Article Main Body

OU observing at Astroweek 2018

Image Credit: David Morris

David Morris recounts a successful weekend for OU students – and for the RAS.

20-22nd of April saw the Open University student organised Astro Weekend to revise for the astronomy and planetary science exams, meet other students and observe the skies.  Tutors Roger O'Brien and Michael Czajkowski led the revision and PhD student Chris Malliband gave a talk on his mapping of the surface of Mercury.

With clear skies until Saturday evening the Sun was observed in white light and hydrogen-alpha and the Moon, Jupiter and various NGC and Messier objects were seen after dark.  A spectroscope was also in use to see the absorption lines in the Solar spectrum, a practical demonstration of subjects being revised over the weekend.  

The cloudy Saturday night saw a closely-contested quiz won by a team of four with the name LGM-1, the prize being chocolate in the form of Mars bars and Milky Way.

Eight students applied for Fellowship of the RAS during the weekend which was organised by OU student Fran Zuch.