Welcome to HAS

*To  see more of our Members' wonderful Astrophotography, visit the  various  'Latest Images'  and 'Messier Marathon' pages within our 'Members' section

Latest News

News and items of interest to Herefordshire Astronomical Society members

Elan Valley Dark Sky Festival 2026 - 27th and 28th March 2026

"We are thrilled to announce that bookings are now open for our first ever Elan Dark Sky Festival!

Join us on an unforgettable weekend of star-studded activities and performances in one of the top stargazing locations in the world.

Cwm Elan will be host to two nights and a day of workshops, activities and performances which bring the night sky alive. From planetarium shows, to wildlife walks, concerts and stargazing, we have a programme of events for all ages.

Activities will take place at different sites across Elan and Rhayader, some events are drop-in and others will be ticketed."

Further details can be found here:  Elan Dark Sky Festival 2026 Full Programme | Elan Valley 

NASA Discovers Interstellar Comet Moving Through Solar System

On July 1, the NASA-funded ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System) survey telescope in Rio Hurtado, Chile, first reported observations of a comet that originated from interstellar space. Arriving from the direction of the constellation Sagittarius, the interstellar comet has been officially named 3I/ATLAS. It is currently located about 420 million miles (670 million kilometers) away.  (credit: NASA)

Telescope House (Bresser UK) Sky Guide: February 2026

Meetings

We have a mix of 'virtual'  (Zoom) talks  direct to 'the comfort of your own home' (as they say) and in person presentations at the Kindle Centre.  

For more details see our Meetings page.

Next Meeting:

HAS Zoom Talk by Chris Lee: Touring the Universe from a back garden

Thursday 5th. March 2026

Recorded Talks

Many of our speakers at the Virtual Talks have allowed us to record and share their talks for society members to view if they missed the meeting. We've started an HAS YouTube channel here where you can visit or subscribe to and watch these talks.

You can also watch recordings of previous talks  on the 'Recorded Meetings' page  of this website here.

Observing

Our observing sessions take place once a month between October and March inclusive,  at around the time between last quater and full Moon,  to optimise darkness. 

As always, look out for emails from the Observing Secretary giving proposed date and details and look out for any last minute alterations. We will endeavour to stick to these dates unless weather intervenes, in which case it will likely be a few days earlier or later (usually later) and members will of course be advised. Each date is centred on the first Thursday after Third Quarter.

Remember that there are some great online observing guides - a good one is run by Telescope House. 

Useful Observing  & Weather Links

Observing highlights for this month:

• Royal Museums Greenwich - Night Sky Highlights

• BBC Sky at Night Magazine

Links for weather and observing forecasts:

• Met Office Satellite image. UK Visible Light

• Clear Outside (FLO)

• Glendale Aurora Alerts UK 

Society Visits and Trips

Once or twice a year, members like to jump in cars or climb in a mini-bus and make their way to go and see something interesting outside of Herefordshire (passports not required - so far).  Members pay for shared transport and any entrance fees as appropriate.

Previous trips have been to the Spaceguard Centre, the International Astronomy Show, the National Space Centre, Jodrell Bank, the Norman Lockyer Observatory outside Sidmouth, the Herschel Museum in Bath and the Hanwell Community Observatorynear Banbury. Most recently (June 2025), we visited Bletchley Park - home of Britain's codebreakers in the Second World War

Look out for emails from Keith explaining more about the proposed visits and asking members to register for the trips.

Further information is on our Visits page

Next Visit - TBC

Membership

How to join

If you are looking to join HAS, visit the Membership page here for all you need to know about subscriptions and how to become a member.

What we get up to

Visits and Trips

Visit the Members Page here for all planned and past activities.

Latest Members' Photos 

Taken any astronomy photos over the last few months? Share them here with HAS members! 

Take a look at what HAS members have managed to do over the years on our Images pages: (Latest Images,  Further Images, More Images). 

HAS members have also risen to the challenge of imaging all 110 Messier objects! Check out how we're doing on our Messier Marathon page.

FAS News

Look out for emails from Keith with the regular FAS Newsletter and news and information about other events and talks that you may be interested in attending at FAS and other Astronomical Societies