Meetings |
This page lists our monthly meetings. For other events open to the general public, see our Events page
Dates are set well in advance but the 'content' of the meeting is only updated (from our 'meetings database') when details are entered, so 'blank' or 'TBA' may be shown when data has not yet been entered (please be assured that the meeting will take place and a talk on (some) Subject will be delivered by (some) Speaker ! )
Meetings are held at the Church Hall (aka 'The Soltau Center') of St James-the-Less, Stubbings, Maidenhead SL6 6QW, from 7.30 (for a map and directions, see the About MAS (Where we meet) page
The Main Topic is usually delivered by an invited guest speaker. We aim to provide a diverse range of subjects linked (in some way) to Astronomy - whilst the 'Second Session' is typically delivered by one of our members. If time allows, the evening concludes with a short 'What to see this month'.
Details of a typical evening (times are approximate) :- 7.30pm. The evening starts with the Chairman delivering any important Announcements and then introducing the main speaker. 7.45pm (latest). Main Topic Speaker gets up and the lights are turned off. If you arrive after 7.45, please enter the Hall by the first door (on the right, after the entrance) and please be extra careful when finding a seat at the back of the Hall as members often setup telescopes there ! 8.45-9pm +. Coffee break during which visitors often chat with members who have set-up their telescopes at the back of the hall. If the weather is good, sometimes members will nip out for a quick look at the sky. Smoking is permitted outside the Hall, however smokers are asked to avoid any 'observers' (smoke particles always seem to get into optical equipment, no matter how well 'sealed' it may be) 9.15pm (at the latest). The 'Second Session' then runs for about 45 mins, typically ending with "What's Up !" (what to look out for in the sky this month) 10pm. We aim to clear the hall by 10pm. Post meeting Observing. If the weather is good, the Observing Organiser then leads the way to our chosen observing site, or (if the weather looks even a slight bit 'iffy) members sneak off to the local Pub instead :-)
Next meeting :
(-) 5 Apr 2019 Space Weather - (Dr Colin Forsyth)
Friday, 5th April 2019 - “Space Weather” Dr. Colin Forsyth, NERC Independent Research Fellow, Plasma Physics group, UCL
All our indoor Meetings are open to the public, however non-members are asked to make a contribution of £2 toward the hall hire costs (this may be collected by Fred, our Membership Secretary, at the door on arrival, or left at the 'Tea hatch' at half time).
This note last modified: 24th Sep 2018 13:31.
(+) 3 May 2019 To be announced
(+) 7 Jun 2019 MAS 61st AGM
(+) Jul 2019 Summer break - (no meeting)
(+) Aug 2019 Summer break - (no meeting)
Meetings Archive |
The meetings archive gives an 'overview' of the Society activities over the past 10 years (see also the Events page).
Members have access to the full 'History of MAS' (including AGM minutes going back to 1957) along with full names and photos
The MAS 'year' runs from September of one year to June of the following. The end of year AGM in June elects the Committee for the following year (there are no meetings in July and August - although often members will meet informally at the local pub - which gives the new Committee time to 'get a grip' on running the Society)
The "short cuts" (in the 'title bar', at the very top of this page) will take you to the June AGM entry for the end of that MAS year
The Maidenhead Astronomical Society meetings archive (last 10 years only)
Missed a meeting, or can't remember when a topic was last covered ? Here is the archive of past MAS meetings.
Note that this list covers only our monthly meetings and AGM's. Reports on Observing and Other Events are separate pages
If notes were taken at the meeting, the date below is underlined and shown with a '(+)' = click to see the notes (if no '(+)' is shown, no notes were taken - or, more likely, the webmaster hasn't found them and posted them up yet :-) )
(-) 1 Mar 2019 The Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) - (Dr)
Friday, 1st March 2019 - “The Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) and large telescope design” Dr. Aprajita Verma
- Senior Researcher in Astrophysics & Cosmology at University of Oxford.
Notices
Our new Chairman, Matt, notes the sad passing of one of our older members, David Kershall.
Members are reminded of the Photo Competition - entries should be submitted as soon as possible to meet the end date of 6th May.
Talk - The Extremely Large Telescope (ELT)
Dr. Aprajita Verma gave a good overview of the design process mentioning that after delays, building has started with the site preparation, the top of Cerro Armazones, in the Chilean Atacama Desert. First light for the completed telescope is now expected to be in 2025. The latest progress can be found here.
The 39m adaptive mirror, operating in the visible to near iR region, is bigger than all existing single mirrors pit together. Historically, the engineering limit for a single mirror, such as the VLT, has been about 8m. The solution, as used in the Keck, is to build the telescope from a series of sub-mirror segments fitted together in an array. The ELT will consist of 798 hexagonal 1.4m segments. The total weight, 2500 tons, means an Alt-Ax mount.
The optical path is a 5 mirror folded design - see photo, right. After the main mirror (M1) there are 2 in-line focusing mirrors (M2-3), before the flat, 6000 actuators adaptive optics mirror M4. A final 45 degree flat mirror, M5, then throws the light out along the mount axis.
Each of the main segments has 3 actuators to maintain the basic mirror shape as it is moved and to counter other such gross effects. The adaptive M4 mirror is the clever bit that compensates for atmospheric disturbance.For more on adaptive optics, see wikipedia. Suffice to say that traditionally the system relies on a star being visible in the field to use as a guide - if none exist (for example when looking at Galaxies) an artificial star is created by using a laser tuned to excite Sodium atoms in the upper atmosphere at 85k. The ELT will use 8 such lasers. For more on this, see Youtube, 2m 45s in
The resolution limit would allow it to see features as small as a London Bus on the Moon (not that it would ever be aimed there). It should allow direct imaging of extra-solar planets, permitting spectroscopic measurements for signs of life eg presence of Oxygen etc.
By looking at the movement of Quasars over 15 years, the ELT is expected to directly measure the expansion of the Universe. For more on the impact of the ELT, see ESO site.
For those wishing to build their own ELT, see here
After the break
Peter has a new telescope, moving from an 80mm to 100mm. He continues to use his Sony NEX-6 APS-C camera for prime focus imaging. He showed us a number of his most recent images, such as M33 (Triangulum) and M45 (Pleiades), stacking 8 x30s. He also showed a stack of a Comet.
One tip he has for us is that the Sony WiFi camera control app. does not permit RAW imaging, so he went back to using the iR remote.
Robin Showed off a number of single shot, non-stacked, images taken with his Canon 60Da. This included the Orion Neb, an attempt at the Horsehead (we could just make it out) and the Flame Neb.
Tim showed us a spectroscopic image of M42 taken with a basic 100lpi diffraction grating. This showed the colour spectrum of the gas clouds spread out across the field of view.
What's Up ! (Alun)
(download his full presentation from here)
With improving weather and still dark skies, we are coming into Galaxy Season ! Get those cameras out over the next few weeks for some really good views of the Galaxies of the 'Virgo Cluster' to be found to following Leo.
All our indoor Meetings are open to the public, however non-members are asked to make a contribution of £2 toward the hall hire costs (this may be collected by Fred, our Membership Secretary, at the door on arrival, or left at the 'Tea hatch' at half time).
This note last modified: 6th Mar 2019 10:36.