Latest News and Events

Meetings

Click here to find about what the club has been doing recently.

The society now has permission to use the Observatory from the site operator QinetiQ. This houses a 6" Carl Zeiss Coude refractor in excellent condition. This is a professional observatory and following some renovation is in good condition and is well used by society members. The building also has a meeting room and other facilities. Click here to see some images taken with the 'scope.

We meet at our own Observatory on the Cody Technology Park in Farnborough and in the Whittle lecture theatre on the same site. Meetings are typically held monthly, ranging from talks on a variety of topics (usually by an external speaker) to observing evenings. Click here for details of our meetings.

Many members are practising amateur astronomers. Click here to see some of their activities and equipment.

Membership

Society News 

Membership is open to current employees (or retirees) on the Cody Technology park in Farnborough, site of QinetiQ. In addition the society has been given approval to offer membership to a limited number of the general public. (Unfortunately membership cannot be offered to non-UK citizens or children less than 16 years of age because of limitations on the issue of site passes.). Those interested should contact chairman Phil Alner at:-

Club news and E Mails are published here - click here to see the latest information including forthcoming events.
The society has an active outreach programme, interacting with local schools and manning stands at many events including at Intech and the annual Herstmonceux Astronomy Festival.

Until the USA Lunar Orbiter photography in the late 1960s, the Moon’s surface was not mapped in the fine detail that it is now. Observers often found strange shadows under certain lighting conditions which were hard to explain. Some wild “discoveries” were made!

One object from the 1950s was the so-called “O’Neill’s Bridge” announced in 1953 – which does not exist. On the other hand, “Larrieu’s Dam” from 1955, is an interesting, misshapen crater that exhibits what looks like a straight road on top of a dam, crossing dark water.

Click here for the full article by member Gordon Lloyd.