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John Dobson -14 September 1915 to 15 January 2014
John Dobson, creator of the Altitude-Azimuth mount that bears his name, the “Dobsonian” and populariser of stargazing passed away on 15 January 2014, age 98. Click to read more
Author: Matthew Hodgson
First Asteroid discovery of 2014 enters Earth’s atmosphere approximately 24 hours later
The 1st asteroid discovery of 2014 designated 2014 AA entered the atmosphere only 24 hrs after detection. This is only the 2nd time a detection has been made before impact and location has been narrowed using infrasound data. Click to read more
The APM TMB 105 f/6.2 Triplet Apochromatic Refractor Review
The APM TMB 105/650 f/6.2 Triplet Apochromatic Refractor has unsurpassed LZOS made optics and while initially purchased as my airline portable scope has become my most used telescope both home and away. Click to read more
Schmitt-Cassegrain Collimation Made Easy Using a Duncan Mask
For any telescope to perform at its best, the optical elements must be aligned. With its magnifying secondary mirror, a Schmitt-Cassegrain is particularly sensitive to collimation. This process can be made quite simple by using a Duncan Mask which is very easy to make yourself and it removes the ambiguity of whether you have the optical elements precisely aligned. Click to read more
The International Space Station can make this Christmas Eve a more Magical Experience
How wonderful would the look on a young child’s face be when they see Santa flying over your house on Christmas Eve? A little bit of astronomy and the International Space Station can make it happen. Click to read more
The International Dark Sky Association names two new UK dark sky places
On December 9th 2013, the International Dark Sky Association (IDA) announced that it has designated two new International Dark Sky Places in the United Kingdom, including one representing the largest land area of protected night skies in all of Europe. Click to read more
Magnitude +5 Nova in Centaurus
A nova has erupted in Centaurus to a reported magnitude +5 to the west of Alpha and Beta Centauri. John Seach in Australia discovered on December 2nd with a DSLR patrol camera at magnitude +5.5. The nova is almost exactly centred on a star of magnitude +15. Click to read more
Is Comet ISON disintegrating?
There has been a rapid drop in molecular emissions from comet ISON combined with a huge increase in dust, which indicates that ISON may have completely disrupted. Click to read more
Recently Observed Comet ISON Brightening likely due to fragmentation
Images taken of Comet ISON in the last few days by scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research and the Wendelstein Observatory of the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Germany suggest that one or more fragments may have detached from the main nucleus of Comet ISON which may explain the recent outburst of activity reported last week. Click to read more
Prettiest Colour Contrasted Double Stars
I am a deep space junkie. But modern city living means light pollution often gets in the way of observing DSOs. Over the last 12 months I have undertaken a project to observe hundreds of double stars and I have selected my top 35 choices for colour contrast which in my opinion present a striking and memorable view in the eyepiece. Click to read more