When is the next Bath Astronomers' meeting?
The next meeting is being held on Wednesday 30th April at 7:30pm at the Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution (BRLSI). The speaker for the evening is Dr Meganne Christian, UK Astronaut reserve and Exploration Commercialisation Lead for the UK Space Agency, and he talk is entitled "From Antarctica to Space". Non-members are welcome for a small fee and you can register via our events box office to let us know you are coming.
Each month we organise a meet-up in person at either the Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution (BRLSI), 16-18 Queen Square, Bath or the Herschel Museum of Astronomy, 19 New King Street, Bath. We try to keep meetings to the last Wednesday of the month and consistently start 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. They are great opportunities to chat and catch up.
There are many reasons to join BA (like free access to events) including the organised observing evenings for members and those interested in joining.
When are the next stargazing opportunities for the public to attend?
We aim to organise a public stargazing evening each month. All are weather dependent so register to be advised if it is going ahead. The next are on:
- Sat 3rd May, Guided Stargazing @ Monkton Combe Community Observatory, Bath from 10:00pm - midnight. Register for weather call
- 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.
When are the next Bath Abbey stargazing tours?
- The Bath Christmas Tours are complete but more tours in the planning for 2025.
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