Welcome to the Members Page

The Swindon Stargazers Club will soon have a fast growing membership, as there are many amatuer astronomers in and around Swindon. It therefore seems prudent to introduce a 'members page' to this website where people can submit articles and comments on the hobby along with viewing logs and anything else that might be interest to members.

Members are therefore invited to submit articles that they think may be of interest to others, this be be about anything to do with the hobby that members want to pass onto others.

Articles can be short, a one-liner if you like or full page article with illustrations, anything can be accommodated as on any website the possibilties are endless! The only thing to remember is that this is your website and you can make it anything you want, the more information we receive from members, the better this website will be for it.

Astronomy is a fascinating subject and as you know, when you look up and see a clear sky (on one of those rare occasions in Swindon), there is always something new to see, always something to fire the imagination as space, and the night sky is vast and contains endless objects, stars, planets and galaxies with which to explore with binoculars or telescope!

So tell someone else about your experiences. I look forward to hearing from you, using the following link: Robin Wilkey

Don't forget you can email your pictures or illustrations, but please keep the file sizes small at around 100k, if you need help with how to do this please ask using the same link above.

A NASA's Hubble Space Telescope (HST) image of a "double nucleus" in the giant spiral galaxy in Andromeda, M31. Each of the two light-peaks contains a few million densely packed stars. The brighter object is the "classic" nucleus as studied from the ground. However, HST reveals that the true center of the galaxy is really the dimmer component. One possible explanation is that the brighter cluster is the leftover remnant of a galaxy cannibalized by M31. Another idea is that the true center of the galaxy has been divided in two by deep dust absorption across the middle, creating the illusion of two peaks. This green-light image was taken with HST's Wide Field and Planetary Camera (WF/PC), in high resolution mode, on July 6, 1991. The two peaks are separated by 5 light-years. The Hubble image is 40 light-years across.

[Center] - Ground View of Galaxy Core

The nucleus is at the center of the bulge of M31, a smooth system of old stars. The bulge is apparent as the bright center of M31 in standard pictuits of the galaxy. Individual points of light are globular star clusters each containing several hundred thousand stars. This ground-based telescopic image does not resolve the double nature of the nucleus. The background of the present picture is dark only because the contrast has been adjusted to show the lull detail in the nucleus which is much brighter then the surrounding bulge.

[Left] - Ground View of Galaxy

One of the closest (neighbors to our own Milky Way galaxy, M31 (the 31st object in a catalog of non-stellar objects compiled by French astronomer Charles Messier in 1774) dominates the small group of galaxies of which our own Milky Way is a member. M31 can be seen with the naked eye as a spindle-shaped "cloud" the width of the full moon.

Object Names: M31, NGC 224

Membership Services: Swindon Stargazers Forum

Swindon Stargazers now has it's own Forum which can be accessed from the MAIN LINKS - Members Forum link on the front page or from the link below. To be a member of this exclusive forum all you need to do is be a member of Swindon Strargazers and then just follow the simple registration process on the log-in screen right at the top where it says 'Welcome Guest ( Log In | Register )'.

Once submitted this will authorised by the administrator (usually within 24 hours) and then you can start using the forum. Please note that the forum is a secure one and only other members of Swindon Stargazers are allowed access, so you can message other members with confidence, ask questions and so on.

Remember that members (like yourself) may not use their original names, and may choose a variety of names like 'batman' etc. If you decide to register using a 'pen name' please email the website administartor so that your membership credentials can be confirmed, and therefore we can be sure that only members have access!

A telescope similar to the picture opposite is available for loan to members. It has the following specifications: Celestron 127mm (5") f10 Schmidt Cassegrain Celestron CG-4 Omni German EQ Mount One 25mm 1.25 eyepiece 1.25" star diagonal View finder scope and mount 6 x 30 Optical tube length: 11 in (279.4 mm) Optical tube weight: 6.5 lb (2.95 kg) EQ Mount weight: 21 lb (9.53 kg) Tripod weight: 12.5 lb (5.67 kg) Total weight: 40 lb (18.14 kg) In three protective boxes If you would like to loan this telescope there is a simple form to complete and all you need to do is email Peter Struve to ask him to bring it to the next club meeting. Alternatively you can make separate arrangements to collect. Pete can be contacted HERE A copy of the Informal Loan Agreement is HERE This telescope was kindly donated by FIRST LIGHT OPTICS

Setting up an account is easy. Full instructions will be provided on how to set up your new mail account, with step-by-step illustrations.

Contact the website administrator at: Robin Wilkey

Exclusive sub-domains for members

Exclusive sub-domains are available to members of the Swindon Stargazers from the website administrator such as 'www.you.swindonstargazers.com'.

NWASNEWS - Newsletter Now Available

Swindon Stargazers is now included in the Wiltshire Astronomical Society's newsletter, and we are very grateful to Andy Burns, the society's chairman, for allowng us up to a page in each issue as space allows.

Each edition is available fom their website, and as usual it is packed newsletter with lots of interesting features and photographs. It also contains details of our current meetings. HERE

The newsletter can be downloaded to your computer for personal use by clicking on the links of the newsletter (file size around 3.22MB). It is an Acrobat file and you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader already installed on your computer to open it. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader it can be downloaded free of charge by clicking HERE (41.1MB)

Membership Fees - Revised 3 July 2009

Swindon Stargazers is pleased to advise that the fees for membership have been revised to allow more flexibility for both visitors to the club and for those who wish to take advantage of the benefits of full membership, as follows:

Visitors: First night is free, thereafter £3 per night if not a member
Annual Membership (March to March): £18
Half Year Membership (September to March): £10

If you would like to apply for membership please click HERE