Our meetings are held in Lecture Theatre L in the Lecture Theatre Block (Level 2) of the University of Surrey, Guildford.

Click here for a map to show you directions to the University Main Car Parks. If you’re travelling using a SatNav the postcode is GU2 7XH.

A detailed map (available here) shows 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. The University also has a web page here for newcomers to the campus.

Meetings start at 7.30pm on the first Thursday of each month (except August when there is no meeting) and usually finish around 10pm. One or two meetings in the year, (including the AGM), are set aside for members only; these are indicated in our list of Talks for upcoming meetings.

Note for Visitors: To help cover the cost of the room hire, we charge just £5.00 (£4.00 for Junior/Student guests) per meeting. On arrival, please introduce yourself to any member of the Committee (look for their badges) — you’ll be very warmly welcomed!

Tea/Coffee (biscuits included) available in the break for just £2. However, we respectfully ask that you don’t bring any food or drinks into the lecture theatre.

If you have any special access requirements, please contact the Secretary, .
Please note Lecture Theatre L does not have a hearing loop system. It does have a system where your smart phone maybe used. Please go here for details.

See you there…

Meeting Format

Meetings generally take one of two formats:

• An invited expert gives a talk/presentation – illustrated and/or animated – of an aspect of astronomy. Subjects are chosen because they’re topical, practical – or just interesting to astronomers. Each year we arrange a balanced mix, covering a wide range of topics. and levels.
• A ‘members evening’, in which members present short talks on their own interests, projects, and topics of general interest.

Occasionally, invited speakers have to cancel, (usually at extremely short notice), and at these times the meeting often takes the form of an informal quiz, a question and answer session, or a hands-on Workshop.

Typically,the main talk of the evening lasts for an hour or so, after which we have a 15-20 minute comfort break. Tea, coffee and biscuits are available from the adjoining refreshments room.

Following the break, the remaining time until 10pm usually features Society news and business, (such as the latest reports from the Observatory, Observing Evening Reports, etc), and a short ‘What’s on?’ feature describing events happening later in the current month.

 

Afterwards

If there’s time at the end, some members go for a drink and chat. You’re welcome to join us in the bar at The Astolat (Directions).

The 2018-2019 Session

Subject to change

Date	Talk/Presentation Title	Speaker
6 Sep 2018	Hawking, Black Holes and the Edge of Physics	Paul Fellows
4 Oct 2018	Herschel Space Observatory and ALMA explore deep into the space	Dr Mikako Matsuura
4 Oct 2018	Astrospectroscopy ... where pretty picture end and science starts	Steve Baker
1 Nov 2018	The intimate lives of stars	Dr Ghina M. Halabi
6 Dec 2018	Cosmology Pt 1.	Dr Colin McGill
6 Dec 2018	Outreach - The Astroboost Project	Julia Gaudelli
6 Dec 2018	The Society's Observatory Facilities	Tim Ellison
3 Jan 2019	Cosmology Pt 2	Dr Colin McGill
7 Feb 2019	The Antikythera Mechanism	John Lancashire
7 Feb 2019	Monthly Notices	President
7 Feb 2019		Break
7 Feb 2019	Monthly Whats Up Presentation	Rob Graham
7 Feb 2019	Constellation Viewer Application v2.3	John Hodder
7 Mar 2019	How clumpy is Dark Matter in the Milky Way ?	Dr Denis Erkal University of Surrey
4 Apr 2019	Lunar Imaging	Dr David Arditti BAA Council
2 May 2019	Jupiter and the Juno mission The talk will deal with recent advances in our understanding of Jupiter's massive atmosphere, especially from the Juno orbiter and from ongoing amateur imaging. The spectacular JunoCam images are revealing remarkable features in the polar regions and fascinating details in the atmospheric circulations and cycles that we are studying from the ground.	Dr John Rogers Jupiter Section BAA
2 May 2019	Astronomy Over the Internet	John Cossins
6 Jun 2019	How the Universe Will End…	Prof Brad Gibson University of Hull
4 Jul 2019	Members Only - AGM	GAS Committee & Members
Aug 2019	Note: There is no meeting in August

The 2019-2020 Session

Subject to change

Date	Talk/Presentation Title	Speaker
5 Sep 2019	The Latest Developments in Solar Exploration	Prof. Lucie Green MSSL
7 Nov 2019	Black holes that feed on galaxies At the heart of almost every massive galaxy, there is a super-massive black hole. We see evidence in astronomical observations that these super-massive black holes are linked to the global properties of the galaxies in which they reside. One of the biggest open questions in astronomy today is: how do super-massive black holes impact galaxy evolution? A small fraction of super-massive black holes are in an 'active' phase, where they are feeding on gas from their host galaxies. We can identify these active galaxies in astronomical observations, and study how they can help direct the path of galaxy evolution. We do not yet know exactly how this happens, but in this talk you will learn about the phenomena powered by active super-massive black holes, with a focus on what can be learned from radio observations from telescopes like the Low Frequency Array. I will cover both current indirect evidence for the co-evolution of super-massive black holes and their host galaxies, and upcoming work which will help definitively push forward our understanding of how super-massive black holes impact galaxy evolution.	Dr Leah Morabito Oxford University
Aug 2020	Note: There is no meeting in August

Click here to see the profiles of past and forthcoming speakers.

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