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Jan. 01, 1977 - Graham Hosty A Postman From Huddersfield Has Discovered A New Nova From His Backyard: Mr Graham Hosty, 27 year-old postman from Huddersfield has discovered a nova with nothing more to help him than ano-Level in Astronomy-a good eye and half an observatory housed in a wooden shed in the yard of his back-to-back house. It is an astonishing achievement and one that eludes most astronomers in a lifetime of scanning the night skies. Mr Hosty says he believes that he is only the second man in Britain in the last 15 years to have discovered a nova, which is a star that surges into sudden brilliance as it throws off material, and then fades over the succeeding months. Mr Hosty is a member of the Nova Patrol, a group of about 15 amateurs set up six months ago, Each member is given regions to patrol for novas; his beat is six regions. On the night of January 7th he took his monocular and set it up on a triped, and turned his attention to the constellation Sagitta. It was misty, he had got five minutes into his sweep around the area Alpha Sagitta, when he saw a star he had never seen before, he was amazed, and immediately realised that what he was watching was a new nova. The British Astronomical Association has circulated details of the discovery to its members, and has already received confirmation of the sighting from Mr Guy Hurst, of Northampton, founder of the Nova Patrol. The discovery will be given a number, and the name of the man who discovered it will be recorded, That being Mr Hosty. Photo shows Starfinder-27 year-old Graham Hosty, the Huddersfield postman who was discovered the new Nova from his backyard

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