Previous Discussions Topics
The following is a list of topics previously discussed (in reverse chronological order).
2021
| Date | Topic |
|---|---|
| 18th May | The Golden Age of Exoplanet Exploration Part 2 |
| 15th June | Small Worlds, Big Science |
| 13th July | Darkness Surrounds Us |
| 10th August | Mapping the Heavens to Understand Dark Matter and Black Holes |
| 7th September | Our Solar System – How Geology Began |
| 5th October | Space Cameras |
| 2nd November | The Search for Life – Exploring Ocean Worlds |
| 30th November | Mercury |
| 21 December | Apollo 8 Go for TLI 1969 |
2019
| Date | Topic |
|---|---|
| 04 June | From Mars to the Multiverse (Lord Martin Rees on YouTube video) |
| 09 April | Dark skies and light pollution (led by Peter Langford and Jean Dean) |
| 12 March | SpaceX Demo-1 mission to the ISS, Dragon docking and splash-down videos |
| 5 March | 'BBC The Sky at Night 2018 - Guide to the Galaxies' video |
| 26 February | 'Mars: Inside SpaceX (National Geographic 2018 Documentary)' video |
| 19 February | Cosmology (led by Peter Langford) |
| 12 February | Observing with new telescopes (led by Jean Dean) |
| 05 February | Video about the Astronomy Section (Frank Dowding) |
| 29 January | Photographing the lunar eclipse (led by Elaine Mahy) |
2018
| Date | Topic |
|---|---|
| 05 June | Assembly of NexStar telescope |
| 29 May | Discussion about purchase of NexStar telescope |
| 22 May | General discussion |
| 15 May | General discussion |
| 08 May | General discussion |
| 01 May | General discussion |
| 24 April | General discussion |
| 17 April | Discussion about astrophotography workshop |
| 10 April | General discussion |
| 03 April | Astronaut Mike Massimo. Royal Institution interview. |
| 27 March | Newtonian cosmology (led by Peter Langford) |
| 20 March | The Saros (led by David Le Conte) |
| 13 March | Observing (Ceres) |
| 06 March | Next generation space vehicles (led by Frank Dowding) |
| 27 February | No meeting because of snow |
| 20 February | Astronavigation (led by Jason Hill) |
| 13 February | Annual Business Meeting |
| 06 February | Launch of SpaceX Falcon Heavy |
| 30 January | General discussion |
| 23 January | The Concept of Mass. Royal Institution lecture by Jim Baggott |
| 16 January | General discussion |
| 09 January | The Bethlehem Star (led by David Le Conte) |
| 02 January | No meeting |
2017
| Date | Topic |
|---|---|
| 26 December | No meeting |
| 19 December | No meeting |
| 12 December | The Planets. Royal Institution Christmas Lecture No.6, 1977, by Carl Sagan |
| 05 December | Christmas dinner at La Grande Mare Hotel. No meeting. |
| 28 November | The Planets. Royal Institution Christmas Lecture No.5, 1977, by Carl Sagan |
| 21 November | The Planets. Royal Institution Christmas Lecture No.4, 1977, by Carl Sagan |
| 14 November | Some old astronomy books (led by David Le Conte) |
| 07 November | The Planets. Royal Institution Christmas Lecture No.3, 1977, by Carl Sagan |
| 31 October | Administrative discussion |
| 24 October | Molecules with sunglasses – third form of carbon (led by Colin Spicer) |
| 17 October | The Planets. Royal Institution Christmas Lecture No.2, 1977, by Carl Sagan |
| 10 October | The Planets. Royal Institution Christmas Lecture No.1, 1977, by Carl Sagan |
| 03 October | Reorganisation of La Société (led by Colin Spicer) |
| 26 September | The Great American Eclipse (David Le Conte, Elaine Mahy, Jason Monaghan, Tim Langlois) |
| 19 September | Astronomy Section website (led by Tom Harvey) |
| 12 September | A Journey to the centre of the Sun – Lucie Green at the Royal Institution answers questions (Colin Spicer) |
| 05 September | A Journey to the centre of the Sun – Lucie Green at the Royal Institution (Colin Spicer) |
| 29 August | General discussion |
| 22 August | A Journey to the centre of the Sun – Lucie Green at the Royal Institution (Colin Spicer) |
| 15 August | General discussion. |
| 08 August | Summer skies (led by Geoff Falla) |
| 01 August | Cassini and Huygens at Saturn (led by Frank Dowding) |
| 25 July | Power cut! |
| 18 July | Space tracking in the Apollo era (David Le Conte) |
| 11 July | Video: Sean Caroll & Jennifer Oulette: Black hole firewalls, part 2 |
| 04 July | General discussion |
| 27 June | Video: Sean Caroll & Jennifer Oulette: Black hole firewalls, part 1 |
| 20 June | Discussion and observing |
| 13 June | Discussion and observing |
| 06 June | Orbital Elements (led by David Le Conte) |
| 30 May | Discussion and observing |
| 23 May | Newton’s Laws of Motion and Classical Mechanics (led by Colin Spicer and Jason Hill) |
| 16 May | YouTube Richard Feynman lecture |
| 09 May | Liberation Day – Meeting but no discussion |
| 02 May | Observing |
| 25 April | Globular Clusters (led by Frank Dowding) |
| 18 April | Observing |
| 11 April | Observing |
| 04 April | Visit of His Excellency the Lieutenant-Governor Vice-Admiral Sir Ian Corder and Lady Corder |
| 28 March | Mini-Messier Marathon |
| 21 March | Observing with the new equipment: Go To Mount, All-Sky Camera, and Planetary Camera |
| 14 March | NASA ScienceCasts (see www.youtube.com/user/ScienceAtNASA) |
| 07 March | International Space Station update (led by Frank Dowding)) |
| 28 February | James Clerk Maxwell - 2 (led by Colin Spicer) |
| 21 February | James Clerk Maxwell - 1 (led by Colin Spicer) |
| 14 February | Observing and imaging (beautiful clear night) |
| 07 February | Introduction to image processing (led by Jean Dean) |
| 31 January | Annual Business Meeting (start) |
| 24 January | Astronomical highlights 2017 (led by David Le Conte) |
| 17 January | Packing of newsletter |
| 10 January | Open discussion |
| 03 January | No meeting |
2016
| Date | Topic |
|---|---|
| 27 December | No meeting |
| 20 December | No meeting |
| 13 December | General discussion |
| 06 December | Christmas dinner at Moore’s hotel |
| 29 November | The Twin Paradox |
| 22 November | The Oort Cloud |
| 15 November | The Foucault Pendulum |
| 08 November | 8.30 pm DSLR Astrophotography |
| 01 November | ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter |
| 25 October | Ancient astronomers |
| 18 October | 8.30 pm. Telescope training |
| 11 October | H-R diagram |
| 04 October | Fred Hoyle |
| 27 September | Tides |
| 20 September | Neptune |
| 13 September | Stars and objects of the autumn sky |
| 06 September | Astronomy apps |
| 30 August | Planispheres |
| 23 August | Collimation |
| 16 August | Astrophotography |
| 09 August | Barbecue and Perseid meteor count |
| 02 August | Tycho Brahe |
| 26 July | X-ray Astronomy |
| 19 July | Kuiper Belt |
| 12 July | Highlights of the STARMUS Festival in Tenerife |
| 05 July | Summer sky stars and objects |
| 28 June | Dark matter and dark energy |
| 21 June | The celestial sphere |
| 14 June | Mars |
| 07 June | Saturn and its moons |
| 31 May | Radio Astronomy |
| 24 May | Edmond Halley |
| 17 May | Virgo & Bootes |
| 10 May | Transit of Mercury results |
| 03 May | Sundials |
| 26 April | Filters used for telescopes and cameras |
| 19 April | Leo – a prominent constellation in the sky at this time |
| 12 April | Exoplanets |
| 05 April | Transits of Mercury |
| 29 March | The Soyuz rocket |