A new director for the lunar section.

Following the resignation of Alan Wells, BAA Council has invited me to take over the directorship of the Lunar Section, a responsibility I feel proud and privileged to assume. In this role my first act must be to thank Alan for the work he has put in as Director over many years--years in which the work of the Section has had to evolve constantly in order to accommodate new developments in both amateur and professional lunar study.

I should also like to take this opportunity to introduce myself. I am a keen visual observer of the Moon and the planets, as well as an enthusiastic --if still inept--practitioner of digital lunar photography. I hope, therefore, that I am in a position to appreciate the possibilities offered by both old and new forms of amateur observation. Longer-standing members of the Association may recall that I served on the Lunar Section Committee in the 1960s and 1970s under the directorships of Patrick Moore (twice!) and Ron Maddison. I was also at that time Secretary of the Mercury and Venus Section under the directorship of Hedley Robinson. I later served in the same role in the Terrestrial Planets Section under Richard Baum, and am currently a member of the Mercury and Venus Section Committee under Richard McKim.

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This is an interesting time for the Lunar Section as we await the results of ever more sophisticated spacecraft investigation of our satellite. Over the coming months we shall need to revisit our Section observing programme with a view to combining the best of the old with the new, but any changes must be evolutionary rather than revolutionary and must carry the support of the Section membership. I have many ideas of my own for projects, but it is important to consider as wide a range of views as possible. I have already begun a process of consultation with Section officers, whose support is much appreciated during this period of change, and I should also like to hear from other members of the Association who may wish to feed in ideas and suggestions. My contact details are given below and in the directory at the back of every Journal, and I look forward to hearing from you.

So we have much to do. The BAA Lunar Section has a long and distinguished history of observational activity stretching back to the very beginning of the Association. Its current membership includes many gifted visual observers as well as digital imagers of uncommon skill, and the Section Officers offer a wealth of experience in their fields. In addition we are increasingly able to supplement our own telescopic observations with the high-resolution results from space probes. There is no doubt in my mind that, as a team, we are well positioned to make useful contributions into the future, and I shall do my best as Director to make that possible.

The Moon continues to offer a great deal to observers, both new and experienced, and irrespective of whether they own small telescopes or sophisticated imaging systems. If you feel you might like to contribute to the work of the Section, or if you simply derive pleasure from telescopic exploration of our fascinating satellite, I would be delighted to hear from you and to welcome you as a member of the Lunar Section.

Bill Leatherbarrow, Director

9 Stumperlowe Avenue, Sheffield S10 3QN, South Yorks. Tel: [phone]. [[e-mail]]

RELATED ARTICLE: IMPORTANT NOTICE: Lunar Section Membership

The current membership/circulation list is in urgent need of updating and revision. If you would like to confirm your membership of the Section, or join as a new member, please contact me at once [[e-mail]]. A definitive membership list will be drawn up on the basis of replies received. Monthly Circulars are uploaded to the Section website, but they are also circulated to Section members as e-mail attachments, so please include your e-mail address. While e-mail is the preferred method of distribution, there are a limited number of hard copies available for members who do not have internet access.