Three reports counted towards the mark achieved for the field trip work – a pre-departure orientation report outlining what objects were to be observed, the observing strategy, and what would be done with the results; and two reports describing the results of the work done with the 0.80m and 1.52m telescopes. My overall mark was 82%, so any students on subsequent field trips may find them a useful guide. Orientation report PDF format (190KB) Catacylsmic variables (0.80m telescope) PDF format (1.06MB) Chemically peculiar stars & spectroscopic binaries (1.52m telescope) PDF format (1.45MB)

We were all sad when the field trip came to an end. We’d had good fun, done some good work, and become so addicted to the fabulous OHP coffee that some of us would not sleep properly for weeks. On the way down we’d had a brilliant journey from Lille to Avignon, getting enjoyably merry on cheap cans of beer in the restaurant car of the TGV and watching the French countryside race by. We tried the same thing on the way back but somehow it wasn’t as much fun.

We didn’t spend the entire time on the observatory site – the group hired a car, and on one of our days off, three of us went to see the Gorges du Verdon, allegedly the second biggest canyon in the world. It was a long drive to get there but the scenery was increasingly impressive. We entered the canyon at its lower end, and drove slowly along, appreciating some stunning views and also occasionally experiencing some stunningly strong winds blowing down the valley. Further up the canyon we walked a little way up to a couple of view points. It started to snow briefly but luckily not for long, and we enjoyed standing right on the edge of heart-stopping precipices to look down on the tiny Verdon river far below. After that we drove back downstream, stopping again at the windiest point because it had the best views of the turqoise river. At the end of the valley, the river broadened, the wind dropped completely, and the Verdon carried on placidly towards the Durance, then the Rhône, then the Mediterranean Sea.