Observatory Articles and Reports  

    LUNAR ECLIPSE 3rd MARCH 2007 - CORNWALL

  This eclipse proved one of the best for many years. Images by Paul Hughes of the Observatory.

  members had a very good evening..

   The images have been removed but check www.spaceweather.com and the archive file.

SOLAR ECLIPSE TURKEY 2006 MARCH 29TH

This was the best solar eclipse for a number of years and one we were not going to miss!

Brian Sheen and Allan Ridgeley therefore approached Cosmos Holidays and offered their services as Package Tour Astronomers. A few days in smart hotels looking at suitable locations in Turkey and all was ready. The day dawned bright and clear, 350 expectant astronomers gathered at a five star hotel that was closed for a few days. The images that follow capture just a taste of the excitement.    

copyright Andrew Holt for details contact the observatory.

Cornish Astronomer Secures The Prime Meridian of The World for Britain In 1884

An article  by Brian Sheen

A hundred and twenty years ago a triumphant John Couch Adams returned to Britain after difficult month in America. It had been clear for some while that the worlds shipping was in difficulty as the charts in use were based on a variety of Prime Meridians. The Americans called a Conference in Washington to resolve the situation. Britain's principal delegate was Couch Adams as Director of the Cambridge Observatory........More

The Transits of Venus 

A talk given to club members by Brian Sheen.

The principal characteristic of the solar system is that it is co-planar, all the planets and the Sun lie within a few degrees of one another. This means that the Inferior planets, Mercury and Venus can pass across the face of the Sun this phenomena is known as a transit. Mercury transited in May 2003. Venus has not crossed the Sun since 1882, and will not do so again until 2012. The intervals between transits are successively 8, 121.5, 8, 105.5, 8, 121.5 et seq. As can be seen they occur in pairs and these pairs alternate between June and December events. The study of transits has covered nearly 400 years and during this time a number of very significant changes have taken place......More

The (Slow) Road to Astro-Photography by CCD

 This has been deleted, it is now dated and we need the space! More

Mars Past, Present & Future.

The word Planet comes from the Greek meaning "Wandering Star". Of all the planets in the sky Mars is the one to which this term applies the most. Because it has such a strange motion it has been studied for thousands of years, although until the arrival of the telescope with little effect. At its best only Venus can be brighter, as a red object Mars stands alone, the Romans naming it after the god of war, the rate at which it travels east, it brightness variations even at opposition attracted much attention from the astronomers of old......More

Just a Minute- What's all this about Time?

As astronomers we get involved in three basic types of time. These are......More

Light Pollution in Cornwall

There are several areas of light pollution that could be investigated but my main objective will be to discover if and how much the night sky around the St Austell area has been affected by street and industry lighting.  I have chosen the night sky because as an amateur astronomer the subject is close to heart and the thought of losing the stars to light pollution would be unacceptable.  St Austell is set in a rural area, which should mean there are areas where the stars are visible and where the sight in more populated areas are not.  My biggest concern is with the increasing population and the building of estates, the areas where observing is possible will become less available as time goes on......More

Telescope Buyers Guide

Amateur Astronomy is one of the most fascinating hobbies in the world, but to get really into it, you probably will want to get a telescope. But to read the adverts in the magazines, you've got one very confusing choice out there. As well as the type of scope be it a Reflector, Refractor or a Catadioptic - don't worry at this point, we'll explain the differences later- there are many different sizes and even some which we wouldn't even poke a stick at. Finally there's the decision as to how much to spend. This article has been compiled by the membership's own experiences. They all had to buy that 'first telescope', and hopefully, you can benefit from their hindsight. We'll help answer many of the questions you may have about purchasing a telescope as well as clearing up some of the mysteries about astronomical telescopes in general.....More.

Global Warming- The State of Play

That there have been changes in the world's climate within living memory is indisputable. It is just the weight placed by the various authorities on the different elements that cause these changes that is questioned by some......More

Research Projects

1999 Eclipse

As a follow up to the 1999 eclipse experiment, a small group went to Zambia to measure visible light and infrared flux changes during the eclipse using photosensitive diodes. The experiment was carried out successfully but the anomalous result recorded during the 1999 eclipse was not repeated. A report was published in 'Astronomy and Geophysics' June 2003.

Results Update 

Both the direct and indirect energies were measured throughout the eclipse, using detector arrays made at Roseland and Rutherford. The changes in energy levels followed what was expected from the geometry of the Sun Moon system and did not repeat the sudden drops recorded during the 99 eclipse in Cornwall.

However random fluctuations were noted and these are assumed to be due to the effect of atmospheric scattering. These are probably the same fluctuations that give rise to the Shadow Bands seen prior to totality. We hope to repeat the experiments routinely in Cornwall to give a measure of atmospheric variation. It is believed that this is the first time that these observations have been carried out in this way.

Micrometeorites

During 2003,  a balloon was to be launched from the Coast of Cornwall to the edge of space, 40km high. As the balloon was going into the area where micrometeorites are found our observatory built  a package for the balloon to collect these onto a self adhesive substrate. After the balloon has landed in the Atlantic, the collecting plates will be cleaned of the micrometeorites and they will then be examined under a scanning electron microscope. 

From left to right- Alan Ridgley (The Roseland Observatories Technical Advisor), Colin Prescot (Qinetiq Pilot and CEO), Andy Elson ( Qinetiq Pilot and Project Director) and our very own Brian Sheen (Roseland Observatory Director)

In the event the balloon was damaged on the deck of the launch ship and never got beyond being half inflated. As the TV interviewer said "Brian we have a problem!"