Happy New Year to all members and especially Hugo Kalus with best wishes for his speedy recovery. Thanks very much to Kaye for taking up the Astro Flier publication chores and also to Frank for volunteering to do the same.
Well, as usual the Christmas period (when we rest and recuperate) was busier than any other time of the year. During December I managed to get in quite a lot of solar observing but a lot of the month was wet in the valley and the first really clear night was Christmas Eve. Some lucky members, Dan, Kim, Col and Ben all got a look at Comet Lovejoy (C/2011 W3). The comet was a sun-grazer and actually set its course through the solar corona where it was expected to disintegrate. Predicted to brighten to magnitude 8 (big deal) and possibly burn up as it passed the Sun, it suddenly fountained into the pre-dawn skies at magnitude 3! Comets can do this and judging by the photos it was a beauty. You had to be up at 3AM and looking low to the east or south-east and the sky was lightening by 4AM. I tried on four successive mornings as Jack did but was clouded out three times. By the fourth attempt it was too faint even to find in 80mm binoculars.
This photo shows a 35 degree tail on Dec 27th It was taken from Perth looking back toward land. You can make out the Pointers easily with Ara to the lower right.
The image on the right is from SOHO satellite and shows the comet on course for destruction, the gravity of the Sun distorting the arc of the tail enormously.
Speaking of the Sun, the two biggest events, astronomically speaking, that will occur in 2012 are both visible from Australia and both involve the Sun. I am putting out an early reminder so you can start planning.
The first and the rarest is a Transit of Venus which will occur on June 6th. Your almanac contains an excellent article on pages 8-10 and as you can see from the table on p. 10 the Sydney area is so well placed viewing of the entire transit will last SIX HOURS! Transits of Venus occur in “pairs” approximately 8 years apart and then the pair recurs one hundred and five years later so most of us will only see the pair once and you’d have to see it when you were one year old and again at 105, neither of which would stick in the memory bank. It was in fact a scientific expedition to the South Seas to observe the transit of 1769 that brought Captain Cook to Tahiti and thence the east coast of Australia. I will write a separate article on this subject and give a presentation in the next few months but it is hard to go past the article in Astronomy 2012 for good historical facts and figures as well as observation detail.
For now you may like to think on this photo I took of the transit of 8 June, 2004 when some of us were still using FILM cameras.
The second major event is the Total Solar Eclipse on 14 November 2012. The path of the eclipse takes it across Cape York and Arnhem Land and it is best seen from the east coast in the area of Port Douglas and Cairns. This means no need to travel overseas so start thinking about your plans early as overseas interest will be strong. International eclipse chasers will be well aware of the safety and beauty of the location so it will be a very popular event. Apparently good accommodation is still available but make up your mind early and make a booking! The journey is quite a long one and I am using it as an excuse for a driving holiday to explore some country I haven’t experienced. This eclipse occurs not long after dawn, unlike the eclipse of 2002 which was still in progress at sunset. Sunrise is at 5.40am and first contact begins only minutes later. Once again your Astronomy 2012 observing guide contains a comprehensive outline of the event and is a must read. One drawback is that Nov 14th is in the beginning of the Wet season and cloud will likely be an issue however often cloud builds up during the day as the Sun evaporates the warm ocean currents bringing afternoon downpours. Mornings over the ocean can be quite clear. One piece of advice for those considering photography is to try and automate your camera to some degree. You need to watch an eclipse to experience the wonder, you don’t want to be fiddling with equipment as two minutes of totality passes awfully quickly. The next Total Solar Eclipse occurring in Australia will be in 2028 but you can stay home for that one, totality cutting right across Australia from Broome to Sydney. 
One of my film images of the 2002 TSE, taken at Wirraminna, SA. Disregard the scratches on the photo, I don’t know how to scan negatives yet.
The second image shows the Sun setting while still eclipsed.
Now that we have dealt with the early warnings we should talk briefly about the local viewing. For planetary enthusiasts Jupiter is high in the northwest at dusk and prime viewing. Venus is starkly beautiful in the western sky and last month made a beautiful apparition with the one day old crescent moon in an indigo sky. Saturn is creeping up on us at last, rising around midnight. In about three months it will take over as our planetary target, Jupiter heading for the western horizon.
Should you be blessed with a clear sky overhead it is time to explore Orion, Canis Major and the enormous riches of the summer Milky Way. One of the bonuses for hunting Comet Lovejoy was watching Scorpius, Ara, Centaurus and Crux wheel up from the horizon in the early morning. Spectacular hour of meditation and anticipation. Clear Skies!
Gerard Keyzer
