BAA 2020 October Vol. 130 No. 5 Journal of the British Astronomical Association Phosphine on Venus Journal of the 2020 October Vol. 130 No. 5 British Astronomical Association Contents Editor: Mr Philip Jennings Refereed papers Papers Secretary: Dr Jeremy Shears Investigating the Mars edge-rind artefact Martin Lewis 273 Meetings Recorder: Alan Dowdell Thomas G. E. Elger at Kempston – nine years that ‘saved’ The Journal is published six times per year, in February, April, June, August, October & December. amateur selenography Nigel Longshaw 285 Library subscription (UK and surface mail overseas): £55.00. To purchase single copies of specific issues The 2019 transit of Mercury Paul G. Abel 289 please see www.britastro.org/shop. The Association is not responsible for individual opinions expressed in articles, letters, reviews or reports of any kind. Report of the Council and financial results Material published in the Journal does not necessarily for the session 2019–2020 293 express the views of the BAA Trustees or Council. Contributions Notes and News Papers should be sent by e-mail (preferred) or by post Life in the Venusian clouds? Paul G. Abel 259 (three copies) to the Papers Secretary at the address shown inside the back cover of each issue. They will From the President Alan Lorrain 259 be refereed, and, if approved by Council, published as Auroral & NLC activity 2020 July 1 – August 31 Sandra Brantingham 260 soon as reasonably possible. Those wishing to speak Bob Garner, 1935–2020 Callum Potter 260 at a meeting should contact the Meetings Secretary. In brief Philip Jennings 261 All other contributions should be sent to the Editor, at [email protected]. As well as Letters to the Betelgeuse fading again? Jeremy Shears 261 Editor, he will be pleased to receive contributions to Get involved in researching star & planet formation Roger Pickard 261 Observers’ Forum, particularly interesting astronomical images, drawings and photographs. Colour images The Red Planet before opposition: Mars observation update Richard McKim 262 are especially welcomed. Photos and media will be Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) – a special report Nick James 264 returned only if a suitable stamped addressed envelope Revealing the anatomy of C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) Robin Leadbeater 268 is enclosed. Solar Section Lyn Smith 269 Advertisements A brief primer on filters David Arditti 271 Small advertisements should be sent to the Office, From the Journal archive John Chuter 272 accompanied by the appropriate remittance. Members’ small advertisements are FREE and may be sent directly Reviews to the Editor by e-mail. Luna Cognita: A comprehensive observer’s handbook of Display advertisements and loose inserts: For a rate card and further information, please contact the Editor. the known Moon (Garfinkle) Richard McKim 311 The Human Cosmos: A secret history of the stars (Marchant) Bob Mizon 312 Deadlines Please send material for possible publication to the The Archives Editor by the following dates: From the BAA Archives John Chuter 312 Issue Date 2020 December 2020 Nov 3 2021 February 2021 Jan 4 BAA Update Later dates apply, by arrangement, to electronic advertising copy Obituary: Gordon Ernest Taylor (1925–2020) Tim Haymes 313 for which space has been reserved. Addendum: Asteroids & Remote Planets Section Meeting, Membership of the BAA 2019 September 29 Richard Miles 314 The annual subscription for Ordinary standard member- ship of the Association for the 2020–2021 session is Meetings £50.50. For details of concessionary rates, digital-only BAA Spring Webinar, 2020 April 25 Alan Dowdell 315 membership and other information, see the back cover (page 324) of this issue. Members who pay UK income tax are requested to complete a Gift Aid certificate in Observers’ Forum order to benefit the Association, which is a registered Wandering around the winged horse Callum Potter 316 educational charity. [To claim Gift Aid you must pay an amount of UK income tax and/or Capital Gains Observing carbon stars with large binoculars Shaun Albrighton 318 tax at least equal to the tax which we reclaim on your donations in the relevant tax year (currently 25p for Members elected 314 each £1 you give us).] Sky notes for 2020 October & November Nick Hewitt 320 Published by: Meetings diary & small advertisements 322 The British Astronomical Association, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0DU Board of Trustees and Council, Session 2019–2020 323 Tel: 020-7734 4145 Membership information 324 Websites: BAA: http://www.britastro.org/ Journal: http://www.britastro.org/journal/ On the cover Journal © British Astronomical Association 2020. In- dividual articles, illustrations etc. remain the copyright of the author or imager, whose permission must also be Phosphine on Venus obtained before reproduction. © David A. Hardy / www.astroart.org ISSN 0007–0297 The cover of this issue is a special commission for the BAA Journal, created Printed by the Magazine Printing Co., Hoddesdon, EN11 0FJ by the world-renowned space artist David A. Hardy. It is adapted from an illustration he originally produced for his 2004 book collaboration with Sir Patrick Moore, Futures. Hardy’s depiction of the Venusian surface and dense, stormy cloud decks above is based on radar imagery and probe data. See the AstroArt website at the above address for many more examples of Hardy’s beautiful artwork. 258 J. Br. Astron. Assoc. 130, 5, 2020 Notes & News Life in the Venusian clouds? Mercury & Venus Section ‘Akatsuki Views Venus’ by JAXA/ISAS/DARTS/Damia Bouic is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 Paul G. Abel Director From the President Alan Lorrain n 2020 Sep 14, very excit- Oing news was announced: the detection of phosphine in the atmosphere of Meetings no longer with us as we move into a new ses- Venus by a team of scientists led by Prof Jane sion for the Association. In the year to the end of Greaves of Cardiff University. As detailed in he continued closure August, the Office had received calls or e-mails their paper,1 the authors used both the James Tof both Burlington informing us of the deaths of 30 members, com- Clerk Maxwell Telescope in Hawaii and the House and the Institute of pared to the preceding year’s figure of 17 – a Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array in Chile Physics, combined with 76% increase. As I write this piece at the begin- to detect phosphine spectroscopically. the guidance on social distancing and indoor ning of September, the figure has increased by Phosphine is a molecule which gatherings, means that any return to the format another five. contains one phosphorus atom of meetings that we used to know is unlikely This year has been ‘different’! Some people bonded to three hydrogen at- to happen until summer next year at the earli- have been largely unaffected, while others who oms. On Earth, it is a distinc- est. Even then, for some members with existing have self-isolated have experienced loneliness tive biomarker and a product health issues, the risk of travel or being in con- and depression, and others may have experi- of decay; it seems reasonable tact with others drawn from around the country enced significant financial hardship. But as indi- to suggest that the phosphine may not be considered worthwhile. cated by the numbers above, we have lost an un- on Venus might also be due to life. If that is so Council is continually reviewing the posi- usually high number of our friends and I would then this is truly a remarkable result, and one tion, taking into account government advice, like you to spare a moment to remember them. of the most important discoveries in human but in the meantime we will continue to offer history. It would mean that life could be very members talks on a wide range of astronomical Appointment of a Web Content Editor common in the Universe – if it occurred on two topics using the webinar facility. In the case of planets in the same system, this greatly boosts the Ordinary Meetings these will retain the date I am pleased to announce that we have recently the chances that it could occur elsewhere. originally scheduled, and in the main will have appointed Ade Ashford to work with our Sec- If Venus does indeed harbour life, it will most the original speakers as well. tion Directors to assist them in compiling and likely take the form of very primitive microor- To supplement the Ordinary Meetings we are uploading material to our website. This was in ganisms. These must then be very hardy, since continuing the programme of mid-week webi- response to a request by the Directors for sup- the atmosphere of Venus is toxic – they would nars, although their frequency has reduced to port in this area, and we believe that it will en- have to be protected from the sulphuric acid alleviate the workload of the volunteers who as- hance the content of the web pages over the which pervades the cloud layers. sist in their organisation and presentation. coming months. Ade will be familiar to many of While it is hard at the moment to think of you from his contributions to Astronomy Now another mechanism (geological processes and Iain Nicolson, 1945–2020 magazine over the last 25 years. other non-biological methods do not produce anywhere near the amount of phosphine de- It is with deep regret that I advise members of tected), that does not mean there isn’t one. Ve- the very sad news that Iain Nicolson passed 2021 BAA Handbook nus is not the Earth, and the history of science away suddenly on 2020 Sep 2. has taught us to be very careful when applying He was one of the giants of British astron- eaders with a standard BAA membership Earth-based analogies to phenomena observed omy, a great friend of Sir Patrick Moore (with Rwill find the 2021 edition of the BAA on other worlds.