Wednesday 15 January, 7.15 for 7.30pm

Ian Ridpath will present:

'Pictures in the sky: The origin and history of the constellations'

Outline:  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.

Biographical details to follow. 

• Club members slot: Steve Foster will present (via Zoom) a talk about recurrent nova T Coronae Borealis

Wednesday 19 February, 7.15 for 7.30pm

This talk will be presented at Thames Chase, via Zoom

Sam Pearson will present:

'Planetary Mass Objects and JuMBOs in the Trapezium Cluster'

Outline:  In recent observations of the Trapezium Cluster with the James Webb Space Telescope, we have discovered and characterised hundred of planetary-mass candidates with masses down to, and below, the mass of Jupiter. In an unexpected twist we find that 8% of these planetary-mass objects are in wide binaries. The binary fraction of stars and brown dwarfs is well known to decrease monotonically with decreasing mass such that the binary fraction for the planetary-mass regime is expected to approach zero. The existence of substantial population of Jupiter Mass Binary Objects (JuMBOs) raises serious questions of our understanding of both star and planet formation. In this talk Sam will present the discovery of these JuMBOs and discuss the implications for our understanding of planet formation.

Biographical details:  Samuel Pearson is a European Space Agency Research Fellow based at the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in the Netherlands. He obtained his PhD at the University of St Andrews.  His research focuses on the formation of low mass stars, brown dwarfs and planets. This means he spends the majority of his time observing nearby star forming regions, as this provides a unique window to study these formation processes in action.

Recently his work has been focusing on isolated Planetary Mass Objects (PMOs). These are objects below the deuterium burning limit of 13MJup. PMOs are not massive enough to sustain hydrogen fusion like a star. They are inherently faint and will cool over time, becoming fainter throughout their life. However, when PMOs are young they are still warm from their formation and are observable in the infrared. This provides a valuable window into a very exciting mass range that contains both the extreme lower limits of star formation (brown dwarfs) and rogue planets that have been ejected from their host star system. PMOs present a unique opportunity to study both star formation and planet formation at the same time.

• Club members slot: Cheryl Brice will present a talk entitled 'So the Moon isn't made of cheese?

Wednesday 19 March, 7.15 for 7.30pm

Professor Simon Green, Emeritus Professor of Planetary and Space Science, The Open University, will present:

'The Hera mission – validation of the DART asteroid kinetic impactor test'

Outline: In 2022 the NASA DART mission performed the first full-scale test of the kinetic impactor technique to change the orbit of an asteroid, successfully demonstrating the precise targeting required to impact within a few metres of the centre of Dimorphos, the 160 metre moon of the 800 metre near Earth asteroid Didymos, after a 500 million km flight. The moon’s 11.9 hour orbital period was reduced by more than 30 minutes, with thousands of tonnes of ejected material forming a long-lasting tail, and may have drastically changed the shape of the moon.

The ESA Hera mission, planned to rendezvous with Didymos in 2027, will provide critical measurements of the mass and physical properties of Dimorphos to quantify the efficiency of the test. In this talk Professor Green will explain how asteroids like Didymos, that formed between Mars and Jupiter, can become potential terrestrial impactors, and the role of missions like DART and Hera in preventing a future potential asteroid impact on the Earth.

If possible, Simon will bring the meteorite display which he brought in March 2023, which attracted much interest; but please note that this is currently tbc. 

Biographical details: Simon Green, Emeritus Professor of Planetary and Space Science at The Open University, has studied asteroids through ground- and space-based observations since his discovery of the unusual near-Earth asteroid (3200) Phaethon in 1983. He has worked on numerous space missions including Giotto, Cassini, Stardust and Rosetta, and most recently the DART and Hera planetary defence test missions.

Wednesday 16 April, 7.15 for 7.30pm

The club's regular anniversary meeting

Further details to follow

Wednesday 21 May, 7.15 for 7.30pm

Dr James Kirk will present:

'Transiting exoplanet science with the James Webb Space Telescope'

Outline: Over the last 30 years, astronomers have detected over 5700 extrasolar planets. These discoveries have revealed that the population of exoplanets is incredibly diverse, with the solar system’s architecture being the exception and not the rule. Of these detected exoplanets, 75% transit in front of their host stars, periodically blocking out a fraction of the background star’s light. These transiting exoplanets enable atmospheric observations and thus, studies of a planet’s formation, evolution and, ultimately, habitability. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has revolutionised the observation of exoplanet atmospheres since its launch in December 2021.

James will present an overview of exoplanet science performed with JWST to date, including the ground-breaking first detections of previously unseen molecules and dynamics in exoplanet atmospheres. 

Biographical details:  James Kirk is an Imperial College Research Fellow who uses observations of transiting exoplanet atmospheres to test theories of planet formation and evolution. He obtained his PhD from the University of Warwick, where his thesis work focussed on using ground-based telescopes to observe clouds and hazes within the atmospheres of short-period gas giant exoplanets (hot Jupiters). He subsequently moved to the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics where, as a postdoc, he led new discoveries of escaping exoplanet atmospheres via measurements of exoplanetary helium and was a key member of the JWST Early Release Science Transiting Exoplanet Programme. At Imperial College he has continued his heavy involvement in JWST science, including directing a programme to test how the compositions of hot Jupiters depend on their evolutionary pathways and leading studies of whether Earth-sized exoplanets can retain their atmospheres in the face of intense stellar radiation.

Wednesday 18 June, 7.15 for 7.30pm



Paul Whiting - talk title and outline tbc

Short biography: Paul Whiting, FRAS, is one of our regular speakers and an outreach astronomer providing talks, activities and courses to schools, youth and adult groups. A major astronomical interest is travelling the world chasing eclipses and the aurora.  Paul is also Treasurer for Orwell AS (Ipswich).

Wednesday 16 July, 7.15 for 7.30pm

Professor Garry Hunt will present:

'A lifetime with Voyager'

Outline: Professor Hunt will introduce himself and talk briefly about his career.  Then, in a break from our usual format, members will get the opportunity to quiz him on more than half a century of being associated with a wide range of space activities. He suggests a “Michael Parkinson”-type discussion and then an open question session.  As Prof Hunt points out, this is a rare chance to speak to someone who has been involved in the space programme for a long time!

No club meeting in August - Summer break

Perseids viewing is likely to take place if the weather conditions are favourable - date (mid August) and details tbc

Wednesday 17 September, 7.15 for 7.30pm

Jerry Workman will present: 'Curiosity at Mars'

Outline: tbc.

Short biography: Jerry Workman has given over 1000 talks to various clubs over a 30 year-plus talking career. He has also been the Chairman and Meetings Secretary of a number of Astronomy clubs. For a number of years, he ran an Astronomy evening class at a school near Upminster Bridge. He currently works in a private girls school in Hammersmith, and has held this position for nearly 24 years.

Image (right): Self-portrait by Curiosity at the foot of Mount Sharp in 2015.  Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Wednesday 17 January, 7.15 for 7.30pm

Jamie Carter presented ‘Why smart telescopes will take over the universe'

Outline (presented via Zoom): What is a smart telescope? Inspired by the design of humanity's biggest and best telescopes on remote mountaintops, a new generation of computerised, smartphone-controlled telescopes has arrived. Promising astrophotography as well as observing, but sometimes removing the eyepiece, smart telescopes can come as a shock to experienced amateur astronomers. However, with crowd-sourced observations and an easy-to-use design, they're surely here to stay. Here's what smart telescopes do, how they work and why they will one day dominate the telescope industry. 

MEMBERS' EVENING - talks by John Neal and Les Brand

Wednesday 21 February, 7.15 for 7.30pm

John Neal presented:

'Multimessenger Astronomy: Seeing the universe with wider eyes'

Outline: Observing through the window of light accessible to human eyes provides a partial ‘picture’ of how the universe works. Looking beyond this narrow window into the wider spectrum reveals deeper insights to many astronomical objects and events. The talk briefly reviewed the regions outside the visible, and some of the ground and space-based instruments used to ‘see’ into them. It illustrated how astronomers are increasingly using information from multiple regions of this wider spectrum; in some cases combining it with visual data to reveal a more complete picture. In others the new ‘messengers’ provide important astrophysical knowledge which enhances our understanding of astronomical events and processes.

Wednesday 20 March, 7.15 for 7.30pm

Jack Martin presented: 'The Bi-centenary of Sir William Huggins'

Outline: February 7 marked the 200th anniversary of the birth of Sir William Huggins. With his wife Lindsay they became pioneers of the new Astronomy 'Spectroscopy'. Our speaker presented new, previously unseen material from research undertaken over the past 4 years.

Biographical details: Jack Martin has been a keen amateur astronomer for over 50 years, and active in Spectroscopy since 1997.  He studied Astronomy and Planetary Science at The Open University (2010). He co-authored ‘Practical Amateur Spectroscopy’ (2004), and is author of ‘A Spectroscopic Atlas of Bright Stars 2009’ for Springer. Also, he has written articles for the BAA Journal, Astronomy Now, The Webb Deep-Sky Society, and The Society for Popular Astronomy.

Jack has run the Huggins Spectroscopic Observatory UK since 2013. He also undertakes long-term international collaboration studies with a group of Small Telescope Scientists, monitoring h alpha and other lines of Be- Flare-Nova-Symbiotic etc. stars using a Shelyak Lhires III spectrograph.

• Followed by a slideshow of members’ images taken over the previous few months, entitled “In the Bleak Midwinter”, presented by Peter Morris and Magda Wheatley.
  

Wednesday 17 April, 7.15 for 7.30pm

Celebration of the 30th anniversary of HAS

The evening included:

• A pre-recorded talk by Konrad Malin-Smith, Life Honorary Member of the HAS and retired schoolteacher, entitled 'Harvard, Lowell, and the expansion of space'.
• This was followed by a review of the club’s history and highlights over the last 30 years, by Les Jones; reminiscences by club members and contacts, past and present; a special free raffle; exhibition of 30 club members’ astrophotography images, organised by Les Brand.
• Cake and nibbles.
  

Astrophotography exhibition at

Thames Chase  --->

As part of our 30th anniversary celebrations, we have set up an exhibition of 30 stunning images taken by club members.  This can be seen in the walkway at Thames Chase, between the café and the barn.  During our April meeting, in the extended refreshment break, members were able to to view the exhibition.

More info on our Events and Activities page. 

Wednesday 15 May, 7.15 for 7.30pm

Dr Ashley King presented 'To Bennu & Back: what asteroids can tell us about the origins of the Solar System'

Outline: In September 2023, OSIRIS-REx became only the third mission to return samples of an asteroid to Earth. Its target, the carbon-rich asteroid Bennu, holds important clues about the formation of the Solar System and the origins of water and life on Earth. Dr King talked about the first results from the Bennu samples and why sample return missions are crucial for understanding the evolution of planets.

Biographical details: Dr Ashley King is a research fellow at the Natural History Museum, London, where he investigates the origins of the Solar System and formation of planets through the laboratory analysis of meteorites and samples returned by space missions. He's a member of the sample analysis teams for the Hayabusa2 and OSIRIS-REx missions, and the current lead of the UK Fireball Alliance (UKFAll), a collaboration between meteor camera networks that aims to recover freshly fallen meteorites in the UK.

• Club members' slot: Liz Watson and John Sweeney talked about their trips to Texas and Mexico, respectively, to see the solar eclipse of 8 April.

Wednesday 19 June, 7.15 for 7.30pm

Tim Parsons, PhD Student, Astrophysics Group at UCL, presented:

'A Massive Star Menagerie: Touring through the upper reaches of the H-R diagram'

Outline: Most of us who form an interest in the stars soon become familiar with their fundamental classification into the main spectral types based on effective (“surface”) temperature; in descending order: O, B, A, F, G, K, M. We discover that, as their hydrogen fuel is consumed, stars like our Sun will swell to become red giants. We may also be aware that more massive stars approach the end of their lives with truly gigantic proportions in the form of relatively cool red supergiants. So far, so good!

     Delving further however, we begin to see references to some strange and exotic objects inhabiting the upper reaches of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram; in particular, the mysterious “upper left” where stars of the highest temperatures and extreme luminosities reside. How do these stars come to be so hot and so large at the same time? What, exactly, is a Wolf-Rayet star? A “slash ‘/’” star? A Blue Supergiant? A Luminous Blue Variable? A Yellow Hypergiant?

      We took a tour around the fascinating world of these and other massive stars, where lives are short, but often dramatic, and seek to understand the critical role these rare objects play in the enrichment of the interstellar medium and the evolution of galaxies.

Biographical details: Tim Parsons is a 3rd Year PhD student in the Astrophysics Group at University College London, studying the structure of stellar winds of massive stars, having returned to study after a professional career in the City. He also works as a Postgraduate Teaching Assistant at UCL Observatory in Mill Hill. He is a trustee and Council member of the British Astronomical Association, as well as a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and of the British Interplanetary Society.

• Club members slot: Sarah O’Shea talked about her trip to Iceland in February, entitled ‘Chasing the Northern Lights’.

Wednesday 17 July, 7.15 for 7.30pm

Paul Money presented 'New Images of the Universe’

Outline: This talk looked at 10 amazing images, with lots of other images to help tell their story. Images from planetary missions, ground based observatories and HST plus several from the James Webb Space Telescope were included.

Biographical details: Paul Money is a Fellow of the RAS and BIS, and has been giving talks to societies since 1982 on a wide range of astronomical subjects. He was one of three Northern Lights Flights astronomers from 2004 to 2013, and until recently was the Reviews Editor for the BBC 'Sky at Night' magazine for 17 years.

• Club members slot: Cheryl Brice presented ‘Making a Dobsonian mount’.
  

* No club meeting in August - Summer break *

Our Perseids Watch Party was held at Thames Chase on

Sunday 11 August, from 8.30pm

(Members only)

Wednesday 18 September, 7.15 for 7.30pm

Dr Lee Macdonald presented:

'Refugees, star clusters and relativity: astronomy at Greenwich Observatory during the First World War'

Outline: Based on original research in the Royal Greenwich Observatory archives, this talk told the story of how the Royal Observatory at Greenwich not only kept running during the First World War, but continued doing important astronomical research while contributing to the war effort. The story culminated with the Royal Observatory’s essential – and perhaps under-appreciated – contribution to the 1919 solar eclipse observations that confirmed Einstein's general theory of relativity.

Biographical details: Between 2020 and 2022, Dr Lee Macdonald held a research fellowship with Royal Museums Greenwich, which he used to research and write a book about the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, in the 1881-1939 period. It is hoped that the book will appear in 2025. From 2016 to 2020, he worked as Research Facilitator at the History of Science Museum, University of Oxford, running the Museum’s library and archives. He is the author of Kew Observatory and the Evolution of Victorian Science, 1840-1910, published in 2018 by University of Pittsburgh Press. A long-time amateur astronomer, he has also written How to Observe the Sun Safely (Second Edition, Springer, 2012).

• Club members slot: Magda ran through her talk to the Young Astronomers in February about the possibility of life on exoplanets.

Wednesday 16 October, 7.15 for 7.30pm

Professor John Zarnecki,

Emeritus Professor of Space Science at The Open University, will present:

'Titan: past, present and future'

Outline: Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, is truly a unique place. It is the only moon in the Solar System with an atmosphere and it additionally possesses surface bodies of liquids, in the form of lakes and seas of hydrocarbons. Prof Zarnecki will review the history of telescopic observations of Titan, past spacecraft missions to Titan and future plans for more ambitious space missions.

Biographical details: John Zarnecki is Emeritus Professor of Space Science at the Open University. He had a career of over 35 years in Space Research mostly in academia, but with 3 years in the aerospace industry. His involvement included such high profile missions as the Hubble Space Telescope, the Giotto mission to Halley’s Comet and the Cassini/Huygens mission to the Saturnian system. He was President of the Royal Astronomical Society (2016-18) and has served on a variety of national and international bodies.

• Followed by the AGM, which all members are warmly invited to attend.