It is only in the last twenty years that we have been able to prove that the Sun is not unique in having a family of planets. This talk takes up the story of the discovery of planets beyond the solar system and described how we have gone about tracking down planets orbiting other stars […]

This talk looks back at the life of one the true greats of nineteenth century astronomy. An astronomer who was an inventor, he also investigated scientific problems, and found solutions as well as being an innovator and pioneer.

Robin Hague is the Head of Launch at Skyrora

FREE PUBLIC TALK In 2019, humanity's first image of a black hole was revealed to the world. Join Andy Briggs as he reveals exactly how the image was acquired by the Event Horizon Telescope, and the technological challenges involved in producing what is undoubtedly one of the most iconic scientific images of all time. Andy […]

What are the three factors (the ABC) that determine how galaxies form and how they grow? A = Accretion – Galaxies were formed by matter accreting; B = Black Holes – Supermassive black holes are at the centres of galaxies; C = Collisions – Galaxies grow by colliding and merging.

A talk which will look at some of the most interesting objects in the southern skies and how the Small Magellanic Cloud helped solve a fundamental question about the Universe.

A talk on astronomical transients, and in particular about supernovae research.

What sort of rockets or spaceships could we use to go to the distant stars. We will explore some of the crazier designs that have been proposed over the years, most of which have some possibility of working. The future may be nearer than we think!

This is a not too technical look at the imaging process in the pre-digital age and contrasting that to what can now be achieved with modern amateur equipment. Steve has had a lifelong interest in astronomy and was a keen Astrophotographer back in the 80’s and 90’s. He took up the hobby again in 2014 […]

On December 14th 2020, the path of a total eclipse crossed the northern part of Patagonia  (Chile and Argentina). The previous year I had seen a beautiful eclipse from northern Argentina, and I was looking forward to another visit to South America. Of course, events got in the way. The coronavirus pandemic shut down travel across the […]