ASTRONOMY CLUB - from Phoenix Review 66-67 [published September 1967]

This year solar activity has greatly increased, as it will do until sunspot maximum is reached in 1969, after which activity should fall. During March several large groups of sunspots were recorded by club members using reflecting and refracting telescopes. The sun’s disc was projected through the telescope and focussed on a white card. Sunspots were then plotted by accurate drawing and with unlimited patience. During March some members rose at 7 o’clock in the morning to plot sunspots before going to school. We shall continue this work with interest.

In the small hours on November 16th 1966, 15 members of the Astronomy Club, Miss Cracknell, Mr Grant and Philip Wathen arrived on the school field to observe what was going to be the meteor display of this century. Unfortunately, despite our enthusiasm, we observed only 19 meteors between 12.30 and 4.30 a.m. This was most disappointing compared with the fantastic display seen by American astronomers in Arizona. In the western states, instead of seeing just the hundred an hour, as was expected, observers saw 200,000 an hour, and at times there were 40 per second! We only hope that we shall be luckier in future events.

The less spactacular meetings were held in the physics laboratory, and many members attended meetings at 4 o’clock. The completion of the star map project was marked by the appearance of the five best starmaps on the walls of the physics corridor. Tape recordings of the B.B.C.’s ‘Sky at Night’ programme were listened to and discussed. Photographs taken by members of the upper school have been shown regularly, and also films brought by Miss Crackncll.

Two visits were made during the past year, one to the comparatively new stardome at the Science Museum and the other to the planetarium of Mcrlcy College. The second was more novel; to begin this lecture we were led up to the very top of a church spire into a room and seated in a circle whilst a white dome was lowered over our heads. Mr. White gave a very interesting talk on general astronomy with the aid of his planetarium.

We should like to thank Miss Cracknell for her assistance, Dr. Muir for arranging the Morley College visit, and all the others who helped to make our meetings possible.

P. T. Curtis

C. G. P. Jones