The society hosts monthly public lectures presented by industry or academic experts in the Whittle Theatre at the Cody Technology Park. We also host smaller, more informal presentations for members at the Observatory as part of our basic astronomy science education programme.
All of the meetings are free to members. There is a small charge for non-members to attend the public lectures.
Thursday 3rd April 2025
7:30pm - The Observatory
Club Night
Our regular, first Thursday in the month, evening session to meet up, chat, discuss astronomy and any other areas of interest. You can bring in your equipment and compare the size of the telescopes and potentially maybe even observe objects in the night sky - weather permitting of course.
It’s a great opportunity to meet and get to know new members of the society and also to help each other out with the technical or equipment issues we’ve all encountered.
No booking, just turn up if you can for this one.
Tuesday 8th April 2025
7:30pm - Whittle Lecture Theatre
The Invisible Universe
Presented by Dr Jen Gupta
Gazing at the night sky with our eyes or telescopes reveals twinkling stars and far away galaxies. But what we see is only a small part of the story. From manipulating this visible light, to detecting "light" that humans can't see, I'll cover some of the different ways that astrophysicists explore the parts of the Universe that are hidden from our eyes. Along the way I will tell the curious story of the discovery of the first quasar 3C273, and touch on the stories of some of the pioneers in these areas of astronomy and astrophysics who dedicated their careers to furthering our understanding of the invisible Universe.
Dr Jen Gupta is an astrophysicist, science communicator and self-proclaimed professional space nerd. She is an Associate Professor in Public Engagement and Outreach in the Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation at the University of Portsmouth where she works to make physics and astronomy more accessible to the wider world, and Vice-President of the Society for Popular Astronomy (President from January 2025). As a presenter she has featured in the PBS series 'NOVA Universe Revealed' and co-presented the BBC Radio 4 show 'Stranger Than Sci-Fi', as well as regularly appearing on the TV and radio to talk about astronomy and science.
Please book with Phil Alner Please click here to reserve your place.
Tuesday May 13th 2025
7:30pm - Whittle Lecture Theatre
Black Holes & Exploding Stars - The Cosmic Life Cycle
Presented by Dr Chris Crowe FRAS - RAS, Rayleigh Observatory
Embark on an awe-inspiring journey to uncover the mysteries of the cosmos. Dive into the heart of a black hole, a region of spacetime where gravity is so intense that nothing—not even light—can escape. Travel through the core of a star like our Sun, where nuclear fusion produces the energy that sustains life. Unravel the story of how the violent deaths of massive stars, through spectacular supernovae, scatter the elements that form the building blocks of life across the universe. Explore the immense power of black holes, which act as the engines of galaxies, driving some of the most energetic phenomena ever observed. From exploding stars to the supermassive black holes at the centre of nearly every galaxy, the universe’s most extreme events reveal the profound connection between the cosmos and ourselves. After all, the atoms in our bodies were forged in the hearts of ancient stars—we are truly made of stardust.
Dr Chris Crowe is a professional astronomer, teacher, elected fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, and received degrees in theoretical physics and mathematics from the universities of Nottingham and Cambridge. He is currently the Head of Astronomy and Director of The Rayleigh Observatory in London where he teaches astronomy. He works extensively in public outreach at science festivals across the UK and hosts public observing evenings. Previously part of a research team at the University of Cambridge studying the relic radiation from the big bang, he worked in the same department as the late Stephen Hawking while studying for his doctorate. Recently he has been part of a team designing a new state-of-the-art observatory in the Caribbean. His main research interests are cosmology and the early Universe, and was part of the international Planck collaboration, a European Space Agency project which uncovered light from the earliest moments of the primordial Universe.
Please book with Phil Alner Please click here to reserve your place.
Thursday 10th July 2025
7:30pm - Whittle Lecture Theatre
How To Grow Supermassive Black Holes
Presented by Prof Matthew Middleton - University of Southampton
Supermassive black holes (SMBHs) are believed to be ubiquitous within the central core of galaxies. But how they formed remains a mystery. It is certainly likely that they grew by a combination of accretion of matter and black hole mergers. The latter is expected to be subdominant, requiring accretion to be the major avenue of growth. However, observations of the early universe have presented a major challenge, as many SMBHs are observed to be fully grown when the Universe was only a few 100 million years old! To solve this problem, we are required to understand a regime of accretion dubbed ‘Super-Eddington’. My talk will focus on how this regime of accretion operates, how it can explain the discovery of ‘little red dots’ by the James Webb Space Telescope, and where missing physics is opening up exciting avenues of exploration.
Prof Middleton is an expert in the physics of accretion onto compact objects (neutron stars and black holes) and works across theory, observation and experiment. He has been a permanent member of academic staff at the University of Southampton since 2016. Prof Middleton is active within the UK Space Science community as Vice President of the Royal Astronomical Society and as Chair of the Space Science and Exploration Working Group of the Space Academic Network (SPAN).
Please book with Phil Alner Please click here to reserve your place.
Previous talks/events:
Tuesday 25th March 2025
7:30pm - The Observatory
CARS #23 - Cosmology, Astronomy & Rocket Science
CARS are informal gatherings to watch videos related to cosmology, astronomy, rocket science and other topics of mutual interest, and to chat about them.
The videos for CARS 23 will be:
Cosmology: 97% of Galaxies are Moving Faster than Light – How is this Possible?
Astrophysics: Atomic Spectroscopy Explained in Nine Slides
Astronomy: Gaia Space Telescope – Mapping the Milky Way in Stunning 3D Animation
Astronomy: Euclid Space Telescope – The Telescope Images Scientists have Been waiting 12 Years For
Astrophysics: These are the Asteroids to Worry About
Thursday 13th February 2025
7:30pm - Whittle Lecture Theatre
Is Pluto a planet?
Presented by Jerry Stone
Pluto was in the news in 2015 as the New Horizons spacecraft - which has Jerry’s name on it - finally reached Earth’s distant cousin in the outer reaches of the Solar System, after a journey of 9-½ years. But did it actually encounter a planet?
Just 7 months after New Horizons was launched back in January 2006, the International Astronomical Union voted to re-classify Pluto as a Dwarf Planet, resulting in uproar in the astronomical community and starting a controversy that still divides opinion among astronomers and the general public alike. But does it need to? Is there not a simple answer?
“Is Pluto A Planet?” covers the thorny question of the status of Pluto. It looks in detail at the IAU definition of a planet and some of its unexpected - and unintended - consequences. To give an example, Jerry can show that Jupiter - the biggest object in the Solar System after the Sun - is actually a dwarf planet! He can also show that it isn’t a planet at all … So how many planets do we really have? Is it 8, 21 or maybe only 3?
This is Jerry’s most controversial presentation, and includes some things that one astronomer has told him he shouldn’t be saying!
Jerry is a Freelance Space Presenter and run Spaceflight UK; He is a space expert, presenter, author and broadcaster! He has given presentations on astronomy and space exploration for over 50 years all over the UK and abroad. He is often interviewed on radio and TV; He was was on Sky News covering Tim Peake’s mission on the International Space Station, and on Sky and the BBC to cover the passing of Neil Armstrong.
His work has been recognised by NASA.
He has spoken about space exploration at the British Science Festival, the Edinburgh Festival, the Palace of Westminster, the Royal Institution, the World Science Fiction Convention ... and a rock festival!
He is a Fellow of the British Interplanetary Society and the Royal Astronomical Society, Chairman of the Space Habitats Committee of the Space Renaissance International, a Senior Associate of the Space Studies Institute and a Space Ambassador for the National Space Society.
He is also an interplanetary poet! NASA's Mars probe, MAVEN, is in orbit around the Red Planet, and like various other spacecraft, it has his name on it, stored on a DVD. Not only that, but the DVD also includes a poem he wrote! No other space presenter in the UK can make this claim.
Please book with Phil Alner Please click here to reserve your place.