Next Meeting 7:30pm, Monday 25th March

Hi all, Next meeting, usual time & place, Upstairs in the Hen & Chicks, Abergavenny, at 7:30pm.

Topic this month will be the Square Kilometre Array (SKA)

SKA-LOW Antenna, W Australia

This is a multi-nation low frequency radio telescope situated in the S Hemisphere. The first of the planned 130,000+ SKA-LOW antennas have just started to be installed in W Australia.
They will be able to search for radio emission from neutral hydrogen in the very early universe, the time before the gas was ionized by the light of the first stars, galaxies and quasars, and the cosmic dark ages came to an end.
We will explore the progress of this huge project, the largest radio telescope in the world, and what its science objectives are including probing the cosmic dawn, dark energy, galaxy evolution etc.

Come along and join in the discussion – you don’t have to be an expert, just fascinated by our universe – all are welcome

The Moon is popular again!

The Moon is once again popular with the USA, Japan, China and India all having or about to land spacecraft on the satellite. Intuitive Machines has just landed a probe, the first private company to do so, at a cost of one thousanth of the Apollo programme.

This weekend sees a full Moon that is also a minimoon and a snowmoon, or to some a hunger moon.

Don’t know your apogee from your perigee or still think the Moon looks temptingly like a round of Stilton? Then answers to most of your questions may be found in this month’s meeting of the Society, Monday 26th February upstairs in the Hen and Chickens, Abergavenny. Meeting starts at 7:30 and the topic is “A beginners guide to the Moon” by Nick Busby

Free talk for Dark skies week, 6:30 pm,15th February, The life cycle of stars

This event is part of Dark Sky Week Wales.

Mae’r ddigwyddiad hwn yn rhan o wythnos Awyr Dywyll Cymru

On the 15th February at 6:30pm Nick Busby will be giving an online talk on the life cycle of stars as can be seen in the sky at this time of year.

For further details and to sign-up (it’s free!) please follow the following link to eventbright.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/cylch-bywyd-y-ser-the-life-cycle-of-stars-nick-busby-tickets-813860768467?aff=oddtdtcreator

Learn how stars form, shine and die and how you can see this in the sky yourself.

This online presentation will focus on the Orion Nebular and constellation of Taurus where you are able to see examples of newly formed stars and those which are nearing the end of life and dying.

Nick Busby will take you through this using Stellarium and help you to locate the nebulae and constellations which you will be able to see for yourself in the sky at night.

Questions will be welcome at the end of the session.

Dysgwch sut mae sêr yn ffurfio, yn disgleirio ac yn marw a sut gallwch chi weld hyn yn yr awyr eich hun.

Bydd y cyflwyniad ar-lein hwn yn canolbwyntio ar y Nebular Orion a chlytser Taurus lle gallwch weld enghreifftiau o sêr newydd eu ffurfio a’r rhai sy’n agosáu at ddiwedd oes ac yn marw.

Bydd Nick Busby yn mynd â chi drwy hyn gan ddefnyddio Stellarium ac yn eich helpu i ddod o hyd i’r niwl a’r cytser y byddwch chi’n gallu eu gweld drosoch eich hun yn yr awyr gyda’r nos.

Bydd cyfle i ateb westiynau ar ddiwedd y sesiwn.

Mae hen yn ddigwyddiad am ddim.

February Meeting

The next meeting will be on the usual 4th Monday of the month, that’s February 26th.
Normal place and time:- Upstairs in The Hen & Chicks, Abergavenny, at 7:30pm

The topic will be “A beginners guide to the Moon”

One other matter that came up at the last meeting was the “Celestial Observing Group”. This is a WhatsApp group for those who enjoy observing the heavens. If anyone is interested in joining then email me at webmaster@abergavennyas.org.uk and I will pass your request on to the group administrator, Andrew Lohfink.