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| 11-Oct | Will Joyce - The Origin of the Moon Bredhurst Village Hall Lunar exploration is once again at the forefront of space exploration, but many questions about the Moon remain unresolved. This discussion presents recent scientific results and key highlights that have influenced our current knowledge of the Moon, and discusses a number of traditional and more radical modern theories about its origin and early evolution. SPEAKER DETAILSWilliam Joyce  Bringing astronomy and space to the public is William Joyce's passion. He has been fascinated by astronomy since the age of six, and enjoys sharing the wonders of the cosmos with the public, amateur and expert astronomers, and schools. William has spent time as an astrophysicist, a spacecraft engineer, and until recently a planetary scientist. He provides outreach talks and short courses for astronomy societies, the public, schools and special events in the UK, overseas, and on-board cruise ships. He is a Chartered Physicist and a STEM Ambassador. William is always delighted to share his enthusiasm for astronomy and diverse knowledge and experience with people of all ages and backgrounds who wish to learn more about fascinating areas of modern science, so please do ask him any burning questions you have on anything to do with space. | |
| 25-Oct | Simon Dawes - The Exoclock Project Bredhurst Village Hall  Once considered an impossible task for amateur astronomers, it is now feasible to not only detect planets around other stars, but for the observations to have scientific value. We will go on a tour of the most successful detection methods and what we can learn about these planetary systems before landing on how you too could become part of the this exciting revolution in amateur astronomy. SPEAKER DETAILSSimon Dawes  Simon Dawes, has been passionate about observing the heavens for over 30 years. His dedication to Astronomy was recognized by the British Astronomical Association, which awarded him the prestigious Sir Patrick Moore Prize for his significant contributions to Pro-Am collaborations on exoplanet transit observations. Simon has successfully observed more than 100 transits, earning a Silver award from the ExoClock Organisation in 2023. He holds an Honours degree in Physics, has built 2 telescopes and modified many others. | |
| 08-Nov | Gavin Lacey - Imaging the Sun for all budgets Bredhurst Village Hall Gavin will talk about the range of telescopes and cameras that are available to suit a range of budgets. SPEAKER DETAILSGavin Lacey  Gavin has had an interest in astronomy from the age of 12 and owned his first telescope at the age of 15. He started learning the night sky as a purely visual observer using a small stars and planets book. Some years later and Gavin is still very much a visual observer but has now moved on to imaging the planets, Sun and Moon whilst still attempting deep sky astrophotography when possible, with amazing results. | |
| 29-Nov | Jonny Pierce - Radio Astronomy: Past, Present & Future Bredhurst Village Hall  The story of radio astronomy from past to present is a particularly captivating tale of technological and scientific progress. In this talk, Jonny Pierce will explain how radio astronomy techniques have developed over the past century, highlighting some of the important telescopes and key scientific results that have been produced along the way. He will also introduce some of the future plans for radio astronomy, including the advancements that will be provided by the next major development: the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) telescope. SPEAKER DETAILSDr Jonny Pierce  Jonny Pierce is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Hertfordshire, where he focuses on radio astronomy studies of active supermassive black holes (active galactic nuclei, or AGN) using the LOFAR (Low Frequency Array) telescope. He is also involved in developing the processing of LOFAR 'Long Baseline' data, which enables very high resolution radio interferometry imaging at low frequencies. Jonny studied for his Masters and PhD degrees at the University of Sheffield, where he also studied AGN and merging galaxies using deep optical imaging data. | |
| 13-Dec | MKAS Christmas Social Bredhurst Village Hall Details to follow. | |
| 10-Jan-2025 | Dr. Julian Onions - Galaxies: One Gigayear at a Time Bredhurst Village Hall What are galaxies, how are they classified, how are they formed, What do we understand about their lives - and how many pretty pictures can I fit into one talk! SPEAKER DETAILSJulian Onions  Julian is a post doctoral researcher and astrophysist at Nottingham University. He works with computer simulations of large fractions of the universe to understand trends in galaxy formation and evolution. Investigating the tools that help us form and analyse such simulations such as halo finders, tree builders and semi-analytic models. He also does a number of outreach activities, giving talks to astronomy societies and other interested groups such as rotary and U3A, as well as working with schools and scouts/guide groups. He also helps with the teaching of undergraduates in some of the astronomy courses. | |
| 31-Jan-2025 | Peter Goodhew - Revealing the Unseen Cosmos Bredhurst Village Hall In recent years there have been significant improvements in affordable amateur astrophotography technologies. This, combined with the advent of remote robotic telescope hosting at dark sites, has resulted in a step increase in the capabilities of amateurs to conduct scientific exploration of the cosmos. Amateur astronomers have been discovering literally hundreds of previously unknown cosmic objects. The majority of these are planetary nebulae, but supernova remnants, and other more mysterious objects are also being found. Peter will explain how such discoveries are made, and illustrate the discovery process by way of a real life case study. Deep amateur imaging is also revealing previously unknown features of well known objects - and some examples of these will also be featured. SPEAKER DETAILSPeter Goodhew  Peter has been photographing the cosmos for the past 9 years. In recent years he has been part of an international team of amateurs engaged in astronomical research. This also includes providing support to the professional astronomical community. Peter operates 3 remote robotic telescopes located in Spain, and leads a network of 8 similar robotic telescopes in Spain and Chile. Peter was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society in December 2018. | |
| 14-Feb-2025 | FAMILY SPACE NIGHT! Bredhurst Village Hall If you want some more fun for yourself or your children or grandchildren at the start of Half Term, then look no further than our Family Space Night! We are offering a brilliant evening which will include a beginner's guide to the night sky and displays about astronomy and space, We will have some hands on activities for the younger children from age 7 upwards. There will be plenty to occupy adults too! Come along and learn about Space and Astronomy and, weather permitting, go outside and look at some interesting astronomical sights through a selection of telescopes. We will have the latest electronically assisted observing telescopes allowing several people to log on and view the objects at the same time, as well as more conventional designs. Steps will be provided to help shorter adults and children reach the eyepieces. Some highlights to look forward to: - MEGA RAFFLE with impressive prizes. - Hands-on displays about Space and our Solar System - A talk by Arthur Fentaman FRAS - "Heavens above - a beginner's guide to the night sky". - The scale of the Solar System - Moon rock and Meteorites: Look at different meteorites and hold a piece of the Moon!! - some meteorites available for purchase. - Craft activites for youngsters (7+) - Stargazing outside (weather permitting). PLUS - PLUS - PLUS - FREE REFRESHMENTS - tea, coffee,squash and biscuits - other refreshments on sale Doors open at 19:30pm. ENTRY ONLY BY ADVANCE PURCHASE OF TICKETS from January 2025. Under 18s are FREE but they MUST be accompanied by an adult. REMEMBER! It may well be quite cold outside at this time of year so wrap up warm if you are venturing outside to do some stargazing and to look through the telescopes. POLITE REQUEST Whilst it will obviously be dark outside we ask you not to use normal white light torches near the telescopes as they will spoil your night vision and that of others. We will have red lights to guide you to and from the telescopes. PLEASE NOTE - we are all volunteers and the programme of events may change due to circumstances beyond our control. | |
| 28-Feb-2025 | Greg Smye-Rumsby - If Venus had a Moon Bredhurst Village Hall The planet Venus is a fascinating world, a world that should by all accounts be a near twin of the Earth with continents and oceans undergoing seasonal changes and possessing a moon. However, the reality is very different. Its surface is completely blanketed by dense opaque cloud making observation of surface features impossible. Those starting out to follow their passion in astronomy often take in the changing aspect of Saturns rings, the storms within Jupiter’s clouds and of course the surface features of Mars as it spins slowly on its axis. Venus is not one of the planets favoured by most amateurs BUT what if it had a moon? SPEAKER DETAILSGreg Smye-Rumsby  Greg Smye-Rumsby has essentially two astronomical careers. Firstly, as a specialist planetarium presenter for the Royal Observatory Greenwich. This consists of presenting planetarium shows to schools and public alike but also providing teaching artworks and slides for the many school and public courses. He has also been asked to cover corporate evenings, TV presentations and provide engaging discourses for the ROG winter programme ‘An Evening with the Stars’. Secondly, Greg is a supplier of diagrams and celestial maps for Astronomy Now magazine and has also written a few articles occasionally. | |
| 14-Mar-2025 | MKAS Telescope Clinic Bredhurst Village Hall This meeting will give MKAS members and visitors the chance to address problems that have arisen during set-up and testing of their new (and perhaps older) telescopes. They will be able to ask for telescope tips and solutions to problems from experienced MKAS Astronomers with hands-on experience with their type of telescopes. The meeting will start with a short presentation by Doug Edworthy giving an overview of the different equipment types readily available to amateur astronomers, both in terms of telescopes and appropriate mounts. This will help those thinking of buying their first telescope or prior to upgrading their existing equipment to identify the 'kit' most appropriate to meeting their needs. The rest of the evening will be devoted to a practical session, dedicated to solving particular problems, or demonstrating how to set up equipment. Members are invited to bring their telescopes along to the event, while proficient MKAS members will give advice on specific problems. Other MKAS Members and all visitors would be expected to benefit from listening in on the advice given. In order to plan the evening most efficiently, members intending to bring "problem telescopes" are invited to describe their equipment in advance and to outline their specific problems ahead of the meeting. Weather permitting, it would be hoped that successful operation of some of the telescopes could be demonstrated outside, following the talks and demonstrations. Please email your questions / problems in advance to: membersec@midkentastro.org.uk. SPEAKER DETAILSDoug Edworthy  Doug's passion for all things to do with space was triggered as a small child as he listened to the beep-beep sounds of Sputnik 1 on the radio as the 'first man-made moon' circled the globe. By the time he was ten he was into amateur radio short-wave listening, building crystal sets, thermionic valve TRF receivers and, as the technology became available, transistorised superheterodyne receivers. After college, he worked for ITT Consumer Products and then moved to Millbank Electronics in Uckfield. During his time there Doug became involved in induction loop technology for hearing-aid users and in the writing of British Standard 7594. He later became the 'UK expert' for several related International Electrotechnical Committee standards. Doug eventually found himself as both a Technical Director and a Shareholder of Millbank and discovered a talent for quality management systems, taking the company through BS 5750:part 1 certification. He also spent time as President of the Institute of Sound & Communications Engineers and was awarded Honorary Fellowship in 2005. In 1994 Doug set up his own consultancy business in audio electronics and in business management systems and undertook a 5-year OU course which resulted in a Post-Graduate Diploma in Computing. | |
| 28-Mar-2025 | Jan-Peter Muller - Mapping landscape features on the Earth, Moon and Mars from orbit Bredhurst Village Hall Prof Muller will describe how landscape features on the Earth, Moon and Mars can be mapped from orbiting satellites using AI and a virtual 3D. He will compare 3D views generated from orbit with those from the Mars2020 rover to show the potential and limitations of armchair exploration SPEAKER DETAILSProf Jan-Peter Muller  Jan-Peter Muller received a BSc. degree in Physics with honours from Sheffield University in 1976, an MSc. in Atmospheric Physics and Dynamics from Imperial College London in 1977 and a PhD. in Planetary Meteorology from University College London in 1982, during which time he spent 1979 as a NASA Intern in the Jet Propulsion Laboratory working with the Voyager Imaging Science Team. Prof. Muller is Emeritus Professor at the Mullard Space Science Laboratory in the Dept. of Space and Climate Physics, University College London. He is a Co-Investigator on the ESA Mars Express HRSC and ESA Harmony Thermal-IR multi-angle mission launching in the late 2020s. Prof. Muller's research interests include imaging sensor technology development for comparative planetology and exploration especially for Cubesats, the development and application of deep learning to applications such as cloud detection, cloud-top wind-field mapping, very high resolution surface albedo mapping and super-resolution restoration. He has been an active leader in the field of automated mapping of Earth, Moon, Mars and Jupiter and image interpretation for the last 20 years. This has included the development of advanced algorithms for automated 3D surface and solid earth deformation measurement and automated extraction of global environmental information. https://www.ucl.ac.uk/mssl/people/prof-jan-peter-muller. | |
| 11-Apr-2025 | Prof. Rodney Buckland - Topic TBC Bredhurst Village Hall [Abstract to follow] SPEAKER DETAILSRodney Buckland  Rodney was a digital computing engineer in NASA's Deep Space Network in the late 60s, before becoming an expedition scientist in Antarctica and manager of science mission studies at the European Space Agency. In recent years, he has been a Research Fellow and part-time Lecturer at The Open University, and is one of the founders of Lunar Mission One. He is currently supervising students carrying out research projects in the Open University's MSc Space Science and Technology programme. | |
| 25-Apr-2025 | ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Bredhurst Village Hall  This is your chance to discuss how the Society operates and to make suggestions about future activities, to appprove the annual accounts and to elect the Committee for the forthcoming year. Any Member can put themselves forward for election to the Committee. Indeed we would welcome some new blood so please do not be shy in volunteering. Please send any proposals for changes to society business to secretary@midkentastro.org.uk by no later than 11 April 2025. The Constitution can be viewed and downloaded from HERE. The AGM is open to all MKAS Members and Visitors, however only Members are entitled to vote. Please download and review the following documents: [2 of 3 documents currently available] - Agenda for the 2025 AGM - Minutes of the 2024 AGM (Draft) - Committee Roles and Responsibilities The following reports will been sent to members in advance of the AGM: - MKAS Accounts 2024-2025 The following reports will be presented at the AGM: - Treasurer's Report and Audited Accounts - Chairman's Report - Programme Secretary's Report - Membership Secretary's Report - GP20 update | |
| 09-May-2025 | Prof. Michael Smith - The heart and lungs of a galaxy: tensions and hypertensions in the Universe. Bredhurst Village Hall The evolution of the Universe and the large scale structure therein are the subjects of increasing tension. These issues will be discussed and we will ask what has caused the very early galaxies to appear so fast, how the gas in between got enriched and then how the galaxy growth got quenched. Research into the prime suspect, the supermassive black hole at the heart could hold the key. A means by which the black hole can solve some of these issues by ejecting high pressure jets into expanding and contracting lungs will be explored. SPEAKER DETAILSProf Michael Smith  Born in Ipswich, Professor Smith was educated in England and Australia before obtaining a first class honours degree in Mathematics from Imperial College, London, in 1976, and a doctorate in Astrophysics from the University of Oxford in 1979. He went on to work at higher education institutions in Illinois, Maryland and Iowa, USA; Leicester Edinburgh and Armagh in the UK, Leiden, The Netherlands, Trieste, Italy and Heidelberg in Germany, where he held a von Humboldt Fellowship. Prof. Smith is an Associate of The Royal College of Science, a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and a member of the International Astronomical Union. |
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