ASHastro - Meetings

ASH Logo

MEETINGS

UPDATED SEPTEMBER 2023

IMPORTANT

We are continuing to run the general meetings 'virtually' (usually via Zoom) as we currently lack a convenient venue to meet

NOTE - you do not need to have any of the usual programs, Skype, Teams or Zoom, actually installed on you computer - you are sent a URL (website link) and you just run that in your browser of choice

The day for all meetings is generally the third Thursday of the relevant month
But there are the occasional changes, so 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
Virtual Meetings are current starting at 7.00pm, running until 9.00pm

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.

2023

September 21st 2023

Mat Irvine

THIS WILL BE A VIRTUAL MEETING [ZOOM]
19.00hrs / 7.00pm

VISIONARY
The Life and Times of
Sir Arthur C. Clarke

Perhaps best known as the 'inventor of the communications satellite' and for '2001 : A Space Odyssey', Arthur C. Clarke was far more than that. He was also Patron of the ASH, and of course brother of our founder, Fred Clarke, so Arthur had a close association with the Society. So a look back at his 'Life and Times', in an updated talk by your Editor.
The image shows Arthur signing one of his books at the second ASH meeting in 1971 [Mat Irvine]

October 19th 2023

TBA

previously for 2023

Dale Baker

January 19 2023

Dale Baker

photos : Mat Irvine

THIS WILL BE A VIRTUAL MEETING [ZOOM]
19.00hrs / 7.00pm

FROM SYLVESTER McCOY TO PASTURES NEW

[The Ages of Who - Part 3]

The end of the original run of Doctor Who, generally called ‘Classic Who’, was in 1989 and featured Sylvester McCoy as the seventh incarnation of the Doctor. Dale’s latest review of the continuing saga, looks at this era, and onto the somewhat barren ‘in between’ years that lasted from 1989 until the New Millennium. But in-between did come the infamous movie - American driven - behind which was the premise that it would kick-start Who much earlier? Dale consequently runs on from 1989 and examines the time an incarnation of a Doctor who (sorry) only appeared, for all practical purposes, once, though gained the number 8. He then travels forward in time to the appearance of long-time fan Russell T. Davis as show runner, and his reincarnation of the whole idea. This consequently involved a reincarnation of ‘The Doctor’, now in the form of Christopher Ecclestone as Doctor Number 9. And you never know the story may even run into Doctor Number 10…

Alister Innes

FRIDAY

February17th 2023

Observing

OBSERVING EVENING
BRUNSWICK PARK, OSIDGE LANE, BARNET, EN4 8JT

17th February 2023

Alister Innes

FRIDAY

March17th 2023

Observing

Alistair Innes

OBSERVING EVENING
BRUNSWICK PARK, OSIDGE LANE, BARNET, EN4 8JT

17th March 2023

!!! REMEMBER THIS IS FRIDAY !!!

Ideally arrive slightly before 7:00pm so that you can start setting up while it is still light

Drop your kit off at the gate and then park on the marked line shown on the map

It is still cold at night - so wear something warm  

The Moon is near new, so with the skies clear, should make for good viewing -  assuming no cloud cover!

If the weather is bad and we cannot observe, we can retire to The Osidge Arms (see map) 
for a virtual observing meeting

click on map for a larger verison

Alister Innes

FRIDAY

March 17th 2023

Observing

OBSERVING EVENING
BRUNSWICK PARK, OSIDGE LANE, BARNET, EN4 8JT

17th March 2023

Jim Webb

THURSDAY May 18th 2023

Jim

THIS WILL BE A VIRTUAL MEETING [ZOOM]
19.00hrs / 7.00pm

PECULIAR GALAXIES

The Universe - as we view it from our insignificant location, way out on one of the sprial arms of our own galalxie, The Milky Way - is populated by many, many other galaxies - as far as the eye - or these days very powerful telescopes with sophisticated digital light-collecting capabilities - can see

Many of these have very strange shapes, and invariably acquire nick-names.

ASH Chairman, Jim Webb, takes us on journey of some of the most 'Peculiar' of these Galaxies

Image - the Antennae Galaxies - two colliding galaxies, with the NGC numbers - NGC 4038 (top) and NGC 4039 (bottom). They are located in the consellation Corvus (the Crow) : NASA/ESA

Mat Irvine

June 15th 2023

Mat

photos - Mat Irvine

THIS WILL BE A VIRTUAL MEETING [ZOOM]
19.00hrs / 7.00pm

Deep Skies : The Space Sites of the Southwestern States

The skies of the southwestern states of the USA are wide and open, and the area is home to many 'space sites'. These include optical observatories, radio observatories, rocket launch sites, museums, oh, and a possible crash site of an alien spaceship... Based on an original talk, this has been updated.

Crashsite

July and August

SUMMER BREAK

Summer Break

previously for 2022

Jim Webb

January 20 2022

Jim Webb

photo above : Mat Irvine

right : NASA/JPL

THIS WILL BE A VIRTUAL MEETING [ZOOM]
19.00hrs / 7.00pm

PICS IN SPACE

ASH Chairman Jim Webb looks at the way space imaging has changed over the years, from ground-based telescopes, through to larger and larger telescopes being placed in orbit. This has recently culminated with the largest such observatory so far being orbited, the James Webb Space Telescope (No relation to the Chairman!)

JWST

Members of the Society
February 17, 2022

ASH Logo

photos : Mat Irvine

THIS WILL BE A VIRTUAL MEETING [SKYPE]
19.00hrs / 7.00pm

small talk

It's been almost 10 years since our last Small Talk, (October 2012), so newer members may wonder what this is all about?
It originally came about as we found some members had enough information for a - literally - small talk, but not enough for a full meeting. So we put them all together and allowed them to speak for, well, a small length of time, (the exact length didn't really matter). Sometimes we did a meeting with just two speakers, and there was at least one where five spoke. It can also generate some healthy debate.

Above - as an example - the January 2005 small talk, which had the five speakers -
l-r - Gary Marriott, Charles Towler, Michael Franks, Mike Roberts and Mat Irvine,
- and the topics...(again l-r) first pictures from Huygens; Transit of Venus; Highest point in the Canaries - Mount Teide; the Meade ETX105 telescope; and Blake's 7....

March 17, 2022

DALE BAKER

Dale Baker

photos : Mat Irvine

THIS WILL BE A
VIRTUAL MEETING [ZOOM]
19.00hrs / 7.00pm

THE AGES OF WHO
Part 2
BAKER TO BAKER

Dale Baker continues his look at the actors who have played Doctor Who over the years

This time almost a 'Bakers Dozen' (well three anyway) with Dale (Baker #1) looking at Tom Baker #2, to Colin Baker, #3, not forgetting of course, Peter Davison in between

Jim Webb & Alister Innes

April 21 2022

Observing

OBSERVING EVENING
BRUNSWICK PARK, OSIDGE LANE, BARNET

Ideally arrive about 7:30pm so that you can start setting up while it is still light 

Alister and I will be there to greet you.

Drop your kit off at the gate and then park on the marked line shown on the map

It could be a coldish evening so wear something warm

If the weather is bad and we cannot observe, we can retire The Osidge Arms (see map) 
for a virtual observing meeting                                                               
                                                                                                                   Jim Webb, Chair

click on map for a larger verison

Jerry Stone FBIS

May 19 2022

Jerry Stone

Jerry Stone is a Freelance Space Presenter, giving presentations on a wide range of astronomy and space exploration topics across the UK and abroad.

THIS WILL BE A VIRTUAL MEETING [ZOOM]
19.00hrs / 7.00pm

EXPLORING THE HIGHLANDS OF THE MOON
Celebrate the 50th anniversary of Apollo 16

Apollo 16 was the second of the “J” missions, where the scientific content was increased by both the extended time on the Moon and the inclusion of a Lunar Roving Vehicle, which allowed the astronauts to cover a much greater area of the lunar surface.
Apollo 16's landing almost didn't happen, due to a problem with the Service Module’s main engine and the rules regarding astronaut safety. However, this was overcome.
The landing site in the Descartes Highlands offered dramatic views with mountains and large rocks. Viewers back on Earth were able to follow the activities of John Young, making his fourth spaceflight, and Charlie Duke, the youngest person to walk on the Moon.
Apollo 16 was also the only mission to put a telescope on the Moon – designed to operate in ultra-violet light – and it also included the Lunar Olympics and a Grand Prix!

Since 2018 he has been giving a series of presentations at the British Interplanetary Society celebrating the 50th anniversary of each one of the Apollo flights. He has also been a regular guest at ASH meetings.

Tony Sizer

June 16 2022

Tony Sizer

THIS WILL BE A VIRTUAL MEETING [ZOOM]
19.00hrs / 7.00pm

HOW THE MILKY WAY GOT ITS ARMS

Rudyard Kipling, in the Just So Stories, tells us how the leopard got its spots and how the rhinoceros got its skin but never mentions how the Milky Way got its arms? Yet spiral galaxies, of which the Milky Way - or 'our Home Galaxy ' - is one, are one of the most common types of galaxy. Tony Sizer gives one idea as to how spiral arms might form - with a little help from sandcastles and motorways.

Tony is a member of the Orpington Astronomical Society, and was regular speaker to the Society. However this hasn't occurred for some years now, so a welcome return.

Image : Robert Hurt, IPAC; Bill Saxton, NRAO/AUI/NSF

Alister Innes

NOTE CHANGE OF DAY

FRIDAY
September 16 2022
(not the usual Thursday)

Alistair Innes

OBSERVING EVENING
BRUNSWICK PARK, OSIDGE LANE, BARNET

The nights are drawing in, so darker a bit earlier each evening, and a lot to see 'up there' 
The Summer Triangle, the asterism of the three bright stars Vega, Deneb and Altair are very prominent, 
and you can't really miss Jupiter

Ideally arrive at our traditional 'start' time - 20.00hrs/8:00pm - so that you can start setting up while it is still light 
Alister will be there to greet you

Drop your gear off at the gate and then park where marked on the map

It's getting slightly chillier in the evenings, so it is advisable to wear something warm

If it's totally overcast or the weather is bad and we cannot observe, we can retire to The Osidge Arms (see map) 
for a virtual observing meeting 

Any questions email observing@ashastro.co.uk                                                              
                                                                                                                                                Jim Webb, Chair

click on map for a larger verison

October 20th

Mat Irvine

VIRTUAL MEETING [ZOOM] 19.00hrs / 7.00pm

IT STARTED IT WITH A BEEP

This month has a significant date in any space enthusiast's calendar - the 4th. It was on that date that the world's first artificial satellite was launched - Sputnik 1. As far as satellites in general go, it was hardly sophisticated, but it will always hold the record as 'the first'.

But everyone assumed that the Americans would get there first - so what gave the Soviet Union the advantage? Mat explains that is was basically down to the lack of technology that won, and looks back at what put the Soviets in the running for this achievement.

We do, ahem, of course have this current situation with Russia vs The Rest of the World (well most of it..), which seem highly unlikely to have been resolved by this month.

But always remember :
"The past is a foreign country... (they do things differently there...")

November 17th

Jerry Stone FBIS

VIRTUAL MEETING [ZOOM] 19.00hrs / 7.00pm

APOLLO 17 : THE LAST MEN ON THE MOON - FOR NOW!

As we start the new NASA era of crewed space exploration with Project Artemis, Jerry completes his round-up of 50 years of the Project Apollo Missions with Apollo 17.

Launched 7th December 1972, the mission lasted over 12 days until the splashdown on 19th. It carried the crew of the Commander Gene Cernan, Command Module Pilot, Ron Evans and Lunar Model Pilot, Harrison Schmitt. Schmitt was the first - and only - Apollo astronaut to be a scientist first and an astronaut second and was chosen as they needed a geologist on the Moon! He was - to date - the last person to step down onto the Lunar surface, though not the last - to date - to actually stand on the Moon, as Cernan, as Commander, was the last to leave.

Loads more of intriguing details in Jerry's talk.

December

No Meeting This Month

WINTER BREAK

But the skies are still there and although outside will be crisp and cold, it is more likely to be clear, so be sure to wrap up warm, and 'look up'

Observatory

previously for 2021

January 21, 2021

Dr Andrew Ball

Andrew ball

Images

Andrew Ball - courtesy himself

ExoMars - artist impression on Mars
Roll mouse over image for the Rover under test - ESA

THIS WILL BE A VIRTUAL MEETING [ZOOM]

19.00hrs / 7.00pm

THE EXOMARS MISSION : ORBITING, LANDING, ROVING AND DRILLING ON MARS

The EXO MARS Rover is the European Mars Rover, primarily built and assembled by Airbus Defence and Space, in the UK. Other elements are from the Canadian Space Agency for the wheels and Roscosmos (Russian Space Agency) for the radioisotope heater units and the lander itself.

The Rover has now been named 'Rosalind Franklin' after the British chemist and DNA pioneer. Parachute landing tests have just been taking place in the USA.

Andrew Ball is a Systems Engineer at ESA ESTEC, Noordwijk in The Netherlands.

He was a postdoctoral research fellow at the OU until joining ESA in 2008. He last spoke to the Society in 2007, so we wish him a welcome return.

February 18, 2021

ANOTHER CHANGE OF TALK

Perseverance

images - NASA/JPL Caltech

THIS WILL BE A VIRTUAL MEETING [TEAMS]

19.00hrs / 7.00pm

THE LANDING OF PERSEVERANCE

The landing of NASA's Mars Rover, Perseverance, precisely coincides with the next meeting, so we have decided to devote the meeting to this

Join us from 7.00pm / 19.00hrs, including the live NASA feed and, we trust, lively discussion

March 18, 2021

Keith Pritchard

Images -

Orion Nebula and himself -Keith Pritchard

The Stellina telescope -Vaonis

THIS WILL BE A VIRTUAL MEETING [TEAMS]

19.00hrs / 7.00pm

FIRST LIGHT

Keith posted some amazing images on the ASH facebook page, that he had shot using his new Stellina telescope, designed and built by the French company, Vaonis.

Stellina is basically a camera with a long lens. It used a CCD for imaging, the results then viewed on whatever screen you want. Some processing has to be done, but given Keith is working in London area, the results are amazing - such as the Orion Nebula - below

The Sellina below - Keith will be explaining the way it all works during this meeting

Stellina

APRIL 22, 2021

Jim Webb

photo : Mat Irvine

THIS WILL BE A VIRTUAL MEETING [TEAMS]

19.00hrs / 7.00pm

“HE DARED TO GO – FIRST…”

America may have had Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon, but we had Dan Dare!
ASH Chairman, Jim Webb, has always had a fascination with the 'Pilot of the Future', and for this meeting takes us through many of the aspects of the most famous character to come out of The Eagle comic

MAY 20, 2021

Russell Parry

photos : courtesy of Russell Parry

THIS WILL BE A VIRTUAL MEETING [TEAMS]

19.00hrs / 7.00pm

APPLEY BRIDGE METEORITE –
THE SPACE ROCK THAT HIT LANCASHIRE

This is the fascinating story of the fall and find of the Appley Bridge meteorite in 1914 as told through newspaper reports and archive documents of the time.

It tells the story of the confusion with enemy Zeppelins, the confiscation of the meteorite by the police and its subsequent release for analysis.

Russell has many previously unseen photographs of the meteorite and images provided by various organisations around the World.

He has written a 3-part play for Radio 4, based on his book. This is currently in pre-production, for a planned transmission later this year.

June 17, 2021

Dr Martin Braddock

Martin Braddock

photo courtesy of Martin Braddock

THIS WILL BE A VIRTUAL MEETING [TEAMS]

19.00hrs / 7.00pm

FUTURE CONCEPTS FOR SPACE TRAVEL
– LIFE JIM BUT NOT AS WE KNOW IT

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.
In this talk Martin reviews the safety record of space travel and the some of the major effects of microgravity on astronaut health and the mitigation measures that are in place. With a future-looking lens, he will consider the possibilities for deep space travel and the challenges that need to be overcome to permit long term missions,and asks - and attempts to answer -some of the ethical questions raised.
He asks that you please come with an open mind!

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.

September 16, 2021

Jerry Stone FBIS

Jerry Stone

Jerry is well known to members of ASH, having given us at least one presentation each year for the last 15 years!

He is a Freelance Space Presenter, giving talks all over the UK and abroad, and is an acknowledged space expert, particularly on Apollo

He has written the book; "One Small Step" for the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11 (above), and another; "Find Out: Space Travel" - which he dedicated to his grand-daughter - for the 50th anniversary. These can be ordered from Jerry: contact him at jerry.stone2001@gmail.com

THIS WILL BE A VIRTUAL MEETING

19.00hrs / 7.00pm

HOW WE REACHED THE MOON

When the Soviet Union stunned the United States by launching the first artificial satellite and also put the first man into space, America had to respond - and to do so in a way that would clearly show a superiority in space exploration.

So, in 1961, President Kennedy laid down a bold challenge - to "Land a man on the Moon and return him safely to Earth - and to do it before the end of the decade!"

Yet at that time, the Moon rocket only existed on paper, and the landing craft hadn't even been designed, so how did they do it, and what were the chances that conspired to determine that Neil Armstrong would become the first person to walk on the Moon?

We follow the Apollo Program, from its beginnings to achieving its objective, from tragedy through to triumph, in Jerry's highly visual presentation that looks in detail behind the scenes at this magnificent achievement.

photos - left: Mat Irvine, right: NASA

October 21, 2021

Dr Peter Altman

Peter Altman

Book

THIS WILL BE A VIRTUAL MEETING [ZOOM]

19.00hrs / 7.00pm

ALIEN LIFE - What are the Chances?

The concept of alien life, for many years relegated to the realms of Science Fiction, is now mainstream. Rovers on Mars are actively looking for biological signatures, over 4,000 exoplanets have been discovered, many with Earth-like properties, and Astrobiology is now a respected branch of Science.

As Arthur C Clarke once said, “Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying.” It’s not possible to prove the absence of alien life but much effort is being put in to obtain evidence for its existence.

Dr Peter Altman trained as a biochemist and now works as a science writer and speaker. His areas of special interest include cosmology, biochemistry and photography. He is the Founder and Chairman of the Bricket Wood Science Group and a member of the Magic Circle in London.

This talk is based on his book 'Mysteries of the Universe – Answerable & Unanswerable Questions'

photos - left : Peter Altman; right : Mat Irvine

POSTPONED from earlier in the year

November 18, 2021

Dale Baker

photos : Mat Irvine

THIS WILL BE A VIRTUAL MEETING [ZOOM]

19.00hrs / 7.00pm

THE AGE OF WHO

Dale has always been fascinated with on-screen science fiction, so this time he take a look at the world's longest-running SF series, Doctor Who, though from a slightly different point of view.

He will be looking at the Doctors themselves - how they differed and how the various actors portrayed them - even if they are of course the portraying same person...

December 2021

CHRISTMAS BREAK

bbb

design and photo: mat irvine

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.

February 20th

Jim Webb

photos : Mat Irvine

SNAPSHOT OF THE UNIVERSE

Sun- partial eclipse

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

March 19th

OBSERVING EVENING
Cancelled due to the COVID 19 situation

April 16th

Cancelled due to the COVID 19 situation

May 21st 6.00pm

Michael Franks

photo : Mat Irvine

VIRTUAL MEETING [ZOOM]
ASTROBIOLOGY :
THE SEARCH FOR LIFE ELSEWHERE IN THE UNIVERSE

Michael will be looking at the evolution of life on Earth. How life - as we know it - works and where we might find life elsewhere. This will include an examination - and explanation - of the infamous Drake Equation! He will look at the history of searching for life on Mars; the first landers on Mars – Viking; the Allen Hills meteor; and other traces of life on Mars. The talk will review the other places where we might life in the Solar System, such as Europa, Titan, Enceladus and Miranda. Then further out into the Universe where exoplanets get a mention.

Image -
Bhen - the Benevolant BEM, by David Hardy
courtesy and © David Hardy

June 18th

Bill Barton

VIRTUAL MEETING 18.00hrs / 6.00pm [ZOOM]

FIAMMETTA WILSON, MANDOLINS & METEORS

Having initially been destined for a life in music (as many ladies were in her time), she then discovered astronomy, and particularly meteors. Between the years 1910 to 1920, she observed about 10,000 meteors and accurately calculated the paths of 650 of them.
In 1913, she made an independent rediscovery of Westphal's Comet while it was passing the Earth. After publishing many papers, she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society in January 1916, one of the very few lady Fellows at the time.
And she had a direct connection to the Society, and our current meeting place, as she spent all her life, including the observing, in Barnet Lane, Totteridge which is a couple of miles away from the Mitre Inne.
2020 marks one hundred years since her death.

Bill Barton FRAS, is Deputy Director,
British Astronomical Association, Historical Section.

image courtesy The British Library

July 16th

Mat Irvine

VIRTUAL MEETING [ZOOM]

ROBERT vs THE FLYING SAUCERS

This slightly odd title (?) reflects the equally odd situation of a certain small town in New Mexico, USA that in the 20th Century boasted two significant 'space events'.
One was long term - the arrival of a rocket pioneer who needed the wide open spaces for his experiments.
The other event was initially far more short-lived - though the ramifications are still reverberating…
More will be revealed during this fully illustrated talk, including the name of that New Mexican town.
(In case you still haven't worked that out... it begins with 'R')

This talk was given in 2015 in its original form, but that was five years ago - and this version is modified and updated!

August

Summer Break

photo © Mat Irvine

September 17th
7.00pm / 19.00hrs

Ron Miller

photos : Mat Irvine

VIRTUAL MEETING [SKYPE]

A LIFE IN SPACE

As we are having to hold meetings in a slightly different way, why not take advantage of the fact that the speaker does not have to be ‘local’ – or even in the same country?

So for the first time ever for the ASH, we are very pleased to announce that our guest for this meeting will be speaking from Virginia, USA!

The speaker is Ron MiIler, one of the foremost space artists in the States – and the world.

Author of many books on astronomy and space travel, Ron has also designed a set of stamps of the planets for the US Post Office, was a producer on the documentary about the earlier American space artist Chesley Bonestell; and even created his own comic book hero – or rather heroine - Velda : Girl Detective!
(Roll-over image for Velda!)

So a lot for Ron to talk about – be sure to join us on 17th!

Also check out Ron’s website www.black-cat-studios.com

October 8th
NOTE EARLIER DATE TO COINCIDE WITH SPACE WEEK

Michael Franks

Michael

photo : Mat Irvine

THIS WILL BE A VIRTUAL MEETING [Teams]

THE MARTIAN DICHOTOMY
- with a nod to Edgar Rice Burroughs

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.
Known as the Martian Dichotomy, this difference can be up to three kilometres.
Basically is comes down to the north is fairly flat, while the south is mountainous.
Michael will examine the various hypotheses as to why this should be?

Mars

Image Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin,

November 19th

NOTE - Moved from the September date

Jerry Stone

photo : Mat Irvine

THIS WILL BE A VIRTUAL MEETING

THE ISS @ 20

ISS

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 presentation

photo © NASA

December

Winter Break

photo © Mat Irvine

previously for 2019

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

Rosse mirror

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

February 21st

Hosted by Treasurer
Kyri Voskou

Kyri Voskou

photo : Mat Irvine

THE CHANGING VIEW OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM
- AS SEEN BY THE SKY AT NIGHT

The Sky at Night

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

March 21st

George Emsden

photo : Mat Irvine

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

photo : NASA

WEDNESDAY April 24th
CHANGE to the date and location

Observing Evening

hosted by

Jim Webb
Kyri Voskou
Alister Innes

(click sign for RGM's own site)

photo : Mat Irvine

OBSERVING EVENING

RGM - map

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

CONTACTS

or 07801.577210

May 16th

Mat Irvine

Mat'n'Mike

photos : 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.....

June 20th

Jerry Stone

photo : Mat Irvine

right : NASA

THE FIRST MEN ON THE MOON - 50 YEARS ON

Apollo 11

July and August

Summer Break

photo : Mat Irvine

September 19th

Dale Baker

photos : Mat Irvine

ANDERSON IS GO...!

Gerry Anderson

October 17th

The meeting had to be cancelled due to a number of factors

November 21st

Mat Irvine

photos : Mat Irvine

THE CRADLE OF AVIATION

CofA - LM

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

previously for 2018

January 17th

Dr Simon Drake &
Dr Andrew Beard

THE SKYE METEORITE

Skye

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

SATURDAY January 27th

Alister Innes

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.
Meet at the Society's Observing Site in Barnet - click here for details - at 17.00hrs/ 5pm as the event takes place at 18.00hrs.
Other sites to possibly view, will be the Hyades and Plieades star clusters and the two bright craters on the Moon - Tycho and Copernicus

Moon

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
7th Voyage of Sinbad; Jason and the Argonauts; Clash of the Titans

Ray Harryhausen

March 15th

Mat Irvine

THE VIEW FROM SERENDIP
The Life and Times of
Sir Arthur C. Clarke

December 12th, 2017 would have been the 100th birthday of our late Patron, so for most of 2018, we are still 'in the year'. Two achievements of Arthur's possibly stand out - amongst the general public anyway - the 'invention of the communications satellite' and his work on 2001 : A Space Odyssey - but there was much more besides. Come along to hear much more about this extraordinary visionary

April 19th

Hosted by Chairman
Jim Webb

Jim Webb

OBSERVING EVENING

Moon & Venus

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

May 17th

Hosted by Chairman
Jim Webb

Jim Webb

OBSERVING EVENING

Crescent Moon

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.
The Moon - skies permitting - should look similar to the image - a very thin crescent as the Moon is but 2 days old - and it will be very close to Venus.
And there will be a lot more to discover as well

June 21st

Dale Baker

RAY HARRYHAUSEN - THE MONSTER
MOVIE MAKER
Part 2

Dale continues his intriguing look at one of the pioneers of movie special effects.

This time he concentrates on Ray Harryhausen's later movies - his last one being The Clash of the Titans

July and August

Summer Break

SUMMER BREAK

No meetings these months

September 20th

Greg Smye-Rumsby

Greg

CAN WE LIVE ON MARS?

The talk will be about the many problems with the prospect of living on Mars. From the lack of a protective magnetic field, poisonous atmosphere, lack of plant- growing sunlight and, (possibly the most devastating), the complete lack of pubs. Permanent occupation of Mars by humans may not be a possibility...

Greg works at the Royal Observatory Greenwich presenting planetarium shows, school workshops, adult evening classes and occasionally presenting on radio and television. He also work for Astronomy Now magazine, creating artwork and writing articles.

He's given many lectures at various venues over the years, including the Society.

FRIDAY October 19th

Alister Innes

OBSERVING EVENING

AT THE BARNET VIEWING SITE - SEE OBSERVING

MEET AT 8.00PM

November 15th

Jerry Stone

THE APPROACH OF APOLLO

Apollo 8

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

December

Winter

WINTER BREAK

No meeting this month

previously for 2017

January 12th

Jim Webb & Alister Innes

OBSERVING EVENING

Meet at the Observing Site at the earlier time of 18.00hrs, 6.00pm

POSTPONED

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.

Signings

February 9th

Jim Webb & Alister Innes

OBSERVING EVENING

Meet at the Observing Site at the earlier time of 18.00hrs, 6.00pm

Observing

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.

Cassini-Saturn

March 16th

Mat Irvine

Griffith

L.A. CONFIDENTIAL

A recent visit to the 'City of Angels' involved an eclectic mix of scenes...

No not the Oscars, but instead the Griffith Observatory (left) and its recently-built basement exhibition on the Solar System and a private conducted tour of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory! Oh and K-9 happened to be visiting as well. All will be revealed at the meet!

April 1st

Wayne Johnson

OBSERVING EVENING

at the Royal Gunpowder Mills

RGM - map

Royal Gunpowder Mills, Beaulieu Drive, Waltham Abbey,EN9 1JX

April 20th

Michael Franks

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

Saturn 1B - KSC

May 18th

Jim Webb & Alister Innes

Telescopes

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

June 15th

George Emsden

Jodrell Bank MkII

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!

July - August

No meetings these months

September 21st

DARKNESS VISIBLE

POSTPONED until October

October 5th

Total Solar Eclispe 2006

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)

October 19th

Alister Innes, Kyri Voskou and Jim Webb

OBSERVING EVENING

Held at the Barnet Site,
see OBSERVING for location maps and details

Any enquiries, email observing@ashastro.co.uk

During the evening it hoped we can spot both the outer planets - Uranus and Neptune

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

Saturday
November 18th

Members of the Society

Observing

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

Observing