Thursday 29 November 2018

Next Meeting: Wednesday 30-Jan-2019

The next meeting will be on Wednesday 30-Jan-2019.

The meeting will be the Society's 2019 Annual General meeting.  There will also be a talk on:  Astronomical Events of 2019.
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Meetings start at 7:30 P.M. at the usual venue, the Burley Memorial Hall, Waverton, CH3 7QN

Tuesday 30 October 2018

Members’ Night: Wednesday 28-Nov-2018 *** Correction ***

The next Members’ Night will be on: Wednesday 28-Nov-2018.
(The original post mistakenly said it was a Friday.)

Society members will speak on various topics.

Meetings start at 7:30 P.M. at the usual venue, the Burley Memorial Hall, Waverton, CH3 7QN

Rev: 2.181121

Special Meeting: Friday 9-Nov-2018

An special meeting will be held on Friday 9-Nov-2018.

Our guest speaker will be the renowned historian Dr. Allan Chapman FRAS, of Oxford University, who will speak about The Wonderful Century; From Atoms to Island Universes. Astronomy in the 20th Century.

Meetings start at 7:30 P.M. at the usual venue, the Burley Memorial Hall, Waverton, CH3 7QN

Friday 12 October 2018

Next Meeting: Wednesday 31-Oct-2018

The next meeting will be on Wednesday 31-Oct-2018.

Our guest speaker will be Dr. Pauline Norris, of Astrospeakers, who will speak about The Ancient Egyptians and their Astronomy.

Meetings start at 7:30 P.M. at the usual venue, the Burley Memorial Hall, Waverton, CH3 7QN

Friday 14 September 2018

Loughton Astronomical Society: 50th Anniversary Astro Festival

Loughton Astronomical Society will be 50 years old this year and to celebrate they are holding a special Astro Festival on Saturday, 10-Nov-18 at Theydon Bois Village Hall in Essex from 09.30 to 17.30.

In the morning there will be displays, demonstrations, Astro Apps, Trade stands and Family Fun and a planetarium; the afternoon comprises lectures.

Talks scheduled for the day include:
  • Nik Szymanek                     Imaging the Sky;
  • Greg Smye-Rumsby            Myths and Illusions;
  • Professor Richard Nelson    Exoplanets: Exploring the Diversity of Worlds in our Galaxy;
  • Professor Lucie Green         Formation and Eruption of Magnetic Flux Ropes on the Sun.

Morning events are free but the afternoon costs £15 per person including refreshments. Book, online hereFull details are on the Loughton Astronomical Society web site here.

2018 FAS Summer Convention : 22-Sep-18

The 2018 FAS Summer Convention will take place on 22 September 2018 at the University of York starting at 9.00am.

Talks include:

  • Prof. Mike Cruise – The Gravitational Sky
  • Prof. Katherine Blundell OBE – Black holes and spin-offs
  • Prof. Brad Gibson – How the Universe will end
  • Charles Barclay – Reaching the Stars – developing the British entry for the Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad
  • Prof. Ian Gibson – The Changing Scene in Astronomy
  • Prof. John C. Brown – Sun Plunging Comets (Hypersonic Snowballs in Hell)

Tickets cost £6 for FAS members, £8 for non-member.

Booking is via an online booking form Alternatively, tickets can be purchased at the door on the morning of the Convention (subject to availability – we recommend you book online to avoid disappointment).

Full details are on the FAS website here.

Thursday 13 September 2018

SHA Autumn Conference: 27-Oct-18

The Society for the History of Astronomy Autumn Conference will be held on 27 October 2018 at the John Lee Theatre, Birmingham & Midland Institute, Margaret Street, Birmingham B3 3BS from 09.30 to 17.00.
Lectures include:
  • Dr Allan Chapman FRAS (The Wonderful Century; From Atoms to Island Universes.  Astronomy in the 20th Century),  
  • Andrew Stevens (Observing the Andromeda Galaxy, Dec 1612 to date-a warps and all story!), 
  • Rob Peeling (William Henry Smyth, his life, placing his astronomical work in the wider context of his participation in British intellectual life in the 19th Century), 
  • Eddie Carpenter and John Chute (Sir Robert Stawell Ball),  
  • Bob Bower (The Artistic skills  of Lord Ross: His hitherto unpublished drawings),  Graham McLoughlin (The 1927 Solar Eclipse)
The entry fee is £10 per person for SHA members (£15 non-members). To book, contact Gerard Gilligan (meetings@shastro.org.uk).

Tuesday 14 August 2018

Next Meeting: Wednesday 26-Sep-2018

The next meeting will be on Wednesday 26-Sep-2018.

Our guest speaker will be Professor Jamie Gilmour, of the University of Manchester, who will speak about Meteorites and the Early Solar System.

Meetings start at 7:30 P.M. at the usual venue, the Burley Memorial Hall, Waverton, CH3 7QN

Friday 20 July 2018

Special Event: Friday 27-Jul-2018

We are holding a special meeting on Friday 27-Jul-2018.

The evening is special because there is a total eclipse of the moon.  Normally when this happens the moon takes on a deep orange-red hue as it passes through the earth's shadow.  This eclipse should appear more dramatic than usual because the moon will in total eclipse as it rises so atmospheric absorption should add to the effect.

As well as the lunar eclipse there should be a good display of planets: Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are all visible in the night sky.

The evening will also include:
  • A talk on the evening's events;
  • A telescope surgery;
  • Telescope observations (weather permitting).
The meeting starts at 8:00 P.M.  It will be held in a different location from our usual monthly meeting.  This meeting will be held at:

St. Peter's Church Hall, Hargrave   CH3 7RN
which is about two miles south of Waverton.

Next Meeting: Wednesday 25-Jul-2018

The next meeting will be on Wednesday 25-Jul-2018.

Our guest speaker will be Professor Ian Morison, of the University of Manchester, Jodrell Bank, who served as 35th Gresham Professor of Astronomy, Gresham College from 2007 to 2011.  His talk is called "It’s About Time".

Meetings start at 7:30 P.M. at the usual venue, the Burley Memorial Hall, Waverton, CH3 7QN

Tuesday 5 June 2018

Next Meeting: Wednesday 27-Jun-2018

The next meeting will be on Wednesday 27-Jun-2018.

Our guest speaker will be Dr. Jeff Wagg, from the University of Manchester, Jodrell Bank, Square Kilometre Array team, who will talk about "Building The World's Largest Radio Telescopes".

Meetings start at 7:30 P.M. at the usual venue, the Burley Memorial Hall, Waverton, CH3 7QN

Wednesday 9 May 2018

Next Meeting: Wednesday 30-May-2018

The next meeting will be on Wednesday 30-May-2018.

Our guest speaker will be Professor Philip James, from Liverpool John Moores University, who will talk about "Supernovae and the Evidence for Dark Energy".

Meetings start at 7:30 P.M. at the usual venue, the Burley Memorial Hall, Waverton, CH3 7QN

Saturday 14 April 2018

Data Protection Policy

Chester Astronomical Society has issued a Data Protection Policy to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation.  You can read about it here.

Saturday 7 April 2018

Next Meeting: Wednesday 25-Apr-2018

The next meeting will be on Wednesday 25-Apr-2018.

Our guest speaker will be Emeritus Professor Ian Robson, from the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, who will talk about " The Discovery of Quasars".

Meetings start at 7:30 P.M. at the usual venue, the Burley Memorial Hall, Waverton, CH3 7QN

Monday 12 March 2018

Next Meeting: Wednesday 28-Mar-2018

The next meeting will be on Wednesday 28-Mar-2018.

Our guest speaker will be Dr. Steve Barrett, from Liverpool University, who will talk about " The Beginning of Everything".

Meetings start at 7:30 P.M. at the usual venue, the Burley Memorial Hall, Waverton, CH3 7QN

Tuesday 13 February 2018

Next Meeting: Wednesday 28-Feb-2018 - Cancelled

The next meeting will be on Wednesday 28-Feb-2018.

Our guest speaker will be Professor Rob Jeffries, from the University of Keele, who will talk about "The Gaia Mission".

The meeting will be at 7:30 P.M. at the usual venue:  the Burley Memorial Hall, Waverton, CH3 7QN

This meeting has been cancelled because of the snow.

Saturday 27 January 2018

Astronomy Photographer of the Year

The Royal Museums Greenwich/Royal Observatory Greenwich are holding an Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition.  Full details are on the Royal Museums Greenwich website.

2018 Programme

The CAS 2018 Programme of events is now available here.

Society for the History of Astronomy Spring Conference

Spring Conference: 21-Apr-2018

The Society for the History of Astronomy are holding a Spring Conference at Cambridge University's Institute of Astronomy in April. Speakers and topics are:
Carolyn Kennett and Brian Sheen Ancient Skies and the Megaliths of Cornwall
Kevin Kilburn Forgotten Star Atlas
Nik Szymanek The Road to Modern Astrophotography
Kenelm England Berkshire Astronomers 5000 BC to AD 2018
Jonathan Maxwell Some lesser known aspects regarding the evolution of the refracting telescopes
Details can be found on their web site: www.shastro.org.uk.

Citizen Science Project

The University of Kent Centre of Astrophysics and Planetary Science is looking for amateur astronomers to help with a project: Hunting Outbursting Young Stars.  Dr Dirk Froebrich is running the project whose aim is long term, multi-filter optical photometric monitoring of young (age less than 10Myr), nearby (distances typically within 1kpc) star clusters or star forming regions.

Full details are available online at: http://astro.kent.ac.uk/~df/hoyscaps/index.html.