Who actually invented the refracting telescope? This was the opening question which was put to the audience in our second session for the History of Astronomy group this season. The presenter was Tony Sizer, a former teacher of Chemistry, Science and Astronomy at Warwick School and Chigwell School and is currently one of the astronomers […]
In our first talk for this season, we were taken back to the Royal Observatory during the period 1890 to 1895 to explore the work of five women who were employed as ‘Lady Computers’. Isabella Clemes, Alice Everett, Harriet Furniss, Edith Rix and Annie Russell all have very intriguing history relating to their work at […]
Astronomical Events for 2019 by Malcolm Porter Sources– Extracts from the BAA 2018 Handbook, The BAA 2019 Handbook, Astronomy Now 2019 Yearbook, and Philip’s Stargazing 2019 Month by Month Guide. This list has been built around the idea of the Astro Highlights being largely visible to the naked eye, through binoculars or through a small […]
On 8th November Martin and Jane made welcome a small group of star-starved Londoners and gave us a dazzling guided tour of the star-spangled sky over Romney Marsh. Martin trained his Meade 14” SCT (Schmitt Cassegrain Telescope) on a fascinating variety of deep sky objects and planets. With such a powerful telescope we were able […]
On Saturday 12th May, a group of 20 Flamsteed members ventured out to the University of Cambridge’s Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory. Located at Lord’s Bridge near the small village of Barton in Cambridgeshire, the site was once a railway station on the Varsity Line that ran between Oxford and Cambridge. That, in fact, is where […]
Science is deeply rooted within society and culture and while, at the Flamsteed, we are incredibly privileged to have access to talks from professionals in the field of astronomy, there is tremendous value in hearing the voice of people who have not dedicated their working careers to the subject. There is a great breadth of […]
“We live in very exciting times for Astronomy but what we know now was built on the discoveries of the seekers of knowledge of the past who pushed the boundaries of what was known in their time”. This was how Mona Evans opened her presentation for the evening as she began her talk about the […]
“Where else to start but at the Royal Observatory Greenwich.” This was quite an appropriate introduction to Malcolm’s talk at the 2nd meeting of the History of Astronomy group for this season. Malcolm has been a member of the Flamsteed Astronomy Society for over 10 years and served as Chairman for four (4) years. He […]
On the 10th January 2018, a group of 23 Flamsteed members successfully negotiated the “get out of London” rush hour traffic to visit the Bayfordbury Observatory near Hertford, Hertfordshire. The Bayfordbury Observatory is the University of Hertfordshire’s teaching observatory for astronomy and astrophysics and is regarded as one of the finest astronomical teaching observatories in […]
It was a late Friday night many years ago that Andy Sawers stood in front of the National Portrait Gallery in London, awaiting the night bus to get home. He glanced around and saw a man standing in front of a telescope offering passers-by a view of the Galilean Moons for 50p. Andy took him […]
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