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Dr Jonathan Smoker – Astronomy at the European Southern Observatory, Chile

Hybrid: University of Wolverhampton & Zoom Room MA030, Wulfruna Building, Wulfruna Street, Wolverhampton, United Kingdom

A general introduction as to why we do astronomy and my personal story of how I became a professional astronomer working at the European Southern Observatory (ESO). We will talk a little bit about Chile and why it has become a worldwide centre for astronomical observations. A typical day's work at Paranal Observatory (The Very ... Read more

Mary McIntyre FRAS – A History of Women in Astronomy

Hybrid: University of Wolverhampton & Zoom Room MA030, Wulfruna Building, Wulfruna Street, Wolverhampton, United Kingdom

Mary McIntyre FRAS Mary is an Oxfordshire based amateur astronomer and astrophotographer who has had a life-long interest in Astronomy.Throughout history astronomy has been very male dominated. There have been many trailblazing women, such as Caroline Herschel, who have worked to change that, but in addition there were countless women working in astronomy before Caroline. ... Read more

Steve Warbis – Messier’s objects and how they map the Milky Way

Hybrid: University of Wolverhampton & Zoom Room MA030, Wulfruna Building, Wulfruna Street, Wolverhampton, United Kingdom

An outline of some key aspects of Messier’s life and achievements, an illustration and assessment of the nature, distribution and discovery of the various Messier objects in the sky, and a demonstration of how they display the form of the Milky Way above our heads.Steve

Michael Barratt – Astronomy & Freemasonry

Hybrid: University of Wolverhampton & Zoom Room MA030, Wulfruna Building, Wulfruna Street, Wolverhampton, United Kingdom

A talk on how astronomy has influenced Masonic Ritual, with an overview of Freemasonry, its history, structure and rituals, including astronomers and astronauts who were, or may have been, Freemasons.

Martin Lunn – Astronomy in the Mediterranean

Hybrid: University of Wolverhampton & Zoom Room MA030, Wulfruna Building, Wulfruna Street, Wolverhampton, United Kingdom

Many great civilisations flourished in the ancient Mediterranean. This talk takes us on an astronomical journey to Egypt, Greece, Mesopotamia and the empires of Byzantium and Arabia. We will also visit Europe during the Renaissance. These were very varied civilisations, each with their own interpretation of the night sky. Our modern view of the stars ... Read more

Andrew Lound – Space: The Fuel Cell Frontier

Hybrid: University of Wolverhampton & Zoom Room MA030, Wulfruna Building, Wulfruna Street, Wolverhampton, United Kingdom

Paul Pope Memorial free public lecture. Space - The Fuel Cell Frontier.The story of the development of the Hydrogen fuel cell from the discovery of Hydrogen through to future prospects. This event is open to all but you need to register for a FREE ticket via Eventbrite. https://paulpopelecture2023.eventbrite.com

Peter Jenkins – Imaging from Light Polluted Skies

Hybrid: University of Wolverhampton & Zoom Room MA030, Wulfruna Building, Wulfruna Street, Wolverhampton, United Kingdom

Peter's talk 'Imaging from Light Polluted Cities' is a look at how to image from urban sky glow using a scope and specialist Astro camera. This will include the reasons for choosing a cooled monochrome camera and filters, image calibration, noise reduction, image capture and processing. The talk will be illustrated with many images taken ... Read more

Wolvas Member Talks: Binary Stars + Astronomical Navigation

Hybrid: University of Wolverhampton & Zoom Room MA030, Wulfruna Building, Wulfruna Street, Wolverhampton, United Kingdom

An evening of short talks presented by Wolvas members. Roger Metcalfe: Binary Stars. Duncan Willis: Astronomical Navigation - The history and application of astronomical co-ordinates.

Mary McIntyre – A History of Women in Astronomy Part 2

Hybrid: University of Wolverhampton & Zoom Room MA030, Wulfruna Building, Wulfruna Street, Wolverhampton, United Kingdom

Following on from part one, this talk looks at the trailblazing women working in astronomy after Caroline Herschel, through the Victorian era and into the modern day. It covers some of the challenges women faced during this time period, particularly around education. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the planned talk for this date has been postponedWe are ... Read more

Dr Julian Onions – Black Holes – are they really that bad?

Hybrid: University of Wolverhampton & Zoom Room MA030, Wulfruna Building, Wulfruna Street, Wolverhampton, United Kingdom

Black Holes - are they really that bad? Black holes have got a pretty bad rap from films and books, being looked on as terrifying objects that suck spaceships and astronauts to their doom. Are they really that bad? How are they made? Can you escape from one?

Perseids meteor shower observing event. DATE CHANGED!

Observatory

The peak of the Perseid meteor shower is in the early hours of the morning of Sunday the 13th August, so Saturday the 12th presents the best opportunity for viewing, subject to suitable weather conditions. It may be moved to one of the days either side, depending on the forecast. This event is for members ... Read more

WOW7 – Wolvas Observing Weekend

Brow Farm Ratlinghope, United Kingdom

This is our autumn observing event where we travel to rural Shropshire to take advantage of the darker skies. Following the success of our summer WOW event, we are extending this event to include a few days either side of the weekend. (The new moon is on Friday the 15th). Arrive on or after Wednesday ... Read more

AGM & Phil Barnard – Science Fact or Science Fiction

Hybrid: University of Wolverhampton & Zoom Room MA030, Wulfruna Building, Wulfruna Street, Wolverhampton, United Kingdom

“Trust me, I’m a scientist!” Well we all make mistakes; perhaps through ignorance, a desire to hold on to a cherished theory or when the imagination is allowed to run wild. Or occasionally to believe a charlatan, whose only aim is to produce highly profitable bestselling books. This is a look at some of the ... Read more

Richard Goodrich – Comet Madness

Hybrid: University of Wolverhampton & Zoom Room MA030, Wulfruna Building, Wulfruna Street, Wolverhampton, United Kingdom

In 1705, Edmond Halley liberated humanity from the belief that comets were portents of doom; two centuries later, when Halley’s Comet returned to its perihelion, newspapers, misguided theorists, and shameless con men managed to reignite that fear. When astronomers announced that the earth would pass through the comet’s tail, opportunists exploited human anxiety—often with fatal ... Read more

Members Talk: Wolvas Observing Weekends (WoW) events

Hybrid: University of Wolverhampton & Zoom Room MA030, Wulfruna Building, Wulfruna Street, Wolverhampton, United Kingdom

A talk by Wolvas members covering the history and results of the seven WoW events. The What, Where, Why and Wow factor of these events.

Martin Griffiths – Detecting Life on Exoplanets 

Hybrid: University of Wolverhampton & Zoom Room MA030, Wulfruna Building, Wulfruna Street, Wolverhampton, United Kingdom

Astronomers are moving closer and closer to detecting the signatures of life on other planets. with the advent of new technologies and the JWST we are on the threshold of exploring planetary atmospheres and detecting the basic signatures of living organisms. At present we do not know what sort of organisms they could be or ... Read more

Gary Palmer – The Sun: An Introduction to Solar Imaging 

Hybrid: University of Wolverhampton & Zoom Room MA030, Wulfruna Building, Wulfruna Street, Wolverhampton, United Kingdom

Gary Palmer is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and Assistant Director of the Equipment and Technical Section of the British Astronomical Association. Gary has been interested in Astronomy since childhood and now works as a professional in the industry giving talks across the globe, he is widely regarded as one of the best ... Read more