General Information
CDAA BYGONES
This is a series of occasional snippets drawn from club archives by our secretary David Pugh, mostly, but not exclusively, from the club's old "Apollo" magazine.
THE 1983 PERSEID WATCH (Source "Apollo" magazine autumn 1983)
This year's local watch by our Association of the Persid meteor shower was a great success both in terms of the meteors observed as well as being a very exciting and enjoyable evening for all concerned. Maximum this year, on the night of August 12/13 was very favourable as more members could take part, being a friday evening, the Moon was only four days old and would be setting early and, most important, a clear night was forecast.
The watch was held in my back garden in Hawthorn Road, Great Clacton. Chris, Brian McCarthy and his friend Lucas were the first to arrive at around 9.30pm. At that time 40 Hawthorn Road was already a hive of activity with the preparation of the evening's observation forms, getting out star atlases, deckchairs, cameras and the cutting of lengths of cotton by my daughter Emma.
This annual pagan ritual was soon under way at 10.00pm with the traditional circle of deckchairs all facing outwards complete, and each member equipped with his important ritual symbol of a length of white cotton and starring skyward, as if waiting for the gods to arrive! Obviously there was a strange secret society practising in Great Clacton this summer's night!
The youngsters Brian and Lucas soon showed their keenness and sharp eyes as they recorded the first meteors of the evening. Soon, other members arrived to join the circle including Kevin and Colin with their photographic equipment, and Andy. Ian later arrived after first practising looking through the end of a pint glass! However, unlike the rest of us Ian had completed a long night's vigil the evening before, recording 31 meteors by himself.