25 YEARS
1985 - 2010

Letchworth & District Astronomical Society
Programme of Events

2010 marks the society's 25th anniversary, and we invite everyone to join us in celebrating this special year.

 

 A star indicates that places for this event need to be booked in advance, even if they are free.
Go to the relevant page for details.

Click on the "Info" links for additional details about an activity.
You can also find details of our meeting schedule and location.
Key xx LDAS Monthly meeting xx Observing event xx Public events
xx LDAS additional meeting xx Members' event xx Publicity display
xx Other astronomy & space events xx Past events xx Future events

Date Time
Info
Activity Notes
Jan 7 - 13 400th Anniversary of Galileo's discovery of the Moons of Jupiter. This was the first proof that there were objects which orbited something other than the Earth.

According to accounts, Galileo saw 3 objects from January 7 close to Jupiter that changed positions; one disappeared behnd the planet on January 10. The fourth was first seen for the first time on January 13.
However, research by LDAS chairman Jerry Stone has shown that this is not correct! Contact LDAS to book a presentation on this.

Fri Jan 15 +
Sat Jan 16
From 19:30 Observing session : Free At Standalone Farm
Wed Jan 27 20:00 January Meeting Dr Stuart Clark : Do we need a new theory of gravity?
Feb Fri 5 / Sat 6 European AstroFest 2010 At Kensington Conference & Events Centre
Wed Feb 10 20:00 February Additional Meeting Presentations by members of the Society
Fri Feb 12 + Sat Feb 13 19:30 Observing session : Free At Standalone Farm
Sat Feb 20 11:00-16:00 Public Astronomy Session : Free Stevenage town centre. Sun and Moon
Wed Feb 24 19:30 February Meeting Bob Forrest : The Antikythera Mechanism
Sat Feb 27 11:00-16:00 Public Astronomy Session : Free Hitchin town centre. Solar observing
Sat Mar 6 11:00-16:00 Public Astronomy Session : Free Letchworth town centre. Solar observing
Sat Mar 6 From 19:30 Public Star Party : Free Saturn, Mars and Deep-Sky observing
Mar Fri 12 - Sun 21 National Science & Engineering Week (NSEW) Across the UK

Fri Mar 12 +
Sat Mar 13

19:30 Observing session : Free At Standalone Farm. Messier Marathon. NSEW event.
Fri Mar 19 19:30 Adults' Astronomy Workshop At Standalone Farm

Sat Mar 20

19:30 Lunar Observing session : Free At Standalone Farm. Messier Marathon. NSEW event.
Mar Wed 24 - Sun 28 UK Space Conference Charterhouse, Godalming, Surrey
Wed Mar 31 19:30 March Meeting Paul Money : The Voyager Missions - Part 1
Sat Apr 3 19:30 Young Observers' Astronomy Workshop At Standalone Farm
Sat Apr 10 11:00-16:00 Public Astronomy Session : Free Welwyn Garden City town centre.
Sat Apr 10 19:30 Society Meal Our 25th Anniversary Celebration Meal (Members only)
Mon April 12 Yuri's Night Celebration of the first human spaceflight
Apr Mon 12 - Fri 16 National Astronomy Meeting At the University of Glasgow
Apr Thu 15 - Sat 17 Spring Sky Camp At Kelling Heath, Norfolk
Fri Apr 16 19:30 Observing session : Free At Standalone Farm
Sat Apr 17 11:00-16:00 Public Astronomy Session : Free Letchworth town centre. Moon and Sun.
Sat Apr 17 From 19:30 Public Star Party : Free The Moon, Mars and Saturn
Fri Apr 23 19:30 Adults' Astronomy Workshop + Lunar Observing. At Standalone Farm
Sat Apr 24 19:30 Young Observers' Astronomy Workshop + Lunar Observing. At Standalone Farm
Wed Apr 28 19:30 April Meeting Paul Money : The Voyager Missions - Part 2
Sat May 1 19:30 Young Observers' Astronomy Workshop At Standalone Farm
Fri May 7 19:30 Adults' Astronomy Workshop At Standalone Farm
Sat May 8 09:30 Society Visit The Science Museum and the RAS Library (Members only)
Wed May 12 19:30 May Additional Meeting Presentations by members of the Society
Fri May 14 +
Sat May 15
From 20:30 Observing session : Free At Standalone Farm. Note these sessions start at 20:30, not 19:30
Wed May 26 19:30 May Meeting Mark Hurn : Sir Robert Ball - The Victorian Patrick Moore
Sat Jun 19 From 09:30 Public Astronomy Session : Free On the green by the roundabout at the north end of the village.
As part of the Welwyn Festival. Observing the Sun and Venus.
Sat Jun 26 From 09:30 BAA Exhibition Meeting At the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich
Wed Jun 30 19:30 June Meeting Martin Lewis : Building Your Own Telescope
Sat Jul 3 10:00-16:00 Public Astronomy Session : Free Garden Square, Letchworth, as part of the Letchworth Festival.
Observing the Sun and (possibly) Venus
Jul Sat 10 - Sun 11 Rocket and Space Weekend Royal Gunpowder Mills, Waltham Abbey
Including workshops and presentations by Jerry Stone.
Sat Jul 17 09:00-16:00 Public Astronomy Session, Leys Square, Letchworth
A
s part of the Letchworth "Earth Day" : Free
"The Earth In Space". Presentation by Jerry Stone at 2pm at the Letchworth Art Centre.
Sun Jul 25 08:30 Visit to South Downs Planetarium, Chichester Plus Fishbourne Roman Palace (Members only)
Wed Jul 28 19:30 July Meeting Dr Carolin Crawford: Cosmology for Beginners
Sun Aug 1 09:00 Visit to the Royal Observatory at Greenwich Plus the Royal Astronomical Society Picnic (Members only)
Thu Aug 12 From 20:00 Meteor Watch : Free The Perseids
Fri Aug 13 +
Sat Aug 14
From 20:30 Observing session : Free At Standalone Farm
Wed Aug 25 19:30 August Meeting Guy Hurst : Observing variables and understanding the lives of stars
Sat Aug 28 19:30 Observing session : Free At Standalone Farm
Sat Sep 4 11:00-16:00 Public Astronomy Session : Free Royston Town Centre. Sun, Moon and Venus
Sat Sep 4 17:30 Society Star-B-Que Our combination Star Party and Bar-B-Que : "The EquiNosh"
(Members only)
Sep Mon 6 - Thu 17 Autumn Sky Camp At Kelling Heath, Norfolk
Wed Sep 8 19:30 September Additional Meeting Presentations by members of the Society
Fri Sep 10 19:30 Adults' Astronomy Workshop + Members' Observing. At Standalone Farm
Sat Sep 11 11:00-16:00 Public Astronomy Session : Free Hitchin Town Centre. Sun, Moon and Venus
Sat Sep 11 19:30 Young Observers' Astronomy Workshop + Members' Observing. At Standalone Farm
Fri Sep 17 19:30 Lunar observing session : Free At Standalone Farm
Sat Sep 18 11:00-16:00 Public Astronomy Session : Free Letchworth Town Centre. Sun and Venus
Sat Sep 18 18:00 Official re-opening of the Observatory The official unveiling of our new telescope
(Members and invited guests only)
Sat Sep 18 From 19:30 Public Star Party : Free The Moon and Jupiter
Sat Sep 25 19:30 Young Observers' Astronomy Workshop + Members' Observing. At Standalone Farm
Wed Sep 29 19:30 September Meeting Prof. Monica Grady
Fri Oct 1 19:30 Adults' Astronomy Workshop + Members' Observing. At Standalone Farm
Sat Oct 2 11:00 - 16:00 Public Astronomy Session : Free Stevenage Town Centre. Sun and Venus
Sat Oct 2 19:30 "My Telescope Doesn't Work" Do you have a telescope that you don't use? We'll show you how to make use of it and discover the wonders of the skies.
Oct Mon 4 - Sun 10 World Space Week Celebrating Sputnik 1 and the UN Treaty on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space
Sat Oct 9 09:00-17:00 FAS Convention At the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge
With a presentation by Jerry Stone: "Visiting the Lord of the Rings",
about the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn.
Fri Oct 15 19:30 Lunar Observing session : Free At Standalone Farm
Sat Oct 16 11:00-16:00 Public Astronomy Session : Free Letchworth Town Centre. Solar observing
Sat Oct 16 From 19:30 Public Star Party : Free The Moon and Jupiter
Wed Oct 27 19:30 October Meeting Dr Mike Leggett: Astronomy in the Ancient World
Fri Oct 29 19:30 Adults' Astronomy Workshop At Standalone Farm
Sat Oct 30 19:30 Young Observers' Astronomy Workshop At Standalone Farm
Wed Nov 10 19:30 November Additional Meeting Presentations by members of the Society
Nov Sat 13 / Sun 14 Standalone Farm Craft Fair : Free LDAS public display
Wed Nov 24 19:30 November Meeting Dr Paul Murdin - Secrets of the universe
Fri Dec 3 19:30 Observing session : Free At Standalone Farm
Sat Dec 4 19:30 Observing session : Free At Standalone Farm
Mon Dec 13 From 21:00 Meteor Watch : Free The Geminids

Wed Dec 15

19:30 LDAS AGM AGM and Annual Quiz
Sun Dec 21 06:32 - 10:02 Eclipse Watch : Free Total eclipse of the Moon

To book places at our events, write to: events-at-ldas.org.uk
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LDAS is affiliated to

British Astronomical Association

Federation of Astronomical Societies

Society for Popular Astronomy