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BASIL December 2024

The front cover of BASIL shows photos from an excellent talk recently given to the BAS by Dr Samuel Cabot from Cambridge University, on the subject of 'Uncommunicative Worlds in Our Solar System'. Topics covered included planetary forensics, origins of interstellar objects, and exoplanet atmospheres.

Members' images included in this month's BASIL include Mare Frigoris by Chris Lee (p19), Comet C/2020 F3 (Neowise) (p21), and NGC 520 by Chris Lee (p29).

With your help, we would like to build up a collection of astronomical images in printed form for outreach events and for display at Unit 13 (BPS) during our main meetings - see p21 for more details and how to get involved.

Observing highlights of the month include:

• 6 December: Titan shadow transit on Saturn from 18:32 UT (pm)
• 7 December: Jupiter reaches opposition in Taurus
• 8/9 December: Excellent Ganymede shadow transit on Jupiter from 22:30 UT
• 18 December: Daylight lunar occultation of Mars (am)
• 22 December: Ursid meteor shower peak (am)

23 well placed observing targets for the month are listed, with more information provided for observing the Pleiades (M45), the Hyades (Caldwell 41) and the Triangulum Galaxy (M33).

We held a very successful Telescope Surgery on 29 Nov 2024 and information and photos of the event are shown on p30-31.

Finally, Society News includes meetings and events for 2024 and early 2025, along with an update from our Observatory Director (David Bennett) on the refurbishment of the 18-inch NGT reflector telescope at the Failand Observatory.