Cranborne Chase Astronomy Club has, yet again, gone from strength to strength this year. Our numbers have continued to swell and we now have nearly 50 members; we have had an interesting and varied selection of monthly talks; despite the weather we have had several very enjoyable observing events; and our outreach activities have continued in the local area.
Our speakers this year have covered topics ranging from the use of binoculars, to spectroscopy and from the role of backyard astronomy, to lunar geology. More importantly, as our club numbers have grown and our members have become more experienced, we have had a number of talks given by them about astrophotography, radio astronomy and eclipse chasing. These locally produced presentations have all been extremely well received and it is something that I want to encourage for the future.
The weather has not always been on our side for our planned observing evenings.
That has not stopped us taking opportunities when they arise to get out under the stars together and have a fun and informative time observing. We have had observing sessions at Ox Drove, Win Green, Duncliffe Wood and Compton Abbas Airfield.Two observing evenings are worthy of note. Our planned observing evening in March, at Win Green, was very well attended both by club members and also the general public. There were a wide variety of different telescopes in use; including large Dobsonians, Apochromatic refractors, Schmidt–Cassegrain reflectors and small smart telescopes. The views from this excellent array of telescopes produced a rewardingly large number of “wows” from all attendees; so much so that a number of the public who attended are now club members.
The second notable observing evening was an impromptu session, for club members only, held up at the Compton Abbas Airfield. Jason, the airfield manager, had very kindly offered the facility as he has a passing interest in astronomy. Again, there were a large number of telescopes in use and a very convivial night was had sharing knowledge and different views. The facilities at the airfield are much better than our usual observing site of Win Green. The ground is flat, there are numerous tables to rest equipment on, the observing area is physically separate from the parking area, and most importantly the sky is darker. This evening was so successful that the committee has decided that Compton Abbas Airfield will now be our primary observing location.
As well as the generic observing evenings, we have also been lucky enough to witness 3 astronomical events this year.
The partial solar eclipse on the 29th of March was visible from Shaftesbury, so a team of club members set up on Park Walk with telescopes (with suitable solar filters), solar glasses and a selection of home made pinhole cameras to project the sun for all to see. This attracted large numbers of passers by and it was great to not only share this unusual event with them but also to advertise the club. In this modern world of AI and deep fakes, some people were sceptical of what was being shown to them on computer screens or through telescopes with solar filters (where the sun was the “wrong” colour), and interestingly it was the shadows cast by the holes in a kitchen colander that had the greatest impact and produced the “OMG” moment!
In August, we had our annual Perseids gathering up at Win Green. About a dozen club members and a few potential members gathered on top of the hill with garden recliners, deckchairs and doughnuts to lie in the warm night and watch the meteors streak across the sky. Latecomers were able to find us easily as they just followed the shouts of “there’s one!”.
We kicked off the autumn observing season with the final astronomical event; a lunar eclipse on the 7th of September. Again we gathered at Win Green to get a clear view of the eastern horizon, along with what seemed like half of Shaftesbury, and an interested herd of cows. The moon was due to be fully eclipsed as it rose, but unfortunately it was a hazy evening and the horizon had a thin layer of cloud. We did, however, see the moon at about 95% eclipse as it came out of the clouds and then we had a clear view for the rest of the event. Again we had a few new people join the club as a result of discussions that evening.
Noting the numbers of new joiners this year, we have been trying to focus on helping people to get the most from their equipment and to understand some of the basics of astronomy. We have conducted two telescope workshops, one in February and one in June, where we helped people with problems with their telescopes, fixed issues where possible and provided advice on how to use them. We also had our first collimation session at the end of the second of these workshops, where people were able to bring their reflector telescopes and learn how to properly align the mirrors in them. In November we held a beginners’ round table discussion at the Grosvenor Arms where we talked through the basics of telescope types, mounts, alignment, eye pieces, navigating the night sky and what to expect to see. All of these sessions have proved to be really well attended and useful; we are planning more for next year.
For the first time in the club’s history, this year we organised a group trip to the Normal Lockyer Observatory in Sidmouth. A group of 13 had a very informative evening where they had a private tour of the observatory, were able to view Mars through the 6 ¼ inch Lockyer refractor telescope, were shown the spectroheliograph and the meteor and radio astronomy equipment. The evening was rounded off by a presentation in the on-site planetarium.
Over the summer months, when the nights weren’t truly astronomically dark and we had less observing time, we kept the club active by hosting the annual inter astronomy club quiz and by initiating three virtual Special Interest Groups (SIGs). The quiz was hosted at the Rising Sun pub and was a fun evening where teams from Cranborne Chase, Wessex and Fordingbridge battled it out to win the cup. This year Fordingbridge took the trophy home and they have offered to host the quiz next year. Hopefully we will be able to win back the cup next year.
The SIGs were a new initiative taking advantage of our move to Discord as a forum for discussion within the club. The SIG titles were: Constellation Chase, Lunar Crater Exploration and Astrophotography Collaboration. Constellation Chase was a forum to learn and find a selection of constellations, what to look for in each, along with a bit of mythology. The Lunar SIG used the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) data and images to identify different types of craters on the Moon as well as looking at craters near some of the Apollo landing sites. Finally the Astrophotography SIG used data from a professional telescope, generously donated by a club member, to learn how to process the image using different techniques and software and discuss how to get the best image. All the SIGs generated considerable engagement and we will be keeping some of the existing groups going while looking for suggestions for new ones next summer.
Finally, members of the club have contributed to a number of outreach events throughout the year. We have supported Steve Tonkin (Dark Skies Advisor to the International Dark Sky Reserve and author of the binocular section of The Sky at Night magazine) with observing evenings in the Cranborne Chase National Landscape; provided members’ astrophotography pictures to the Dorchester Science Festival; hosted a tent at the Donhead St Andrew fete; and supported the Cerne Abbas Star Party. The most significant outreach has been inspiring the future generation of potential astronomers at St Mary the Virgin Primary School and Milldown Academy. Committee and club members very generously gave up their time and experience to talk to the children and allowed them to view the more interesting objects though their telescopes. The enthusiasm, interest and knowledge of the children was outstanding and the schools really appreciated the added value that we were able to add to the national curriculum. We already have plans to visit again next year.
Overall, a very busy and successful year, only made possible by the hard working committee members and a few dedicated club members. I would like to give my most sincere thanks to these key individuals who make the club the success that it is. I look forward to expanding this level of contribution next year so that we can ensure that 2026 is as every bit as successful as this year.