All regular meetings are open to members and visitors, held on the second and last Friday of each month, except August and at Christmas, when there are no meetings. Unless otherwise stated, meetings normally open at 7:40pm for an 8pm start, finishing around 10pm.
Print | DATE | DETAILS |
| 27-Jun
DETAILS
| Prof. David Southwood - Electromagnetic threats from the Sun
Bredhurst Village Hall
Our local star, the Sun, does more than twinkle in our sky. Its warmth is critical to life on our planet but as human civilisation has become more and more technologically dependent so has the Sun become to be seen as a cause for electromagnetic disruption. We will look at some of the history and some of the actions put into place to watch for unpleasant "space weather" what is done to mitigate or avoid the effects of the star we live close to.
SPEAKER DETAILS
Prof David Southwood CBE
David was formerly the Director of Science and Robotic Exploration at the European Space Agency (2001-2011) and President of the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) 2012-2014. He received a CBE in the 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours.
Before going to ESA, he was a space scientist at Imperial College, London. At ESA, he oversaw building and launching spacecraft to Venus, Mars and the Moon as well as the Rosetta probe with lander Philae to comet Churymuov-Gerasimenko, in addition to several major space telescopes. He led the team that landed a European probe on Saturn's largest moon Titan in 2005. An instrument he built at Imperial operated in orbit around the planet Saturn aboard the NASA Cassini spacecraft from 2004-2017.
He is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, was awarded the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal and won the 2011 Sir Arthur C. Clarke award for space achievement. He was chairman of the Steering Board of the UK Space Agency 2016-2019. He is currently a senior research investigator at Imperial College.
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| 11-Jul
DETAILS
| Jeremy Phillips - Going over to the Dark Side - remote imaging
Bredhurst Village Hall
Astrophotographer Jeremy Phillips FRAS has gone over to the Dark Side. This isn’t about channelling 'The Force' for evil means, but it’s no less controversial among some astrophotography purists. He has set up a remote telescope in an observatory 5,000 miles away in Texas. So why has he done this? After all, he's spent the past few years loving the hands-on experience of setting up a telescope for an imaging session, cracking open a beer and looking up at the wonders of the night sky. And anyway, isn't using a remote telescope to take pictures cheating? Perhaps so. But in this talk, Jeremy will plead his case and explain how such a move might be a lot more achievable financially than you think. After eight months of remote imaging, he'll show some of the remote images he's taken and talk about the pros and cons of operating a rig thousands of miles from his South London home.
SPEAKER DETAILS
Jeremy Phillips
Jeremy owned his first telescope - a 3-inch refractor - when he was aged 11. Combined with the excitement of the Apollo missions, this fired up his interest in astronomy as a child. After university he spent over thirty years as a journalist and documentary maker, working for broadcasters including BBC Science, Discovery Channel and National Geographic Channel. He retired two years ago to go full time as an astrophotographer.
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| 25-Jul
DETAILS
| MKAS Summer Social - EARLY START OF 6pm
Bredhurst Village Hall
Details to follow.
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Regular Meetings
Regular meetings are held on the second and last Friday of each month, except August and at Christmas, when there are no meetings. Meetings normally start at 7:40pm for 8pm.
These meetings are open to everyone of all ages and levels of expertise, including complete beginners.
In-person meetings held at Bredhurst Village Hall
All Regular meetings are held at Bredhurst Village Hall unless otherwise stated.
Bredhurst Village Hall : Hurstwood Road, Bredhurst, Gillingham, Kent ME7 3JZ
Bredhurst is close to J4 off the M2. There is a car park on site.
There is a small entrance fee (£2 for members or £4 for visitors) for each meeting to cover refreshments and other meeting costs.
Following the presentation there will be a refreshments break giving a chance to talk with other MKAS members and visitors, followed by an observing session in the field behind the hall (weather permitting) and a telescope surgery in the hall, so if you are having problems with your telescope (or just want to show it off) bring it along.
Please dress appropriately for the weather, and be ready for observing, if it is clear. Remember that it can get very cold, especially in winter, so bring several layers or your warmest winter coat, as you feel appropriate.
Virtual meetings (held occasionally)
Occasionally, we hold virtual meetings where the speaker is not able to visit in person.
All virtual meetings are held on Zoom unless otherwise stated.
These meetings are open to members as part of their annual subscription, and also available to non-members who are welcome to attend, for a fee of £4.
Following the presentation there will be a short comfort break followed by the main speaker answering your questions. This is then followed by a "Chit-Chat" session for all present who wish to stay on, where we have the opportunity to discuss any astronomical topics or ask any questions to those present.
Non-members who wish to attend can make their request by emailing us by no later than noon on the day before the event, at MemberSec@midkentastro.org.uk
Observatory Open Evenings
The James Irwin Observatory is
Confirmed CLOSED
It will remain closed until further notice.
On the Fridays when we do not hold our regular meetings at Bredhurst, and depending on the weather, we open our James Irwin Observatory in Canterbury for those who wish to do some observing.
We first meet at the Victoria Hotel from 8pm (Oct-Mar) / 8.30pm (Apr-Sep). Thirty minutes later, you will be escorted to the Observatory. Venue details are found on the left of this page.
Outreach Events
MKAS often get asked to hold Astronomy events for various schools, councils, scout groups and other groups. The committee and other supportive members are very actively organising and holding events from small shows or talks to Spectacular Events where several thousand members of the public typically attend.
Member Events
We organise various astronomy-related events and trips for our members. These are often subsidised.
Other Events
Members may also be interested in other astronomy-related events, run by other groups and societies, that our members are welcome to attend.
All persons under 18yrs must be accompanied by a parent/guardian or responsible adult.
If you wish further information on MKAS or any of the meetings, events and activities of the Society, please contact us, using the details on the CONTACT page.
