Beginners Meetings
Beginner's meetings are open to all ages and abilities. Come along and hear about what's going on in the sky that month and an astronomy talk in layman's terms. Free refreshments are available during the interval and if the sky is clear we will take telescopes outside for observing.
Meeting Details
The meetings are held on the third Wednesday of each month from September to May, start at 7.00pm sharp and end at 9pm, and consist of practical astronomy sessions, with observing if clear. We'll also talk about what's happening in the night sky in the coming months. We also produce a monthly Beginners’ Magazine which is downloadable here.
Date Topic
20th September 2023 Observing the Autumn sky -- How to observe the night sky (Summer Triangle)
18th October 2023 Observing the Superior (outer) Planets -- Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune
15th November 2023 Leonid Meteor Shower 17th - 18th November -- Binoculars and Telescopes for Christmas
20th December 2023 The Winter Solstice next Friday 22nd December -- Star Clusters
17th January 2024 Basic introduction to telescopes -- The Wonders of the Constellation Orion
21st February 2024 Deep sky observing: Star Clusters -- A Beginners Guide to Observing our Moon
20th March 2024 The Spring Sky -- Observing the Inferior (Inner) planets
17th April 2024 Why is the star Polaris so important? -- Observing our star the Sun
15th May 2024 The Summer Solstice -- Our tilted view of the sky
We also offer an ICS Calendar file of all the meetings (main & beginners) of the session to add to your phone or email client:
Full annual membership of £20 (free for children under 18!) covers entry to both main speaker meetings and beginners’ meetings, but casual visitors are welcome. To cover our costs there is a visitor fee of £2 per meeting for adults and £1.50 for children - which includes refreshments during the break.
For more information, please browse around the website or email: contact@newburyastro.org.uk
You can follow us on Twitter – @newburyastro – and we are Newbury Astronomical Society on Facebook – so give us a like!
Beginners meetings are held in the Stockcross Village Hall (Sutton Hall); post code: RG20 8LN. There is free parking on site. Click here for a map. The talks are aimed at beginners of all ages and anyone is welcome to attend, all you need is an interest in astronomy. Children must be accompanied by a responsible adult. Please dress warmly for the observing, especially during the winter months!