November 19th

NOTE - Moved from the September date

Jerry Stone

THIS WILL BE A VIRTUAL MEETING

20 YEARS OF THE ISS

photo © NASA

December

Winter Break

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

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

May 21st 6.00pm

VIRTUAL MEETING

Michael Franks

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

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 VIA 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

September 17th
7.00pm / 19.00hrs

Ron Miller

October 8th NEXT
NOTE EARLIER DATE TO COINCIDE WITH SPACE WEEK

Michael Franks

THIS WILL BE A VIRTUAL MEETING

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?

Image Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin,

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

February 21st

Hosted by Treasurer
Kyri Voskou

THE CHANGING VIEW OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM
- AS SEEN BY 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

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

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)

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

CONTACTS

or 07801.577210

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.....

June 20th

Jerry Stone

THE FIRST MEN ON THE MOON - 50 YEARS ON

July and August

Summer Break

September 19th

Dale Baker

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

January 17th

Dr Simon Drake &
Dr Andrew Beard

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

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

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

March 15th

Mat Irvine

April 19th

Hosted by Chairman
Jim Webb

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

May 17th

Hosted by Chairman
Jim Webb

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.
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

July and August

SUMMER BREAK

No meetings these months

September 20th

Greg Smye-Rumsby

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

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

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.

February 9th

Jim Webb & Alister Innes

OBSERVING EVENING

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

February 16th

Jim Webb

March 16th

Mat Irvine

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

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

May 18th

Jim Webb & Alister Innes

June 15th

George Emsden

September 21st

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)

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

Saturday
November 18th

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