18th May SAS Visit- Wynyard Planetarium & Observatory

The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust have a birdwatching event on Thursday 18th May so the centre will not be available for our usual meeting that day. We have therefore decided to have a trip to Wynyard Planetarium and Observatory (http://www.wynyard-planetarium.net/) instead. Places are limited to 40, and members will need to make their own way…

16th April Lecture: Breaking News – Ultramassive black hole around 33 billion solar masses discovered by Durham UK astronomers

Breaking News An ultramassive black hole over 33 billion times the mass of the sun has been discovered by UK astronomers. Scientists from Durham University said the gargantuan black hole is one of the biggest ever found! The team, led by Durham University, UK, used gravitational lensing – where a foreground galaxy bends the light…

19th February Lecture: Supernova to Soybean – Cosmic rays for a changing world (Talk postponed for Jurgen’s talk)

Please Note: This talk is postponed until a later date TBD (due to last minute unforeseen work commitments). Dr Jurgen Schmoll has kindly agreed to step in and give one of his wonderful talks this evening. Eyepieces – the interface between technical and human optics. Instrument scientist – working behind the scenes of astronomical research…

27th & 28th January: Moon Watch & Stargazing Event (Cygnus Observatory & Washington Wetlands Centre)

Back by popular demand, Sunderland Astronomical Society are will be hosting a unique Moon Watch and Stargazing event at our base of operations (Cygnus Observatory and Washington Wetlands Centre). Join Sunderland Astronomical Society for this public Moon Watch & Stargazing event. See the moon in stunning detail through many telescopes and enjoy a tour of…

20th November Lecture: The Pluto Story

This talk is all about Pluto, how it was discovered in 1930 and how discovery and observations of KBOs eventually led the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 2006 to declassify Pluto from being a planet. Although ‘what is a planet?’ Might seem to be an easy question to answer, it turns out that the ensuing…