Steve Ringwood
Astrogear
Solar System chocolates
Details: caithnesschocolate.co.uk Price: £16
It is often said that people are consumed by astronomy. Well, here is an opportunity for astronomy
to be consumed by people!
Just a few miles south of our nation’s northernmost tip, the Scottish town of Wick is home to the
enterprising company Caithness Chocolate. ey have branched out into astronomy by creating
these salted caramel chocolates, made to resemble the (eight!) planets – with honeycomb fragments
serving as asteroids.
We are all forever indebted to Gordon Mackie of the Caithness Astronomy Group, who initially
commissioned this imaginative concoction as a presentation for a guest speaker. I can certainly see
these ying off the shelves, as these delicacies will now be demanded by all itinerant guest speakers
everywhere, in addition to their normal fees!
Caithness Chocolate themselves hint that the contents may expand as newer members of the Solar
System are discovered. I would suggest that with the increasing number of various exoplanet
discoveries, the range could be extended to sets of other stars. Might we see a TRAPPIST-1 almond
assembly, or a Proxima Centauri selection? We shall see.
By current reckoning, our Sun will consume the inner planets in about half a billion years, but I am
pretty sure that these chocolate equivalents will be devoured a lot quicker than that.
A beginners’ bounty from Wex
Details at: wexphotovideo.com Price: £296. 99
Starter kits are a useful way of acquiring what you need to kick off a nascent interest in observational
astronomy – and usually (as in this case) bundled together at lower cost than if paying for the items
individually.
e core of this Celestron pack of goodies, courtesy of Wex Photo Video, is the Astromaster 130EQ
re ector telescope, which is a 130mm, f/5 Newtonian telescope on a manually driven German
equatorial mount. is is a very capable instrument for introducing novices to both what the sky has
to offer, and the operation of a mechanical system designed for celestial motion.
I like the fact that the Astromaster comes with a ‘naked-eye scale’ red-dot nder (rather than an
undersized optical nder-scope) and that the mount accepts the optical tube assembly via a dovetail
tting, meaning that it can also accept subsequently acquired telescopes with the same connection.
e two included eyepieces (20mm and 10mm) provide low to moderate powers, though the 20mm
and a 2× Barlow would have instead yielded the same magni cations but with added potential.
is telescope will be great for looking at the Moon, an experience enhanced by the kit’s inclusion
of Collins’ Moongazing book, which not only aims to introduce our neighbour’s craggy charms, but
also guides those wishing to capture the Moon photographically. How convenient, then, that this kit
also includes the NexYZ Universal Smartphone Adaptor. e Moon is plenty bright enough to
image without a sidereally driven mount and no doubt lunar imaging will be the second thing a new
owner will do (after just looking).
e Elements ermoTorch 5 is a thoughtful addition, since one of the factors capable of beating
back an incipient observational drive is the experience of those excellent but freezing winter’s nights.
Its warmth will mean useful extension of an observing session, while as a power source it is capable
of providing juice to gadgets that will soon spawn from use of the telescope.
Solar imaging in a can
Price: £15. 95 Details:solarcan.co.uk
Here’s a bit of fun that is also instructive of the Sun’s changing diurnal motion. It is based on the
principle of the pinhole camera, the origins of which can be traced all the way back to the term
‘camera’ itself (being a darkened room into which a pinhole view of the world has been projected).
Deployment is simplicity itself. Mount the can (as per instructions) and then pierce the can with a
0.5mm perforation. e Sun does the rest. But be patient, for the best result requires a much longer
‘exposure’ than imagers are familiar with.
e can contains a sheet of photosensitive paper. As the Sun crosses the sky each day, its light passes
through the pin hole and etches its motion on to the paper’s emulsion. Day by day, month by
month, and for those in for the long haul, season by season, the changing arc of solar movement is
quietly recorded inside the can.
e results are startling and (depending on where you place the camera) they can be breathtakingly
artistic.
What sidereal time is it?
Price: £629 Details:rothervalleyoptics.co.uk
Regular readers of this column will know that I have oft bemoaned the dearth of commercially
available sidereal clocks for observatories. ey are often overlooked as a valuable accessory in an
observer’s kit.
Sidereal time is embedded in the night sky itself, relating to the xed lines of celestial longitude
(called Right Ascension) that serve to map the stars. ‘Local’ sidereal time indicates the celestial
sphere’s line of Right Ascension that is at the observer’s meridian. With the aid of a star map, it is
therefore possible to know which parts of the celestial sphere are currently transiting directly south.
For example, at a sidereal time of six hours, it can be deduced that Betelgeuse (Right Ascension of 5
hours 56 minutes) is riding high in the south and its constellation of Orion is best placed for
observation. e sky is a clock – and here, this clock is the sky.
Knowledge of sidereal time is also necessary for those observers using mounts with setting circles
(analogue indicators of celestial coordinates) that require sidereal time to synchronise them with the
sky.
is six-digit clock from BRG Precision will show both sidereal time and universal time – the latter
invaluable for accurate recording of observed events. Universal Time (UTC – universal time
coordinated) is acquired via its GPS atomic time receiver, and since the sidereal time is calculated
from this, the accuracy of both is ensured. e clock therefore delivers the two essential time frames
that an observatory needs, with high precision.
Power up
Details: pegasusastro.com Price: £525
Despite its innate simplicity, a telescope can accrue such a tangle of accessory power cables that it can
look as though it is taking root. e Pegasus Astro Ultimate Powerbox (version 2) is essentially a
power bus that serves as a distribution centre and control box all in one.
Instead of needing various recti ed 12V sources for each accessory, the Powerbox drinks in juice from
a single 12V supply and, via various outlets, redistributes it to accessories as required. is parasitic
equipment can include a mini PC, dew heaters, cameras (CCD and DSLR), lter-wheels, electronic
focusers and even USB-powered telescope mounts.
e kit includes a temperature/humidity sensor that allows it to control dew heaters autonomously.
Although the Powerbox will operate as a self-contained unit, it can also be connected to a PC and
(via provided software) be monitored and controlled.
Steve Ringwood returns with another round of astronomical accoutrements – just don’t tell
your wallet!
ViewAstrogear
January 2021
Astronomy Now