0:00:26 > 0:00:28Good evening.
0:00:28 > 0:00:33On any clear night, you'll find amateur astronomers outdoors,
0:00:33 > 0:00:35making observations, taking notes
0:00:35 > 0:00:38and noting down what they see.
0:00:38 > 0:00:42Before we go any further, there are two things I want you to remember.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45First of all, astronomy is open to anyone.
0:00:45 > 0:00:49You don't need large, expensive telescopes.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53You can do a great deal with the naked eye or a pair of binoculars.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56Secondly, amateur work is very important.
0:00:56 > 0:01:02Amateurs do things that professionals want to do, but can't do or haven't got time to do
0:01:02 > 0:01:05and a great deal is learnt from this.
0:01:05 > 0:01:10Today, I think amateur astronomy is more important than it's ever been before.
0:01:10 > 0:01:16Well, with me now are two professionals - Dr Chris Lintott and Lucie Green.
0:01:16 > 0:01:20So really it is now a great time for the amateur.
0:01:20 > 0:01:22And he can delve everywhere.
0:01:22 > 0:01:26Absolutely. You've hit the nail on the head there.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28Even with all this spacecraft,
0:01:28 > 0:01:34all the data we can get from professional observatories and access to the data via the internet,
0:01:34 > 0:01:39there's still a huge amount of space for the kind of work only amateurs can do.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43As professional astronomers, we are unique amongst scientists.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47We rely so heavily on collaboration with our amateur colleagues.
0:01:47 > 0:01:53Wherever you look, whether it's out into the distant universe, in our galaxy or in the solar system,
0:01:53 > 0:01:57we need people to help us sort through data and make discoveries.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00You can see that, Lucie, in your field with the Sun.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03My interest is in looking at solar activity
0:02:03 > 0:02:07and after a really long, prolonged quiet time,
0:02:07 > 0:02:11the activity is picking up and we need amateurs and professionals
0:02:11 > 0:02:15looking at the data, but we've had this interesting time with the Sun
0:02:15 > 0:02:20where it's not necessarily solar science that we've been working on.
0:02:20 > 0:02:25The amateur community have discovered a huge number of comets in the SOHO data,
0:02:25 > 0:02:30in the LASCO coronagraphs which look at the Sun's atmosphere, unexpected delights,
0:02:30 > 0:02:36coming from the fact that amateur astronomers have a different take on what they want to study.
0:02:36 > 0:02:42In 1981, when the first comet was discovered to plunge into the Sun, we were very excited about that.
0:02:42 > 0:02:48And it turns out it happens all the time. There are 2,000 discovered in the SOHO images?
0:02:48 > 0:02:51Yeah, over 2,000 of the Kreutz family
0:02:51 > 0:02:54and it's given us lots and lots of information about cometary break-up,
0:02:54 > 0:02:59because I think these comets came from a single object, maybe a couple of thousand years ago
0:02:59 > 0:03:02and so we're learning about comet fragmentation
0:03:02 > 0:03:06as well as doing counts of the number of comets that come into the inner solar system,
0:03:06 > 0:03:10seeing more than we realised were present.
0:03:10 > 0:03:16We're talking about comets plunging into the Sun, but another really exciting set of amateur discoveries
0:03:16 > 0:03:19have been a series of dark spots on Jupiter
0:03:19 > 0:03:23that they think have come from the impact of something like comets.
0:03:23 > 0:03:28We saw this in the early '90s with Shoemaker-Levy 9, another serious amateur discovery,
0:03:28 > 0:03:33this comet that split up and hit Jupiter and left behind this sequence of bruises,
0:03:33 > 0:03:37then in the last couple of years, people like Anthony Wesley,
0:03:37 > 0:03:40who is an amateur observer down in Australia,
0:03:40 > 0:03:43have started spotting these scars on Jupiter's surface,
0:03:43 > 0:03:47so what we thought was a once-in-a-few-hundred-years event
0:03:47 > 0:03:50back when we saw Shoemaker-Levy 9 turns out to be happening
0:03:50 > 0:03:53every few years, comets hitting the giant planets.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57We're seeing how dynamic the solar system is, which is relevant to us,
0:03:57 > 0:04:01our lives, human space exploration in the future.
0:04:01 > 0:04:06Amateurs are looking for asteroids, too. There'll be an impact on Earth.
0:04:06 > 0:04:08There are big professional surveys,
0:04:08 > 0:04:11but if you want to make your mark as an amateur,
0:04:11 > 0:04:14you can discover the asteroid that will kill us all.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17But the planets themselves change.
0:04:17 > 0:04:21We're used to seeing beautiful images from people like Damian Peach
0:04:21 > 0:04:23that show
0:04:23 > 0:04:25- a ridiculous amount of detail on the planet.- I know.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29What's interesting is professionals depend upon those images,
0:04:29 > 0:04:32not just for the cover of our magazines,
0:04:32 > 0:04:34and not just to put on our walls,
0:04:34 > 0:04:37cos we often use amateur images for publicity,
0:04:37 > 0:04:39but as real science in the solar system.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43Spacecraft like Juno, which is NASA's next Jupiter mission
0:04:43 > 0:04:48on its way now, have explicitly organised an observing campaign for serious amateurs,
0:04:48 > 0:04:50to give them the context.
0:04:50 > 0:04:54It's a bit like wandering out into...out on the surface of the Earth,
0:04:54 > 0:04:55making one measurement.
0:04:55 > 0:04:59Professionals can study somewhere very close. We have a weather station,
0:04:59 > 0:05:03but we need amateurs to tell us if it's raining in the rest of the country,
0:05:03 > 0:05:06- or what the clouds are doing. - And they'd have a very
0:05:06 > 0:05:09different perspective on what they find fascinating as well.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13And it's a great public engagement example, that you can influence
0:05:13 > 0:05:15what larger telescopes then focus their time on.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18I think it gets really interesting, as we're driven by grants,
0:05:18 > 0:05:21funding, career, a lot of the time, so it's really nice
0:05:21 > 0:05:24to find people who are driven by their interest.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28- The amateur, of course, has the true freedom.- He does what he likes.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31- Exactly.- And it's important that you have that mix, as well,
0:05:31 > 0:05:34because the scientists will have the questions that are the hot
0:05:34 > 0:05:38topics for them to work on, and then amateur astronomers have
0:05:38 > 0:05:40the questions that interest them as well, and hopefully,
0:05:40 > 0:05:43there's some overlap in the middle, but then, at the edges,
0:05:43 > 0:05:49there are two different series of questions that are being worked on, so you push forward the science.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52I think that today, in spite of spacecraft, and all the equipment,
0:05:52 > 0:05:57I believe amateur astronomy is just as important as it's ever been.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59And probably more so.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02Yes, the more data we get, the more eyes we need,
0:06:02 > 0:06:05and the more questions we have, so I think we're more in need
0:06:05 > 0:06:08of amateur help than we've ever been, but there's more they can do.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10I wonder what will happen next?
0:06:10 > 0:06:14Well, thank you both very much indeed.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18Supernovae are stars that explode catastrophically,
0:06:18 > 0:06:22sending out millions of times more light than they normally do.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26It's important to find out how they behave and we never know when to expect them
0:06:26 > 0:06:29or which star is going to go supernova.
0:06:29 > 0:06:31This is where the amateur comes in.
0:06:31 > 0:06:36A supernova that flares up is likely to be detected first by an amateur
0:06:36 > 0:06:40because amateurs know the sky better than most professionals.
0:06:40 > 0:06:42They don't have to use instruments.
0:06:42 > 0:06:47Pete Lawrence went to the Wirral to meet two supernova hunters.
0:06:47 > 0:06:51Dave Thomson and Brendan Martin are supernova hunters
0:06:51 > 0:06:58and they belong to the country's oldest Astronomical Society - Liverpool, set up in 1881.
0:06:58 > 0:07:03They also design and build some extraordinary telescopes.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07I look forward to coming to other people's back garden observatories
0:07:07 > 0:07:10because you never know what you'll find.
0:07:10 > 0:07:16I've come to a small village in Cheshire where behind this house lurks something really special.
0:07:16 > 0:07:23The Liverpool Astronomical Society is a thriving group of some 200 members.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26They do research and also public shows.
0:07:26 > 0:07:32Later on tonight, they're taking me to Sefton Sands for some star-spotting.
0:07:33 > 0:07:37Dave designs telescopes and this is his Leviathan.
0:07:37 > 0:07:42The mirror is 30 inches wide and the scope must be at least 20 feet long.
0:07:42 > 0:07:44Quite a whopper!
0:07:44 > 0:07:49Now, I love big telescopes, but this one is a real monster, isn't it?
0:07:49 > 0:07:53So why did you build one this large?
0:07:53 > 0:07:56For fun. I've always been interested in astronomy.
0:07:56 > 0:08:00You start off with a small telescope and they get bigger and bigger.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04- We make our own optics as well. - You grind your own optics?
0:08:04 > 0:08:09- We make the mirrors as well. - For a 30-inch telescope, that is incredible.- Lots of fun.
0:08:09 > 0:08:14- What objects stand out for you? - The "lollipop" objects are the best objects in the sky.
0:08:14 > 0:08:19Orion Nebula M42 is absolutely stunning in colour and detail.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21- You can see colour.- Lots of colour. - Brendan?
0:08:21 > 0:08:23For me, Jupiter. Again you could see
0:08:23 > 0:08:26colour, structure within the clouds.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30- I didn't want to move away from the telescope.- That's astonishing.
0:08:30 > 0:08:36- So, do you keep these telescopes just for your own use?- No, these are used at public star parties,
0:08:36 > 0:08:40with the Liverpool National Astronomical Society Sidewalk Astronomers Group.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43Oh, right, OK. So they're open to the general public.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46We've had thousands of people look through this,
0:08:46 > 0:08:50- and sometimes 300 people look through it.- There's one burning question,
0:08:50 > 0:08:53if you've the public coming to look through this telescope,
0:08:53 > 0:08:57- that eyepiece is quite high up there, how do they get up to that? - Very tall, stable ladder.
0:08:58 > 0:09:04'I would have to overcome my fear of heights before I could even look through the eyepiece,
0:09:04 > 0:09:11'but down the bottom of the garden are more my kind of telescopes. They can be operated from your armchair.
0:09:11 > 0:09:16'These telescopes were also designed and built by Dave and they are robotic.
0:09:16 > 0:09:21'They can be operated via the internet anywhere in the world.'
0:09:21 > 0:09:26- This is what they call a telescope farm with telescopes everywhere. - Yes.- Fantastic.
0:09:26 > 0:09:30- You've built all these telescopes yourselves.- Yes.- This is a 20-inch?
0:09:30 > 0:09:34A 20-inch, half-metre telescope. All home-made.
0:09:34 > 0:09:38With the UK weather, the automation side of things really helps.
0:09:38 > 0:09:42It allows us to get on the sky within 30 seconds.
0:09:42 > 0:09:48- You don't come out here and stand with the telescope?- No, it's mostly autonomous. It is robotic.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51Right, OK. Anybody who's looking at this, thinking,
0:09:51 > 0:09:54well, that must be thousands and thousands of pounds,
0:09:54 > 0:09:58you built most of this, so is it really expensive to put together?
0:09:58 > 0:10:03No, I think a lot of this, the whole dome and telescope that I've made here,
0:10:03 > 0:10:07- it is probably less than £2,000. - Really?! That's incredible!
0:10:07 > 0:10:10- You do a lot yourself.- Including all the automation and everything?
0:10:10 > 0:10:13To be fair, there's probably more from the software side,
0:10:13 > 0:10:15but we're starting to develop our own as well.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18- And is it difficult to do? - Yes and no, but...!
0:10:18 > 0:10:23Really, some things are obviously quite technical and more difficult.
0:10:23 > 0:10:27You've got to learn stuff. If you're good with a saw and hammer, there's an awful lot you can do.
0:10:27 > 0:10:31'The telescopes are used by the group for supernova hunting.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34'A supernova occurs when a star explodes.
0:10:34 > 0:10:39'They're unpredictable with the bright flash gone in a matter of hours.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42'In galaxies millions of light years away,
0:10:42 > 0:10:45'all we see of this super-massive explosion
0:10:45 > 0:10:47'is a brief brightening of a star.
0:10:47 > 0:10:54'It's crucial the big professional telescopes get on to them early and that's where the amateurs come in.
0:10:54 > 0:11:00'Brendan and his fellow supernova hunters have over 60,000 galaxy images,
0:11:00 > 0:11:02'looking for something different.'
0:11:02 > 0:11:05We image each galaxy twice,
0:11:05 > 0:11:09then the next day, it's going through all those galaxies,
0:11:09 > 0:11:12- looking for any... - That's real dedication.
0:11:12 > 0:11:17If you're going through that number of images, that's research stuff.
0:11:17 > 0:11:22- It's also the anticipation of being the first one to see something. - We've been very close to it.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25- You haven't actually got your first one yet?- Not yet.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28- But we've been very close. - So why would you do that,
0:11:28 > 0:11:33when you've got the professionals who are doing it, why would amateurs try to do this as well?
0:11:33 > 0:11:36Well, the professionals can't really do this any more.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39They have limited time on telescopes.
0:11:39 > 0:11:45- To search for a supernova requires lots of time and dedication.- Right.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48They can use that time to do other stuff.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52The amateurs are doing all the supernova searches now. If we discover one,
0:11:52 > 0:11:54then the professionals can turn their telescopes.
0:11:54 > 0:11:59- They go along and look at it and do the research.- And so on.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02And also, with the UK weather as it is, sometimes, we may get
0:12:02 > 0:12:04a possible supernova discovery one evening,
0:12:04 > 0:12:08but then the next night, it's cloudy, and we've got contacts that we can use.
0:12:08 > 0:12:13So, the network is going out to try and find it, yes. Fantastic. Absolutely brilliant job.
0:12:16 > 0:12:22Dave and Brendan will pack up their kit and take it out tonight to Sefton Sands near Southport.
0:12:22 > 0:12:27The society have planned a sidewalk astronomy event for the public.
0:12:27 > 0:12:32There have been astronomy gatherings here for over ten years and they're always popular.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37It's a very promising night.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40There are some clouds, but we can see the stars.
0:12:40 > 0:12:44It's incredibly cold, but that does not put off the die-hards.
0:12:47 > 0:12:54The Liverpool Astronomical Society are here in force and we have about 200 visitors of all ages.
0:12:54 > 0:12:59If the clouds stay away, we should give them all a look at the Moon, Jupiter
0:12:59 > 0:13:02and maybe even the Orion Nebula later.
0:13:02 > 0:13:09- Hi, David. You're here with the telescope set up for the sidewalk event tonight.- That's right, yes.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11Why do you do sidewalk astronomy?
0:13:11 > 0:13:16It's our way of bringing astronomy to the sidewalks. It's an American idea.
0:13:16 > 0:13:20- And the idea is to bring astronomy out to the public.- Right, OK.
0:13:20 > 0:13:25Not everybody can get into an observatory and look through an eyepiece,
0:13:25 > 0:13:28so we can provide facilities such as this.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31We have lectures about what's on in the night sky,
0:13:31 > 0:13:33the latest events happening.
0:13:33 > 0:13:39A lot of the public want to buy a telescope, but they don't know what to buy.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42That is one of the things we do best, I think.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44We show the public what we have, and the public can
0:13:44 > 0:13:48say, OK, I like the view through that, what do we do, how do we buy one of these?
0:13:48 > 0:13:50What do I want to do with the telescope?
0:13:50 > 0:13:54Do I want to just look through a telescope, do I want to see galaxies,
0:13:54 > 0:13:56or planets? You need to know what these things are.
0:13:56 > 0:14:01And there's such a wide range of telescopes available these days.
0:14:02 > 0:14:07At the same time, it generates an interest in the science.
0:14:07 > 0:14:11It generates interest in the youngsters at school. This is part of the curriculum now.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14Right, can you see the Moon?
0:14:14 > 0:14:18- It also generates future membership for our society.- Of course it does.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20Which keeps our society going along.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23- Creating the astronomers of the future.- Yes.
0:14:23 > 0:14:27Tonight, there is a crescent moon. Our nearest celestial neighbour
0:14:27 > 0:14:31is always a good object to show kids and adults alike.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34And this is the huge crater Clavius.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37- Why is it shaking? - Why is it wobbling?
0:14:37 > 0:14:42Because it was a cold night like tonight and all the hot air from the ground rises up
0:14:42 > 0:14:46and it makes all the air waves up above us because of the telescope.
0:14:46 > 0:14:50- That's what makes stars twinkle. - See it?
0:14:50 > 0:14:54You've just been having a look through that telescope,
0:14:54 > 0:14:58is this the first time you've been to a sidewalk astronomy event?
0:14:58 > 0:15:00No, I came to one a couple of years ago,
0:15:00 > 0:15:03but unfortunately, the sky was really unclear that night.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06Oh, right, OK. This is the first clear sky one.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09Yes, I've been so looking forward to looking at Jupiter.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12Really? So that's what you've been looking at? What did you think?
0:15:12 > 0:15:17I was absolutely amazed by it. It's wonderful to see.
0:15:17 > 0:15:21A view of the gas giant Jupiter and its moons,
0:15:21 > 0:15:23is something you never forget.
0:15:23 > 0:15:27- We're trying to teach him... - I like what's on the Moon.- What?
0:15:27 > 0:15:32- A flag.- A flag?- There is a flag. - Footprints.- And footprints.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35Who put the first footprints there?
0:15:35 > 0:15:36Um...
0:15:36 > 0:15:39- Neil Armstrong.- Brilliant. - Very good.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42A future astronomer in the making there!
0:15:47 > 0:15:53I see you've brought a pair of binoculars along with you. You're not an astronomer?
0:15:53 > 0:15:59No, I just like to see the stars at night. When it's a bright night, I sit in the garden and look up.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02I don't confess to know anything. I just like to watch.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04That doesn't matter.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07- You can just look at the things and enjoy them.- Yeah.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11So, which are the young craters, and which are the old craters?
0:16:11 > 0:16:14- I think they're the young craters. - The little ones? Yeah.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16And the old craters.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20Well, the oldest crater here is this big, huge Clavius.
0:16:20 > 0:16:24'The craters on the Moon are a record of a brutal past in our solar system,
0:16:24 > 0:16:28'when asteroids and comets pulverised the planets.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31'On Earth, they have been eroded, but on the Moon,
0:16:31 > 0:16:34'we can see impact craters in all their glory.'
0:16:34 > 0:16:39- You've been looking at the Moon. - I've just been getting it focused,
0:16:39 > 0:16:42and I'll probably swing around and look at the Orion Nebula.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45- Right, that'd be fantastic to see. - But this kind of equipment,
0:16:45 > 0:16:48the advantage is that I can keep it in the car all the time.
0:16:48 > 0:16:52And I haven't had time to go home and get my telescope and everything.
0:16:53 > 0:16:58'Binoculars are great, but big telescopes can show off the detail.'
0:17:02 > 0:17:06- Have you seen anything fantastic tonight?- Yeah, we saw Jupiter.
0:17:06 > 0:17:12- And I saw three stars together. - You saw three stars together?- Five.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14I saw Jupiter and three moons.
0:17:14 > 0:17:18- So you got the little dots either side of Jupiter?- Yeah.- Oh, right.
0:17:18 > 0:17:23There's this big white circle with these things...these colours.
0:17:23 > 0:17:27- And then three dots next to them. - Right, OK.
0:17:27 > 0:17:33One of those dots that's next to Jupiter is one of the biggest moons in the solar system.
0:17:33 > 0:17:38- It's bigger than the planet Mercury. It's huge. It's called Ganymede. - Ganymede.- Yes.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41I'm going to have to watch myself.
0:17:41 > 0:17:47Every youngster I've been speaking to so far tonight, has been able to answer my questions.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51There are even more people arriving.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54Dave has brought his 16-inch Dobsonian with him.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57And there is quite a queue of people waiting to look through it.
0:17:57 > 0:18:01So, Dave, I've caught up with you at last, this has been fantastic.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04- How do you think it's gone?- It is going fantastically well.
0:18:04 > 0:18:08- There must be hundreds of people here.- I've had a chat with a few people,
0:18:08 > 0:18:09and they are delighted with it.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12So I think the work you're doing is superb,
0:18:12 > 0:18:16because you're inspiring people to go out and look at the sky,
0:18:16 > 0:18:21and also, you're teaching them how to use their own telescopes, I think.
0:18:21 > 0:18:25The people within the Liverpool Society and, the people that have turned up today,
0:18:25 > 0:18:29- they make it a team effort. - Absolutely.- For the society, it's great.- Definitely.
0:18:29 > 0:18:33'Everyone has had a fantastic night
0:18:33 > 0:18:39'and I have been blown away by the enthusiasm of the group and by the kids' knowledge of the planets.
0:18:39 > 0:18:43'For more information about public nights near you, contact your local astronomical group.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46'Details can be found on our website.'
0:18:52 > 0:18:58Pete was down there having fun with the Liverpool Astronomical Society.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01Let's now turn to something else - variable stars.
0:19:01 > 0:19:07Most stars shine steadily for year after year, century after century, but there are some that don't.
0:19:07 > 0:19:09These are variable stars.
0:19:09 > 0:19:14They're bright, then fade. And there are various different types.
0:19:14 > 0:19:19It's important to find out how many types there are and how they behave.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22And this is where the amateur comes in.
0:19:22 > 0:19:27I'm joined now by Paul Abel and by Gary Poyner.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30Gary, why do amateurs look at variable stars?
0:19:30 > 0:19:34The answer is that professional astronomers don't do it.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37Most of our information that we have for variable stars,
0:19:37 > 0:19:40binocular variables, telescopic variables,
0:19:40 > 0:19:43come from the amateur astronomer.
0:19:43 > 0:19:49All the information we've gathered on variable stars over the last 100 or so years comes from amateur sources.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52The amateur has played an intrinsic part in doing this.
0:19:52 > 0:19:57It can't be expressed enough. Even an amateur astronomer with a pair of binoculars
0:19:57 > 0:20:02can make a significant contribution to variable star astronomy, but you need patience.
0:20:02 > 0:20:06With binoculars, it doesn't happen overnight. You need to keep going and going.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09You're a visual observer,
0:20:09 > 0:20:11so we should emphasise the difference
0:20:11 > 0:20:13between electronic imaging and visual.
0:20:13 > 0:20:15The visual observer uses only his eyes
0:20:15 > 0:20:19- to measure the changes in lights. - Absolutely, and you do this
0:20:19 > 0:20:21by comparing the variable star's brightness
0:20:21 > 0:20:26with stars in the same field of view which you know aren't variable.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29- It's remarkable how accurate the visual system can be.- Absolutely,
0:20:29 > 0:20:32and the more you do it, the more accurate you become.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35Do you have a list of variables you've observed, Gary?
0:20:35 > 0:20:39Yes, I do. I have about 500 stars on my list.
0:20:39 > 0:20:43I'll try and get through as many of those in 12 months as I can.
0:20:43 > 0:20:44I have 20 on mine.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46I have none on mine!
0:20:46 > 0:20:48We might be able to change that.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51I'd do my bit if I was convinced I could be consistent about it.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54As you say, it takes a lot of practice
0:20:54 > 0:20:56to get into it, but once you've done it,
0:20:56 > 0:20:59the human visual system's good at picking up
0:20:59 > 0:21:03these changes. The other thing to emphasise is the amount of work done
0:21:03 > 0:21:05not just in Britain, but in the US.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08Lots of amateurs, all coordinated together, all unpaid?
0:21:08 > 0:21:12That's right. The great thing about variable star observers is that
0:21:12 > 0:21:15the people who observe these things tend to report their observations.
0:21:15 > 0:21:19The BAA have over 2 million observations now.
0:21:19 > 0:21:21- The AAVSO have 21 million. - It's all unpaid as well.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24This is the spadework of modern astronomy,
0:21:24 > 0:21:26all this hard work and effort and dedication
0:21:26 > 0:21:29done entirely for the love of the subject.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31Yeah. You wouldn't do it for any other reason.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34And the data is there for professionals to use as well,
0:21:34 > 0:21:36- which is very important. - Which they do.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39So, selling the Moon and planets is easy.
0:21:39 > 0:21:41Looking at Saturn's rings is beautiful,
0:21:41 > 0:21:43or the polar ice caps of Mars.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46The sunrise over the lunar craters is fantastic.
0:21:46 > 0:21:51How do you sell variable stars to people just getting started?
0:21:51 > 0:21:55That's very easy. I would certainly say to look at a bright Mira star,
0:21:55 > 0:21:57something like Mira itself.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01You may be looking at a 12th magnitude star for two months,
0:22:01 > 0:22:06- then you go out one night, and it's a magnitude 8.- It gets very bright, enormously bright.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09Overnight. If that doesn't capture your imagination,
0:22:09 > 0:22:12you probably won't be a variable star observer.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14Quite!
0:22:14 > 0:22:19- Nice to have seen you. Come back in the future. - Thank you very much, Patrick.
0:22:19 > 0:22:23Over the years, I've done my best to interest young people in astronomy,
0:22:23 > 0:22:26I hope with some success, I don't know.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29Anyway, nowadays, there are new developments.
0:22:29 > 0:22:33There are big telescopes that schools can apply to use -
0:22:33 > 0:22:36two-metre telescopes, real giants.
0:22:36 > 0:22:42And we sent Chris Lintott back to school to find out just how this works.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44HORN BLOWS
0:22:44 > 0:22:47Portsmouth - full of naval heritage
0:22:47 > 0:22:51and a place from where so many ships have left on voyages of discovery,
0:22:51 > 0:22:54quests to find out more about our planet.
0:22:55 > 0:23:00These days, the frontiers of knowledge are explored not by ships,
0:23:00 > 0:23:02but by spacecraft and by telescopes.
0:23:04 > 0:23:08I became an astronomer because when I was at school,
0:23:08 > 0:23:11I had access to a small telescope up on the playing fields,
0:23:11 > 0:23:16but the school here have access to something a bit more impressive.
0:23:16 > 0:23:20Portsmouth Grammar School have asked me to join a Year 7 Science class
0:23:20 > 0:23:21to do some asteroid-hunting.
0:23:21 > 0:23:26Physics teacher Jeremy Thomas has signed up to the National Schools' Observatory
0:23:26 > 0:23:30and they can use real images taken by a professional telescope.
0:23:30 > 0:23:35There are two asteroids lurking in these images from the archive,
0:23:35 > 0:23:37and the kids must go and find them.
0:23:37 > 0:23:41You're going to measure how fast these asteroids are moving.
0:23:41 > 0:23:46If we know how fast they're moving, what can we maybe tell about them?
0:23:46 > 0:23:49Megan...? Yes, where they're going to hit the Earth.
0:23:49 > 0:23:53- Jack?- You can tell NASA, so they can go and blow it up.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56Blow it up. That is the Bruce Willis approach.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59- OK. And? Tom? - How far they've travelled.
0:23:59 > 0:24:04Yes, and what orbits they're in, what forces are affecting them. OK.
0:24:04 > 0:24:10I'm convinced I'm going to get into trouble for talking at the back, but I think I've got both asteroids.
0:24:10 > 0:24:14There's the bright one and there's a faint one at the bottom here.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17We're looking for the asteroids moving,
0:24:17 > 0:24:21then we can measure the speed they're moving at and their size.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24'The National Schools' Observatory
0:24:24 > 0:24:26'uses the two-metre Liverpool Telescope
0:24:26 > 0:24:31'which is on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands,
0:24:31 > 0:24:35'one of the best observing sites for astronomy anywhere in the world.
0:24:35 > 0:24:39'The Liverpool Telescope is primarily used for research,
0:24:39 > 0:24:43'but 5% of its time is dedicated to schools and it's provided free.
0:24:43 > 0:24:49'Professor Mike Bode helped set up the National Schools' Observatory in 2005.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52'It's run by the Liverpool John Moores University
0:24:52 > 0:24:58'and they're now taking up to 2,000 observations for schools every month,
0:24:58 > 0:25:01'enough to wear out even the most dedicated of robots.'
0:25:01 > 0:25:05Where did the idea for the National Schools' Observatory come from?
0:25:05 > 0:25:08From the start of the Liverpool Telescope Project,
0:25:08 > 0:25:10we wanted to do something
0:25:10 > 0:25:13that involved putting our research
0:25:13 > 0:25:19and our technology back into the community to help to enthuse schoolkids particularly
0:25:19 > 0:25:23about the study of science and maths and technology and so on.
0:25:23 > 0:25:28We started this off as a very local programme just in the Merseyside area.
0:25:28 > 0:25:33It became a national programme and we now have some international links.
0:25:33 > 0:25:37From a very small beginning, we now have something like 2,000 schools
0:25:37 > 0:25:39registered with us across the country
0:25:39 > 0:25:45- and a goodly proportion of those, more than half, actively use the telescope.- That's fantastic.
0:25:45 > 0:25:47In fact, we've now delivered,
0:25:47 > 0:25:54I think today's number was something like 37,000 observations from the telescope successfully to schools.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57'There's already an extensive archive
0:25:57 > 0:25:59'that the schools can draw on,
0:25:59 > 0:26:03'but they can also request observations of their own.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06'The robotic telescope has a mind of its own,
0:26:06 > 0:26:09'working out how to make the best use of its time, based on the weather.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11'The schools put in their request,
0:26:11 > 0:26:13'and wait for the telescope to do its job.'
0:26:13 > 0:26:16Is anything that the schools do actually useful,
0:26:16 > 0:26:18or is this separate from the research?
0:26:18 > 0:26:20Well, what we are developing
0:26:20 > 0:26:23and what they can already do are so-called projects.
0:26:23 > 0:26:27For example, the asteroid that we've seen today,
0:26:27 > 0:26:32that can develop kids' interest to take that further,
0:26:32 > 0:26:33and they can use observations
0:26:33 > 0:26:38we're taking of suspected near-Earth objects, and we can then send those observations.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42They measure the positions. Those then go to the Minor Planet Center,
0:26:42 > 0:26:45and the orbits of those objects are more precisely defined
0:26:45 > 0:26:48from those observations that have been taken for schools.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51But the more distant objects that we observe
0:26:51 > 0:26:55and have involved schools with are supernova explosions,
0:26:55 > 0:26:57classifying the type of supernova.
0:26:57 > 0:27:01By looking at these explosions get brighter and dimmer, so you're looking at the shape.
0:27:01 > 0:27:05Exactly, using the shape to define the type of supernova.
0:27:05 > 0:27:09'Getting kids involved in this kind of hands-on activity is crucial
0:27:09 > 0:27:13'in helping them learn how science is really done.
0:27:13 > 0:27:17'Mind you, with a world-class telescope at their fingertips,
0:27:17 > 0:27:20'there had better not be any late homework.'
0:27:21 > 0:27:25Now, for a change, we're going to have a history lesson.
0:27:25 > 0:27:29Believe me, the history of astronomy is fascinating
0:27:29 > 0:27:35and one man who knows as much as anybody is Dr Allan Chapman.
0:27:35 > 0:27:40- Welcome back, Allan. - It's a great honour and a delight to be back with you, Patrick.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43Coming on to amateur astronomers,
0:27:43 > 0:27:48it's fair to say that in the early days, all astronomers were amateurs.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51Absolutely true, and not just in the early days.
0:27:51 > 0:27:55I would say until not much more than 100 years ago.
0:27:55 > 0:27:59- You're right.- In the past, if you wanted to do scientific research,
0:27:59 > 0:28:04not just in astronomy, but in all sorts of sciences, you had to pay for it yourself,
0:28:04 > 0:28:06so you have brewers,
0:28:06 > 0:28:09great clergy, aristocrats,
0:28:09 > 0:28:12doctors, working lawyers,
0:28:12 > 0:28:16but you also have, and I find a lot of these, working men astronomers
0:28:16 > 0:28:18who really did ordinary jobs.
0:28:18 > 0:28:23One remarkable one of whom Wales should be deeply proud -
0:28:23 > 0:28:26John Jones, a 19th-century Welshman.
0:28:26 > 0:28:30He became a man who learned about 15 languages,
0:28:30 > 0:28:33built a substantial reflecting telescope,
0:28:33 > 0:28:35and earned his living
0:28:35 > 0:28:39as what they call a slate teller, or slate counter
0:28:39 > 0:28:43on Bangor docks at 12 shillings and sixpence a week, about 70p.
0:28:43 > 0:28:46But do you know how he got interested in astronomy?
0:28:46 > 0:28:50He was a native of Anglesey, born in 1818.
0:28:50 > 0:28:54And he was in love with a young lady.
0:28:54 > 0:28:56And he found that he had a rival for her,
0:28:56 > 0:29:03so he went to a local Welsh wizard to have a curse put on his rival.
0:29:03 > 0:29:07And he found that in the Welsh wizard's house were pictures of the sky.
0:29:07 > 0:29:12And he became so captivated by these pictures of the heavens
0:29:12 > 0:29:16that he forgot the curse, and he wanted to be taught about astronomy.
0:29:16 > 0:29:19And that was the beginning of his interest in astronomy.
0:29:19 > 0:29:21You've been a bit of a modern day wizard, Patrick.
0:29:21 > 0:29:23- I have some spells.- You do?
0:29:23 > 0:29:27HE SPEAKS INDONESIAN
0:29:27 > 0:29:28What does that mean?
0:29:28 > 0:29:31"Kindly keep your seatbelt on while in flight."
0:29:31 > 0:29:33LAUGHTER
0:29:33 > 0:29:36But you've certainly been a wizard in astronomical understanding,
0:29:36 > 0:29:37there's no doubt about it.
0:29:37 > 0:29:42You have done more to make more people out there aware of astronomy
0:29:42 > 0:29:44than anybody has ever done.
0:29:44 > 0:29:51- What drove those early amateurs to do this research?- Intellectual curiosity and a love of learning.
0:29:51 > 0:29:54And also, in many cases, a deep faith.
0:29:54 > 0:29:58- The wish to find out.- The wish to find out and a love of technology.
0:29:58 > 0:30:03Astronomers have always been concerned in making things
0:30:03 > 0:30:07and as we all know, astronomy is a deeply technological science.
0:30:07 > 0:30:11You can't just go out there and make fundamental discoveries
0:30:11 > 0:30:16in optics or cosmology just with the naked eye. You need instruments.
0:30:16 > 0:30:20And with every generation, instrumentation is getting better,
0:30:20 > 0:30:22right from Thomas Harriot onwards,
0:30:22 > 0:30:23an amateur himself,
0:30:23 > 0:30:28who in 1609 first observed the Moon through a telescope.
0:30:28 > 0:30:34- Many of those early observers made their own telescopes. I could never do that.- They had to.
0:30:34 > 0:30:38I'm hopeless. Could you make your own telescope, Patrick?
0:30:38 > 0:30:41I made a telescope once. It wasn't very good.
0:30:41 > 0:30:44I never even tried.
0:30:44 > 0:30:49Amateurs are great collaborators, but that's not a modern thing, is it?
0:30:49 > 0:30:53Again in the 19th century, the RAS was founded by amateurs.
0:30:53 > 0:30:57The Royal Society itself, of which you are an Honorary Fellow,
0:30:57 > 0:31:01was founded in 1660 by private individuals.
0:31:01 > 0:31:05And let's bear in mind what the word "amateur" means.
0:31:05 > 0:31:09We now often think of it in a rather not very good sense.
0:31:09 > 0:31:14The word "amateur", of which they were deeply proud in the past, is a Latin word.
0:31:14 > 0:31:17The word "amat" means "to love".
0:31:17 > 0:31:21- Really?- It means those who love what they're doing.
0:31:21 > 0:31:25It doesn't mean men in sheds as we often think nowadays
0:31:25 > 0:31:31and Sir John Herschel proclaimed himself to be an amateur
0:31:31 > 0:31:33"because I'm a lover of astronomy".
0:31:33 > 0:31:37I would like to ask both of you... You first, Patrick.
0:31:37 > 0:31:43- Do you think there will always be a place for the amateur in astronomy?- I'm certain of it.
0:31:43 > 0:31:47You'll find once again, the amateurs lead the way.
0:31:47 > 0:31:49I think they do.
0:31:49 > 0:31:53I have even heard of it rumoured, and you may too, Patrick,
0:31:53 > 0:31:58of an amateur co-operative project using commercial satellite technology
0:31:58 > 0:32:02to put something up there, nicknamed the Humble Space Telescope.
0:32:02 > 0:32:06LAUGHTER And that could be a beginning.
0:32:06 > 0:32:11- Fascinating stuff. There's plenty left for the amateur to do. - There certainly is.
0:32:11 > 0:32:15- We have a fine heritage and history to build on.- Tremendous.
0:32:15 > 0:32:18Well, thank you both very much indeed.
0:32:18 > 0:32:22We've been talking about what the amateur can do for astronomy.
0:32:22 > 0:32:24Now let's turn the tables
0:32:24 > 0:32:27and see what astronomy can do for the amateurs.
0:32:27 > 0:32:33Well, we sent Pete, Paul and Chris North up to Northumberland of all places
0:32:33 > 0:32:38and there they joined something they've never done before -
0:32:38 > 0:32:42a star party. Believe me, there's much to be learnt from that.
0:32:43 > 0:32:45'Kielder Water in Northumberland.
0:32:45 > 0:32:49'The weather is looking good and the scenery gorgeous.
0:32:49 > 0:32:50'For the past nine years,
0:32:50 > 0:32:53'enthusiasts have run star camps here
0:32:53 > 0:32:55'in spring and autumn'.
0:32:55 > 0:32:59'It's the first star party for Pete, Paul and myself.
0:32:59 > 0:33:04'It's in the heart of Kielder Forest and has a touch of the wild about it.
0:33:04 > 0:33:05'It's well supported
0:33:05 > 0:33:09'by the local astronomical societies. Most stay on site.
0:33:09 > 0:33:12'I wonder where we will be sleeping?
0:33:13 > 0:33:18'The BBC have organised a caravan and tents for us and the crew.
0:33:18 > 0:33:20'Paul, did you tell them you hate camping?'
0:33:20 > 0:33:27- Hello. Welcome to Kielder.- What are you doing inside where I'm sleeping tonight?- We'll see about that later.
0:33:27 > 0:33:31- We've got to draw lots.- We'll draw lots to see who stays in the caravan
0:33:31 > 0:33:33and who gets the lovely tents.
0:33:33 > 0:33:39- If you're so keen, you should go into them.- It's only two hours till sunset, so let's get these tents up.
0:33:39 > 0:33:44Tom! You're needed to put the tents up. We're going to need a hand.
0:33:44 > 0:33:46I'M going to need a hand!
0:33:46 > 0:33:52'Tom is the programme researcher and says he knows how to put a tent up, which is more than I do.'
0:33:53 > 0:33:55I feel doom and despair coming on!
0:33:55 > 0:33:59You just throw it on the ground and it opens up into a full tent?
0:33:59 > 0:34:01- We can stick one here.- And one here.
0:34:01 > 0:34:04How difficult can it be?
0:34:04 > 0:34:09- What by God in heaven is all this? - That's the outer layer, Paul.
0:34:09 > 0:34:12Are you sure that these are tents and not sleeping bags?
0:34:12 > 0:34:15Where does the telly go?
0:34:16 > 0:34:20'It all looked so easy in the instructions.'
0:34:20 > 0:34:23- Where does the one with the bend go in?- Across the front.
0:34:23 > 0:34:29- Grab the other end of these poles and bend them to the back of the tent.- Is that what happens?- Yeah.
0:34:29 > 0:34:33Stick that in the corner. See the holes on the tabs in the corners?
0:34:33 > 0:34:35- Are you sure?- No, but...
0:34:36 > 0:34:38'My word, this is difficult!'
0:34:38 > 0:34:40Oh, I think... Yes, OK.
0:34:40 > 0:34:46- Then you just pull that one into that hole there.- Are you sure that will reach?- Yeah.
0:34:46 > 0:34:50- You don't stretch and bend...- Agh! Oh!- Mind your fingers.- Number one...
0:34:50 > 0:34:52This is a three-man tent? LAUGHTER
0:34:53 > 0:34:56That doesn't look right to me.
0:34:57 > 0:35:02- We'll be there in a minute. - Pete's turning his into some sort of artistic expression.
0:35:02 > 0:35:07- I'll give you a hand.- I don't know. This is so degrading.- It is, yes.
0:35:07 > 0:35:11Stop making an exhibition of yourself, Peter!
0:35:11 > 0:35:15- It's done.- It's done. That'll do. It's only for the crew.
0:35:15 > 0:35:17LAUGHTER
0:35:18 > 0:35:24'Time to draw lots about who stays in the caravan and who stays in the tents.'
0:35:26 > 0:35:29- Are you ready? - I do hope I get a tent.
0:35:29 > 0:35:31It's a tent!
0:35:32 > 0:35:34And Jane, come on.
0:35:35 > 0:35:38And vision, do you want to dip your hand in?
0:35:38 > 0:35:40- We got a luxury hotel(!)- Did you?
0:35:40 > 0:35:42Come on, sound.
0:35:42 > 0:35:46- Yes! - I haven't had mine yet.
0:35:46 > 0:35:48LAUGHTER
0:35:48 > 0:35:50Yes, yes!
0:35:50 > 0:35:52For sale...
0:35:52 > 0:35:56Pete's got the caravan and we're stuck...
0:35:56 > 0:35:59In the tents.
0:35:59 > 0:36:03'I can't let my fellow astronomers sleep out in the cold on their own.
0:36:03 > 0:36:06'I'm giving up my place in the caravan to young Tom.
0:36:07 > 0:36:11'Kielder has one of the darkest sites in the country.
0:36:11 > 0:36:14'And this time-lapse footage from previous star camps
0:36:14 > 0:36:16'certainly looks impressive.
0:36:16 > 0:36:19'We should get some extraordinary views
0:36:19 > 0:36:23'of the gas giant Jupiter and some of our closest galactic neighbours,
0:36:23 > 0:36:26'such as the Andromeda Galaxy
0:36:26 > 0:36:29'and M81 with its companion M82.
0:36:31 > 0:36:36'The star campers come here for the dark skies and much, much more.'
0:36:36 > 0:36:38This event is about people
0:36:38 > 0:36:41with a similar passion getting together.
0:36:41 > 0:36:43We get novices, some experts.
0:36:43 > 0:36:46Some gear here is the same cost as a new car.
0:36:46 > 0:36:49Other gear, it's just binoculars or Mark One eyeballs.
0:36:49 > 0:36:53It's amazing how people want to share views through telescopes.
0:36:53 > 0:36:57Some people want to know where the constellations are. For others,
0:36:57 > 0:36:59it's about imaging deep-sky objects.
0:36:59 > 0:37:01It's all about sharing that passion,
0:37:01 > 0:37:05learning how to do stuff. It's much easier if somebody shows you.
0:37:05 > 0:37:12'Most of the star campers arrived yesterday and they had a clear night, so everyone is very cheery.
0:37:12 > 0:37:15'There is some serious telescopic kit around.'
0:37:15 > 0:37:18Rupert, Paul and John, we've just arrived.
0:37:18 > 0:37:23Last night, I hear it was rather clear. What kind of things did you see?
0:37:23 > 0:37:26We had an hour and a half clear up to about two in the morning.
0:37:26 > 0:37:30Some of the less able people went to bed about then,
0:37:30 > 0:37:34but it opened up again an hour later and it was clear until almost five.
0:37:34 > 0:37:36Perseverance really paid off!
0:37:36 > 0:37:42There was a mixture of visual astronomy and some people getting their imaging rig set up.
0:37:42 > 0:37:46We had an extra day to get everything set up, which is a big advantage.
0:37:46 > 0:37:49What kind of things do you look at when you're here?
0:37:49 > 0:37:53My intention was to get my new telescope pointed at a star.
0:37:53 > 0:37:58This new telescope is rather special because you built it yourself.
0:37:58 > 0:38:03Yeah, it's taken me about six years. It took me about a year to design and five years to make.
0:38:03 > 0:38:07Along the way, I've had to learn about engineering and optics.
0:38:07 > 0:38:12It's been a really exciting journey and this is the cherry on the cake -
0:38:12 > 0:38:16bringing it to Kielder for the first time and getting it going.
0:38:16 > 0:38:22- Did you get to see anything with it? - I did. I've got a photograph with round stars on it which are sharp,
0:38:22 > 0:38:24so I went to bed a happy man.
0:38:26 > 0:38:31'Here are some other images Rupert took with his home-made telescope.
0:38:31 > 0:38:36'This is the Orion Nebula, our nearest large star-forming area.
0:38:36 > 0:38:40'In this dark site, the astro-photographers are going
0:38:40 > 0:38:44'for deep-sky objects normally wiped out by light pollution,
0:38:44 > 0:38:47'such as the Pleiades star cluster
0:38:47 > 0:38:50'which contains hundreds of young stars.
0:38:50 > 0:38:52'The Rosette Nebula,
0:38:52 > 0:38:56where young stars are lighting up the dust and gas around them.
0:38:56 > 0:39:01'Or the North American Nebula, in the constellation of Cygnus.
0:39:03 > 0:39:06'And finally M51 or the Whirlpool Galaxy,
0:39:06 > 0:39:10'where we think a big galaxy is swallowing up its little neighbour.'
0:39:13 > 0:39:18- You've been here for a couple of nights?- Yes, we arrived on Wednesday
0:39:18 > 0:39:24so we had Wednesday and Thursday clear nights, which was better than last year when we didn't have any!
0:39:24 > 0:39:27So it's a big plus.
0:39:27 > 0:39:33It's probably our favourite star party, the Kielder one. It's really good fun.
0:39:33 > 0:39:37It was amazing. On Thursday night it started off quite cloudy
0:39:37 > 0:39:41and then as soon as it clears you forget just how dark it is
0:39:41 > 0:39:44and it's like, wow!
0:39:44 > 0:39:48Some star campers have come from far afield to escape street lights,
0:39:48 > 0:39:54so we've been warned to keep our light pollution to a minimum.
0:39:54 > 0:39:57There are very strict rules when you come to a star party like this,
0:39:57 > 0:40:00so how are we going to get rid of our light?
0:40:00 > 0:40:02Well, we have some red cellophane. What you do is,
0:40:02 > 0:40:05you place that over the screen.
0:40:05 > 0:40:08- So that's taped in place. - What about mobile phone?
0:40:08 > 0:40:12There's an easy way to cope with mobile phones, because we're in a remote location.
0:40:12 > 0:40:15There's no signal. So turn them off and don't use them.
0:40:15 > 0:40:19Cars are a problem, because obviously you can't be driving about with headlights on.
0:40:19 > 0:40:23There are rules which say we're not allowed to drive cars after 7pm.
0:40:23 > 0:40:24We're in our caravan here.
0:40:24 > 0:40:26We're going to put in, like an airlock,
0:40:26 > 0:40:29but it'll be like a light-lock,
0:40:29 > 0:40:32so we can move in and out without emitting light through the door.
0:40:32 > 0:40:37Torches are a problem as well. They're nice and bright and white. You do need some light to see,
0:40:37 > 0:40:39but we've put red filters on them.
0:40:39 > 0:40:43There's a cheaper way of doing it as well as a normal filter. This is my wife's idea.
0:40:43 > 0:40:47- You stick a red balloon over the top.- That's a good idea.
0:40:47 > 0:40:49Cheap option.
0:40:49 > 0:40:52What about these? These look very good.
0:40:52 > 0:40:54That's quite disturbing, actually!
0:40:54 > 0:40:57I might go around town when I get back, dressed like this.
0:40:57 > 0:40:59- You look like an alien.- Thank you.
0:41:01 > 0:41:04It's time to get ready for the night's observing,
0:41:04 > 0:41:06but the skies are a bit cloud heavy.
0:41:06 > 0:41:08Hopefully, they'll clear later.
0:41:08 > 0:41:10From this dark site,
0:41:10 > 0:41:14we should easily pick out the Milky Way in all its glory.
0:41:14 > 0:41:19Stretching overhead, autumn and spring are the best times to see the Milky Way.
0:41:19 > 0:41:23We are seeing the light from billions of stars in our own galaxy.
0:41:23 > 0:41:27The caravan is now light-proofed, so nothing can get out of there.
0:41:27 > 0:41:32On the motor cars, all of the lights have been taped over. They're safe.
0:41:32 > 0:41:36Chris is busily setting up his telescope - good luck with that!
0:41:36 > 0:41:40All we have to do now is wait for the darkness.
0:41:42 > 0:41:47We've switched to an infrared camera so we don't interfere with people's observing.
0:41:47 > 0:41:51Let's see how the star campers are getting on.
0:41:51 > 0:41:53I just love M31, M33.
0:41:53 > 0:41:55I love the Messier objects.
0:41:55 > 0:41:59People will say different,
0:41:59 > 0:42:05- but I don't think I've got a really good, outstanding image of M31.- Right.
0:42:05 > 0:42:07That's what I've come here for.
0:42:07 > 0:42:10I've seen Cygnus pop out a few times.
0:42:10 > 0:42:13Yes, it has, as the cloud has drifted in and out.
0:42:13 > 0:42:20- But unfortunately it's... - Teasing us at the moment. - Teasing is a very good word.
0:42:20 > 0:42:25- What do you get out of coming out to these campsites?- Trench foot...
0:42:25 > 0:42:32- Freezing joints.- Great(!)- No, if you want to do visual astronomy, you can't do it from towns.
0:42:32 > 0:42:34You must come to places like this.
0:42:38 > 0:42:43I've been wandering around and we've found some other astronomers.
0:42:43 > 0:42:50- Geoff, you have your telescope here. Very large.- We've just looked through Jupiter.- Magnificent.
0:42:50 > 0:42:52You've got the moons, the belts.
0:42:52 > 0:42:56Looking at a planet through a telescope, you can never beat it.
0:43:00 > 0:43:05- Well, Paul, it's about half past eleven.- Yes.- So...look at it!
0:43:05 > 0:43:10- Absolutely. Look at it. - What would your verdict be so far?
0:43:10 > 0:43:14- Tantalising glimpses of what could be.- Indeed.
0:43:14 > 0:43:19We were looking over there at Taurus and it cleared away. Phenomenal.
0:43:19 > 0:43:23Long enough to get my telescope on the Pleiades. That was about it.
0:43:23 > 0:43:29Then it cleared over there earlier. We made out the constellation Delphinus. Then that went again.
0:43:29 > 0:43:34Throughout it all, Jupiter has been this sad, wobbly affair!
0:43:34 > 0:43:40Well, we can but hope that the cloud will clear. It's all moving in different directions.
0:43:40 > 0:43:43- Maybe we'll get a big clear spot. - Let's hope so.
0:43:51 > 0:43:54- How are you finding all of this? - Oh, great fun, thank you.
0:43:54 > 0:43:59- It's the first time I've been to a star party.- And mine.- It's the first time I've been to one as well.
0:43:59 > 0:44:03Even when it's like this, you can still talk to people,
0:44:03 > 0:44:05and people still learn.
0:44:07 > 0:44:14- This is a real community of telescopes and images here. - It is.
0:44:14 > 0:44:18Do you all live close together or just meet at star parties?
0:44:18 > 0:44:25- I came here three years ago for the first time as a total novice. - Right.- Met a wonderful set of people
0:44:25 > 0:44:27and learnt so much in a weekend.
0:44:27 > 0:44:31You know one person, within minutes you'll know 10, 15 people.
0:44:31 > 0:44:36Ask a question and you'll get 10, 15 perfectly good answers -
0:44:36 > 0:44:40and you can take your pick from a huge amount of knowledge.
0:44:40 > 0:44:46'Well, the clouds have rolled in, so it's time for a nice cup of soup
0:44:46 > 0:44:48'as we discuss our first night as star campers.
0:44:48 > 0:44:50One of the things that struck me
0:44:50 > 0:44:53about star camp is the range of kit here.
0:44:53 > 0:44:56Some of the telescopes are enormous.
0:44:56 > 0:44:57There is a huge range,
0:44:57 > 0:45:01and a range of bits which add on to the telescopes as well.
0:45:01 > 0:45:06- You wonder how some of them can be lifted with so many things bolted onto them.- And transported around.
0:45:06 > 0:45:09But it's important to remember that you don't need to spend
0:45:09 > 0:45:11thousands of pounds to buy these big telescopes,
0:45:11 > 0:45:14because you can do stuff with simple gear.
0:45:14 > 0:45:17Including these small binoculars. These are yours, Chris.
0:45:17 > 0:45:21- Where did you get them? - I actually bought them for whale-watching in Canada.
0:45:21 > 0:45:25- You can still whale watch - the constellation of Cetus.- True.
0:45:25 > 0:45:28I didn't buy them for astronomy, but they do work.
0:45:28 > 0:45:31I like doing binocular astronomy, because you can relax with it.
0:45:31 > 0:45:34You can just hold them up to your eyes
0:45:34 > 0:45:39and see these lovely wide-field vistas of stars, clusters and nebulae etc.
0:45:39 > 0:45:45- So I've got a slightly larger pair. - Wow, these are substantial.
0:45:45 > 0:45:47They're 15 by 70, these,
0:45:47 > 0:45:50so they're much larger than those.
0:45:50 > 0:45:52- And they're magnified 15 times. - And the widget?
0:45:52 > 0:45:57This widget is basically a photographic ball and socket.
0:45:57 > 0:46:01The problem is that the higher the power of binoculars you use,
0:46:01 > 0:46:03the more shake you get when holding them up.
0:46:03 > 0:46:05It's all magnified 15 times.
0:46:05 > 0:46:09It is, so by putting that on a tripod, it keeps them stable.
0:46:09 > 0:46:10You really appreciate binoculars
0:46:10 > 0:46:14when you only get gaps in the cloud and small clear spells.
0:46:14 > 0:46:17You can quickly scan, so you feel you've had something.
0:46:17 > 0:46:20But even a pair of binoculars like this is less than £100.
0:46:20 > 0:46:23So if you really want to go out and enjoy,
0:46:23 > 0:46:24you don't have to spend a fortune.
0:46:24 > 0:46:29- This is your telescope.- Yes. - This really did perform well.
0:46:29 > 0:46:32- We had it on Jupiter and the Pleiades.- Yeah.
0:46:32 > 0:46:34For looking at things like that, this is ideal.
0:46:34 > 0:46:37It's not much more expensive than those binoculars.
0:46:37 > 0:46:40- They're a hundred and something pounds.- Is that just the telescope?
0:46:40 > 0:46:43The telescope, the mount, everything.
0:46:43 > 0:46:45What size telescope is this?
0:46:45 > 0:46:47This is a 90 millimetre lens
0:46:47 > 0:46:50on the front, three and a bit inches.
0:46:50 > 0:46:52The thing a lot of people trip up with
0:46:52 > 0:46:54when buying a small telescope is, they go
0:46:54 > 0:46:56for the highest magnification first,
0:46:56 > 0:47:00- and that will give you the worst view.- It will. I often say to people
0:47:00 > 0:47:03starting out with the visual stuff, always start with a lower power.
0:47:03 > 0:47:06- You will see more with a lower power.- That goes for all the kit.
0:47:06 > 0:47:11The best thing to start off with is the really little binoculars.
0:47:11 > 0:47:15Move up to the bigger ones, and then if you're really enjoying it,
0:47:15 > 0:47:19get a little telescope. And once you've got to grips with this,
0:47:19 > 0:47:21you can move on to the even bigger stuff.
0:47:21 > 0:47:25Yes, because you've found out all the foibles of using a telescope.
0:47:25 > 0:47:29Also, the journey from this to this is learning your way around the sky,
0:47:29 > 0:47:32becoming familiar with the constellations.
0:47:32 > 0:47:38- Definitely.- Let's hope for clear skies.- Drink to that. - Drink the soup.
0:47:38 > 0:47:43The clouds stubbornly refuse to move. We can't delay the agony.
0:47:43 > 0:47:46It's time to get into the tents.
0:47:46 > 0:47:51- I suggest we go to bed. - I would agree. It's pretty dire.
0:47:51 > 0:47:53I'm looking forward to my nice tent.
0:47:53 > 0:47:56Let's see how that feels in the morning.
0:47:56 > 0:48:02- We'll ask the crew how their lovely caravan is.- Let's go!- I think I've got two inches of water in mine!
0:48:02 > 0:48:05- That's my tent!- I know it is!
0:48:11 > 0:48:16It's day two of our star camp, and something isn't going to schedule.
0:48:16 > 0:48:20During the night, it started raining - heavily.
0:48:20 > 0:48:25- Did you hear the rain, Pete? - As I said, did it rain? I'm not sure.
0:48:25 > 0:48:30- Actually, did it stop?- It didn't ever stop.- No.- Didn't ever stop.
0:48:30 > 0:48:32Did any come into your tent?
0:48:32 > 0:48:35I don't know. I was too scared and crying.
0:48:35 > 0:48:40I've had a great time - we've been camping, outdoors, in nature.
0:48:40 > 0:48:43OK, it's a bit wet, isn't it?
0:48:43 > 0:48:49But we're not going to let the rain dampen our spirits. Later, we have a trip up to Kielder Observatory,
0:48:49 > 0:48:51but first there are some talks up at the castle.
0:48:51 > 0:48:55There are always interesting people to meet
0:48:55 > 0:48:57and some great books.
0:48:57 > 0:49:01Adventures In Narrowband looked particularly interesting.
0:49:01 > 0:49:08Pete and I are off to Kielder Observatory. It's about a mile away, at the end of a remote track.
0:49:08 > 0:49:12- This is spectacular.- Fantastic.- Wow.
0:49:12 > 0:49:17'It blends beautifully with the landscape, with commanding views of the lakes,
0:49:17 > 0:49:19'but that's not why it's here.
0:49:19 > 0:49:25'Kielder has two telescopes and a fantastic public observing platform.
0:49:25 > 0:49:30'Gary Fildes helps run the observatory and the star camps.'
0:49:30 > 0:49:33- And there he is! - Good afternoon. Hi, Pete.
0:49:33 > 0:49:37- Would you like to come in? - Thought you'd never ask!
0:49:37 > 0:49:42- Wow, look at that.- Impressive, isn't it?- I do like a big telescope.
0:49:42 > 0:49:44Absolutely.
0:49:45 > 0:49:52'It's a reflecting telescope. Light bounces off the big 20-inch mirror at the bottom to the eye-piece.
0:49:52 > 0:49:57'Being so remote, there is absolutely no light pollution.
0:49:57 > 0:50:00'The stars just jump out at you.
0:50:00 > 0:50:06'The telescope started working in 2008 and over the past four years they have imaged
0:50:06 > 0:50:10'some fabulous objects such as the Horsehead Nebula in Orion,
0:50:11 > 0:50:14'the Dumbbell Nebula, where a star
0:50:14 > 0:50:16has shed off its outer layers,
0:50:16 > 0:50:21'and the Witch's Broom. Lots to feast your eyes on!
0:50:21 > 0:50:26'But the telescopes at Kielder Observatory aren't just for pretty pictures.
0:50:26 > 0:50:30'They're for the public to get their hands on.'
0:50:30 > 0:50:37Let me show you how easy it is to use this. We have step ladders because this is the eye-piece.
0:50:37 > 0:50:41You can grab a hold and move the telescope around quite easily.
0:50:41 > 0:50:45We use step ladders because we get quite a lot of schoolchildren here
0:50:45 > 0:50:49and they get the full feel of how the telescope works.
0:50:49 > 0:50:53One interesting feature is, of course, that it does this.
0:50:53 > 0:50:57The cage will actually rotate all the way round. It aids viewing.
0:50:57 > 0:51:03As well as that, we may point it at different parts of the sky. Like that, for instance.
0:51:03 > 0:51:08To do that, we have to do one of the cool things and spin it around.
0:51:08 > 0:51:13- Paul, give that a twirl. I know you've been dying to do it.- Will do!
0:51:15 > 0:51:17Very, very smooth, Gary.
0:51:17 > 0:51:22- What's the most impressive thing you've seen?- Through this?
0:51:22 > 0:51:24There's a question! I love it all.
0:51:24 > 0:51:28From the observatory, from maybe February onwards,
0:51:28 > 0:51:29when Leo's quite high in the sky
0:51:29 > 0:51:33and you can access the Virgo cluster of galaxies, it's absolutely superb.
0:51:33 > 0:51:36With a wide eyepiece, you're counting the galaxies.
0:51:36 > 0:51:40It's tremendous. That region is stunning.
0:51:40 > 0:51:43It's a region which, to be honest, if you're starting out,
0:51:43 > 0:51:45it's difficult to navigate around.
0:51:45 > 0:51:47But once you've locked on to a galaxy,
0:51:47 > 0:51:51- you can then galaxy-hop around all the galaxies.- Absolutely.
0:51:51 > 0:51:55It's amazing how many star systems are in the one field of view.
0:51:55 > 0:51:58One of the big things we like to get across to people is of course
0:51:58 > 0:52:00that when you look at the night-time sky,
0:52:00 > 0:52:03it appears to be two-dimensional, but it isn't at all.
0:52:03 > 0:52:07All of these stars lie at different distances, and the same principle applies
0:52:07 > 0:52:11when looking through an eyepiece at fields of galaxies.
0:52:11 > 0:52:13These galaxies are not two-dimensional.
0:52:13 > 0:52:18They're scattered through space and time, of course. You can pick them off one by one,
0:52:18 > 0:52:21whistle through this cluster of galaxies. You can tell people
0:52:21 > 0:52:26the galaxy they're in is part of a local group of galaxies probably 40 million light years across.
0:52:26 > 0:52:28That one's a bit further, this one's a bit closer.
0:52:28 > 0:52:33There's nothing like that information and a real-time view
0:52:33 > 0:52:37to give people a real sense of where we are in the universe.
0:52:37 > 0:52:41- That is absolutely right. - And you give people that. That is magnificent.
0:52:41 > 0:52:43Yeah, it is. It's quite rewarding.
0:52:43 > 0:52:49Kielder Observatory is run by volunteers, and they host astronomical events
0:52:49 > 0:52:51throughout the year.
0:52:51 > 0:52:55Time to get back to our star party down below.
0:53:00 > 0:53:02Our second night camping
0:53:02 > 0:53:05is a complete wash-out, with not a break in the rain.
0:53:05 > 0:53:09Everyone is hiding in their tents or off to the pub.
0:53:09 > 0:53:11Early bed for us, I think.
0:53:18 > 0:53:22'It's the end of our star camp. The campers amongst us
0:53:22 > 0:53:26'need a good breakfast to buck us up.'
0:53:26 > 0:53:28Breakfast is served!
0:53:28 > 0:53:31- Oh, look at that! - Only an hour late(!)
0:53:31 > 0:53:37- Well, here's to a fabulous first star camp, chaps. - Hopefully, not our last.
0:53:37 > 0:53:41- Definitely not.- We survived!
0:53:41 > 0:53:47The spring star camps are coming up all over the country. It's your chance to visit them
0:53:47 > 0:53:49for the day or camping like us.
0:53:49 > 0:53:56Visit our website for more details:
0:53:56 > 0:54:01It's great fun and if the skies stay clear, you're in for a real treat.
0:54:04 > 0:54:06We're going to finish the programme
0:54:06 > 0:54:10by thinking of ways you can make discoveries with no telescope.
0:54:10 > 0:54:12All you need is a computer.
0:54:12 > 0:54:17With me now, Dr Chris North and Dr Rob Simpson.
0:54:17 > 0:54:19Tell us a bit more about that.
0:54:19 > 0:54:21Yes, so at Oxford,
0:54:21 > 0:54:24we're running a suite of projects online called the Zooniverse.
0:54:24 > 0:54:28To get there, you just go on your browser on your computer
0:54:28 > 0:54:33to zooniverse.org and we have a whole bunch of projects, many of which are astronomical.
0:54:33 > 0:54:35For example, one is called the Milky Way Project,
0:54:35 > 0:54:38where we get people to look at infra-red data from Spitzer.
0:54:38 > 0:54:40We try and get them to draw bubbles.
0:54:40 > 0:54:44Another one is based on NASA Kepler data,
0:54:44 > 0:54:47where we get people looking for transits in the fluctuations
0:54:47 > 0:54:51of light coming out of stars which show you there's a planet visible.
0:54:51 > 0:54:55The point of this is that people can genuinely help contribute to science.
0:54:55 > 0:54:58We call it citizen science. We've made some interesting discoveries
0:54:58 > 0:55:01in this in the last few years. With Galaxy Zoo,
0:55:01 > 0:55:04there's Hanny's Voorwerp, well known.
0:55:04 > 0:55:07There's also one called the Green Peas.
0:55:07 > 0:55:09What are the Green Peas?
0:55:11 > 0:55:13The Green Peas are these very compact,
0:55:13 > 0:55:17star-forming galaxies in the fairly nearby universe.
0:55:17 > 0:55:21They've been discovered by these users on the Galaxy Zoo forum,
0:55:21 > 0:55:26just spotting these green dots and images and saying, "That's interesting. That looks like a pea".
0:55:26 > 0:55:28It literally looks like a pea in our images.
0:55:28 > 0:55:32It turns out to be this new type of galaxy that we've found,
0:55:32 > 0:55:35thanks to the community at work.
0:55:35 > 0:55:37So why can't computers do it?
0:55:37 > 0:55:41Computers have to be told what to look for, and people don't.
0:55:41 > 0:55:47They just go and explore. So they may find different kinds of planets.
0:55:47 > 0:55:48In the case of Galaxy Zoo,
0:55:48 > 0:55:52they spot the unusual in what was thought to be fairly ordinary images.
0:55:52 > 0:55:55There's a galaxy in each image in Galaxy Zoo,
0:55:55 > 0:56:00but users see more than that where computers don't. In the case of the Milky Way project,
0:56:00 > 0:56:03we have these beautiful images from the Spitzer space telescope,
0:56:03 > 0:56:06which have been explored in that detail by the human eye,
0:56:06 > 0:56:10just by so many thousands of people, all looking at different parts and different places.
0:56:10 > 0:56:13They'll spot that interesting nook or cranny in the galaxy
0:56:13 > 0:56:15where something curious is happening.
0:56:15 > 0:56:18It really has been a great success, then.
0:56:18 > 0:56:23Yes, it's been really great to be part of and to engage the public
0:56:23 > 0:56:26in genuinely participating in the scientific process
0:56:26 > 0:56:29and to make discoveries for real.
0:56:29 > 0:56:32What you're doing is, you're using people power.
0:56:32 > 0:56:35How many people are we talking? These are fairly popular projects.
0:56:35 > 0:56:38Zooniverse.org is the overarching site
0:56:38 > 0:56:41where you can find all of the projects. That has a count on it.
0:56:41 > 0:56:46At the moment, we're approaching 600,000 people that have taken part worldwide,
0:56:46 > 0:56:47in many languages, of many ages.
0:56:47 > 0:56:50What's the youngest person who's taken part?
0:56:50 > 0:56:55We don't ask for information like that. But I certainly know of six and seven-year-olds
0:56:55 > 0:56:57who have taken part in our projects,
0:56:57 > 0:57:00and I know of 80- and 90-year-olds who have too.
0:57:00 > 0:57:02- Catch them young.- Yes!
0:57:02 > 0:57:05- Well, thank you very much. - Thank you.
0:57:05 > 0:57:12I hope we've shown how the ordinary person interested in astronomy can really make a difference.
0:57:12 > 0:57:16Next month, we come to our 55th anniversary
0:57:16 > 0:57:19and we have two special programmes.
0:57:19 > 0:57:23Here is Chris Lintott to tell us more.
0:57:23 > 0:57:27Have you ever dreamt of leaving the Earth behind and travelling out into space?
0:57:27 > 0:57:31Well, next month we're travelling at warp factor 55,
0:57:31 > 0:57:35to the edge of our known universe, stopping en route
0:57:35 > 0:57:40to take in the view. That will be the first of our two special programmes
0:57:40 > 0:57:42to celebrate 55 years of The Sky At Night.
0:57:42 > 0:57:46For the second, we'd like you to spend April
0:57:46 > 0:57:48taking part in a Moore marathon.
0:57:48 > 0:57:51Patrick has picked out his favourite 55 objects
0:57:51 > 0:57:54and he would like you to see as many as you can,
0:57:54 > 0:57:57whether with the naked eye or with a telescope.
0:57:57 > 0:58:02In the meantime, see our website for more information
0:58:02 > 0:58:05about these two very special programmes.
0:58:07 > 0:58:13You know, 1957 and that first programme seem long, long ago
0:58:13 > 0:58:18and you've been with me all the way. It seems like yesterday.
0:58:18 > 0:58:23So now, until next month, good night.
0:58:41 > 0:58:44Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd