When is the next Bath Astronomers' meeting?
It is being held on Wednesday 13th December at 7:30pm at the Herschel Museum of Astronomy, 19 New King Street, BA1 2BL. The speaker is Richard Hook formerly of the European Southern Observatory and his talk is entitled "The Quest for Monster Telescopes". Non-members welcome and we ask you drop us an email beforehand on hello@bathastronomers.org.uk so we put out an extra chair. The full calendar of meetings is available here.
When are the next stargazing opportunities for the public to attend?
We aim to provide one public stargazing evening per month and so schedule two in case the weather is poor on the first:
- Sat 2nd December, Monkton Combe Community Observatory, Bath from 6:00pm - 11pm. Register interest in attending (deposit req'd)
- Sat 9th December, Monkton Combe Community Observatory, Bath from 6:00pm - 11pm. Register interest in attending (deposit req'd)
- Fri 15th December, Winter Astronomy: Anniversary of Caroline's 5th comet, Herschel Museum of Astronomy, Bath from 6:00pm - 8:00pm. Register interest in attending
- Sat 6th January, Monkton Combe Community Observatory, Bath from 6:00pm - 11pm. Register interest in attending (deposit req'd)
- Fri 12th January, Monkton Combe Community Observatory, Bath from 6:00pm - 11pm. Register interest in attending (deposit req'd)
- Sat 20th January, Monkton Combe Community Observatory, Bath from 6:00pm - 11pm. Register interest in attending (deposit req'd)
Note: All events are weather dependent so please check back here before travelling/2hrs before start time to see if it is still running.
When are the next Bath Abbey stargazing tours?
- Fri 1st December, Bath Abbey Stargazing Tour, from 6:00pm - 9:00pm.
- Fri 8th December, Bath Abbey Stargazing Tour, from 6:00pm - 9:00pm.
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
When do we meet?
Each month we organise a meet-up, either online or at the Herschel Museum of Astronomy, 19 New King Street, Bath, BA1 2BL. For ease of diaries and planning ahead, we always try to keep it on the last Wednesday of the month and start at 7:30pm. Each month we arrange for someone, professional or amateur, to come and talk to us on an astronomy, astrophysics, cosmology, or space theme for an hour or so followed by chat and catching up. Consider dropping us a line via hello@bathastronomers.org.uk and coming along to the next meeting.
In addition at leseveral thousand, we try to organise a shared observing evening event for members and those interested in joining. Due to the uncertainty of the weather, we plan based on a short range of dates and, closer to the time, pick the one with the best forecast.
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.
Perhaps you know a group that would benefit from one of our visits? Just contact us hello@bathastronomers.org.uk