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.
| DATE | DETAILS |
| 08-May
DETAILS
| Laura Mullin - Opportunities for Radio Astronomy from Home
Bredhurst Village Hall
Budding amateur astronomers have many resources for starting out with optical telescopes, but giving radio astronomy a try can seem a bit more daunting. This talk will introduce the sorts of observations you might carry out and the sort of equipment needed.
SPEAKER DETAILS
Dr Laura Mullin
Dr Laura Mullin is currently an Associate Lecturer with the OU School of Physical Sciences, supporting undergraduate and post graduate students on astronomy, astrophysics and space science courses. She started her career by undertaking a Ph.D in radio astronomy but has worked more broadly in space related roles since then. This includes a year with CNES at the Guiana Space Centre, a postdoc at the University of Bremen and a few years working for Airbus Defence and Space in the Industrial Operations Team, which was involved with preparing increment operations on ESA's Columbus module. Prior to the OU, she worked at UCL's Mullard Space Science laboratory as a tutor on the MSc Systems Engineering Management and as project manager for the MSSL contributions to the JUICE and the Daniel K. Inouye solar telescope cameras.
|
| 29-May
DETAILS
| Jeni Millard - Investigating Gravitational Waves and Black Holes
Bredhurst Village Hall
Abstract to follow.
SPEAKER DETAILS
Dr Jeni Millard
Jeni Millard is an astrophysicist and science communicator and Hon. President of the Barry Astronomical Society. She was awarded her Ph.D. by Cardiff University in 2021. Her thesis was entitled 'The stuff between the stars: on the evolution of the interstellar medium in the real and simulated universe'.
While continuing her research during the pandemic/lockdown she became increasing interested in sharing her passion for astronomy with a wider audience and became writer and host of the popular 'Awesome Astronomy' podcast. She is also Managing Editor of Fifth Star Labs 'Sky Guide' App and is a science presenter for BBC1 Wales 'Weatherman Walking' series.
Other than astronomy, Jeni's interests include films and exploring places in the U.K.
|
| 12-Jun
DETAILS
| Jonathan Clough - Kristian Birkeland; The father of Northern Lights knowledge
Bredhurst Village Hall
Birkeland worked out what causes the Northern Lights from his observatory near Alta, Norway, and was nominated for a Nobel prize 7 times. He was Norway’s most celebrated scientist and father of Northern lights understanding. Not only was Birkeland the man who had the key insight that opened our understanding of how the solar and terrestrial environment interlink, but he also believed in applying science to immediate problems, eventually holding more than 50 patents. This talk covers Birkeland’s amazing career until his death in obscure circumstances at the age of 50.
SPEAKER DETAILS
Jonathan Clough
Jonathan Clough is an experienced speaker and is frequently the ‘onboard astronomer' on cruise ships. He describes himself as an "astro-nut" and his enthusiasm for all astronomical topics is infectious.
Jonathan is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and currently Vice-Chair and Events Secretary of the Cambridge Astronomical Association.
|
| 26-Jun
DETAILS
| David Southwood - A Decade as an ESA Director
Bredhurst Village Hall
Prof Southwood was Director of Science and Robotic Engineering of the European Space Agency from 2001-2011 and in his talk will share his memories of the projects that he supported (and cancelled!) during that time.
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.
|
| 10-Jul
DETAILS
| Georgia Richardson - How we can see the invisible: imaging Black Holes
Bredhurst Village Hall
This talk will explore how the Event Horizon Telescope combined radio telescopes across the world is used to image the supermassive black hole at the centre of the galaxy M87. It will describe what the famous image actually shows, why it looks the way it does and how modern machine learning techniques were used to reconstruct and sharpen the image from incomplete data.
SPEAKER DETAILS
Georgia Richardson
Georgia Richardson is a machine learning engineer specialising in computer vision, with an academic background in astrophysics. She completed an MSc in Astrophysics at Durham University, where her research focused on the variability of supermassive black holes. She has undertaken research with the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, resulting in a publication in Research Notes of the AAS, and completed an internship with the European Space Agency working on machine learning applications. Her current work focuses on applying ML to scientific imaging problems, and she retains a strong interest in black holes and the use of AI in modern astronomy.
|
| 31-Jul
DETAILS
| MKAS Summer Social
Bredhurst Village Hall
We will have a barbeque lit ready for you to cook the food you bring along.
We will provide some salads, burger rolls and ketchup, but feel free to bring along some accompaniments and desserts to share.
Tea, coffee and some cordials will be available in the kitchen, but please bring along any other drinks / alcohol you wish to have.
There will be a quiz and music to add to the occasion.
Family and friends are welcome to attend.
There will be no admission charge for Members, but visitors will be asked to pay the standard meeting fee.
|
| 11-Sep
DETAILS
| MKAS 50th Anniversary Opening Meeting and Observation Night
Bredhurst Village Hall
Details to follow.
|
| 19-Sep
DETAILS
| MKAS 50th Anniversary Dinner
Bredhurst Village Hall
Save the Date!
Details to Follow.
|
| 25-Sep
DETAILS
| MKAS 50th Anniversary - Prof. Jan-Peter Muller - Our Icy Moon
Bredhurst Village Hall
Abstract to follow.
SPEAKER DETAILS
Prof 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.
|
| 09-Oct
DETAILS
| MKAS Anniversary Meeting - Prof. Stephen Eales - Infrared astronomy and the Herschel Space Telescope
Bredhurst Village Hall
The births of stars and some galaxies occur inside clouds of gas and dust, which hides them from the view of optical telescopes, and the only way to observe them is to go to longer wavelengths to the submillimetre waveband. In his talk Steve will describe this new type of astronomy, focussing on the Herschel Space Observatory, whose launch in 2009 marked the moment at which submillimetre astronomy came of age. He will describe some of the discoveries made by the mission and include some of the human stories behind the mission from his recently published book: The Ghost in the Telescope" the story of the Herschel Space Observatory.
SPEAKER DETAILS
Prof Stephen Eales
Stephen Eales is an astronomer who also writes about astronomy. After a PhD in radio astronomy in Cambridge and postdocs in Hawaii and at the Space Telescope Science Institute, he is now a professor of astrophysics in Cardiff. In his day job, he carries out research into the origin and evolution of galaxies, using telescopes all over the world and in space. In his other life, he has written two books about astronomy for a general audience. His latest book, The Ghost in the Telescope, I}tells the story of the Herschel Space Observatory, the discoveries made with the observatory and the human stories behind the mission.
|
| 30-Oct
DETAILS
| MKAS Anniversary Meeting - FAMILY SPACE NIGHT **ALL WEATHER EVENT**
Bredhurst Village Hall
If you want some more fun for yourself or your children or grandchildren during the Half Term holiday, 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:
- Hands-on displays about Space and our Solar System
- An exciting talk to give an introduction to the wonders of the night sky
- Moon rock and Meteorites: Look at different meteorites and hold a piece of the Moon!!
- some Meteorites available for purchase
- spectroscopy demonstration
- Craft activites for youngsters (7+)
- Stargazing outside (weather permitting)
PLUS - PLUS - PLUS
- FREE REFRESHMENTS - tea, coffee,squash and biscuits
- other refreshments on sale
- RAFFLE with impressive prizes.
In the past two Family Space Night events, we have had over 150 people visiting, so this is very popular and not one to be missed.
Doors open at 19:30pm.
ENTRY ONLY BY ADVANCE PURCHASE OF TICKETS.
Ticketing details will be released in September.
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.
|
| 13-Nov
DETAILS
| MKAS Anniversary Meeting - Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell - My life with pulsars
Bredhurst Village Hall
The story of how pulsars (pulsating radio stars) were accidentally discovered, and a summary of what we know about them today.
SPEAKER DETAILS
Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell
Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell is an astrophysicist who is best known as the person who discovered pulsars while a radio astronomy graduate student in Cambridge for which her supervisor, Prof. Antony Hewish was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1974 (shared with Martin Ryle). She has subsequently worked in gamma ray, X-ray, infrared and millimetre wavelength astronomy.
Dame Jocelyn is a Visiting Academic in the University of Oxford’s Department of Physics. She has received many Honorary Doctorates for her work and multiple awards from organisations in the UK and abroad. She was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2003 and has received their Michael Faraday Prize (2010), the Royal Medal (2015) and Copley Medal (2021). A member of 7 Academies worldwide, she was the first female President of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, as well as of the Institute of Physics. Amongst other posts she has held have been that of Chancellor of the University of Dundee from 2018-2023 and President of the Royal Astronomical Society from 2002-2004.
She champions the work of female scientists and used the money received from being awarded the US Breakthrough Prize in 2018 to set up the Institute of Physics’ Bell Burnell Graduate Scholarship Fund since she is convinced bringing people from a wider range of backgrounds into physics will improve research.
|
| 27-Nov
DETAILS
| MKAS Anniversary Meeting - Louise Devoy - The Royal Observatory Greenwich: a History in Objects
Bredhurst Village Hall
In this presentation, curator and author Louise Devoy will explore the rich legacy of the Royal Observatory Greenwich through a selection of fascinating objects, themes and personal stories. From the intricacy of John Harrison’s revolutionary timekeepers to the impressive scale of the Great Equatorial Telescope, each item demonstrates the Observatory’s achievements in pioneering astronomy, innovative engineering, accurate time distribution and collaborative scientific projects. Together they chart the development of the Observatory from its founding in 1675 to its growing influence on travel, trade and communication that continues to underpin our lives today.
Louise will have copies of her book Royal Observatory Greenwich: A History in Objects available for purchase after her talk.
SPEAKER DETAILS
Louise Devoy
Louise has a background in astrophysics and the history of science and has worked at various museums in the UK and abroad. Her research interests encompass astronomical instruments, women in astronomy and networks of knowledge exchange between historic observatories.
Over the past five years Louise has delved into the archives and museum stores to choose 100 objects and their stories for her book Royal Observatory Greenwich: A History in Objects ,published to celebrate the Observatory’s 350th anniversary in 2025.
|
| 11-Dec
DETAILS
| MKAS Anniversary Meeting - Christmas Social
Bredhurst Village Hall
A chance for Members and their guests to relax, chat and enjoy each other's company at our annual Christmas Social. No entry charge plus a complimentary raffle ticket for each Member on arrival with an array of prizes to be won.
We will provide refreshments but you may want to bring along your own wine or beer (or perhaps something stronger) if you wish and aren't driving.
Please also bring your own festive food to share with everyone. Sausage rolls and any other savoury items and mince pies can be warmed up in the kitchen.
There will be an optional paper-based Quiz and Dingbats to go alongside the usual eating, drinking and chat.
We look forward to seeing you in your party hats to get the festive season underway.
|
www.midkentastro.org.uk/events
