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.
Covid precautions:• Please do not to attend if you have tested positive in the last week or have COVID symptoms
• Please use the hand sanitisers that will be provided
• Please respect other Members' requests regarding social distancing
Click here for further details
Print | DATE | DETAILS |
| 27-Sep
DETAILS
| Mary McIntyre, FRAS - Astronomy sketching workshop
Bredhurst Village Hall
Join Mary to discover how to sketch what you see in the night sky through your telescope. Mary says that she has found that sketching has helped to really improve her knowledge of astronomy in a way that photography cannot.
What you will need:
A few sheets of A4 white paper.
A pencil - an HB, B or 2B pencil.
A pencil eraser - Mary suggests trimming the end with a craft knife so it has a clean, sharp point for precision erasing
A couple of cotton buds for blending
Something circular to draw around that fits on the A4 page, e.g. a plastic bowl
A clipboard or book to lean on.
SPEAKER DETAILS
Mary McIntyre
Born in Lancashire, Mary caught her passion for astronomy from her mother and was captivated by the Ladybird book about the constellations and their myths. She acquired her first telescope aged 11. She later studied for her Certificate in Astronomy and Planetary Science via the Open University.??
She now lives in rural Oxfordshire and is a keen astrophotographer together with her husband Mark. Mary is passionate about outreach and is a popular speaker with astronomical societies. In addition, she is a regular contributor to the Sky at night magazine and has appeared on TV and broadcast on the radio.
Elected as a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society in 2018 Mary is also a member of the British Astronomical Association and in 2021 was awarded the Sir Patrick Moore prize for her contributions to astronomy outreach. Mary also serves on the Council of the Society for Popular Astronomy.
Mary is co-author of the Collins Stargazing Bible, which is due for publication in September 2024.
|
| 11-Oct
DETAILS
| 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 DETAILS
William 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
DETAILS
| 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 DETAILS
Simon 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
DETAILS
| 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 DETAILS
Gavin 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.
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| 29-Nov
DETAILS
| 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 DETAILS
Dr 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.
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| 13-Dec
DETAILS
| MKAS Christmas Social
Bredhurst Village Hall
Details to follow.
|
| 10-Jan-2025
DETAILS
| Dr. Julian Onions -Topic TBC
Bredhurst Village Hall
SPEAKER DETAILS
Julian 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.
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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 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 workshop 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.
