“By heavens, Holmes,” I said, half rising, “I believe that they are really after us.”
“No, it’s not quite so bad as that. It is the unofficial force—the Baker Street irregulars.”
Who makes all of this possible? The Baker Street Irregular Astronomers as a society is dependent not only on the enthusiasm of its members, but also the commitment and dedication of its committee. Our common goal is to popularise astronomy and stargazing in Central London, and we’re always on hand at our monthly meetings to offer advice. Be sure to find us and introduce yourself – we’re a really friendly bunch and love meeting new people!
The Unofficial Force at a meeting in 2022 March in Baker Street (where else?) to discuss the future plans for the Baker Street Irregular Astronomers
Mike
As a schoolboy in the 1950’s, Mike made a small telescope out of cardboard tubes and some lenses loaned from his school physics lab.
G-clamping it to the edge of his parents garage door, allowed it to sweep up and down in altitude, whilst the hinged garage door provided smooth horizontal movement over a reasonable arc of sky.
After several nights struggling to achieve a sharply focussed point of starlight, the most prominent bright star of the evening always refused to be anything but oval. He swapped an eyepiece lens, giving him higher magnification, and with a shock that he remembers to this day, – he realised that the now much larger oval that he was looking at from north London, with his own small home made telescope, was the planet Saturn and its magnificent rings! – “I was awestruck!”
Mike’s been looking at the sky ever since and, despite a career in Architecture, designing the Pompidou centre in Paris, Lloyds of London , the Millennium Dome and Terminal 5 at Heathrow, and many other exciting architectural and urban design projects with his long time colleagues, he still finds the astronomy bug virulent and happily incurable, 32 telescopes and 57 years later!
Mike is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society.
“For me, the sky is full of magic to share – and on clear nights in Regents Park, a BSIA meet can lift your soul.
A glimpse of Saturn has brought people to tears,. whoops of joy or stunned silence – and mighty Jupiter and its fast moving, easily seen orbiting moons, is always spectacular, cutting through the skyglow, even in the heart of our luminous metropolis. Wildly differently coloured double stars still surprise us all and the Moon is so huge that you can zoom in on a small group of craters crammed with geological detail -you feel as if you are in lunar orbit.”
As long as London’s sky is reasonably clear, there is always something to see, a question to ask or something to chat about with like minded people. The conceptual base and one of the greatest pleasures of the BSIA, and its wide ranging informal membership, from all walks of London life, is the act of coming together, in the heart of town, to look at the sky. It makes us all a little special!
Eric
Astronomy started for Eric with Apollo 8 and Patrick Moore.
“Christmas 1968: I, pre-teen, watched the BBC coverage of Apollo 8. On the screen was this strange looking man talking rapidly explaining why the mission was so important. His words, still potent when seen and heard today, helped arouse this child’s interest in space and astronomy. I collected newspaper cuttings of the Apollo missions, glued them into a long-lost scrapbook and devoured all the astronomy books available from my local library, many written by Patrick. I well remember reading his 5th edition of Amateur Astronomy.”
Thankfully his parents encouraged the interest: giving him a Larousse Encyclopaedia of Astronomy for Christmas and, later, a small telescope with a table tripod. Telescope in hand he was able to enjoy for the first time the craters of the Moon; Saturn and its rings; and Jupiter and its Galilean moons. Sadly, as the other distractions of life made themselves known, and as the public awareness of the Apollo programme diminished so did his enthusiasm in astronomy.
That was until: “after moving to Marylebone in the late 1990s, I would often walk past a shop off Baker Street, glimpsing telescopes in the window and forming a fancy of buying a ‘scope in the future for the time, if and when, I retired abroad. Little did I know that later in April 2011 a ‘curious incident’ would occur as I walked in Regent’s Park: I spied a poster on a notice-board advertising the Baker Street Irregulars Astronomers …”
Eric is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and a member of the British Astronomical Association.
Nick
Nicholas’s interest in space and astronomy grew up in tandem with the Voyager spacecraft as they passed planet after planet over the years on their long journey into interstellar space, falling in love with space travel and the vast reaches that technology had now made accessible, starting a lifelong fascination with all forms of propulsion. Later on acquiring a good knowledge of telescope equipment and passing on the passion of astronomy to others by holding regular public astronomy events, putting back a telescope for public use at Sir Isaac Newton’s Leicester Square residence in London, writing for astronomy publications, offering the first free telescope rental service in Europe to the public via Westminster City Council library and of course, the Baker Street irregular Astronomers. Nicholas is a keen astrophotographer, with a special interest in the Sun, Moon, planets and artificial satellites. “The BSIA offers a wonderful arena to all with an interest in astronomy. It is an uplifting experience, filled with the beauty of the sky mixed with good fellowships on the ground “
Preeti
“The best among us acknowledge how little we know about our universe. Every night is a chance to observe that which is, as yet, unknown. I’ve loved looking into the night sky since I can remember, and was so excited to find the Baker Street Irregular Astronomers group in 2015. Whether a novice or expert, the BSIA gives us all the opportunity to look up, learn from each other, and laugh along the way.”
Matthew
The first sparks of interest in astronomy appeared when I was around two and half years old and asked my mother “what is that?” I was pointing at the moon. My fascination with the subject grew from there and thanks to very supportive parents, my passion for all things astrophysical was nurtured as I grew up. My interest in those early years was very much academic based and I would consume as much information as I could. In my early teens my desire to witness the beauty of the universe first hand, rather than just from books grew, and up until age 16 my optical aid came via my Father’s 10×50 binoculars but then, thanks to a Christmas job I was able to buy my first telescope, a 4.5 inch f/8 Newtonian. While elements of the ‘scope were a little ropey, it opened up the universe, allowing me to see for the first-time the cloud bands of Jupiter, the rings of Saturn and numerous deep sky objects.
As well as enjoying the Universe for its beauty, my academic career followed the same path and I left university having studied Physics and Astrophysics graduating with a Master of Physics and Astronomy (MPhys) degree. Moving to London for a career in the City, astronomy became a hobby once again.
I joined the Baker Street Irregular Astronomers in May 2012 after a visit to the Widescreen Centre to discuss some new eyepieces and have been a regular Irregular ever since and really love sharing the night sky with anyone who is interested. I am also particularly keen on hunting down dark skies and almost always take a telescope abroad with me, which has included numerous trips to Africa and some of the darkest skies on Earth. I have also spent a spell working as the Resident Astronomer at the Sossusvlei Desert Lodge in Namibia, sharing the beauty of the southern sky with guests.
I am a dedicated visual astronomer though I have been known to mess around with some widefield photography of the night sky, and started my own astronomy website, www.alpha-lyrae.co.uk, in 2013. I have also written several Astro-equipment reviews for ‘Astronomy Now’ magazine.
Lesley
Lesley joined the UF in 2021 Sep. She writes “I am very much a novice when it comes to astronomy but delight in discovering the night sky and am a keen solar eclipse chaser. I am so happy to find the BSIA; it is such a welcoming and encouraging group, and I am excited to do what I can do to welcome other Irregulars to the group and contribute to its future.”