Northern Rivers 2012

[Judith]

Quote: "a wetter season is more likely for northeastern NSW"




Judith

[glenc (Glen)]

Observed with the 16" from 3:20 to 5am today. It rained during the night then it was real clear.

[glenc (Glen)]

Anyone want to come over to North Casino tonight? It gets dark at 6:30 pm.

[Judith]

Love to, Glen - see you around 6.30 or 7pm.

Cheers Judith

[glenc (Glen)]

Looks like it will be clear on Sunday night 15/7.
Does anyone want to observe from North Casino? It gets dark at 6:30pm.
http://www.weatherzone.com.au/nsw/no...-rivers/casino

[Judith]

Hey Glen I'll be there!
Judith

[lizzyjt (Liz)]

Hi,

I am a total novice and keen to learn about astronomy.

Is there an astronomy group or club in the Northern Rivers area?

Regards
Liz

[GrahamL]

Hi Liz

welcome to IIS

We try and meet up from time to time , usually at glens at North casino
when the weather plays nice ,new faces are most welcome .

Glens away at astrofest this week so will likely chime in a little later .

Do you have a scope ? or are thinking of getting one , have a read of the begginers section theres lots of great info there

graham

[lizzyjt (Liz)]

Hi Graham,

That sounds good... I live in Casino too.

I don't have a scope - I am really a complete novice - Google sky map app is even a little confusing for me! But I enjoy playing with it. I have had a brief look at the beginners section on here and will read more - do you know of a basic book which would be appropriate for a clueless person such as myself?

Would enjoy the opportunity of meeting the group.

Thanks
Liz

[GrahamL]

Hi Liz

I'm not familiar with a lot of titles, theres a decent few in the bookshop next door to bohotopia in lismore.

some are almost to generalised to be a lot of help .
I like 'Atlas of the Southern skys ' , it covers some basics and is still a good reference source when you get a little down the road .

hopefully others will jump in with a few sugestions to

[Lismore Bloke (Paul)]

Hi Liz,

Welcome to the group. Graham's book suggestion is a good one, plus it's for the southern hemisphere, not always the case with some books written for the northern sky. If you have a PC it might be worth investigating Stellarium:

http://www.stellarium.org/

or Cartes du Ciel:

http://www.ap-i.net/skychart/start

Both are free planetarium software and pretty good for showing what's in the sky at the moment and as the night progresses.

Cheers, Paul.

[Judith]

Hi Liz

Like you I am a newbie. We are really lucky in this area because we have some excellent and experienced astronomers in our group who are very generous with their time and knowledge.

As a beginner I reckon Stellarium that Paul mentioned is the best of the planetarium software. Its easy to use and not too big to download. For books I like Atlas of the Southern Skies that Graham mentioned. I also subscribe to Australian Sky and Telescope. It comes out bi-monthly and has a section on what's up in the night sky. You can get it at most newsagents - in Lismore anyway - or I have plenty of back issues if you'd like to have a look. I like the Astronomy Yearbook too - month by month description of the night sky, with seasonal sky maps and lots of great info. There are some great free on line courses too - my favorite is the website http://asterisk.apod.com/index.php And for sheer visual pleasure you can't go past http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html

So happy hunting!
Judith

[lizzyjt (Liz)]

Thanks for the helpful suggestions Graham, Judith & Paul - I'll start having a look at them. Have a great weekend!

[glenc (Glen)]

Welcome Liz to IIS. I hope you can join us next time we get together.
We usually met on a weekend when it is clear and there is no moon.
Look here for planned meetings around last quarter moon or new moon.

[glenc (Glen)]

I suggest we observe at my place on September 7 or 8 or 9.
That is the first clear night Fri or Sat or Sun.

[GrahamL]

Hows friday night looking Glen ?

I'd like to come over if your about

Started reading your thesis btw 380 + pages , fantastic read

[glenc (Glen)]

Graham
Judith is coming on Saturday night but you can come tonight if that suits you better.

[Lismore Bloke (Paul)]

Hi Glen,

I should be OK for Saturday night. Lee might be a starter too, depending on progress on his Uni assignments. Looking forward to seeing that cool group of galaxies in Pavo. Cheers, Paul. PS I like the new avatar!!

http://www.astrosurf.com/antilhue/ngc6769trio.htm

[Lismore Bloke (Paul)]

Hi Glen, how are things for tonight - looks a bit smoky. Paul

[glenc (Glen)]

There is some smoke, but we can work around it.
Glen