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! WELCOME TO THE MAS WEB SITE
(Note on General Data Protection Regs. moved here)
MEMBERS click for BAA Membership changes
Members Annual Photo Competition 2024 |
Entries are now open for the 2024 competition. You have to be a member to enter. Further details on the Photo Competition page and in the Members section. If you have problems logging in, contact the Membership Sec. or WebAdmin
MEMBERS see also MAS LOGO Fleeces
Next Months Meeting |
Friday, 3rd January 2025 Telescope Parade and Workshop (by members)
Our meetings run from 7.30 to 10pm in the Church Hall, St James-the-Less, Stubbings, Maidenhead, SL6 6QW (for directions, see our About & Contact page)
Meetings are normally on the first Friday of the month, September to June. There are no indoor meetings in July or August (unless indicated)
Beginners and visitors are always welcome at our indoor meetings (you don't have to join, however a £2 contribution toward the costs of the hall hire would be most welcome !)
To contact the society between meetings, please complete the on-line General Enquiry form
If you would like to receive, by email, advanced notification of our free public events, or you would like further information about the Society please use the Enquiry form mentioned above - or just turn up at any meeting and speak to any member of the Committee.
We also have a page on the Maidenhead Arts Council web site (where you will find details of other local clubs and societies if, for some inexplicable reason, Astronomy fails to fire your imagination and seize your interest :-) )
This seasons meetings |
(download printable guide PDF )
Friday, 6th September 2024The Discovery of Neptune (Barry Kellett) |
Friday, 7th February 2025The Armchair Messier Marathon (Lillian Hobbs) |
Friday, 4th October 2024The Crendon Observatory (Gordon Rogers) |
Friday, 7th March 2025Admiral William Henry Smyth and the Bedford Catalogue (Rob Peelings) |
Friday, 1st November 2024Black Holes and exploding Stars (Dr Chris Crowe) |
Friday, 4th April 2025TBA ( ) |
Friday, 6th December 2024Christmas Quiz (by members) |
Friday, 2nd May 2025TBA ( ) |
Friday, 3rd January 2025Telescope Parade and Workshop (by members) |
Friday, 6th June 2025MAS 68th AGM (Annual General Meeting) |
(Table: http://www.maidenhead-astro.net/public/Home/index#2_bm)
Members :- Please log-in to the Members Only section for details of our next members only Event
Next Public Event |
7 Mar 2025 (and 22) Major Lunar Standstill
March 7 & 22, 2025
A 'Major Lunar Standstill' is when the range of the declination of the Moon reaches a maximum (of almost 60 degrees). As a result, at high latitudes, the Moon's greatest altitude (at culmination, when it crosses the meridian) changes in just two weeks from high in the sky to low over the horizon.
They occur every 18.6 years as a consequence of the (18.6 year) period in the precession of the Moon's orbital nodes. Note also that the greatest extremes always occur near the equinoxes.
The last was in 2006, the next in 2025, here's a few more dates (Dec = declanation, as in RA/Dec) :-
Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)
Year Minimum Dec (°) Maximum Dec (°)
2006 Mar 22 16:53 -28.725 Sep 15 01:28 28.725
2025 Mar 22 06:47 -28.719 Mar 7 15:56 28.710
2043 Sep 12 11:52 -28.703 Sep 25 14:42 28.712
2062 Mar 31 23:35 -28.700 Mar 18 10:23 28.705
2080 Sep 21 02:33 -28.695 Oct 5 09:52 28.682
2099 Sep 21 11:16 -28.686 Mar 29 02:46 28.678
For more information, see Wikipedia, Lunar standstill and U.Mass. Sunwheel
This note last modified: 23rd Mar 2016 06:57.
See our Events page for more information about all our Events
Click here for MAS Facebook page
Monday, 9 May 2016: Transit of Mercury, members of MAS gathered in Ockwells Park to show the Transit to the public. For more details, see report on Events page
WARNING: never look at the Sun through a normal telescope !!
Doing so, WILL BLIND YOU !!!
Most recent Event Report |
Details of all our planned and past activities can be found on the Events pages.
Note that Outreach events are not usually open to the public, so are reported here only AFTER the event (Members can see planned Outreach dates in the Members Only section, Activity planning pages)
5 Dec 2024 1st Sippenham Scouts - (outreach)
2024, December 5th, 1st Cippenham Scouts (13 Scouts attended) - Outreach.
MAS Team: Adrian (lead), Andy, Robin, Steve, and James Report by Steve
As we arrived it was still dripping with rain, so the decisions was made to go with the indoor program. Using the old projector - the new still not having been fixed - James managed to sort out how to get it working with a reduced sized window on hos laptop to the projectors DVI input .
After the 'raising of the flag', we went straight into the Solar System layout in their 4 sections. All managed to complete within the alloted timescale, some even adding (major) moons and an asteroid belt !
James then used Stellarium to show three constellations - Orion, Cassiopeia (the big W) and the Plough (big digger), explaining how to identify the Pole Star and thus North. In answer to a question, there are 88 constellations (as set in 1922 by the International Astronomical Union (IAU)).
Andy took over to present the 6 or 7 points in 'how to identify a satellite', mentioning how easy it is to use Google to disciver when one will be visible overhead (for example, the ISS timings for Slough can be found here )
Robin then took over to explain how to read a star map using a compass and red light, starting with an explanation of how the celestial globe is measured and then compare differences between a star map and a normal map. He also explained how to use a (modern) Planisphere to discover what constellations are visible in the sky on a specific date and time and to even locate the planets. He ended up by mentioning how various iOS / Android Apps (eg Stellarium Free or Sky Portal) can be used on a mobile phone to show the same thing.
We then broke back onto the sections for a fast 'round robin' demonstration / explanation of our various telescopes.
We were all happy to receive both a badge and coffee cut as samml 'thank you' at the end of the evening.
Of course as we packed to leave we noticed that the rain had stopped, the clouds cleared and both Jupiter and Orion were perfectly visible in the sky over the Scout hut !
This note last modified: 7th Dec 2024 11:28.
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For the latest news, follow us on Twitter (javascript must be enabled for the 'button' below to work). Our latest Twitter postings can also be seen on the Observing page
Follow @MaidenheadAstroIf the fancy Twitter button doesn't appear above, you can exit to Twitter using this old fashioned URL link :-)
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We now have our own Facebook page !
exit to: Maidenhead Astronomical Society on Facebook
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 pointer at an outreach event. Children under the age of 18 and non-approved adults are not be allowed 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).
Links
Robotic Telescopes (MAS Links page)
Where we meet (MAS About page)
'Frequently Asked Questions' (FAQ, MAS Beginners page)
exit to: Maidenhead Arts Council (MADAC) MAS web page
exit to: Tim's list of Asteroid Occultation observation opportunities
exit to: European Asteroidal Occultation Network
exit to: Space Weather
exit to: Heavens-Above - times of everything passing overhead, especially ISS, satellites and Iridium flares
exit to: The Astronomer on-line - magazine for the advanced amateur
exit to: BAA (British Astronomical Association)
exit to: SPA (Society for Popular Astronomy) - especially suitable for younger stargazers !
Benefactors and Supporters
Maidenhead Lions, Platinum Award (2022, celebrating the Queen's 70 years on the throne)
O2 goto our O2 award report page
Baylis Trust Cash-for-the-community
Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead (Lottery Grant)
RBWM-Education Directorate
Mr B.Smith of Shottesbrooke
Mrs P.Haymes
The Telegraph newspaper
exit to Oregon Scientific
exit to Telescope house