Introduction

As the name suggests, the society is based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire. However our members come from a large area, stretching down to the M25 and beyond! We are now classified as a large society, currently with over 110 members. We hold regular meetings, star parties and events for members and the public alike.

We meet from 8:00pm on the last Wednesday of each month, when we have presentations by external speakers. Starting in 2010 we will have four additional meetings, which will feature talks by members of the society. In December our meeting is around the middle of the month, when we have our AGM and our famous Quiz!

Due to our expansion, our meetings are now held at at the Elizabeth Howard Memorial Hall (also known as the Mrs Howard Memorial Hall) in the centre of Letchworth. You can find details of the location and our meetings for the year on our Programme page.

Observing

We have an observatory to the north of Letchworth at the Standalone Farm Centre ( Lat 51º 59' 20.5" N, Long 0º 14' 35.2" W), where we hold observing sessions and public events.

Observing sessions for members and their guests are normally held on dates close to a New Moon, to avoid glare from the Moon drowning out other objects in the sky. We also have sessions on other dates specifically to observe the Moon.

We hold a number of public events at the observatory durng the year. The main events are our four Public Star Parties, where we invite everyone to come along to see the wonders of the sky. We hold two in the Spring and two in the Autumn; normally one will feature the Moon and planets whilst the other is a dark-sky event, showing double-stars, star clusters, nebulae and galaxies.

We are also pleased to arrange visits to the observatory by scouts and guides, schools and other groups.

Details of these activities can be found through our Programme page.

History

The Society took the name of Letchworth & District Astronomical Society in 1991, by the renaming of the previously well -known Stevenage & District AS (SDAS) to reflect the society's new base in Letchworth.

SDAS, founded in 1985 was itself the result of a merger of two local societies - The North Herts Astronomical Association and The Welwyn & Hatfield Astronomical Association. Its initial event was during National Astronomical Week that year, to celebrate the return of Halley's comet. Since that time, we have grown larger and participated in many events. Back in 1989 we took part in the Astronomy Now Quiz, in which we came second from over 30 participating UK societies.

More recently, in 2005 we celebrated the 20th anniversary of the founding of SDAS with a special Public Star Party and a special members' star party & bar-b-que - which we called a Star-B-Que. This has become an annual event.

2010 marks our 25th anniversary, and we are planning a number of events to mark this milestone.

Membership

Membership is open to anyone. You certainly don't need to already be involved in astronomy, or even to own a telescope. Al that's required is an interest in the subject. We have members of all ages and with a wide range of knowledge, from complete beginners up to those producing professional quality images, and searching for extra-solar planets!

You can find full details of how to join the society and the benefits on our Membership page.

Meetings

After many years of meeting at Plinston Hall, the increase in our membership during 2009 has led to us finding a new venue. Starting in 2010, our meetngs are now held at The Elizabeth Howard Memorial Hall in Letchworth, normally on the last Wednesday of each month, starting at 8pm. To cover the cost of hiring the room at the centre & speakers' expenses, we charge an entry fee of £2 each for members (or member of their household), and £3 for non members. Accompanied children are charged less.

The hall is located in Norton Way South, opposite the junction with Leys Avenue, and the entrance to the car park is in Hillshott. A frequent train and bus service operates to the nearby railway station. (The station is about 500 metres away, opposite the other end of Leys Avenue). The meeting room is on the first floor of the north wing of the hall.

The main meetings feature talks by guest speakers, who have included: Chris Baddiley, Carolin Crawford, Guy Hurst, Bob Mizon, Paul Money, Ian Ridpath, Nial Tanvir and David Whitehouse, in additional to our own Honorary President, Bob Forrest. We also have meetings featuring talks by members of the society. Our December meeting is held earlier in the month, when we hold our AGM and run a quiz and raffle.

Soft drinks, tea and coffee, are usually supplied free of charge at the meetings, and members may borrow books from the society's library.

You can find full details on our Meetings page.

Observing

The society is fortunate to have its own observatory. It is located at the Standalone Farm Center, which is run by Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation. The site is easily accessible by road / public transport, and has ample car parking. Additionally, the site is reasonably dark.

The observatory was opened in 1993. It was built entirely by our members and you can find photos of its construction and opening through our Observing page. It houses an electrically driven polar aligned 10" Newtonian telescope (with manual override). It is possible to attach cameras to the telescope, and it has a selection of filters and eyepieces. We have several other telescopes up to a 10" Schmidt Newtonian.

This facility, combined with the society's ability to give talks and demonstrations for the public, allows us to provide for the public promotion and education of astronomy, including assisting schools with the national curriculum.

We run an observing programme through the year, and members are free to attend and use the equipment. Dates can be found on our events listing. During 2009 we held a series of Astronomy Workshops to introduce people to astronomy in a series of sessions which mixed theory with practical activities. These proved very popular and we will be running some more during 2010. We also held some Young Observers' Workshops, aimed at ages 11-15, where the idea was to provide sessions for young people interested in astronomy where they wouldn't be overwhelmed by a roomful of adult enthusiasts.

The sessions are just £5 per session (they are free to members). The Young Observers' Workshops are also £5 (which includes an accompanying adult). Details of these workshops can be found in our Observing section, where you can also find more information about the observatory and observing sessions. We also have a selection of images produced by members.

Other Society Activities

As well as the Star-B-Que mentioned above, we have an annual members' meal, which is held in the spring. We also have visits to places of astronomical interest. These have included the Old Royal Observatory at Greenwich, Mill Hill Observatory and the Observatory Science Centre and telescopes at Herstmonceux Castle.

Within this website, you will find a full list of the society events planned for 2010.

You will notice that in addition to having our meetings and observing sessions, we participate in other local society/community events, and put on public events ourselves. The reasons for this are not just to publicise our society, and so gain members (though this certainly helps), but to assist the local community. This is a deliberate part of the society's policy, and is embedded in its constitution. Typical of this is that we have often given lectures and talks to various schools and groups. Amongst these have been: Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Brownies, Plinston Kids, the Letchworth 41 Club and the Letchworth branch of the National Women's Register. Please note that you are not obliged to be involved with this programme if you become a member. However, we are grateful for any assistance given.

We are always happy to receive requests for talks from any source. So if you know of anyone who may be interested in any talks on astronomy or space exploration, please feel free to pass on our details. Our talks range from an introductory level to quite in-depth presentations.

Our Society Chairman, Jerry Stone, is a freelance presenter on astronomy and space exploration, and gives presentations all over the UK and abroad. For a professional session with inflatable planets, telescopes to view the sun and Moon, and "pop" & air rockets, contact him at chair-at-ldas.org.uk (Replace "-at-" with "@" in the e-mail address). For further information, see our "Presentations" page or visit his website at www.spaceflight-uk.com.

Letchworth & District Astronomical Society is a very active, yet friendly and informal society, where members can meet, chat and exchange ideas, so you can be sure of a warm welcome.

We would be very happy to receive your application for membership which can be found through our Membership page.

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