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| 26-Sep | Simon Dawes - High Resolution Solar Observation and Imaging Bredhurst Village Hall  Simon will explain how to observe the Sun safely and then how to optimise your own solar imaging set-up to get the best out of it. SPEAKER DETAILSSimon Dawes  Simon Dawes, has been passionate about observing the heavens for over 30 years. His dedication to Astronomy was recognized by the British Astronomical Association, which awarded him the prestigious Sir Patrick Moore Prize for his significant contributions to Pro-Am collaborations on exoplanet transit observations. Simon has successfully observed more than 100 transits, earning a Silver award from the ExoClock Organisation in 2023. He holds an Honours degree in Physics, has built 2 telescopes and modified many others. | |
| 10-Oct | Tony Roberts - John Flamsteed, first Astronomer Royal and the formation of the Royal Greenwich Observatory Bredhurst Village Hall 300 years ago if you wanted to find your position east or west on an ocean, your longitude, there was no accurate way of doing so. There was a method suggested to King Charles II, but it needed an accurate detailed star map and there wasn’t one. Who could rectify this omission and where would they do the work? This is that story. SPEAKER DETAILSTony Roberts  Tony's interest in astronomy started in childhood in the late 1960s. He remembers the delicious dark skies of the Winter of Discontent and the power cuts! Croydon was never darker! He joined Croydon Asronomical Society in 1977 and was a small part of the team that opened the Norman Fisher Observatory at Kenley in 1979. He became Chairman in 1985-87 and also served in that role from 2016-25. He is Chairman of Edenbridge & District Astronomers and also of the Southern Area Group of Astronomical Societies (SAGAS). With a passion for sharing the science and wonder of the night sky Tony is involved in various outreach programmes at Croydon and elsewhere and operates as a STEM Ambassador. He was elected FRAS in 1984. In astronomy his main interests are observing comets, variable stars and Saturn and the history of astronomy. Outside of astronomy Tony is a Churchwarden, occasional motorcyclist and lapsed pilot with 23 types on logbook. | |
| 24-Oct | FAMILY SPACE NIGHT **ALL WEATHER EVENT** Bredhurst Village Hall  DETAILS AND GET YOUR TICKET If you want some more fun for yourself or your children or grandchildren during the Half Term holiday, then look no further than our Family Space Night! We are offering a brilliant evening which will include a beginner's guide to the night sky and displays about astronomy and space, We will have some hands on activities for the younger children from age 7 upwards. There will be plenty to occupy adults too! Come along and learn about Space and Astronomy and, weather permitting, go outside and look at some interesting astronomical sights through a selection of telescopes. We will have the latest electronically assisted observing telescopes allowing several people to log on and view the objects at the same time, as well as more conventional designs. Steps will be provided to help shorter adults and children reach the eyepieces. Some highlights to look forward to: - Hands-on displays about Space and our Solar System - An exciting talk to give an introduction to the wonders of the night sky - Moon rock and Meteorites: Look at different meteorites and hold a piece of the Moon!! - some Meteorites available for purchase - Craft activites for youngsters (7+) - Stargazing outside (weather permitting) PLUS - PLUS - PLUS - FREE REFRESHMENTS - tea, coffee,squash and biscuits - other refreshments on sale - RAFFLE with impressive prizes. In the past two Family Space Night events, we have had over 150 people visiting, so this is very popular and not one to be missed. Doors open at 19:30pm. ENTRY ONLY BY ADVANCE PURCHASE OF TICKETS. £5 for non-member adults £2 for members Under 18s are FREE but they MUST be accompanied by an adult. REMEMBER! It may well be quite cold outside at this time of year so wrap up warm if you are venturing outside to do some stargazing and to look through the telescopes. POLITE REQUEST Whilst it will obviously be dark outside we ask you not to use normal white light torches near the telescopes as they will spoil your night vision and that of others. We will have red lights to guide you to and from the telescopes. PLEASE NOTE - we are all volunteers and the programme of events may change due to circumstances beyond our control. | |
| 14-Nov | Laura Mullin - Opportunities for Radio Astronomy from Home Bredhurst Village Hall Budding amateur astronomers have many resources for starting out with optical telescopes, but giving radio astronomy a try can seem a bit more daunting. This talk will introduce the sorts of observations you might carry out and the sort of equipment needed. SPEAKER DETAILSDr Laura Mullin  Dr Laura Mullin is currently an Associate Lecturer with the OU School of Physical Sciences, supporting undergraduate and post graduate students on astronomy, astrophysics and space science courses. She started her career by undertaking a Ph.D in radio astronomy but has worked more broadly in space related roles since then. This includes a year with CNES at the Guiana Space Centre, a postdoc at the University of Bremen and a few years working for Airbus Defence and Space in the Industrial Operations Team, which was involved with preparing increment operations on ESA's Columbus module. Prior to the OU, she worked at UCL's Mullard Space Science laboratory as a tutor on the MSc Systems Engineering Management and as project manager for the MSSL contributions to the JUICE and the Daniel K. Inouye solar telescope cameras. | |
| 28-Nov | Ian Ridpath - Pictures in the sky: the origin and history of the constellations Bredhurst Village Hall In the days before writing, storytellers used the sky as a picture book to illustrate their tales of gods, mythical heroes and fabulous beasts. Those pictures among the stars were the origin of our system of constellations. Today, the entire sky is divided into 88 constellations of varying shapes and sizes. This talk, which includes illustrations from some of the world's greatest star atlases, will trace the origin of the constellation system back to Greek times and explain who filled in the gaps between the ancient Greek figures, who decided on the official boundaries between constellations, and how the names of certain stars came about. SPEAKER DETAILSDr Ian Ridpath  Ian Ridpath has been a full-time writer, editor, broadcaster, and lecturer on astronomy and space since 1972. Previously he worked for two years at the University of London Observatory and then in publishing. He is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society (Council member 2004-07) and a member of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), as well as a member of the Society of Authors and a Life Member of the Association of British Science Writers. Ian has written or edited over 40 books. He is editor of the Oxford Dictionary of Astronomy and the last three editions of Norton's Star Atlas, and a member of the International Astronomical Union's Working Group on Star Names. His website on constellation history, Star Tales, can be found at http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/contents.html His hobbies include collecting postage stamps with an astronomical theme and is also interested in the way in which astronomical phenomena can give rise to UFO reports. He has investigated a number of UFO cases, most notably the celebrated Rendlesham Forest UFO case of 1980. | |
| 12-Dec | MKAS Christmas Social - MEMBERS and their guests ONLY Bredhurst Village Hall  A chance for Members and their guests to relax, chat and enjoy each other's company at our annual Christmas Social. Free entry plus a free raffle ticket for each Member on arrival with an array of prizes to be won. We will provide free refreshments but you may want to bring along your own wine or beer (or perhaps something stronger) if you wish and aren't driving. Please also bring your own festive food to share. Sausage rolls and any other savoury items and mince pies can be warmed up in the kitchen. Naz will host a SciFi quiz and Dingbats to go alongside the usual eating, drinking and chat. James will bring some Christmas music. We look forward to seeing you in your party hats to get the festive season underway. |
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