A Southern hemisphere astronomy bucket list

Zodiacal Light in the Free State sky during the 2015 Free State Star Party (Photo: Hannes Pieterse)

A Bucket List to die for!  Auke Slotegraaf, Section Director, Deep-sky Section (Astronomical Society of Southern Africa) created the list.

A Southern hemisphere astronomy bucket list

Category A: Earth and the solar system

• The Earth’s shadow
• A geostationary satellite
• A –8 mag. Iridium flare
• Structure in the International Space Station
• The zodiacal light & the gegenschein
• The green flash
• Complete list...

- Visit psychohistorian.org to see the rest and start observing to complete the list.
- Free State Star Party  3 - 5  June 2016

Bloemfontein - Observation of the International Space Station

The International Space Station (ISS) can easily be spotted with the naked eye. Because of its size (110m x 100m x 30m), it reflects a large amount of sunlight.
The best time to observe the ISS is when it is nighttime at your location, and the Space Station is sunlit. Often, such a viewing situation occurs in the morning before sunrise, or in the evening after sunset.

- View over Bloemfontein

Cloud formation ove Table Mountain, Cape Town, South Africa

VVV's oor Kaapstad? Nee, maar foto's van ongewone wolkformasies oor Tafelberg en die Skiereiland het die afgelope paar...
Posted by Die Burger on Tuesday, 10 November 2015

Comparison optical telescope primary mirrors

Read more....

• 10 Biggest Telescopes on Earth: How They Measure Up

Pre-order your astronomy wall calendar now!

Click to enlarge and read the pre-order information

Last year's astronomy wall calendar was extremely well received and I've decided to make one for 2016 (yes, it's almost next year already...).

Attached are the details and the October 24 pre-order offer.

If you think your members may be interested, please pass this on to them - thanks!

Send email to Auke (auke(at)psychohistorian.org) with your information.

Best regards,
Auke Slotegraaf

Loss of the Night citizen science project

 App for Android (also iPhone)
Loss of the Night citizen science project: A step by step guide to using the Loss of the Nigh...:
This is a step by step guide to using the Loss of the Night app for Android (v2.0). If anything is unclear, let me know in the comments and...

Usefull Links...

• Unihedron
  - Sky Quality Meter - An affordable meter for measuring sky brightness for astronomers!- Portable Tools for Physics and Astronomy
  - Unihedron Forum

•  The International Dark-Sky Association works to protect the night skies for present and future generations. 
•  Announcing the "International Nights of Skyglow Observation" in 2015
• Dr Christopher Kyba   "I study the ecological impact of artificial light at night, with a focus on quantifying the skyglow produced by cities, and how it is changing,"
  - Light Pollution Photo Gallery
  - Light pollution papers (and books)
  - Observing  skyglow  change  via  citizen  science - the  Loss  of  the  Night App (Powerpoint, recent webinar)
• Loss of the Night  
• Loss of the Night citizen science project
  Guest post by Allen Versfeld
•  Loss of the Night citizen science project
  - Contribute to light pollution research with the Loss of the Night Android app!
  - Projects you can do at night.

• ALAN 2015 - 3rd International Conference on Artificial Light at Night - May 29 - 31, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada (Pdf) 
• Rate your Skyglow (Several links - Sky and Telescope)
• Citizen Scientists Track Light Pollution as Humanity Loses Touch with the Night Sky - Scientific American Blog
• Globe at Night (Map)

YouTube

• Loss of the Night
• How to Photograph the Milky Way in Really Heavy Light Pollution Using ETTR (Expose to the Right)
  
  Rate Your Skyglow

Get your 2016 - Sky Guide

 2016 - Sky Guide

 The Sky Guide is the astronomical handbook for southern Africa, and is an invaluable practical resource for anyone who has even a passing interest in the night skies of southern Africa.
Read more.....
 

Exclusive 2016 Sky Guide competition!

To stand a chance to win a pair of magnificent Celestron SkyMaster binoculars, turn to page 128 of the Sky Guide, answer the competition question and submit the original competition coupon (via snail mail!) to us. The competition closing date is 2016 March 20. The winning entry will be drawn by an ASSA Council Appointee and the winner will be notifi ed telephonically. Good luck! 

How to get your copy of the Sky Guide

ASSA Country Members receive a copy in the post as part of their membership benefits.

Members of ASSA Centres may approach their Centre committee to enjoy a reduced price for a copy for their own personal use (but not for onward selling).

The Sky Guide is also available from bookshops or on-line bookshops such as Loot.co.za, Exclus1ves.co.za or Kalahari.com.

Bulk orders of the Sky Guide (for bookshops and other re-sellers) may be negotiated directly with Lucille Bester at Struik Nature: (e-mail: lucilleb  randomstruik.co.za, phone: 021 460 5400).

Lunar Eclipse ( Image copyright: Carol Botha)

Lunar Eclipse

A sequence of images showing the eclipse from start to finish

 Image copyright: Carol Botha

On September 28th, The Moon passed through the Earth’s shadow while at perigee, an event which trended on social media as #SuperBloodMoon.

• Read more....

UFS 101 - Science Fair - UFS Qwaqwa Campus - 12 September 2015

ASSA Bloemfontein joined forces with the UFS 101 team from the University of the Free State to make the Science Faire on the UFS Qwaqwa Campus a success. Learners from nearby schools and students looked at sunspots with a telescope.

• Photo Galery

13 September 2015 partial solar eclipse from Bloemfontein

Observing the 13 September 2015 partial solar eclipse from Bloemfontein, South Africa. Canon 40D; Bader Photographic Solar Filter; 1/500 sec; ISO 1250; Orion Apex 102mm Maksutov-Cassegrain Telescope; Mirror up. Sunspots AR2412 and 2414 visible. 07:48 SAST. (Hannes Pieterse)