The 2012 StarGazers Lounge Star Party is being held around the weekend of 24th and 25th March 2012 at Lucksall Camping site near Hereford.
The Star Party location is N 51d 1m 25s & W 2d 37m 48s altitude 49m.
The current weather forecast is looking reasonable for the week beginning the 19th of March and improving towards the end of the week, fingers crossed for a nice weekend. Details of last years SGL6 star party can be seen here
General information for the week (available as a PDF)
- Venus (mag -4) and Jupiter (mag -2) are setting before midnight
- Mars (mag -1) and Saturn (mag 0.3) rise in the East after sunset and set before sunrise. Mars reaches its max. altitude of 50° at 02:00 and Saturn reaching 30° @ 23:00 most of the week.
- Pluto (mag 14) is low to the South in the early hours, only reaching 15° above the horizon before a sunrise obscures it.
- Neptune (mag 8 ) is rising at sunrise with the Sun only 30° behind it.
- Mercury (mag 4.8) and Uranus (mag 6) are only just above the western horizon at sunset
- The ISS will be visible in the early hours of most mornings (03:00 to 05:30)
- The path of Comet C/2009 P1 (Garradd ) takes it below Bodes Galaxy during the Star party
Night to Night Information
Monday 19/03/12
Sunset(1) 18:22 @ 270 degrees
The Milky Way in the South west at 21:00 UTC
Tuesday 20/03/12
Sunrise(1) 06:12 @ 89 degrees
Sunset 18:24 @ 271 degrees
- Spring Equinox. The Spring equinox occurs at 05:16 UTC. The Sun will shine directly on the equator and there will be nearly equal amounts of day and night throughout the world. This is also the first day of spring (vernal equinox).
- Mercury maybe visible on the western horizon after sunset.
- ISS Pass mag-0.8 04:48:33 10° S / 04:50:33 16° SE / 04:52:32 10° ESE
Uranus and Mercury @ 18:30 UTC
Wednesday 21/03/12
Sunrise 06:10 @ 88 degrees
Sunset 18:26 @ 272 degrees
- ISS Pass mag-2.2 05:26:16 10° SW / 05:29:17 38° SSE / 05:32:17 10° E
- Waning Crescent Moon (28.27 days old) @ 06:00 just over the eastern horizon before the sunrise @ 06:10. Because of the hills to the East this might not be visible.
- Mercury is in Inferior Conjunction (closest to the Sun) @ 19:23 (below the horizon)
Waning Crescent Moon (28.27 days old) @ 06:00
Thursday 22/03/12
Sunrise 06:07 @ 87 degrees
Sunset 18:27 @ 273 degrees
- New Moon. This phase occurs at 14:37 UTC.
- ISS Pass mag-1.6 04:30:56 18° S / 04:32:22 24° SSE / 04:35:02 10° E
Friday 23/03/12
Sunrise 06:05 @ 86 degrees
Sunset 18:29 @ 273 degrees
ISS Pass mag-0.7 03:36:07 14° SE / 03:36:07 14° SE / 03:37:23 10° ESE
- ISS Pass mag-3.0 05:08:28 13° SW / 05:11:10 56° SSE / 05:14:19 10° E
- The path of Comet C/2009 P1 (Garradd ) takes it below Bodes Galaxy during the Star party
Saturday 24/03/12
Sunrise 06:03 @ 86 degrees
Sunset 18:31 @ 274 degrees
- 10:00 to 11:00 – Talk 1 – A Tail of Two Comets – Serendipity and Pro-Am collaborations by Nick Howes (NickH)
- 11:00 – 13:00 – Bring and Buy / Meet the Admin
- 13:00 to 14:00 – Talk 2 – A Night or Two on Mount Palomar – Creating colour images from the Palomar Sky Survey Plates by Dave Eagle (EaglesEye)
- 14:15 to 14:45 – Scope tour by Helen
- 15:00 to 16:00 – Talk 3 – Making Every Photon Count – All you need for deep sky astrophotography by Steve Richards (Steppenwolf)
- 17:00 – Hog Roast
- 19:00 to 19:30 – Night Sky Tour (if clear) by Ibbo !
- ISS Pass mag-2.4 04:13:33 33° S / 04:14:08 36° SSE / 04:17:07 10° E
- Io transit of Jupiter from 19:05 to 21:15 with the Red spot visible. Jupiter is about 20° above the Western horizon
Don’t forget British Summer Time starts @ 01:00 Sunday morning. Will this affect your computer clock?
Sunday 25/03/12
Sunrise 06:01 @ 85 degrees
Sunset 18:22 @ 275 degrees
- (2)ISS Pass mag-0.8 03:18:34 17° ESE / 03:18:34 17° ESE / 03:19:45 10° E. This pass will look like a short lived rocket going vertically down in the East.
- (2)ISS Pass mag-3.4 04:50:54 20° WSW / 04:52:59 76° SSE / 04:56:11 10° E. This pass is the highest and longest during the Star party.
Sunday (continued)
- A second picture opportunity with Venus, Jupiter and the Crescent Moon nicely positioned
Crescent Moon, Jupiter and Venus @ 20:22 UTC
Monday 26/03/12
Sunrise 04:59 BST @ 85 degrees
- (2)ISS Pass mag-3.0 03:55:51 53° SSE / 03:55:52 53° SSE / 03:58:58 10° E
Notes
- (1)Sun at 0 degrees altitude. Add or subtract 2 hours for the sun to be about 18° under the horizon.
- (2)ISS pass times are in UTC.