Thomas Wright was born in a small County Durham village and yet rose through his own genius to enjoy the patronage and even friendship of the country’s aristocracy. However, Wright’s life was also dogged by scandals, financial mishaps and unfortunate associations. which perhaps explains why he remains largely unknown outside of the North East…
Details
September is the start of our new season. SAS Memberships will be due from 1st September 2026 (payable throughout September) for this season 2026/2027 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…
Details
This year’s Starbeque will be held at our usual venue, the Millshields car Derwent Reservoir on Saturday 12th September 2026. We meet around 3pm for our picnic / barbeque and continue into the night for stargazing. If the weather forecast is for cloud or rain will not stop the event going ahead, but we…
Details
For this September’s lecture and to kick-off our monthly lecture series with our very own Graham Darke to take us on a journey through ‘The history of the Milky Way’, and outline & discuss: The Scale of Time: We will travel back 13.6 billion years to discover how a simple cloud of gas evolved into…
Details
John Nichol (renowned Optics expert and maker) will give SAS a talk in in June regarding the Espin Telescope Restoration Group (ETRG) was established in order to rescue and restore the historically important 24-inch telescope made for the Rev. Espin of Tow Law. The original telescope was made for Espin by the famous British telescope…
Details
The Sunderland Astronomical Society’s Astrophotography Competition will held on Sunday 17th May 2026. 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 the event can vote even if they have not…
Details
Guest Speaker Professor Colin Steele (Manchester University) will be presenting a talk on Coronal Conundra and Prominence Puzzles. Whilst the “main business” of a star is the production of energy that takes place in the core, there are many interesting processes taking place in the outer layers and atmospheres. The Sun has three layers…
Details
Emeritus Professor Philip James of Liverpool John Moore’s University will give us a unique perspective and look back over his career of more than 40 years working in astrophysics, covering: the structure of galaxies, star formation, and the nature of stars which undergo supernova explosions. Looking back at the wider field of astrophysics: what were…
Details
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…
Details
Is there life elsewhere in the Universe, this is a fundamental question at the heart of human philosophy and belief, have aliens visited Earth, could we visit them? What evidence do we have or might we find?. This wide ranging presentation asks the questions and seeks the answers and opinions from the audience! Key Perspectives…
Details
Professor Tom Stallard (Northumbria University) will be giving a talk to the SAS in person at our base of operations (Washington Wetlands Centre(in the Discovery Room)) on a Grand Tour of Neptune then Uranus. In November 2025 and January 2026, we are undertaking a Grand Tour of Neptune then Uranus. Watching these planets for an…
Details
In this talk we shall examine humanity’s developing knowledge of science and the universe of which we are a part over the millennia. We shall do this by considering the staggering leap forward from using standing stones as calendars to launching telescopes into space.
Details