Dr Julian Onions – The Far Side of the Moon, is it full of Aliens?
Highfields Environmental Centre Boundary Way, Penn, WolverhamptonIn a change to the originally scheduled talk, Dr Julian Onions will return to give us his talk on the far side of the Moon. The Moon is a shy body, it only ever shows one sides of itself to the Earth. Before the space age, we had no idea what was on the far ... Read more
Time to talk
Highfields Environmental Centre Boundary Way, Penn, WolverhamptonA members' discussion evening. Bring your own equipment and ideas, we will have several bases round the room covering different activities. This format is brought back by popular request! 1. Night Sky - how to navigate your way around (Steve Wootton) 2. Astro Photography the easy way, including by smartphone (Cath Adams & Doug Bickley) ... Read more
Trevor Clifton – I can never find anything
Highfields Environmental Centre Boundary Way, Penn, WolverhamptonTrevor has recently been attracting interest with his ingenious scope modifications and improvements. His talk will cover how he has modified the mounts on binoculars and a small 4 ¼ inch dobsonian with the aid of some DIY and his electronics expertise, in order to help find people who struggle to find difficult targets.
Mike Frost – Lady astronomers of the BAA
Highfields Environmental Centre Boundary Way, Penn, WolverhamptonThe British Astronomical Association was founded in 1890. Right from the start, the membership included talented lady astronomers. In part this was because the Royal Astronomical Society did not admit women at this time. This talk tells the stories of many of the lady pioneers of the BAA.
[Paul Pope lecture] – Pete Williamson – From Myth to Moon
St Peter's School Compton Park, Compton Road West, WolverhamptonPaul Pope Lecture 2020 - Pete Williamson We are delighted to welcome Pete Williamson to give this year's Paul Pope Lecture with his talk: From Myth to Moon This event is FREE and open to everyone - you don't have to be a member of our society. We hope you can join us on Monday ... Read more
CANCELLED – Damian Hardwick – Exploring Planet Venus – CANCELLED
Highfields Environmental Centre Boundary Way, Penn, WolverhamptonA look at the exploration of the Earth's closest planetary neighbour. From the time of Galileo to possible future missions.
CANCELLED – Mark Gibbons – Black holes – CANCELLED
Highfields Environmental Centre Boundary Way, Penn, WolverhamptonMark Gibbons is a committee member of the Cotswold astronomical Society and he will give us an insight into this fascinating topic.
Dr Julian Onions – Things that go bang in the night (sky)
OnlineJulian Onions from Nottingham University has given lectures to us before and is apparently something of an expert in online presentations. Who Knew? He has given us a lot of help here because we needed guiding by the hand, it's all new to us and this is our first offering, but we intend to do a ... Read more
Prof Rob Jeffries – Gaia: the billion star mapping machine
OnlineProfessor Jeffries is from the astrophysics group at Keele University. The European Space Agency Gaia satellite was launched in December 2013. The aim of the mission was to map the precise positions and motions of a billion stars and nearer objects in our own Milky Way Galaxy and solar system. In April 2018 Gaia released ... Read more
Steve Clifton – Deep Sky Photography: Capturing Ancient Photons
OnlineWatch live online at youtu.be/2kYah6M4E0w
Steve Tonkin – Two Eyes are Better than One
OnlineThe binocular is not limited to being a beginner's instrument and a subordinate adjunct to a telescope, but is an exceptionally valuable astronomical instrument in its own right. Find out how to choose and use binoculars for astronomy: discover what makes a good (or bad!) binocular, distinguish between valuable information and advertising hype, and learn ... Read more
Nicholas Booth – Mars: The Clearest View
OnlineWith three new missions heading to Mars, Nicholas Booth will discuss our changing perceptions of the Red Planet. For the first time in forty years, NASA will be looking directly towards life - and Nick will tell the story of how people have thought they have discovered life in recent years. He will set the ... Read more
Dave Eagle – Out of the Darkness – Pluto, New Horizons and Ultima Thule
OnlineA historical look at our lost planet and all the latest results from the fantastic mission of NASA's New Horizons encounter with Pluto and Ultima Thule.
Doug Bickley – Voyager: The Interstellar Phase
OnlineThe story of the Voyager missions. Both spacecraft have now reached interstellar space and continue their journey through the universe. This talk will take you from the planning stages through to their current status and position. Buckle up, it's a long ride.
Linda Manas – The History of the Calendar
OnlineLinda looks at calendar developments from the ancient Metonic Cycle to the early Roman and Julian calendars and discusses methods of calculating the date of Easter Sunday from the advent of Christianity to Gregorian reforms and the Computus.
Julian Onions – Galaxies: One Gigayear At A Time
OnlineWhat are galaxies, how are they classified, how are they formed, what we understand about their lives, and how many pretty pictures can I fit in one talk.
Mary McIntyre – Reflection, Refraction and Excitation
OnlineThe Hunt For Atmospheric Optical Effects - Mary has been passionate about hunting for atmospheric optics for many years. In this talk she will show us lots of the common things seen from the UK, plus some more exotic phenomena, from arcs and sundogs to noctilucent clouds and aurora.
Mark Townley – Cycles on the Sun: Space Weather & the Earth-Sun Environment
OnlineMark Townley looks at how activity on the sun varies through time and the implications for us all on Earth.
John Pitchford – Dr David Morgan’s Project and RETRAM
OnlineDr Morgan and RETRAM are both working on the Recognition and Trajectories of Meteors using alternatives to Graves, Brams and Iper. This talk is an introduction to this topic and takes an historical approach to Radio Astronomy and the use of Passive Radar. You will meet the musical ‘Cats’ and the ‘Terminator’ on the way!