Meetings and Events

Meetings and Events 2025

Tuesday January 21st: Past and Present by Peter Jenkins

Location: Austerfield Study Centre
Doors Open: 7:00 PM
Talk Begins: 7:15 PM
Cost: £3.50 for non-members (tea and
coffee included)

Peter Jenkins is an accomplished astrophotographer with extensive experience in the field:

– Awarded FRAS in 2017
– Shortlisted for Royal Observatory Astrophotographer of the Year in 2017 and 2018
– Lecturer at the International Astronomy Show on four occasions
– Speaker for the BBC Sky at Night Astrophotography Masterclass 2022
– Speaker at the Advanced Imaging Conference 2022 in San Jose, California
– Recognized with NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD)
– Tutor and Ambassador for Telescope Live, working with remote telescopes in Chile, Spain, and Australia
– Contributor to various astronomy publications, including BBC Sky at Night Magazine and Astronomy Now
Peter has given numerous talks to photographic societies and astronomy groups throughout the UK, and I am thrilled to have him share his knowledge and passion for astrophotography with us.
I hope to see you there for what promises to be an inspiring evening!
Rachael Wood

‘Dragons of Ara’ taken from Chile

Meetings and Events 2024

Tuesday December 10th: Mars

Our speaker for the evening will be Roy Gunson, an accomplished amateur astronomer and the current Vice-Chair of the Mexborough & Swinton Astronomical Society. With over 32 years at Sheffield Hallam University, Roy has a wealth of knowledge to share. He will explore the fascinating history of human observations of Mars, a planet that has captivated our imagination for thousands of years.

Tuesday November 19th: What Day is it?

We all think we know what a day is ! However, astronomically, there are several different kinds of days and they all mean something slightly different. Some of these definitions of the day have consequences relating to the time of year or where you are on the Earth. This talk by Colin Steele will look at some of the different kinds of days involved. However, the possible kinds of ‘day’ expand further when leaving the Earth and going to other planets. Days longer than years exist as do months shorter than days. Sometimes days can go ‘in reverse’. Alternatively, the poles can be reversed or the poles and equator are exchanged. Such a variety of things related to the day – in ONE solar system.

Tuesday October 15th: Why we stargaze

Humans have been looking at the stars for as long as there have been humans. The desire to observe and understand is fundamental to the human experience. Yet, how it has been done, and precisely why has changed drastically over the millennium. In this talk Dr James Lees will examine what we know of our astronomical history considering why it has been like that, the civilisations that have contributed, and how we have reached our modern era where stargazing is more powerful than ever before.

Dr James Lees is a physicist and science communicator who studied at the University of York and Stanford. He now lectures at the School of Physics, Engineering, and Technology at the University of York in Condensed Matter Physics.

Tuesday September 17th: On site telescope work

A members’ evening , setting up their personal scopes and also using our society’s scopes

Sunday June 23rd: Bawtry Craft Fair

We will be there with a display of astrophotography and some solar scopes to observe the sun! 10am-4pm