Dear friends and followers of AstroSoc,
We are delighted to report on successful events as we approach the end of the academic year. This year in particular, the Society has been focusing on sharing the joys of amateur astronomy with the wider community. This has involved collaborations with primary schools where some of our members have been teaching or organising workshops for the pupils. We have also been involved in events in the School of Physics and Astronomy including Astronomy in the City, our Tea, Talk and Telescopes and a special event following the discovery of gravitational waves that attracted an audience of over 400 people.
A false colour image of the Orion Nebula taken by Nathan Adams during a Society observing session.
As well as outreach, the Society has been organising regular meetings for our members ranging from making Aubrey Clocks to predict eclipses, to giving opportunities for students to improve their public speaking through Undergraduate Talks. We are also offering regular observing for our members, and use of our equipment.
Finally we have welcomed the new AstroSoc committee following their election at the Annual General Meeting. We also would like to announce the election of the new Society Patron: Dr Christopher Berry. Dr Berry has been a friend of the Society and supported us in our endeavours for many years. He is also devoted to astronomy outreach within the School; particularly in his involvement of Astronomy in the City and the gravitational waves event. It is for this reason that we believe he will be an excellent figurehead for us and we look forward to working with him more in the future.
We are now counting down to the end of term and annual EPS Societies’ Awards. With the tremendous year we’ve had we’re hoping to get on our hands on one of the prestigious Awards on offer. If you are or have been part of AstroSoc, attended one of our events, or have enjoyed reading about our activities this year please nominate us!
We wish you good luck in all your astronomical endeavours, and hope to see you at outreach events in the next academic year!
Best regards,
University of Birmingham Astronomical Society