Next meeting
Annual General Meeting: Thursday 7th December 2023 at Egerton Park Indoor Bowls Club
The AGM (ESAS members only) will take place after the talk.
Speaker: William Joyce
A Whistle-stop Tour of the Inner Planets.
Chartered Physicist and a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, a Local Astronomer & Astro Geologist. With an astrophysics degree, William has worked in space research at Leicester University with Earth remote sensing satellite instruments and in industry in laboratories, space software engineering, and later in aerospace systems engineering. William changed career in the mid-2000's and obtained a degree in Earth and Planetary science and followed this with university teaching and astronomy work (and teaching at Herstmonceux observatory).
Forthcoming meetings
Thursday 4th January 2024 at Egerton Park Indoor Bowls Club
Speaker: Peter Goodhew FRAS
Searching The Cosmos For Planetary Nebulae
Peter will describe how he and his fellow team members go about discovering planetary nebula. He will explain some of the challenges in conducting such research, and how new discoveries become recognised and confirmed by the professional community. He will present many of the most beautiful and remarkable recent discoveries made by the team - including several that turned out to be quite unexpected!
Biography: Peter is part of an international team of amateurs collaborating in searching the cosmos for planetary nebula. His role in the team is to take deep images of potential discoveries. He does this using a remotely-operated dual rig located at a dark site in Spain. His images are frequently published in Astronomy Now magazine and many have received awards. He is a member of the British Astronomical Association, and has been elected as a Fellow of The Royal Astronomical Society.
Previous meetings
Thursday 2nd November 2023 at Egerton Park Indoor Bowls Club
Cancelled due to bad weather warning.
Thursday 5th October 2023 at Egerton Park Indoor Bowls Club
Speaker: Ian Ridpath
Comets Ghostly wanderers in space
Comets appear in our skies from time to time like ghostly apparitions. In the past they were regarded as omens of disease, death, and destruction. Now we know that countless billions of them exist in the form of dirty snowballs at the edge of our Solar System, remnants from the formation of the Earth and other planets. We see them only on the rare occasions when they approach the Sun and heat up, releasing gas and dust to form a glowing head and tail. Recent space probe missions to comets, including the European Space Agency's Rosetta probe, have given us astounding close-up pictures and first-hand information on their composition and structure. This talk will explain scientists’ efforts to understand where comets come from, what they are made of, how they were formed, and their possible role in the origin and development of life on Earth.
Thursday 7th September 2023 at Egerton Park Indoor Bowls Club
Speaker: Dr David Whitehouse
The Alien Perspective
Subscriptions Due!
Thursday 6th July 2023 at Egerton Park Indoor Bowls Club
Speaker: Chris Woodcock
Back to basics—Observing with different telescopes
Saturday 12th August 2023 from 6pm
Picnic and Perseids at our new Dark Site
This event will only be open to current ESAS members and their family and close friends
Details will be emailed to all current members
Thursday 1st June 2023 at Egerton Park Indoor Bowls Club
Speaker: Steve Tonkin
Binoculars: How to Use and what we can see.
Thursday 4th May 2023 at the Manor House, Crowhurst Park
Speaker: William Joyce
Topic: Our Moon
Directions: The entrance to Crowhurst Park is on the A2100 between Hastings and Battle at the junction with Telham Lane, TN33 0SH. The meeting will be held in the Manor House, also labelled Crowhurst Park Leisure CLub on Google maps.
Thursday 6th April 2023 at Egerton Park Indoor Bowls Club
Speaker: Jane Green FRAS
Look up, Live it, Love it!
Using the latest images and stunning audio visuals, Jane reveals the darkest wonders of the cosmos, sharing what inspires her and her audiences most … perspective, majesty and beauty on the grandest of scales. This powerful and insightful odyssey begins and ends with ‘nothing’. What could possibly fill the ‘space’ in between? Join Jane to find out, and become inspired to ‘Look Up, Live It and Love It’.
Jane is an elected Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society (FRAS), and has presented and made guest appearances on many TV programmes, as well as presented at the Royal Greenwich Observatory and co-presented the Tour of the Universe show, described by Professor Chris Lintott as 'a first and a triumph'.
Her book, the Haynes Astronomy Manual, is still an international bestseller after several reprints and has been translated into several languages.
Jane Green, who has given lectures in many parts of the world, clearly appreciates that astronomy is a science open to everybody. Many new books on astronomy are now published every year, but I am emphatic in saying that Jane Green’s is outstanding. – Sir Patrick Moore, CBE FRAS
Thursday 2nd March 2023 at Egerton Park Indoor Bowls Club
Speaker: Graham Appleby PhD, FRAS.
Graham Appleby joined the staff of the Royal Greenwich Observatory in 1968 as an undergraduate. He competed a BSc in Mathematics by day release at Brighton University. His first job was in the Solar Department, followed by several years working on the RGO Lunar Occultation project. Upon the start of the satellite laser ranging programme he transferred to working on satellite orbital analysis and prediction, gaining a PhD on the subject through the University of Aston, Birmingham. This work was aided by the transfer of RGO to Cambridge in 1990 and a consequent break from observation duties. From 2003 until retirement in 2019 he led the Space Geodesy Facility that remains in operation at Herstmonceux.
He is currently an honorary research associate with the facility and remains living near Cambridge. He is also a keen amateur astronomer, on a learning curve for astrophotography.
Thursday 2nd February 2023 : Special Meeting Called
| This is an important meeting - Details will be emailed to Members |
Volunteers have come forward to form a new committee and take ESAS into 2023! In order to comply with the constitution your outgoing committee hereby give notice of a Special General Meeting at which the new committee can be formally elected.
The SGM meeting will be followed by a talk from David Rees - Subject TBC
Important: All Members please attend.
| This meeting will be held at the Egerton Park Indoor Bowls Club. |
Thursday 3rd November 2022 : AGM followed by TBC
| This meeting will be held at the Egerton Park Indoor Bowls Club |
Thursday 6th October 2022: Greg Smye-Rumsby : "Myths and Illusions"
| This meeting will be held at the Egerton Park Indoor Bowls Club. |
Greig agreed at short notice to give us a talk this month - thank you. This is his 2nd talk for us this year, but being one of our favourite speakers this can only be a blessing. This month's talk is "Myths and Illusions". Greig rarely gives out much information on his talks beforehand so that there is more of a surprise, but they are always excellent. A talk not to be missed.
Thursday 1st September 2022 : Special Meeting Called - Members Only
| This is an important meeting - Details will be emailed to Members |
This meeting is to discuss how ESAS can/will go forward in the future. Furter details will be added here and an agenda will be emailed to members late August ahead of the meeting.
Important: All Members please attend.
This event will only be open to current ESAS members and entrance will be free.
| This meeting will be held at the Egerton Park Indoor Bowls Club. |
