Dates for 2021-2022 season
We have some great speakers lined up for this year. Please join us on the second Monday of each month (except for August). Please click on the + sign below for more information.
‘The Sky This Month’ – this will be held online via a ‘Zoom’ virtual video meeting.
(The original talk by Clive Saunders on ‘Atmospheric Optical Phenomena: Rainbows, Halos and Glories’ which was to take place at Cavendish Road Primary School has been cancelled due to the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis).
The World’s Biggest Digital Camera and why the StarLink Programme is a significant Issue for It
‘How we look at Space and Time at VRO’ & ‘Sudden StarLink Syndrome’
An overview of the work of The Vera Rubin Observatory (with its 27-ft (8.4-m) mirror telescope and 3200 megapixel camera) given by Boyd Bowdish (How we look at Space and Time at VRO) followed by a further presentation on the effects on VRO data caused by the StarLink satellite constellation (Sudden StarLink Syndrome) by Andrew Bradshaw. The talks will be presented via a Zoom video conference chat – our first intercontinental talk by guest speakers from the USA and an exclusive first to our society here in the UK. Instructions to join the chat will be sent out to society members via email before the meeting. If you would like to attend the chat on 11 May and have not received a link by Thursday, 7 May – please email the society at chair@wdas2.com. Non-society members are also welcome to attend the chat.
AGM + ‘SETI and the Rare Earth Hypothesis’
The society’s annual general meeting followed by a talk by Steve Hurley.
Steve will give an overview of the work which has been done on SETI (what sort of signals are they looking for); current and future searches plus an outline of the Rare Earth Hypothesis. (This is the hypothesis that Earth-like planets containing complex life forms are rare in the Universe and that only a series of highly improbable events led to the evolution of intelligent life on Earth).
For further information please visit Steve’s blog here. There is also a kindle e-book by Steve which can be purchased here.
‘The JUICE (JUpiter ICy moons Explorer) Mission to Jupiter and Ganymede’
A talk by Dr. Chris Arridge, Royal Society Research Fellow and Reader in Planetary Physics, Department of Physics, Lancaster University.
The image below shows Ganymede’s magnetosphere and aurora. To see a film made by Chris of JUICE entering orbit around Ganymede in the 2030s please click here.
‘Introduction to Astrophotography Part 2’
Part 2 of Martin Kessel’s talk from 2019.
To see Martin’s Flickr album please click here
We’ve planned a local observing session on the evening of Monday, 28 March, at Chorlton Golf Club, around 8 to 10pm. The event is weather-dependent – at the moment (Sunday, 27 March) the forecast is for partial cloud. A final decision as to whether the event will go ahead will be made at 7pm on Monday, 28 March. Important: Please look out for a WhatsApp message and/or email for confirmation that the event will still go ahead.
The club looks to be a great local place for this: easy access to drive or walk to, hard surfacing, few lights and a safe (private) location. There are good unobstructed views to the south.
The plan is for naked eye or binocular observing to gain familiarity with the constellations. We might have some telescopes to look at M42 and the Pleiades etc.
All welcome.
For further information or queries please contact the Society at: wdas.chair@gmail.com
or contact: Phil on 07786 440030
Fingers crossed for clear skies.
‘Ancient Egyptian Constellations’
A talk by Pauline Norris
Like many civilisations, the ancient Egyptians had their own interpretation of what they saw in the night skies, based on their belief system and world view.
This talk examines ancient Egyptian constellations, what we make of them today and the problems involved in our understanding them.
