WEST MIDLANDS REGION
Welcome to the West Midlands! The Dark Sky Discovery partnership aims to involve a local and diverse range of citizen scientists in discovering the long standing relationship which this region has with astronomy.
• A Walsall member of the Royal Astronomical Society is recreating the demonstration given to the Birmingham Lunar Society in 1800 by William Herschel, appointed Royal Astronomer by King George 111, and who also found in the West Midlands the only lens manufacturer outside Paris able to make the 28 inch refractor for the first Greenwich Royal Observatory telescope.
More history notes each month, so please send anything you find in your local area.
‘We Are Astronomers’ is the film produced in the Midlands for the International Year of Astronomy 2009 which has been shown across the world, and which opens the BBC Stargazing regional showcase event at the New Art Gallery Walsall this month where our astronomers filled the four storey galleries and roof terrace with activities and people coming together to explore what’s exciting about their local dark sky sites. Parks, museums, libraries, schools, societies and universities are encouraging respect for science and technology that continues to push the boundaries of space and share more understanding of our universe.
Walsall Looking Up has nominated Barr Beacon Countryside Park as one of the new national Dark Sky Discovery Sites, joining Cannon Hill Park Edgbaston and Cardingmill Valley Shropshire which have local partnership support. Dark Sky measurements taken here and from other regional sites will add to other scientific studies and awareness of the need for dark spaces by people as well as nature’s diversity and is supported by Big Lottery and Natural England’s ‘Access to Nature’ data.
In today’s growing technology, which has already benefited from astronomy and space science – our smart phones enable us to take a Sky Walk in the dark, or explore water resources on our own blue planet, canals or water under the surface of Mars the red planet, and further solar systems like our own. Watch this web space each month!
Following the Stargazing regional events which Dark Sky Discovery partners have helped the BBC organise in Birmingham, Walsall and the Shropshire Hills, you will find on our web site other ways to ‘Get Involved’ both nationally, world wide, or locally including:
• Taking part: Globe At Night online dark skies data
and send around or pin up a flyer
• April: Global Astronomy Month 2012 ‘One People One Sky’
• Organising a Star Party in your neighbourhood, community centre, school or Park: if you are planning an Astronomy event in your area contact us with details of your best local Dark Sky location (with postcode or Map reference), and we will send a resource pack with ideas including Astronomy on a Plate.
Free Computer Resources:
1. AstroViewer: your night sky map on the internet.
2. Virtual-moon-atlas to observe and study our Moon.
3. Celestia - Virtual travel view through our Solar System.
4. Stellarium - Planetarium for your computer.
For a range of dark sky nature and astronomy resources produced in the West Midlands see the Field Studies Council guides (£2.75)
See the following page of 2012 activities listing family-friendly stargazing
events that are being run
by other organisations in the West Midlands region,
BIRMINGHAM
-Birmingham Astronomical Society
Contact: 0121 204 4731secretary@birmingham-astronomy.co.uk
BBC Stargazing – The Mailbox, Royal Mail St, Birmingham B1 1RE
A selection of telescopes will be available to look through. You should be able to see Jupiter and its moons, the Pleiades and maybe the Andromeda Galaxy. Free event open to all passers by.
-Thinktank Planetarium, Millennium Point, Birmingham B4 7XG
Contact: 0121-202 2222 planetarium@thinktank.ac
Stars and Stories of Winter 3-16 Jan, 3.30pm weekdays and 1.30pm weekends
Live presenter-led planetarium show about the night sky pointing out what
can easily be seen with the naked eye and binoculars. Includes the Winter
Constellation Song and a Q&A
session. Free with entry to the Science Museum and suitable for all ages.
Safe Solar Scoping 3-9 Jan, 10.00am – 4.00pm
Weather permitting, view the Sun safely through both Coronado and Sunspotter
telescopes. Free drop in session for all ages.
SHROPSHIRE
-Shropshire Astronomical Society, Meole Brace Science College, Longden
Rd, Shrewsbury, SY3 9DW
Contact: 01743 872991 or mandybailey22@googlemail.com
Living in the Sun’s Atmosphere- talk by Dr Lucie Green Fri 18 Nov, 8.00pm
-Shropshire Hills Cardingmill Valley Centre, National Trust, Church
Stretton, SY6 6JG
Contact: 01694 725006 or enquiries@starsinyourskies.co.uk
Stars in your Skies Sat 19 Nov, 8.00pm to midnight
Observing with Dr Alan Lonstaff, Royal Observatory Greenwich and Open University
tutor.
STAFFORDSHIRE
-Perton Library Community Telescope, Severn Drive, Perton WV6 7QU
Contact: 01902 755794 perton.library@staffordshire.gov.uk
Perton Community Telescope - try out the Community Telescope or astronomical
binoculars. Join the new astronomical club at the Library. Free drop in activity,
but under 12’s should be accompanied by an adult. Activities include find
the constellations, astronomy library displays and BBC stargazing materials.
-Wolverhampton Astronomical Society & Highfields
School Environmental Centre, Boundary Way, Penn, Wolverhampton WV4 4NT
Back
to Basic Observing evenings Mon, 6.30 – 7.30pm with visiting speakers 9 Jan
Andy Lound on Comets, and 23 Jan Prof Ian Morrison – Black Holes, no need
to be afraid!
-Keele Astrophysics Group, Keele Observatory, Keele University ST5 5BG
Contact: 01782 734086 obs@astro.keele.ac.uk
Tour of the Observatory and meet an astronomer every Tuesday, Oct – Mar,
8.00-10.00pm
Seeing the Universe through Telescopes 16 - 18 Jan, 11.00am – 2.00pm, and
6.00–11.00pm
Weather permitting, visitors can view planets, stars and nebulae through
large telescopes, or the Sun during the day. Astronomers will be at hand
to explain and to answer questions.
Free, wheelchair access.
Visitors will be offered a tour of the observatory including its large telescope dating from 1874 and its even larger research telescope. They can learn about the history of the observatory and its telescopes, about life as an astronomer both in the past and in modern times, and about the Universe and astronomical phenomena - from black holes and exploding stars to planets around other stars and the possibility of life elsewhere in the Universe.
WALSALL
-Walsall Meteorwatch Group, Barr Beacon Nature Reserve, Beacon Road,
Walsall WS9 0QW
Contact: 01922 459813 or bowersm@walsall.gov.uk
Asteroid
Night! Tue, 8 November, 10pm – midnight
Asteroid 2005YU55 will be closer than the moon at 11.28pm on its journey
past the Earth! Join us for a general astronomy night.
November Leonids!
Friday, 18 November, 10pm – Midnight
Watch the Leonids with us!
December Meteor (Rudolf) Watch – Two nights!
Tue 13 and Wed 14 December, 10pm-Midnight
Join us for two nights for the biggest star-show of the year: the Geminids!
WARWICKSHIRE
-Ashlawn School and Science College, Rugby Astronomical Soc, Ashlawn
Rd, Rugby CV22 5ET
Stargazing school and community event 8 Jan, 6.00pm –
9.00pm. Free
open evening. Meet society members, students and tutors from the Univ
of Warwick astronomy dept. There will be observing sites outside with
access
to sky watch equipment. Refreshments available.
-Stratford upon Avon Astronomical Society & Snitterfield
Sports Club, Wolverton Rd CV37 0HB Contact: 01789 731 784 mike.whitecross@astro.org.uk
Snitterfield Star Party 11 Jan, 6.00pm For details see society website:
www.astro.org.uk
Rollright Stones Astro-Archaeology on the boundary of Warwickshire and
Oxfordshire Observing sessions at various times with Chipping Campden
Amateur Astronomical
Group Contact: 01608 641654 or gcotterill@freeuk.com
WORCESTERSHIRE
-Kings Charles I High School, Comberton Rd, Kidderminster DY10 1XA
Contact: 07506823846 or 01562 66316 d.buzzard@googlemail.com
Meteor Star Party 3 Jan, 9.00pm
Join them in the school observation area with telescopes, observe meteors,
and take part in talks about practical observing in the Science Theatre.
Free, with small charge for refreshments.
Grand Tour of the Solar System 21 Jan. 2.00pm
BBC Star Watch event with Carolian Astronomical Society and Andrew Lounds.
-Redditch Astronomical Society, Lower Park Fisheries, Dagnell End Rd,
Beoley, Redditch B98 9BE
Contact: 01527 270085 or 07833 755734 marlepus@hotmail.co.uk
Observing Evening 7 Jan, 7.00pm
General observing of planets, stars, nebulae. and galaxies – no telescope
required, but under 18’s to be accompanied by an adult. Wrap up warm. Free.
Planet observation 14 Jan, 7.00pm
All welcome – general observing and picking out planets in the night sky.
Free. Wrap up warm.
-Worcester Astronomical Society
Contact: 01905 453815 0r 01905 821103 michaelmorris@hotmail.com
Worcester Woods Country Park, Worcs Countryside Centre, Wildwood Drive, Worcester
WR5 2LG
Stargazing Live 5-6 Jan, 7.30pm
Learn how to find your way around the night sky. Public observing session with
Worcester Astronomical Society – with video astro-photography and watch of
the Quadrantids meteor shower weather permitting. Free.
Telescope Workshop 7 Jan, 7.30pm
For new or old astronomers. Learn how to get the best from your scopes. Free.
LATEST NEWS
There are two good ways to keep up to date with the latest events, activities and happenings:
i) the Cannon Hill Discovery Park web site: www.cannonhillpeoplespark.net
ii)
Twitter cannonhillpark
Interested in Dark Sky Discovery?
Send us your questions, best experience you had when watching the
sky, what equipment you use, your best Dark Sky site, and how you’d like
to take part in Dark Sky Discovery during 2012.
Tony Fox, DSD Projects Coordinator – West Midlands, UK
cannonhillfriend@aol.com www.darkskydiscovery.org.uk