Enter Members Area

New!

Guildford Astronomical Society

serving sw surrey since 1955

Welcome!

The Society logo. A heraldic shield bearing two antique brass telescopes, on the left, a refractor on a pillar and claw mount. On the right a refractor on an equatorial mount. In the middle is a shield in four quadrants. The upper left and right have the letters G and A; with the lower left filled with the letter S. The lower right features a stylised image of a comet with a long tail.

If you've ever gazed in wonder at the night sky, pondered your place in the grand scheme of things or have an interest in Astronomy already and want to meet like-minded people then please come along to one of our meetings or public observing evenings.

Everyone is welcome - absolute beginners to experienced observers.

Like most local Societies, we exist mainly as a forum for satisfying our own personal interest and enjoyment of the subject we're passionate about: Astronomy.

GAS member Observes Venus during a favourable evening apparition in 2007. Pam is using a driven eq-mounted 10-inch SCT x 200. The blue and red bands are to keep the aluminised dew-caps stable. The grey sock keeps stray light out of the viewers vision! Pam, a GAS member, observing Venus in Spring 2007

We spend a lot of time and effort encouraging and promoting a broader knowledge of Astronomy in our community. Since our Society was founded in 1955, we've been at the forefront of popularising Astronomy locally through public events.

Whatever your level of interest is right now, this website will provide you with what you need to know to decide whether you'd like to join us. We'll be happy to see you – just as a visitor or as a potential member.

The members area of the web-site contains a lot of extra information only accessible to paid-up members. If you decide to become a member please send an email to the WebMaster and you'll be sent a User name and Password once we have your subscription.

The Guildford Astronomical Society is a member of both the Federation of Astronomical Societies (FAS) and the Southern Area Group of Astronomical Societies (SAGAS).

New Venue for GAS Monthly Meetings — Starting in September 2010

Due to a welcome increase in membership last year we've outgrown the Guildford Institute and, starting on Thursday, 2nd September 2010, we're moving to a fantastic new venue in Lecture Theatre M in the Lecture Theatre Block (Level 3) of the University of Surrey, Guildford.

A detailed map (available here) showing the location of the Lecture Theatre Block (pale blue and near the middle of the map), Main Car Parks 1-4 and Bus Stops next to Senate House and North of the Austin Pearce Building. There are also more convenient car park spaces available for disabled drivers at various nearby locations.

For a preview of the lecture room see here

See you there...


Newlands Corner Observing Events — November 2010

Due to its popularity we shall be holding another of our well-attended and highly enjoyable ‘Tour of the Night Sky’ observing evenings in November later this year (exact date to be announced) at the NT car park, Newlands Corner, Shere Road, Guildford GU4 8SE. Members of the public are invited to come along and meet GAS members and their telescopes and take a look at the wonders of the Night Sky.

Come early and see the elusive blue planet Neptune before it sets early in the evening, see the beautiful Great Orion Nebula as it rises later in the evening and the majestic planets Jupiter (and four of its moons) & Uranus, the Great Andromeda Galaxy and many other stars, clusters, galaxies and nebulae will be visible throughout the evening.

This event is suitable for everyone. It's free and there's no need to book.

If it's cloudy we'll be indoors with a display and exhibition and GAS members will be on hand to answer questions.

GAS would like to thank the Surrey Wildlife Trust for their kind permission to use the Visitor Centre.

Observing Session Plan Updated for 2010.

The Observing Session Plan has been updated for 2010. It can be found here or from the Index in the Observing Section.

Loan Telescopes

Update from Tony Questa - November 2008.

The Society now has five telescopes available for loan to members. A sixth telescope will become available soon. Please see the Loanscopes section on the GAS Resources page for more details including pictures of the various telescopes. Please contact Tony Questa (Observatory Management Team) to book a telescope.

Diary Dates

From the admin.

Also worth mentioning is our Diary Dates page (also linked from the menu). Lots of information on upcoming astronomy events and GAS outreach events. See what you can get involved in as a member of GAS!