The next meeting of the Cayman Islands Astronomical Society is set for Thursday 1st May 2014 at St Pedro's Castle. Starts about 7:30 PM
The weather can be tricky to forecast this time of the year and meetings will be cancelled if more than 50 percent cloudy. If in doubt phone 925 7657. Remember the weather in George Town can be somewhat different to Savannah.
On arrival please dip head lights and don't park on the grass.
The meeting is free and open to all.
Chris
April Newsletter 2014
Hi All
The Next Meeting is at St Pedros Castle on Thursday 3rd April at 7:30 PM
On arrival please dip your headlights and dont drive on the grass.
Remember if the weather is more than 50 percent cloudy the meeting will be cancelled. Phone me (Chris) on 925 7657
Theres a nice crossing of the International Space Station just after 7:30 PM - these do not operate under "Cayman Time" so get there a bit earlier if you wan to see it !
Jupiter is up and the Moon too of course
Upcoming this month is a Lunar Eclipse (15th) which has an interest - (theres some interesting stories relating to Bibical prophecies on perhaps the Second Coming) and later in the month is Earth Week, with a special meeting at the UCCI observatory on Friday 25th April
More on this later - it has promise of a big event
Chris
The Next Meeting is at St Pedros Castle on Thursday 3rd April at 7:30 PM
On arrival please dip your headlights and dont drive on the grass.
Remember if the weather is more than 50 percent cloudy the meeting will be cancelled. Phone me (Chris) on 925 7657
Theres a nice crossing of the International Space Station just after 7:30 PM - these do not operate under "Cayman Time" so get there a bit earlier if you wan to see it !
Jupiter is up and the Moon too of course
Upcoming this month is a Lunar Eclipse (15th) which has an interest - (theres some interesting stories relating to Bibical prophecies on perhaps the Second Coming) and later in the month is Earth Week, with a special meeting at the UCCI observatory on Friday 25th April
More on this later - it has promise of a big event
Chris
Newsletter for March 2014 : Meetings and Updates
The next Meeting Of the Cayman Islands Astronomical Society
is on the 4th March at 7:30 PM at Pedro's Castle
The meeting will be canceled if raining or more than 50 percent cloudy- If in doubt please ring me (Chris) on 925 7657
Please dip your headlights on arrival and do not park on the grass.
All are welcome and there is no charge however we are a non profit organization so that after a few meetings you might like to join.
To Join The Astronomical Society
Membership costs 25 CI and runs from Jan 1st to 31 December
If you cant make the meeting then send a cheque made payable to the following address
Chris Cooke PO Box 1601 GT
KY1 1110
Alternatively you can drop the cheque or cash off at Kirks Stationary Store - just ask for Myriam Madigan
See the Sun in close-up at the UCCI Observatory this coming Saturday 22nd
between 10 and 12 midday. Bill Hrudey will be there to show live pictures of the Sun in detail - it is a very safe way to see the Sun in Close-up without going blind.
NEVER under any circumstances look at the sun with a telescope or binoculars without the correct specialist Astronomical sun filters. This is what Bill will be using on Saturday. Again usual rules apply on cloud cover and rain - This time ring Bill 327 1892 for the latest weather update from the Observatory on Saturday morning. I cant make it so if any of our "Solar" members want to help please contact Bill
Saturday March 1st Cayman Arts Festival "Red Sky At Night"
We wil be there down Astronomical Avenue!
If you want to help us raise funds please let me know ASAP - we have a limited number of free tickets available to Society Members
Grand Donation To The Society
Finally some good news - we have been very kindly donated by Sheree Ebanks a Celestron Nexstar 8i, this is a computerized "GOTO" telescope with an 8 inch mirror. Ian and I have had it working- its not new but not only is it going where its told to go to its now giving some good images too now Ive cleaned up the optics . Bill has kindly fixed its tripod and with all that done we are hoping to use the Scope at the next meeting and the Red Sky At Night too. So come along and see the new beastie!
Clear Skies (please!!!!!) Chris
Introduction To Astronomy Course at the UCCI College Cayman Islands starts Tuesday 4th Feb 2014 7:30 PM
Also numbers are now filling up on the next "Introduction To Astronomy " course to be held at the Observatory at the UCCI College.
It starts on Tuesday 4th Feb and is a mixture of classroom and practical . To enroll the college requires cash CI 125 and you will need to pay at the Administration Office. Any problems let me know
Course runs for 7 weeks and starts 7:30 PM
For those who have been on the previous two courses please note this is the same course ( so the jokes are the same) - a more Advanced Course is still in the pipeline
NEXT MEETING OPEN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS ON SUNDAY 2 FEB starts 7 PM
Normal rules apply - if more than 50 percent cloudy the meeting is cancelled.
Phone Chris on 925 76 57
Please dim lights on Entering and dotnt park on the grass!
Meeting is free to the General Public
FINALLY MEMBERSHIP FEES ARE NOW DUE - ONLY 25 CI per year.
Your support keeps the "free" meetings going
Bring your fees to the meeting or post them to me as a cheque and made out to the CIAS,
The CIAS
c/o Chris Cooke
PO Box 1601
KY1 1110
THANKS!
It starts on Tuesday 4th Feb and is a mixture of classroom and practical . To enroll the college requires cash CI 125 and you will need to pay at the Administration Office. Any problems let me know
Course runs for 7 weeks and starts 7:30 PM
For those who have been on the previous two courses please note this is the same course ( so the jokes are the same) - a more Advanced Course is still in the pipeline
NEXT MEETING OPEN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS ON SUNDAY 2 FEB starts 7 PM
Normal rules apply - if more than 50 percent cloudy the meeting is cancelled.
Phone Chris on 925 76 57
Please dim lights on Entering and dotnt park on the grass!
Meeting is free to the General Public
FINALLY MEMBERSHIP FEES ARE NOW DUE - ONLY 25 CI per year.
Your support keeps the "free" meetings going
Bring your fees to the meeting or post them to me as a cheque and made out to the CIAS,
The CIAS
c/o Chris Cooke
PO Box 1601
KY1 1110
THANKS!
CIAS Next Meeting 6th January 6:30 PM
The next meeting will be at Pedro’s Castle
starting at 6:30 PM on-wards
on Monday January 6 th 2014 – although I’m
back – its only just - so Richard will be in charge. Meetings are cancelled if there
is more than 50 percent cloud cover. It will be Richard making the executive
decision that night, his cell is 9254917
As its Christmas I have decided to upload a modified form of the Astronomy Society Newsletter - now sent to members only. As it only costs 25 CI a year to support the Society its a bargain.The December meeting was not advertised on this Website but we did have a meeting offered by email to our more keener members and non-members. This our last meeting this year was a particularly pleasant one and involved Clive Bodden’s catamaran “Yahoo Yahoo!” which proved an excellent stable platform to see the night sky somewhere in the North Sound near Booby Cay. It was particularly wonderful to see the WHOLE sky in one go, though when the boat tacked it took a while for everyone’s Apps to synchronize! Myriam produced a wonderful cake to celebrate the occasion including a picture of comet ISON, though of course ISON itself had long gone by then. Myriam also became the trips photographer.
I was going to spend some time reviewing
the past year but it’s all there on the Facebook page, Astronomically we had
two damp squib-like comets, a very partial eclipse at dawn when it was cloudy
and probably the faintest penumbrial lunar eclipse seen for years! (Still, we
had a good turnout for the UCCI STEM Conference Astronomy evening)
For us as a
Society it started as a sad year with
Nicks Funeral but we also built on last year’s
achievements’ too and finished up with a great evening boat trip into the North
Sound
Next Year
The Society is actually growing with the prospect of a new
telescope and a number of events planned already for next year. These include
the Cayman Arts Festival “Red Sky At Night” in February – a joint meeting
(sometime and somewhere) with The National Trust for viewing and to discuss the
ever growing problem of light pollution If anyone wants to help with raising
the profile of the International Campaign for Dark Skies here in Cayman please contact me. (cpcooke@aol.com)
Ill also be advertising
the “Beginners Evening Class in Astronomy” again in early January – to be held
at the UCCI Observatory again. This will be the third time its run if we get
the numbers. . Both Bill and Richard played a key part in the previous courses
and that gives me the opportunity to say thanks for their help. Course is open
to all and there’s no math!! More on this early in Jan
Christmas and telescopes : This question is raised every year : What sort of telescope should I buy my son/daughter/husband/wife/lover/friend for Christmas? It can be a minefield as there's a lot of rubbish around in such bargain shops such as Cost-U-More and Bad-Buy. Here is a good article to read
Its a bit technical but one section sums it all up
If you're set on buying new, be prepared to spend at least $200 to $400, and even then you have to be careful to avoid junk. If this is beyond your means, your astronomical aspirations will probably be best served by buying a decent pair of binoculars and a lawn chair. Remember that whatever investment you make should be of good enough quality to serve you well for decades.
Night Sky For December Over Christmas The chart below is produced by the excellent site http://heavens-above.com/ Much thanks to Chris Pete for allowing us to use the chart for our latitudes It shows the sky for Grand Cayman for the 15th of December at around 8:30 PM but is fine for the rest of the month at slightly earlier times . Note that that “Summer Triangle” has now gone and the Great Square of Pegasus (which was overhead on our boat trip) is now distinctly in the West. Jupiter is now high in the sky and in the constellation of the Twins (Gemini). Its worth mentioning that Venus of course is still blazing in the West just after sunset at the beginning of the month but as December progresses the planet gets closer and closer into the evening twilight . Its now showing a real crescent phase through a telescope and worth catching a glimpse if you can
All the best and hope to see you all at our meetings after Christmas.
Chris Cooke
cpcooke@aol.com
CIAS Next Meeting 8 November 7 PM Pedro's Castle
The next meeting is on Friday Nov 8th starting at 7 PM. Usual finish time is by 9 PM The meeting is a few days later than usual so we will be focusing more on the Moon than usual. All are welcome, please remember to dip lights on arrival.
November can be a very mixed month for the weather so if the evening looks more than 50 percent cloudy the meeting will be canceled, You can phone me (no texts or emails please) at 7:00 PM if in doubt 925 7657
This Sunday 3rd of November a (very) partial solar eclipse is theoretically visible at Sun rise 06:26 AM from the Cayman Islands. It will probably be in the news but for our location the eclipse will be for the die hard enthusiasts. If you want to join me please feel free to email and depending on numbers a suitable location will be found,
If you are intending on viewing it alone please take adequate precautions - especially if you will be pointing cameras with telescopic lenses at the sun. Remember the eclipse is here briefly for a few minutes whereas you want to use your eyes for life.
Clear Skies Everyone
Chris
CIAS News Busy Month for October 2013
The next Public meeting of the Astronomical Society to be held at Pedros Castle will be on Tuesday the 8th of October starting at 7:00 PM. All are Welcome Remember the meetings will be canceled if sky cover is more than 50 percent or if it is raining. If in doubt phone me on 925 7657 If you come to the site please dip headlights on arrival.
We are also involved in two other major events this month.
On Saturday October the 12th we will be at the "Night Under the Stars" at the National Gallery. This is a major fundraising event for the Estella Scott-Roberts Foundation
At the UCCI college the Society is involved with the STEM Conference which runs from Wednesday 16th to Saturday the 19th. In particular there are two free events for the General Public.
We are also involved in two other major events this month.
On Saturday October the 12th we will be at the "Night Under the Stars" at the National Gallery. This is a major fundraising event for the Estella Scott-Roberts Foundation
At the UCCI college the Society is involved with the STEM Conference which runs from Wednesday 16th to Saturday the 19th. In particular there are two free events for the General Public.
On the evening of Friday
18th there is a lunar eclipse and the UCCI Observatory and
the CIAS plan to observe from the UCCI Quadrangle. The Society will be there
from 6 PM onwards, with the Moon rising above the buildings in eclipse at
perhaps around 7:00 PM. By 8:50 the Eclipse is over.
On Saturday afternoon the 19th
October there is a family fun afternoon, which again includes the UCCI
Observatory and the CIAS to observe the Sun. This will run from 2:30 till 4:30
PM. Other events that afternoon invove a display of robotics, music by a
theramin, a Van De Graff Generator (with a teacher attached to it), an alchemist
and a rubins tube.
Towards the end of this month Comet ISON
may become visible in the morning sky. More information on this and other events
this month is in the Society newsletter which is availble free to all members.
To join please come to our next meeting or email me with your
interest.
Clear Skies (fingers crossed)
Chris Cooke tel 925 7657
Or just plain old “Internet” http://caymanastronews.blogspot.com/
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