2003 MKDAS – Derekscope

Founded 2003

Milton Keynes Deaf Astronomical Society (MKDAS)
was formed on Saturday 26th April 2003.

Darren Cornwall, Don Andrews and myself
were setting up with a grant from
Milton Keynes Deaf Club.
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(Left to right: Don Andrews, Darren Cornwall, Derek Rowley & Alan Peek)

MKDC Chairman, Alan Peek
We invited our Milton Keynes Deaf Club, chairman, Alan Peek did ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the official opening of a the start of an event in astronomy that we provided the astronomy equipment to welcome the deaf people from Milton Keynes who like to know more or interest about astronomy, and we believe we were the first setting club in astronomy in the United Kingdom.

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Milton Keynes Deaf Astronomical Society by Don Andrews, Darren Cornwell & Derek Rowley

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Amateur Astronomy in Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes Deaf Astronomical Society aims to provide a forum for the discussion
throughout the years, we have helped many to gain and grow an interest in Astronomy.
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Want to join MKDAS?
MKDAS provides the programmes are shown below for observing or running trip or the talks
as MKDAS members, you have the ability to get an important update information for your observing.

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2003
Programme

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Saturday 26th April 2003
Emberton County Park – Open Day – 7pm

Our first Open Day to introduce a new first deaf local astronomical in the United Kingdom, possibly first deaf local astronomical in the world!
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Meet us at 7pm at Emberton County Park, Emberton, near Olney, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire.
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(See report & photos)

Tuesday 6th May 2003
Transit of Mercury

A rare transit of the planet Mercury across the face of the Sun staring on early morning of Wednesday 7th May at 05:11am till the end of transit at 10.32am in the daylight morning.
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Make the most opportunity with our observer’s guide.
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Meet us at 7pm at Emberton County Park, Emberton, near Olney, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire.
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Friday 16th thru Saturday 17th May 2003
Total Lunar Eclipse

A Total Lunar Eclipse, the full moon enters the outer fringes of Earth’s shadow.
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The penumbra at 02.09am, the sunlight refracted through Earth’s atmosphere stills illuminates the Moon, which appears a dim coppery red – it doesn’t usually disappear from view, even at totality.
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Meet us at 8pm at Emberton County Park, Emberton, near Olney, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire.
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(See report & photos)

Saturday 31st May 2003
Annular Solar Eclipse at North Scotland

Running Trip to Scotland with British Deaf Astronomical Association.
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Why is it called Annular?
An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon’s apparent diameter is smaller than the Sun’s, blocking most of the Sun’s light and causing the Sun to look like an annulus (ring).
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(See report & photos)

Friday 15th August 2003 – 10pm
Observing the closest Mars

This year’s opposition of Mars will be the planet’s closest pass by earth in centuries, and the closest it will get for many centuries to come and observing the ice polar caps.
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Meet us at 10pm at Emberton County Park, Emberton, near Olney, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire.
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(See report & photos)

Friday 26th till Sunday 28th September 2003
British Deaf Astronomical Association at North Norfolk

Running Trip to the Sky Camp at Thetford, Norfolk with British Deaf Astronomical Association (You might see the Northern Lights!)
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Venue: Dower House Touring park, East Harling, Thetford, Norfolk.
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Saturday 8th November 2003 – 7pm
Total Lunar Eclipse

The second Total Lunar Eclipse this year, in contract with the May event, the Moon will be higher in the constellation of Aries at midnight.
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This is a much more favourable event for the UK Observers.
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Meet us at 7m at Emberton County Park, Emberton, near Olney, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire.

(See report & photos)

Want to join MKDAS
MKDAS provides the programmes are shown above margin for observing,
running trip or the talks – as MKDAS members, you have the ability
to get an important update information for your observing.

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Our Facebook
Like us on Facebook;
MK Deaf Astronomical Society

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MKDAS Observatory
Public Open Evenings
Everyone is welcome!

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The MKDAS Observatory is located at
Emberton County Park, Emberton, near Olney,
Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire.

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Find us on the A509 and meet us at the reception – 7pm.

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Please text us if you are coming on
07845319228

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Total Lunar Eclipsed (Saturday 8th thru Sunday 9th November 2003)

Total Lunar Eclipsed (Saturday 8th thru Sunday 9th November 2003)

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Arrived the Emberton County Park to prepare for the observing the Total Lunar Eclipse which was the second time this year, the first one in May, we unable to see them due there were full cloudy.

A noted was taken by MKDAS, Derek Rowley

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The full moon glided through Earth’s shadow on 8th through 9th November, 2003, and turned a delightful shade of deep red coppered.

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Observing the closest Mars (Friday 15th August 2003)

Observing the closest Mars (Friday 15th August 2003)

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A note from MKDAS
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From my latitudes, we got a decent view of the planet this time as Mars would be about 21 degree up in the south – much better than in summer two years ago when Mars was 10 degrees last closest to us.

In the telescope Mars was an obvious red colour but on its surface to see dark marking (lapygia) and white patches that were either its polar caps and clouds.

The south pole of Mars was tipped toward us so this should prominent feature, so we saw the south polar cap shrink dramatically, and the darkest surface markings were feature like Syrtis Major.

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Annular Solar Eclipse (Saturday 31st May 2003)

Annular Solar Eclipse (Saturday 31st May 2003)

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Above photo was captured by Derek Rowley with a Kodak DX4330 (3.1mp) digital camera through a Vixen 11×80 pair of binocular.

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Got up early where we stayed at the ‘Small Highland Hotel – The Lazy Crofter Bunkhouse’ in the north west Highlands, Durness of Scotland.

Arrived on the field in the front of the sea coast with some dull grey clouds.

Patti Down used her video recorder & overlooked at the northern east horizon where the sun is rising.

At 4am, the thin grey clouds appeared in the horizon of North, and all the rest were clear skies.

The skies became the pink colour clouds to appear more bright, and still no luck to see the solar as we were on the top of the cliff viewing face to the sea.

From 04:10am onwards we enjoyed to see the glow reddish solar and reflecting on the sea too. Meanwhile I used my a solar filter safety for a pair of binocular to see a beautiful Annular Solar Eclipse.

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Total Lunar Eclipsed (Friday 16th May 2003)

Total Lunar Eclipsed (Friday 16th May 2003)

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A total lunar eclipse took place on Friday 16 May 2003, the first of two total lunar eclipses in 2003, the other being on 9 November 2003.

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Prepared a note of Total Lunar Eclipsed by Derek.
(All times in British Summer Time)

Prepared in one hour before the Total Lunar Eclipse of the Moon begins at 2am. It entered the penumbra (P1) at 02:05am but it had no effect is immediately visible, the Moon made the first contact with Earth’s shadow at 03:03am. Unfortunately since 2am, the weather were covered by some thick full-clouds!

At 3am, the slight rain was stopped, meanwhile the Moon made the first contact with the Earth’s shadow at 03:03am (U1) as the sky had no shown the moonlit above the fine clouds.

At 4am, soon the Moon became totally eclipsed, the sky stilled dark because of rain-clouds, and we don’t see any this event (U2, U3 & U4).

At 04:30am, the twilight sky become very strong light blue sky and rain too. We took all down as the end of observing the Total Lunar Eclipse that we never saw anything, wait for the next one in November 2003.

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Transit of Mercury (Wednesday 7th May 2003)

Transit of Mercury (Wednesday 7th May 2003)

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Occasionally, Mercury can seen crossing the Sun as known as Transit of Mercury, the last time it happened on 15th November 1999 and the next event of Transit of Mercury on 8th November 2006.

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Recorded the time of witness Transit of Mercury – it begun at 07:30am till the end of event was 11:32am.

Caught a plane passing the front of the Sun through the telescope with a special solar filter.

The black disc as Mercury reached the edge of the inside sun. It became to look like a mice bit the biscuit. We were delighted to see the Transit of Mercury and understand to see how compare the size between the Sun and the black disc, Mercury.

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Organised by MKDAS, on the morning of Wednesday 7th May, the planet Mercury transited (passed in front of) the Sun. For 5 hours and 19 minutes from 06:12am till 11:33am (BST), observed with a suitably equipped telescoped (AstroSolar) saw the black disk of Mercury creeped across the face of the Sun – it looked like a perfect round jet black sunspots.)

At 11:28am (BST), the leading edge of Mercury’s disk had made contact with the edge of the Sun, then over 4 minutes period the disk of Mercury creeped off the edge of the Sun. (See above the right noted.)

The next one will be on 8th November 2006 but we are not in the right place at the right time, so we have to wait until May 2016 to observe our next Transit of Mercury from the UK observers.

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MKDAS – Open Day (Saturday 26th April 2003)

MKDAS – Open Day (Saturday 26th April 2003)

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The new MKDAS officially opened on Saturday 26th April 2003, we invited our chairman of Milton Keynes Deaf Club, Alan Peek who took a place at opening ceremony. Just 10 miles away from Milton Keynes, the field at Emberton Park County has more dark location to keep away from the light pollution.

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Prepared to set up before an opening ceremony with Darren Cornwell, Don Andrews and myself. The erected tent was used for socialising, the talks, bookings, and snacks with hot drinks.

MKDAS has own a new telescope called Meade LDD55 – 10 inch Schmidt-Newtonian with an Autoscan computer controller to give you capturing the deep sky objects, planets, or comets.

The people were exciting to witness a MKDAS’s opening ceremony and followed the night, they saw through the telescope at Messier 57 – Ring Nebula (planetary nebula), Messier 13 (globular Cluster), and also the planet, Jupiter moon (Io) disappeared across the outside Jupiter at 1am. All those were amazing to be seen.

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Report & photos

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MKDAS of the Year Archived (Founded 2003)
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