What do Bath Astronomers do?
Click each to find out more about our space/astronomy talks, local stargazing, mobile planetarium shows, schools', young peoples' organisations and community outreach, the Observatory Shop, our Box Office, or becoming a member.
When is the next Bath Astronomers' gathering?
Wednesday 28th May at 7:30pm at the Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution (BRLSI).
How is the aurora created?
The speaker for the evening is Prof Gemma Attrill, Chief Scientist Space Weather for the Space Group for DSTL Space Systems. This talk will start by looking at the spectacular auroral events of May and October last year. From here, we’ll develop an understanding of what creates the aurora, tracing back to the ultimate driver of what is referred to as “space weather” – our nearest star. We’ll consider different aspects of space weather, and why the behaviour of the Sun is increasingly relevant for our lives on Earth today.
New faces as well as existing members of Bath Astronomers are all welcome. Please reserve a seat to avoid disappointment.
A full list of our planned monthly meetings can be found here. For consistency, we arrange gatherings on the last Wednesday of the month starting at 7:30pm. We arrange for professional or amateur speakers to talk to us on astronomy, astrophysics, cosmology, or space travel for an hour followed by questions. The gatherings are great opportunities to chat and catch up as well as for those interested in joining to find out about the many reasons to join BA like free access to events like talks and organised observing evenings.
Have you visited "Capturing the Cosmos"?
In a wonderful collaboration between the members of Bath Astronomers and the Curators at Bath Preservation Trust, the 2025 exhibition in the Herschel Museum of Astronomy is "Capturing the Cosmos - Astrophotography by the Bath Astronomers" and it will be running until 4th January 2026.
Have a close look at the day and night sky images taken by 12 members of Bath Astronomers. From landscape views of the Milky Way to detail panoramas of stars and gas in the Orion constellation tens of thousands of light years away. We have a strong community of astrophotographers within Bath Astronomers supporting those wishing to record the beauty they see through the eyepiece of the telescope. Whether just using your mobile phone to capture the aurora or the Moon, or using DSLRs and astro cameras for smaller subjects, the group can help you improve what you are doing. The current exhibition was borne from a one night only astrophotography display in November 2024. Find out more about the exhibition on the Herschel Museum website.
Entry to the Herschel Museum of Astronomy is free to members of Bath Astronomers.
Are we running public planetarium shows soon?
On Sunday 1st June, Bath Astronomers are running 7 shows at The Hub, Mulberry Park, Mulberry Wy, Combe Down, Bath BA2 5BU. It runs from 11am until 4pm. The theme is Finding the Sun. You can reserve places on one of the showings using:
- 11:00am Sunday 1st June, Finding the Sun - 25 minutes duration
- 11:40am Sunday 1st June, Finding the Sun - 25 minutes duration
- 12:20pm Sunday 1st June, Finding the Sun - 25 minutes duration
- 1:00pm Sunday 1st June, Finding the Sun - 30 minutes duration
- 1:45pm Sunday 1st June, Finding the Sun - 30 minutes duration
- 2:30pm Sunday 1st June, Finding the Sun - 30 minutes duration
- 3:15pm Sunday 1st June, Finding the Sun - 25 minutes duration
When are the next stargazing opportunities for the public to attend?
We aim to organise a public stargazing evening at least once each month. We try to vary the locations to make it easier for people in different areas of Bath to join in. They are run by members of Bath Astronomers who volunteer to support public outreach. All telescopes are provided. All events are weather dependent so you must register so we can advise you beforehand whether it is going ahead and avoid travel if cloud or rain are likely.
The next events are on:
- Fri 16th May, Stargazing @ Station Road Car Park, Wellow Village nr Bath from 10:30pm - midnight. Register for weather call
- Sat 17th May, Guided Stargazing @ The Firs Field, Combe Down, Bath from 10:30pm - midnight. Register for weather call
- Fri 23rd May, Guided Stargazing @ Monkton Combe Community Observatory, Bath from 10:30pm - midnight. Register for weather call
- Sat 24th May, Stargazing @ Lansdown Playing Field South behind Lansdown P&R, Lansdown, Bath from 10:30pm - midnight. Register for weather call
Note: All events are weather dependent so please register and check emails before travelling/2hrs before start time to ensure it is still running.
Why be part of an astronomical society?
"Space is big. Really Big", to steal a phrase from Douglas Adams. Hence it can be a daunting challenge to look up and find out what you are looking at. There is a huge volume of information available online, and more apps and programs than stars in the sky but, as in many things in life, just talking to someone in a relaxed and comfortable setting is worth hours of trawling the Internet. Bath Astronomers is your local group of stargazers, armchair and amateur astronomers who strive to create that space for you to find out more, ask 'silly' questions, and share your hobby or passion for the night and daytime sky.
We run shared observing events as often as the weather and Moon allow each month and it's a great opportunity to see telescopes in operation especially if you're thinking about purchasing one. We also loan telescopes to members to try before you buy.
You don't need to dive in immediately and we welcome visitors to find out what we offer as a group. Why not pop along and say 'hello'. We hope to create a diverse community where everyone feels welcome. Why not contact us hello@bathastronomers.org.uk
Taking astronomy into the classroom and beyond
Bath Astronomers are very keen to bring the wonders of the night sky to as many people as possible and have visited many local primary and secondary schools with planetarium shows and workshops as well as practical stargazing and observing experiences to several thousand people. We make our classroom resources available to all at https://stem.bathastronomers.org.uk. Our events have included making telescopes, making paper rockets and launching them, learning about orbits with gravity wells, making planispheres, observing the Sun safely, making spectrographs and using 2 metre telescopes in Hawaii and in Siding Spring, Australia controlled from the classroom to remotely photograph the Universe. Workshops and talks have also been run for Bath Royal Literature and Science Institute (BRLSI), University of the 3rd Age, English Heritage, Exmoor National Park, the Scout Association, Girlguiding, National Trust, Bath Preservation Trust, and the Herschel Museum of Astronomy to name a few.
Astronomy is a great vehicle for getting people interested and participating in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) and it can be fun launching eggs in homemade rockets and driving lego robots across simulated Martian valleys whether you're participating or helping to run an event.
Perhaps your school wants to explore our free resources.
We are actively following the progress on the UK's Astronaut, Dr Rosemary Coogan, on her training and journey to the International Space Station. To help schools use her journey to inspire young minds, we are providing life-sized cardboard cut-outs of Rosemary to schools and keeping them updated on Rosemary's progress via this timeline.
Perhaps you know a group that would benefit from one of our visits? Just contact us hello@bathastronomers.org.uk