Astronomical Society of Haringey |
MEETINGS
UPDATED FEBRUARY 2021
IMPORTANT Because of the ongoing situation with the Covid 19, we do not know when we can next run a conventional meeting Consequently we have been running virtual meetings as from the May 2020 date, using Zoom, Skype or Teams NOTE - you do not need to have any of these programs actually installed on you computer - you are sent a URL (website link) and you just run that in your browser of choice |
For when conventional meetings return -
MEETING VENUE
Ye Olde Mitre Inne,
58 High Street,
High Barnet,
BARNET,
EN5 5SJ
The day for all meetings is set at the third Thursday of the relevant month.
But in case of changes it is always advisable to double-check the dates below.
Correct up until press day, these dates will also be found in the magazine and mentioned on
Doors open - 7.30pm : Main speaker - 8.00pm. Finish - 10.00pm
Vitual Meetings are current starting at 7.00pm
Meetings directly below are for 2021, reminders of what happened in
2020, 2019, 2018 & 2017, below these
Note that the NEXT meeting is always at the top of the list
(Previous meetings move to the bottom of the relevant year)
Meeting details for previous years - click the year : 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012
Clicking on photos where relevant (when you hover the mouse, the border will change colour) will bring up other websites or Facebook pages.
2021 |
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NEXT Keith Pritchard
Images - Orion Nebula and himself -Keith Pritchard The Stellina telescope -Vaonis |
THIS WILL BE A VIRTUAL MEETING [using TEAMS] 19.00hrs / 7.00pm FIRST LIGHT
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APRIL 22, 2021 Jim Webb photo : Mat Irvine
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THIS WILL BE A VIRTUAL MEETING [using TEAMS] 19.00hrs / 7.00pm DAN DARED
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MAY 20, 2021 Russell Parry photos : courtesy of Russell Parry |
THIS WILL BE A VIRTUAL MEETING [using TEAMS] 19.00hrs / 7.00pm APPLEY BRIDGE METEORITE –
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June 17, 2021 Dr Martin Braddock photo courtesy of Martin Braddock
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THIS WILL BE A VIRTUAL MEETING [using TEAMS] 19.00hrs / 7.00pm FUTURE CONCEPTS FOR SPACE TRAVEL Human beings are poorly adapted to live and work in space. To date, space missions rarely reach durations of longer than 6-9 months and during that time astronauts experience an environment that affects their physical and psychological well-being. Dr Martin Braddock is a professional scientist and project manager working in the field of drug discovery and development with 36 years’ experience of working in academic institutes and large corporate organisations. He holds a BSc in Biochemistry and a PhD in Radiation Biology (from the Radiation Biology Unit, Atomic Energy Research Establishment, Harwell Oxfordshire), is a former Royal Society University Research Fellow at the University of Oxford. He is currently working somewhere definitely in the news - AstraZeneca. He has a serious interest in astronomy and in 2015 was elected Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society. He is passionate about all aspects of Astronomy, Cosmology and Astrobiology, holds University qualifications in Cosmology, Astronomy and Planetary Sciences and Astrobiology from the University of Central Lancashire and Open University and is working towards an MSc in Space Science and Technology. Martin is an active committee member of the Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society and Newton’s Astronomical Society at Woolsthorpe, supporting these registered charities at public open events and regular society meetings. |
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POSTPONED FROM FEBRUARY-
Dale Baker photos : Mat Irvine |
THIS WILL BE A VIRTUAL MEETING [using TEAMS] 19.00hrs / 7.00pm THE AGE OF WHO
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previously for 2021 | ||||||
January 21, 2021 Dr Andrew Ball
Images Andrew Ball - courtesy himself ExoMars - artist impression on Mars |
THIS WILL BE A VIRTUAL MEETING [ZOOM] 19.00hrs / 7.00pm THE EXOMARS MISSION : ORBITING, LANDING, ROVING AND DRILLING ON MARS |
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February 18, 2021 ANOTHER CHANGE OF TALK images - NASA/JPL Caltech |
THIS WILL BE A VIRTUAL MEETING [using TEAMS] 19.00hrs / 7.00pm THE LANDING OF PERSEVERANCE
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previously for 2020 | ||||||
January 16th Dale Baker |
LIFE - WITH STRINGS ATTACHED - PART 2 Having been postponed from October 2019, we are pleased to say we can finally present Part 2 of Dale's intriguing look at the Pioneer of Puppetry - sixties style - the Life & Times of Gerry Anderson. |
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February 20th Jim Webb |
SNAPSHOT OF THE UNIVERSE A subject that often comes up as something we should literally be looking at, astrophotography will be the subject of this Meeting - overseen by our Chairman, Jim Webb |
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March 19th | OBSERVING EVENING |
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April 16th | Cancelled due to the COVID 19 situation |
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May 21st 6.00pm
Michael Franks |
VIRTUAL MEETING [ZOOM]
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June 18th Bill Barton |
VIRTUAL MEETING 18.00hrs / 6.00pm [ZOOM] FIAMMETTA WILSON, MANDOLINS & METEORS
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July 16th Mat Irvine
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VIRTUAL MEETING [ZOOM] ROBERT vs THE FLYING SAUCERS
This talk was given in 2015 in its original form, but that was five years ago - and this version is modified and updated! |
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August Summer Break |
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September 17th Ron Miller |
VIRTUAL MEETING [SKYPE] A LIFE IN SPACE
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October 8th Michael Franks
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THIS WILL BE A VIRTUAL MEETING [Teams] THE MARTIAN DICHOTOMY Forget your Olympus Mons, or Valles Marineris, probably the strangest feature on Mars is the distinct difference in elevations between the northern and southern hemispheres. Image Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin, |
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November 19th NOTE - Moved from the September date Jerry Stone |
THIS WILL BE A VIRTUAL MEETING THE ISS @ 20 Several space stations have been put into orbit, but the one that is most well known, and the largest by far, is the International Space Station, which has now been occupied for 20 years, marking mankind’s permanent presence in space. The ISS has been visited by over 200 people from 20 countries. To take us through the two decades of the ISS, we welcome back one of our Society’s regular speakers, Jerry Stone, with a new presentationphoto © NASA |
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December Winter Break |
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previously for 2019 |
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January 17th Bob Marriott For many years - 1991 -2016 - Bob Marrriott was the BAA's Curator of Instruments, and from 2003 - 2017 Director of Instruments and Imaging. He also produced the periodical 'I&I News' (newsletter of the Instruments and Imaging Section). Copies of those, and his own new publication, 'Occasional Notes', can be found and downloaded from his web site www.hamaldemon.com This will be his first visit to ASH, and looks as if it will be extremely interesting... |
THE SILVER-ON-GLASS REVOLUTION
From the mid-seventeenth century until the mid-nineteenth century, telescope mirrors were made of speculum metal – an alloy of copper and tin. (Example above is the Rosse Telescope mirror in the Science Museum) In addition to the age-old process of ‘silvering’ the back of domestic mirrors with a mercury amalgam, experiments in depositing metal films on speculum-metal mirrors and glass were attempted as early as the mid-eighteenth century, but these processes were intended only for aesthetic purposes and were of no use for optics. In the mid-1830s, Justus von Liebig succeeded in depositing a thin film of silver on a surface by chemical means, though this was an incidental effect resulting from his work on aldehydes. By the late 1850s, the process of depositing silver on glass had become sufficiently refined for optical purposes, resulting in a sudden ‘revolution’ in telescope technology. photo © Mat Irvine |
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February 21st Hosted by Treasurer |
THE CHANGING VIEW OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM Over the 60+ years of The Sky at Night, the programme has covered the Solar System many times. We will see contrasting episodes - 40 years apart! The first is from 1975 : 'The OUTER PLANETS', compared to one from 2017 : 'INTO THE DARK ZONE' This meeting has moved from September and November 2018 |
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March 21st George Emsden |
PROJECT ECHO The first communications satellite to be launched. It was a 'passive' satellite - in that it purely bounced signals - as against re-transmitting them, which 'active' satellites do. Echo was nevertheless an important milestone to world communications. George tells the story |
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WEDNESDAY April 24th Observing Evening hosted by Jim Webb |
OBSERVING EVENING At the ROYAL GUNPOWDER MILLS, Waltham Abbey Currently - rendezvous in the car park - orange arrow If you could require transport or need more details, contact the Chairman or 07801.577210 |
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May 16th Mat Irvine |
CAUSE & EFFECT The story of the BBC Visual Effects Department Partially based on the book by Mat Irvine and Mike Tucker - 'BBC VFX'
and yes - lots of science fiction..... |
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June 20th Jerry Stone
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THE FIRST MEN ON THE MOON - 50 YEARS ON
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July and August Summer Break |
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September 19th Dale Baker |
ANDERSON IS GO...! |
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October 17th | The meeting had to be cancelled due to a number of factors | |||||
November 21st Mat Irvine |
THE CRADLE OF AVIATION One of Mat's 'MAT' talks - or Mat's Astro Tours - a look round the Cradle of Aviation Museum on Long Island, NY - home of Grumman Aviation - that built the Apollo Lunar Module |
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previously for 2018 | ||||||
January 17th Dr Simon Drake & |
THE SKYE METEORITE The discovery of a meteor impact on the Isle of Skye caused much interest in the geological - and astronomical - communities, leading to the work done by our two speakers. The results have only recently been published in scientific journals, so we will be the first Society to hear the details |
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SATURDAY January 27th Alister Innes
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OBSERVING EVENING CANCELLED There will an Observing Evening with the hope of seeing the very close encounter of the bright star Aldebaran with the Moon. |
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February 15th Dale Baker |
RAY HARRYHAUSEN - THE MONSTER MOVIE MAKER Dale continues with more stories of his autograph hunting amongst the rich and famous - with time time concentrating on one of the most famous - animator Ray Harryhausen. And if you don't know the name you will know the movies - including |
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March 15th Mat Irvine |
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April 19th Hosted by Chairman
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OBSERVING EVENING After some changes - the Observing Evening WILL now take place on the scheduled date - at the Viewing Site (click for details on how to get there) The scene - skies permitting - should look similar to the image - taken a month ago, 19th March, with a three-day old Moon and a bright Venus. And there will be a lot more to discover as well |
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May 17th Hosted by Chairman
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OBSERVING EVENING As the April Observing Evening went so well, another one for May - before the skies get too bright in the evenings. Check OBSERVING for maps and details. |
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June 21st Dale Baker
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July and August |
SUMMER BREAK No meetings these months
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September 20th Greg Smye-Rumsby
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CAN WE LIVE ON MARS?
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FRIDAY October 19th Alister Innes
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OBSERVING EVENING AT THE BARNET VIEWING SITE - SEE OBSERVING MEET AT 8.00PM |
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November 15th Jerry Stone |
THE APPROACH OF APOLLO As we approach the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 in July 2019, the first Apollo flight away from the Earth was Apollo 8 in December 1968. Jerry takes a look at that mission, and the built-up to the actual landing, half a year later |
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December |
WINTER BREAK No meeting this month |
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previously for 2017 |
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January 12th Jim Webb & Alister Innes |
OBSERVING EVENING Meet at the Observing Site at the earlier time of 18.00hrs, 6.00pm POSTPONED |
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January 19th Dale Baker |
SIGN HERE PLEASE Society member Dale Baker collects autographs - but there's far more to it than that! The Society is well known for its eclectic talks, and here certainly is one as Dale will tell stories, show clips and - maybe - even reveal a few secrets (!) of our on-screen Science Fiction heroes.
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February 9th Jim Webb & Alister Innes |
OBSERVING EVENING Meet at the Observing Site at the earlier time of 18.00hrs, 6.00pm |
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February 16th Jim Webb |
CASSINI - GRAND FINALE The Saturn Cassini probe has only a few month left - it will be steered to destruction in the Saturnian atmosphere in September 2017. It has been in space for 20 years and has been one of the most successful planetary probes ever. Jim will be examining the legacy and what will be happening in the next few months. |
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March 16th Mat Irvine |
L.A. CONFIDENTIAL A recent visit to the 'City of Angels' involved an eclectic mix of scenes...
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April 1st Wayne Johnson |
OBSERVING EVENING at the Royal Gunpowder Mills Royal Gunpowder Mills, Beaulieu Drive, Waltham Abbey,EN9 1JX |
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April 20th Michael Franks
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NEWS FROM THE CAPE Michael continues his latest visit to the Kennedy Space Center, as featured in 2002, January and February, with more stories and photos
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May 18th Jim Webb & Alister Innes |
TELESCOPE MASTERCLASS We often assume all Society members automatically know all there is to know about telescope and viewing, but of course they may not, and anyway new members arrive, and they may not be fully knowledgeable as to 'how to get the best out of your instrument'! So for this meeting, Observing Officers Jim Webb (right) and Alister Innes (left) will take you through the basics, including the different types of 'scopes and lenses, and of course that a good pair of binoculars are also very useful for viewing the heavens |
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June 15th George Emsden |
SETI@HOME This slightly enigmatic title refers to the fact that firstly SETI - the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence - is still alive and well, and now through BOINC (Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing) anyone with spare downtime on their home computer (and most home computers are only used at 1% of their capacity) can join in the search. Past ASH member George Emsden, who participates in the exercise, will show how it is all achieved! |
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July - August | No meetings these months | |||||
September 21st
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DARKNESS VISIBLE POSTPONED until October
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October 5th |
DARKNESS VISIBLE Early date to coincide with SPACE WEEK Includes the AGM A round-up of the Total Solar Eclipse that will have occurred over a wide swath of the United States on 21st August - moved from September (Image shown from the 2006 total eclipse) |
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October 19th Alister Innes, Kyri Voskou and Jim Webb |
OBSERVING EVENING Held at the Barnet Site, Any enquiries, email observing@ashastro.co.uk During the evening it hoped we can spot both the outer planets - Uranus and Neptune
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November 16th Jerry Stone |
TIME and SPACE Our measurements of time have largely been derived from our observations of space. In addition, simple astronomical observations and timings can tell us remarkable things about Earth’s orbit around the Sun.
Astronomy gave us our day, month and year - though these divisions of time don’t last as long as most people think! There are other planets, where days and years are very different to those on Earth, so time really does depend on where you are in space.
Take a journey into time and space with Jerry Stone and find out how they are intertwined. Click here for a downloadable pdf that explains more |
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Saturday Members of the Society |
OBSERVING EVENING This is a first being held on a SATURDAY - we will see how this goes But potentially a good viewing opportunity, with the Moon being close to new The outermost planets, Uranus and Neptune, are both well placed for viewing and there is Comet 2107 O1 (ASASSN) near the Pole Star as a possible target |