposition, appears 22° up in the west.

Mars and the currently shining at mag. +1.5 compared to

–2.8 at the end of last July. Its characteristic
On 1 April it lies 3.4° south-southeast of
the Pleiades. Mars does not linger and

PLEIADES salmon-pink colour stands out well, though,

and this makes it easy to identify.
This month Mars passes south of the
moves rapidly through Taurus over the
following evenings. On 5 April, look out for
mag. +4.3, 37 Tauri, 0.3° to the north of the
BEST TIME TO SEE: 1–10 April beautiful Pleiades open cluster, M45, in planet as darkness falls. Mars will appear
Taurus, tracking between the Pleiades and midway between Alcyone (Eta (d) Tauri),
Mars is a frustrating planet to Hyades clusters. This presents a great the brightest star in the Pleiades, and Ain
observe. Coming to opposition every opportunity for astrophotography (see (Epsilon (¡) Tauri), the northernmost star in
2.1 years, it is close enough to show a page 76). the main V-shape of the Hyades.
decent disc size for just a few months Mars drifts further from the
around this time. After this the Pleiades as it passes north of the
distance between Earth and Mars Hyades. On the evenings of 8 and
increases and the planet appears to 9 April it is joined by the waxing
shrink through the eyepiece. This crescent Moon, making another great
makes it harder to see surface detail. opportunity for astrophotography.
Following opposition, Mars does a On 12 April, Mars forms a tight
clever trick. It virtually stands still triangle with mag. +4.3 Upsilon (p) and
relative to the horizon at the same +4.2 Kappa (g) Tauri. Both stars are
time of night. The last opposition separated by just over half a degree in
occurred on 27 July 2018, when the sky. On the evening of 18 April it
Mars had an apparent size of 24 passes 20 arcminutes north of mag.
arcseconds but from the UK it was +4.3 Tau (o) Tauri. On 25 and 26 April,
low in altitude, even when at its Þ Comparing the apparent size of Mars from last Mars will pass in front of the sixth
highest point due south. Then, as it opposition (27 July 2018) to how it currently looks (right) magnitude open cluster NGC 1746.

46 BBC Sky at Night Magazine April 2019

Pallas at opposition
BEST TIME TO SEE: All month, with opposition on 10 April

Minor planet 2 Pallas reaches `

opposition on 10 April. At this time
it appears as a mag. +7.9 dot moving l COMA
slowly against the stars of the southern m %(5(1,&(6
part of Boötes, not too far from the bright
star Arcturus (Alpha (_) Bootis).
Pallas is a large asteroid with a mean Izar
¡ 2
diameter of 512km. It takes 4.62 years to 1 May
26 Apr
orbit the Sun at an average distance of
2.8 AU. Interestingly, it was almost 21 Apr
2 Pallas
_
discovered by the French astronomer Diadem
16 Apr
Charles Messier of Messier Catalogue BOÖTES
d Muphrid
Arcturus _
fame. He recorded it on 5 April 1779 on a 11 Apr o
chart used for recording the position of 6 Apr
comet C/1779 A1 Bode. He assumed it p
was a star at the time. It wasn’t until 1801 1 Apr

that Pallas was formally discovered by k /

Giuseppe Piazzi. Ironically, Piazzi thought Þ Minor planet 2 Pallas passes through southern Boötes in April, not far from bright Arcturus
Pallas was a comet.
On 1 April, Pallas appears 5° southwest (Eta (¡) Bootis). At 01:00 BST (00:00 UT) on target. One way to record its movement
of Arcturus. It then follows a path arcing 11 April, Pallas will appear approximately throughout the month is to take a shot
to the northwest. Although it approaches 4 arcminutes northeast of the star. On which covers the southern half of Boötes
the border with Coma Berenices on the night of 29–30 April, Pallas will have over as many nights as possible. Aim
30 April, it doesn’t quite manage to cross moved further to the northwest to lie very for a magnitude depth of at least +9.0.
over into this neighbour of Boötes. close to the mag. +5.7 star 2 Bootis. Using an image editor, align the shots
A good opportunity to locate Pallas Being relatively bright and well located using the stars and layer them. Animating
occurs on the night of 10–11 April when it for viewing from locations all around the between frames will reveal Pallas by virtue
passes very close to mag. +2.7 Muphrid UK makes Pallas a good photographic of its apparent motion among the stars.

Jupiter 4 April, 04:00 BST 23 April, 02:00 BST 30 April, 06:00 BST

moon show Callisto

BEST TIME TO SEE: Early

morning on 4, 23 and 30 April
Io
There are numerous Ganymede
interesting moon events
on Jupiter this month. On the
morning of 4 April, from 02:54 Þ Three interesting Galilean moon transits visible this month (south is up in these diagrams)
BST (01:54 UT) there is an
opportunity to see the shadow training this on Jupiter as Io of Jupiter’s disc. Ganymede’s on 30 April. This is a transit
of inner Galilean moon Io transits. This hot moon shows shadow is especially prominent with a twist through because
crossing Jupiter’s disc. This will up brightly against Jupiter’s and will be fairly easy to see it doesn’t start until 04:40 BST
then be followed by a transit of disc in infrared. – even through a small (03:40 UT) and continues
Io itself starting at 04:05 BST Then, on 23 April, a telescope. At this time the into daylight. Start watching
(03:05 UT). If you have a telescopic view of mag. –2.3 planet will be 7° above the from 04:30 BST (03:30 UT)
planetary imaging setup which Jupiter at 02:10 BST (01:10 UT) southeast horizon. and see how long you can
uses a mono high-frame-rate will show the giant shadow of Finally, there’s a second keep observing Jupiter and
camera and you own an the moon Ganymede sitting chance to spot Ganymede’s Ganymede’s shadow transit
LQIUDUHGSDVVƅOWHULWŝVZRUWK on the north-south centreline immense shadow in transit as the sky brightens.

April 2019 BBC Sky at Night Magazine 47

 THE PLANETS Our celestial neighbourhood in April

do this under relatively dark skies towards

OPHIUCHUS the end of the month, and this will improve
the contrast of any features visible. The bad
6(53(16
CAPUT news is down to the atmosphere. Close to
the horizon, the layer of atmosphere you’re
looking through is thicker than at higher
Moon
6(53(16 2 1 Apr altitude. In addition, it tends to be more
SCUTUM CAUDA WXUEXOHQW DQG WKLV ZLOO FDXVH DQ\ ƅQH
Moon
Moon Moon 2 2 Apr detail to become distorted and blurred.
2 4 Apr 2  Apr
Jupiter While this is irksome for larger
Moon
2 5 Apr
instruments, small telescopes can still
Saturn Antares LIBRA fare well. Unable to reach the high
PDJQLƅFDWLRQV WKDW D ODUJHU WHOHVFRSH
SAGITTARIUS may reach, the effects of the atmosphere
SCORPIUS
DUH OHVV PDJQLƅHG WRR 7KH QHW UHVXOW LV D
smaller, less detailed planet that doesn’t
look so affected by the atmosphere.
S Using a small scope, Jupiter’s oblate
Þ Jupiter outshines Saturn, as it joins its neighbour near the horizon in the morning sky shape should be evident, an effect caused
by this predominantly gaseous body
:H DUH HQWHULQJ D GLIƅFXOW SHULRG IRU WKH rotating once on its axis in just less than
PICK OF THE gas giants in the UK. Saturn 10 hours. Its main atmospheric

MONTH
has been low for what belts should be visible too – in
seems like forever and particular the North Equatorial
Jupiter is joining it. Belt (NEB) and South
During April, Jupiter Equatorial Belt (SEB).
is a dominant Then there are the trusty

Jupiter
Best time to see:
morning object
balancing on the
eastern knee of
Galilean moons. These
are fascinating to watch
as they encircle the planet
30 April, 03:45 BST (02:45 UT) Ophiuchus the and cast their shadows
Altitude: 14° Serpent Bearer. on its atmosphere below.
Location: Ophiuchus From the centre of the Turn to page 47 for details
Direction: South UK it only manages a of a number of Galilean moon
Features: Complex banded atmosphere,
PETE LAWRENCE X 3

maximum altitude of events during April. On

Galilean moons 14° when due south. Þ Viewing details on Jupiter may 23 April an 84%-lit waning
Recommended equipment: The good news is be affected by the thickness gibbous Moon lies 5° to
of our atmosphere
75mm scope or larger that it does manage to the west of the planet.

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

Venus Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune

15 Apr 15 Apr 15 Apr 15 Apr 15 Apr 15 Apr

Mercury
1 Apr

Mercury
15 Apr

Mercury
30 Apr 0” 10” 20” 30” 40” 50” 60”
ARCSECONDS

48 BBC Sky at Night Magazine April 2019

Mercury Location: Taurus
Best time to see: 1 April,
20 minutes before sunrise
Direction: West
Mars spends the month in
JUPITER’S MOONS: APRIL
Altitude: 2° (very low) Taurus moving along a path Using a small scope you can spot Jupiter’s biggest moons. Their
Location: Aquarius southeast of the Pleiades and positions change dramatically during the month, as shown on the
Direction: East north of the Hyades clusters for diagram. The line by each date represents 01:00 BST (00:00 UT).
Mercury isn’t particularly well WKH ƅUVW  GD\V RI $SULO $ WKLQ
12%-lit waxing crescent Moon DATE WEST EAST
placed in the morning sky this
month. At mag. +0.9 on 2 April, sits with Mars, the Pleiades and 1
it appears close to mag. –3.9 Hyades on 8 April – a great
2
Venus and a 9%-lit waning WDUJHW IRU ZLGHƅHOG
crescent Moon. Greatest astrophotography. Having 3
western elongation occurs on increased in phase to 19% on 4
11 April when Mercury is 27.7° the evening of 9 April, the
west of the Sun. At mag. +0.3 Moon’s crescent will sit close to 5
on 15 April, Mercury is just 4.2° Aldebaran (Alpha (_) Tauri), 6
from Venus but again, low providing a second opportunity
altitude doesn’t do it any for a group photo. Telescopically
7
favours. The situation doesn’t Mars is now disappointing: 8
improve throughout April. being distant from Earth, its disc
9
only appears 4 arcseconds
Venus across through the eyepiece. To 10
Best time to see: 1 April, the naked eye Mars dims from
11
30 minutes before sunrise mag. +1.5 to +1.6 over the month.
Altitude: 2° (very low) 12
Location: Aquarius Saturn 13
Direction: East-southeast Best time to see: 30 April,
At mag. –3.9, Venus is hard to 01:00 BST (00:00 UT) 14
miss in the morning twilight. Altitude: 10.5° 15
Despite this, the planet is Location: Sagittarius
edging slowly south of the Direction: Southeast 16
ecliptic and the shallow angle Saturn and Jupiter both grace 17
that this great circle makes with the morning sky. At mag. –2.1,
18
the eastern horizon means that Jupiter outshines its mag. +0.9
its position before sunrise is neighbour. The lengthening 19
compromised. The result is days mean Saturn doesn’t get a
20
Venus rises close to sunrise. At chance to get to its highest
the start of the month, it rises altitude before twilight. Any 21
one hour before the Sun, telescopic views will be 22
dropping to half an hour by compromised. A 67%-lit waning
April's end. A 15%-lit waning gibbous Moon lies 5.8° to the 23
crescent Moon approaches west of Saturn on the morning 24
from the west on 1 April, of 25 April, and 6.7° to the east
appearing 3.4° below Venus on of the planet on the morning of 25
the morning of 2 April when its 26 April, when it’ll be showing a 26
phase will have decreased to 57%-lit waning gibbous phase.
27
9%. On 1 April Venus appears Saturn’s tilt angle is decreasing.
81%-lit and 13 arcseconds Currently it’s the planet’s 28
across. By the end of the northern pole which is tilted
29
month, Venus will then towards us by around 23.6°.
appear 87%-lit and just 30
11 arcseconds across. Not visible this month
31
Uranus, Neptune
Mars 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Best time to see: 1 April, More ONLINE arcminutes
21:00 BST (20:00 UT) Print out observing forms for
Altitude: 29° recording planetary events
Jupiter Io Europa Ganymede Callisto

April 2019 BBC Sky at Night Magazine 49

 THE NIGHT SKY – APRIL
Explore the celestial sphere with our Northern Hemisphere all-sky chart
NO
RT
HE
AS
T

KEY TO When to use this chart neb

De

STAR CHARTS 1 April at 01:00 BST

_
Arcturus STAR NAME 15 April at 00:00 BST

a
30 April at 23:00 BST

or

CY
PERSEUS

th
CONSTELLATION

er

GN
NAME

n
On other dates, stars will be in slightly different positions

S um
US
ros
GALAXY because of Earth’s orbital motion. Stars that cross the

b
s

me
sky will set in the west four minutes earlier each night.

Alb
OPEN CLUSTER

r T
ireo

rian
GLOBULAR
How to use this chart

gle
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b
1. Hold the chart

LY
PLANETARY
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RA
NEBULA

a
_
you’re facing is at

a
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g
Apr

Ve
Pea il Lyrids
DIFFUSE the bottom. k 22
April
NEBULOSITY
2. The lower half

`
of the chart
DOUBLE STAR
shows the sky

M
92
VARIABLE STAR ahead of you.
3. The centre of

EAST
THE MOON, the chart is the
SHOWING PHASE
point directly

d K
over your head.

13

e
COMET TRACK

ys
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on
Sunrise/sunset in April* sal

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b
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ASTEROID Date Sunrise Sunset gu

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1 Apr 2019 06:44 BST 19:45 BST
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11 Apr 2019 06:21 BST 20:03 BST

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STAR-HOPPING

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PATH 21 Apr 2019 05:58 BST 20:21 BST R
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1 May 2019 05:36 BST 20:39 BST b

a _
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METEOR
thi

RADIANT
Moonrise in April*
O
PH
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et
rcl

Moonrise times a
CH
Ci

ASTERISM
`
U

1 Apr 2019, 05:55 BST 17 Apr 2019, 17:31 BST

S

5 Apr 2019, 07:12 BST 21 Apr 2019, 22:59 BST P UT

PLANET 9 Apr 2019, 08:38 BST 25 Apr 2019, 02:12 BST S CA b
13 Apr 2019, 12:01 BST 29 Apr 2019, 04:24 BST EN
RP
QUASAR SE _
*Times correct for the centre of the UK
STAR BRIGHTNESS:
Lunar phases in April
b Op

MAG. 0 M5
& BRIGHTER
h

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

SO

MAG. +1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
UT

MAG. +2
HE

NEW MOON
`
AS

MAG. +3 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
a
T

MAG. +4
LIB

& FAINTER
RA

5º N 15 16 17 18 19 20 21

E W COMPASS AND _
FIELD OF VIEW FULL MOON
CHART: PETE LAWRENCE

22 23 24 25 26 27 28
S

MILKY WAY
29 30

50 BBC Sky at Night Magazine April 2019

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SOUT April 2019 BBC Sky at Night Magazine 51
H
 MOONWATCH April's top lunar feature to observe

dropped between fault lines. They appear to follow

N
Mare Fecunditatis the curvature of the edge of Fecunditatis
concentrically. The most prominent are known as
Type: Lunar sea
Rimae Goclenius, with the most impressive example
Diameter: 600x500km
Longitude/latitude: 53.7º E, 7.8º S extending northwest from Goclenius. Careful
Age: Older than 3.9 billion years examination will show the graben passing diagonally
Best time to see: Four days after new across its entire width.
Moon (8–9 April) and three days after The southern end of Mare Fecunditatis is less
full Moon (21–22 April) ZHOO GHƅQHG EXW GHOLQHDWHG E\ WKH LUUHJXODU NP
Minimum equipment: 10x binoculars crater Vendelinus to the southeast. The 33km crater
Petavius B LQWHUIHUHV ZLWK WKH PDUHŝV ƆRRU ZLWK
additional light ray features spreading west from
Mare Fecunditatis, the Sea of Fertility, is one of the crater.
WKH PDLQ OXQDU VHDV ,W LV D KXJH ODYDƅOOHG LPSDFW Two small yet well-known craters situated in the
basin measuring 600x500km, northwest portion of the mare
FRYHULQJ  VTXDUH
NLORPHWUHV ,Q (DUWK
“The dark, diamond-shaped are Messier and Messier A.
Messier is the smaller of the
equivalents, Mare Fecunditatis
is not dissimilar in area to the
Mare Fecunditatis is visible WZR DW [NP ,W OLHV WR WKH
HDVW RI [NP 0HVVLHU $
Caspian Sea, the largest
enclosed inland body of water
to the naked eye and While Messier has a distinctly
RYDO VKDSH 0HVVLHU $ DSSHDUV
on our planet. The Caspian Sea
PHDVXUHV [NP DQG
easily recognised” more rounded with a double lip
WR WKH ZHVW $ SDLU RI OLJKWHU
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The dark, somewhat diamond-shaped, patch that the western shore of Fecunditatis. Under high
represents Mare Fecunditatis is visible to the naked illumination two further sprays of lighter material can
eye and easily recognised as it marks the southeast be seen heading north and south of Messier for quite
end of a progression of large lunar seas running from some distance.
Mare Serenitatis, through Mare Tranquillitatis and
LQWR )HFXQGLWDWLV ,W DOVR OLHV VRXWK RIWKHGLVWLQFWLYH The lunar sea Mare Fecunditatis
oval sea known as Mare Crisium. Taurantius
is comparable in size to
Being large, it’s not surprising that there are many the Caspian Sea
Secchi
interesting features that lie within and border the
sea. The surface of Fecunditatis is dark with lighter Montes Secchi
streaks. One major source of these streaks is the Messier A
Sinus Successus
LPSUHVVLYH NP FUDWHU Langrenus, which sits on Messier
WKH HDVWHUQ HGJH RI WKH PDUH (MHFWD UD\V FDQ EH
seen crossing a large portion of Fecunditatis, Gutenberg Naonobu
especially under high illumination in the southern MARE FECUNDITATIS
part of the mare. Rimae Goclenius Bilharz
$ GLVWLQFWLYH WULSOHW RI VPDOOHU FUDWHUV OLHV WR WKH
Goclenius
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Langrenus
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Fecunditatis has an irregular bay towards the north.
7KLV LV WKH NP Sinus Successus. The edge of the Vendelinus
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northwest toward 56km Taurantius.
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Secchi ZLWK WKH NP FUDWHU 6HFFKL HPEHGGHG
Petavius
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PETE LAWRENCE X 5

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western edge is interesting because it contains a
number of bow-shaped rilles. These are mostly
grabens – regions of the lunar surface that have

52 BBC Sky at Night Magazine April 2019

COMETS AND ASTEROIDS
Look to Corvus to catch stony 7 Iris, the fourth brightest object in the asteroid belt
$VWHURLG  ,ULV UHDFKHV RSSRVLWLRQ RQ S-type asteroid, which means its ,ULV WDNHV  \HDUV WR FRPSHWH RQH RUELW
 $SULO LQ WKH QRUWKHUQ UHJLRQV RI &RUYXV composition is mineralogical or stony. DURXQG WKH 6XQ $W DSKHOLRQ LW LV  $8
DSSUR[LPDWHO\ p WR WKH VRXWKHDVW RI WKH 6XFK ERGLHV DUH UHODWLYHO\ EULJKW DQG ,ULV LV from the Sun, a distance that diminishes
PDJ  HGJHRQ VSLUDO JDOD[\ 0 WKH the fourth brightest asteroid in the main WR  $8 DW SHULKHOLRQ ,WV PHDQ GLVWDQFH
6RPEUHUR *DOD[\ ,ULV ZLOO VKLQH DW PDJ  EHOW $V RSSRVLWLRQV JR WKLV RQH LV LV  $8 ,ULV LV D VL]HDEOH REMHFW ZLWK
IURP  WR  $SULO VORZO\ GLPPLQJ WR  E\ relatively poor and well below its mean GLPHQVLRQV RI [[NP $OEHGR
the end of the month. This places it within RSSRVLWLRQPDJQLWXGHRI PHDVXUHPHQWV VKRZ D SHULRGLF ƆXFWXDWLRQ
easy reach of a small suggesting that its nickel-
s
WHOHVFRSH $W RSSRVLWLRQ ,ULV iron, magnesium and iron-
ZLOO EH  $8 IURP (DUWK 26 Apr silicate surface is brighter in
VIRGO
Throughout the month it 7 Iris the northern hemisphere.
21 Apr
slowly creeps towards the M104 7KH VKDSH RI ,ULV ZDV
16 Apr
northwest passing across 11 Apr
investigated using Doppler
the border from Corvus and UDGDU YLD WKH $UHFLER UDGLR
6 Apr
LQWR 9LUJR RQ  $SULO telescope in Puerto Rico in
,ULV ZDV GLVFRYHUHG E\ WKH 1 Apr
 7KLV LQYHVWLJDWHG
(QJOLVK DVWURQRPHU -RKQ the asteroid’s high southern
5XVVHOO +LQG RQ  $XJXVW latitudes and showed a
 ,W LV D PDLQ EHOW complex surface with three
asteroid, one of many d
roughly 50km diameter
b Algorab
hundreds of thousands of CORVUS concave features,
such bodies which orbit the The path of asteroid presumably impact craters,
7 Iris as it moves through
Sun between Mars and a virtually equally spaced
Corvus in April Gienah
-XSLWHU,WŝVDVLOLFHRXVRU around the southern pole.

STAR OF THE MONTH

24 Comae This is a beautiful pair of
COMA
stars, formed from a yellow-
Berenices, spring’s RUDQJH . PDJ  SULPDU\
%(5(1,&(6
a
hidden treasure VHSDUDWHG E\ D OLWWOH RYHU  `

14

15
arcseconds from a blue-white, 4
 12
Located in a rather tricky part $ PDJ  VHFRQGDU\ 7KH 21U 
of the sky to navigate, SRVLWLRQ DQJOH LV DERXW p 18

just south of the open cluster 7KH SULPDU\ LV  OLJKW\HDUV Melotte 111 

0HORWWH  WKHUH DUH D FRXSOH DZD\ ZLWK WKH VHFRQGDU\ 
20
 5
RI ZD\V WR ƅQG WKH VWXQQLQJ lightyears away, making this an
GRXEOH VWDU  &RPDH optical line of sight double star LEO
24 11
%HUHQLFHV ,PDJLQH WKH PLG rather than a true binary. Diadem
_
point between Denebola (Beta $ VPDOO WHOHVFRSH ZLOO VKRZ
Denebola
(` /HRQLV DQG 'LDGHP $OSKD them, but mid to large 

(_) Comae Berenices). Nudge apertures are required to make

slightly towards Diadem and their colours stand out. The Þ The double star’s gem-like colours make a wonderful contrast
ORRN p WR WKH QRUWK WR ORFDWH contrast between both stars’
 &RPDH ,W FDQ DOVR EH IRXQG colours is what makes the view draws further comparison Berenices is often described as
two-thirds of the way between so sublime, each providing a with that heavenly gem, ŜVSULQJŝV $OELUHRŝ ,WŝV TXLWH VLPLODU
Porrima (Gamma (a) Virginis basis for comparison with the $OELUHR %HWD `) Cygni), the LQ DSSHDUDQFH WR $OELUHR DOEHLW
– not shown) and Gamma other. Their yellow-orange and jewel in summer’s crown. dimmer and with slightly less
Comae Berenices. blue-white colour combination $VDFRQVHTXHQFH&RPDH colour contrast.

April 2019 BBC Sky at Night Magazine 53

 BINOCULAR TOUR With Stephen Tonkin

Two celestial poles, and double and triple stars are among April’s wide-field highlights
4

6 g

Thuban
_

URSA ` Kochab
1 0,125
2
RR '5$&2
Polaris
a
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c Pherkad f Ed Asich
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p
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b Secundus

1 Polaris ‘engagement ring’ 3 Kappa Dra group 5 Kemble 2

We binocular observers have an advantage An attractive line of coloured stars, the 7R ƅQG WKLV PLQL &DVVLRSHLDOLNH DVWHULVP
here: our wide field of view reveals that brightest of which is blue-white Kappa (g) ƅUVW ORFDWH &KL r) Draconis. In the same
Polaris (Alpha (_) Ursae Minoris) blazes like Draconis which is more than 500 times as ƅHOG RI YLHZ p WRZDUGV $OVDƅ 6LJPD m)
the solitaire diamond in a kinked ovoid ring luminous as the Sun. To the north are two Draconis), you’ll see a triangle of 7th-
of 8th and 9th-magnitude stars. Notice orange (spectral type K) stars; the brighter magnitude stars. Either side of the star at
that the kink is a star that is slightly one is 6 Draconis, a little more than half as the apex nearest Tau (o) Draconis you will
displaced towards Polaris. The next star luminous as g Dra. The line’s most southerly see a pair of fainter stars that complete a
anticlockwise on the ring gives us a more star is ruddy 4 Draconis, a long-period trapezium of which the triangle is a part,
precise way of locating the North Celestial pulsating variable (mag. +4.9 to +5.0) that forming a ‘W’ with fainter tips. † SEEN IT
Pole (NCP), which is the same distance from has a similar luminosity to 6 Dra. † SEEN IT
Polaris on the opposite side. † SEEN IT 6 NGC 6543
4 Ed Asich starfield NGC 6543, the Cat’s Eye Nebula, marks the
2 Guardians of the Pole Ed Asich is not an obscure astronomer, but position of the North Ecliptic Pole, that point
The next brightest stars in Ursa Minor are one of the names of Iota (f) Draconis. Just on the northern celestial hemisphere that
the southernmost stars of the Little Dipper to the north of it is a poleward-pointing is always the same angular distance from
asterism, orange Kochab (Beta (`) Ursae group of 6th- and 7th-magnitude stars that the Sun – the centre of the circle that the
Minoris) and brilliant white Pherkad extends for about 3°. Spend some time NCP makes in its precessionary cycle. NGC
(Gamma (a) Ursae Minoris), traditionally examining it and you’ll be rewarded: there 6543 is offset a degree towards Aldhibah
PETE LAWRENCE X 3

designated the ‘Guardians of the Pole’. are several binocular double and triple stars, from the centre of a line joining Nodus
Pherkad is an easy double with 5th- and colours ranging from orange to blue. Secundus (Delta (b) Draconis) to Aldhibah
magnitude pale orange Pherkad Minor Go north towards Pherkad, where you will (Zeta (c) Draconis). † SEEN IT
(Gamma-1 (a1) Ursae Minoris), 17 arcminutes ƅQG DQRWKHU JURXS RI VWDUV WKDW LQFOXGHV
to the west. † SEEN IT the orange-red RR Umi. † SEEN IT  Tick the box when you’ve seen each one

54 BBC Sky at Night Magazine April 2019

THE SKY GUIDE CHALLENGE
This month we are hunting for quasars, objects from the dim and distant past

A 7<&  PDJ 

B 7<& PDJ 16 B
D

A C
1
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B : E

S 1

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D 7<&  PDJ 
Zaniah

d
If you succeed and this gives you a taste

a Porrima
VIRGO
for quasar hunting, we would recommend
taking a look at the Catalogue of Bright
Quasars and BL Lacertae Objects at www.
klima-luft.de/steinicke/KHQ/khq_e.htm.
This resource lists many other objects as
ZHOO DV TXDVDUV 7KH TXDVDUV DUH LGHQWLƅHG
Þ 7KH ƅUVW WDVN LV WR ORFDWH WKH VWDUV ODEHOOHG $ DQG % DERYH LQ 9LUJR 1H[WORRNRXW IRU in the table by the abbreviation QSO.
VWDUV&DQG' ULJKW WRIRUPDULJKWDQJOHGWULDQJOHZLWKTXDVDU& Distances are listed in terms of redshift
(z). This value is a way of determining an
A favourite question of quizmasters is an object known as a quasar. A quasar is a object's distance at cosmological scales.
“What’s the furthest object that you can distant star-like object, the name quasar Redshift indicates how much an object’s
see with the naked eye?”. The answer being a contraction spectrum has been
invariably given is the Andromeda Galaxy,
M31, which – at 2.5 million lightyears away
of ‘quasi-stellar’,
meaning ‘star-like’.
“The light from shifted towards
the red end of
– is impressively distant. However, as with
many things in astronomy, there are
They are believed
to be extremely
quasar 3C 273 the spectrum, a
consequence of
instances where this might be beaten.
Under very dark skies, the Triangulum
luminous active
galactic nuclei,
set off 2.4 billion the speed it is
moving away from
Galaxy, M33, may be seen. Its distance is
less certain, quoted as 2.4–3.1 million
possibly powered
by a super-massive
years ago – roughly us. Redshift is given
as v÷c where v is the
lightyears, but at the latter value it would
easily beat M31. There have even been
black hole.
Most are pretty
half the age velocity (km/s) and
c the speed of light
claims that the galaxies M81 and M82 in
Ursa Major have been seen from
faint, but there are a
number which are
of our Sun.” (299,792km/s). Once
you have worked
exceptional sites at high altitude. At a within the visual range of amateur out redshift, you can work out the distance
distance of 11.7 million lightyears, these telescopes. A classic example visible at of the object in megaparsecs (Mpc) using
would be hard to beat. this time of year is 3C 273, located in the formula v÷Hƽ where Hƽ is the Hubble
So what about with a telescope? Here 9LUJR 7KLV LV RQH RI WKH ƅUVW TXDVDUV Constant (the unit of measurement for
things get much more complex, as different LGHQWLƅHG DV VXFK DQG VKLQHV DZD\ DW describing the expansion of the Universe).
sizes of telescope have different light-grasp mag. +12.9. If you manage to locate it, the A precise value for the Hubble Constant
capabilities. Combined with variable sky light from this object set off 2.4 billion hasn't been settled on, but a value of
conditions, looking for distant targets can years ago – roughly half the age of our 67km/s/Mpc can be assumed. Rearranging
produce markedly different results. One of 6XQ 8VH RXU ƅQGHU FKDUW DQGVHHLI\RX these formulae allows us to determine
the best targets for this kind of exercise is FDQƅQG&YLVXDOO\ distance from redshift as zc÷Hƽ.

April 2019 BBC Sky at Night Magazine 55

 DEEP-SKY TOUR From globular clusters in Hercules, to the
Cat’s Eye Nebula and remote Draco galaxies

1 M92 distance again. It’s faint because it appears large

Messier 92 is a mag. +6.4 globular at 36x25 arcminutes. This gives it a low
cluster in northern Hercules. surface brightness, less than its mag.
It can be found using the Keystone +10.9 would suggest. This is a
asterism. Draw a line from Zeta (c) satellite of our Milky Way and, as
Herculis in the southeast corner such, is part of the Local Group
of the pattern through the of galaxies. † SEEN IT
mid-point of the Keystone’s
top edge. Keep going a 4 NGC 6543
fraction less than the NGC 6543 is
same distance again to a lot easier
arrive at M92. An obvious to see, a mag. +8.1
comparison is with the planetary nebula known
famous Great Globular as the Cat’s Eye Nebula.
in Hercules, M13. M92, It’s located 3° west-
however, shows greater northwest of mag. +4.8
overall concentration. It 42 Draconis. A 150mm
transitions smoothly from instrument shows it clearly
faint outer stars, rising in but is unlikely to reveal
brightness to its core. M92 any detail other than its
appears 9x6 arcminutes in size elongated nature. A 250mm
through a 250mm scope, instrument hints at asymmetry
ƆDWWHQHG DORQJ WKH VRXWKHDVW in its form. It appears elongated
edge. While a 150mm scope resolves north-northeast to south-southwest
the outer stars, anything above 300mm and stubbier in the north. The southern
should resolve everything. † SEEN IT elongation appears to taper off to more of
a point. A faint outer halo, about 20 arcseconds
2 NGC 6229 across, surrounds a brighter inner region. A 300mm
NGC 6229 is another globular cluster in Þ NGC 6543, also scope reveals inner detail, including the delicate arcs
known as the Cat’s
Hercules. It lies 7° northwest of M92, just east of material visible within the core. † SEEN IT
Eye Nebula, is 3,300
of the mid-point joining 42 and 52 Herculis. Although lightyears from
NGC 6229 is a globular cluster, its appearance is very Earth. A 300mm 5 NGC 6503
different to M92. It’s fainter at mag. +9.4 and much scope will pick out Next is a mag. +10.2 galaxy known as NGC
smaller. Its core stands out well with a 200mm the inner detail 6503. It lies 1.7° to the northeast of mag. +4.8
MARTIN RUSTERHOLZ/CCDGUIDE.COM, CHART BY PETE LAWRENCE

instrument. Averted vision should bring out some of the Omega (t) Draconis. This is a dwarf spiral galaxy
RXWHU KDOR WRR DW [ PDJQLƅFDWLRQ $ PP VFRSH FODVVLƅFDWLRQ 6$ V FG ORFDWHG DW D GLVWDQFH RI 
shows an object fractionally smaller than an arcminute million lightyears. It’s estimated to be 30,000 lightyears
in size which exhibits an unconvincingly resolved across and appears tilted almost edge-on to us.
appearance. This is echoed with a 300mm scope, the Unlike the Draco Dwarf, NGC 6503 has a high surface
granular texture of the globular being obvious but with brightness and can be seen through a 150mm
no distinct star resolution. † SEEN IT telescope as an elongated patch of light with a bright
centre and an apparent size of 3.0x0.8 arcminutes.
3 Draco Dwarf Large instruments show the core to be offset and
Seeing the Draco Dwarf is a deep-sky challenge, inclined differently to the outer halo. † SEEN IT
as it requires a large aperture and very dark skies.
If this isn’t within your grasp visually it makes a good 6 NGC 6340
photographic challenge too. The area containing this NGC 6340 is another galaxy in Draco and is a
low surface brightness spheroidal galaxy can be found small, faint object listed at mag. +11.0. It sits
by extending a line from Iota (f) Herculis through 2.5° to the west of Psi (s) Draconis. NGC 6340 can
Rastaban (Beta (`) Draconis) for about 90% of that be detected with smaller instruments but without
much detail. A mag. +11.2 star sits 2 arcminutes to
More the northwest of the galaxy, itself accompanied by a
This Deep-Sky Tour has been automated ONLINE mag. +12.8 star nearby. A 250mm instrument reveals
ASCOM-enabled Go-To mounts can now Print out this the galaxy’s bright elongated central core. A 300mm
take you to this month’s targets at the chart and take an
scope hints at arms wrapped around the bright but
touch of a button, with our Deep-Sky Tour automated Go-To
tour. See page 5 non-stellar nucleus. The wide oval shape of the galaxy
ƅOHIRUWKH(47285DSS)LQG LW RQOLQH for instructions. is plain to see. † SEEN IT

56 BBC Sky at Night Magazine April 2019

 W
NGC 6015
16h00m

+70º
+60º
+50º
17h e

N
0 m
NGC 6140

2º
6 16h00m
NGC 6340 d Aldh bain

5º
18

E
q
8h
DRACO
00 Nodus I
m s o
c
r 27
NGC 6503 t
5 42
q 4 3
NGC 6543 Draco Dwarf
NGC 6229
(PGC 60095) Alrak s
+ 2
0º 52
+

1 9h
0 0
42 36
i1
i2 17
Altais ` 0m
b Grumium Rast ban
j
1
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º
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Eltanin
a HERCULES
f

19
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0
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0
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º
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m
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+
+4
 AT A GLANCE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
How the Sky Guide events will appear in April
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 01
M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W

The Moon

Mercury

Venus

Mars

Jupiter

Saturn

Uranus SC

Neptune

1 Apr: Mars near the Pleiades in the

early evening sky April Lyrid
meteor shower
2 Apr: Mercury, Venus and a 9%
Calendar lit waning crescent Moon appear 25 Apr: 67% lit
highlights close in the morning twilight waning gibbous
Moon near
9 Apr: 20% lit waning crescent Moon sits Saturn in the
near Aldebaran in the evening sky morning sky

Moonwatch

Deep-Sky Tour

Mars and the Pleiades (p46)

The Big Three OP Pallas at opposition (p47)

Jupiter moon show (p47)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S

KEY
Observability Inferior conjunction Full Moon
IC
(Mercury & Venus only)
Optimal Poor
CHART BY PETE LAWRENCE

SC Superior conjunction First

Best viewed quarter
Morning Daytime Evening Night OP Planet at opposition Last
twilight twilight quarter
Meteor radiant peak
Sky brightness
New Moon
during lunar phases Planets in conjunction
'DUN ƅUVW Light (full Dark (last Total darkness
quarter) Moon) quarter) (new Moon)

58 BBC Sky at Night Magazine April 2019

 a big impact in any room

Spectacular wall art from astro photographer Chris Baker.

See the exciting new pricing and images!
Available as frameless acrylic or framed and backlit up to 1.2 metres wide. All limited editions.

www.galaxyonglass.com | chris@galaxyonglass.com
Or call Chris now on 07814 181647
 EXPLAINER
The fundamentals of astronomy for beginners

Fighting light pollution

Take action to stop unwanted glare affecting your stargazing

The constant glow of

light pollution drowns
out the beauty of
dark skies for many

A
truly dark sky is breathtaking, Under the Clean Neighbourhoods and
but the sad reality is that few of (QYLURQPHQW $FW  DQ\ DUWLƅFLDO OLJKW
us have easy access to such skies, as may be reported if it is considered
RXU QLJKWV JORZ ZLWK WKH UHƆHFWHG “prejudicial to health or a nuisance”.
light of thousands of streetlamps. Knowing you have the law on your side is
Astronomers have long been important, but this should be a last resort only Þ Millions turn
ISTOCK X 2, ANDREW WHYTE, STEVE MARSH, DAVID GEE/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

advocating for darker skies and for a reduction in if you’ve explored all other avenues. off their lights for
light pollution. Other voices have recently been Earth Hour, but you
added to ours, with environmentalists, ecologists and Arm yourself with info can help to make
healthcare professionals recognising the importance First and foremost, it’s about education. Educate your local skies
permanently darker
of a natural day–night cycle that includes darkness. yourself in the various forms of light pollution and
Around the British Isles, protected Dark Sky Parks then spread the word in your community about the
(www.darkskydiscovery.org.uk) are springing up in EHQHƅWV RI GDUN VNLHV 6WDUW ZLWK \RXU ORFDO DPDWHXU
places where great efforts have been made to astronomy society, and work to identify the places in
combat skyglow. But while these sanctuaries of and around your community that are best for
darkness are valuable and important, they are not stargazing. Keep an eye open for developments that
always convenient places to visit. might threaten those darker sites. It’s easier to raise
So what can be done in our local streets and parks awareness of good street lighting at the planning
to help reduce light pollution? Are there practical stage than it is to seek improvements after bad
steps we can take to make our local skies darker? lighting has been installed.
Luckily, excessively bright light at night is covered Learn to muster your arguments, and make sure
as a statutory nuisance in the same way as noise. you have evidence to back them up. If you attend

60 BBC Sky at Night Magazine April 2019

 Three types of light pollution
SKYGLOW LIGHT TRESPASS GLARE
Familiar to all urban stargazers, this This could be a streetlight shining into Bright light sources can spoil your
is the glow from streetlights reflected your bedroom or a neighbour’s security night vision – annoying for stargazers,
back down to Earth, drowning out light coming on: light from any source but also dangerous, as it can dazzle
light from fainter stars. that shines where it’s not wanted. drivers and cause accidents.

public consultations and present this information While local examples of poor lighting can be
clearly to developers, you might be surprised how addressed to the individuals or businesses
receptive they are. The British Astronomical responsible, skyglow is best tackled at the council
Association’s Commission for Dark Skies has a level. Councils are legally obliged to consult on their
fantastic online resource of evidence to back up your local development plans; in conversation with council
assertions (www.britastro.org/dark-skies). planners and lighting engineers you should stress the
Another great way to get the message across is need for less wasteful lights that have zero ‘upward’
Steve Owens is to work with your local community council and light. Developers or planners may not listen to
a dark skies amateur astronomy society to put on public astronomers complaining about vanishing stars, but
campaigner,
stargazing events. Such events help bring your they will pay attention when you explain that
On Tour Manager
community together, and they are platforms where night-sky-friendly lighting is cheaper, produces less
at Glasgow Science
Centre and author you can raise the issues of local light pollution. Most carbon dioxide, is better for wildlife and for human
of Stargazing people are oblivious to bad lighting, and a little health, and is safer.
for Dummies gentle education can go a long way. Cite examples of councils that have already
Larger stargazing addressed skyglow by installing night-sky-friendly
events may even have streetlights. Dumfries and Galloway Council and
Get your a demonstrable Northumberland County Council have both
council to
HFRQRPLF EHQHƅW WR XQGHUWDNHQ D UHƅW RI DOO RI WKHLU ROG XQVKLHOGHG
consider
night-sky- your community. streetlights and replaced them with zero upward
friendly LED Galloway Forest and light LEDs.
streetlights Northumberland It’s no coincidence that these councils are near
National Park – both two of the UK’s Dark Sky Parks, and while the initial
protected Dark Sky impetus might have come from astronomers
Parks – have shown promoting off-season tourism, the reality of lower
that astronomy HQHUJ\ ELOOV DQG FDUERQ HPLVVLRQV PDGH WKHVHUHƅWV
tourism is an even more appealing to council planners.
important economic :KHQ VWUXJJOLQJ WR ƅQG VRPHZKHUH WR VWDUJD]H
driver in rural areas, that’s free from glare or skyglow, it can often feel like
and their local ZHŝUH ƅJKWLQJ D ORVLQJ EDWWOH DJDLQVW OLJKW SROOXWLRQ
councils have adopted But with public interest in astronomy skyrocketing
lighting policy that thanks to recent eclipses and space missions, plus
further protects their programmes like the BBC’s Stargazing Live, and with
valuable dark councils looking for ways to spend their money more
sky asset. HIƅFLHQWO\WKHWLGHPLJKWEHƅQDOO\WXUQLQJ

April 2019 BBC Sky at Night Magazine 61

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 A 46-pane lunar mosaic
taken with a high-frame-
rate Imaging Source
DMK21AUG618.AS CCD
camera and an 8-inch
Schmidt-Cassegrain scope

Banish
THE BLUR
An introduction to imaging the Solar System
Will Gater explains how high-frame-rate
imaging can help you perfect your
photos of the Moon and planets
WILL GATER

>

April 2019 BBC Sky at Night Magazine 63

 W
hile observing the bright Þ A single frame frame-rate (HFR) imaging. And though cameras
planets or surface of the from an AVI (Audio today are much more advanced, the basic principles
Moon through a telescope, Video Interleave) and methods haven’t changed.
you’ll have witnessed ƅOH OHIW DQG WKH
– without question – that SURFHVVHG ƅQDO
image comprised
The kit you’ll need
rather than being perfectly Any good-quality telescope can be used for this
RI KXQGUHGV RI
still, the scene dances on the spot, with constant stacked frames type of work, but because of their inherently long
undulations that blur the view. And if you’re lucky, IURP WKH VDPH focal lengths and favourable aperture-to-price
you’ll have caught those odd moments when the $9, ULJKW ratio, most lunar and planetary imagers tend to
view seemingly snaps into focus for a split second, gravitate towards using larger Schmidt-Cassegrain
before continuing to jump to and fro. or Newtonian-style telescopes. A larger aperture
What you’re seeing are the distorting effects of instrument has the ability to resolve more detail and
the atmosphere. As the light from the Moon and collect more light, which reduces the need to
planets, and indeed all celestial objects, passes electronically amplify the image brightness,
through the air above us, it’s refracted by myriad potentially introducing degrading noise (unwanted
different regions of moving air, the combined effect LPDJH DUWHIDFWV LQWR WKH ƅQDO VKRW
being a jittering and blurring image at the eyepiece. þ $ 6FKPLGW :KLOH WKH KLJK PDJQLƅFDWLRQV DQG VPDOO ƅHOGV
Cassegrain
Astronomers refer to the state of these distortions of view of these telescopes are less suited to
telescope paired
as the ‘seeing’ conditions. ZLWK D KLJKIUDPH ZLGHƅHOG GHHSVN\ LPDJLQJ LWŝV LGHDO IRU +)5
A few decades ago, if you wanted to take a rate (HFR) camera imaging. That’s largely because, even at their
high-resolution lunar or planetary still image you’d can produce greatest angular diameter, the planets and lunar
have had to hope that these seeing conditions exceptionally features appear very small on the sky; so a telescope
weren’t too turbulent so the blurring would be VKDUSLPDJHV WKDWJLYHVDQDUURZFORVHXSƅHOGRIYLHZDQGD
minimal. That all started to change for us amateurs
around the turn of the millennium, when back garden
astrophotographers began adapting webcams for
use with telescopes. These off-the-shelf cameras
could take the place of an eyepiece, and be used with
capture software to create detailed pictures of the
planets and the lunar surface.
Instead of taking still images, the webcams
recorded short videos which could then be analysed
by free astronomical software that sorted through
WILL GATER X 7, STEVE MARSH, PAUL WHITFIELD

the hundreds, if not thousands, of individual frames

captured in the video. The frames with the sharpest
views taken during those rare moments of good
seeing could then be combined into one high-quality
still image, which could be sharpened and processed
even further.
Professional astronomers sometimes refer to this
technique as ‘lucky imaging’, though in amateur
circles it’s more commonly known today as high-

64 BBC Sky at Night Magazine April 2019

 > $OWKRXJK PRVW
+)5 FDPHUDV KDYH
very small sensor
FKLSV WKHVH ZRUN
well alongside
WHOHVFRSHV ZLWK D
QDUURZƅHOGRIYLHZ

camera with a relatively small sensor chip (as

most basic high-frame-rate cameras have) are
a good match.
In fact, many of us lunar and planetary < 7KH DXWKRUŝV LPDJHV RI -XSLWHU DQG 6DWXUQ
imagers have spent years happily using ZHUH FDSWXUHG ZLWK D &&' FDPHUD SDLUHG
high-frame-rate cameras that have sensors ZLWK 5*% UHG JUHHQ DQG EOXH ƅOWHUV DQG
measuring only 640 by 480 pixels. This is DQLQFK6FKPLGW&DVVHJUDLQWHOHVFRSH
SHUIHFWO\ VXIƅFLHQW IRU PRVW SODQHWDU\
imaging and if you wanted to capture a The impressive frame rates attainable
wider area of the lunar surface, for example, by modern high-frame-rate cameras are
you’d simply create a mosaic by overlapping great for capturing those all-important
frames and stitching them together in instances of good seeing, but they do
image-editing software. highlight another equipment requirement
High-frame-rate camera technology has of this technique: a computer with enough
advanced tremendously, so there are now computing power and input ports to receive
models available with not only lower DQG UHFRUG WKH ODUJH ƆRZ RI GDWD IURP
inherent noise in their images but with much the camera. Your camera manufacturer or
larger sensors too, increasing the area of the retailer will be best able to advise on the
lunar surface captured in one video. With requirements for your particular model.
cameras like this you don’t have to image a If you’re just starting out in high-frame-
planet without unnecessarily capturing rate lunar and planetary imaging you’ll
masses of empty black space: you can simply also want to invest in some way of storing all the
programme the camera to only record a small region data produced by your camera. It’s not unusual to
ZLWKLQ WKH ODUJHU ƅHOG RI YLHZ DW UDWHV RISHUKDSV capture tens, if not hundreds, of gigabytes of data in
several hundred frames per second. a single imaging session, so we personally favour a >

A typical high-frame-rate imaging setup

Four essential pieces of equipment that you’ll need for obtaining sharp views of the Moon and planets

Imaging telescope High-frame-rate camera Computer running Portable external

Most high-resolution, The cameras used for HFR capture software hard drive
high-frame-rate (HFR) lunar and planetary imaging Some imagers use a laptop to An external hard drive is a
imaging of the Moon and tend to be smaller than DSLRs run their software ‘in the field’ handy and efficient way to
planets is done using and other astronomical and move to a desktop for store and archive the large
Schmidt-Cassegrain (as CCDs. They take the place image processing. If you’re volumes of data that are
shown above) or Newtonian of the telescope’s eyepiece running a laptop outside, be created by your high-frame-
telescopes. Alternatively, and connect via a short, sure to protect it from the rate imaging sessions.
excellent high-resolution 1.25-inch diameter nosepiece elements and use a certified A 2TB external hard drive
images can also be obtained that fits into the eyepiece RCD circuit-breaker device can be purchased online
with large refractors. adaptor or filter wheel. along with the power supply. for around £60–70.

April 2019 BBC Sky at Night Magazine 65

 > portable external hard drive to store the data from 3RZHUPDWH DQG ZDQW WR LQFUHDVH WKH PDJQLƅFDWLRQ
our capture software. If your camera doesn’t come of your setup to get a bigger image of a planetary
with its own, there are capture programs available disc or lunar feature now’s the time to securely attach
online to choose from. it to the camera, before putting them both in the
eyepiece holder.
WILL GATER X 4, WWW.FIRECAPTURE.DE, PETE LAWRENCE

Getting started Once you’ve got the scope tracking the object
7KH ƅUVW WDVN ZKHQ LPDJLQJ WKH 0RRQ DQG SODQHWV \RXŝUH LQWHQGLQJ WR LPDJH DQG WKH KLJKIUDPHUDWH
is to set up your telescope on its mount, and get the camera in place, the next big job is to focus the view Will Gater is an
latter tracking as accurately as possible. This may and set the exposure. astronomy writer
mean, for example, that when imaging the Moon you To achieve a satisfactory image brightness, aim and presenter.
set the mount’s tracking rate to the lunar rate and WR LQFUHDVH WKH H[SRVXUH OHQJWK RI WKH FDPHUD ƅUVW Follow him on
Twitter at
not the sidereal rate – the rate at which the stars before resorting to tweaking the ‘gain’ setting – how
@willgater or
move across the sky. You’ll also want to check that HOHFWURQLFDOO\ DPSOLƅHG WKH LPDJH EULJKWQHVV LV
visit willgater.com
your telescope is well collimated, as poorly aligned – as increasing the latter can introduce unwanted
RSWLFV FDQ VHULRXVO\ UHGXFH WKH DPRXQW RI ƅQH GHWDLO noise. Be careful, though, not to use such a long
LQ \RXUƅQDOLPDJHV,I\RXKDYHD%DUORZOHQVRU exposure length that the camera can’t actually shoot

Software links
For HFR imaging you’ll need capture software, a program to stack and sharpen images and one to add finishing touches

Capture Video analysis Image editing

software and stacking software

SharpCap RegiStax Photoshop

www.sharpcap.co.uk www.astronomie.be/registax www.adobe.com/photoshop

FireCapture AutoStakkert! GIMP

www.firecapture.de www.autostakkert.com www.gimp.org

66 BBC Sky at Night Magazine April 2019

 A lunar mosaic showing craters Clavius, Blanacus and
Moretus, created by stitching together images
in image-editing software. Several thousand frames
have been combined to make each image

1
at high frame rates. For JUHHQ DQG EOXH ƅOWHUVŚLI\RXZDQWWRSURGXFHD
example, if you’re shooting IXOOFRORXU LPDJH
at 1/60th of a second you
won’t be able to achieve a Processing your results
frame rate that is better than 3URFHVVLQJ EHJLQV E\ RSHQLQJ WKH $9, YLGHR ƅOH LQ
around 60fps. software such as RegiStax or AutoStakkert!. The next
When focusing on the steps vary from program to program, but essentially
Moon’s surface, it’s useful to the software is used to analyse the quality of the
ƅUVW ƅQG D KLJKFRQWUDVW DUHD frames in the video and align them with one another.
like the terminator, or a <RX FDQ WKHQ VHOHFW KRZ PDQ\ RI WKH EHVWTXDOLW\
2 partially shadowed crater to frames you want to stack and the program will
focus on before moving to your combine them together into a kind of ‘super’ image.
intended target. For Jupiter, the RegiStax has a wavelet tool that can really help a
Galilean moons make very lunar or planetary shot come to life. This is essentially
handy focusing aides as you DQ DGYDQFHG VKDUSHQLQJ ƅOWHU WKDW FDQ EULQJ RXW
can try to make them as small subtle details hidden in the ‘raw’ image made from the
as possible. Whatever you’re aligned and stacked video frames. On the tool you’ll see
imaging, spend a good amount six sliders that can be used to increase the sharpening
of time tweaking the focus applied to the image, with the upper ones working more
back and forth, waiting for RQ ƅQH GHWDLOV LQ WKH SLFWXUH 7R HQKDQFH \RXU LPDJH
3
moments of better seeing move the sliders to the right carefully in small steps.
to establish how well you’re 0DNH VXUH QRW WR FUHDWH DQ RYHUSURFHVVHG ORRN ZKHUH
doing. Now you can start WKH VKDGRZV ORRN QRLV\ DQG WKHUH DUH KDUG KLJK
capturing your short videos. FRQWUDVW HGJHV WR ƅQH GHWDLOV Ś OLNH FORXGEDQG IHDWXUHV
These are recorded in the the periphery of Saturn’s rings and lunar crater rims.
AVI (Audio Video Interleaved) Once you’re happy with the shot, you can save it as
format and are what you’ll D 31* RU 7,)) DQG WKHQ PDNH DQ\ ƅQDO HQKDQFHPHQWV
feed into image processing in image editing software like Photoshop or GIMP.
software later. You’d also use programs like this to combine the three
Most good capture software LQGLYLGXDO FRORXU ƅOWHU LPDJHV LI \RX ZHUH LPDJLQJWKH
Þ The power will tell you how many frames have been recorded SODQHWV ZLWK D PRQRFKURPHVHQVRU FDPHUD
of stacking: during the capture process; so aim to gather a few $V \RX JHW PRUH H[SHULHQFHG ZLWK KLJKIUDPHUDWH
1. a single AVI thousand frames per video. Be sure not to go over imaging of the Moon and planets, you’ll come to
frame of Jupiter DERXW D PLQXWH LQ OHQJWK IRU KLJKUHVROXWLRQ LPDJLQJ appreciate one of the most enjoyable aspects of this
2. 500 AVI frames, of Jupiter as its fast rotation will start to blur the ƅHOG RI DVWURSKRWRJUDSK\ WKDW QR QLJKW LV HYHU UHDOO\
aligned and stacked FORXG IHDWXUHV LQ \RXU ƅQDO VKRW the same, with new challenges and targets. And with
3. a 500-frame
For one shot colour cameras and monochrome the dynamic atmospheres of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn
image wavelet
sharpened in imaging of the Moon, you’ve now got all you need and a waxing and waning lunar disc among the
RegiStax IRU WKH ƅQDO LPDJH %XW LI \RXU FDPHUD KDV D PRQR SRWHQWLDO WDUJHWV \RXŝOO UDUHO\ ƅQG \RXUVHOI VWXPSHG IRU
sensor and you’re imaging the planets, you’ll need something to point your scope at. The only thing that
to capture three consecutive videos – through red, can’t be guaranteed are decent seeing conditions.

April 2019 BBC Sky at Night Magazine 67

 DIY ASTRONOMY
Practical astronomy projects for every level of expertise

Protect your eyepieces

Clean and organise your oculars to keep them in tip-top condition

A
ll your optical equipment deserves to
be maintained and handled carefully so
that it performs at its best, but your
poor eyepieces take the brunt of abuse,
exposed to a natural source of
unwanted contaminants and risk – you!
-XVW KDQGOLQJ WKHP GHSRVLWV ƅQJHUSULQWV DQG JUHDVH
on the body of the eyepiece and it is all too easy to
DFFLGHQWO\ OHDYH D ƅQJHUSULQW RQ WKH RSWLFV
themselves. Simply placing your eye in position will
transfer tiny amounts of grease onto the lens, as well
as fragments of eye lashes, dry skin and traces of
cosmetics. Dust, pollen and other contaminants will
also collect on the optical surfaces. All of this is bad
QHZV IRU WKH DQWLUHƆHFWLRQ FRDWLQJV RQ WKH OHQV
surface and ultimately the quality of the view. Þ Before and after: food storage box with foam cut-outs for the eyepiece
regular cleaning barrels, and an easy to lift off temporary cover, is ideal.
Safe storage will keep dust, For permanent indoor storage, consider a low-cost
Eyepieces are constantly being swapped in and out, ƅQJHUSULQWV DQG DOXPLQLXP ƆLJKWFDVHW\SH FRQWDLQHU ZLWK SOXFN IRDP
debris at bay
and this is fraught with danger too. It really pays to interiors to ensure that the eyepieces cannot rub
have them in a container within easy reach of your against one another.
ALL PICTURES: STEVE RICHARDS

telescope and kept in a logical order. Not only does <RXU H\HSLHFH GXVW FDSV DUH D ƅUVW OLQH RI GHIHQFH VR
this make using them easier but it ensures that they these should be regularly cleaned using a small brush
don’t roll off on to the ground with potentially followed by blasts from a high-power bulb air blower.
disastrous consequences. The body of the eyepiece can be gently wiped with a
The best solution when you’re outdoors is a foam lint-free cleaning cloth to keep it dust and grease-free.
compartmented box. A plastic ice cream container or Stubborn marks on the metal body can be cleaned by
spraying a multi-surface cleaner onto a cloth and

Tools and materials

EXIƅQJ WKH VXUIDFH FOHDQ QHYHU VSUD\ GLUHFWO\ RQWR WKH
eyepiece itself). The rubberised grip can be cleaned by
wiping it with a moist sponge. The lenses, however, will
X A high-power bulb air blower (with the
brush attachment removed) to shift loose dust require very careful attention to ensure that you don’t
particles without touching the lens surface. turn a dirty lens into a damaged one.
X A bottle of Isopropyl alcohol or lens During an observing session your eyepieces will
cleaning fluid to remove grease marks and DOPRVW FHUWDLQO\ FRRO GRZQ VLJQLƅFDQWO\ VR DOORZ IRU
dissolve stuck-on debris. this when you bring them back inside. Leave them in
X Lint-free lens cleaning tissues to apply the your observing container with the lid removed or lie
fluid while carefully cleaning the lens surface. them safely on their side on a towel while they return
Steve Richards is
X A micro-fibre cloth to remove any smearing an astro imager and
to room temperature. The last thing you want to do is
left by the tissue and fluid and to give the lens author of Making pack them away damp. Once the eyepieces are dry
surface a final polish. Every Photon Count: and up to room temperature you should install the
X A reading light or torch to allow a close A Beginner’s Guide dust caps and return them to their permanent storage.
examination of the lens surface. to Deep Sky Look after your eyepieces and they will reward you
Astrophotography with many years of good service.

68 BBC Sky at Night Magazine April 2019

 Step by step

Step 1 Step 2
Keep your eyepieces safe, dry and free from dust in a suitable Eyepieces are, of course, at their most vulnerable when
closed storage box with the eye caps attached. The eyepieces outside in the dark, so transfer them to a suitable open storage
should be separated from one another by foam padding to box that will keep them from rolling about. Arrange them in
avoid any physical damage. focal length order and protect them with a lift-off lid.

Step 3 Step 4
Use a high-power blower bulb held near to, and directed at, Grease, fingerprints and stubborn particles need to be
the front of the lens. Direct several sharp blasts of air at the dissolved away with cleaning fluid. Apply two drops of the fluid
surface to dislodge loose dust particles. Hold the eyepiece to a fresh lens cleaning tissue and carefully wipe from the lens
with the eye lens pointing downwards and the barrel capped. centre outwards. Never apply fluid directly to the lens.

Step 5 Step 6
While the lens is still moist with the fluid, use a micro-fibre Carefully examine the lens under a bright light or torch to
cloth to very gently polish the surface to remove any smears check for any stubborn particles or greasy marks. Repeat
left by the previous cleaning process. Only press very gently, from Step 4 using fresh tissues each time until you are happy
using a fresh area of the cloth, turning it as you work. that you have got the surface as clean as possible.

April 2019 BBC Sky at Night Magazine 69

 What
KEPLER
did for us
NASA’s first exoplanet hunter, the Kepler space telescope, has retired.
Paul Cockburn reveals how it has changed our view of the Universe

T
he Kepler space telescope didn’t ,WZRXOGEHWKHEHVWSDUWRIDGHFDGHLQ
GLVFRYHUWKHƅUVWSODQHWRUELWLQJ EHIRUHWKLVWHFKQLTXHŚNQRZQDVŜWUDQVLW
DVWDUEH\RQGRXU6RODU6\VWHP SKRWRPHWU\ŝŚSURGXFHGWKHƅUVWFRQƅUPHG
ŚDQH[RSODQHWŚEXWLWZDVVWLOOD H[RSODQHWVXQH[SHFWHGO\RUELWLQJDSXOVDU
WUDQVIRUPDWLYHVFLHQWLƅFPLVVLRQVD\V 7KDWVDPH\HDU%RUXFNLDQGKLVWHDPVXEPLWWHG
The Sky at Night co-host Chris Lintott. WKHLUƅUVWSURSRVDOWR1$6$ŝV'LVFRYHU\3URJUDP
ş,VWDUWSXEOLFWDONVWKHVHGD\VE\WDONLQJDERXW DWKUHH\HDUPLVVLRQXVLQJWUDQVLWSKRWRPHWU\
WKHIDFWWKDWZHQRZNQRZZKHQ\RXORRNDWWKH WRWHVWWKHLUK\SRWKHVLVWKDWPRVWVWDUVKDYH
QLJKWVN\WKDWPRVWRIWKRVHVWDUVKDYHSODQHWV SODQHWVRUELWLQJDURXQGWKHP7KHSURSRVDO
7KDWŝVDGLVFRYHU\WKDWŝVGXHWR.HSOHUŠKHVD\V ZDVUHMHFWHG
ş,WKLQNWKDWIXQGDPHQWDOO\FKDQJHVRXUYLHZ :KDWZRXOGHYHQWXDOO\EHFRPHWKH.HSOHU
RIWKH8QLYHUVHZKLFKLVDQDPD]LQJWKLQJIRUD PLVVLRQŚQDPHGDIWHUWKHWKFHQWXU\*HUPDQ
VFLHQFHPLVVLRQWRKDYHGRQH,WFHUWDLQO\FKDQJHV DVWURQRPHU-RKDQQHV.HSOHUZKRGLVFRYHUHGWKH
WKHZD\,ORRNDWWKHQLJKWVN\Š ODZVRISODQHWDU\PRWLRQŚZRXOGEHUHMHFWHGRQ
1$6$GHFLGHGWRUHWLUH.HSOHULQ2FWREHU IRXUVHSDUDWHRFFDVLRQVEHIRUHLWZDVƅQDOO\
NASA/JPL-CALTECH/R. HURT, NASA AMES/JPL-CALTECH/T PYLE

ZKHQLWUDQRXWRIIXHO%XWXQOLNHPDQ\PLVVLRQV DSSURYHGLQEHFRPLQJ1$6$ŝVWK
VXFKDVWKH&DVVLQLSUREHDW6DWXUQRUWKH Ŝ'LVFRYHU\FODVVŝPLVVLRQ%RUXFNLZRXOGUHPDLQ
0(66(1*(5VSDFHFUDIWDW0HUFXU\LWVFXUUHQWŜVDIHŝ .HSOHUŝVSULQFLSDOLQYHVWLJDWRUXQWLOKLVUHWLUHPHQW
SRVLWLRQPHDQVWKDWWKHUHZLOOEHQRQHHGIRUD LQ
FRQWUROOHGFUDVK.HSOHUZLOOFRQWLQXHWRRUELWWKH6XQ
MXVWEHKLQG(DUWKIDOOLQJIXUWKHUEHKLQGRYHUWLPH A new era of discovery
.HSOHUZDVDUJXDEO\WKHEDE\RI:LOOLDP-%RUXFNL /DXQFKHGRQ0DUFK1$6$ŝVƅUVW
RI1$6$ŝV$PHV5HVHDUFK&HQWHU$VHDUO\DV SODQHWKXQWLQJVSDFHREVHUYDWRU\ZDVSODFHG
KHEHJDQUHVHDUFKLQJWKHSRWHQWLDORISKRWRPHWHUV LQWRDQŜ(DUWKWUDLOLQJŝRUELWDURXQGWKH6XQ
ŚKLJKSUHFLVLRQOLJKWGHWHFWRUVŚWRGHWHFW(DUWK UHDG\WRIRFXVLWVDWWHQWLRQRQDVPDOOSDWFK Paul F Cockburn
VL]HGH[RSODQHWVIURPWKHGLVWLQFWLYHGLSLQVWDUOLJKW RIVN\LQWKHQRUWKHUQFRQVWHOODWLRQVRI&\JQXV is a science and
WKH\FDXVHZKLOHFURVVLQJLQIURQWRIWKHLUVWDUV /\UDDQG'UDFR > astronomy journalist

70 BBC Sky at Night Magazine March 2019

 2QLWVQHDUGHFDGHORQJ
PLVVLRQSOXFN\SODQHWKXQWHU
.HSOHUGLVFRYHUHGPRUH
WKDQZRUOGVEH\RQG
RXU6RODU6\VWHP

April 2019 BBC Sky at Night Magazine 71

 Planet

Star

Brightness
> Although covering just 0.25 per cent of the sky, Light curve
Kepler was nevertheless expected to commence the
regular observation of more than 150,000 main
sequence stars (in the end, it would observe
Time
530,506), using what was at the time the largest
camera system launched into space, with a total
resolution of 94.6 megapixels. During its operational
lifetime of more than nine and a half years, Kepler close to their stars (or, in the case of Kepler-16b, Þ Kepler found
would collect some 678GB of science data. whose discovery was announced in September 2011, planets by transit
Kepler’s legacy consists of more than just its 2,662 orbiting around twin stars), to the likes of star photometry
FRQƅUPHG H[RSODQHW GLVFRYHULHV :H FDQ QRZ Kepler-90, which is now known to have eight worlds – looking for
tiny dips in the
FRQƅGHQWO\ FODLP WKDW SODQHWV RXWQXPEHU VWDUV LQ WKH all crowded around it closer than Earth is to the Sun.
brightness
Galaxy. Kepler also showed us that, while we may talk As a result, Kepler has inevitably transformed our of a star when
of ‘hot Jupiters’ and other bizarre worlds, anywhere understanding of how our own Solar System formed, a planet crossed
EHWZHHQ RQH ƅIWK DQG D TXDUWHU RI VWDUV DUH forcing us to rethink almost everything we had in front of it
statistically likely to be orbited by worlds similar to previously assumed, and raising new questions, such
Kepler-22b, discovered in 2011: that is, between the as: why is the most common size of exoplanet found
size of Earth and Neptune, rocky, and orbiting within by Kepler – between the size of Earth and Neptune
their stars’ habitable zones. – missing from our own Solar System?
Above all, Kepler has shown just how varied Unlike the Hubble Space Telescope, which NASA
NASA AMES, CHRIS MEANEY/NASA GODDARD, NORTHROP GRUMMAN, ESA/C. CARREAU, THALES

exoplanets and other planetary systems actually are: astronauts were uniquely able to visit after its launch
potentially ranging from single gas giants orbiting to make repairs, Kepler’s location meant that when a
ALENIA SPACE, NASA/JPL-CALTECH X 2, NASA/AMES RESEARCH CENTER/WENDY STENZEL

Beyond Kepler
The end of Kepler signals the beginning of a new era in planet hunting
“New missions will build on Kepler’s year. Expectations are that TESS will exoplanets. ESA’s PLATO (PLAnetary
discoveries, including the Transiting catalogue more than 1,500 transiting Transits and Oscillations of stars)
Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and exoplanet candidates, including rocky will follow in 2026, again with an
the James Webb Space Telescope,” worlds in the habitable zones of their emphasis on detecting potentially
says Dr Paul Hertz, NASA’s host stars. habitable worlds.
astrophysics division director. CHEOPS (CHaracterising ExOPlanet Unlike these missions, the long-
The former is already in position; Satellite), a joint project between the awaited NASA/ESA James Webb Space
unlike Kepler, which observed 1/400th European Space Agency and the Swiss Telescope – now set to launch in 2021
of the sky over a period of four years, Space Office, is expected to launch – will observe the Universe in the
TESS will study nearly the entire sky, later this year. Essentially a follow-up infrared. The advantage of this is that
monitoring different sections for 27 to Kepler, CHEOPS will provide far it will provide clearer spectroscopic
days at a time, with smaller fractions more accurate measurements of information on the make-up of the
of the sky being observed for up to a known Earth-to-Neptune-sized exoplanets’ atmospheres.

Þ TESS, the James Webb Space Telescope, CHEOPS and PLATO all continue Kepler's legacy of alien world exploration

72 BBC Sky at Night Magazine April 2019

 < Mysterious Tabby's Star,
found to be dimming erratically,
sparked a frenzy of speculation

PLANETS NOT SHOWN TO RELATIVE SCALE

Kepler 90h

Kepler 90f
Earth
Kepler 90d

Kepler 90i
Kepler 90g Mercury

Kepler 90e
Venus

Þ Even planets orbiting two stars were found; imagined Kepler 90i
here is a watery planet near host suns Kepler-35A and B
Kepler 90c

Kepler 90b
> $QRWKHU ƅUVW .HSOHU DQG LWV HLJKW H[RSODQHWV
in Draco, inhabiting an area the size of Earth’s orbit

VHFRQG RI WKH IRXU UHDFWLRQ ZKHHOV XVHG WR ƅQHWXQH “People worldwide have made enormously good
the telescope’s position failed, its original mission was use of the Kepler data and, as the mission went on,
effectively over. it became much more open. You could see the effect
of that; more people – more junior people – are
Kepler’s second life getting to publish discoveries from the data.
However, thanks to some ingenious thinking on the “Also, one of the nice side things that came out of
part of NASA scientists and technicians, Kepler Kepler and citizen science was what came to be
lived on with a second mission, K2, making use of known as ‘Tabby’s Star’,” he adds. “This very unusual
the telescope’s remaining capabilities and taking star was discovered by planet-hunter volunteers who
advantage of the pressure of sunlight to help stabilise did that very human thing of noticing something odd
the telescope. and setting off on this wonderful, joyful wild goose
This also meant that Kepler was required to switch chase to try to work out what on earth was going on.”
LWV ƅHOG RI YLHZ HYHU\ WKUHH PRQWKV RU VR EULQJLQJ 1$6$ HVWLPDWHV WKDW VRPH  VFLHQWLƅF SDSHUV
many new patches of sky under its gaze. In October KDYH VR IDU EHHQ SXEOLVKHG XVLQJ .HSOHU GDWD ş:H
Listen to Material 2015, the K2 mission found evidence of a small, rocky know the spacecraft’s retirement isn’t the end of
World in which
planet being torn apart as it orbited a dense, white Kepler’s discoveries,” says Jessie Dotson, Kepler’s
Quentin Cooper
speaks to William dwarf star. This enabled astronomers to witness the project scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Center.
J Borucki, the ƅQDO VWDJHV RI D SODQHWDU\V\VWHPLQWKHVWUDQJHO\ “I’m excited about the diverse discoveries that are
Kepler mission's shaped transit data. yet to come.”
principal In January 2018, an Australian car mechanic sifting
investigator. through K2’s data discovered a four-planet system Help discover exoplanets
www.bbc.co.uk/
with Neptune-size worlds. “Kepler has demonstrated, If you would like to get involved in analysing Kepler
programmes/
b01ppn8l DOPRVW GHƅQLWLYHO\ KRZ LPSRUWDQW VKDULQJ GDWD data, visit www.nasa.gov/kepler/education/citizen
openly is in astronomy,” insists Chris Lintott. to get started.

April 2019 BBC Sky at Night Magazine 73

 Take the perfect astrophoto with our step-by-step guide

ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY

A simulated, combined
CAPTURE To reveal the nebula, a multi-second exposure is
required. The cleanest and deepest tones will be
sequence shot of the achieved using relatively low ISO values, but this will
red planet passing the
necessitate a longer exposure to record enough
icy-blue cluster
signal to reveal the nebula at its best. A tracking
mount will therefore be required.
$QRWKHU FRQVLGHUDWLRQ LV ƅHOG RI YLHZ 0DUV ZLOO
be 3.3° from the cluster on 1 April. This distance
increases to 7.6° on 10 April and by 30 April it will
have increased to 20.2°. The size of lens you’ll need
depends on how long you intend to cover both
objects for and the size of your camera’s sensor. To
record just the closest approach on 1 April with an
APSC-sensor camera requires a 300mm or shorter
focal length lens. For a full-frame camera you need a
400mm or shorter lens. To record the entire 1–10 April
passage you need a 100mm or shorter lens on an
APSC-sensor camera or a 160mm or shorter lens on
a full-frame camera. If your ambition is to cover the
whole month, you will need a 50mm or shorter lens
for an APSC sensor or an 80mm or shorter lens for a
full-frame sensor.
$V ZHOO DV WKH DWWUDFWLRQ RI FDWFKLQJ 0DUV FORVH WR

Mars passing the Pleiades the Pleiades, there are other opportunities available
during April too. A shorter focal length lens can be
XVHG WR LQFUHDVH WKH ƅHOG RI YLHZ WR DOORZ WKH +\DGHV
Catch the drama as the Red Planet meets RSHQ FOXVWHU WR EH FDSWXUHG DW WKH VDPH WLPH DV 0DUV
the sparkling star cluster in Taurus and the Pleiades. Although they are more dispersed

M
WKDQ WKH 3OHLDGHV WKH 9VKDSHG +\DGHV FOXVWHU VWLOO
ars will be passing the beautiful makes a superb target for wider lenses. The orange
Pleiades open cluster between colour of the bright star Aldebaran (Alpha (_) Tauri)
1 and 10 April. Despite now will also make a great comparison target when
appearing relatively dim, the FDSWXUHG LQ WKH VDPH LPDJH DV VDOPRQSLQN 0DUV
planet's reddish hue will still be 7KHQ WKHUHŝV WKH 0RRQ RI FRXUVH 2Q WKH HYHQLQJV
revealed by a camera as it moves of 8 and 9 April its bright waxing crescent will
past the distinctly blue-white of the stars. Deeper gatecrash the party, creating a whole new set of
VKRWV PD\ DOVR UHYHDO WKH EOXH UHƆHFWLRQ QHEXOD WKDW things to consider. With care, this beautiful alignment
permeates the cluster. Bringing these colours out to of Solar System and deep space has the potential to
their best effect will create a stunning image. deliver a really stunning result.
The encounter will take place in the western sky
under dark conditions – an irresistible combination for Recommended equipment: DSLR or mirrorless
ALL PICTURES: PETE LAWRENCE

astrophotography. As it remains reasonably well posed camera, mid to wide lens, tripod or tracking mount,
for several days, there’s a good chance of beating the remote shutter release
weather too. If you hit the jackpot and the sky remains Pete Lawrence is an
clear for several evenings, you could also combine your expert astro imager Send your images to:
shots to create a sequence showing just how quickly and a presenter on
gallery@skyatnightmagazine.com
the planet moves relative to the background stars. The Sky at Night

74 BBC Sky at Night Magazine April 2019

STEP 1 STEP 2
The first decision is to determine what lens to use. We’ve It’s possible to record Mars and the Pleiades from a fixed tripod:
mentioned a number of focal lengths, but it’s also worth open the lens to the lowest f-number, select a relatively high
considering giving the image a bit of space to breathe. If your ISO and keep the exposure short. To determine an exposure
shot has the Pleiades tight in one corner and Mars tight in length to minimise star-trailing, follow the 500 rule: divide 500
the other, it will feel constrained by the frame edges. by the lens’s focal length to get your maximum exposure value.

STEP 3 STEP 4
As ever, focus is crucial but the stars of the Pleiades make great If you use a fixed tripod, try lowering the ISO and/or increasing
focus targets. If your camera supports it, use the maximum live the lens f-number while taking, say, a five-minute exposure so
view magnification possible; wind the focus ring back and forth the stars deliberately trail – a great way to reveal colour that
through the focus point. Once you’ve done this you’ll know what may otherwise appear burned out. The normal way to do this is
correct focus looks like and be able to snap to it accurately. to set the exposure to ‘bulb’ and use a remote shutter release.

STEP 5 STEP 6
A tracking mount is required for longer or lower ISO shots. One To darken bright skies, use the levels tool in your photo editing
way to do this is to piggyback the camera on a polar-aligned software. Darken the red channel mid-point slider until the
telescope setup. Here you can drop the ISO to reduce noise image looks slightly green. Repeat with the green channel to
and improve tonal quality. Make sure not to overexpose if you create a slightly blue image, then correct the blue. Adjusting
have light-polluted skies; reduce exposure time if necessary. brightness and contrast can also help bring the image to life.

April 2019 BBC Sky at Night Magazine 75

 Expert processing tips to enhance your astrophotos

ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY

PROCESSING
Polish out imperfections Bias, dark and flat frames
Bias is an unwanted signal produced when image

with PixInsight data is read from the camera, and it varies across
the area of the sensor. This signal is removed by
subtracting a master bias calibration frame made up
Using calibration to remove bias, thermal noise, of 20 or more extremely short exposures captured
with the telescope capped. As bias frames are quick
dust shadows and pixel problems
and easy to capture, it is worth capturing as many

P
as 50 because, when these are averaged out during
ixInsight is a very powerful image- LQWHJUDWLRQ ƅ[HG SDWWHUQ QRLVH FDQ DOVR EHUHPRYHG
processing package, but it comes with using a greater number of bias frames.
a rather steep learning curve. Here we’ll Thermal noise – generated by the sensor as it
show you how to use the program to heats up during long exposures – tricks the sensor
SUHSDUH \RXU FDSWXUHG LPDJH ƅOHV E\ into believing that it has received some photons,
calibrating them, ready for processing resulting in white pixels being peppered across the
LQWR D ƅQDO LPDJH )RU VLPSOLFLW\ZHŝOOUHIHUWR\RXU image. This fault can be offset by subtracting a
LPDJH ƅOHV DV ŜOLJKWVŝ master dark calibration frame. This dark frame is
Image calibration is all about removing the made up of 20 or more exposures of the same length
unwanted artefacts that are produced during the and at the same temperature as your lights, and is
Steve Richards is
image capture and download process. These again captured with the telescope capped. The
an astro imager and
artefacts include bias, thermal noise, hot pixels, dust author of Making
master dark calibration frames must themselves be
mote shadows, inconsistent pixel to pixel sensitivity Every Photon Count: calibrated to remove their bias.
and light intensity fall-off. Other unwanted artefacts A Beginner’s Guide Inconsistent pixel sensitivity is a manufacturing
like gamma ray hits and satellite trails can be dealt to Deep Sky by-product and light fall-off is a natural optical effect
with by using other techniques. Astrophotography that can be exacerbated by obstructions in the
telescope leading to vignetting, which makes the
edges of an image darker than the centre. These
faults and the shadows cast by dust motes can be
ODUJHO\ UHPRYHG E\ WKH DSSOLFDWLRQ RI D ƆDW FDOLEUDWLRQ
IUDPH $ ƆDW IUDPH LV D PDVWHU LPDJH PDGH XS RI
20 or more exposures, captured with the telescope
pointing at an even light source with exactly the same
focus position and camera orientation as your lights.
7KH PDVWHU ƆDW FDOLEUDWLRQ IUDPHV PXVW WKHPVHOYHV
be calibrated to remove their bias and thermal noise
EHIRUH WKH\ DUH LQWHJUDWHG LQWRDPDVWHUƆDWIUDPH

Handy shortcut
Although the calibration tasks can be carried out
using individual processes, an excellent PixInsight
ALL PICTURES: STEVE RICHARDS

VFULSW FDOOHG Ŝ%DWFK 3UHSURFHVVLQJŝ ZLOO SHUIRUP

calibration for you automatically. Select Script >
Batch Processing > BatchPreprocessing. Click on the
Detail from a single
uncalibrated subframe of the Ŝ$GG )LOHVŝ EXWWRQ DQG VHOHFW DOO RI \RXU PDWFKLQJ
Wizard Nebula in Cepheus OLJKW ELDV GDUN DQG ƆDW IUDPHV DQG WKH VFULSW ZLOO
neatly apportion them to the correct table for you.

76 BBC Sky at Night Magazine April 2019

 Þ Use the Hot Sigma slider in Cosmetic Correction to remove hot
pixels, adjusting the level until you get the result you want
Þ PixInsight’s Batch Preprocessing is an incredibly useful shortcut
IRUDXWRPDWLFDOO\FDOLEUDWLQJ\RXUOLJKWƆDWDQGGDUNIUDPHV

Although the script also has alignment and

integration features, it is better to carry out these
procedures individually, so place a tick in the
Ŝ&DOLEUDWH RQO\ŝ ER[ 7LFN WKH Ŝ2SWLPL]H GDUN IUDPHVŝ
box, so that your dark frames will be optimised for
FDOLEUDWLQJ \RXU ƆDW IUDPHV
2YHU RQ WKH ULJKW FKRRVH Ŝ2XWSXW 'LUHFWRU\ŝ WR
select a root directory into which you would like your
calibration masters and calibrated lights to be saved.
&OLFN Ŝ5XQŝ 7KH VFULSW DXWRPDWLFDOO\ SRSXODWHV \RXU
chosen directory with subdirectories named
Ŝ&DOLEUDWHGŝ DQG Ŝ0DVWHUŝ 7KH Ŝ&DOLEUDWHGŝ VXEIROGHU LV A single calibrated
IXUWKHU VXEGLYLGHG LQWR VXEGLUHFWRULHV QDPHG Ŝ)ODWŝ frame, ready for
DQG Ŝ/LJKWŝ FRQWDLQLQJ WKH FDOLEUDWHG IUDPHV RI HDFK combining with
others in subsequent
type, but as the darks are not bias-subtracted
processing sessions
permanently in this script, there is no need for them
WR EH VDYHG LQ D QHZ GLUHFWRU\ 7KH Ŝ0DVWHUŝ
subdirectory will contain the three master calibration Although applying these calibration frames will
IUDPHV WKDW FDQ EH NHSW DV OLEUDU\ ƅOHV IRUXVHLQ make an improvement to your data, there is still the
future calibration sessions if you wish. issue of remaining hot pixels to be resolved and a hot
SL[HO SURƅOH PXVW EH JHQHUDWHG E\ VHOHFWLQJ 3URFHVV
> ImageCalibration > CosmeticCorrection.
&OLFN RQ WKH Ŝ$GG )LOHVŝ EXWWRQ DQG VHOHFW \RXU
calibrated lights, then select the output directory
ZKHUH \RX ZDQW WKH FRUUHFWHG ƅOHV WR EH VDYHG
2SHQ RQH RI WKH FDOLEUDWHG OLJKWV SUHVV Ŝ&WUO$ŝ WR
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a selection box over part of the image to produce
a preview image. Select the preview image by
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Sigma’, and adjust the Hot Sigma level until the hot
pixels disappear.
)LQDOO\ FOLFN RQ WKH Ŝ$SSO\ *OREDOŝ EXWWRQ WR DSSO\
the corrections to all the lights. Your lights will now
Þ Having dealt with most artefacts, use Cosmetic Correction to preview and be fully calibrated, and ready for registration and
stretch several areas to see rogue hot pixels that need to be removed integration in future sessions.

April 2019 BBC Sky at Night Magazine 77

 Your best photos submitted to the magazine this month

ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY

GALLERY More
ONLINE
A gallery containing
these and more
of your images

PHOTO
OF THE
MONTH
U A dragon and the witch’s hat
Craig McDearmid, Kirkjufell Mountain, Iceland, 7 December 2018
Craig says: “This is a very Equipment: Sony a7S digital camera, as Glendale Skye Auroras for real-time
atmospheric place, with Samyang 14mm lens, tripod updates, or following AuroraWatch UK and
constantly changing moods, Exposure: ISO 3200 f/2.8, 5” Aurora Iceland on Facebook. Remember to
and I felt this shot captured a Software: Lightroom reduce exposure time so as not to blow out
particularly striking moment the highlights if the aurora is strong. A short
with the aurora poised right over the summit. Craig’s top tip: “For capturing aurora, a mix of exposure also helps to capture the aurora’s
I also liked the driftwood complete with forward planning and good luck is required. PRYHPHQW DQG VWUXFWXUH , DOZD\V OLNH WR ƅ[
rusted metalwork and chains, as it seemed a A new Moon and transport to escape the handwarmers to the camera lens so it doesn’t
perfect foreground for the scene.” FORXGVDUHYHU\EHQHƅFLDODVZHOODVDSSVVXFK fog up at the crucial moment.“

78 BBC Sky at Night Magazine April 2019

U The California Nebula
Dean Hucklesby, Surrey, 29 January 2019
Dean says: “Sadly my father passed away on
16 January and I wanted to take an image he
would be proud of. I chose the star Menkib in
honour of his memory.”
Equipment: Canon EOS 5D Mk II DSLR camera, William
Optics GT81 apo refractor, Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro
SynScan mount Exposure: 20x900”, 20x600” Ha,
[Š 26& GDUNV ƆDWV ELDV
Software: DeepSkyStacker, Photoshop

V Star power
David Cannon, Whitelee windfarm, Eaglesham Moor,
East Renfrewshire, 7 October 2018
David says: “The windfarm is away from
Glasgow’s light pollution, so I decided to try
a starscape image with the rotating turbine.
Cassiopeia is near the head of the turbine
and the Andromeda Galaxy can be clearly seen. I also
love the star clusters showing up on the image.”
Equipment: Canon EOS 6D Mk II DSLR camera,
Samyang 24mm f/2 lens Exposure: ISO 2500, 15”

U The Orion and Running Man Nebulae

6XH6LOYHU 6KHIƅHOG  'HFHPEHU 
Sue says: “I have only recently begun to do imaging, and the Orion
Nebula has always been one of my favourite objects. Getting the
CG-5 mount was a start, but this target is notorious for being
GLIƅFXOW WR DFKLHYH WKH ULJKW H[SRVXUH RQ 6WLOO D ZRUN LQ SURJUHVVŠ
Equipment: Canon EOS 1100D DSLR camera, Sky-Watcher Evostar 80ED
refractor, Celestron CG-5 equatorial Go-To mount Exposure: ISO 800, 28x10”
Software: DeepSkyStacker, PaintShop Pro

April 2019 BBC Sky at Night Magazine 79

U Cygnus widefield
Emil Andronic, Herts, 17 November 2018
Emil says: “I thought the busy
Cygnus region would make
a perfect candidate to test
the capabilities of my lens.”
Equipment: Canon EOS 600D DSLR camera,
Canon 50mm f/4 lens, Sky-Watcher EQ3
Pro mount. Exposure: 10x600”
Software: AstroPhotography Tool,
PHD2, DeepSkyStacker, Lightroom

NGC 253 Z
Rafael Compassi and Maicon Germiniani,
Presidente Lucena, Brazil, 6-8 November 2018
Rafael says: “We teamed up to
image one object and gathered
10 hours of luminance. The result
KDVJRRGGHƅQLWLRQRQVPDOO
details and a halo showing up faintly.”
Equipment: ZWO ASI1600MM camera,
William Optics 132 apo refractor; ZWO
ASI183MC colour camera, Teleskop Service
115/800 triplet apo refractor Exposure:
200x180” L, 20x180” each RGB Software:
AstroPhotography Tool, PixInsight, Photoshop

80 BBC Sky at Night Magazine April 2019

 Y Total
lunar
eclipse
Sergio Conceição,
Alentejo, Portugal,
21 January 2019
Sergio
says: “I
wanted
a picture
IUHHIURPDUWLƅFLDO
light pollution so I
opted for a location
in the countryside.
You can see the
Moon’s varied
colouration all
through the phases.
It’s always hard to
photograph for hours
in the cold and mist,
however with resolve
I achieved the result
I was aiming for.”
Equipment: Canon
EOS R camera,
Canon 35mm IS L
lens Exposure:
ISO 200 f/4, 49 shots
Software: Digital
Photo Professional,
Photoshop

Z The
Western
Veil Nebula
Roger Nicholson,
West Sussex,
10 August 2018
Roger
says:
“I got
a new
CCD camera and
chose this target as
it would create a
big colourful image.”
Equipment:
ZWO ASI183MM
CMOS camera,
Sky-Watcher
120ED refractor,
Sky-Watcher EQ6-R
PRO mount
Exposure: 42x150”
Software:
DeepSkyStacker,
Astro Photography
Tool, Photoshop

April 2019 BBC Sky at Night Magazine 81

U 95%-lit Moon
Fernando Oliveira De Menezes,
São Paulo, Brazil,
23 January 2019
Fernando says:
“The colours
correspond to
differences in the
chemical composition of the
lunar surface. Blue reveals areas
rich in ilmenite, which contains
iron, titanium and oxygen, while
orange and purple show relatively
poor titanium and iron regions.”
Equipment: ZWO ASI1600MC
camera, Sky-Watcher Esprit 150
ED Pro triplet refractor
Exposure: 20’, 390 frames
Software: SharpCap,
Autostakkert!, RegiStax,
Photoshop, Lightroom, Fitswork
U The Jellyfish Nebula
Richard Leighton, remotely via Siding Spring Observatory, Australia, 29 November 2018
Richard says: “As I’m based in Kent and own just a camera, 500mm lens and tracking mount,
I’ve only dreamed of capturing objects like this. Using a remotely operated scope via
iTelescope.net gave me the opportunity, and also allowed me to experiment with producing
colours from narrowband data.”
Equipment: FLI MicroLine ML11002 CCD camera, Takahashi FSQ-106ED refractor, Paramount PME mount
Exposure: 8x600” Ha, 4x600” SII, 3x600” OIII Software: DeepSkyStacker, PixInsight, Photoshop

82 BBC Sky at Night Magazine April 2019

 Y M81
Joseph Stafford, Derbyshire, 2 February 2019
Joseph says: ş7KLV ZDV WKH ƅUVW
image through my new Sky-
Watcher and it certainly passed
my expectations. I selected this
target because it’s a bright galaxy that was
just high enough in the eastern skies.”
Equipment: Canon EOS 1200Da DSLR
camera, Sky-Watcher Explorer 200P-DS
UHƆHFWRU 6N\:DWFKHU1(43UR6\Q6FDQ
mount
Exposure: ISO 800, 80x3’
Software: PHD2, Astro Photography Tool,
DeepSkyStacker, Photoshop

Z The
Flame and
Horsehead
Nebulae
Kevin Stewart,
Northumberland,
2 February 2019
Kevin
says:
“This
has
always been a
favourite of mine.
I was thrilled with
how it turned out
given how low it
appeared in the sky
and my location,
which has obstacles
blocking the view.”
Equipment:
Canon EOS 1100D
DSLR camera, Sky-
Watcher 130P-DS
Newtonian,
Celestron CGEM
mount Exposure:
ISO 1600, 36x300”,
12x900” Ha
Software: PixInsight,
DeepSkyStacker

ENTER TO WIN A PRIZE. HERE’S HOW:

Submit your pictures via The winner of our Photo of the Month each issue receives
www.skyatnightmagazine.com/ an Altair Astro Premium 1.25-inch CLS-CCD Filter with
astrophotography/gallery or email UV/IR block & AR coating, designed to reduce the effects
contactus@skyatnightmagazine. of light pollution and skyglow and ideal for DSLR, CCD
com. Ts&Cs: www.immediate.co.uk/ or CMOS cameras. For more info visit:
terms-and-conditions www.altairastro.com • 01263 731505

April 2019 BBC Sky at Night Magazine 83

 SP IT
ED
EC IO
IA N
L
ONLY
£9.99
INC P&P
*

FROM THE
MAKERS OF
The Complete Guide to
ASTRO
PHOTOGRAPHY
New and updated, The Complete Guide to Astrophotography is
packed with essential advice and illustrated instructions that will
give you everything you need to know about imaging the night sky.
From beginner’s shots with a smartphone to image processing tips
for seasoned deep-sky imagers, there’s something for everyone.
Plus – subscribers to BBC Sky at Night Magazine receive FREE UK
delivery on this special edition.

ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY

www.buysubscriptions.com/astrophotography
Alternatively call 03330 162138† and quote ‘The Complete Guide to Astrophotography PRINT1’
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All orders subject to availability. Please allow up to 21 days for delivery.
 REVIEWS
The best in equipment, accessories and books each month

Find out more about how we test equipment at

www.skyatnightmagazine.com/scoring-categories

86
Get into solar astronomy with
Daystar’s Solar Scout SS60-ds, an
affordable scope for beginners with
a tempting bundle of extras

HOW WE RATE
WWW.THESECRETSTUDIO.NET X 2

(DFK SURGXFW ZH UHYLHZ LV UDWHG IRU SHUIRUPDQFH LQ ƅYH FDWHJRULHV

Here’s what the ratings mean:
SEE INTERACTIVE 360° MODELS OF ALL
OUR FIRST LIGHT REVIEWS AT +++++ Outstanding +++++ Very good
WWW.SKYATNIGHTMAGAZINE.COM +++++ Good +++++ Average +++++ Poor/avoid

April 2019 BBC Sky at Night Magazine 85

 FIRST LIGHT
Our experts tell you what they think of the latest kit

Daystar Solar Scout SS60-ds

H-alpha telescope bundle
This entry-level telescope has a great price point, but does its performance match?
WORDS: GARY PALMER

H
ydrogen alpha (Ha) solar observation Setting the telescope up is very easy. After
VITAL STATS and imaging has never been so mounting it we plugged in the power pack and set
• Price £899 popular, but it can be quite an the tuning knob to the centre. Once heated, it was
• Objective expensive undertaking. Daystar ‘on band’ and the LED turned from red to green,
60mm has addressed this by launching showing that it was ready to use. Locating the Sun
achromatic a dedicated solar telescope aimed LQ WKH VRODU ƅQGHU ZDV VLPSOH ZLWK 'D\VWDUŝV Ŝ6RODU
doublet at solar astronomy beginners, the 60mm Solar Scout %XOOHWŝƅQGHU$VRQFHZHQHDUHGWKH6XQDZKLWH >
• Effective focal
66GV ,W ORRNV H[FLWLQJ IURP WKH VSHFLƅFDWLRQV DQG
length 930mm
most of all, the cost. There are two versions: a basic
• Wavelength
656.28nm
• Power req 5v
model and the bundle option that we are reviewing
here, which includes a 1.25-inch diagonal, a 25mm Filter in focus
1.5amp eyepiece, a power pack and a mains charger that can
• Mounting power the telescope and charge the powerpack.
Vixen-style The SS60-ds resembles some of Daystar’s previous
mounting foot models, but there are some major differences. At the
• Included 25mm EDFN WKH 4XDUN RSWLFDO FRPSRQHQW LV ƅ[HG WR WKH
Plössl eyepiece,
telescope and can’t be removed, making this an
1.25-inch
all-in-one unit. There is a USB power port, tuning
diagonal,
8-hour battery knob, power LED and a 1.25-inch eyepiece holder at
pack, USB the back too, with the focuser on the main body of
power cable WKH WHOHVFRSH 0RXQWHG RQ WKH WRS LV D VRODU ƅQGHU
ALL PICTURES: WWW.THESECRETSTUDIO.NET

• Weight 1.33kg and on the bottom is a Vixen-type dovetail shoe with

• Supplier The threads for camera tripods.
Widescreen
Centre Spying surface details Using clever design
and management of the
or when using a powerful
eyepiece as it helps
• Tel 01353 776199 One of the main features of the SS60-ds is the
• www.
internal filters allows create less distortion in
LQWHUQDO +D ƅOWHU JLYLQJ D EDQGSDVV RI DURXQG   the SS60-ds to attain a the view or image. Using
widescreen-
centre.co.uk Most solar telescopes have a bandpass of around wavelength of 656.28nm the internal heater to
  ZKLFK PHDQV WKH 66GV LV WKH HTXLYDOHQW RI (1nm = one billionth of a change the temperature
a narrower bandwidth double-stacked solar metre) at around 0.5Å helps keep the filter on
(1 Ångström = 0.1nm) or band without having to
telescope. There are positives and negatives to this
below – an area that has adjust anything. As with
depending on the features you like to view or image not been reached with any Ha solar telescope,
on our nearest star; there will be less detail in any solar telescope at a mono camera will work
SURPLQHQFHV ZLWK WKLV VFRSHŝV EDQGSDVV RI   EXW this price. The scope best for imaging and a
PRUH GHWDLO LQ ƅODPHQWV DQG VXUIDFH VWUXFWXUHV 7KH also benefits from a tilt adaptor is
brighter prominences are still visible and appear more 12mm blocking filter recommended to stop
with a 16mm clear etalon light bouncing directly
connected to the Sun’s surface.
aperture; most are between the camera
around 5–6mm. This is sensor and the rear
of great benefit when internal filter, an optical
See an interactive 360° model of this scope at imaging with cameras aberration known as
www.skyatnightmagazine.com/daystarSS60 that have larger sensors Newton’s Rings.

86 BBC Sky at Night Magazine April 2019

 SCALE

385mm

Bundled accessories
With the bundle pack you can get the telescope
set up and running straight away as everything
you need is included in the box. The power pack
lasts around eight hours on a full charge. Also
included is a 25mm Plössl eyepiece, a 1.25-inch
diagonal and a power cable.

LED
7KH /(' LV UHG ZKHQ ƅUVW SRZHUHG XS WKHQ ZLOO
show yellow for 5–10 minutes before turning
JUHHQ LQGLFDWLQJ WKDW WKH ƅOWHU KDV VHWWOHG WR LWV
required temperature and is on band for viewing.
The time taken to achieve this will depend on the
outside air temperature.

Tuning knob
Adjusting the tuning knob
brings out more details in
different areas of the Sun.
The centre wavelength can
be adjusted by 0.1Å with
each click, adding or
subtracting contrast in
the view. After every
alteration the telescope
resets the temperature and
Focuser the LED will change to
green when ready.
Located in the middle of the telescope, the focuser
uses a well machined thread with a sleeve bearing
making it easy to hold. This allows for zero image
shift and stops rotation of cameras and eyepieces.
Using this position also allows for a camera to be
used at prime focus or with a Barlow.

April 2019 BBC Sky at Night Magazine 87

 FIRST LIGHT
> circle appeared on the screen. IRUWKH
KIT TO ADD By centring the circle the Sun aperture.
1. 6N\:DWFKHU ZDV LQ WKH VFRSHŝV ƅHOG RI YLHZ 6HWWLQJXSIRU
SolarQuest With the included eyepiece and LPDJLQJLVYHU\
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mount & tripod EHJLQ REVHUYLQJ $GMXVWLQJ WKH telescope
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image caused by the internal
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optimised zoom
eyepiece
VOLSSLQJ RI RSWLFV LQ VRPH ZLOOQHHGDODUJHFDPHUDWRFDSWXUHDIXOOGLVFLPDJHRI internal
budget telescopes. While it WKH6XQ:HDFKLHYHGWKLVXVLQJD$6,FDPHUD
worked well, it seemed a little changing to an imaging camera with a smaller sensor Barlow
VWLII EXW WKDW FRXOG EH GXH WR WKH FROG WHPSHUDWXUHV meant that the telescope was able to get quite A 60mm achromatic
during our test. FORVHXSLPDJHVWRR doublet lens is used
:H VHOHFWHG D VPDOO VXQVSRW JURXS WR YLHZ DQG 7KH'D\VWDU66GVKDVTXLWHDORWWRRIIHUIRU in the front of the
were able to locate it once the tuning knob had DQ\RQHWKLQNLQJRIXSJUDGLQJIURPDZKLWHOLJKWVRODU telescope, with an
DGMXVWHG WKH ZDYHOHQJWK :KHQ WXQLQJ LW WRRN Ś VHWXSDQGDWDNHHQSULFHLWZLOOƅWLQWRWKHEXGJHWRI internal 4.3x
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WWW.THESECRETSTUDIO.NET, GARY PALMER X 3

to show it was again on band. There were some small

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This all allows for
a full disc view using
LQ WKHP JLYHQ WKH DSHUWXUH DQG WKH ORZ ZLQWHU VXQ Build and design +++++ a 25mm eyepiece.
'D\VWDU KDV DOZD\V KDG JRRG FRQWUDVW LQ WKHLUVRODU Ease of use +++++ $QLQWHUQDOEDIƆH
SURGXFWV DQG ZH ZHUH SOHDVHG WR ƅQG WKDW WKH Features +++++ system and dew
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(YHQ WKRXJK WKH 66GV LV D EXGJHW VRODUVFRSH
LW LV PRUH WKDQ FDSDEOH RI SURGXFLQJ VRPH QLFHLPDJHV OVERALL +++++ or imaging.

Pairing the Solar

Scout SS60-ds with
an IMX290 sensor
captured this prominence

Sunspot group captured

with an IMX290 sensor
and a 2x Barlow lens

Þ A 20-panel mosaic captured with an IMX290 sensor (frames have

been stacked in AutoStakkert! and assembled in Photoshop)

88 BBC Sky at Night Magazine April 2019

 FIRST LIGHT
Our experts tell you what they think of the latest kit

Bresser
Photo Mount with field tripod
First-rate motorised tracking performance with cracking polar alignment
WORDS: PAUL MONEY

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here are so many tracking mounts D VLJQLƅFDQW WUDFNLQJ HUURU WKH FDXVH RI ZKLFK ZDV
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2.5kg be saturated. Yet Bresser has joined
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Sidereal,
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have tested.
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case, hand SRODU VLJKWLQJ WXEH KDQG FRQWUROOHU EDOO KHDG VRFNHW ways of achieving polar orientation. The clever
controller with alignment: a rough bit is that there is a line
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accessories
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ALL PICTURES: WWW.THESECRETSTUDIO.NET

rough polar alignment and you have excellent

4.5kg 0RXQW KHDG DWWDFKHG WR WKH SRODU ZHGJH DQG WKHQ
is sufficient for several polar alignment,
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See an interactive 360° model of this mount at

www.skyatnightmagazine.com/BresserMount

90 BBC Sky at Night Magazine April 2019

 920mm (tripod legs retracted)
SCALE

Photo Mount
and gears
The Photo Mount is a solid unit
that attaches to the polar wedge
via two ¼-inch screws. The rotary
knob can be used to manually
ƅQH DGMXVW WKH ULJKW DVFHQVLRQ
(RA) when loosened, then
tightened to engage the motors
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and the polar wedge has a latitude scale that
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Power pack
Power is provided by eight
D-type batteries (not
included), held in a soft
case and connected to
the hand controller. In the
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with power loss over
several nights’ usage.
Bresser estimates that
you should get 50 hours
before replacement
batteries are needed.

Ball head
The supplied Bresser ball head with quick-release saddle plate worked
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KHDG DURXQG LWV EDVH DQG WKH RWKHU IRU DGMXVWLQJ WKH WLOW RI WKH FDPHUD
With heavy lenses there was a slight slippage, but it was minor.

April 2019 BBC Sky at Night Magazine 91

 FIRST LIGHT
Orion’s Belt and
Sword region, 70mm
lens, f5.6, 15-minute
exposure at ISO 800

> second production run also

KIT TO ADD had gear ratio issues. A new
1. Revelation set of gears was sent out to
VPDUWSKRQH us and installed quite easily.
holder 2XU ƅUVW LPDJLQJ UXQZLWK
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R-Lite red light working perfectly.
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VERDICT
Assembly +++++
Build and design +++++
Ease of use +++++
Features +++++
Tracking accuracy +++++
OVERALL +++++

92 BBC Sky at Night Magazine April 2019

 The Practical
Astronomy Show
on 9 March 2019
Kettering Conference
Centre
 BOOKS
New astronomy and space titles reviewed

ESA that we’ve come to expect in popular

science, but include relevant artistic and Interview
cultural references. For example, the with the author
GLVFXVVLRQ RI WKH ƅUVW SXOVDU GLVFRYHUHG
shows the iconic image of its output as
Nicholas Mee
used by the band Joy Division on the cover
Who have been
of their album Unknown Pleasures.
the most important
Mee is an experienced science figures in our
communicator and this shows in his understanding of
FRQƅGHQW DQG HQJDJLQJ WRQH 7KH EUHYLW\ the Universe?
of the book (224 pages) invariably makes Kepler, who first accurately
IRU VLPSOLƅFDWLRQ DQG RFFDVLRQDOO\ VRPH described planetary orbits;
RYHUVLPSOLƅFDWLRQ 7KLV PD\ JLYH WKH Newton, whose grand system of
false impression that the development gravity and mechanics launched
the era of modern science; and
of the subject, and our corresponding
Einstein, whose theory of gravity
understanding of the Universe, has been predicted the existence of black
a straightforward journey from ignorance holes, the expansion of the
to enlightenment, whereas in reality the Universe and much else. But many
practice of science can be a messy important contributions have been
HQGHDYRXU LQƆXHQFHG E\ VFLHQWLVWVŝ overlooked in the past, especially
those made by women such as

The Cosmic
characters and prejudices. For the
Henrietta Swan Leavitt, Cecilia
LQWHUHVWHG UHDGHU ZKR ZDQWV WR ƅQGRXW Payne and Jocelyn Bell.

Mystery Tour
more, each chapter does have
recommended further reading. Are we on the cusp of great
Generally the style of writing is informal cosmological discovery?

Nicholas Mee and direct, and attention-grabbing We are living through a golden age
analogies help to communicate the of astronomy and astrophysics. This
Oxford University Press is due to incredible advances in the
complex physics. I particularly liked
£16.99 z HB equipment available to observe the
“black holes are very messy
cosmos. Today’s astronomers have a
Ambitious in scope and eaters” to convey the fact whole range of amazing instruments
easy to read, this book that event horizons are such as the gravitational wave
is a small guide to that actually rather small detectors that are currently
largest of subjects: and much of the detecting gravitational shock waves
the physical progenitor star may from black hole collisions.
Universe. It’s divided – or may not – get
How close are we to understanding
into three sections: slurped into it. how the Universe began?
WKH ƅUVW SURYLGHV This enjoyable,
The Universe is expanding and there
a roller-coaster ride fast-paced account is solid evidence tracing its origin
through the manages to look to back to the Big Bang 13.8 billion
fundamental laws the future by including years ago. The rate of expansion
of physics; the second some truly science appears to be increasing, which
examines the evolution of ƅFWLRQZRUWK\ LGHDV RI suggests it will expand forever until
eventually the stars fizzle out and
the Universe, concentrating space probes from the Solar
on the creation of stars Þ Joy Division’s famous System to the stars. It
all matter is dissipated. But there
‘pulsar’ album cover is among are deeper questions. Are we
DQG EODFN KROHV 7KH ƅQDO would be ideal for anyone part of some greater multiverse?
the eclectic images
KAY ROXBY/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

section summarises the wanting to know more Did anything exist before the Big
work being done to detect exoplanets about the underlying physics of the pretty Bang? Did time begin at the Big
(to date, several thousand have been pictures we see in the media. Bang? As yet, we just don’t know.
found by NASA’s Kepler mission) and the ★★★★★
OLNHOLKRRG RI ƅQGLQJ OLIH RQ WKHP Nicholas Mee is co-author of
The many pictures are not just the usual Pippa Goldschmidt is an astronomy The Physical World: An Inspirational
EHDXWLIXOVFLHQWLƅFLPDJHV IURP 1$6$ DQG and science writer Tour of Fundamental Physics

94 BBC Sky at Night Magazine April 2019

 Astrophysics for Young Origins: How
People in a Hurry the Earth made us
Lewis Dartnell
Neil deGrasse
no subject development and the topics are
Bodley Head
BOOK
Tyson
discussed almost at random, with a cynical OF THE
£20 z HB
WW Norton
use of single-word paragraphs and other MONTH
space-wasting devices. As an adaptation
£8.99 z PB of a very successful book for adults, this Have you ever
book is ultimately disappointing. wondered how
However, it’s not entirely without merit. Earth’s orbit
The authors deliver an informative guide dictates what
Neil deGrasse Tyson is one of the premiere WR PRGHUQ DVWURQRP\ DQG PRVW VFLHQWLƅF you eat for
popularisers of astronomy today. Less terms or principles are adequately breakfast, or how
known in the UK than in his native US, explained in easy-to-follow but not ancient geology
he has inspired a generation of space patronising language. There are useful shapes voting
enthusiasts. His latest book, adapted by discussions on topics such as Big Bang patterns in the
Gregory Mone from Tyson’s bestselling cosmology, relativity, extraterrestrial life, US and UK?
Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, caters dark matter, dark energy and black holes. No, me neither,
for the very young, giving a concise and Anyone under the age of 16 with a until I read Lewis
simple description of many areas of keen interest in things astronomical is Dartnell’s Origins. Now these thoughts
modern astrophysics. bound to derive some satisfaction from and many more besides will keep me
Educating and informing young children, this book. However, more advanced awake at night.
and at the same time entertaining them, youngsters will probably crave something The book takes the reader through
is tricky. For astronomy, it is often enough more substantial. our planet’s formation and shows how
to simply pander to a child’s innate sense ★★★★★ the quirks of its orbit, tilt and wobble,
of wonder at the cosmos. This book along with plate tectonics and the
employs that strategy but is somewhat Dr Alastair Gunn is a radio astronomer circulation systems of our atmosphere
lacking in its structure and depth. There is at Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire and oceans, have driven everything from
our species’ evolution to the way we power
our modern world.
Exploring Planetary Climate These days we are so used to talking
about how we are affecting the natural
Ralph D Lorenz calling came as a schoolboy and was systems of our planet, but this book shows
Cambridge ignited in adulthood by a fascination with the other side: how our planet has
University Press climate change, and this forms a strong dictated what crops we grew and the
£42.99 z HB thread through the book. animals we domesticated, what natural
He describes how localised geological resources we exploited, where we built our
At the dawn of a events can have profound planet-wide ancient civilisations, developed trade
new millennium, consequences and underlines a growing routes and went on to explore and
human awareness awareness of the link between the Sun and colonise the globe.
of our planet and climate change, juxtaposing his story with Origins is like a well-crafted jigsaw puzzle.
other worlds, a look at Venus’s runaway greenhouse (DFK SLHFH ƅWV WRJHWKHU EHDXWLIXOO\ WR EXLOG
within and beyond effect, Mars’s weather and the “sweetest up a complete picture of the deep
the Solar System, is growing faster than fruit” of pristine, primordial Titan. connections we have to the blue marble we
ever. In Exploring Planetary Climate, the Climate change has never been a more call home. The text is clearly written, with
story of exploration across two millennia of SUHVVLQJ LVVXH DQG LWV ZLGHU VLJQLƅFDQFH LV so many ‘I had never thought about that
human genius – from ancient Greek and not lost on the author. He dismisses before!’ moments. The science behind
Roman writers to Arab and European climate change naysayers, describes every step of our evolution and history is
Renaissance scholars to thinkers and doers America’s withdrawal from the Paris well explained, and there are helpful maps
of the modern era – is outlined with Accord as a temporary setback, and and diagrams peppered throughout.
breathless pace and narrative urgency, stresses that “the truth will out”. Lorenz The book ties anthropology, geography,
zeroing-in on Venus, Mars, Saturn’s large morphs well from physicist into historian, geology, history, chemistry, biology and
moon Titan, and on Earth itself. while also intelligently considering the physics all together in a thoroughly
The author, known for working on the future and the problems that continue satisfying read for anyone interested in
Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn, admits to impair the present. how our planet drove our history, and how
he is a man of science, not of history, yet +++++ everything is connected.
walks his reader through a burgeoning +++++
historical corpus of discovery with a keen Ben Evans is a science and astronomy
storyteller’s eye and an excited yearning for writer, and author of several books on Jenny Winder is a freelance science
exploration. Lorenz tells us that his physics KXPDQVSDFHƆLJKW writer, astronomer and broadcaster

April 2019 BBC Sky at Night Magazine 95

 GEAR
Elizabeth Pearson rounds up the latest astronomical accessories

1 Explore Scientific 3mm 52º

long eye relief eyepiece
2 Price £59.99 • Supplier Telescope House
Tel 01342 837098 • www.telescopehouse.com
7KHzƅHOGRIYLHZRIWKLVH\HSLHFHGHOLYHUVH[SDQVLYH
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HQVXUHVFRPIRUWDEOHYLHZLQJHYHQZLWKJODVVHV

2 Perfect alignment necklace

and studs set
Price £62 • Supplier Eclectic Eccentricity
www.eclecticeccentricity.co.uk
1 .HHSWKH6RODU6\VWHPLQSHUIHFWDOLJQPHQWZLWKWKLV
QHFNODFHZKLFKIHDWXUHVDOOHLJKWSODQHWVSOXV3OXWR
7KHVHWFRPHVZLWKJROGVWDUVWXGVWRFRPSOHWHWKH
3 HQVHPEOH$OVRDYDLODEOHZLWKRXW3OXWR

3 Warmawear disposable toe warmers

Price £0.75 • Supplier Primrose
Tel 0118 903 5210 • www.primrose.co.uk
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4 Orion magnetic 3lb counterweight

Price £61 • Supplier Astroshop.eu
Tel 020 3868 8042 • www.astroshop.eu
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4 ƅQGWKHSHUIHFWSRLQWRIFRXQWHUEDODQFH

5 Thumbscrews for secondary mirror

Price £9.60 • Supplier 365 Astronomy

5 Tel 020 3384 5187 • www.365astronomy.com

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WKUHHPPORQJVFUHZVGHVLJQHGWRƅW0ƅWWLQJV

6 Red Eyes Cling touch-screen filter

Price $5.95 • Supplier Sirius Astroproducts
www.siriusastroproducts.com
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96 BBC Sky at Night Magazine April 2019

What if we all went vegan?
Do plants have memories? Is
all plastic bad? Is technology
changing how we think? Does
screen-time harm kids? Can
intermittent fasting overcome
a bad diet? Is love a chemical
reaction? What’s beyond the
edge of the Universe?

Ideas, discoveries, and

the big questions answered…
...inside the all-new BBC Science Focus magazine

Try a free issue now*

visit www.sciencefocus.com/freeissueha
Plus, get a massive 50% off when you subscribe!+
*The free issue can be viewed online, details of how to view the issue will be emailed to you when you sign up via the link above. +Offer
ends 31 May 2019. 50% saving is only available to UK residents paying by Direct Debit. Subscriptions will start with the next available issue.
 Shaoni Bhattacharya interviews leading experts in space science

WHAT I REALLY WANT TO KNOW IS…

What can Jupiter’s storms tell us?
Dr Leigh Fletcher from NASA’s Juno mission is finding out what
the weather’s like on the largest planet in our Solar System

A
stronomers do like to work in For me, the real headline science instrument
gorgeous locations. I’m part on board Juno is the microwave instrument
of the international that observes Jupiter in wavelengths
ground-based between 1 to 50 centimetres
support team for – meaning it can actually peer
the Juno mission down below the clouds. It’s the
– NASA’s probe, orbiting Jupiter ƅUVW WLPH WKDW ZHŝYH UHDOO\ EHHQ
since July 2016 – and I use the able to do that with any
Very Large Telescope out in giant planet.
Chile and the NASA infrared My data is probing all the
telescope out in Hawaii. way down to the clouds, and
Jupiter is a perfect then Juno can tell us what’s
planetary-scale laboratory for going on beneath the clouds.
studying the atmospheres of If I see something changing in
other worlds. Its storms offer a my dataset, say one of these
study of how the weather and long-term cycles is about to
climate work on the giant unleash a big storm system,
planets of our Solar System. In a RU RQH RI -XSLWHUŝV EHOWV RU ]RQHV
way, we are taking everything we’ve is about to change dramatically,
learnt about atmospheric physics and I can then compare what I see in
chemistry here on Earth, transferring it to the atmosphere above the clouds to
Jupiter, and seeing if it still works in this any changes below the clouds that Juno
extreme environment. Maybe that can tell us is seeing.
something about our own planet. Jupiter should follow <RX FDQ VWDUW WR WKLQN RI VRPH RI -XSLWHUŝV ZHDWKHU
the same rules, and by and large we see it does, but the
Þ Infrared analysis systems as potentially being the tip of the iceberg,
coupled with Juno’s
absence of a solid surface or ocean makes it a very deep investigations and that the circulation patterns responsible for them
different place. is revealing more actually extend hundreds of kilometres below where
than ever before we’ve previously been able to do our work.
A glimpse beneath the clouds about the gas giant That’s the really incredible thing about Juno, that
:KLOH -XQR LV D ZRQGHUIXO EHDVW LW ƆLHV VR FORVH capability of getting deeper than ever before. The
to Jupiter that it lacks the global context for the end goal is to get a three-dimensional picture of how
observations that it’s taking. It’s within only the upper atmosphere responds to what’s going on in
2,000–4,000km of the cloud tops, so if you think the deeper atmosphere.
about looking out of the window on that spacecraft, What my team’s research is starting to reveal is
-XSLWHU MXVW ƅOOV \RXU ƅHOG RI YLHZ IURP KRUL]RQ WR how Jupiter’s weather is changing with time. It
KRUL]RQ <RX DUH RQO\ VHHLQJ D WLQ\ OLWWOH VOLYHU RI evolves and shifts in the same way that weather
planetary real estate. From Earth we get to see the patterns do on Earth. And we are beginning to
whole planet at once – that’s the context we are able identify cycles of activity that might exist over
to provide. multi-year timescales that people just haven’t
While the instruments on board Juno are fabulous, witnessed before because they haven’t had these
they don’t cover all the wavelengths we’d like to look long-term datasets.
at to understand Jupiter; one particular wavelength The Juno mission will continue until at least July
Dr Leigh Fletcher
that is completely missing is the thermal infrared. We 2021 and is about halfway through the planned 32
NAOJ/NASA/JPL-CALTECH

is a collaborator for
use that to measure things like the temperatures, and the Juno team and FORVH Ɔ\E\V ,ŝP SDUW RI DQRWKHU PLVVLRQ FDOOHG -8,&(
to map distributions of clouds and chemicals within leads the planetary ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer. The hope is that
WKH DWPRVSKHUH 7KDW LV D SLHFH RI WKH SX]]OH IRU atmospheres team JURXQGEDVHG UHVHDUFK ZLOO SOXJ WKH JDS XQWLO -8,&(
understanding the climate of Jupiter that we can at the University With luck, that will launch in 2022, to arrive at Jupiter
provide to the Juno project. of Leicester LQ  <RX KDYH WR EH LQ LW IRU WKH ORQJ KDXO

98 BBC Sky at Night Magazine April 2019

 THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE
With Glenn Dawes O
N
RT

CO
April’s Southern sky offers a chance to see

H E

O
AS
Saturn impressively occulted by the Moon

N
A
T

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When to use this chart

AL
IS
1 Apr at 24:00 AEDT (13.00 UT) The chart accurately matches the sky on the b a
dates and times shown for Sydney, Australia.
15 Apr at 24:00 AEDT (13.00 UT) The sky is different at other times as the stars

`
28 Apr at 23:00 AEDT (12.00 UT) crossing it set four minutes earlier each night.

HE
CU R

a
LES
APRIL HIGHLIGHTS STARS AND CONSTELLATIONS

a
SE
On 25 April an occultation of Saturn Alpha Centauri is famous for being the

R P
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E
by the Moon is visible from eastern closest star to our Solar System. This

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Australia. Occurring close to moonrise, this honour, however, doesn’t belong to either
ringed world disappears behind the bright member of its bright binary pair but to its

OP

UT
lunar limb of the third-quarter Moon, close faint companion, Proxima Centauri. Only

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to the eastern horizon. It remains out of 4.2 lightyears distant, the star lies 2.2°

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sight for around an hour before brilliantly southwest of brilliant Alpha. Locating this

12
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emerging from behind the dark limb. This WKPDJUHGGZDUIQHHGVDJRRGƅQGHU

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10
impressive reappearance is seen from FKDUWWRVHSDUDWHLWIURPWKHIDLQWƅHOGVWDUV

a
Rockhampton at 23:15, Brisbane at 23:20, Only one-seventh the size of the Sun and
Sydney and Melbourne at 23:26, Hobart at RILWVPDVV3UR[LPDLVDOVRDƆDUHVWDU
22
23:28 (all EST) and Adelaide at 22:54 CST. undergoing sudden eruptions in brightness. nd
EAST

SERP
THE PLANETS ENS
CAU
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Mars is now low in the western the morning. Turning to the predawn, the ite
_

Jup
evening sky, with its altitude at the beacon of Venus is prominent low in the M16
b

M1
M20
end of twilight being less than 10°. Jupiter, east. Mercury spends the month below its
M2
3

9
SC

M62S
a

rising around 21:30 midmonth, is now well fellow’s inner world, being closest on 17 April M
U

17
TU

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up by midnight. Saturn follows its fellow gas approximately 4° away. Try observing this
M

M M
8 6
M 22

giant two hours later and is best viewed in pair around an hour before sunrise.
M2

M28
b a
5

M7
DEEP-SKY OBJECTS
Teapot
This month, a voyage in Hydra. For an elliptical its halo is quite oval Saturn
Find the double star Chi (r) Hydri (3’x1.5’). Now for a challenge: lying 6°
(RA 11h 05.3m, dec. -27° 18’). It looks west of Chi is isolated, red, mag. +4.8
25
SAGITTARIUS

a TELE
th

great in binoculars, having mag. +4.9 star HR4162, the marker to the Hydra 1
_
and +5.7 components, separated by 8’. Galaxy Cluster. Its three brightest
C
members are found 10’ southwest. NGC ` b AU OR
From Chi move 1.8° east-northeast 3309 and 3311 form a close pair 1.6’ _ ST O
RA
to discover the galaxy NGC 3585 apart, with NGC 3312 a further 5’ to the ` LI
(RA 11h 13.3m, dec. -26° 45’). It is quite southeast. From here there are a
ìP
bright (mag. +9.8), with a star-like number of other galaxies within 1°,
nucleus in a bright, condensed core. depending on your aperture size.
SO
UT
H

Chart key _
EA

T
S

STAR
GALAXY DIFFUSE ASTEROID BRIGHTNESS:
NEBULOSITY TRACK MAG. 0
CHART: PETE LAWRENCE

OPEN CLUSTER & BRIGHTER

DOUBLE STAR METEOR MAG. +1
GLOBULAR RADIANT
MAG. +2
CLUSTER VARIABLE STAR QUASAR MAG. +3
PLANETARY
MAG. +4
NEBULA COMET TRACK PLANET & FAINTER

BBC Sky at Night Magazine April 2019

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SOUTH BBC Sky at Night Magazine April 2019