WHO WE ARE

About Us

See also our Events & Activities page for more info and photos

Contact Liz Watson on young.astronomers@havastro.co.uk regarding Young Astronomers

Background

The Havering Astronomical Society was formed in 1994 by members of an astronomy evening class taught by Konrad Malin-Smith of the Croydon Astronomical Society (left). When the course finished it was decided to create a new astronomical society to allow the members to continue meetings on a regular basis. For many years we met at Cranham Community Centre, Upminster, but after the Covid pandemic, we moved to the Thames Chase Forest Centre in November 2020.

Membership

We have a flourishing group of around fifty members of all ages with a wide range of interests, of all levels of ability, from complete beginners to Fellows of the Royal Astronomical Society. We have a thriving band of imagers which continues to grow and improve their skills. At the same time, others are content to read about astronomy and come to our speaker meetings to find out more.

We also have members who are keen on visual astronomy, looking at planets and deep-sky objects through a telescope or binoculars. Of course, many of our participants belong to all three categories! More experienced members are always happy to advise others either in person at our speaker meetings, informal social gatherings or via our WhatsApp group.

Geographically, most of our members come from the London Borough of Havering, but we have members drawn from the nearby parts of Essex as well (reflecting the area’s long association with Essex until the formation of Greater London in 1965). Recently, thanks to the introduction of online meetings during the Covid pandemic, followed by the adoption of hybrid meetings since late 2020, we have introduced the category of online membership for people who wish to take part in our activities but are too far away or are unable to attend in person for health or other reasons.

Meetings and Outreach

We have monthly speaker meetings, held at 7.15pm on the third Wednesday of every month (except August) with our popular quiz on the second Wednesday of December. We have observing evenings at a dark venue, usually South Weald Park, at a weekend near the new Moon when weather conditions permit. Some of our members meet regularly to discuss imaging techniques and other technical issues.

Members also take part in outreach activities, talking to external groups such as the Beavers and Cubs, and public events such as the South Weald Show. They also assist with the Young Astronomers, giving talks, putting on quizzes and showing them the night sky using telescopes and binoculars.

Star trails above Upminster Windmill