Stargazing Live 2019 Jan 30th

The annual Stargazing Live event will be taking place on January 30th 2019.
Doors open at 6pm and will close at 9pm. This is a free event and booking is not required. On offer will be many exhibits and activities including: Hands on experiments, Astronaut training, local astronomy groups, “Cool Science” show, mobile planetarium, observatory tours and much more.
Our keynote speaker this year is Paul Money, reviews editor for Sky at Night magazine. The talk will take place in the main hall at approx. 7pm.

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Open Dome Event 19th Dec ’18 – Christmas Quiz

The next public open dome event is on Wednesday the 19th December 2018 at the usual time of 7pm. This month we will be holding our (almost) world famous Christmas Quiz. Loosely based around Astronomy and Space, the Christmas quiz is a light-hearted multiple choice quiz with a prize for the winning score.

Doors open at 6.30pm for refreshments including mince pies. The quiz will start at 7pm. After the quiz there will be opportunity for tours of the observatory and if clear some observing too.

All are welcome with no need to book in advance. A suggested donation of £2 is appreciated towards refreshments etc.

Family Open Dome Event November 29th ’18

The Malcolm Parry Observatory will be hosting the second family open dome of the year on Thursday 29th November.

The first part of the evening, aimed at all ages, will include lots of hands-on activities about the Moon. It starts at 6pm and will be followed by observatory tours for younger audiences that do not wish to stay for the presentation.

The second part of the evening starts at 7pm and will also be about our natural satellite, the Moon. Mr M Perkins will give a presentation focusing on its creation, composition, discovery and exploration. After the presentation there will be opportunity for tours of the observatory and if clear observing time too. Refreshments will be available and a suggested donation of £2 is appreciated towards costs for the evening.

As the observatory its self is not heated, tours and observing sessions are, at this time of the year, quite cold so please do bring along suitable attire. Observing sessions are of course subject to clear skies. The evening will draw to a close at 9pm.

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Family Open Dome Event October 25th ’18

Thursday the 25th October 2018 sees the first “Family Open Dome” event here at the Malcolm Parry Observatory. Proceedings start at 6pm for younger people and their families with activities to do with the theme of Constellations. This will be hosted by Mrs Goodacre.

At 7pm the regular “Open Dome” event will start with a talk about “Zombie Stars and Bumps in the Night” by Mr M Perkins. Admission is open to all, under 16’s free with a suggested donation of £2 per adult towards refreshments etc.

At approx. 8pm there will be tours of the observatory for anybody interested in taking a look around, or if clear there will be opportunity for some observing through one of the telescopes. The event will close at approx. 9pm.

Public Open Dome April 26th – The Antikythera Mechanism.

The next Public Open Dome Event is on Thursday 26th April at the usual time of 7pm. Dr Maria Pavlidou of Birmingham University will be talking about “The Antikythera mechanism”

The Antikythera mechanism is an ancient Greek analog computer and orrery used to predict astronomical positions and eclipses for calendar and astrological purposes decades in advance. It could also track the four-year cycle of athletic games which was similar to an Olympiad, the cycle of the ancient Olympic Games. Detailed imaging of the mechanism suggests that it had 37 gear wheels enabling it to follow the movements of the moon and the sun through the zodiac, to predict eclipses, and even to model the irregular orbit of the moon, where the moon’s velocity is higher in its perigee than in its apogee.

Refreshments are available from 6:30pm. All welcome with no membership required. Suggested donation of £2 per adult is welcomed towards refreshments etc. Under 16’s welcome but must be accompanied by an adult please.

After the talk if the weather permits there will be opportunity for observing in the purpose built observatory. If not then a short guide to the night sky will follow with opportunity for a tour of the observatory for those who wish to view the facilities.

Public Open Dome Event March 22nd ’18 – Dr Julian Onions

The next public open dome event is on Thursday the 22nd March 2018 and features guest speaker, Dr. Julian Onions of Nottingham University. The content of this talk is yet to be confirmed but Julian is always a popular speaker with some very interesting talks indeed.

Refreshments are available from 6:30pm and the talk will start approx. 7pm. After the talk there will be chance to see the observatory and, if clear, opportunity for some observing.

Entrance is open to all, over 16’s to be accompanied by an adult please. A suggested donation of £2 per adult is welcomed towards running costs.

Open Dome Event February 15th 2018 – Hunting Orion.

The next public open dome event is on Thursday 15th February at 7pm. This month the talk will be presented by Mr M. Perkins of The Long Eaton School and is entitled “Hunting Orion”.

In the talk we shall discover some of the myths and legends surrounding the constellation of Orion as well as many of the fascinating things to look out for in this area of the night sky. The talk will start at 7pm with refreshments available from 6:30pm.

The event is open to the general public and with no booking required. Under 16’s welcome but must be accompanied by an adult please. Admission is via a suggested donation of £2 per adult. After the talk if the weather permits there will be opportunity to observe Orion in our purpose built observatory.