Meetings and Events, 2022-23

Tiverton and Mid Devon A. S. events are held in the main hall at Blundell's Prep School at 7:30pm, usually on the first school-term Friday of the month. No previous knowledge of astronomy is necessary, so if you are at all interested you are very welcome to come along. Many of us are regular attenders at our informal meetings, but a warm welcome is always given to new faces.

For directions, please find us on Google Maps: visit maps.google.co.uk and type in the school's postcode, EX16 4NA. The school is on the south side of Blundell's Road. The school's full address is: Blundell's Preparatory School, Blundell's Road, Tiverton, Devon, EX16 4NA.

If you require any further information regarding the society and its events please contact the Chairwoman (Angela Cousins) or Secretary (Jo Richardson).

Date	Subject / Speaker
2022
Friday 9th September	CLIMATE CHANGE TEACHING AND THE CLIMATE AND ECOLOGICAL EMERGENCY Three years after beginning a United Nations Accredited Climate Change Teachers' course, DR BEN KING, a teacher at Churston Ferrers Grammar School, Brixham, will let us know about his journey so far and bring us up to date with some of the scientific evidence of rapid Climate Change (and the ecological crisis) around the World.
Friday 7th October	LIFE AND TIMES OF GALILEO Galileo is universally acclaimed for his astronomical observations and technical ability but there are other, less well known sides of him . BUD BUDZYNSKI takes a full look at the man and the times he lived in, including his friends, detractors and competitors. This presentation looks at Galileo’s life's work through the medium of present day reporting and promises to shed light on his colourful (in more ways than one!) character.
Friday 4th November	JOHN GOODRICKE AND EDWARD PIGGOT: THE FATHERS OF VARIABLE STAR ASTRONOMY MARTIN LUNN will enlighten us about this very unusual couple. John Goodricke was deaf and unable to speak, and Edward Piggot dressed like a dandy, but for a brief moment in time from 1781-1786 they changed the face of astronomy. They discovered stars that changed in brightness and explained why this happened. Goodricke would die before his twenty-second birthday and both their lives could have been written into a soap opera. This is the story of the Fathers of Variable Star Astronomy.
Friday 2nd December	THE COSMIC DARK AGES: FINDING LIGHT OUT OF THE DARKNESS As Dr Elizabeth Pearson is unable to join us on this occasion, a member of the Wells and Mendip Astronomers, MIKE LAZARRI, will instead speak on the subject of the early Universe. His talk will involve the latest research, and he will discuss the first stars and galaxies to form. He will also dispel any misconceptions about the Big Bang. A VERY BRIEF HISTORY OF ROVERS When it comes to space, there's not much that captures the imagination more than those times humanity has reached out and touched another world, albeit with a the hand of a robotic friend. In this talk, DR ELIZABETH “EZZY” PEARSON talks through the history of the rover from its origins on the Moon to the surface of Mars and perhaps, beyond.
2023
Friday 6th January	METEORS: AN OBSERVERS' GUIDE In this talk MARK MCINTYRE will cover what meteors are, where they come from and why they are interesting. He will inform us on how to observe them visually with a camera, with radio astronomy, and with video. He will further talk about the UK and global meteor networks and time permitting, will discuss the Winchcombe Event, how he and wife Mary were involved and what has happened since.
Friday 3rd February	ON ORBIT MANUFACTURING - SPACECRAFT BUILDING SPACECRAFT... IN SPACE! If mankind is to explore the solar system and beyond in a meaningful way, then having the capability of manufacturing and assembling infrastructure in the space environment is critical. RICHARD ARUNDAL will give a brief introduction to some of the research that he has been undertaking since his last visit to TAMDAS and he will also share his future vision and opportunities on the road ahead.
Friday 3rd March	REFLECTION, REFRACTION AND EXCITATION: THE HUNT FOR ATMOSPHERIC OPTICS We get a lot of cloud in the UK and as astronomers this can be frustrating. However, MARY MCINTYRE will show how much beauty is in the atmospheric optical effects associated with certain cloud types. This talk is all about rainbows, haloes, arcs, sundogs, etc., how they form and where to see them. Mary will also touch on noctilucent clouds and aurora and says once you know what you’re looking for you will be amazed by how often you will spot things.
Friday 14th April	TAMDAS ANNUAL DINNER (change from original schedule: Light Pollution lecture now taking place in June) The Society’s Annual Dinner is open to all family and friends of our members and will be held at The Globe Inn, 14 – 16 Lower Town, Sampford Peverell, Tiverton. EX16 7BJ. This is always a great night! More details nearer the date.
Friday 5th May	AGM + 'DESIGN AND BUILD OF A 10" TRUSS DOBSONIAN TELESCOPE' After a brief AGM, TAMDAS Member PETE RICHARDSON will tell us how he went about designing and building a Truss style Dobsonian telescope to utilise the 10" F5 mirror that he ground and figured himself.
Friday 9th June	WHY LIGHT POLLUTION MATTERS (change from original schedule: annual dinner now taking place in April) PROFESSOR KEVIN GASTON will present an overview of how the night is being changed by artificial light, what the consequences are, and steps that can be taken to address the issue.

     

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Telescopes & Observing Sessions

Update: August 2022

TAMDAS will hold various observing events throughout the year. Members and non-members are welcome to join in and view stars, planets and more!
Please email our Membership Secretary if you wish to be added to our confidential database to receive up-to-date information on this and other TAMDAS-related activities. Or check out our Facebook page.

You can also sign up to Ian Kimber's distribution group for remote observing sessions. On a clear night member Ian will send you a link and you can enjoy the wonders of the night sky from Ian’s telescope whilst sat in the comfort of your home! You can contact him at ianksoulsurfer@gmail.com.

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Meetings Archive

2021 - 2022 Season

Date	Subject / Speaker
2021
Friday 3rd September	DELIVERING A SOFT LANDING ON MARS FOR NASA’S PERSEVERANCE ROVER PETER HILL will tell the story of how Heathcoat Fabrics Limited came to help NASA to deliver the Perseverance Rover to Mars from the founding of the company, through to the start of parachute fabric production in Tiverton and WW2 to the development of parachute fabrics for space exploration. The talk will include a detailed explanation of the development of the parachute fabric for the Mars 2020 mission that safely delivered to Mars in February 2021.
Friday 1st October	STONEHENGE AN ANCIENT OBSERVATORY For Millennia Stonehenge has stood sentinel in our landscape ...but how was it built, what was its purpose and is it really linked to the Heavens? In this talk PAUL ADAMSON will attempt to answer these questions.
Friday 5th November	A HISTORY OF WOMEN IN ASTRONOMY Historically, astronomy has been male dominated. Throughout history there have been a number of trail brazing women, such as Caroline Herschel, who worked to change that. But in addition, there were countless less well know women who were doing astronomy. This talk by MARY MCINTYRE is a celebration of women who worked in astronomy during different periods of history and some of the challenges they have faced.
Friday 3rd December	THE DISCOVERY OF THE PLANETS For most of history there were definitely five planets. But that view of the cosmos was shattered in March 1781 when William Herschel spotted a small glowing disc which proved to be a new planet: Uranus. In the following 240 years further planets have been found by chance, or after lengthy searches and some following predictions. But planets have also been predicted and not found to exist and some have been classed as planets and then found not to be. RICHARD HOOK continues this story to the present day and features a fascinating cast of characters, national disputes and odd episodes.
2022
Friday 7th January	THE BEAUTY OF OPEN STAR CLUSTERS Open Star Clusters make great observational targets for both experienced amateur astronomers and curious beginners. Many are accessible with just a dark sky and a pair of binoculars. As well as discussing what they are and where they can be found, TAMDAS Member RAY MATTHEWS will delve a little deeper into what these fascinating and beautiful objects can teach us.
Friday 4th February	CLIMATE CHANGE TEACHING AND THE CLIMATE AND ECOLOGICAL EMERGENCY Three years after beginning a United Nations Accredited Climate Change Teachers' course, DR BEN KING, a teacher at Churston Ferrers Grammar School, Brixham, will let us know about his journey so far and bring us up to date with some of the scientific evidence of rapid Climate Change (and the ecological crisis) around the World.
Friday 4th March	NEW HORIZONS - FROM IMAGINATION TO REALITY CHRIS STARR will give a resume of the history of our knowledge of the outer solar system, NASA'S amazing New Horizons mission, and what we have learned so far from it, including both the Pluto and Ultima Thule encounters.
Friday 1st April	CHARLATANS AND FRAUDS One way to become famous in astronomy is to have your name associated with a discovery. STEPHEN TONKIN will tackle "fake news" from the Chevalier d'Angos, Frédéric Petit, Georg Waltemath, Leo Brenner (aka Spiridon Gopcevic) and Rudolf Steiner, and will tell how some of it still affects us today.
Friday 6th May	THE ULTIMATE FATE OF THE UNIVERSE TIM WETHERELL will give a non-technical look at what we currently believe will ultimately happen to the universe, what we used to believe would happen to it and why we changed our minds!
Friday 10th June	TAMDAS ANNUAL DINNER The Society’s Annual Dinner will be held at The Keeper’s Cottage, Kentisbeare, Cullompton. EX15 2EB Further details and menu choices will be given nearer the date.

2020 - 2021 Season

Date	Subject / Speaker
2020
Friday 2nd October	MISCONCEPTIONS IN ASTRONOMY & PHYSICS IAN KMIMBER feels a lot of scientific presentation concentrates on the “gee whizz” and unexpected results of Astronomy and Quantum Physics which results in people’s understanding of the way things really work becoming distorted. In his talk he will put things in a more realistic perspective.
Friday 6th November	NOT JUST A PRETTY PICTURE This presentation will be delivered by Wells and Mendip Astronomy Member IAN HUMPHREYS and it examines data mining astro-subs for exoplanets. It also takes a look at how Astrophotography with small telescopes can be used for the discovery of new worlds.
Friday 4th December	STELLAR CARTOGRAPHY: 3D MAPPING OF LOCAL GROUP GALAXIES USING VARIABLE STARS Variable stars have been used for over one hundred years as probes for determining astronomical distances which can be used to map out the three-dimensional (3D) structure of nearby galaxies. Exploiting the effect that working at mid-infrared wavelengths has on Cepheid magnitudes and light curves, we can now map our nearest galaxies in 3D at fidelities never before achievable. In this talk ABI CHOWN presents her PhD research, showing how she uses variable stars to produce 3D maps in order to study the geometric and chemical structure of galaxies as well as their interaction history.
2021
Friday 8th January	SPACE X - FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION Mark Woodland is back by popular demand to give an overview of Space X; it’s successes, failures and amazing future.
Friday 5th February	MASSIVE COLLISIONS IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM In this talk PAUL ROCHE covers asteroids, comets, impacts, meteorites and the potential aftermath of an Extinction Level Event. Evidence shows that impacts have played a key role in shaping the planets in our Solar System, and possibly the evolution of life itself. Astronomers regularly discover huge lumps of rock and ice hurtling past the Earth, and if some of them were to actually hit us, the effects could be terrifying, with dramatic consequences for all life on Earth. Recent near misses, and the huge airburst explosion over Chelyabinsk, Russia, in February 2013, make this a very topical issue.
Friday 5th March	BINARY STARS – A HISTORY OF MAKING WAVES Binary stars have a history of making waves in all branches of astronomy; the detections by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) are just the latest and maybe greatest example. HUGH ALLEN’S talk will use some of his own images and spectroscopic observations to illuminate the impact of binary stars on the history and science of astronomy.
Friday 9th April	TAMDAS ANNUAL DINNER The Society’s Annual Dinner will be held at The Keeper’s Cottage, Kentisbeare, Cullompton, EX15 2EB. Further details and menu choices will be given nearer the date.
Friday 7th May	DISCOVERING EXMOOR'S SPECIAL QUALITIES FOR DARK SKIES Since the initial surge of activity and interest when Exmoor received its International Dark Sky Reserve status 9 years ago, there has been a long period of steady-state where most of its effort has been focussed around the Dark Sky Festival. With local protective legislation now in place, increasing government interest in dark skies (and another 11.5 months to fill when the festival is not running), DAVID PEARSON will tell of Exmoor’s ambitions for more nocturnal activities and to help connect people with the night skies. New developments are being considered, including some for astronomers. This presentation describes the journey of discovery so far, the challenges and findings along the way, and what could be coming soon.
Friday 11th June	IMPROVING THE MEASUREMENTS OF THE FUNDAMENTAL PROPERTIES OF STARS SAM MORRELL will look at some of the topics in his thesis by introducing you to the fundamental parameters which dictate the characteristics and evolution of all stars, and describing how we have been able to harness novel data analysis techniques and the large quantities of new and existing archival observations to measure them. He will also show how assembling stellar samples of unprecedented size, precision and accuracy have allowed us to address some of the long-standing problems in low-mass stellar evolution and exoplanet science.

2019 - 2020 Season

Date	Subject / Speaker
2019
Friday 6th September	If it ain't broke, fix it! SIMON HOLBECHE feels the spirit of William Heath Robinson is alive and kicking in back gardens across the UK and will present an interesting guide to astro DIY successes and failures in one garden near Bath.
Friday 4th October	Why cosmologists have got it all wrong Back by popular demand, PROFESSOR MIKE DISNEY claims Cosmology can never be a proper science because there is only one Universe and the early stages will forever lie beyond observation. He will also explain why he thinks the present Big Bang Theory is almost certainly wrong!
Friday 1st November	Spaceport: launching the UK back into space MELISSA THORPE from Spaceport Cornwall, will explain how Virgin Orbit and Goonhilly Earth Station are partnering to deliver the the UK’s first horizontal launch spaceport. The project will deliver a sovereign launch capability for the UK, and allow satellite companies lower-cost access to space, getting more life-changing technologies into space.
Friday 6th December	Stars over the Nile The UK’s co-ordinator of the Campaign For Dark Skies, BOB MIZON MBE, will talk about the ancient Egyptian’s peculiar fascination for what went on above them, both night and day. He will explore some of the most interesting concepts, both spiritual and practical, they derived from watching the skies.
2020
Friday 10th January	New Horizons - from imagination to reality CHRIS STARR will give a resume of the history of our knowledge of the outer solar system, NASA'S amazing New Horizons mission, and what we have learned so far from it, including both the Pluto and Ultima Thule encounters.
Friday 7th February	The Moon in the modern age The Apollo program has answered many longstanding questions about our nearest neighbour, but has also given rise to many new ideas. RAY MATTHEWS will take an accessible look at current Lunar research which uses the latest technology, and will try to speculate on what we might be looking for when we finally return.
Friday 6th March	DIY optics for astronomy PETE RICHARDSON is currently making his own 10" and 20" telescopes. He will share with us the highs of lows of learning to make your own telescope mirror from designing and building the equipment to do the grinding, polishing and figuring.
Friday 3rd April	TAMDAS Annual Dinner The Society’s Annual Dinner will be held at The Keeper’s Cottage, Kentisbeare, Cullompton. EX15 2EB Further details and menu choices will be given nearer the date.
Friday 1st May	Misconceptions in astronomy and physics IAN KMIMBER feels a lot scientific presentation concentrates on the “gee whizz” and unexpected results of Astronomy and Quantum Physics which results in people’s understanding of the way things really work becoming distorted. In his talk he will put things in a more realistic perspective. (Before this meeting we will hold a brief AGM.)
Friday 5th June	On board the ISS JO RICHARDSON of Space Detectives and an ESERO-UK Space Ambassador will share her insights into the life and work of astronauts on board the International Space Station, following on from her involvement with the European Space Education Office and the Tim Peake Primary Project.

2018 - 2019 Season

Date	Subject / Speaker
2018
Sunday 12th August	Annual Starbecue This event is timed to coincide with the Perseids meteor shower. It is open to members and their family and friends and will be held in Paul’s lovely barn at 12 Park Hill, EX16 6RW. Please bring food and drink and RSVP to Angela if you would like to attend.
Friday 7th September	Four Meteorites That Have Struck the Earth Where do meteorites come from? Why do they strike the Earth leaving very little trace? How can we distinguish them from other rocks? DAVID DICKINSON will examine three places with meteorite remnants and one with very little evidence of its impact although future research will undoubtedly find an answer.
Friday 5th October	Ten Ways the Universe Tries to Kill You! From gamma-ray bursts to asteroid impacts, STEPHEN TONKIN will give an overview of cataclysmic events. This light-hearted but scientifically robust approach incorporates a lot of fundamental cosmological processes, from stellar evolution to galactic interaction.
Friday 2nd November	How We Built the Hubble Space Telescope Some have called the HST the most exciting scientific project undertaken by mankind. MIKE DISNEY was involved from the start in its design, construction and exploitation. All kinds of scary and exciting things happened before the goods came home!
Friday 7th December	Skylark: Britain's First Space Rocket Few people have heard of the Skylark sounding rocket yet, in November 1957, it was the first British rocket to reach space and became the basis of Britain’s earliest space programme. ROBIN BRAND will talk us through how hundreds were fired, launching thousands of scientific instruments into space.
2019
Friday 11th January	Starchaser and Living in Space STEVE BENNETT will give us an update on the Starchaser Rocket Programme along with an interesting insight into how the human body behaves in space and the ways in which we cope.
Friday 1st February	If it Ain't Broke, Fix it! SIMON HOLBECHE feels the spirit of William Heath Robinson is alive and kicking in back gardens across the UK and will present an interesting guide to astro DIY successes and failures in one garden near Bath.
Friday 1st March	Astrophysics is Everywhere Astrophysics is everywhere even if we don’t realise it. MARK WOODLAND will take us on a journey through the world of astrophysics from rocket navigation & black hole photography to parallel dimensions and other worlds.
March - TBC	Charterhouse Observatory Wells and Mendip Astronomers have invited the members of TAMDAS to their Messier Marathon event. The evening will include a short talk and a tour of the observatory including their Fuller Telescope. Hot food and drinks will be available and there will a small charge of £3 to cover costs.
Friday 5th April	TAMDAS Annual Dinner The Society’s Annual Dinner will be held at The Globe Inn, 14-16 Lower Town, Sampford Peverell. EX16 7BJ. Further details and menu choices will be given nearer the date.
Friday 3rd May	Willy Wonka and the Giant Meteorite After a brief AGM, MIKE BROWNE will take us to the beautiful medieval walled town of Nördlingen in Bavaria which sits in the centre of a huge ancient meteor crater 20 miles in diameter. The crater formed around 15 million years ago and up until recently was thought to be volcanic in origin. What has this got to do with Willy Wonka? Mike will reveal all in this historic and fascinating story.
Friday 7th June	Remembering Apollo What did we get from the moon and what is its legacy? It is almost 50 years since the first boot prints were left on the dusty surface of our distant Moon. DAVID BAKER, an Apollo veteran, talks about those exciting days when humans first left Earth and stood on the surface of another world in space. But what was it like - and what did we get back from six visits which unlocked secrets about our own planet and its fragile environment we would never have known about had we not gone?

2017 - 2018 Season

Date	Subject / Speaker
2017
Friday 11th August	Annual Starbecue This ever popular event is open to members only and will be held in Paul’s lovely barn from 7:00pm, at 12 Park Hill, Tiverton, EX16 6RW. Please bring food and drink.
Friday 8th September	On-Orbit Manufacturing Torbay businessman Richard Arundal will discuss the research arm of Arundal Aeronautics Ltd, focusing on the field of on-orbit manufacturing. An orbiting facility that manufactures large spacecraft subsystems (such as antennas) which could revolutionise the way space is used and enable new space mission concepts. The purpose of this research is to design a mission concept that will utilise high-power lasers in space to use as manufacturing tools.
Friday 6th October	Dark Galaxies Current theories of galaxy formation predict many more galaxies than have currently been found. Could it be that the galaxies are there, but they remain dark? Dark in the sense that they only contain 'dark matter' or maybe just gas or possibly become stars, but so few that they are very difficult to detect against the brightness of the night sky. Jonathan Davies will discuss these issues and describe some of the work he is doing at Cardiff University to reveal the Dark Universe!
Friday 10th November	Lunar Mission One - Space for Everyone Paul Bennett's Lunar Mission One has been in the planning for 7 years. An exploratory robotic mission that will use innovative drilling technology to deliver extraordinary new insights into the origins of the Moon and the Earth. It will also be fully international with many countries working together and enabling people from all walks of life to be involved.
Friday 1st December	History of Women in Astronomy Society member John Parratt gives a fascinating insight into some amazing women who have made outstanding and significant contributions to astronomy, dating back as far as the 5th Century.
2018
Friday 5th January	A Life on Mars Bud Martin Budzynski will begin with a little bit of history regarding the Red Planet, then examine the engineering challenges of travelling to it and the problems for humans to get there... and back!
Friday 2nd February	Saturn - Lord of the Rings Chris Starr will show what we have learned throughout history about Saturn, and what an amazingly diverse system it has proved to be with information from the highly successful Voyager and Cassini missions.
Friday 2nd March	Ten Ways the Universe Tries to Kill You! From gamma-ray bursts to asteroid impacts, Stephen Tonkin will give an overview of cataclysmic events. This light-hearted but scientifically robust approach incorporates a lot of fundamental cosmological processes, from stellar evolution to galactic interaction.
Friday 6th April	TAMDAS Annual Dinner The society's annual dinner will be held at the beautiful Fisherman's Cot, Bickleigh, Tiverton, EX16 8RW. Further details and menu choices will be provided nearer the date.
Friday 4th May	Into the Darkness But Shining a Light After a brief AGM, renowned astronomer Paul Money will take a look at the amazing discoveries the New Horizons mission has made at Pluto.
Friday 8th June	Exoplanets - Discovering Other Worlds Ever since astronomers started observing the night sky, they have dreamt of finding a 'second Earth'. In the last 20 years, we have identified over 3000 planets outside of our Solar System, many of which lie in the 'Goldilocks Zone'. Mark Woodland will look at how these planets have been discovered, the background science, some of their weird and wonderful characteristics, and look at the future of exoplanet science.

2016 - 2017 Season

Date	Subject / Speaker
2016
Friday 12th August	Annual Starbecue This ever popular event is open to members only and will be held in Paul’s lovely barn at 12 Park Hill, EX16 6RW. Please bring food and drink.
Friday 2nd September	Direct Imaging of Exoplanets Elisabeth Matthews will demonstrate how she is attempting a different method to directly image exoplanets and will explain why it is important and what she is hoping to find.
Friday 16th September	Workshop - Astrophotography Astrophotographers John Parratt and Pete Richardson will give practical advice and guidance on how to take images of the night sky and process them. Please contact Angela on 01884 243186 for more info or to book yourself a place on this FREE workshop. [See Pete Richardson's presentation/slideshow (PDF).]
Friday 7th October	Images of the Universe, Part 2 The Society welcomes back the very witty and entertaining astronomer Paul Money to talk us through some more images which have inspired him to do what he does best!
Friday 21st October	TAMDAS Annual Dinner This year’s annual dinner will be held at the Hickory Inn at Halberton EX16 7AG. Further details and menu choices will be available nearer the date.
Friday 4th November	Gravitational Waves Hugh Allen will use some of his telescopic observations to illuminate the impact of binary stars on the history of science and astronomy. The story will naturally lead to binary black holes and gravitational waves.
Friday 18th November	Workshop - How to Use Your Telescope Do you own a telescope that you can’t get to grips with but want to use on those starry nights? Members will be on hand to show you how to get the most from your scope. Please contact Angela on 01884 243 186 to book yourself a place on this FREE workshop.
Friday 2nd December	A Cornucopia of Astro Images Highly renowned astronomer David Strange has been imaging the night sky for the past 50 years and will show a selection of the most intriguing objects he has captured during his life time of observing.
2017
Friday 6th January	Gaia: The Billion Star Surveyor Paul Roche will tell how the ESA Gaia space mission is set to revolutionise our understanding of the Milky Way Galaxy and will map around 1 billion stars over the next 6 years - and also spot many other transient targets that need to be followed-up from the ground. Through the Faulkes Telescope Project, UK schools and amateurs will be able to participate in the ground-based follow-up programme, helping discover new supernovae, novae and other exotic objects.
Friday 3rd February	Diary of a Space Ambassador Society Member Jo Richardson will share with you a day in the life of a Space Ambassador. She runs her business Space Detectives and works with the European Space Education Office and National STEM Centre and is busy delivering the Tim Peake Primary Project. Learn what it means to inspire the next generation using the context of space.
Wednesday 22nd February	Visit to the Norman Lockyer Observatory Founded by Sir Norman Lockyer in 1912 the observatory was a centre for astrophysical and geophysical research until the 1980’s. Today the observatory is managed by unpaid volunteers to support science education. Further details for this society visit will be given nearer the time.
Friday 3rd March	The Birth of the Solar System James Fradgley shares his not-so-technical view on how different sorts of planets and other bodies came to be where they are.
Friday 5th May	The Story of Jodrell Bank After a brief AGM, enjoy the fascinating story of this world famous telescope as told by Gresham College Professor of Astronomy Ian Morison. Hear how the 60-year-old Lowell Telescope is better now than it has ever been and through its role in the MERLIN and European telescope arrays continues to play a leading role in astronomy.
Friday 2nd June	Dust: It Gets Everywhere! Dust is all around us, both on a planetary and galactic scale. In his talk Sam Morell will take you on a grand tour of dust and its effects on us as a species and as astronomers.

2015 - 2016 Season

Date	Subject / Speaker
2015
Friday 7th August	Annual Starbecue This ever popular event is open to everyone and will be held on the field behind Blundell’s Prep School. Please wrap up warm, bring telescopes, food, drink, chairs and a small table if you have one. Should it be wet it will, unfortunately, have to be restricted to members only due to a shortage of space and will be held indoors in Paul’s lovely barn at 12 Park Hill, EX16 6RW. Please bring just food and drink.
Friday 4th September	To the Stars and Sun & Let's Talk Telescopes Our youngest member Alex Richardson begins our programme with his short talk which will be followed by a talk from John Parratt who will explain the different types of telescopes and how they work.
Friday 11th September	Workshop - How to Use Your Telescope Do you own a telescope that you can’t get to grips with but want to use on those starry nights? Members will be on hand to show you how to get the most from your scope. Please contact Angela on 01884 243 186 to book yourself a place on this FREE workshop.
Friday 2nd October	Meteorites and Us A brief look at the history, nature and effects of rocks from space with Ron Westmaas.
Friday 16th October	TAMDAS Annual Dinner & Astro Auction Our first annual dinner will be held at the Beambridge Inn, Wellington TA21 0HB and is open to members and friends of the Society. After a sumptuous meal we will hold a light-hearted auction to raise funds for a CCD camera for use with our telescopes.
Friday 6th November	The Astronomy of Climate Change Brian Sheen will explain how Climate Change is a real and present danger which astronomers can understand and quantify. This talk will review our current knowledge and highlight ways in which we can get involved.
Friday 4th December	Rosetta - 1 Year After Landing on the Comet The renowned Dr Andrew Morse is part of the research team that built “Ptolemy” an instrument on board “Phileae” which, despite the challenging landing, managed to return information about the chemical composition of the comet.
2016
Friday 8th January	Spectroscopy, Fireworks, Flames and the Secrets in Starlight This promises to be an enlightening talk from the brilliant Hugh Allen who will set us ablaze with sparkle and rainbows!
Friday 5th February	Are We Alone? The Search for Life Beyond the Earth What are the prospects of finding life, simple or intelligent, beyond our planet? What do we know already and how do we hope to discover more? Gresham College Professor of Astronomy Ian Morrison will give his own thoughts about how likely our quest will be achieved.
Friday 4th March	The Scale of the Universe In this talk Ian Walsh shows how to get a perspective and understanding of the large distances and units of measurement used in astronomy which many find difficult to comprehend.
Friday 1st April	Visit to the Norman Lockyer Observatory Founded by Sir Norman Lockyer in 1912 the observatory was a centre for astrophysical and geophysical research until the 1980’s. Today the observatory is managed by unpaid volunteers to support science education.
Friday 6th May	About Time After our usual very brief AGM, Society Member Bob Howard explores the idea that there may be more to time than we think.
Friday 3rd June	A to Z of the Solar System A very welcome return to Bob Mizon MBE who has headed up the Campaign for Dark Skies for many years. Sit back and enjoy this alphabetical tour of the Solar System which will reveal many amusing and quirky facts along the way.

2014 - 2015 Season

Date	Subject / Speaker
2014
Friday 8th August	Annual Starbecue If the evening is a dry one this event will be open to everyone and will be held on the field behind Blundell’s School. Please wrap up warm, bring telescopes, food, drink, chairs and a small table if you have one. Should it be wet, it will be held indoors in Paul’s barn at 12 Park Hill, EX16 6RW. Due to a shortage of space it will, unfortunately, have to be members only. Please bring food and drink. Update: this event will indeed be hosted at Paul's, as the weather is forecast to be overcast and possibly raining.
Friday 5th September	Dark Matter and Dark Energy Professor David McMullan of Plymouth University has kindly rescheduled this meeting to help us understand this fascinating and mysterious subject.
Friday 3rd October	Evolutionary Light and Colour Most of what we know about our Universe comes from the study of light. Professor Peter Vukusic from Exeter University is a very engaging and passionate speaker on this subject.
Friday 7th November	The Sky is Not the Limit British company Starchaser is building rockets which are set to open the frontiers of space for everyone through Space Tourism. Starchaser founder Steve Bennett talks about the project from its humble beginnings to where the realization of his childhood dream will ultimately lead.
Friday 5th December	The Big Bang Christmas Party Come and enjoy some astronomical fun and games hosted by Angela and Jo. Please bring a small amount of drink and nibbles to share.
2015
Friday 9th January	Young Stars: the First 10 Million Years Darryl Sergison of Exeter University will demonstrate the way in which stars are formed in nebulae and show how this determines what type of star they will grow up to be!
Friday 6th February	Space Exploration Chris Starr of Wells and Mendip Astronomers will take you on an exciting adventure through the Universe. Sit back and enjoy the ride.
Friday 6th March	Images of the Universe Paul Money will show 10 images and explain how they inspired him to become a very popular and renowned astronomer.
April	Annual Society Outing - TBA It is hoped that a trip to the Met Office’s new Space Weather Centre in Exeter can be arranged.
Friday 1st May	Astrophotography NB: the Society’s AGM will now be held in May each year. Following this our own brilliant astrophotographers John Parratt and Pete Richardson will share some of their secrets as to how they achieve superb images of the night sky.
Friday 5th June	John Herschel - The Forgotten Man of Science Andy Burns is the former curator of the Herschel Museum and the world's leading expert on John and William Herschel. UPDATE: Original guest speaker Nick Howes is no longer able to attend this month to give his talk on the Faulkes Telescopes, so this month's talk will now be given by Andy Burns on the subject of John Herschel (as above).

2013 - 2014 Season

Date	Subject / Speaker
2013
Friday 6th September	Project Alcock Roger Dymock of the BAA Comet Section explains the search for comet hunters in amateur societies. See www.britastro.org/projectalcock/ for details.
Friday 4th October	Getting your Head Round the Moon An explanation by Tony Deyes of Torbay Astronomy Society.
Friday 8th November	Medical Aspects of Spaceflight Dr Clive Sainsbury, Fellow of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, and of the Royal College of Physicians, will discuss his long term interest in space medicine. (Attend before you apply for the trip to Mars!)
Friday 6th December	Christmas Quiz and Social Hosted by Carol Boote who promises no starry flags this year! Bring festive food and drink to share in the interval.
2014
Friday 10th January	Space Weather Mark Gibbs, head of space weather at the Met Office, gives us an insight into the effects of the sun’s activity.
Friday 7th February	Dark Matter and Dark Energy - CANCELLED: Prof. David McMullan of Plymouth University can no longer make it to the meeting owing to the recent disruptive weather. Considering that further stormy weather has been forecast for Friday 7th February, the meeting has been cancelled.
Friday 7th March	Black Holes Dr Andy Young from the University of Bristol gives us a chance to extend our ideas (or body) as we enter the realms of these mysterious entities.
Friday 2nd May	Binocular Astronomy Stephen Tonkin, Fordingbridge Astronomers, and Sky at Night contributor, shows us what to look for, with observation afterwards if it’s not cloudy. See a PDF document of Stephen's talk (2.7 MB).
Friday 6th June	AGM and Words from Space Douglas Rice, our very own polymath, will entertain us.

2012 - 2013 Season

Date	Subject / Speaker
2012
Friday 7th September	Ten targets for light polluted astronomers We welcome back Bob Mizon, MBE, FRAS, Co-ordinator of the Campaign for Dark Skies. Tonight he suggests what we might see if our observing site is less than truly dark.
Friday 5th October	Charles Messier and his Objects Martin Griffiths, FRAS, University of Glamorgan, gives us a fascinating description of how and why faint, fuzzy deep-sky objects were catalogued by the great French observer.
Friday 9th November	Pro-Am Liaison in Astronomy Guy Hurst, Editor of The Astronomer, will tell us how much amateurs can contribute to current professional research.
Friday 7th December	Christmas Quiz A light-hearted quiz with Carol Vorderman Boote! Bring festive food and drink to share in the interval. There will be prizes!
2013
Friday 11th January	Time, Position, Technology Dr Steve Bell, Head of HM Nautical Almanac Office in Taunton who calculate and provide data on when/where eclipses will occur.
Friday 1st February	The Challenger Disaster John Parrot guides us through the causes of the Challenger disaster and the ramifications for NASA's shuttle programme. (This talk was a late change to the schedule when our intended guest speaker fell ill.)
Friday 1st March	Measuring the Universe David Love of Torbay AS
Friday 3rd May	The Web and our AGM Members will contribute ideas of websites and applications that help you get the most from your interest in Astronomy.
Friday 7th June	Live performance of Powers of Ten This is a gala evening to end our year. We are delighted to have David Haines (composer) to narrate and lead the Teignmouth and Ivybridge Community Choir in a performance of his work, which is beautiful, inspiring and scientifically accurate. Bring and share supper. This is one you won't forget! Please note that this event will NOT take place at our regular venue, but at TIVERTON HIGH SCHOOL instead. For further information click here.

2011 - 2012 Season

Date	Subject / Speaker
2011
Friday 9th September	Neptune, One Orbit On Brian Sheen, Director of the Roseland Observatory in Cornwall
Friday 7th October	The Next 50 Years in Space Jerry Stone (TBC), freelance presenter on astronomy and spaceflight - celebrating World Space Week
Friday 11th November	Astrophotography Damian Peach, renowned planetary photographer, will show some of his amazing images and photographic techniques.
Friday 2nd December	A Pot Pourri of Short Topics James Fradgley of Wessex Astronomical Society reveals his diverse expertise, which includes Arcturus, Lagrange Points and Night Vision for Astronomers; with audience discussion.
2012
Friday 13th January	Indoor Astronomy We welcome back Lilian Hobbs, enthusiastic amateur astronomer and published author.
Friday 3rd February	Is Anybody Out There? Carol Boote of TAMDAS.
Friday 2nd March	The Origin of the Universe With David Love of Torbay Astronomical Society.
Friday 11th May	The Cosmos - A Beginner's Guide Adam Hart-Davis, freelance photographer, writer and broadcaster. (Please note revised date.)
Friday 15th June	AGM and Members' Contributions Society members will speak on areas of their own interest.

2010 - 2011 Season

Date	Subject / Speaker
2010
31st July - 1st August	Astrocamp at Wimbleball Lake Telescopes will be set up on Saturday evening under Exmoor’s dark and hopefully clear sky, camping available overlooking the water.
Friday 10th September	Launching and Controlling a Spacecraft Learn from Duncan McLean, an expert on how rockets and their payloads are put into orbit and maintained there.
Friday 8th October	Astronomical Sculpture Artist Chris Williams shows how he translates astronomical data and concepts into fascinating abstract forms.
Friday 12th November	It’s all Done with Mirrors The History of the Science of Light explained by Steve Duncan, an officer of Torbay Astronomy Society, who works as a scientist in the space industry in Bristol.
Friday 3rd December	High-redshift Galaxies Royal Astronomical Society prize-winner Dr Elizabeth Stanway speaks about the most distant objects.
2011
Friday 14th January	Controversies over Dark Matter We welcome back Professor Mike Disney from Cardiff University to explain the mysterious subject in which he specializes.
Friday 4th February	From Gas to Planets (via Stars) Dr Nathan Mayne of the University of Exeter will tell us about star formation.
Friday 4th March	Astronavigation Gavin McLaren, an experienced sailor and compiler of Admiralty Guides, reveals how it’s done.
Friday 6th May	Observing with Small Telescopes Robert Law, Curator of the Mill Observatory in Dundee, gives helpful advice on using simple equipment.
Friday 3rd June	AGM and Members’ Talks Society members will speak on areas of their own interest.

2009 - 2010 season

Date	Subject / Speaker
2009
Wednesday 12th August	The Perseids Meteor Shower Look out for the meteors at the Sportsman's Inn, Sandyway, EX36 3LU (Tel. 01643 831109). There will be a talk inside if it's cloudy.
Friday 11th September	Some Incredible Voyages to the Moon - Douglas Rice Our chairman's talk has a topical theme to commemorate 40 years since the first Apollo landing.
Saturday 19th September	Voyage to the Outer Planets See Jupiter through a telescope or see a talk by North Devon AS if it's cloudy. 8:30pm at the Sportsmans Inn, Sandyway, EX36 3LU (Tel. 01643 831109).
Friday 2nd October	The Commercialisation of Space - Paul Young An introduction to the techniques now being developed which will lead us to new frontiers.
Wednesday 21st October	The Orionids Meteor Shower Look out for meteors from 8:30pm at the Blue Ball Inn, Countisbury, EX35 6NE (Tel. 01598 741263). There will be a talk inside if it's cloudy.
Saturday 24th October	Autumn Moonwatch With North Devon Astronomy Society, see the Moon and Jupiter from Pinkery Outdoor Education Centre, 8pm.
Friday 13th November	The Pioneer and Flyby Anomalies: Physics from the Edge - Mike McCulloch Some spacecraft trajectories seem to disagree with modern physics - what does this imply?
Saturday 21st November	Heavens Above in Porlock A family day at Porlock Village Hall, from 10am. See http://www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk/exmoor-dark-skies.pdf
Friday 4th December	Towards Other Worlds - Suzanne Aigrain Suzanne will explain her research at Exeter University, finding and characterising extra-solar planets.
Sunday 13th December	The Geminids Meteor Shower See meteors from 8:30pm at the Sportsman's Inn, Sandyway, EX36 3LU (Tel. 01643 831109).
2010
Friday 15th January	What it's Like to Stand on the Red Planet: Mars in 3-D - Matthew Bate Put on coloured glasses and enjoy dramatic new pictures.
Friday 5th February	Astrophotography - David Strange See some amazing images taken by a local amateur astronomer.
Friday 5th March	Dark Matter - Patrick Butterly Pat will explore the theories of dark matter and energy and why most of the Universe is missing! UPDATE, 02/03/2010: Unfortunately our speaker has had to cancel owing to illness. Instead we will enjoy an informal evening of home-made entertainment: please bring an object, picture, book or idea with some astronomical connection for people to look at and chat about. If you have a telescope, bring it too and let’s hope for a clear sky.
March / April	Visit to the Norman Lockyer Observatory A trip to see the historic telescopes and new facilities at Sidmouth.
Friday 7th May	Astronomers and the Founding of the Royal Society in 1660 - Dr Allan Chapman A spellbinding account of some great astronomical pioneers.
Friday 11th June	AGM and Member's Evening Three talks from members about their astronomical interests.

2008 - 2009 season

Date	Subject / Speaker
2008
Friday 8th August	Starbecue - 20:00 to 20:30. Bring food, drink, deckchair and, if you have one, a telescope for a supper under the stars!
Friday 5th September	Kielder Observatory - As Dark As It Gets (Gary Fildes) An insight into how astronomy, in this unspoilt region of Northumberland, has hit the heights with the creation of a new observatory. This is a tale of how sheer determination paid off, resulting in this fantastic facility aimed at outreach and research. The stunning images have to be seen to be believed!
Friday 3rd October	Intelligent Robots: Realities And Future Possibilities (Alan Winfield) Robots are proving ever more useful in space exploration. Alan will discuss artificial intelligence and show the interactions of robots with their surroundings and with other robots in a group.
Friday 7th November	Back To The Big Bang (Mike Edmunds) Back by popular demand, Mike will be tracing backwards to show how far we can really go to understand the Big Bang.
Friday 5th December	Meteorites: Life And Death (Vic Pearson) Vic will discuss the delivery of material to Earth that may have been the building blocks of life itself and may have seeded other Solar System surfaces with molecules needed for pre-biotic chemistry.
2009
Friday 9th January	Advances In Long-Wavelength Astronomy (Derek Ward-Thompson) Modern astronomy uses much more than just optical telescopes. Derek will show how infra-red and other long wavelengths have opened up many of the mysteries of the Universe.
Friday 6th February	Astronomy with Adaptive Optics (Jenny Patience) - talk will now be given in March. Adaptive Optics systems on telescopes measure the effects of the atmosphere and correct images, greatly improving resolution. Studies include: orbital motion of asteroids, stars at the galactic centre, storms and volcanic activity in the Solar System, and disks/companions of young stars.
Friday 6th March	Astronomy with Adaptive Optics (Jenny Patience) Adaptive Optics systems on telescopes measure the effects of the atmosphere and correct images, greatly improving resolution. Studies include: orbital motion of asteroids, stars at the galactic centre, storms and volcanic activity in the Solar System, and disks/companions of young stars.
April	Visit to Mullard Space Centre Tiverton & Mid-Devon AS members have been invited by Lucie Green to tour the Mullard Space Centre and gain a close up look at their work and latest missions. Costs will be approx £20 per person. There will only be 18 places available on the trip, so please let Angela know ASAP if you would like to book.
Friday 1st May	Star Birth and Strange Skies (Dr Jennifer Hatchell) Dr Hatchell's talk discusses sub-millimetre astronomy.
Friday 5th June	AGM + Tales From A Travelling Astronomer (Arthur Davis) After a brief AGM, Arthur will share with us some of the highlights of the many astronomical adventures he has had over the last 50 years. He will also show many of his fantastic images, developed himself.

 

2007 - 2008 season

Date	Subject / Speaker
2007
Friday 10th August	Starbecue - 8:00 to 8:30pm. Bring food, drink, deckchair and, if you have one, a telescope for a supper under the stars.
Friday 7th September	Lunar Helium 3: Mining on the Moon (Dean Millar) A fascinating insight into a potential new energy source for the 21st Century.
Friday 5th October	Sputnik: Around the World in 90 Minutes (Andy Lound) To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik 1, Andy will tell the story of the world's first artificial satellite in this dramatic presentation.
Friday 9th November	Faulkes Telescope presentation (local students) Enjoy a short presentation of some amazing images taken by students of Blundell's School and Tiverton High School using the Faulkes Telescopes.
	Hunting for the Higg's Boson (Vincent Smith) Then learn why physicists and engineers have built the world’s highest energy particle collider at CERN near Geneva. Vince works on this project and will speculate on some of the things that may be discovered.
Friday 7th December	Advances in Long-Wavelength Astronomy (Derek Ward-Thompson) Modern astronomy uses much more than just optical telescopes. Derek will show how infrared and other long wavelengths have opened up many of the mysteries of the Universe.
2008
Friday 11th January	Observing the Lunar 100 (Lilian Hobbs) Discover how to observe Charles Wood's 100 lunar objects using just a small telescope.
Friday 1st February	Live Fast and Die Young (Tim Harries) A look at the life of the most massive stars that produce 90% of the light in the Universe and die in spectacular supernovae explosions.
Friday 7th March	The Sun in 3D (Lucie Green) NASA, Japan and ESA have collaborated to produce the STEREO and Hinode missions. Using 3D videos Lucie will explain how she and her team will track eruptions from the sun's surface through space to Earth.
Friday 2nd May	Thomas Harriot - The First Telescope Astronomer (Allan Chapman) Thomas Harriot was an English astronomer and a contemporary of Shakespeare. He heard of the "Dutch Spy Glass" in 1608 and was the first person to observe sun spots and other astronomical phenomena - before Galileo.
Friday 6th June	Angular Momentum - The Most Powerful Force in the Universe? (Ian Kimber) + AGM After a brief AGM our member Ian will explain the important role that angular momentum plays in keeping the Universe the way it is.

 

2006 - 2007 season

Date	Speaker	Subject
2006
Friday 11th August	Shooting Starbecue - 8:00 to 8:30pm
Friday 8th September	Lilian Hobbs had to cancel her talk on "Observing the Lunar 100", so instead we heard Dr Mike Browne discuss "The Jet Project", Mr Arthur Davis who talked about "Naked-Eye Astronomy", and our chairman Douglas Rice, who mentioned a few recent astronomy stories in the press.
Friday 6th October	Dr Paul Roche	Impact from Space ... and a Faulkes Telescope Project update
27th October, 7:00pm	Public awareness and open evening
	"Beyond The Blue Horizon", a tour of the Solar System with Andrew Lound
Friday 3rd November	Andrew Bunker	Galaxies at High Redshift
Friday 1st December	Dr Caroline Smith	Imaging and Collecting Meteorites
2007
Friday 12th January	Dr Andrew Coates	Venus Express
Friday 2nd February	Mark Hurn	The Story of Star Names
Friday 2nd March	Dr Chris Baddiley	The Universe in 4D
Friday 4th May	Prof. Mike Edmunds	The Antikythera Mechanism Decoded
Friday 9th June	AGM
	Carol Boote	More Women in Astronomy

 

2005 - 2006 season

Date	Speaker	Subject
2005
Friday 12th August	Perseid Picnic - 20:00 to 20:30
Friday 9th September	Nick Markell	Astronomy on the Web Meet at 7:30pm at Blundell's School
Friday 7th October	Peter Grossi	Einstein's Special Relativity
15th - 28th October	20th Anniversary Exhibition at Tiverton Museum
Friday 4th November	Dr Caroline Smith	Geology of the Solar System, Part 2
Friday 2nd December	Nick Hart	The Amateurs Are Catching Up
2006
Friday 13th January	Carol Boote	Women In Astronomy
	Peter Strong	Seeing The Light
Saturday 4th February	Visit to European Astrofest in Kensington
Friday 3rd March	Mousa Al-Kordi	Light in Islamic Art
Friday 5th May	Prof Mike Disney	Dark Galaxies
Friday 9th June	AGM
	Andrew Lound	The Lord of the Rings

 

2004 - 2005 season

Date	Speaker	Subject
2004
Friday 20th August	Starbecue - 20:00 to 20:30
Friday 10th September	Bob Mizon	The A to Z of Astronomy
Friday 1st October	Brian Thomas	Arthur C. Clarke
Friday 5th November	Dr Caroline Smith	Geology of the Solar System
Friday 3rd December	Rhodri Evans	Astronomy from a Boeing 747 - Why and How...
2005
Friday 9th January	Visit to the University of Exeter Observatory. Meet at St. Aubyn's.
Friday 4th February	Andrew Jones	Meteorologists Observe the Skies, Too
Friday 4th March	Dr Mike Edmunds	Time Travel
April	Trip cancelled - our apologies to those who were keen on the idea!
Friday 6th May	Andy Lound	Carl Sagan, Man of the Cosmos
Friday 10th June	AGM
	Ian Kimber	Unravelling the Lives of Stars