EDITORIAL ................. 2 ONE TO ONE WITH TONY MARSH 3 watcher CAPTION COMPETITION 7 April 2011 Sky OUTREACH EVENT AT CHANDLER SCHOOL .... 8 MOON AND SATURN WATCH 9 MY TELESCOPE BUILDING PROJECT 10 CONSTELLATION OF THE MONTH - VIRGO 15 OUTREACH AT BENTLEY COPSE 21 THE NIGHT SKY IN APRIL 22 Open-Air Planisphere taken by Adrian Lilly Page 1 © copyright 2011 guildford astronomical society www.guildfordas.org From the Editor Welcome to this, the April issue of Skywatcher. With the clocks going forward a hour the night sky has undergone a radical shift, the winter constellations are rapidly disappearing into the evening twilight, and the galaxy-filled reaches of Virgo are high up in the south and well-placed for observation. But I digress, whatever telescope you own or have stashed away at the back of the garage, the thought of making your own has probably crossed your mind at some point. I‟m delighted to have an article from Jonathan Shinn describing how he built a 6-inch Dobsonian – including grinding the mirror! Our lead-off article this issue is the interview from Brian Gordon-States with Tony Marsh. Tony has been a Committee member for many years, and much like previous interviews the story behind how he became fascinated with Astronomy is a compelling one. If there is a theme to this issue it‟s probably one of Outreach as I have two reports to share with you all. These events give youngsters the chance to look through a telescope at the wonders of the universe, and our closer celestial neighbours with someone on-hand to explain what they are looking at. „Ooo‟s and „Ahhhs‟ come with the territory and it‟s great to read how our members are helping to bring the next generation on. Brian describes how things went at the Chandler‟s School event and for the Scout group at Bentley Copse. We‟re obviously doing things right! The Caption competition started last issue, with a few entrants gamely sending in their entries, and this issue has another photo to apply your wit and humour. Lastly, I‟ve been asked to let you know that according to the T&Cs of our hire, food and drink should not be consumed within Lecture Theatre L, although they actually wouldn't mind bottled water. Drinks, etc, should be taken outside on the congregational areas on the same floor or in the hall on the ground floor. Well, „nuff said from your Editor - I‟ll let you get on with reading... Peter Dean, Editor, [email protected] If you would like to contribute an article or other item to Skywatcher, I will be very pleased to include it. Articles can be any length and images are most welcome, so long as they are yours. You can send them via email to the address above. I‟m always open to suggestions for ways of improving the magazine, so please feel free to send me any feedback to the same address. Alternatively, start a discussion on the Society Bulletin Board at http://forum.guildfordas.org/ This months cartoon courtesy of www.xkcd.com Page 2 © copyright 2011 guildford astronomical society www.guildfordas.org A One To One With Tony Marsh A biographical sketch and interview with the Guildford Astronomical Society’s Committee Member Tony Marsh, by Brian Gordon-States. Biography distance traveled before hitting the water. Some appreciation of gravity I‟m not a fan of biographies, au- from the numerous unsuccessful tree to or otherwise. Too much self- climbs and getting wet trying to indulgent twaddle. If I must, cross the river by swinging from the then I suppose I have to. You girders under the bridge. But there have been warned. were downsides - like no gas or elec- tricity or bathroom and only chemi- I must admit I get a wry sense of cal toilets. We even only had a well amusement when I hear younger for a while. In those days most peo- people‟s beef these days, when I ple worked a 5½ day week and from remember the frugal aftermath of 10 to 17, I did 5½ days at school, a the Second World War. I was trip of 20 miles each way by brought up in a village in the pushbike and coach. There was defi- middle of a forest in the middle nitely more snow in those days but of East Anglia. Those of you none of us went barefoot. Amazing- Tony Marsh who went to the early Star Par- ly, we all survived bar the odd stitch ties near Thetford have seen a very and broken limb. small part of Thetford Forest, second in size in England to Kielder. Then, I could „do‟ chemistry so I went to My dad knew a few as now, there were no streetlights in university and got a PhD. As I said of the constellations the village so the night skies were at the quiz, education was „free for but that was all. great. I did the „I spy‟ book but had all‟ then as opposed to a free-for-all no access to a telescope or even bin- now. I certainly could not have gone I remember him oculars. My dad knew a few of the under the present arrangements. On getting me out of constellations but that was all. I re- leaving, my dad‟s advice was „You bed one night member him getting me out of bed might have a PhD but you‟re still a to see the Aurora. one night to see the Aurora. One f******* idiot!‟. To be a young year there was a partial eclipse of the adult in the 60‟s was fun in an opti- Sun and we watched some of it at mistic time. I went to the US to do school with pieces of smoked glass some research and have confessed to the teacher had made for us! a few about being in San Francisco for the summer of 67. At the time, It was a great place for kids, with a the Wilson government was worried river at the bottom of the lane for about the flux of UK scientists to the fishing, boating and swimming. US and sent a panel over to lure Grimes Graves was within easy them back. I went to see what was walking distance and kids were then on offer and came back on the pe- allowed to wriggle through the very nultimate voyage of the Queen Mary small tunnels with a candle. There having gone out on the Queen Eliza- were miles of forest pushbike trails beth. long before Mountain Bikes were invented. I seem to remember a few I‟m glad I came back. I met Carole, early combustion experiments lob- a photographer, got married and to- bing a banger in a weighted tin into gether we have raised a family. My the river. Some early vector analyses first boss reckoned you could win relating the speed of a pushbike off the Nobel Prize with a good idea and the end of the landing stage to the (Continued on page 4) Page 3 © copyright 2011 guildford astronomical society www.guildfordas.org (Continued from page 3) using particles‟ by Hockney and some string and sealing wax. Fat Eastwood is a good place to start chance, but as he was married to a if you‟re interested. You use such cabinet minister he probably re- models to look at the formation of flected government parsimony. the Moon and you all know how Family, together with work, didn‟t that came about. These types of leave much time for stargazing model are used to study the for- and the skies were lousy after mation of planets both in the Solar Thetford. I started work doing System and in exoplanetary sys- combustion experiments and mod- tems. Now, as satellites produce eling flames on what is now a ri- terabytes or even petabytes of data diculously low powered computer. per day there are just not enough Eventually, I moved onto the ex- professional astronomers to look haust gases and finally made it out through such vast datasets. Things of the spout into the environment. like the Galaxy Zoo are a premo- I spent some time making meas- nition of the future. urements of urban plumes from vehicles and aircraft, on one occa- You were warned, so you can‟t sion as far as Denmark. I chased complain. clouds from aircraft and made measurements of cloud chemistry The Tony Marsh interview I enjoyed the talks from on top of mountains around but it took awhile to Europe. Now, I suppose I could Brian: Thank you for the interest- get to know people. claim to have made it out into ing biography, I am sure that our space in a way. But, of course, life readers will enjoy reading it. How There was no is not so straightforward. Eventu- did you get to hear about Guild- welcome pack then. ally I washed up at Imperial. ford A.S, and when did you join? My interest in Astronomy was re- Tony: I saw GAS meetings adver- awakened when I got involved tised in „Astronomy Now‟ in with a friend at Cambridge who 1993/4 - I cannot remember which was trying to measure a nighttime now. The web was not so far- chemical in the atmosphere using reaching then. a 12” telescope looking for its ad- sorption of starlight at specific Brian: What was your first im- wavelengths. Nighttime atmos- pression of the Society? pheric chemistry is different from daytime chemistry because of the Tony: I enjoyed the talks but it fuzzy great ball 1 a.u.