Monthly Archives: November 2011

What does Absolute Magnitude mean

Absolute Magnitude the apparent brightness a star would have if placed at a distance of 10 parsecs from the earth.

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Opticron Discovery WP PC 8×42 binoculars. Customer review

A customer came to the Northern Optics retail outlet recently. Her requirement was a good quality lightweight pair of binoculars. Despite looking through some 8×32 and 10×32 binoculars, she opted for the slightly larger Opticron Discovery WP PC 8×42. Even … Continue reading

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Bird sightings. Water`s Edge Country Park. November 2011

List of Bird sightings at the Water`s Edge country park. Week ending 22nd November 2011. Location. Barton Upon Humber, North Lincolnshire Black Bird Bull Finch Coot Cormorant Carrion Crow Collard Dove Tufted Duck Dunnock Gold Finch Canada Goose Great Crested Grebe Little … Continue reading

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Lincoln Astronomy society. Lecture meeting December 6th 2011

Lincoln Astro society .Tuesday 6th December 2011 starting at 7.30pm. The speaker will be Dr. Ann Bonnell of Leicester Astro Society. The title of her lecture is ’50 Years of Manned Spaceflight’ which she was planning to give last year but had … Continue reading

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What is an Asterism

An Asterism is a group of stars that appear to make an easily recognized shape, such as the “Big Dipper” or the “Coathanger”. They are in effect a well know shape within a Constellation.

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Hawke Optics Full Sized Tripod

The Hawke full sized tripod at £89.95 (Nov 2011 price) nicely bridges the gap between the cheaper plastic versions and the heavier Aluminium tripods. Made from light weight aluminium and complete with carry case, this is a very portable mount. … Continue reading

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What is an eyepiece

 An eyepiece is a magnifier, much like a high power magnifying lens. When placed at the real image made by the lens or mirror of a telescope, the eyepiece projects a virtual image into your eye, enabling you to see … Continue reading

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Opticron Trailfinder ll Monocular

Available in 8×25 and 10×25, the Opticron Trailfinder ll Monoculars are perfect for everyday use. At a price that places them between the budget Oregons and the higher end 30mm and 42mm waterproof DBA and BGA versions. Good eye relief … Continue reading

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How much magnification can I use with my telescope?

 Everyones telescope is different, but a rough rule of thumb is around 30-50X per inch diameter of the main lens/mirror. A good ED refractor may, however, use 100X/inch on bright objects, so this is not a hard rule. You can always increase … Continue reading

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Exmoor national park given dark-sky protection

The Exmoor national park has been granted international dark sky reserve status by the international dark sky association. The status acknowledges the lighting controls implemented to reduce light pollution that hinders the views of the heavens.

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