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August 2017
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By Dr Paul Whiting, FRAS.

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The 26 cm Tomline Refractor at Orwell Park Observatory.

M31, the Andromeda Nebula, 01 August 2017, David Murton. More galaxies.

Large sunspot AR2665, 13 July 2017, Andy Gibbs. More solar images.

Jupiter on the evening of 12 June 2017, showing Io, Europa, the shadow of Io and a transit of the Great Red Spot. David Murton. More images of planets.

Solar observing at the OASI stand at ESWR, 11 June 2017. More public access events.

Supernova 2017eaw in galaxy NGC6946, 14 May 2017, Nigel Evans. More.

OASI 1967 - 2017

50^th Anniversary Convention, 29 July 2017

On Saturday 29 July 2017, we celebrated the 50^th anniversary of OASI with an astronomy convention in the iconic Waterfront Building of the University of Suffolk. Presentations by prominent astronomers, displays by astronomy societies and trade stands, and attendance by more than 300 amateur astronomers and interested members of the public combined to make the event a great success.

Photos below are by: James Appleton, Martin Cook, David Murton and John Wainwright.
 

The iconic University of Suffolk Waterfront Building.		Finalising the OASI astrophotography display.		OASI Chairman, David Murton, outside the venue.		David Murton's astrophotography display.
Early members of OASI: Alan Smith, Phil Lucas, Nigel Gage, Roy Gooding, Martin Cook (L-R).		Solar observing outside the venue.		Nick James at the conclusion of his talk on comets.		Nik Szymanek presenting on CCD imaging.
John Mason presenting on Tim Peake and the journey to Mars.		Allan Chapman talking on Sir John Herschel.		David Murton experiencing the virtual reality Mars simulator.		Sneezums of Bury St Edmunds setting up their exhibition.
East Anglian Rocketry Society exhibition.		Kesgrave High School Space Club exhibition.		DASH Astro spectroscopy display.		Widescreen Centre trade exhibition.

Planning for the event began almost two years earlier. In early September 2015, the Committee began brainstorming ideas to celebrate the anniversary. Initial ideas included an astronomy exhibition, a lecture by OASI President, Allan Chapman, and a dinner. By late 2015, a small subcommittee had been formed (comprising Roy Gooding, David Murton, Pete Richards and Paul Whiting) to progress the arrangements and thinking began to gel around a convention and exhibition to be held in the University of Suffolk Waterfront Building and a dinner at a later date. The venue was booked by early 2016 and the search then began for some additional "big name" speakers to complement Allan Chapman and for traders and other exhibitors.

Efforts to attract astronaut Tim Peake to speak proved frustratingly inconclusive, with repeated requests to his support team eliciting neither a definite acceptance nor a definite decline, and eventually had to be abandoned in favour of speakers with diaries under, perhaps, less pressure. Prominent astronomers and astro-imagers proved much more supportive of the event, and the following line-up of speakers and lectures was soon in place:

• Nick James - One Thousand Years of Great Comets and Great Disappointments.
• Nik Szymanek - Introduction to CCD Imaging.
• Dr John Mason, FRAS, MBE - One Small Step for Major Tim and the Giant Leap to Mars.
• Dr Allan Chapman, FRAS - Sir John Herschel, Astronomer in Two Hemispheres.
• Dr Nick Hewitt - Edge of Darkness.

The SPA was unable to attend as the date clashed with one of the Society's quarterly meetings. Fortunately, the BAA was keen to attend, as was the Commission for Dark Skies (CfDS). Janice McClean, Council Member, attended for the BAA and Phil Lucas attended for the CfDS, in place of Bob Mizon, CfDS Co-ordinator, who was otherwise engaged.

By September 2016, the committee had reached out with invitations to astronomical publishers and traders, both locally and nationally, with varying degrees of success. Replies ranged from a rapid acceptance to no response at all even after repeated attempts at communication! Traders who attended the event were:

• The Widescreen Centre
• Sneezums
• Space Rocks UK
• Dew Control
• Windmill Lodges

By early 2017, the following astronomy and related societies had confirmed attendance, providing a satisfying mix of local, regional and national coverage:

• British Astronomical Association
• Commission for Dark Skies
• Breckland Astronomical Society
• Athenaeum Astronomy Society
• DASH Astro
• Kesgrave High School Space Club
• Geo Suffolk
• East Anglian Rocketry Society

Tickets went on sale in February 2017, available in person from Treasurer Paul Whiting or electronically via the OASI website. Sales could best be described as slow but steady! The OASI homepage was given a makeover to focus primarily on the Convention. Other efforts at this time to publicise the event included listings in What's on websites and the local press. Later, adverts were placed in the national astronomy press and interviews about the event were broadcast on Radio Suffolk and Town 102.

In the final weeks and days before the event, a manpower rota was devised and agreed and exhibition material was created. James Appleton assembled displays on: OASI activities, the formation of OASI, OASI astro-photographs and astronomy in Suffolk. David Murton produced a display of his own excellent astro-photographs. University of Suffolk employee and OASI member Jennie Wood organised a virtual reality tour of a simulated "Mars Colony" using equipment belonging to the University. Pete and Nicky Richards created activites to amuse young visitors, including colouring drawings of planets and a lunar impact crater simulator, involving flour and projectiles - messy! They also reworked a 1:326 million scale model of the solar system by Alan Smith for use on the day. On the afternoon of Friday 28 July, members of OASI visited the venue for final checking of the arrangements and to assemble the displays. By 6.00pm, everything was in place, and all agreed that the event itself was thereafter in the lap of the gods...

So, went the day well? Indeed it did! Despite the event being held during the summer holiday period, over 300 visitors attended. The venue was excellent and the arrangements worked smoothly. There was much interest in all the exhibits, the lecture programme was well-attended and the lectures themselves were excellent. During the day, too, many old acquantanceships were renewed: special mention in this regard must be made of Phil Lucas (manning the CfDS stand) who, it transpired, had joined OASI in the early 1970s before moving to the South Coast and losing contact with the Society - see the photo above of Phil and other members of OASI who joined in the early 1970s.

The following members of OASI supported the event: Roy Adams, Merlyn Adams, Martyn Andrews, Alexander Appleton, Hilary Appleton, James Appleton, John Barbrook, John Barnet-Lamb, Bill Barton, Trevor Boyd, Ned Cartwright, Allan Chapman, Adrian Cubitt, Daryl Cliffe, Judith Cook, Martin Cook, Nigel Evans, Kevin Fulcher, Nigel Gage, Andy Gibbs, Mandy Gibbs, Roy Gooding, Richard Gruber, Ian Hastie, Ray Larsen, Matt Leeks, Bob Markham, Leslie Miller, David Murton, Avtar Nagra, Mike Nicholls, Mike Norris, Mike O’Mahony, Leon Politowicz, Peter Richards, Nicky Richards, Jen Richmond-Hardy, Martin Richmond-Hardy, Neil Short, Alex Sinclair and his son, Alan Smith, Joe Startin, Jeremy Startup, Nicole Airy Swengley, John Wainwright, Joe Walsh, Andy Willshere, Mike Whybray, Paul Whiting, Jennie Wood.

The Committee of OASI wishes to express heartfelt thanks to all speakers, traders, visitors and members of OASI who supported the event, and to the University of Suffolk for use of the Waterfront Building.