Andover Astronomical Society

Club Events

Evening Club Nights/Observing Sessions 2017/2018

The society has meetings on the third Thursday of each month from September through to April.
We do not currently meet in the summer months.
All meetings start at 7:30pm and are held in the village hall at Grateley.
Details of the current programme are given below:-                           

Date

Title

Lecturer

 Details Observing (Click for details)
September 15th

’13 Journeys through Space & Time’

 

 

Colin Stuart
Astronomy writer and speaker

 A talk about the author’s latest book which looks at Royal Institution Christmas Lectures on Space from 1881 to 2015 Summer Triangle.
The constellations of Lyra, Cygnus and Aquila dominate the sky. No moon so the sky should be nice and dark.
October 19th 'Dinosaurs on the Moon'

Dr David Whitehouse
Astronomy writer & speaker

 		   Andromeda Galaxy.
Tonight the constellation of Andromeda is high in the sky with our nearest spiral galaxy M31. No moon so the sky should be nice and dark.
November 16th

‘Cataclysmic Variables’

Dr Christian Knigge
Dept of Physics & Astronomy
Southampton University

 		   Perseus and Andromeda
M31 will be high in the sky again. Perseus is also well placed so a chance to see the double cluster. Uranus might be visible in the south.
December 21st

Christmas Party and Bring & Buy Sale followed by talk:
‘The Herschels’

 AAS member Alan Dowdell The astronomical achievements of the famous Herschel family Taurus
Another moon free night. Taurus and Orion are also well placed, so the Orion Nebula M42 will be worth observing. 
January 18th 'Galaxy Evolution and Formation'

Prof Claudia Maraston
Institute of Cosmology & Gravitation
University of Portsmouth

   Orion
And another moon-free night. This will be ideal for observing the Orion Nebula and the Crab nebula.
February 15th

‘Guest Stars, Ancient & Modern’

Guy Hurst

Editor, ‘The Astronomer’		 A summary of the brightest naked eye ‘new’ stars of the last 2000 years Gemini, Taurus
We should be able to observe Gemini and Taurus, which are high in the sky, so the Pleiades should be observable. 
March 15th

‘Have Telescope Will Travel’

 Mark Radice Astronomy from more exotic locations Leo, Cancer
Cancer is high in the south so a chance to see the famous star cluster M44 the Praesepe. Leo is also well up with its many galaxies.
April 19th

AGM followed by talk:

‘Debunking the Apollo Hoax Protagonists’

 Graham Bryant A critical review of several of the more popular Apollo hoax theories Leo
Leo will be high in the sky.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click here to see a copy of the society's health and safety plan which particularly relates to our observing sessions.
which are held after the talks, in the car park outside the village hall.