About

South Cheshire Astronomical Society (SCASTRO) is dedicated to providing advice, support and encouragement to those people, in and around the South Cheshire Crewe & Nantwich area who have an interest in astronomy and related sciences and technology. There are no limits associated with age or experience – the only pre-requisite is an enthusiasm for the subject.

HELPFUL LINKS:

General Information

What planets are in the night sky – courtesy of ‘timeanddate.com’. (link added 27 July 2021)
See what local viewing there is for planets tonight and other nights. The location has been pre-set to SE Cheshire but you can set your own location if it differs significantly from this.BBC – A treasure trove of space/astronomy information and links. See in particular:BBC Two – Stargazing – Guides & Downloads (link updated: 31/Aug /2021)

Use BBC Learning’s guides and downloads to get hands-on with the Universe!.
The Sky at Night (links checked: 31/Aug/2021)
Everything from when the next programme is to Guide Packs.

For practical incentive to find your way round the sky at night follow the link:The Moore Winter Marathon Sir Patrick challenges you to see 50 of his winter night sky objects. There are two lists: naked eye and binocular and telescopic; forms in ‘related links’. You can also download: an observing guide to help you find the objects, and an observing form for you to record them, and there are similar links for telescope observation.

Windows to The Universe. (link checked: 31 Aug 2021)
An interesting website that will tell you anything you would like to know about everything, at beginner, intermediate and advanced levels.

See also Space Photos Of The Week at wired.com.(link changed: 31 Aug 2021)

Heavens Above – The one stop shop for details of when and where to spot the International Space Station, Iridium Flares, as well as a host of other astronomical sights. Informative & addictive! (link checked: 31 Aug 2021)
SpaceFlightNow – The leading source for online space news. (link checked: 31 Aug 2021)

International Meteor Organisation – Everything you’ve ever wanted to know (and more) about meteor showers. (link checked: 31 Aug 2021)

Dark Skies – Our ability to enjoy the wonders of the night skies diminishes with each passing year due to the menace of Light Pollution. This site provides background on what could be done to reduce this unnecessary waste. (link checked: 31 Aug 2021)

More Information provided by Friends of SCASTROLink found by a children’s Earth Science class and sent to SCASTRO enquiries, in March 2016, by their after school mentor Veronica Taylor: –
What Is Light Pollution? – Del Mar Fans & Lighting (link checked: 01 Sep 2021)

In September 2018, from somewhere in the world, Mia emailed us, to pass us some interesting information her young son Jordan would like to share with us, and through us, with friends he made at a summer 2018 astronomy camp. Jordan is fascinated by astronomy and has found a very interesting New York lift company web page which tells of astronomy, and includes promising news of developments in space elevators, a very different technology for getting into space:. To explore for yourself click on the following link:
Space Elevators and Astronomy – NationwideLifts. (link checked: 01 Sep 2021)

SCASTRO also recommends that you read the 19779 science fiction novel by Arthur C Clarke – “The Fountains of Paradise”. This brought the idea of space elevators to the wider attention of the public, including engineers and scientists, and so fired research into making the concept a reality. Review Link: The Fountains of Paradise – Wikipedia (link checked: 01 Sep 2021)

See also: Space elevator – Wikipedia (link checked: 01 Sep 2021) Back to TopFor Beginners:Home Science: Backyard Astronomy Basics – HomeAdvisor (link checked: 01 Sep 2021)
With thanks to Joy who sent us this link found by her keen young daughter Ainsley.
Thank you Ainsley, we hope you go on to discover more of the wonders of astronomy and science.
AAA State of Play Blog: Astronomy Resources for Kids (link added: 24/Sep /2022)

This valuable link has been forwarded to us via Lily Stevens, a Bar Harbor Maine USA media specialist who, with the aid of her student volunteers, is preparing an Astronomy Adventures’ workshop as part of her library’s STEM series. Her students have enjoyed exploring this page and one of them, Amanda, has reached out to us to provide us with another rich source of knowledge and practical learning projects.
Bar Harbor Main is beautiful, and Lily says the skies are perfect for star gazing.
We wish we could join you all. Thank you.

Astronomy: Computer Software Games for Kids (link checked:12/Mar/2022)
This link was provided by high school tutor, Eva, who has been using our site links as a teaching resource, and has sent us this valuable addition, for which we are very grateful.
A cornucopia of Space Games & Resources for children – provided by WordFinderX (item added: 12 Mar /2022)
And fun for adults too. (Thank you Brittany for bringing this stimulating collection to our attention and sending us the link)
Star Gazing Live (SGL) Guide to Telescopes (PDF document) (link checked: 01 Sep 2021)
Video Beginner’s guide to star spotting (link checked: 01 Sep 2021)
Using telescopes – The Universe – GCSE Physics (Single Science) Revision – Other – BBC Bitesize (item replacement: 01 Sep 2021)
You Tube How To Photograph Space Yourself – Stargazing Live, Preview – BBC Two (link checked: 01 Sep 2021)
Note links to other interesting videos at the end.How to collimate your telescope | BBC Sky at Night Magazine (link checked: 01 Sep 2021)Back to TopCommercial & SoftwareThe following 2 YouTube videos originate from Skopes’N’Skies who no longer have a website. However, the YouTube videos still exist. [Broken link removed 22/11/2016 after valuable feedback from a viewer]Collimating a Dobsonian Reflecting Telescope. (link checked:12 Mar 2022)
Warning: To avoid the danger of dropping a tool onto the primary mirror, when adjusting internal parts such as the secondary mirror, do not have the scope sloping upwards (they have in the video but it is risky to do so).Beginners and intermediates may find the following useful: Stargazing – getting started in astronomy (link checked:12 Mar 2022) UK Astronomy Buy & Sell (link checked:12 Mar 2022) – UK’s Trading Place for New & Used Telescopes and Accessories.Stellarium – Probably the best free planetarium software currently available. Feature packed with gorgeous graphics, this Open Source program undergoes continuous development.Virtual Moon Atlas – An awesome piece of free software that is virtually indispensable when you’re observing the moon.Registax – Free software that allows you to align and stack astronomical images to improve resolutionNEAT Image – Free software for removing noise from digital imagesSkyMaps – Free starcharts, updated each month.