[BAA-ebulletin 00715] BAA/BSIA joint Stargazing LIVE public observing at Regents Park - January 8 2013

[BAA electronic bulletins service]

2012 December 24

The BAA, in collaboration with the Baker Street Irregular Astronomers
(BSIA), will be holding a Stargazing LIVE public observing evening in
London on Tuesday 8 January. This is to coincide with the programmes on BBC
Two that will be broadcast on 8, 9 and 10 January. The BBC may send a
camera.

Members of the BAA and BSIA will be at The Hub in The Regent's Park from
17:30 to 22:00. We will be there even if it is cloudy (but not if it is
raining and forecast to rain all night). The Hub is a round building in the
middle of Regent's Park (see map at http://britastro.org/stargazinglive2013).
It is a café and sports centre, and the café will be open until about
22:00. Those who came last year will know that the event can be a success
and attract a crowd even if it is completely cloudy!

If there is any clear sky at all we will be observing using telescopes and
binoculars from the concrete deck of The Hub. We expect many members of the
public to join us, and we would like as many BAA members as possible to
come along, with portable optical equipment if possible, to help show and
explain celestial objects to the public. If you cannot bring any equipment,
we would still love to see you there to help inform the public and
publicise the BAA. The most prominent object in the sky will of course be
Jupiter, but conditions at the Hub are such that it is perfectly possible
to observe the brighter deep-sky objects from there, and Messier 42 and 45
will no doubt be popular targets if conditions allow. The lights of the
café are quite dim, and there are no nearby street lights.

There is no danger of getting too cold as it is possible to retreat
into the café and get hot food and drinks. There are toilets there.

We will have be giving out BAA membership information and handy stargazing
booklets. There will also be a raffle with a prize of a telescope, donated
jointly by the BAA and The Widescreen Centre.

Access to The Hub is from the so-called Monkey Gate, which is the gate on
the Outer Circle immediately west of London Zoo. The path from there to The
Hub is lighted with subtle lamps in the ground. It is approximately a 5
minute walk from the Outer Circle, so this limits the weight of equipment
that can be bought to reasonably portable telescopes (though people have
been known to bring quite large Dobsonians). Driven telescopes do make it
much easier to show the public objects like Jupiter at decent
magnification. Parking on the Outer Circle is free after 18:30. There is a
bus, no. 274, which stops close to the Monkey Gate. This goes to both Baker
Street and Camden Town Underground stations. Baker Street Station is about
25 minutes walk from the gate, round the Outer Circle. St John's Wood and
Camden Town Stations are both about 15 minutes walk from the gate.

Please be vigilant if carrying equipment between a car and The Hub, or
back. Although the are is not regarded as unsafe, members are encouraged to
walk in groups whenever possible.

If Tuesday 8 January is a washout, the BSIA are keeping Wednesday and
Thursday free to observe at the Hub on one of those nights instead. In the
event of this I will post an update here and on the webpage above.

Any further enquiries to me at the address below. I hope to see some of you
there on the 8th.


David Arditti
d at davidarditti.co.uk