Based in Plymouth, Devon, UK - we are a local society that holds meetings every month to enable like minded space enthusiasts to socialise and share our interest!
Society meetings are normally held on the second Friday of each month from September to July and are free for members (See how to become a member on our Join Us Page). Visitors are very welcome (£3 at the door) - Please bring cash, change preferred, we have no card payment facilities.
All these meetings will be from 7.30 - 9.30pm in our normal room on the Plymouth University campus, Room - Rolle 002 (Ground floor).
There is a map on the Join Us page of our website https://plymouthastro.co.uk/Join-Us/
Please note that there will be plenty of time at the meetings for socialising but that refreshments will no longer be served, please feel free to bring a drink and vending machines are available outside. For any further details regarding these meetings, get in touch with us on our Contact Us page.
Please Note: Due to increases in the costs of running the society, as of September 2024 we have had to increase the yearly membership from £15 to £20 and the guest entry from £2 to £3. Apologies for this, we hope you still enjoy and find value in attending our Society meetings.
Meetings normally conclude with a short presentation of "What's in the night sky this month?".
Friday 11th October 2024
*RESCHEDULED* A talk by Dr Wayne Thomas FRAS entitled "Astronomy Outreach in an International Dark Sky landscape".
The talk will be based on the work of DarkSky International to address the growing adverse impact of artificial light at night; and specifically, what's happening in the UK. He will talk a bit about how news outlets discuss light at night (good and bad) and his understanding of what's happening at local and national government level to look at light pollution. He will then discuss how he does outreach from Bodmin Moor tying in observation of the night sky and what we as individuals can do to think about light pollution. Finally he will touch on his aspirations and future directions.
This talk was replaced by a short talk from our chairman, Chris, who explored the astronomical links of the local area Tamerton Foliot and explored the details of correct sundial usage! It was followed by an extended "whats in the night sky" talk by Steve Cooke.
Tuesday 22nd October 2024
Observing Evening - This will take place at Wembury Beach. One of the last chances to see Comet Tsuchinshan A3 as it speeds away from the inner solar system, not to return for 80,000 years! Weather dependent- will try again on Wednesday 23rd if cloudy. We will be looking out for Orionid meteors and Jupiter and Saturn as well as the Autumn night sky! Check our facebook page for more info closer to the event date.
Friday 8th November 2024
A talk by Joe Williams and Raphael Bendahan-West, University of Exeter. Talk is titled "The Planetary Patisserie: The Recipe for Forming and Finding Exoplanets".
This talk will explore how to build a solar system, from tiny dust grains to gas giants like Jupiter and Saturn. They will delve into how we detect exoplanets around distant stars, revealing what ground- and space-based telescopes can tell us about these alien worlds. Along the way, they will share exciting research conducted at the University of Exeter.