Friday 8th November: Moon Watch & Stargazing Event

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 awesome public Moon Watch & Stargazing event. See the moon in stunning detail through many telescopes and enjoy a tour…

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17th November- Sunderland Astronomical Society AGM

The Sunderland Astronomical Society AGM will be taking place on Sunday 17th November 2024 from 7:00 pm at our base of operations Discovery Room at the Washington Wetlands Centre. SAS members are invited to attend, listen to chair’s reports and vote in the election of the committee and nominations are asked from the SAS members. The agenda is…

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24th November Lecture: James Webb Space Telescope JWST+3

In this talk Dr Steve Barrett will talk about the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)  nearly 3 years after the launch of the JWST on Christmas Day 2021, this shorter talk reviews some of the images and spectra released to date.

SAS Memberships – New Season 2024-2025

September is the start of our new season. SAS Memberships will be due from 1st September 2024 (payable throughout September) for this season 2024/2025 Joining/Renewing helps support your local astronomical society & community. So come on down to the Cygnus Observatory (based at the Washington Wetlands Centre) to  join or renew your SAS membership. The SAS is the largest…

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15th September Lecture: How did the Moon get there?

Rocks returned to Earth by the Apollo astronauts over 50 years ago profoundly changed our view of how the Moon has formed. This talk will review our current understanding of the Moon’s formation, explaining planet formation more generally and how computer simulations are being used to try to infer what happened 4.5 billion years ago.

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7th September: SAS Starbeque

This year’s Starbque will be held at our usual venue, the Millshields car Derwent Reservoir on Saturday 7th September 2024. We meet around 3pm for our picnic / barbeque and continue into the night for stargazing.   A bit of cloud or rain will not stop the event going ahead but we will consider an…

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18th August: Equipment Workshop Night

There won’t be any lecture Sunday 18th Lecture night is having a rest, so we are having an “Equipment Workshop Night”.   The observing/Astrophotography season is starting now that the dark skies have returned so it’s time to get your equipment in tip top condition. We will therefore be doing an equipment workshop.   Come…

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21st July Lecture: The Beginning of Everything

In this talk Dr Steve Barrett will give a brief description of the origin and the very early history of the Universe. After the Big Bang it took about three minutes to make all the constituents of the Universe and give it a kickstart. If this happened 13.8 billion years ago, how can we be…

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SAS Astro Photo Competion

28th July: SAS Astrophotography Competition 2024

The Sunderland Astronomical Society’s Astrophotography Competition will held on Sunday 28th July 2024 and we are returning to our pre Covid format. The event will be held at the Washington wetlands centre from 7:00 pm, where the best of our SAS astrophotographer images will be displayed and voted on at the event. All members attending…

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16th June Lecture: An In-Depth Guide to Planetary Imaging

Keith been a dedicated planetary imager since webcam imaging first started off. Keith has been a trail blazer in the field of Planetary Imaging for many years. Keith has gained a vast amount of knowledge, tips nd tricks on the subject which he is keen to share. In this talk Keith gives a hands on…

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