With the recent launch of NASA's Europa Clipper mission, this presentation looks back at the history of spacecraft that have visited the mighty planet, the challenges they faced and the discoveries they made. Note: Philip will be presenting this talk remotely via Zoom

Note: Dr Mason will be presenting this talk remotely via zoom The Sun has given us quite a few X class flares recently and even some beautiful displays of the aurora in the UK. During solar flares, explosive releases of energy, the plasma temperature can reach as high as 10MK or even more. Large flares […]

Dr Andrew Gascoyne from the University of Wolverhampton will give a talk on sunspots: Sunspots have long served as a window into the dynamic processes of our nearest star.  This talk delves into the rich history of sunspot observations, from early Chinese and Islamic records to the telescopic breakthroughs of Galileo and Scheiner. We’ll examine […]

We take a trip down memory lane for a retrospective look at the steady state theory. Starting with its origins and how it compared to the big bang theory. The scientists who gave it their endorsement, and how three key discoveries proved that the theory, which looked convincing on paper, was completely wrong.

Society member Linda Manas presents a talk on Trigonometry in Astronomy: Measuring the Earth and the Moon. Linda will discuss early trigonometrical methods of finding the Earth’s tilt, latitude and circumference, the use of trigonometry and lunar and solar eclipses by Aristarchus and Hipparchus to find the distance to and size of the moon, and […]

Most of the UK population live either in a city or town, or near enough to one, that light pollution is a problem for both observers and imagers. Robin Scagell, Vice President of the SPA, has seen the problem escalate over the years. But whether you are a visual observer with a small telescope, or […]

I am the ninth director of the British Astronomical Association's Historical Section. The first director was a solar astronomer called Mary Evershed (nee Orr). She was the editor of the historical section's first memoir, Who's Who in the Moon - a series of potted biographies of everyone who had a lunar crater named after them. […]

This talk will explore the Space Shuttle, from its origins, its missions, how it contributed to astronomy and on to current and future Shuttles.

A look at the birth, life and death of stars. What are the three factors (the ABC) that determine why stars are the way they are and why they evolve the way they do? Note: Dr Barrett will be presenting his talk remotely over Zoom

Have you ever looked at the clouds and wanted to throw your expensive equipment in the bin? Here in the UK, much of the time, a cardboard tube would be as effective as a Takahashi – cloud, rain, light pollution: it is enough to make you scream! How about the cost of all that astrophotography […]

'Nova Corona Borealis 1866 was the first Nova to have its spectrum examined.  Eighty years later in 1946 the Nova erupted again, causing great excitement.  Now, after a further eighty years of observations in all wavelengths, we eagerly await the next eruption.  This is the story of its discovery in 1866 and 1946, and what we might […]

Special Relativity Without the Maths (or How to Fit a Metre Stick into a Matchbox)You might think it’s a long way down the road to the chemist’s. You might even have noticed the faster you run, the quicker you get there. Have you ever noticed the faster you run, the closer the chemist gets? No? […]