Welcome to the first DSO of 2007. I can hardly believe we are almost in March when I write this. The weather here in the UK has been poor for observing this winter season, at least from my side. Work continues to get in the way and those eyepieces look longingly at me from a shelf. Difficult to apply anthropomorphic images to metal and glass I know. I keep wishing I could live the life of an astronomy bum but I think the weather would put me off. Perhaps I need to move south, especially after what Comet McNaught did for southern observers. I also managed to stir up some controversy on the internet news groups by doubting the fact that you could see Abell 21 (the Medusa Nebula) with an 80mm telescope. Steve Gottlieb made the initial observation from the High Sierra but it was followed with claims from below sea level by some Dutch astronomers with similar instruments. Steve of course is well known to many and such is his experience it is difficult to doubt the observation, however incredible it may seem. I was going to try it myself from Tenerife but new security regulations now make it difficult to travel with extra baggage.
The UK star party season is just beginning so hopefully better weather for the spring set this year. I do understand that it is no better in North America with WSP only getting a couple of half nights and suffering flooding as well. Perhaps this is the future with global warming. I noted a plan that we should lift tons of sulphur into the atmosphere to start some global cooling. We can only hope that such ideas never take off as it would be the end of ground based deep sky astronomy. The aircraft contrails are already bad enough.
On the society side several things have happened. We have a name change which was ratified at the AGM to the Webb Deep-Sky Society. This has been mainly done in response to the fact that many, if not most, people get their information off the Internet and despite out best efforts putting deep sky into Google it dose not return us. We had a very successful AGM to celebrate the 200th birthday of T.W. Webb with 90 people attending.
Thanks go to Stewart for organising and Bob for hosting. Tim Walker has updated the website and we now have a new domain name www.webbdeepsky.com. The site has also undergone a face lift and looks very good. Bob has now put up most of the later Double Star Section Circulars as PDFs for download. As time permits the earlier ones will be uploaded as well. It has been asked why we do not put some of the early versions of the magazine as well and in theory there is no objections if someone wants to take the time to scan them.
On the publications side the second volume of the Visual Double Star Atlas is now available and can be purchased through Don price £6.50 plus the appropriate postage. We hope to have the Bennett book done for the next AGM. The society, as noted previously, decided against attending AstroFest this year because of the cost and from looking at the numbers attending this year that may have been a good decision! We will still have stands at the BAA Winchester Weekend and BAA Exhibition Meeting, and if the person who kindly offered to keep some stock in the north of England to take around to events there could kindly get in touch with myself, Bob or Don we would be most grateful and we apologise for not noting your name and pushing stuff into your hands at the AGM.
The society’s AGM this year, which will celebrate 40 years of the Webb Society, will again be back at the IOA in Cambridge on the 1st December. The late date again is due to the very congested calendar of meetings in the autumn period. Details of the program as it is finished will be on the website, and in future issues of the DSO.
Editor: Owen Brazell