2025
January 3rd: Trevarrian
Practical club night taking place on the 1st Thursday of every month until March next year. The emphasis of each meeting is to get out under the stars with our scopes ( so please bring yours along with you) and do some observing. If the weather doesn’t play ball, we will be arranging some observing or imaging techniques to enhance your practical skills.
January 16th: Summercourt
For our main talk for this evening, Nick will be demonstrating Skytools 4 – Planning software that few astronomers have heard of.
Rather than end up looking at the same tired old Messiers you’ve seen multiple times, Skytools will access nearly every astronomical database out there and based on your location, your chosen observing time – now or in the future, what will look good through the equipment you own and the sky conditions at the time you want to observe, will plan a list of targets and in a sequence them to observe them at their best. This is the only software that does this.
After the break, Dan’s 10 minute talk will discuss the harsh realities of long term space travel
Meeting Lead Nick Tonkin
February 1st – Sun & Stars : Carnewas
The first of this years Sun & Stars events. The event, as always, is dependant on clear skies, but this evening we hope to be able to see sunspot activity on the surface of the Sun before it sets. As the skies darken, we will be able to observe a waxing crescent Moon and observe a 38% illuminated Venus followed by Jupiter , her moons and Mars as they rise in the East.
The event starts at 16:00.
Click the link below for full location information
https://goo.gl/maps/kFJSUZd588YQvNaS9
February 6th: Trevarrian
Practical club night taking place on the 1st Thursday of every month until March next year. The emphasis of each meeting is to get out under the stars with our scopes ( so please bring yours along with you) and do some observing. If the weather doesn’t play ball, we will be arranging some observing or imaging techniques to enhance your practical skills.
February 20th: Summercourt
The main talk of the evening will be given by Dr Daniel Moore will be: An introduction to meteorites – our personal connection to space. Meteorites provide a tantalising link to our solar system that we can hold in our hands. But where do they come from? Where are they found? Are they all the same? In this talk, Daniel will provide an introduction to meteorites and answer some of these questions. The talk will examine some famous falls and finds (as well as explaining the difference), explain how you can get actively involved in meteorite research and finally provide a chance to handle some real meteorites.
After the break Mark Godwin’s 10 minute talk is : Ole Rømer, His observations of Jupiter’s moons and how that led to the discovery of light having a finite speed.
Meeting Lead Mike Griffiths
March 6th: Trevarrian
Practical club night taking place on the 1st Thursday of every month until March next year. The emphasis of each meeting is to get out under the stars with our scopes ( so please bring yours along with you) and do some observing. If the weather doesn’t play ball, we will be arranging some observing or imaging techniques to enhance your practical skills.
March 8th – Sun & Stars : Carnewas
The second of this years Sun & Stars events. The event, as always, is dependant on clear skies, but this evening we hope to be able to see sunspot activity on the surface of the Sun before it sets. As the skies darken, we will be able to observe a 1% illuminated crescent Venus followed by Jupiter and her moons. followed by Mars and a waxing gibbous Moon as they pass through the meridian.
The event starts at 17:00.
Click the link below for full location information.
https://goo.gl/maps/kFJSUZd588YQvNaS9
March 20th: : Summercourt
The main talk of the evening will be given by Dan Baker on – Up and coming space missions.
After the break Dr Nigel Price’s 10 minute talk is : Subject to be announced
Meeting Lead Glynn Bennallick
April 17th: Summercourt
The Club AGM: Your chance to shape the future of how the club is run and what activities and talks we provide going through 2025 and into early 2026.
May 16th: Summercourt
The main talk of the evening will be given by Jacquie Ashton – Detecting Exoplanets. The search for exoplanets has escalated since the first one was confirmed in 1995 – 51 Pegasus b. Jacquie will describe the techniques that were developed in the discovery of exoplanets and their characteristics, and how these are being used to find Earth-like planets orbiting stars.
After the break Dean Ashton OBE and his 10 minute talk – Colour in astrophotography – how we visualise the universe. A brief explanation of how and why colour is used in different ways in astrophotography.
Meeting Lead Mark Godwin.
June 19th: Summercourt
The main talk of the evening will be given by Dr Nigel Price – Dr Nigel Price – The connection between binary star systems and planetary nebula
After the break Mike Griffiths 10 minute talk – Subject to be announced
Meeting Lead Frank Johns
July 17th: Summercourt
The main talk of the evening will be given by Barry Trudgian – Subject to be announced.
After the break Frank Johns 10 minute talk will be : Vera Ruben, her life, work and the new telescope named after her.
Meeting Lead Phil Brotherwood
August 21st: Summercourt
The main talk of the evening will be given by Mark Godwin – Subject to be announced.
After the break Nick Tonkin and his 10 minute talk – Aladin Desktop, the SIMBAD Astronomical database and why you might want to use them to understand the the objects that you observe.
Meeting Lead Frank Johns
September 18th: Summercourt
The main talk of the evening will be given by Glynn Bennallick: Long Haired Rock Stars – Comets – Strange spectacular visitors to our planet, some revisiting us but some swing by never to return. How did ancient people understand them? Were they omens for good or ill? Where did they come from and what causes that tail? Discover the missions sent to find out up-close what they are and see some Cornish observations of many of these “long haired rock stars” over the years.
After the break Dan baker and his 10 minute talk – Subject to be announced.
Meeting Lead Dr Nigel Price.
October 2nd: Trevarrian
The first of this years practical club nights taking place on the 1st Thursday of every month until March next year. The emphasis of each meeting is to get out under the stars with our scopes ( so please bring yours along with you) and do some observing. If the weather doesn’t play ball, we will be arranging some observing or imaging techniques to enhance your practical skills.
October 16th : Summercourt
The main talk of the evening will be given by Phil Brotherwood: Strange Telescopes. A brief overview of some of the more unusual, and sometimes eye-catching, telescopes created throughout history.
After the break Heather Bobeck and her 10 minute talk : Apophis asteroid and the unmanned missions to it.
Meeting Lead Barry Trudgian
November 6th: Trevarrian
Practical club night taking place on the 1st Thursday of every month until March next year. The emphasis of each meeting is to get out under the stars with our scopes ( so please bring yours along with you) and do some observing. If the weather doesn’t play ball, we will be arranging some observing or imaging techniques to enhance your practical skills.
November 20th: Summercourt
Quiz Night: It’s that time of year again folks. Now’s the time to dig out your old copy of Trivial Pursuit and brush up on your general knowledge.
Meeting Lead Dan Baker
December 4th: Trevarrian
Practical club night taking place on the 1st Thursday of every month until March next year. The emphasis of each meeting is to get out under the stars with our scopes ( so please bring yours along with you) and do some observing. If the weather doesn’t play ball, we will be arranging some observing or imaging techniques to enhance your practical skills.
December 18th: Summercourt
A Christmas jumper and mince pie meeting. Bring either of these along for our last meeting of 2025. There is no formal programme arranged, but it would be good to listen to members thoughts on how they thought their astronomy went during 2024. Where there any observing or imaging highlights of the year that you enjoyed. Did you read any good books or view a Youtube that you really liked and wish to share with everyone. If you want to bring along a little presentation of anything like this, we can fire up the projector. Basically anything goes.
Meeting lead Nick Tonkin