Dates for 2020-2021 season
We have some great speakers lined up for this year. Please join us on the second Monday of each month. Please click on the + sign below for more information.
AGM + ‘Massive Black Holes’
The society’s annual general meeting followed by a talk from Mark Hughes, University of Manchester on Massive Black Holes
‘Dark Matter and Dark Energy’
A talk by Steve Hurley
‘A Hitchhikers Guide to Black Holes’
A talk by Dr. 
Rene Breton (University of Manchester)
‘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.
‘Introduction to Astrophotography Part 2’
Part 2 of Martin Kessel’s talk from 2019.
To see Martin’s Flickr album please click here
‘The Changing Scene of Astronomy’
A talk by Professor Ian Robson
