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Hi David,
Trusting you are enjoying the warmer weather although, unfortunately, it seems to bring with it a bit more cloud. The last few weeks have been a bit of a challenge, but I’m still noticing a few nights here and there are giving an opportunity to get the telescope out and have a look at Jupiter in particular. (aside – I just stuck my head out the window and it looks lovely up there at the moment (look North East about 11 o'clock in the sky) – humidity is increasing so it will get worse as the night goes on….so do it now !!!!)
ALLISON-LEVICK PUBLIC LECTURE
An important date in the calendar is the Allison-Levick Public Lecture at Macquarie University. The Allison-Levick Memorial Lecture is funded by a bequest from Mr Jack Allison-Levick, a Melbourne psychiatrist with a life-long interest in astronomy. Mr Allison-Levick left his bequest to enhance the public understanding of astronomy. This year's lecture is on this Thursday at 6pm and is called “Fantastic Radio Beasts (FRBs) and Where to Find Them”. Whilst it sounds interesting to call them beasts, they are better called Fast Radio Bursts and is an area of astronomy that Australia has excelled at for some time. Initially identified at the Parkes Observatory, and with further research, now using the ASKAP Pathfinder array in Western Australia. You can register at https://event.mq.edu.au/2023-allison-levick-lecture/registration/Site/Register
CHRISTMAS PARTY
Another important date is the NSAS Christmas Party, which is this Sunday. We are hosting this at the PFA, which has a large indoor clubhouse where we can enjoy each others company and the natter of astronomical discussions. This is an ever popular event and I do encourage you to come along. It runs from 11am till 4pm and we would ask that you register so we can make sure everyone is catered for. Our plan is do some solar observing, provided the weather plays along, so come along and hopefully you will see some sun spots and flares which are prevalent at this time. You need to logon first to access this member only event. Login Christmas Party
To support the festive season, NSAS is providing free delivery for any purchase from the store (excluding hire telescopes).So feel free to spoil yourself this Christmas with a little help from NSAS.
SKY AND TELESCOPE MAGAZINE
Recently we were told the unfortunate news that the Australian Sky and Telescope magazine was to cease publication. For those AS&T subscribers, there has been an offer from the American publisher of Sky and Telescope which runs till the end of the year. If you are interested in continuing to learn and read the latest in interesting articles on Astronomy, then I recommend you look at this publication. There are some very interesting articles in there this month. In particular, one I found fascinating was the appearance of mud on the surface of Mars which they think has lain there for billions of years. The other article describes the process of star formation during the time that Andromeda and M32 came together about 2 billion years ago. Some of the imagery in this publication is superb, and it has a successful digital publication which enables this to be seen and appreciated.
NSAS UPGRADES THE NEXSTAR EVO 6 TO BE ASTROPHOTGRAPHY CAPABLE
NSAS recently upgraded the Celestron Nexstar Evolution 6 telescope with accessories to make it suitable for taking photos of the moon and the planets using your DSLR (Canon and Nikon only). If you are interested in getting going into astrophotography, this is a great way to start to dabble in the dark art.
FINALLY – HAVE YOUR SAY !!
NSAS is always looking to improve its service and is asking for your input. Please use the link below to complete this short 10 minute survey about your thoughts on how we can assist you and other members. Login to access the anonymous survey (yes I know that reads weird but you know what I mean). Login Member Survey
Links to observing objects Observable Objects and imaging target suggestions Imaging Target Suggestions
Clear skies
David Stevenson
President
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