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Stargazers Invited To Beginners Course And Astronomy Talk With An Icon Next Week

Sunday, 18 February 2024 06:00

By Dominic Kureen @WriteOnDom

An astronomy talk will be taking place on the Isle of Wight this month, with those interested in the dark skies invited to take part.

The event takes place at Newchurch Pavilion — adjacent to the IW Observatory — on Friday (February 23), from 7.30pm.

About the Talk

The talk looks at many of the things we have left behind in space and on the moon.

Do you know how many nice cameras are floating around up there? How many vehicles we left on the moon? Who left a photograph of his family on the moon?

The session will also discuss the hazards of space junk and ideas being discussed and tested to start retrieving many of these objects.

About the Speaker


(c) Dr Lillian Hobbs

Lilian Hobbs FRAS (Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society) is a keen amateur astrophotographer with several domes in her garden.

A keen imager, especially since the introduction of CCD cameras, she has been featured on the BBC Sky at Night and has authored some astronomy books.

Lilian used to work in IT but is now retired spend her time volunteering in the community in a number of roles including being a Blood Biker for Serv Wessex.

Part 2 of the Beginners Course 

The talk will be about telescopes: an introduction to the elements needed and the importance of each including:

• Telescope (two types)
• Finder telescope
• Mount (the importance of quality & stability)
• Counterbalance weights
• Tripod
• Magnetic compass

Vectis Astronomical Society

The group meets on the fourth Friday of every month, except December. Talks are open for non-members to attend.

There is a suggested donation of £2.50 for non-members of VAS.

The speakers come from all over the country and give a presentation for around 45 minutes, with a chance for questions and answers afterwards.

This presentation will be given in person. Please note that some VAS events will NOT be at the Newchurch observatory site, but will be conducted over Zoom.

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