Dr McGee is from the school of physics and astronomy at Birmingham University.  He works on galaxy formation and evolution, with particular interests in how the growth of cosmic structures affect the formation of galaxies; how gas is accreted into galaxies and the formation of the first generation of stars and black holes.

Dr Onions is an astrophysics researcher.  He will discuss what metals are to an astronomer, how do they get made, and what can they tell us about the history of the universe in terms of stars and galaxies.

In 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 Dr Julian Onions – The Far Side of the Moon, is it full of Aliens?

A 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 Time to talk

Trevor 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.

The 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.

A look at the exploration of the Earth's closest planetary neighbour. From the time of Galileo to possible future missions.

Mark Gibbons is a committee member of the Cotswold astronomical Society and he will give us an insight into this fascinating topic.

Julian 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 Dr Julian Onions – Things that go bang in the night (sky)

Professor 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 Prof Rob Jeffries – Gaia: the billion star mapping machine

Watch live online at youtu.be/2kYah6M4E0w

The 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 Steve Tonkin – Two Eyes are Better than One

With 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 Nicholas Booth – Mars: The Clearest View

The 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 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.