SPA Planetary Section

However there are no purely armchair astronomers in our observing section, though it is not essential to own or even have use of a telescope, but only those who observe planets, record their observations and send observation reports to the SPA Planetary Section Director from time to time qualify as section members. We all have to start somewhere and the section director is pleased to receive reports of observations of any planets made by naked eye, one of the objects of the section being simply to encourage people to observe the planets, though of course to see surface detail on any planets a telescope is needed. Whilst would be astronomical observers who live in light polluted urban areas are likely to find that very few stars are ever visible and Deep Sky objects difficult to observe even with a good telescope, they will probably find they can more readily observe the bright planets.

Our enthusiastic section members, who are spread throughout the UK , observe all the solar systems major planets using a variety of instruments, though only those with telescopes of about 200 mm aperture are ever able to see Pluto, whilst some members observe asteroids, particularly the ones that can be seen with popular 10 x 50 binoculars which have many uses in astronomy (as well as bird watching, airshows and sport). Our members reports include not only telescopic observations of the bright planets Mercury, Venus Mars Jupiter and Saturn, but even naked eye views of Uranus and Vesta made by experienced observers.

The section director is pleased to try to answer any SPA members queries about observing planets, and over the years many complete novices who joined the section subsequently developed into competent observers, whilst others who were already experienced observers before joining the section have given long term support and provided many fine observations. Members reports range from newcomers to astronomy extolling the excitement of seeing such things as Jupiter's Galilean Satellites for the first time to seasoned observers making transit timings of Jupiter's Great Red Spot, observing Martian clouds and monitoring changes of Mars's Polar Caps.

SPA members have no additional charges to pay to join the planetary section, but members are expected to provide suitable self addressed stamped envelopes to enable the section director to send postal replies. Observation report forms for the bright planets Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are available from the section director and other planetary observing information and finder charts for the fainter planets and some asteroids is sometimes available. Everyone has to start somewhere and the section director endeavours to provide guidance, especially to novice observers. Enthusiastic planetary observers living in isolated places in the UK (or even in other countries), those with no readily accessible local astronomical societies or who are members of societies with limited interested in planetary observing, are likely to find the SPA Planetary Section particularly worthwhile joining. All they need do is pay the modest membership fee of joining the SPA doing so will enable them to contribute observation reports to a truly open nationwide astronomical organisation. After all its all well and good making astronomical observations but if no one else ever knows of their existence they are never ever likely to be of use to anyone else except the observer who made them. By sharing your observations you will help to promote astronomy.

In the SPA Planetary Section we observe the planets mainly "just for fun", but if we can make any scientifically useful observations all the better, but irrespective of them having scientific merit or not, certainly at very least sharing your observations with others you are helps to promote astronomy and encourage others to do some real astronomical observing. Our members observations are reported in the SPA Newscirculars, which all SPA members receive six times a year.

• Observing Asteroids
• Observing Mercury
• Observing Saturn
• SPA Members Observations

Cliff Meredith

25 Highfield Road,

Prestwich,

Manchester

England

M25 3AQ

Maintained by Michael Oates Email: mike@ph.u-net.com Last modified 3rd July 1997