Astronomy | Flamsteed Astronomy

Flamsteed Astronomy Society at the Winter Solstice Festival 2024: A Day of Telescopes, Buildings, and Relentless Crowds

Mike Meynell

Dec 21, 20243 min read

Flamsteed Astronomy Society at the Winter Solstice Festival 2024: A Day of Telescopes, Buildings, and Relentless Crowds

Who needs the stars and planets when you’ve got buildings? That seemed to be the theme of the day as the Flamsteed Astronomy Society took...

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Astronomy in China, Korea & Japan prior to the Jesuit missionary arrivals, by Frank Dutton FRAS

Mark Jeffery

Dec 5, 20242 min read

Astronomy in China, Korea & Japan prior to the Jesuit missionary arrivals, by Frank Dutton FRAS

Frank began his talk with a fascinating observation: "Astronomy in China, Korea & Japan presents a total change to how we in the West...

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A Jam-Packed Astronomy “Back to Basics” day – 30th November 2024

Poly Philippou

Nov 30, 20243 min read

A Jam-Packed Astronomy “Back to Basics” day – 30th November 2024

We were really excited to join forces with the British Astronomical Association (BAA) and the Society for Popular Astronomy (SPA) to run...

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Exclusive Access to the Royal Observatory for Flamsteed Members, 22 October 2024

Simon Hurst

Oct 21, 20243 min read

Exclusive Access to the Royal Observatory for Flamsteed Members, 22 October 2024

Observing, by Simon Hurst We were here for the "great gig in the sky" - ok, enough of the song titles, let’s get on with it. From...

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The Case for Dark Matter, by Dr Matthew Bothwell

Phil Benson

Oct 13, 20242 min read

The Case for Dark Matter, by Dr Matthew Bothwell

Lost in the dark: where’d all that pesky matter go??? The challenge: To find something in the dark, that you cannot see, whose...

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Not the Comet of the Century, but a Night to Remember - Blackheath, 12 October 2024

Mike Meynell

Oct 11, 20243 min read

Not the Comet of the Century, but a Night to Remember - Blackheath, 12 October 2024

The evening started off with quite the excitement as we prepared for the much-hyped appearance of Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-Atlas) ....

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Hazy Clouds and Big Crowds: Saturn and Telescopes Galore at Blackheath - 5 October 2024

Mike Meynell

Oct 4, 20243 min read

Hazy Clouds and Big Crowds: Saturn and Telescopes Galore at Blackheath - 5 October 2024

Last night’s Blackheath observing session was another great success, with around 80 visitors joining us under mostly clear skies. Despite...

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Season Kickoff at Blackheath: Moon, Saturn, Deep Sky, and a Mix of Old and New Tech - Saturday 14th September 2024

Mike Meynell

Sep 13, 20242 min read

Season Kickoff at Blackheath: Moon, Saturn, Deep Sky, and a Mix of Old and New Tech - Saturday 14th September 2024

Blackheath observing events in September have always been popular. Although the skies don’t get particularly dark until quite late, the...

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The Clouds Strike Back: Final Solar Viewing of the Season – 31st August 2024

Mike Meynell

Aug 31, 20242 min read

The Clouds Strike Back: Final Solar Viewing of the Season – 31st August 2024

After three successful solar viewing sessions in a row this August, we were clearly due for a weather-disrupted one - and, naturally, the...

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The Flamsteed Summer Social 2024: A Recap

Simon Hurst

Jun 27, 20242 min read

The Flamsteed Summer Social 2024: A Recap

Ah, the Flamsteed Summer Social, or as I like to call it, “Four-ish Pints of Lager and a Not-So-Secret Garden of Snacks.” Before you...

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A Full and Interesting Day – Visit to Jodrell Bank – 15th June 2024

Poly Philippou

Jun 14, 20245 min read

A Full and Interesting Day – Visit to Jodrell Bank – 15th June 2024

On Saturday 15th June, 34 of us headed up to Cheshire to visit Jodrell Bank for the day. Some drove to get there and many took trains and...

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Kilonovae and high energy explosions - multi-messenger astronomy, by Professor Stephen Smartt

Mike Meynell

May 12, 20244 min read

Kilonovae and high energy explosions - multi-messenger astronomy, by Professor Stephen Smartt

The Flamsteed Astronomy Society hosted an engaging evening at Queen's House that began with a news roundup by committee member Paul May,...

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From Raspberry Pi to the Night Sky: A Workshop on Electronically Assisted Astronomy - 9th May 2024

Paul May

May 8, 20242 min read

From Raspberry Pi to the Night Sky: A Workshop on Electronically Assisted Astronomy - 9th May 2024

Astroberry and StellarMate: Exotic Fruit or Your Sister's Boyfriend? No, they are actually two alternative pieces of software that can be...

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Our Accidental Universe, by Professor Chris Lintott

Adrian Challinor

Apr 21, 20244 min read

Our Accidental Universe, by Professor Chris Lintott

A report of Professor Chris Lintott's talk to the Flamsteed Astronomy Society on "Our Accidental Universe"

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Citizen Science – how you can get involved – 21st March 2024

Simon Hurst

Mar 21, 20244 min read

Citizen Science – how you can get involved – 21st March 2024

So, some guy you may have heard of, Sir Isaac Newton, in a letter to his rival Robert Hooke, in 1676 wrote: "What Descartes did was a...

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The Moon's Brief Cameo: A Cloudy Observing Session on Blackheath: 17 March 2024

Mike Meynell

Mar 17, 20242 min read

The Moon's Brief Cameo: A Cloudy Observing Session on Blackheath: 17 March 2024

In an act that balanced on the fine line between hope and audacity, we ventured into the unknown with our observing event at Blackheath...

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JUICE, the ESA spacecraft mission to Jupiter’s icy moons by Professor Michele Dougherty

Paul May

Feb 12, 20243 min read

JUICE, the ESA spacecraft mission to Jupiter’s icy moons by Professor Michele Dougherty

Astronomy homework Mike presented the Sky this Month to kickoff the meeting. Highlights include: the conjunction of the first quarter...

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Restoration of a 1960’s Wooden Telescope

Bobby Manoo

Jan 2, 202411 min read

Restoration of a 1960’s Wooden Telescope

In July 2022, the Flamsteed inbox was greeted with an unusual request from a member of the public. Someone wanted to know if we were...

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Paul May

Dec 11, 20233 min read

Are We Alone? by Dr Robin Catchpole

Asterisms and Christmas Trees Before the main lecture Mike Meynell entertained us with the celestial highlights for the festive period....

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Meeting Reports: Blog2