Welcome to this issue of DSO, and probably my last as editor. As noted in the Webb AGM program I have had some cardiac issues and would like to reduce some of my commitments. I have had an interesting time over the last 15 years or so editing the magazine and hopefully whoever takes over can start with a new broom and keep the magazine going forwards. As also noted by Don without some new blood infusion the Society cannot continue in its present form and we would hate to make it 40 and out. I will hopefully continue to write for the magazine once I have finished some other commitments (the planetary nebula book for instance).
I am not sure when this issue will make it out but if it is before the AGM then I hope to see some of you there. If not I am sure we had a good time. We have a project to try and scan the back issues of the Webb magazines so we can have them all in electronic format and then perhaps release a CD so you can get all those issues you have not got room for. We still have some paper issues left but they will be pulped once we have all the scanning done to reduce storage in both Don’s house and mine.
It is interesting looking back over them see how deep sky observing has evolved over the last 40 years or so with the blossoming in size of telescopes available on a regular basis to amateurs as well as the tools to make our observing more enjoyable. The revival of neglected areas like double star observing has also been good to see.
On the news front there has not been a lot to say. There have not been many new websites up that add anything new to the deep sky scene and most of the old standards have not been updated for some time.
In terms of books most of those that have been mentioned over the last year are now out and I am mot aware of any new ones due this year although next year should see the publication of Kent Wallace’s book on Planetary Nebulae and the English edition of Ronald Stoyan’s Messier Atlas, which is a superb book in its current German. Even the prolific Springer series do not seem to have any new books on the deep sky due out, which may be a good thing. We also look for reviews of books if people have something they would like to say. We have not been chasing review copies for a while now as our circulation is too small to interest most of the main publishing houses.
On the plus side I did manage to get some reasonable observing in with the 20-inch with several new Abell planetaries added to the list as well as spending a lot of time on comet Holmes P/17, it was described as looking like a planetary nebula in the early phases which is my justification for looking at it(!) over the autumn season. I did get a chance to test out the new TeleVue Ethos eyepiece and it is a fine piece of kit, although somewhat pricy. It is indeed strange to be looking at an eyepiece that makes a Nagler field look small.
For those members in the UK a date for your diary is the BAA Deep Sky Section meeting on the 1st March 2008, which will be held at Cotswold A/S venue as a change from Northampton. The theme this year will be galaxies. For more details see the BAA Deep Sky section Website….
http://britastro.org/baa/content/blogsection/6/129/
Editor: Owen Brazell