Beginners Meetings
Beginner's meetings are open to all ages and abilities. Come along and hear about what's going on in the sky in the coming month(s) and one or more astronomy talks in layperson's terms. Free refreshments are available during the interval and if the sky is clear we will take telescopes outside for observing.
Meeting Details
The meetings are held on the third Wednesday of each month from September to May, start at 7.00pm sharp and end at 9pm.
We also produce a monthly Beginners’ Magazine which is downloadable here.
2024-2025 Season
Date Topic
18th September 2024 The birth & early life of a star - Observing Saturn
16th October 2024 Our Moon and its effect on our seas - Recent solar and summer observations
20th November 2024 Thinking about a First Telescope for Christmas - What do we need a telescope to see?
18th December 2024 Observing the Moon and when to observe it - The Planets in the Winter Sky
15th January 2025 Basic introduction to Astronomical Telescopes - How to set up and use your telescope
19st February 2025 Are all stars the same? - The constellation of Orion
19th March 2025 Observing Elusive Mercury - The Summer Triangle, a Signpost to the Constellations
16th April 2025 What happens to stars as they grow old? - Studying starlight, our messenger from the stars
21st May 2025 Astronomy and things to see over the summer - The Perseid Meteor Shower
2023-2024 Season
Date Topic
20th September 2023 Observing the Autumn sky -- How to observe the night sky (Summer Triangle)
18th October 2023 Observing the Superior (outer) Planets -- Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune
15th November 2023 Leonid Meteor Shower 17th - 18th November -- Binoculars and Telescopes for Christmas
20th December 2023 The Winter Solstice next Friday 22nd December -- Star Clusters
17th January 2024 Basic introduction to telescopes -- The Wonders of the Constellation Orion
21st February 2024 Deep sky observing: Star Clusters -- A Beginners Guide to Observing our Moon
20th March 2024 The Spring Sky -- Observing the Inferior (Inner) planets
17th April 2024 Why is the star Polaris so important? -- Observing our star the Sun
15th May 2024 The Summer Solstice -- Our tilted view of the sky
We also offer an ICS Calendar file of all the meetings (main & beginners) of the session to add to your phone or email client:
Full annual membership of £20 (free for children under 18!) covers entry to both main speaker meetings and beginners’ meetings, but casual visitors are welcome. To cover our costs there is a visitor fee of £2 per meeting for adults (children are free) - which includes refreshments during the break.
For more information, please browse around the website or email: contact@newburyastro.org.uk
You can follow us on X – @newburyastro – and we are Newbury Astronomical Society on Facebook – so give us a like!
Beginners meetings are held in the Stockcross Village Hall (Sutton Hall); post code: RG20 8LN. There is free parking on site. Click here for a map. The talks are aimed at beginners of all ages and anyone is welcome to attend, all you need is an interest in astronomy. Children must be accompanied by a responsible adult. Please dress warmly for the observing, especially during the winter months!