Luke Bussell goes viral!

The story is in all the papers, but it began here on this blogsite! Hats off to Observatory member and Astronomy GCSE student Luke Bussell for winning the SHA essay prize AND securing a programming role in the British Interplanetary Society's KickSAT mission.

With luck, we'll be able to source some funding to get going on a project to build a ground-station here at Bootham so that we can communicate with the microsat networks that KickSAT will launch into orbit. I had always hoped that Bootham might become a part of the space programme, but I never thought it would be so soon!

Society for the History of Astronomy

The school has recently joined the Society for the History of Astronomy. It makes sense, given that we have such a lovely (and significant) old observatory. The Society aims to promote a wider understanding of how astronomy developed around the world, and perhaps in Britain in particular, and how this fascinating branch of science has made such a difference to the culture we all share.
Yesterday was the day of the spring conference of the SHA, and as luck would have it, it took place in York at Friends' Meeting House on Friargate. The society has generously funded an annual essay prize for young people to write on topics of astronomical history, and the Bootham GCSE group really rose to the challenge, presenting essays on topics ranging from the discovery of Neptune to the life and work of Gallileo. Some of our students and I enjoyed an afternoon of fascinating lectures covering (in order), the self-taught telescope making geniuses of Scotland, the bitter yet comic feud between two early pioneers of astrophotography and finally a wonderfully lively review of cosmic ray research from Sir Arnold Wolfendale, a former Astronomer Royal. After these talks, Sir Arnold awarded the first and second prizes to Luke Bussell and Annie Howard, both (of course) students at Bootham. The officers of the SHA said some very complimentary things about all the Bootham submissions and it is very good to get independent confirmation of what I have always believed about the academic prowess of our student body.

SpotTheStation

Time: Fri Apr 19 8:43 PM, Visible: 2 min, Max Height: 47 degrees, Appears: SE, Disappears: ESE

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Time: Wed Apr 17 8:44 PM, Visible: 5 min, Max Height: 57 degrees, Appears: WSW, Disappears: ESE

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Time: Tue Apr 16 9:34 PM, Visible: 5 min, Max Height: 52 degrees, Appears: W, Disappears: ESE

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Time: Mon Apr 15/10:24 PM, Visible: 3 min, Max Height: 44 degrees, Appears: W, Disappears: SSW

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Time: Mon Apr 15 8:48 PM, Visible: 6 min, Max Height: 55 degrees, Appears: WSW, Disappears: E

SpotTheStation

Time: Sun Apr 14 9:38 PM, Visible: 5 min, Max Height: 57 degrees, Appears: W, Disappears: ESE

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Time: Sat Apr 13/10:29 PM, Visible: 3 min, Max Height: 54 degrees, Appears: W, Disappears: SW

SpotTheStation

Time: Sat Apr 13 8:52 PM, Visible: 6 min, Max Height: 44 degrees, Appears: WSW, Disappears: E

SpotTheStation

Time: Fri Apr 12/11:19 PM, Visible: < 1 min, Max Height: 48 degrees, Appears: W, Disappears: W

SpotTheStation

Time: Fri Apr 12 9:43 PM, Visible: 4 min, Max Height: 52 degrees, Appears: WSW, Disappears: ESE

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Time: Thu Apr 11/10:33 PM, Visible: 2 min, Max Height: 56 degrees, Appears: WSW, Disappears: SW

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Time: Wed Apr 10/11:23 PM, Visible: < 1 min, Max Height: 56 degrees, Appears: W, Disappears: W

SpotTheStation

Time: Tue Apr 09/10:37 PM, Visible: 1 min, Max Height: 47 degrees, Appears: WSW, Disappears: WSW

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Time: Tue Apr 02 3:49 AM, Visible: < 1 min, Max Height: 46 degrees, Appears: ESE, Disappears: ESE