From: TerryMosel@aol.com
Date: Tue, 30 Sep 2003 19:38:07 EDT
Subject: Great WSP, Big sunspot, ISS, Stardust

Hi all,

Thanks to all in SAC for another brilliant Whirlpool Star Party - the best 
yet? I'm sure I don't know who all to thank, but David Bell, Mike Murphy, 
Michael Dee, Margaret Murphy, & Stephen Gleeson all contributed greatly. Kelly 
Beatty (who also gave a talk to the IAA in Belfast), and David Levy gave 
particularly good lectures, but ALL speakers were excellent this year! 

There was a clear sky on the Saturday night, with loads of telescopes being 
put through their paces. Star attraction once again was Richard Fleet's 
beautiful 20-inch Dobsonian, brought all the way from Reading! The view of the 
Dumb-bell Nebula through that is unforgettable! Mars of course was also still near 
its best, and other heavenly bodies were perused as usual.

Well done to those SAC members & to all others who helped. Roll on the next 
one - dates set for 17-19 September 2004 (not 8-10 October, as per the 
programme given out at this one - the date had to be changed after it was printed).

Congratulations to Philip Baxter of the IAA who won the top prize of the 
Coronado H-Alpha solar telescope in the special draw! Other IAA members who won 
prizes include Patricia Carroll & Ron Fails. Was there someone else too? 
Commiserations to all others who bought tickets - I didn't win anything either! But 
the money all went to a good cause.

The big sunspot group AR464 is still growing, and is a superb sight in a 
properly filtered telescope, as shown in a superb photo sent to me by Peter Paice. 
(I'm sure Philip has been trying the Coronado on it!). But NEVER, EVER, look 
at the Sun without proper specially designed filters or equipment - if you're 
not sure - DON'T!

The ISS is currently undergoing an excellent series of evening passes over 
Ireland: details from 

Apologies for the delay in producing the October STARDUST, partly caused by a 
minor fire in our house a week ago. No serious structural damage was done, 
but some clothes & furnishings were burnt, there was a lot of smoke & hence an 
awful lot of cleaning up to do! I'll get it finished asap!

Clear skies....

Terry Moseley

Last Revised: 2003 September 30th WWW contact: webmaster@arm.ac.uk

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