Laser Pens |
Maidenhead Astronomical Society may use Laser Pens as a pointer during outreach events and talks. Any such use will comply with our Laser Pen Policy, which may be downloaded from here (.pdf)
Essentially, only responsible adults pre-approved by MAS are allowed to use a laser pointer at an outreach event. Children under the age of 18 and non-approved adults are not permitted to use the laser pen at any time. Any member of the public bringing their own device (without pre-approval) is asked not to use it during one of our events (and will be asked to leave if they are not willing to comply with this request).
Future Public Events |
This page is dedicated to events promoted by Maidenhead Astronomical Society aimed at bringing an awareness and appreciation of astronomy to the general public. Almost all of the Events listed here are run by MAS (the few that are not are plainly marked)
Details of future planned events are limited to those open to the general public (Members should look in the Members Only section for details of future events not open to the public - which includes most of our local Outreach activities (schools, cubs, brownies etc)).
Future events are listed in date order, next planned first. Be aware that events can change (usually due to the weather :-) ) so please check nearer the event before making a journey
Note. MAS holds Public Liability Insurance via our membership of Federation of Astronomical Societies. The Policy Document for 2022-23 (pdf) is available on request (it can be found in the Members section)
(+) 12 Aug 2026 Solar Eclipse
(+) 26 Jan 2028 annular Solar Eclipse
(+) 1 Jun 2030 annular Solar Eclipse
(+) 13 Nov 2032 Transit of Mercury
(+) 7 Nov 2039 Transit of Mercury - (2nd of pair)
(+) 28 Jul 2061 Halleys Comet returns
(+) 23 Sep 2090 Total Solar Eclipse - (the next visible from UK)
Reports from our Outreach & Event activity |
Here you will find reports of MAS events held in the last 10 years or so (i.e. since the MAS web site effectively 'took over' from printed newsletters as the primary means of 'reporting back' to the membership). Some details have been removed to allow for public viewing
The Members Only section contains details of MAS History going back to our formation in 1957
(+) 7 Apr 2025 Furze Platt Beavers Overnight Camp - (outreach)
(+) 3 Apr 2025 1st Bourne End Thursday Cubs - (outreach)
(+) 2 Apr 2025 1st Bourne End Wednesday Cubs - (outreach)
(+) 29 Mar 2025 Partial Solar Eclipse - (Ockwells Park)
(+) 21 Mar 2025 Kaizen Explorers - (outreach)
(+) 7 Mar 2025 (and 22) Major Lunar Standstill
(+) 3 Mar 2025 Littlewick Green Beavers - (outreach)
(+) 26 Feb 2025 1st Maidenhead Beavers - (outreach)
(+) 11 Feb 2025 1st Maidenhead Cubs - (outreach)
(+) 20 Jan 2025 Cookham Dean Primary school - (outreach)
(+) 5 Dec 2024 1st Sippenham Scouts - (outreach)
(+) 19 Nov 2024 9th Maidenhead Brownies - (outreach)
(+) 15 Nov 2024 1st Pinkneys Green Guides - (outreach)
(+) 6 Nov 2024 4th Taplow guides - (outreach)
(+) 23 Oct 2024 Manor Green - (outreach)
(+) 2 May 2024 Newlands Girls School - (outreach)
(+) 26 Apr 2024 1st Britwell Scouts - (outreach)
(+) 27 Feb 2024 1st Cookham Beavers(2) - (outreach)
(+) 26 Feb 2024 1st Cookham Beavers(1) - (outreach)
(+) 6 Feb 2024 7th Windsor Brownies - (outreach)
(+) 15 Jan 2024 Cookham Dean Primary School - (outreach)
(+) 12 Jan 2024 1st Cippenham Cubs - (outreach)
(+) 6 Dec 2023 Bisham Brownies - (outreach)
(+) 22 Nov 2023 Furze Platt Cubs (2nd pack) - (outreach)
(+) 21 Nov 2023 Furze Platt Cubs (1st pack) - (outreach)
(+) 10 Nov 2023 Trinity St Stephans School - (outreach)
(+) 2 Sep 2023 Cookham Regatta
(+) 19 Apr 2023 Newlands School - (outreach)
(+) 18 Mar 2023 Highfield Prep School Look to the Stars - (Public Event)
(+) 4 Mar 2023 Maidenhead Big Read - (Maidenhaed Library)
(+) 23 Feb 2023 Bourne End cubs (2nd pack) - (outreach)
(+) 22 Feb 2023 Bourne End cubs (1st pack) - (outreach)
(+) 8 Feb 2023 Western House Academy - (outreach)
(+) 18 Jan 2023 1st Cippenham Beavers - (outreach)
(+) 12 Jan 2023 6th Windsor Cubs - (outreach)
(+) 21 Nov 2022 Cookham Dean C of E School - (outreach)
(+) 12 Nov 2022 White Waltham Academy - (outreach)
(+) 8 Nov 2022 1st Maidenhead Sea Cubs (2nd visit) - (outreach)
(+) 1 Nov 2022 1st Maidenhead Sea Cubs - (outreach)
(+) 25 Oct 2022 Partial Solar Eclipse
(+) 3 Sep 2022 Cookham Regatta
(+) 15 Jun 2022 Newlands KS3 Science Club - (Outreach)
(+) 18 Mar 2022 21st Maidenhead Scouts - (outreach)
(+) 10 Mar 2022 Wargrave Cubs - (outreach)
(+) 9 Mar 2022 Wargrave Cubs - (outreach)
(+) 28 Jan 2022 Western House Academy - (Outreach)
(+) 14 Jan 2022 1st Cookham Guides - (Outreach)
(+) 9 Dec 2021 Windsor Cental Scouts 2 - (Outreach)
(+) 8 Dec 2021 Windsor Cental Scouts - (Outreach)
(+) 2 Dec 2021 Furze Platt Beavers - (Outreach)
(+) 16 Nov 2021 Cookham Beavers 2 - (Outreach)
(+) 15 Nov 2021 Cookham Beavers - (Outreach)
(+) 8 Nov 2021 Cookham Dean School - (Outreach)
(+) 4 Sep 2021 Cookham Regatta
(+) 12 Aug 2021 Perseids meteor shower - (Ockwells Park outreach)
(+) 10 Jun 2021 Solar Eclipse - (partial from UK)
(+) 4 Mar 2021 1st Maidenhead Sea Scouts - (Outreach)
(+) 27 Jan 2021 (and 28) Bourne End Cubs (Outreach)
(+) 14 Nov 2020 Covid19 CANCELLED Public Viewing Event - (White Waltham)
(+) 9 Nov 2020 Cookham Dean Primary School (ZOOM Outreach)
(+) 4 Apr 2020 Stargazing public event - (POSTPONED)
(+) 21 Nov 2019 Central Windsor Scouts (Outreach)
(+) 11 Nov 2019 19th Maidenhead Beavers (Outreach)
(+) 11 Nov 2019 Transit of Mercury (2nd of pair)
(+) 4 Nov 2019 Cookham Dean Primary School - (Outreach)
(+) 10 Oct 2019 Holy Trinity School yr3 - (Outreach)
(+) 7 Sep 2019 Cookham Regatta
(+) 29 Aug 2019 Maidenhead Library (Outreach)
(+) 19 Aug 2019 Childrens Reading Challenge Maidenhead Library - (Outreach)
(+) 20 Jul 2019 50th Anniversary of the Moon Landing - (Maidenhead Festival)
(+) 4 Apr 2019 Newlands School (Outreach)
(+) 28 Mar 2019 Bourne End Cubs (Outreach)
(+) 14 Mar 2019 Furze Platt Beavers (Outreach)
(+) 24 Feb 2019 Furze Platt cubs (Outreach)
(+) 15 Feb 2019 Scouts (Outreach)
(+) 15 Feb 2019 13th Maidenhead Scouts (Outreach)
(+) 7 Feb 2019 Burchetts Green Infant School - (Outreach)
(+) 24 Jan 2019 Sea Scouts (Outreach)
(+) 29 Nov 2018 ALLsorts (Outreach)
(+) 18 Nov 2018 Furze Platt Cubs (Outreach)
(+) 7 Nov 2018 Furze Platt Cubs (Outreach)
(+) 5 Nov 2018 Cookham Dean Primary School (Outreach)
(+) 20 Oct 2018 Furze Platt Beavers (Outreach)
(+) 10 Oct 2018 WILLIAM LASSELL by Kenlem England (MAS) - (Maidenhead Heritage Centre)
(+) 11 Aug 2018 CANCELLED Persieds Observing - (Ockwells Park)
(+) 27 Jul 2018 Total Lunar Eclipse
(+) 30 Jun 2018 (end) Maidenhead Week - (Lassell at Heritage Center)
(+) 23 May 2018 Wycombe Abbey School (Outreach)
(+) 12 May 2018 Lassell grave clear up
(+) 11 May 2018 Lassell grave tidy up
(+) 8 May 2018 9th Maidenhead Brownies - (Outreach)
(+) 28 Apr 2018 Maidenhead Arts Festival
(+) 18 Mar 2018 1st Furze Platt Brownies - (Outreach)
(+) 19 Feb 2018 Winter Hill Beavers - (Outreach)
(+) 18 Jan 2018 1st Maidenhead Beavers - (Outreach)
(+) 13 Dec 2017 Geminids meteor watch - (Ockwells Park)
(+) 22 Nov 2017 Cookham Dean CE Primary School - (Outreach)
(+) 18 Nov 2017 PUBLIC EVENT Leonids meteor watch - (at White Waltham)
(+) 6 Nov 2017 2nd Woodlands Park Rainbows - (Outreach)
(+) 5 Oct 2017 Harvest Moon - (official)
(+) 22 Sep 2017 Autumn Equinox - (early Harvest Moon)
(+) 21 Aug 2017 Solar Eclipse - (partial from UK)
(+) 12 Aug 2017 Perseid Meteor Watch - (Ockwells Park)
(+) 9 Jun 2017 MAS 60th Anniversary Meal - (Members and guest only)
(+) 1 Apr 2017 Stargazing Live
(+) 8 Mar 2017 1st Stoke Poges Guide Unit - (Outreach)
(+) 7 Mar 2017 19th Maidenhead Cubs - (Outreach)
(+) 21 Feb 2017 Furze Platt Cub Pack - (Outreach)
(+) 7 Feb 2017 St Pirans School - (Outreach)
(+) 7 Feb 2017 1st Wargrave Cubs - (Outreach)
(+) 2 Feb 2017 Wildcats Cubs Wargrave - (Outreach)
(+) 19 Dec 2016 Cookham Dean Primary School - (Outreach)
(-) 25 Nov 2016 Bayfordbury Observatory - (members visit)
25th November 2016 - Bayfordbury Observatory (members visit)
Present: Andy T. (organiser), Steve & Georgina, Robin & Marilyn, Yvonne and John, Alan C., Jo K., Kristina, Greg S., Jim H., Dave H. (Report by Steve)
Members at Bayfordbury Observatory (photo Robin O)
Andy organised a visit to Bayfordbury Observatory for members. We made out own way their (some sharing cars) and, despite the Friday evening traffic all (but 2) manged to arrive by 7pm. We gathered in the canteen area where some of us (including me) tucked into some sandwiches (the site being miles from anywhere so no near-by pub to look forward to afterwards).
Our host, Tina, a PhD student, reminded us that the tour was scheduled to start at 7.15 and duly ushered us up to one of the lecture theatres. We were treated to an interesting illustrated talk on the classification and evolution of Galaxies which included details of her own work on Galaxy mergers in proto-clusters V's non-clusters. We then had the unexpected treat of a Planetarium talk where (I'll be honest) the technology of the 'beamer' received more of my attention than the stellar objects being shown.
Next it was on to the actual domes. Since it was perfect viewing weather, all five of the fully automated optical telescopes (14-16" Meade Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes) were in use by research students, however they did have one 20" Cassegrain reflector (the Marsh telescope, seen here) on a modified English mount that was still fitted with an actual eyepiece we could look through !
On the way to the domes we admired their radio telescope dishes and noted a bright green laser was being emitted from one dome (this turned out to be an atmospheric pollution measurement experiment and not a variable geometry mirror guide beam :-) ). We split into two groups since the remote controlled telescope domes had to be kept dark and could only safely take a few of us at once. I joined the group that started in the 20" dome where I was amazed to see it had a 6" refractor as a 'finder scope' that was bigger than about anything we have at MAS ! The 6" finder even had a smaller (2" ?) 'finder-finder' fitted to it :-). We had some difficulty with the 'direction finding' system (which I noted used Stellarium as part of the process :-) ) and ended up 'pointing' the telescope manually, which, despite it's 4 ton weight was so well balanced that one person could easily adjust it's position.
The two groups 'switched over' and I had a chance to look into the dome housing one of the automated telescopes. Whilst the mounting was not quite as impressive as the 20", the pillar and 'wedge' made the 16" Meade look quite small ! Whilst we were inside the dome the telescope switched 'targets' quite fast but with only half-a-dozen of us inside it was easy to keep well out of the way. Soon it was back to the 20" dome which was large enough for us all to fit inside.
We attempted to line up on the Pleiades, however I'm not sure how successful we were, since, although I could see stars in the 'finder', none looked very 'blue' :-) All too soon we had to make our way back to the center where Robin and Dave took a few photos.
This note last modified: 5th Dec 2016 20:04.