SheffieldAS

The telescope on the Hicks is an optical one and is controlled via the Internet. Bole Hill was demolished coz the Uni students preferred to spend 2 weeks in La Palma and get 13 clear nights to observe rather than almost zero at BH. Despite BH being up high on a hilltop it did have a bad light pollution problem. As has been already mentioned, Mayfield down in the valley is well shielded from the worst of Sheffield's light.

Thanks to some lobbying by head teachers, the astronomy society, past & present centre workers and many members of the public, the Mayfield Environmental Education Centre on David Lane is safe... for another year at least. The task now is to market the centre in a more effective way than has been done over the past few years and to ensure this fabulous place is not allowed to decline again in the future. Suggestions are requested from readers of this thread as to how this facility can be used more effectively and profitably to ensure a decent income to make sure it is never threatened again. Your ideas please...

Saturday March 12 2011 13:00 to 16:00 Tapton School, Darwin Lane, S10 5RG. Sheffield Astronomical Society are coming to Tapton on the 12th of March for their AstroDay 2011 event. This year will be different to previous events as there are specialised workshop covering aspects of astronomy such as "What is in the Night's Sky" and "Telescopes". They have also invited Sheffield Amateur Radio Club which will be linking live on the day with the other side of the world and hopefully listening into the International Space Station. The event is free for all and everyone attending get a free pair of 3D glasses and a chance to enter a draw for some astronomical binoculars. No matter what the weather you will be able to see images of the Sun live through the specialist telesopes or via an Internet feed. For more information go to http://www.sheffieldastro.org.uk

Sheffield Astronomical Society Star Night – a BBC Stargazing LIVE Event. Venue: the Mayfield Environmental Centre, David Lane, Fulwood S10 4PH Date: Saturday 15 January 2011 from 7-10 pm. WONDERS OF THE UNIVERSE - part of the BBC Stargazing LIVE event. Basic talks on astronomy along with telescopes to view the night sky. This event is open to all ages, free entry, pre-booking not required. There is a small shop selling astronomy-related items and there will be a variety of telescopes available to view the sky, plus a chance to ask questions about astronomy, space and telescopes to knowledgeable experts. Partly weather dependent - phone the hotline on 07841-783-140 to get the latest weather conditions. Details and directions can be found at http://www.sheffieldastro.org.uk

Sheffield Astronomical Society Time: Saturday 23rd October 2010 from 2 pm. Venue: Mayfield Environmental Education Centre, David Lane, Fulwood, Sheffield, S10 4PH Drop in any time after 14:00 to SAFELY view our nearest star and learn what an amazing object it is. There are now some decent sunspots so it is worth a look. Then, as the evening progresses, you will be able to look at some amazing sights in the night sky using the society's quality telescopes. These events are held entirely outside in the car park at Mayfield and are obviously heavily dependent on the weather! Phone our hotline to check before setting out on 07841-783-140. Check our website for details and directions at http://www.sheffieldastro.org.uk

The Sheffield Astronomical Society is looking forward to their biggest event of the year this Saturday which is completely free to attend. The event is part of the National Science and Engineering Week and is held at Tapton Secondary School. Doors open at 12pm and you can drop in whenever you want and for as long as you want, up until 6pm. The AstroDay event will not only include safe observation of the Sun's surface, but includes a session inside a planetarium, again free of charge. Hands on activities for all ages will include rocket launching, driving Mars rovers, crater making, badge making and Paint a Planet. You will be treated to spectacular presentations from our guest speakers including Professor Don Kurtz. Refreshments will be available. The event is in partnership with Tapton Secondary School, a specialist science college. For more information you can visit the society's website http://www.sheffieldastro.org.uk or ring Lewis on 077 851 852 40. The society has made sure there are activities for absolutely all ages ranges and know you will have a fun filled day.

75th Anniversary For Local Stargazers Astronomers from the Sheffield Astronomical Society are inviting the public to observe the surface details of the Sun this Saturday 25th April. Running from 2:00pm till 6:00pm, visitors can drop into the event at Mayfield Environmental Centre on David Lane at any time to see the Sun directly through a safely filtered telescope. The event is completely free to attend and is a little more special than usual. It is not just the International Year of Astronomy in 2009 but it is also the 75th Anniversary of our local Sheffield Astronomical Society. The Sheffield Astronomical Society was founded on the 24th April 1934 by Mr. Reginald Cox, a Mathematics Lecturer at Sheffield University. The first meeting at was held at the W.E.A. House, Western Bank and was attended by 15 people. The subscription was fixed at 2/6d (or 12½p) per year and it was decided they would meet once a month except for June, July and August. 75 years later membership is still a modest £28 a year, there are almost 100 members and events are held several times every month. The Sun is currently at a very unusual minimum level of activity. In fact some astronomers believe we are entering an extending period of solar minima. When this previously took place in the mid-17th Century it lasted 70 years, and led to a "mini ice-age". The astronomers warn that you should never look directly at the Sun without such special equipment and supervision. There will be plenty of free information and astronomers to answer any questions. Refreshments and a small Astro-shop will be available. Our special telescope filters out all the harmful rays and the extreme brightness - you actually get to see the bubbling surface with your very own eyes. For more information please ring the astronomy hotline on 0778 518 5240 or visit http://www.sheffieldastro.org.uk . Membership of the Sheffield Astronomical Society gives you free entrance to all events and is only £28 a year for adults and £6 for under 18's. ------------------------------------------------------ Please see related new story about the Sun shown in national press http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8008473.stm

Venus is the bright "star" in the west. The Moon and Saturn is now rising in the east. If you are interested in more then find out more at http://www.sheffieldastro.org.uk It is currently the International Year of Astronomy and we hope you can join us one evening to see the planets through a telescope.

You are welcome to visit us at any of our meeting and we can help you get into observing. We can also show you some semi-professional telescopes. www sheffieldastro.org.uk James

FYI... The Bole Hill Observatory is owned by the University of Sheffield. Inside the building is very little. You nip up a ladder and there is a great big telescope. It is misaligned, dusty and the place is full of spiders. The university do not use it much and the Sheffield Astronomical Society has tried to help them fix it. The SheffieldAS have a key and have brought members you to see it if they are interested. We cannot bring public up there, but you could join and we could take you there if you pleaded and begged a lot. But I promise you it is not worth it as it is all a bit neglected and we get a better image through our portable telescopes from Mayfield Valley. Also the Lodge Moor housing has ruined the view with light pollution. Don't get me wrong though it could be a great telescope just it is University owned and there are not funds directed towards its use at the moment, as far as we know. Thats why we want our own observatory that we can let the public use. But if you want to do some astronomy come to our outdoor observing events... We have two observing events this month on the 15th and the 29th. The 15th is our standard monthly observing event which is £1 for adults and free for the kids. The 29th is a special one-off event for the close approach of Mars. This event is £3/£1 adults/kids but includes indoor presentations. For more information please email/ring us or visit www sheffieldastro org.uk

Thanks to all that believe we can do it. We really appreciate your enthusiasm. We have got planning now after over 2 and a half years of hard work, on top of running the society's normal calendar of events. We have plenty more to do and need all your support. Our idea is to provide the people of Sheffield access to high quality astronomy. Astronomy is amazing - once you have seen a planet through a good telescope you just get hooked. The observatory will not be public access like a library but for minimal cost access will be for all interested. We are just a charity run by people with full time jobs. We don't want a private expensive members only club. Becoming a member just shows your support and interest in amateur astronomy. The reason we are in S10 is not because we are posh and clever - it is because all the astronomy is in the south west skies and we want the light polluting city behind us. We do observe all the time, just not under the cover of an observatory, and you are welcome to come to try it out. We have two observing events this month on the 15th and the 29th. The 15th is our standard monthly observing event which is £1 for adults and free for the kids. The 29th is a special one-off event for the close approach of Mars. This event is £3/£1 adults/kids but includes indoor presentations. For more information please email/ring us or visit www sheffieldastro org.uk

There are plenty of unidentified flying objects out there - just no aliens. We have been observing as a group since 1934 and no one has ever been probed But if you fancy some astronomy, satellites etc (just not aliens) then please visit us at Mayfield Valley www sheffieldastro org uk James Sheffield Astronomical Society

Hello Everyone, We have just got back from Spain. I hope you saw us in the Star and the Yorkshire Post. The eclipse was amazing in 100% clear skies. We should have a webpage about our trip online in a day or two. Also at our next few meetings we will be showing our images and some video. Please come along to see what we got up to. More details can be found at www sheffieldastro org uk We have two outside evening observing events this month on the 15th and on the 29th. Our beginner's evening on the 24th will include the best from the eclipse. James