Programme 2019-2020All meetings start at 7.00pm in St. Peter’s Church Hall, Earley. If you are a speaker who would like to talk to the society or have a recommendation for a speaker or subject please email info@readingastro.org.uk. please note Meetings are wheelchair accessible unless mentioned otherwise
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September 21st 2019Ten Ways The Universe Tries To Kill You!Stephen Tonkin FRAS –The Binocular Sky, outreach |
27th Sep – Friday ClubDoors open at 7pm. Talk starts at 7.30pm How to ‘do’ amateur astronomyGerry’s annual introduction to how to get and keep the enthusiasm. Talk with emphasis on understanding basic astronomical topics for new members. We are open to suggestions for subjects at all these Friday sessions. After the break…. Members’ activities and talks |
October 19th 2019To See the Beginning of TimeAndrew Lound Odyssey Presentations After the coffee break the usual announcements and members activities. Discussion of next month’s Mercury transit. |
25th Oct – Friday ClubDoors open at 7pm. Talk starts at 7.30pm Deep Sky objects
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Nov 11th 2019 (Monday)Transit of Mercury in progress at sunset |
November 16th 2019An Introduction to Radio AstronomyNorman Pomfret BAA · Radio Astronomy Group The Radio Astronomy Group aspires to encourage and support the construction of radio telescopes by amateurs, their use for observing programmes. Norman writes: Beginning with the accidental discovery of Radio Signals from our Cosmos that made front page of the New York Times. Development of Radio reception equipment and the important discoveries that have subsequently been awarded Nobel prizes. Simple aids will be used to assist in demonstrating some of the physics of this young branch of one of our oldest sciences. Finally, introducing how citizen science can be applied to observations. After the coffee break the usual announcements and members activities probably including Monday’s transit. |
22nd Nov – Friday ClubEntry is free and open to the public, this month’s topic….. A telescope is for life, not just for Christmas
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December 14th 2019(Nb. 2nd Saturday) Santa’s GrottoMembers’ practical stuff A telescope is for life not just for Christmas. Come and complain about not getting what you wanted for Christmas and drool over what the others are getting. Tea and cakes provided, no cash machine again this year. Followed by RAS “Christmas Special” including glass of Vin d’Asda compliments of the committee. |
27th Dec – Friday ClubEntry is free and open to the public, this month’s topic….. Our favourite seasonLet’s run through our best objects tonight and the background story. After the break…. |
January 18th 2020Antikythera MechanismJohn Lancashire’s reconstruction of the famous artifact using modern materials Tagline – more text After the coffee break the usual announcements and members activities. |
24th Jan – Friday ClubDoors open at 7pm. Talk starts at 7.30pm The Winter Sky part II
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February 15th 2020HOYS-CAPSDirk Froebrich University of Kent Hunting Outbursting Young Stars with the Centre of Astrophysics and Planetary Science. Amateur astronomers from the UK and Europe, supported by professional observatories take images of objects on their target list and submit these images for inclusion in the HOYS-CAPS database. This will allow participants to plot and study light-curves of any star imaged by the project. During the talk Dirk will explain how more amateurs can be revruited fot the task. After the coffee break the usual announcements and members’ activities. |
28th Feb – Friday ClubIt’s leap-year day tommorrow. This topic to be changedBrian Skidmore
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The hall is booked for a day’s acivities.Saturday 29th Feb – Open Day and leap-year celebration!
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Virtual Main Meeting
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Virtual Main Meeting
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*The programme after this point is merely an archive of arranged events which were setup before the Covid-19 emergency.Refer to home page for latest. March 21st 2020Getting light from the darkness……the story of the biggest telescopes. Dr Peter Grimley School of Physics & Astronomy, Queen Mary University of London. From the time of Galileo bigger is almost always been better. Gathering more light meant seeing more and more. This talk looks at the world’s biggest telescopes – from the early attempts to make accurate lenses, to the technological marvels that now inhabit some of the most outlandish places on Earth. After the coffee break the usual announcements and members’ activities. |
27th March – Friday ClubDoors open at 7pm. Talk starts at 7.30pm Inferior Planets
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BAA Winchester Weekend. TBA – cancelled
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April 18th 2020The New Space RaceNeil Phillipson Developer and educator, Outsideology The involvement of private investors – the enormous impact of entrepreneurs Branson, Bezos and Musk on the future of manned spaceflight. After the coffee break the usual announcements and members’ activities. Prospects for Lyrid meteor shower. |
24th Apr – Friday ClubDoors open at 7pm. Talk starts at 7.30pm Regular Friday meetingTalk with emphasis on understanding basic astronomical topics. |
May 16th 2020Journey to the SunDr Helen Mason Reader in Solar Physics, Cambridge University Helen’s research is in solar physics. Recent solar space observations have completely changed our view of the Sun. She mintains the exuberant website on solar physivs at http://www.suntrek.org/ After the coffee break the usual announcements and members’ activities. |
22nd May – Friday ClubDoors open at 7pm. Talk starts at 7.30pm The summer sky.The sun is never far below the horizon for next 3 months. And the sky full of man-made stuff. Let’s look at the geometry and how it affects our observations. |
June 20th 2020AGM NightIncluding the Annual General Meeting.Have your say in running the society. Stand for election for posts. Lively discussion. Definitely not boring! Followed by:Astronomical Centenaries in 2020Ken England FRAS After the coffee break the usual announcements and members’ activities. |
EAST READING FESTIVAL Palmer Park cancelled
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26th Jun – Friday ClubThe Summer Triangle
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31st July – Friday ClubPerseid Meteors!
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| NO MAIN MEETINGS IN JULY & AUGUST |
| Notes for diary: Mercury Transit 2019 Nov 11 – 300 year anniversary of death of John Flamsteed 2019 Dec 31 |
| The venue is St. Peter’s Church Hall, Church Road, Earley. Parking is available in the hall car park. Typical meeting timings are…. 7.00 – 8.30pm :: Announcements and speaker as detailed above. 8.30 – 9.00pm :: Refreshments and an opportunity to chat and browse the library. 9.00 – 9.45pm :: Miscellany of topics by members. |
Next Meetings
JUNE AGM and Monthly Main Meeting.
June 21 2025 7 pm
St Peter’s Church HallThis will be a physical meeting in the hall with remote access via ZOOM. Non-members, having enjoyed the talk, donate £5 via online banking:
Reading Astronomical Society: Sort code: 60-17-21: Account No: 54137268June’s Main Meeting will start with our yearly Society AGM followed by a talk by Kenelm England (FRAS)
Society Speaker Kenelm England (FRAS)
Subject:- Anniversaries in “2025”
Kenelm England (Reading AS and historian). Kenelm’s annual look at notable astronomical and scientific anniversaries in years ending “25”
June 22nd – East Reading Festival – Palmer Park
© https://whatsonreading.com
Join us on Sunday 22nd June for The East Reading Festival 2025.
The festival is a free community-focused event, with a music stage, spoken word/poetry stage, a funfair, a small food court with a variety of different cuisines and a wide range of community, charity and commercial stalls.
We will be attending this annual local event with our telescopes suitably filtered for safe observing of sunspots and other activity on our local star. It would be great to see you there.
ZoomFridays
Friday 4th July 2025 at 8pm
Chat with us on ZOOM on the 1st Friday of the month at 8pm.
Once a month at 8 pm on the first Friday each month we will be chatting with members about any astronomical topics and keeping up with the latest in academic and space industry news. At the same time the content of the chats will be written up in .pdf form and released as a monthly round up for members. They will contain a lot of links to professional and academic content and form a part of the story of astronomy and space industry activity as we go forward. A great way to keep up to date with ‘WHAT’S NEW IN ASTRONOMY’
Check out the ZOOMFridays page for more details:- ZOOMFridays
FridayCLUB
—————-Summer Break——————–
We are taking a Summer Break with our FridayCLUB outreach meetings. There are no FridayCLUB outreach meetings in May, June or July. The Sky is very bright during the summer months (May,June,July) making observing with telescopes highly challenging in the early evening. We will restart the meetings on 22nd August 2025. Please put this date in your diary’s as we would love to see you there.
When we restart we will have short talks about astronomy and weather permitting a view of the sky through a telescope what could be better – All Free just come along on the evening. See our FridayCLUB page for details of location and start times.
Enquiries to info@readingastro.org.ukLocation : 1st Wokingham Scout Hut in Evendons Lane, Wokingham. RG41 4DX.
Astronomy chat by experts and beginners with members of local astronomy societies.
Request login details from Gerry by text on 07510 444 630 or email us at info@readingastro.org.ukWe also keep in touch through a Google Group, email news list, and Zoom.
By invitation – send an email to info@readingastro.org.uk