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Wiltshire Astronomical Society Posts

2024 April Update

This month we will be holding a zoom based meeting, scheduled for Tuesday 2nd April at 19:45 (20:00 start). Please do not attend the Seend meeting hall, as this is online only.

This month Andy Burns will step in and provide the talk “The Spring Skies. Galaxy season”. Many thanks again for a member providing a talk in the absence of a speaker secretary to organise one.

This post will be updated with the Zoom meeting details and also the April Newsletter, when it becomes available.

Also, we have a scheduled observing session for Friday 5th April. However, since Chris Brooks (observing coordinator) is overseas, this may be postponed to Friday 12th April depending on a discussion on others availability at the April meeting on Tuesday, so look out for updates via the Observing Mailing List (sign up here if you are not on the list).

Clear Skies

2024 March Update

** POST UPDATE TUE 2024-03-04 16:44 GMT **

This month we will be holding a zoom based meeting, scheduled for Tuesday 5th March at 19:45 (20:00 start). Please do attend the Seend meeting hall, as this is online only.

This month we’re lucky to have one of our own, Tony Vale, who will provide a talk “Observing Variable Stars (or What I Get Up To In My Back Garden After Dark)”.

The zoom details are below:

URL: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82679919726?pwd=UlhCanlLMy9Fd2QxeVVHcC8vanpzUT09
Meeting ID: 826 7991 9726
Passcode: 250286
Time: Tue 5th March 2024 19:45 GMT

Many thanks to Andy Burns for again, dutifully putting together this month’s newsletter available on this link.

Also, Andy has complied two resources on completing the Messier Marathon, they can be downloaded on links below:
Messier Marathon Finder Chart Booklet
Messier Marathon Viewing Priority List

When time allows, I’ll create a new “Resources” section on the website and add these Messier resources there too.

Clear skies

2024 February Update

** UPDATED ON 2024-02-06 14:35 GMT **

We are back to in-person meeting which is scheduled for Tuesday 6th Feb 2024 at 19:45 (20:00 start) at the Irene Usher Memorial Pavilion, Rusty Lane, Seend, SN12 6NS.

This month will be a members discussion regarding the upcoming “Messier Marathon”.

Many thanks to Andy for putting together the newsletter, download it on this link.

Clear skies.

2024 January Update

** Updated on 2023-01-02T15:04Z **

Happy New Year

We have our monthly meeting (ONLINE only using Zoom) scheduled for Tuesday 2nd January 2024 at 19:45. The Zoom details are below:

URL: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83700372815?pwd=eDVvTzRQeCtHSVBWdEExUFNaV2hmUT09
Meeting ID: 837 0037 2815
Passcode: 485892

This month, Paul Money has kindly offered to provide a talk on “the New Images of the Universe from all sources”. To confirm, there will be NO meeting at the Seend Hall in January. We hope to resume in-person meetings as and when members come forward to provide any informal talks on any space or astronomy related subject, and/or a speaker coordinator steps forward. Please use the contact us link to get in touch.

Jan 2024 Newsletter is available on this link many thanks to Andy Burns for putting this together.

Clear skies

2023 December Update

In a change to our normal arrangements, we have a meeting scheduled for Tuesday 5th December which will be ONLINE only, using Zoom, scheduled for 19:45 join, with an 20:00 start. Please do not attend the hall at Seend.

This month, we welcome friend of the society, Martin Griffiths who will give a talk on our “Winter Skies”. Members and non-members are welcome to join the meeting using the details below:

Meeting URL: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85816052255?pwd=VnJIRlZ0V2hMQnZvbmdoN2VnUk8yZz09
Meeting ID: 858 1605 2255 
Passcode: 353585

Note, in the absence of a Speaker Secretary we are encouraging members to come forward to offer talks or informal sessions on any space or astronomy related topic. Please see our Society Roles page if you’re interested in getting involved and helping the society move forward.

** UPDATE AT TU 2023-12-05 14:30 **

Many thanks to Andy Burns for putting together the 2023 December newsletter (download link).

Clear skies.

2023 November Update

We have a meeting scheduled for Tuesday 7th November at the usual place, Irene Usher Memorial Pavilion at Seend for 19:45 arrive, for an 20:00 start.

This month will be no speaker but a members practical session, with an opportunity for members ask questions, do any show and tells on equipment of software.

Note, in the absence of a Speaker Secretary we are encouraging members to come forward to offer talks or informal sessions on any space or astronomy related topic. Please see our Society Roles page if you’re interested in getting involved and helping the society move forward.

** UPDATE on 2023-11-07 14:26 **

Please see link to the Nov 2023 newsletter, many thanks to Andy Burns for putthing this together.

Clear skies.

2023 October Update

We have a meeting scheduled for Tuesday 3rd October at the usual place, Irene Usher Memorial Pavilion at Seend for 19:45 arrive, for an 20:00 start.

This month, Andy Burns has kindly volunteered to give a talk “Dark Nebulae” to allow us to keep our format of an in-person monthly meeting. Note, in the absence of a Speaker Secretary we have no plans for future in-person meetings. Please see our Society Roles page if you’re interested in getting involved and helping the society move forward.

Please see the September 2023 newsletter, available to download on this link. Thanks to Andy for compling this again.

Clear skies.

2023 September Update

We are back after our Summer break for July and August and have several things to update you on.

We have a meeting scheduled for Tuesday 5th September at the usual place, Irene Usher Memorial Pavilion at Seend for 19:45 arrive, for an 20:00 start. We have a speaker, an existing WAS member Jon Gale, now based in West Wales, who has kindly offered to provide a talk on “Observing the Lunar 100”.

You’ll notice that we have not been able to provide an updated programme of talks for the new 23-24 season as we are a volunteer has yet to step forward to act as Speaker Coordinator, see our Society Roles page for further details if you would like to help.

There are a number of vacant positions on the society committee, as yet unfilled, so we will be continuing to request members who would like the society to continue offer some support.

** UPDATE on TUE 2023-09-05 15:57 **

Thank you to Andy for again putting together the September 2023 newsletter, please download here

Clear skies

2023-2024 Observing Season

The WAS observing team has published the upcoming dates for the observing evenings for our 2023-2024 season, starting in September.

The full information is available on our observing page. The observing schedule is available as a PDF download.

Clear skies

2023 June Update

This month is our last meeting of the current year and is scheduled for Tuesday 6th June for an in-person meeting at at 19:45 (20:00 meeting start) at the Hall in Seend (see meeting page for further details).

This month, we welcome the always enjoyable Andrew Lound who will be giving a talk entitled “Venus Paradise Lost”. Also, we will hold an AGM. This is an important AGM since we will be asking for volunteers to step by to fill several roles in the society for people retiring, Andy as chair and Peter as speaker secretary. We thank them enormously for their efforts.

Since we haven’t had any volunteers as yet to fill this roles, principally the speakercoordinator, this inevitably means our next year, starting in September 2023 will have to change format, from organised in-person meetings with a dedicated speaker.

To help people understand what help the society needs to function and expections of the volunteer roles, please see our new page on “Society Roles” https://wasnet.org.uk/society-roles/. This page details the name of the role, expectations and the current incumbent. We will discuss this at the AGM.

UPDATE. Please see download link to 2023 June newsletter. Many thanks to Andy for putting this together.

Clear skies