Astronomy - Further resources and your suggestions

Your suggestions and recommendations

If you have any recommended resources which you think it would be good to share, do please let me know at johnh@exmouthu3a.org.uk. It would good also to share any good programmes, videos, podcasts, radio programmes, apps, and online course material.

• The best book that we have found on The Universe is ‘Universe: The Definitive Visual Guide’, edited by Martin Rees (the Astronomer Royal) and published by DK. This has a great deal of detail and some dazzling graphics. See https://www.amazon.co.uk/Universe-Definitive-Visual-Guide-DK/dp/0241412749. The hardback book is probably the best format. You can read the first few pages free as an ebook sample - although this and the ebook itself took me an age to download, but worth the wait! (My thanks to Anthony for this recommended book).

• The national u3a (Third Age Trust) has an adviser for u3a Astronomy Groups, Martin Whillock FRSA, who has put together a very useful webpage which includes some excellent suggested websites. His webpage is at https://www.u3a.org.uk/learning/subjects/262-astronomy . Each week when we were doing weekly topics, we featured some of those resources from there and from his monthly updates , and I am very grateful to Martin for his support and advice.

Here are some of his recommendations:

• The Sun as seen from Earth: https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/refraction-distortion-moon-sun-near-horizon

• Friday evenings need never be boring again! Visit the Popastro Live at Facebook facebook.com/popastro or YouTube https://www.youtube.com/popastro or Twitter https://twitter.com/popastro just before 8 pm. These weekly broadcasts are hosted by the very jolly Vicky Duncalf with Cosmo the Telescope Sloth. Vicky has been isolated in a barn in Anglesey for months. She has two or three expert guests giving short talks on her whacky Friday evenings. Enjoy!

• Ian recommends these podcasts from the Radio 4 series 'The Life Scientific':

  • Maggie Aderin-Pocock - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p07d4xz5

  • Chris Lintott - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/b046kwpv

  • Dame Jocelyn Burnell - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/b016812j

• My thanks to Barbara for her recommendations, including the ‘Stargazing Live Guide to Telescopes’ (link to PDF here https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/tv/stargazinglive/sgl_guide_to_telescopes.pdf) and the book ‘Philips Britain & Ireland 2021 Stargazing Month by Month Guide to the Night Sky’ (you can browse through a few of the pages: link here https://www.amazon.co.uk/Philips-Stargazing-Month-Britain-Ireland/dp/1849075417 ). She also recommends Meteorwatch on Facebook. It has alerts to meteor showers, ISS passes and other astronomical events. There is also a website: link here https://www.meteorwatch.org/

• Thank you also to Kate for recommending the book she has - ‘Collins Royal Observatory Greenwich 2021 Guide to the Night Sky’ by Storm Dunlop and Wil Tirion (again you can browse through a few of the pages: link here https://www.amazon.co.uk/2021-Guide-Night-month-month/dp/0008389047).

• And some good news. I have tracked down the Sky at Night “Beginner’s Guide” programme that someone has now put on YouTube: link here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFTw4W8A_vc&ab_channel=NikolMizer. Also, we looked at stars last week, and I have just found this BBC Sky at Night programme on ‘Stars: A Matter of Life and Death: link here https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000kxjy/the-sky-at-night-stars-a-matter-of-life-and-death

• We have a recommended book from Anthony: ‘Universe: The Definitive Visual Guide’, edited by Martin Rees, published by DK. You can read the first few pages here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Universe-Definitive-Visual-Guide-DK/dp/0241412749

• Christine says: 'you will absolutely love a visit to the Norman Lockyer Observatory (website its below); we are so fortunate to have such a fantastic observatory nearby. We have been at least twice and were most impressed; it was absolutely amazing!' - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtk1IYVJH6sLweU5FoqroTA

Meanwhile …. happy astronomy learning, planet-watching and stargazing!