For November's beginners meeting, we cannot avoid the looming presence of Christmas, and so after the usual highly informative "What's Up" covering all manner of phenomena in the skies in the coming weeks, we'll first have a talk on What Colour is our Sun. Then, after a break, we will have a look at your options if you're thinking about a First Telescope for Christmas - a daunting challenge given the multitude of scopes on offer, the often giddy pricing and sometimes lurid claims on the boxes. Alongside that will be an observing-focussed session that will look at what kind of objects and phenomena you can see in such a telescope. If it's clear, of course, we will get the telescopes out for some practical observing. If not and there is time, there will be the next instalment in the series of short talks on the Life of Stars. So loads to look forward to!

Beginners Meetings start at 7pm and are held at Stockcross Village Hall (Sutton Hall), RG20 8LN. (click here for a map and further details of the session's meetings). 

6th December Member's Meeting

Once a year we hold a Member's meeting where, rather than our standard format of a main speaker before the break, and then a couple of shorter talks after the break, we throw the meeting open to any and all members to make short (circa 10 - 15 minutes) presentations on any subject that is vaguely astronomically related. That can be a theoretical concept that piques someone's interest, an interesting place to visit, a series of observations conducted, a book that is a must-read, or more. This year we already a number of fascinating talks lined up including ones on Stephan's Quintet, the Milky Way seen from Down Under, The Norman Lockyer Observatory, Telescope Piers and plans for a trip to see the Eclipse in Spain in 2026. However, we've still got room for one or two more so if you have something you feel might be interesting, even if you've never presented to the society before, do get in touch at the usual address (communications@newburyastro.org.uk). It's always great to hear new voices and with members of all levels of experience, there's always something new to learn.

The member's meeting will start at 7.30pm and be held at the usual location of The Fair Close Centre, Newtown Road, Newbury: RG14 7BH. (click here for a map and further details of the session's meetings).

Despite challenging weather conditions, many members have managed to image Comet 2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) since it emerged from its closest approach to the Sun and started to appear in the evening sky.  To the left is an image from George Sallit using a Seestar S50 from here in Berkshire, below one by Steve Knight taken from the summit of La Palma. There are still a few days left to get a decent look at the comet, and if you have a Smart Scope like a Seestar, do go to the Smart Scope Group page of the website for some hints and tips to get the best image