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- Create Date 30 September 2024
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BASIL October 2024
The front cover of BASIL shows an image of the 16 day Moon taken by BAS member Chris Lee.
Observing highlights of the month include:
- 5 October: Venus lies near the waxing crescent Moon (pm)
- 14 October: Saturn very near the waxing gibbous Moon (pm)
- 17 October: Perigee full Moon (supermoon)
- 19 October: Lunar occultation of the southern part of the Pleiades (pm)
- 26 October: Ganymede shadow transit of Jupiter from 23:42 BST (pm)
13 well placed observing targets for the month are listed, with more information provided for observing M29, M39, M2 and Mu-Cephei.
There is breaking news of a big new sungrazer comet, discovered only on 27 September 2024. The comet is so new it’s still waiting for its name, but for now it has the designation of A11bP7I. Predictions for the comet have it reaching as bright as magnitude -5 to -7 when it comes closest to the sun, at perihelion, on October 28. The new sun-grazing comet is part of the Kreutz sungrazers. These are comets that come perilously close to the sun, where they can disintegrate or, if we’re lucky, become fantastically bright. Thanks to BAS member Nigel Wakefield for providing this information.
Finally, Society News includes meetings and events for 2024 and news of the amazing model of the BAS Cyril Swindin telescope, made by former BAS committee member Trevor Taylor.