BASINGSTOKE ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
Beginner’s  Meeting held on 12th May at Cliddesden Primary School
 
Apologies
Bob Trevan, Dave Shave-Wall, Paul Moulton.
 
Welcome
The Chairman extended his usual welcome to those present and noted that attendance had been poor at the Beginner’s meetings.  He said this will be up for discussion at the next committee meeting, due to be held in June.
Main Event 
John Stapleton gave a talk on the discovery of the planets, followed by questions.
 
Observations  
Members were able to observe Jupiter, along with visible bands and zones.  Intermittent observation of the Moon was possible between the bands of high cloud which took away the glare, but did little for any serious observing.
 
Dates to remember
25th May : Main Meeting Dave Shave-Wall will give a talk on Exoplanets and KBO’s. Meeting begins at 7pm.
27th May: Weather allowing will meet on the school playing field at 8 –8.30pm for a Messier Sprint, to see how many Messier objects we can find in one hour.  We will also be searching for a 14.3 hour old moon.
9th June: Beginner’s meeting.  We will demonstrate how to observe the sun in safety.  Meeting starts at 7pm.