Eyes on the skies

Paul Holmes shares his passion for all things planetary as Caroline Lindsay learns about some star attractions

When a monocled Patrick Moore waxed lyrical about astronomy in The Sky at Night, he popularised the science of the stars in a way that bewitched thousands of young viewers and gave them a lifelong interest in astronomy.

One of these youngsters was Paul Holmes, now 52, whose passion for the planets led to him founding the Dalgety Bay Astronomy Club around 10 years ago.

Software engineer Paul describes his younger self as “an armchair astronomer.”

“I was always reading about the universe and its mysteries but in 2006 I starting getting interested in seeing for myself some of the things I’d been reading about so I bought a telescope,” he says.

At first, Paul had some trouble figuring out how to use this complex bit of kit so he looked around to see if there was a club nearby. When he drew a blank, the obvious solution was to start one himself.

Today, the club has around 25 members who meet once a month for talks, practical workshops and observing when it’s clear.

There’s a strong social aspect too, with trips to observatories and a celebratory annual Christmas lunch.

Although he’s drawn to the scientific and mathematical side of astronomy, Paul admits that’s only a small part of his passion.

“To me, the night sky is a thing of awesome beauty. Understanding what I’m looking at doesn’t diminish the wonder at all – it only increases it,” he smiles.

If you’re imagining a room full of boffins earnestly training their telescopes on the night sky, think again. This is very much a family-friendly club and dads, mums and children are more likely to take to the Fife countryside in search of the most interesting results.

“A rural site well away from street lights is best for viewing dim objects like nebulae (clouds of gas and dust in space) and galaxies,” Paul explains. “Stars, the moon, and some of the planets are much brighter, and can be seen well from a town.”

And he shoots down another myth by revealing that the sky doesn’t need to be dark for stargazing.

“Some of our members have purposemade solar telescopes for observing on bright summer days. The moon is also a good daytime target,” he says.

“As a club, we also have a couple of scopes for lending to beginners, including a beautiful hand-made one which was very kindly bequeathed to us.”

Some planet formations can even be seen by the naked eye. “Striking formations happen quite often, for example on light summer nights, so look out for bright objects like planets,” he advises.

To me, the night sky is a thing of awesome beauty. Understanding what I’m looking at doesn’t diminish the wonder at all – it only increases it

“The moon is the easiest to find, even by day, and as its phases are always changing there’s something different to see every day.

“Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, is great too – it’s well placed at the moment and is especially easy to find as the moon passes very close by it on June 30, and again on July 28. You can see four of its moons with just binoculars, they change position noticeably even by the hour.

“And gas giant Saturn can be found near the moon on July 6, August 2, and August 30.”

www.db-astro.org