Pedro St James, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. Monday 2 June 2014.

It was the night/evening of 2 June 2014, not a sound was heard, the moon was waxing.... Well, the moon was waxing; it was not "that" quiet at Pedro St James where the 'scopes were set up, ready to transport is us to a different world of Planets, a waxing moon, the Southern Cross, the Jewel Box and even a good view of Saturn! The same (waxing) moon helped us and the Savannah Primary School students to identify the dazzling planet Jupiter, stunning planet Saturn, mysterious planet Mars; Jupiter is the brightest object in the vicinity of the moon (at the moment). Mercury was lower in the sky, not much above the horizon, hiding every now and then behind some pesky clouds. Amazingly so, the moon’s lighted crescent points (like an arrow) pointed towards Mercury... Another amazing observation through the telescopes was the "Omega cluster" -well in excess of a million stars in one "fuzzy blob". Some Mercury trivia Mercury, the innermost planet of the solar system, orbits the sun in only 88 Earth-days. Even though Mercury has the shortest year of any solar system planet, it also sports the longest day. One day on Mercury is equal to 176 Earth-days. On Mercury, one day is twice as long as its year of 88 Earth-days. If you lived on Mercury, you’d see the sunrise in the east, then the sunset in the west some 88 Earth-days later. However, when Mercury reaches perihelion – its closest point to the sun for the year – you’d see the sun stop, then go eastward for a while before resuming its normal westward motion. If you were on the right place on Mercury, you could actually watch the sun rise, go back under the eastern horizon, and then rise again. By the way, Mercury will be at perihelion on July 29, 2014. Just as on Earth, the westward movement of the sun during a day on Mercury is due to the planet’s rotation. However, Mercury’s orbital motion is so fast at perihelion that it causes the sun to go eastward in the daytime sky for a few (Earth) days. International Space Station (ISS) A memorable sight was seen at 8pm...with the "naked eye"...the International Space Station [ISS] flying over Grand Cayman. It was a great view; some minutes! Because the atmosphere over Grand Cayman is so unpolluted and there isn't too much "light pollution" you can easily see it passing over the island, provided there's no cloud cover in that part of the sky. The time predictions so far have proven to be very accurate so be sure your watch is set correctly to local Cayman time, one hour behind "Eastern Standard Time". Here's what to look for: It looks like the brightest star in the sky but it's steadily moving along. It doesn't blink (that would be an airplane!), once it becomes visible it's a steadily glowing point of light moving in a smooth steady arc. Depending on atmospheric conditions and sun angle it may have a bit of a yellowish or reddish cast to it. You can fairly easily spot it with your naked eye (or with glasses if you wear them for distance vision) because it's bright and visibly moving whereas the stars and planets appear to be stationary. It's best to be away from heavy "light pollution" : but if at the "fly-by time" you can see other stars or planets in the general directions where the ISS will be visible, then you're dark enough where you are. Big and Little Dipper At this time of year, assuming you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, you can easily find the legendary Big Dipper, called The Plough by our friends in the UK, now high in the north during the evening hours. Chris had his flashy green pointer on hand and to the delight of the students, and the rest of us, pointed out the Plough, wow! It’s one of the most familiar star patterns in the sky because its shape really resembles a dipper. Less familiar – and tougher to find – is the Little Dipper. Here’s how you can find it. First, locate the Big Dipper in the northern sky during the evening hours. Notice that the Big Dipper has two parts: a bowl and a handle. See the two outer stars in the bowl? They’re known as The Pointers because they point to the North Star, which is also known as Polaris. Once you’ve found Polaris, you can find the Little Dipper. Polaris marks the end of the handle of the Little Dipper. You need a dark night to see the Little Dipper in full, because it’s so much fainter than its larger and brighter counterpart. Look for the Big Dipper high in the north at nightfall! Another successful evening Pedro St James, an open (to everyone) platform , once a month to see our amazing sky. To become a member of the Cayman Islands Astronomy Society, it will set you back CI$25.00 for a years membership. Worth it... Sources: Earth Sky News, Chris, Richard, Karen, Myriam, CaymanTA, Tripadvisor

Cayman Islands Astronomical Society News - Dates for the AGM and next Public Meeting At St Pedros Castle

Hi All

 

Lets start on a positive note: I always enjoy the sky AFTER its rained as much of the dust has been cleared out of the air and night-time visibility is much improved!

 

The meeting of the next AGM is on Thursday May 29th at 7:00 PM  at the UCCI Observatory

Please come and make the Society happen. If you cant attend and are interested in helping out please let me know beforehand.

The meeting will be brief and will adjourn to Sunset Bar

 

The next meeting open to the General Public is now set for 7:30 PM  Monday 2nd June at  St Pedro's Castle. We are expecting a good turn out as Savannah Primary School are also coming,

 

As always the weather will decide on  the fate of the meeting- if more than 50 percent cloudy or indeed if its raining the meeting will be cancelled. If in doubt please phone me (don't text) on 925 7657 at 7:00 PM

 

To join the Society it costs only 25 CI and goes towards the upgrade and maintenance of the telescopes we use.

 

And a final note on meteor showers. These are fickle enough events as many of you remembered this month and as soon as forecasts of their numbers and visibility are set in print they seem doomed to actually happen.  I mention this because of recent news on a predicted  meteor storm from the break up of Comet 209P/LINEAR due on the night of May 23-24 . Best times are estimated between 1 and 3 AM but the radiant  is in the constellation of Camelopardalis which  is pretty close to the Pole Star. So look North

 

As we all know in Cayman the Pole Star is only 20 degrees off the horizon so I will probably stay in bed. However I could be spectacularly wrong! Below is a star map showing  the constellation

So best of luck and  clear skies everyone!

 

 

Chris 

 

Next Meeting is May 1st (Thursday) 2014 at St Pedros Castle 7:30 PM

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

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!

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 

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/howto/howtoequipment/3304526.html?page=1

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 15^th 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