0:00:29 > 0:00:33Good evening. You know, astronomy is still one of the few sciences
0:00:33 > 0:00:37where amateurs can and do make valuable contributions.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40They have their own telescopes, their own observatories
0:00:40 > 0:00:43and every clear night you see them out there
0:00:43 > 0:00:45making measurements, taking photographs.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48See, all kinds of things professionals don't want to do -
0:00:48 > 0:00:49haven't got time to do.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53This evening, we're going to go to some of the amateur observatories,
0:00:53 > 0:00:57beginning in Northumberland with Dr Chris North.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01This view of night-time Britain seen from space
0:01:01 > 0:01:04shows the light-polluted cities and the dark countryside.
0:01:04 > 0:01:06In this programme, we visit astronomers
0:01:06 > 0:01:09who are observing from both.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11We start our observatory tour in Country Durham,
0:01:11 > 0:01:13in the northeast of England.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16I've come to the little village of Chiltern
0:01:16 > 0:01:18to find one of our best planetary imagers.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21Keith Johnson lives here with his wife Kath
0:01:21 > 0:01:24and he has an impressive set-up in his garden.
0:01:24 > 0:01:28Keith has a reflecting telescope - a nine-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain.
0:01:28 > 0:01:32He well remembers what got him started in astronomy.
0:01:32 > 0:01:36It was 1972 and power cuts opened up a whole new world to a young lad
0:01:36 > 0:01:39hungry to see the stars.
0:01:39 > 0:01:44The first time I actually got the bug of astronomy, erm,
0:01:44 > 0:01:46was when I was 14-year-old.
0:01:46 > 0:01:50At that time, there was miner strikes
0:01:50 > 0:01:53and the power stations had to conserve fuel.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56So, now and again you would get power cuts.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59I went to call on me friend, who just lived over the road from me,
0:01:59 > 0:02:02and he said, "Come here, look through this,"
0:02:02 > 0:02:05and I could just make out a bit of light
0:02:05 > 0:02:07in what turned out to be an eye piece.
0:02:07 > 0:02:11- And I looked through and it was Saturn.- Wow.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14And they way I would explain it is, that's another world.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16You're looking at another world there.
0:02:16 > 0:02:18And it was the first time I actually looked at it
0:02:18 > 0:02:20and that was it, it just got us.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23I think Saturn's one of the first things I saw through a telescope
0:02:23 > 0:02:26and it's such a hook cos it looks so different though an eyepiece.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28- Yeah.- Cos it goes from a small pinprick of light
0:02:28 > 0:02:30to this ringed world, it's marvellous.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34Keith likes to look at our planetary neighbours.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36Being relatively close and bright,
0:02:36 > 0:02:40the planets are ideal targets for astronomers in a light-polluted area.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44Mars is a fascinating world, with weather and seasons
0:02:44 > 0:02:47causing changes that can be visible through a modest telescope.
0:02:47 > 0:02:49Here is Syrtis Major,
0:02:49 > 0:02:53a dark volcanic plane created by a long-extinct volcano.
0:02:54 > 0:02:58Another favourite is the gas giant, Jupiter,
0:02:58 > 0:03:03with its ever-changing bands of clouds and famous great red spot.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06Keith also has some fabulous moon images.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10This montage of the phases shows how it changes over the month.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14Even with binoculars, you can see the craters and dark laval planes.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17But with a telescope, you can see features,
0:03:17 > 0:03:21such as the Apennine Mountains, in remarkable detail.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24These ancient volcanoes, some as high as three miles,
0:03:24 > 0:03:28sit on the edge of the Mare Imbrium, a conspicuous lava field.
0:03:29 > 0:03:34The moon, an alien world, which is so close yet so far.
0:03:35 > 0:03:39The cold nights in County Durham are quite a challenge,
0:03:39 > 0:03:42but Keith has found a way of returning to his comfort zone.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44So, Keith, you've got this telescope here
0:03:44 > 0:03:48and I'm used to seeing telescopes on a tripod in people's back gardens'
0:03:48 > 0:03:50but this one's on a plinth.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52Yeah, basically, what it was,
0:03:52 > 0:03:54I wanted to make life easier for myself.
0:03:54 > 0:03:58I'm predominantly into planetary imaging
0:03:58 > 0:04:01and one of the things that I found when I was planetary imaging,
0:04:01 > 0:04:04was to do high-magnification imaging,
0:04:04 > 0:04:06you had to have a very, very accurate polar alignment.
0:04:06 > 0:04:07So, that's making sure
0:04:07 > 0:04:10that the telescope is aligned with the pole star
0:04:10 > 0:04:12so that it tracks the sky as the Earth rotates.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14That's correct. But what I found was,
0:04:14 > 0:04:17it takes that much time to get polar-aligned every night,
0:04:17 > 0:04:21and to feed the cables out for the camera, for the power supply,
0:04:21 > 0:04:23that more often than not
0:04:23 > 0:04:26I'd no sooner get sorted out than the clouds would roll in.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29And then if it was a lovely clear night,
0:04:29 > 0:04:33then there was the added trouble of, around four o'clock in the morning
0:04:33 > 0:04:34when it's bitter cold and you're tired,
0:04:34 > 0:04:37and the thought of having to put everything away again.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40And it's just... Just something you don't want to do,
0:04:40 > 0:04:42which is why a lot of people have observatories.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44Because of light pollution in the area
0:04:44 > 0:04:46and there's not a lot of space, I thought, well,
0:04:46 > 0:04:49it's not going to be practical building an observatory.
0:04:49 > 0:04:54I thought the next best thing I can do is a sort of pedestal
0:04:54 > 0:04:56and have the cables running outside from the conservatory.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00On a bitter cold night, you'd be lucky if you can stand ten minutes
0:05:00 > 0:05:02before the cold's biting through you.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06But in there, where it's nice and warm,
0:05:06 > 0:05:10you're there for as long as you want to be, as long as it's clear.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15Keith also likes to look at things outside our solar system.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18The Orion Nebula is an immense cloud of dust and gas
0:05:18 > 0:05:20around 1,500 light years away.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24The young stars forming at its centre cause the gas to glow,
0:05:24 > 0:05:27but its immense distance means that long-exposure photographs
0:05:27 > 0:05:30are needed to capture the intricate detail.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34Such faint objects can be washed out by light pollution,
0:05:34 > 0:05:36but Keith has found that a friendly word with the council
0:05:36 > 0:05:38helps matters along.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40'I can't help noticing there's a couple of street lamps
0:05:40 > 0:05:42'right outside your house.'
0:05:42 > 0:05:43Do they interfere with your observing?
0:05:43 > 0:05:46They do, but not as bad as what it used to be.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49Right, OK, how did you solve the problem?
0:05:49 > 0:05:51Well, the first thing I did,
0:05:51 > 0:05:53I actually got in touch with the County Council
0:05:53 > 0:05:57and what they are implementing is, throughout the northeast,
0:05:57 > 0:06:00as a cost-cutting exercise as well,
0:06:00 > 0:06:03it to have full cut-off lights, which are cheaper to run.
0:06:03 > 0:06:05The light is beamed straight down,
0:06:05 > 0:06:07it's where the light's supposed to be.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09- None of it goes up into the sky. - Exactly.
0:06:09 > 0:06:13And they came out, and they had a look,
0:06:13 > 0:06:15and they tilted the lights -
0:06:15 > 0:06:16they tuned the lights away.
0:06:16 > 0:06:20So, it's not perfect, but it's a lot better than what it actually was.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22The other thing that they're going to implement
0:06:22 > 0:06:26is that all the street lights are going to be computerised
0:06:26 > 0:06:29so they can switch individual lights off, or dim them,
0:06:29 > 0:06:33in places where the light isn't necessary.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37In the battle against light pollution,
0:06:37 > 0:06:39Keith has shown that perseverance pays off
0:06:39 > 0:06:42and his magnificent images are proof that, even in urban areas,
0:06:42 > 0:06:45you can do some amazing things.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48We're staying in the northeast of England,
0:06:48 > 0:06:52where there certainly seems to be a cluster of superb astrophotographers.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56It's now onto our next astronomer, who lives in the city of Durham.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59Well, here we are to see Juergen and this is a chap you know, isn't it?
0:06:59 > 0:07:02'Paul and I have come to visit Dr Juergen Schmoll...'
0:07:02 > 0:07:04He's an amazing chap.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06- He's very technical and grinds his own mirrors.- Oh!
0:07:06 > 0:07:10During the day, Juergen builds astronomical instruments
0:07:10 > 0:07:13for large telescopes, such as the VLT,
0:07:13 > 0:07:15but the night is all his.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18Juergen has a vast collection of telescopes.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21Some like this Ritchey-Chretien, which he has bought and adapted,
0:07:21 > 0:07:25but many he has built himself - like this Newtonian reflector.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28And from his back yard, he takes amazing images
0:07:28 > 0:07:32of just about everything you can think of astronomically.
0:07:32 > 0:07:33I am really keen to see his set-up.
0:07:33 > 0:07:37I can see telescopes... Oh, WOW, look at this! That's amazing, isn't it?
0:07:37 > 0:07:39'Juergen originally came from Germany but he's settled here
0:07:39 > 0:07:41'and loves the north of England.'
0:07:41 > 0:07:44- Ah, Juergen!- Ah, Pete and Paul! - Hello!- Nice to see you.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47- Nice to meet you.- Yes, yes.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50- What are you doing up here in the frozen wastes of the north?! - THEY LAUGH
0:07:50 > 0:07:52Yes, observing, you know?
0:07:52 > 0:07:55I didn't bring any telescope with me when I came.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58I said, "Oh, it's only for two years and it's always raining in England."
0:07:58 > 0:08:02- You've noticed?- Yes, first thing, first thing I came,
0:08:02 > 0:08:03there was a spell of clear sky.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06Jupiter was grinning at me and I had no scope.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08What about this telescope, Juergen,
0:08:08 > 0:08:10cos it looks very large and brand-new?
0:08:10 > 0:08:12What type of telescope is this?
0:08:12 > 0:08:14It is indeed brand-new, I just got it a few weeks ago.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16- Won't touch it then! - THEY LAUGH
0:08:16 > 0:08:19It's actually a Ritchey-Chretien telescope,
0:08:19 > 0:08:22which is named after two opticians who developed this in 1928
0:08:22 > 0:08:26and lots of professional telescopes are built like this.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29They are quite good - I got a bit addicted to the high-image scale.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32Isn't Ritchey-Chretien the same technology used for the Hubble?
0:08:32 > 0:08:34Yes, it is.
0:08:34 > 0:08:35So, you have your own little Hubble?
0:08:35 > 0:08:38Yes! Oh, yes, yeah, you can say so, yes.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42Juergen has so many wonderful images, it's hard to choose some favourites
0:08:42 > 0:08:45but his star clusters are particularly nice.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50Some are new objects with stars that have formed together,
0:08:50 > 0:08:53such as the Pleiades or the Messier 45,
0:08:53 > 0:08:55or the double cluster in Perseus.
0:08:55 > 0:09:00Others are much older objects, containing many thousands of stars,
0:09:00 > 0:09:04such as the globular clusters M15 and M13.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07- What kind of astronomy are you into? - Mostly deep-sky astrophotography.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10Do you have any favourite objects that you like to image from?
0:09:10 > 0:09:12For example, the Andromeda Nebula,
0:09:12 > 0:09:16I got a bit addicted to an object called NGC 206,
0:09:16 > 0:09:18in the Andromeda galaxy.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21Oh, yes, star cloud area, isn't it? On one edge of it, yeah.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25I like Juergen's comets, such as Comet Garradd.
0:09:25 > 0:09:29Small, dirty snowballs tumbling through space.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31As they near the sun, the surface evaporates,
0:09:31 > 0:09:35creating a halo and characteristic tail.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39In 2007, Comet Holmes graced our skies
0:09:39 > 0:09:41and underwent a massive outburst,
0:09:41 > 0:09:45which unbelievably created a halo bigger than the sun.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48'Juergen keeps alive an old tradition in astronomy -
0:09:48 > 0:09:51'making your own telescopes.'
0:09:51 > 0:09:54- Do you grind your own mirrors and optics as well?- Yes.
0:09:54 > 0:09:58I have to say, I always admire people with those sort of skills, cos I'm quite hopeless.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01- You have some mirror-grinding equipment outside, don't you? - Yes, yes, I do, yes.
0:10:01 > 0:10:02- Can we have a look?- Yes.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05And my word, that is a big bit of glass, Juergen.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08- Oh, yes, it is, definitely. It's 24 inches.- It weights a ton!
0:10:08 > 0:10:09That's enormous - 24 inches.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12Yeah, I want to make a 24-inch mirror out of this piece of glass.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14Can you explain to us then,
0:10:14 > 0:10:18how do you turn THIS into a useable telescope mirror.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20Actually, what you have to do is grind the mirror.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24Then you have something called a tool, for example here's a tool,
0:10:24 > 0:10:26and this tool goes on with some abrasive.
0:10:26 > 0:10:31So you put on a little heap of Carborundum, which is an abrasive,
0:10:31 > 0:10:35and you wet it smooth with the wet-grinding process.
0:10:35 > 0:10:36I remember when I made my telescope
0:10:36 > 0:10:38the tool was the same size as the mirror blank.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40- Oh, yeah. - So is that not the case here?
0:10:40 > 0:10:42So for small mirrors it's the case,
0:10:42 > 0:10:45but when we have bigger mirrors it's just...
0:10:45 > 0:10:48A, it's the cost, because they're quite expensive, mirror blanks.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51- Of course, yes.- And secondly, you can't drag it over any more
0:10:51 > 0:10:53because the friction gets to much.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55And so what do you do with this, then?
0:10:55 > 0:10:59You put the glass on it, then you start grinding,
0:10:59 > 0:11:00which is actually quite noisy.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03It's like you're scratching the mirror to the right shape.
0:11:03 > 0:11:05And then, once the shape is there,
0:11:05 > 0:11:09you start to get finer abrasives, to get the surface...
0:11:09 > 0:11:12- To get the surface roughness down. - Once you've got it very fine,
0:11:12 > 0:11:14you've then got to polish it.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17And I love that bit, that's the best bit. I recognise this.
0:11:17 > 0:11:18That's what this is for, is it?
0:11:18 > 0:11:21Yes, the ground mirror looks like this, it's actually...
0:11:21 > 0:11:24It doesn't reflect light, it looks like a milky glass,
0:11:24 > 0:11:25like frosted glass.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28- Yeah.- And actually, I have a mirror here which looks,
0:11:28 > 0:11:31from the back side, exactly the same.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34But the other side looks different.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36There's no frosting on this.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39Yes, it's now completely reflective. And how do you get there?
0:11:39 > 0:11:44It's actually, you use a tool with some soft material on it,
0:11:44 > 0:11:45which is optical pitch.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47It's a pitch lap. And this pitch lap...
0:11:47 > 0:11:48I'm going to put this on here.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50This pitch lap is made wet
0:11:50 > 0:11:52and pressed on to get it exactly the same shape
0:11:52 > 0:11:55and then you start polishing the mirror.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57You hear no noise doing it, it's very silent.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59It's an odd thing that, I remember.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01And magically, after about an hour or so,
0:12:01 > 0:12:03your mirror starts to get glossy.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06After a few hours the mirror is polished out
0:12:06 > 0:12:08and then you can, for example, focus the sun on it
0:12:08 > 0:12:12and you can project the sun so that you can see this mirror is working.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15I got into a lot of trouble actually, making my pitch lap,
0:12:15 > 0:12:17when I made my mirror,
0:12:17 > 0:12:20because I boiled the pitch up on my mum's stove in a pot.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23- You hooligan, Lawrence!- And it makes quite a lot of smell, doesn't it?
0:12:23 > 0:12:24Yes, it's very smelly.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27And when you drop some pitch down and you walk it through the...
0:12:27 > 0:12:30- I wasn't popular, no. - I did not get to the pitch stage.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33When I tried grinding a mirror I did not get to the pitch stage
0:12:33 > 0:12:36- because I managed to break both the mirror and the blank.- Ooh!
0:12:36 > 0:12:37But then once you've got it polished,
0:12:37 > 0:12:41that's when you send it off to be aluminized.
0:12:41 > 0:12:42Once you have it aluminized,
0:12:42 > 0:12:45and there's a silicon layer on it to protect the aluminium layer,
0:12:45 > 0:12:46it lasts for years.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49'Juergen's first telescope took him two years to make
0:12:49 > 0:12:52'but he has it down to a fine art.
0:12:52 > 0:12:57'His record is making an eight-inch mirror in just 21 days -
0:12:57 > 0:12:58'impressive stuff.'
0:12:58 > 0:13:00It's the feeling,
0:13:00 > 0:13:03once you put the telescope together with your self-made optics.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06and you put it together, look at a planet, or something,
0:13:06 > 0:13:09- and you see it in full glory and you realise it's your optics.- It is.
0:13:09 > 0:13:13- Feelings I shall never have! - Well, maybe one day.- Maybe one day.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16- Juergen, thank you very much. - Yes, thank you.- Oh, you're welcome.
0:13:16 > 0:13:20'Back-garden observatories are the backbone of astronomy.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23'Over the years, The Sky At Night has visited a few,
0:13:23 > 0:13:27'so it's back to Patrick for something special from the archives.'
0:13:30 > 0:13:34In 1970, I went to see another of our well-known amateurs,
0:13:34 > 0:13:36Dr Frank Acfield.
0:13:36 > 0:13:40He has his observatory and here's the clip.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46Good evening. Well, as you can see, I'm not in the BBC studio.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48I am, in fact, at Newcastle on Tyne,
0:13:48 > 0:13:52at Frank Acfield's observatory at Forest Hall.
0:13:52 > 0:13:54And we are delighted to have Frank with us
0:13:54 > 0:13:56for this evening's Sky At Night.
0:13:56 > 0:13:58This very neat and efficient-looking dome
0:13:58 > 0:14:00contains a ten-inch reflecting telescope
0:14:00 > 0:14:02and, just to make sure that we all know where we are,
0:14:02 > 0:14:04the latitude and longitude's given on the door.
0:14:04 > 0:14:08'Frank's dome and telescope were all built by his friends
0:14:08 > 0:14:09'just after the war.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12'In those days, enthusiasts made everything by hand -
0:14:12 > 0:14:15'from the mirror to the telescope mount.'
0:14:15 > 0:14:19Yes, Patrick, actually it's made from Ruberoid roofing felt,
0:14:19 > 0:14:23reinforced with wire netting underneath to stop it sagging
0:14:23 > 0:14:27in case of any weight of snow or anything on top of the building.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30Do you find that the dome's easy to turn?
0:14:30 > 0:14:34Yes, once you get it going, Patrick, it's quite easy.
0:14:34 > 0:14:35Look here, you see.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37- Just you have a try.- Yes.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40That's pretty easy, there's no difficulty there.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42Well, it's a very nice observatory.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44Now let's have a look at the telescope, shall we?
0:14:44 > 0:14:46- Yes, do come and have a look inside.- Right.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50Well, you've told us about the observatory,
0:14:50 > 0:14:53what about this very fine ten-inch reflector.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56Yes, Patrick, this reflector was made for me
0:14:56 > 0:14:59by Mr Tom Whitham, of Newcastle,
0:14:59 > 0:15:03and he came to me and said he didn't like the mounting I had,
0:15:03 > 0:15:05it didn't fit the lovely observatory,
0:15:05 > 0:15:08would I allow him to make a mounting
0:15:08 > 0:15:13equal to the beautiful building in which it was housed.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15Let's have a look at the mirror.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19That's a very nice mirror indeed.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22Do you always have it aluminized rather than silvered?
0:15:22 > 0:15:23I do, Patrick, yes.
0:15:23 > 0:15:27It's aluminized on the face and anodized on top,
0:15:27 > 0:15:31- so that you can dust it, you know. - What's the focal length?- 19 inches.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34And there at the bottom of the tube you can see the ten-inch mirror,
0:15:34 > 0:15:37which is the essential part of the whole telescope.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41'Astronomy today uses digital cameras and web cams.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44'Back in the 1970s, Frank used photographic plates,
0:15:44 > 0:15:49'which were extremely delicate and had to be developed by hand.
0:15:49 > 0:15:54'These are some sunspots he imaged just before Patrick arrived.'
0:15:54 > 0:15:56I think you're very wise, too,
0:15:56 > 0:15:59in doing your developing and processing actually on the spot.
0:15:59 > 0:16:04Yes, this is my dark room, Patrick, and what I do is this -
0:16:04 > 0:16:08I have my developer and my hypo, here.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11Then I put my plate into the developer
0:16:11 > 0:16:13and I am able to rock the dishes
0:16:13 > 0:16:17for the required time at the required temperature.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19Once this is done, I can remove them,
0:16:19 > 0:16:25wash the plates and then transfer them into the enlarger, here.
0:16:25 > 0:16:29Then, if you have a picture like this, say, and wish to enlarge it,
0:16:29 > 0:16:33then simply by moving this height, up here...
0:16:36 > 0:16:39..then you can enlarge from a picture like this
0:16:39 > 0:16:41to a picture the size of the table.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44This is one of Frank's pictures of the full moon,
0:16:44 > 0:16:46taken with the ten-inch reflector, of course.
0:16:46 > 0:16:50'Frank contributed a great deal to Astronomy,
0:16:50 > 0:16:53'although nothing now remains of his observatory.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56'But it was the tireless work of dedicated amateurs like Frank
0:16:56 > 0:17:00'which inspired today's generation of astronomers.'
0:17:01 > 0:17:04Next in our observatory tour, we're going to Hexham
0:17:04 > 0:17:08and the light pollution-free rural countryside of Northumberland.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11I've come to visit amateur astronomer Peter Vasey.
0:17:11 > 0:17:15From his back garden, Peter looks over the Pennines
0:17:15 > 0:17:18and has a wonderful view of the southern horizon.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20Quite simply, an astronomer's paradise.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22Peter has an eight-inch reflecting telescope
0:17:22 > 0:17:25and takes all sorts of wonderful images.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28Not only of the popular Messier objects
0:17:28 > 0:17:31but also some more obscure targets.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35Have you ever seen anything as perfect as the Soap Bubble Nebula?
0:17:35 > 0:17:37So, Peter, here we are in rural Northumberland.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40It's a lovely area and at the moment, we've got beautiful sunshine.
0:17:40 > 0:17:42Is that a common occurrence up here, or...?
0:17:42 > 0:17:44- Well, it does happen, occasionally! - Yeah?
0:17:44 > 0:17:47I'm more interested in the night-time. Having said that,
0:17:47 > 0:17:50you saw me looking through my solar scope
0:17:50 > 0:17:53and we see sunspots and prominences.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56- OK, so you do some solar observing as well?- Oh, yes indeed, yes,
0:17:56 > 0:17:57when the sun shines - which it does.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00But, of course, night-time is what I really came here for.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03The dark skies and clear southern horizon,
0:18:03 > 0:18:07combined with his little observatory tucked away behind the bushes,
0:18:07 > 0:18:10allow Peter to take pictures of some of the most beautiful objects
0:18:10 > 0:18:11that grace our night skies.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13Here is the Lagoon Nebula,
0:18:13 > 0:18:18a fabulous sea of gas which contains a vast array of astronomical objects.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21Peter also has wonderful images of the Cocoon Nebula
0:18:21 > 0:18:22and the Trifid Nebula.
0:18:22 > 0:18:27It's easy to forget that these objects are many light years across,
0:18:27 > 0:18:29and thousands of light years away.
0:18:29 > 0:18:34More distant still, galaxies are a particular favourite of Peter's.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37- Well, everybody likes M51, don't they?- Oh, it's wonderful.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40We get a lovely view of it here. It gets quite high in the spring.
0:18:40 > 0:18:44I like NGC 891, that beautiful edge-on galaxy.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47There are some fainter galaxies, more obscure galaxies,
0:18:47 > 0:18:50which aren't well known, but they're a challenge,
0:18:50 > 0:18:51I like to have a go at them, you know?
0:18:51 > 0:18:57Galaxies are island universes, each containing billions of stars.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00They come in all sorts of shapes and sizes.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03From enormous elliptical balls, to grand spiral galaxies.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06They're sometimes found in groups and clusters,
0:19:06 > 0:19:09making for some beautiful arrangements.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12When they get particularly close to each other
0:19:12 > 0:19:15their immense gravitational pull distorts their shapes,
0:19:15 > 0:19:19and it's these oddball galaxies that Peter particularly likes to observe.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22The light has come from such a long way away.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26Those photons have travelled for millions of years to get here
0:19:26 > 0:19:29and either end up their journey on your retina,
0:19:29 > 0:19:30if you're doing it visually,
0:19:30 > 0:19:33seeing a little faint grey blob in your telescope,
0:19:33 > 0:19:36or, of course, on the camera chip, or film,
0:19:36 > 0:19:39where you can integrate it over a long period
0:19:39 > 0:19:42and pick out all the wonderful complexity and intricacy
0:19:42 > 0:19:44of these marvellous things.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47'Peter is fortunate to live in such a dark location,'
0:19:47 > 0:19:50but some astronomers manage to successfully observe
0:19:50 > 0:19:52from the light-polluted cities.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56It's the last of our observatories
0:19:56 > 0:20:00and time to leave the northeast and come down to Southampton.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02I'm here to meet Dr Lilian Hobbs,
0:20:02 > 0:20:05who has a very interesting set-up in her back garden.
0:20:05 > 0:20:09Dr Lilian Hobbs's first passion is astronomy.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12Her second passion is motorbikes,
0:20:12 > 0:20:15touring the world seeing spectacular locations.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18Dr Hobbs has been to Patagonia, in South America,
0:20:18 > 0:20:22Chile, and the roof of the world, the Himalayas.
0:20:22 > 0:20:24Lilian has two observatories.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26The largest one houses her refractor,
0:20:26 > 0:20:29where she does most of her astronomical imaging.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32And like some of our other astronomers,
0:20:32 > 0:20:34she has taken some fabulous images of the galaxies.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37I take a journey down to the bottom of her garden,
0:20:37 > 0:20:40where Lilian keeps her observatories.
0:20:40 > 0:20:42- Hello, Lilian?- Hello, Paul!
0:20:42 > 0:20:45TWO telescope domes - I'm very impressed!
0:20:45 > 0:20:48Well, this is just the small dome, let me show you my larger dome.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50Oh, yes, please!
0:20:50 > 0:20:53I am very impressed...
0:20:53 > 0:20:54and just a little bit envious.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56This is where all the action happens - in here.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58Oh, this is where I lose my head!
0:20:58 > 0:21:01Well, Lilian, thanks for inviting us
0:21:01 > 0:21:04to one of two magnificent observatories you have here.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07Why don't you tell us what got you into astronomy?
0:21:07 > 0:21:10- Well, I first got into astronomy during the Apollo era.- Ah!
0:21:10 > 0:21:13I remember watching the Apollo landings
0:21:13 > 0:21:16and my brother also had a great interest in astronomy as well.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19So, as soon as I was old enough, I joined my local astronomy club
0:21:19 > 0:21:23- and used to dream of owning a really nice telescope.- Yes.
0:21:23 > 0:21:25And, so, that was really how it started.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27And what was your first telescope?
0:21:27 > 0:21:30My first telescope was a nice three-inch refractor
0:21:30 > 0:21:33and I just used to go out, look at the moon.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36I did take my camera and I've still got a paperweight
0:21:36 > 0:21:38with my first photograph of the moon that I took.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40Good Lord, first photo?
0:21:40 > 0:21:42I've never even managed to take a photograph of the moon
0:21:42 > 0:21:43so you've got one up on me!
0:21:43 > 0:21:46Well, I think it's fair to say you've upgraded since then.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48I've upgraded a little over the years.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50Then you got hold of this, this is a fine telescope.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52This is a seven-inch refractor.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55No, I must confess, there were a few more telescopes before this one.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58- Good lord!- So, I worked my way up, really, over the years.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00Lilian loves galaxies.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03You can see them in binoculars but with Lilian's telescope,
0:22:03 > 0:22:05they look magnificent.
0:22:05 > 0:22:09The many billions of stars are resolved beautifully.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12This is M51, or the Whirlpool Galaxy,
0:22:12 > 0:22:16which is in the constellation of Canes Venatici, or the Hunting Dogs.
0:22:16 > 0:22:20These are two galaxies caught in a gravitational embrace.
0:22:20 > 0:22:24The serene beauty conceals the fact that the smaller galaxy
0:22:24 > 0:22:26is being ripped apart.
0:22:26 > 0:22:30Who knows, perhaps in one of the stars, in one of these galaxies,
0:22:30 > 0:22:34there may be a planet with an astronomer looking back at us.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38- Is this your main observatory, then? - This is my main observatory,
0:22:38 > 0:22:40so this is an eight-foot fibreglass dome.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43- It's quite sturdy. - It's, yeah, it's very sturdy.
0:22:43 > 0:22:45It's survived a few storms!
0:22:45 > 0:22:47And, in here, what do you mostly do?
0:22:47 > 0:22:50- Well, in here, what I like to do is I like to take photographs.- Right.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52All right? Just nothing serious,
0:22:52 > 0:22:55although I've got some very serious kit, but it's just for fun.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58I love to image, sort of, galaxies, nebulas, things like that.
0:22:58 > 0:23:02- One of my favourites is the Horsehead Nebula.- Ah, yes.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04That's very hard to pick up visually.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07It's very hard to pick up visually. In fact, even here, with the scope,
0:23:07 > 0:23:10I find that I get a very faint image after about a minute,
0:23:10 > 0:23:12so I know that I'm in the right vicinity,
0:23:12 > 0:23:15and then it'll take me about an hour to image the Horsehead.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18- Apart from the Horsehead? - The Flame Nebula, as well.
0:23:18 > 0:23:20I like to do that with my small refractor
0:23:20 > 0:23:22cos it's nice and wide-field and I can capture that in.
0:23:22 > 0:23:26'The Flame and Horsehead Nebula in Orion is made of dense gas and dust,
0:23:26 > 0:23:29'which is lit by the new stars forming within it.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32'The horse-head shape is an optical effect
0:23:32 > 0:23:34'and is just a patch where the dust is so dense
0:23:34 > 0:23:37'no starlight can be seen.
0:23:37 > 0:23:41'Spotting shapes in space can become an astronomical pastime.
0:23:41 > 0:23:45'Lilian's image of the Pelican Nebula is jaw-dropping.
0:23:45 > 0:23:49'This is the Veil Nebula and to the left is the Witch's Broom.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51'Simply magical.'
0:23:51 > 0:23:53So, what about some of the objects?
0:23:53 > 0:23:57So we have in Sagittarius, we have a lot of interesting deep-sky objects,
0:23:57 > 0:23:59like globular clusters, do you do anything with them?
0:23:59 > 0:24:02I do. One of the problems I do have is anything that's a bit low,
0:24:02 > 0:24:05cos sometimes the garden might need a bit of trimming -
0:24:05 > 0:24:07it's often called the Sagittarius cut
0:24:07 > 0:24:09if it's really low!
0:24:09 > 0:24:11- Middle of the night? - Middle of the night, yes.
0:24:11 > 0:24:13Get the old head-torch out
0:24:13 > 0:24:16- and trim the bushes off a little bit cos it's in the way!- I can imagine!
0:24:16 > 0:24:19But I have gone after some of the galaxies in Leo, for example.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22Actually, that's a good, fun thing to do, I find.
0:24:22 > 0:24:26To do the wide field and just see how many of those galaxies I can pick up.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28Does that mean the Virgo cluster, for example?
0:24:28 > 0:24:30- You've got many, many galaxies in there.- Yes.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33I love seeing those long-exposure photographs.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36- The whole field is just full of galaxies.- It's just full of them!
0:24:36 > 0:24:39Have you managed to count how many you've been able to pick up?
0:24:39 > 0:24:41- No, cos I keep losing track, actually.- Good lord.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43Do you ever do anything else other than deep sky?
0:24:43 > 0:24:46- Have you tackled planets? - Yep, I love to do planets as well.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49In fact, it's one of the things I encourage youngsters,
0:24:49 > 0:24:51when I go out and give talks, and I say to them,
0:24:51 > 0:24:53Jupiter's a great target, because it rotates.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56- And it rotates quite quickly. - Very quickly, yeah.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58- And also, you don't need a guided scope for it.- No.
0:24:58 > 0:25:02So, yes, if there's no decent deep-sky objects.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04Or sometimes, like now, when the weather's not very good,
0:25:04 > 0:25:07and I can only get a short observing spell when the planets are up.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10- The planets are great for that. - The planets are great.
0:25:10 > 0:25:12- And the moon as well. - And the moon is great.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16In fact, I also... I got into doing quite a lot of lunar observations,
0:25:16 > 0:25:17as it were, or lunar imaging,
0:25:17 > 0:25:21purely because the weather was so bad and at least you could come out and do something.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24That's the great thing about astronomy. There's always something.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27There's always something that you can have a look at in the night sky.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30Lilian, thank you for inviting us to your observatory.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32- You're very welcome! - It's a pleasure to be here.
0:25:32 > 0:25:33- Thank you very much.- Thank you!
0:25:33 > 0:25:35This recent image of Jupiter,
0:25:35 > 0:25:38with its stormy belts and vivid red colouring
0:25:38 > 0:25:41shows the upheaval in the North Equatorial belt.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43Jupiter is a turbulent planet
0:25:43 > 0:25:47and all you need to see these Earth-size storms for yourself
0:25:47 > 0:25:48is a small telescope.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51Although we have seen some amazing telescopes,
0:25:51 > 0:25:55you could enjoy looking at the night sky with a Mark One Eyeballs
0:25:55 > 0:25:57or a pair of binoculars.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00Here is some advice Patrick gave back in 1970
0:26:00 > 0:26:02about how to get started in astronomy.
0:26:02 > 0:26:06It's as relevant today as it was back then.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09You know, I'm asked many times every week
0:26:09 > 0:26:12how one starts taking up astronomy as a hobby
0:26:12 > 0:26:14and I always give the same answer.
0:26:14 > 0:26:18You don't, in fact, need any optical equipment whatsoever
0:26:18 > 0:26:22and you certainly don't need a large and expensive telescope.
0:26:22 > 0:26:23And my advice is,
0:26:23 > 0:26:26that if you want to start taking a real interest in astronomy,
0:26:26 > 0:26:30The very first step is to buy a star map,
0:26:30 > 0:26:32which only costs a shilling or two,
0:26:32 > 0:26:35and then go out and learn your way around the sky,
0:26:35 > 0:26:37learn your constellations.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40And this doesn't really take very long
0:26:40 > 0:26:42and the stars become so very much more interesting
0:26:42 > 0:26:44when you know which is which.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47If one's only got a very limited amount of money
0:26:47 > 0:26:48to spend on equipment,
0:26:48 > 0:26:50and this certainly applies to most of us,
0:26:50 > 0:26:52then there's a straightforward choice
0:26:52 > 0:26:55between a very small telescope or a pair of binoculars.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58And I'm going to give my own views here,
0:26:58 > 0:27:00with the full knowledge that they're open to challenge.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03I personally wouldn't pay a great deal of money
0:27:03 > 0:27:05for a very small astronomical telescope,
0:27:05 > 0:27:07because it's going to have a small field
0:27:07 > 0:27:11and it's not going to have any real advantage over good binoculars.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14And, personally, I wouldn't recommend
0:27:14 > 0:27:17spending a great deal of money upon any astronomical telescope
0:27:17 > 0:27:20with an aperture smaller than three inches for a refractor,
0:27:20 > 0:27:23or six inches for a reflector.
0:27:23 > 0:27:27Smaller telescopes than that can be got and they are quite nice.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29But personally, I'd rather go in for binoculars.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32And binoculars are going to show you a great deal.
0:27:32 > 0:27:34They'll show you the craters of the moon,
0:27:34 > 0:27:37they'll show you the four big moons of Jupiter,
0:27:37 > 0:27:39they'll show you the phases of Venus
0:27:39 > 0:27:42and all kinds of star fields, double stars and star clusters.
0:27:42 > 0:27:44Binoculars come in various kinds.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47This particular pair happens to be 8 x 30.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50That means it has a magnification of eight times
0:27:50 > 0:27:53and the object glasses are 30mm in diameter.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55That gives you quite a nice broad field.
0:27:55 > 0:27:59And if you go on and get a pair of, 20 x 70, or something like that,
0:27:59 > 0:28:02which is admittedly going to cost more money,
0:28:02 > 0:28:04then, really, it is a good idea
0:28:04 > 0:28:06to fix up some kind of improvised mounting,
0:28:06 > 0:28:08because the field is going to be small
0:28:08 > 0:28:11and it's not going to be easy to hold them steady.
0:28:11 > 0:28:13But again, this is a matter of personal preference.
0:28:13 > 0:28:18It's this good advice that got so many of us started in astronomy.
0:28:18 > 0:28:20Thank you, Patrick.
0:28:20 > 0:28:22There is so much the amateur can do
0:28:22 > 0:28:26and I believe astronomy is the best of all amateur hobbies.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30Next month, back to Mars.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33The probe Curiosity will have landed by then
0:28:33 > 0:28:37and we are looking forward to seeing what it has to tell us.
0:28:37 > 0:28:39So, until then, goodnight.
0:28:59 > 0:29:03Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd