Orpington Astronomical Society

Past Meetings of the Society

Listed below are almost all the meetings we have held at various venues in the history of the society. If you can help us fill in some of the gaps then please tell us.

2010

Jan	Doug Ellison	Mars Discovered
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
June
July
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec

2009

Jan	Alan Longstaff		Cosmology
Feb	Gilbert Satterthwaite	OAS	President's Address
Mar	Prof. Joanna Haigh	Imperial College	Solar Variability and Climate
Apr	Mike McRoberts	OAS	Tycho Brahe and the Uraniborg Observatory
May	Members Evening	OAS	Jeff on Asteroids, Luke on Time Travel, Mike on Voyager 1
June	John Murrell		Radio Astronomy: The Key to the Invisible Universe
July	Roger Pickard		Variable Stars
Aug	Phil Uttley	Southampton Uni.	Black Holes
Sept	Chris Lintott	Oxford	Who, What and When?
Oct	Robin Catchpole		Are We Alone?
Nov	Members Evening		Mark on Imaging and Gilbert on Greenwich
Dec			Christmas Quiz

2008

Jan	Tom Boles	BAA	Discovering Supernovae
Feb	(AGM) Jim Mehta	OAS	A Visit to Siding Spring
Mar	Lucie Green	UCL/MSSL	Latest Results from Hinode and STEREO
Apr	Chris Daniels		Sundials
May	Conrad Malin-Smith	Croydon	The Message of Starlight
June	Members Evening	OAS	Tony Buick on Tardigrades In Space, Mark Shelley on Digital SLRs for Astrophotography, and Mike McRoberts on The Phoenix Lander on Mars.
July	Keith Brackenborough		The History of the Calendar
Aug	Dr. Emily Baldwin		Impact Cratering
Sept	Members Evening	OAS	Mark Shelley on processing astronomical images, and Ken Pearson on the Loughton Astronomical Society's observatory and telescope.
Oct	Steve Ringwood		Galileo and his Telescopes
Nov	Prof. Ian Morison		The Story of Jodrell Bank
Dec		OAS	Chairman's Address and Quiz Night

2007

Jan	Paul Money		Uranus & Neptune
Feb	(AGM) Paul Whitmarsh	OAS	Colour in Astronomy
Mar	Nik Szymanek	Croydon	Astro-photography
Apr	Various	OAS	Members Evening
May	Andrew Coates	UCL/MSSL	Venus Express
June	Richard Westwood		A History of Planetaria
July	Members Evening	OAS	Chris Suddell on "Cassini-Huygens" and Tony Sizer on the naming of constellations
Aug	Greg Smye-Rumsby	OAS	The 3D Universe
Sept	Jerry Workman	Loughton A.S.	The Moons of Saturn
Oct	Alan Longstaff		What have meteorites ever done for us?
Nov	Alan Bell		Sids, Whispers and Pings
Dec	Various	OAS	The traditional Xmas Quiz

2006

Jan	Kevin Johnson	Science Museum	Astronomical Treasures
Feb	AGM	Chairman's Address	TLPs (Tony Buick), and "The Universe in 20 Minutes" (Greg Smye-Rumsby)
Mar	Robin Scagell		Film vs Digital
Apr	Simeon Barber		Landing on a Comet
May	John Chapman-Smith	S.P.A.	Observing the Sun
June	Jack Martin		Spectroscopy
July	Roger O'Brien		Cosmology
Aug	Mike & Chris	O.A.S.	Members Evening - Deep Sky Imaging
Sept	Glyn Collinson	M.S.S.L.	Solar Orbiter - Journeying into the Unknown
Oct	Tony Sizer	O.A.S.	Ghosts and Poltergeists
Nov	Members Evening	O.A.S.	Airy's Altazimuth Telescope (Gilbert), Artificial Satellites (Tony Buick), and Planetary Occultations (Greg)
Dec	Jim Mehta and Tom Meechan	O.A.S.	Xmas Astronomy Quiz

2005

Jan	Robert Massey	Royal Observatory, Greenwich	Imaging the Universe
Feb	AGM	Chairman's Address	20 Yeas Ago
Mar	Greg Smye-Rumsby	O.A.S.	Mars Revisited
Apr	Various	O.A.S.	Members Evening
May	Neil Bone	B.A.A.	Meteors
June	Alan Longstaff		What are Terrestrial Planets made of?
July	Allan Bell	Loughton A.S.	The Gravity Zoo
Aug	Tony Sizer	OAS	The Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram
Sept	Jerry Workman	Loughton AS	The Cassini Mission
Oct	Paul Murdin	3rd Ken Budd Memorial	The Metre and the Shape of the Earth
Oct	Various	O.A.S.	Members Evening
Nov	Dr. Helen Walker	RAL	Exploring the Planets with Satellites
Dec	Tony Sizer	O.A.S.	Astro-quiz

2004

Jan	Piers Corbyn	Weather Action	The Sun & the Weather
Feb	AGM	Chairman's Address	The Craig Telescope
Mar	Tony Sizer	OAS	When the Sun Lost its Spots
Apr	Various	OAS	The Transit of Venus - Members' Evening
May	Konrad Malin-Smith	Croydon AS	Clouds of Magellan
June	Peter Hingley	RAS	Astronomers & Oddities
July	Ken Harrison	Loughton A.S.	Planetary Nebulae
Aug	Various	O.A.S.	Members Evening
Sept	Mike Leggett		Exobiology: Life Beyond the Earth?
Oct	Gilbert Satterthwaite	O.A.S.	Suns, Stars & Satchels
Nov	Fay Dowker	Imperial College	The Science of Time
Dec	Paul, Mike and Gilbert	O.A.S.	Quiz and book auction

2003

Jan	James Wilhelm	UKARANet	Amateur Radio Astronomy
Feb	AGM	Chairman's Address	A tour of the Solar System
Mar	Lisa Wright	Cambridge	Galaxy Formation: Painting by Numbers
Apr	Various	OAS	Members Evening
May	Bob Mizon	CfDS	Light Pollution and the Campaign for Dark Skies
June	Owen Brazell		Planetary Nebulae
July	Various	OAS	Members Evening
Aug	Greg Smye-Rumsby	OAS	Mars (Public meeting for NAW)
Sept	Roy Easto	Croydon AS	The Dynamic Universe
Oct	Rob Warren	RGO	Robert Hooke
Nov	Gilbert Satterthwaite	OAS	Harrison's Clocks
Dec	Mat Irvine	Smallspace	Creating Space

2002

Jan	Robin Scagell	SPA	Astrophotography
Feb	AGM	Chairman's Address
Mar	various	OAS	Members' Evening
Apr	Dr. John Mason		Destination Mars
May	Brijen Hathi	OU	Cassini Huygens mission
June	Dr Ian Crawford	UCL	The Scientific Case for Human Spaceflight
July	Gilbert Satterthwaite	OAS	The Digges Telescope
	Greg Smye-Rumsby	OAS	Image Enhancement
Sept	Murray Barber	Wadhurst A.S.	V2 - First Dangerous Steps into Space
Oct	Fay Dowker		Unifying the Universe
Nov	Various	OAS	Members Evening
Dec	Many		Quiz v. Croydon A.S.

2001

Jan	Dr. Chris Owen	Mullard	The Solar-Terrestrial Connection
Feb	AGM	Chairman's Address
Mar	Geoff Epps		History and evolution of Mars
Apr	Dr. Monica Grady	NHM	Mars, meteorites & search for life
May	Dr. Jon Shanklin	BAS	An Astronomer in Antarctica
June	Dr. Helen Walker	ISO	Infra-red astronomy
July	Greg S-R & T Sizer	OAS	Venus Transit & Scale of Universe
Sept	Dr Stuart Clark	Editor Astronomy Now	Life on other worlds - how to find it
Oct	"Universe Day"		Society's 21st Year - A Celebration
Oct	"Book Auction"		Our thanks to the Stokes Family
Nov	Dr Nial Tanvir	Herts. Uni.	Gamma Ray Bursts
Dec	Konrad Malin-Smith	Croydon AS	African Eclipse 2001

2000

Jan	Seymanet & Simmons
Feb	AGM	Chairman's Address
Mar	Gilbert Satterthwaite	OAS President	Astronomers wearing glasses
Apr	Greg & Lyulph	OAS
May	Dave Heather	UCL	The Moon
June	Dr. Ian Jupp	DERA	Next gen. of gamma-ray telescopes
July	Dr. Louise Harra	Mullard	Explosions from the sun
Sept	Peter Bull		A Window Through the Universe
Oct	Ewen A. Whitaker	2nd Ken Budd Memorial	Fifty Years with Lunar Maps
Oct	Dr. Geoff Macdonald		The Miracle of Starbirth
Nov	Greg Smye-Rumsby	OAS	What size is that?
Dec	Dr. Alan Hart	OAS	The Earliest Sundial

1999

Jan
Feb	AGM	Chairman's Address
Mar	Roderick Willstrop	Cambridge I.o.A.	Two funny (peculiar) telescopes
Apr			50 Years of Amateur Astronomy
May
June	Gilbert Satterthwaite	O.A.S.	Eclipses and Mirrors
July
Sept
Oct
Nov	Roy Easto		Gravity
Dec

1998

Jan	Dr. Ian Carstairs	OAS	Astronomy through the ages
Feb	AGM	Chairman's Address
Mar	John Maxwell		Large Astronomical Optical Systems
Apr
May
June	Conrad Malin-Smith		Eclipses
July
Sept	Greg Smye-Rumsby	O.A.S.	Spacecraft
Oct
Nov
Dec

1997

Jan	Michael Maunder	Woking	Astrophotography
Feb	AGM	Chairman's Address
Mar	Andrew Elliott	Reading AS	Occultations
Apr	Pete Simmons	Croydon AS	La Palma
May	John Weller	OAS	Hawaii
June	Nik Szymanek	Croydon	CCD on La Palma
July	Alan Drummond	Crawley AS	Perception in astronomy
Sept	Dick Taylor	Birkbeck Col	Cosmic Jets and Acretion discs
Oct	Greg Smye-Rumsby	OAS	3 Dimensional Astronomy
Nov	Bob Turner	Worthing AS	The Sun in H alpha
Dec	Quiz Night Special	OAS

1996

Jan	Roy Easto	Croydon AS	Eta Carinae
Feb	AGM	Chairman's Address
Mar	Andrew Murray	RGO retired	The Hipparcos Mission
Apr	Peter Bull	Bromley	A Window on the universe
May	Dr. Allan Chapman	Wadham Col	Lord Ross, Astronomer
June	Konrad Malin-Smith	Croydon AS	Solar Eclipse, India, October
July	Naveed Moeed	Uni of Kent	Cassini-Huygens probe
Aug	"Meteor Watch"	OAS	Open Evening for the Public
Sept	Gilbert Satterthwaite	OAS	Discovery of Neptune
Oct	Gilbert/Greg	OAS	Any questions
Nov	Dr. Carl Murray	Queen Mary	Cassini-Huygens Spacecraft
Dec	Members' Evening	OAS	Various seasonal topics

1995

Jan	Greg Smye-Rumsby	OAS
Feb	AGM	Chairman's Address
Mar	Dr. David Gradwell	RAF Sch of Med.	Manned space flight
Apr	Prof. Chris Dainty	Imperial Col	Laser doppler adaptive optics
May	Prof. Ruddock	Imperial Col	The eye as an instrument
June	Alan Drummond	Crawley AS	How the Earth was formed
July	Members' Evening	OAS	Various topics
Sept	Dr. Iain Carstairs	OAS	Very high energy gamma rays
Oct	Pete Simmons	Croydon AS	A night on La Palma
Nov	Dr. Jonathan Maxwell	Imperial College	Spectroscopy
Dec	Members' Evening	OAS	Various topics

1994

Jan	Dr. Peter Eggleton	Institute of Astro	Novae and supernovae
Feb	AGM	Chairman's Address
Mar	Greg Smye-Rumsby	OAS	Conquest of Space - The Film
Apr	Dr. Mike Leggett	Milton Keynes AS	S.E.T.I.
May	Dr. Andew Elliot	Reading AS	Video astronomy
June	Dr. Martin Heath	Greenwich Com. Col	Forests in space
July	Dr. RSL (Dick) Taylor	Birkbeck College	The Pluto missions
Sept	Dr. Nial Tanvir	Institute of Astro	The Hubble Constant
Oct	Pam Spence	FAS committee	Earth and the Solar cycle
Nov	Roger Luther	Colfe's School
Dec	Christmas Meeting	OAS	Quiz

1993

Jan	Greg Smye-Rumsby	OAS
Feb	AGM	Chairman's Address
Mar	Colin Ronan	Consultant	Elizabethan telescope
Apr	Geoffrey Epps	London Uni	The origin of The Moon
May	Dr Simon Green	Uni of Kent	Giotto's extended mission
June	Gilbert Satterthwaite	OAS	James Bradley
July	Dr. Iain Carstairs	OAS	X-ray of Crab Nebula
Sept	Dr. Mike Leggett	Milton Keynes	Exobiology
Oct	Dr. Eric Zucker	London Uni	Dimensions of the Universe
Nov	Dr. Jacqueline Mitton	Royal Astro Soc	Urania's Sisters
Dec	Members' Evening	OAS	Various seasonal topics

1992

Jan	Gilbert Satterthwaite	OAS	George Airy
Feb	AGM	Chairman's Address
Mar	Greg Smye-Rumsby	OAS	War of the Worlds
Apr	Ralph Lorentz	Uni. of Kent	The Cassini/Huygens probe
May	Maurice Gavin	Ewell AS	Deep sky CCD work
June	Dr. Allan Chapman	Oxford	William Herschel
July	Neil Bone	BAA Meteors	Meteors
Sept	Dr. Victor Clube	Oxford	Armageddon
Oct	Jerry Workman	AS of Haringey	Uranus
Nov	Dr. John Mason	BAA	Fireballs and meteorites
Dec	Dr. Chris Baddiley	Worcester AS	From imaging to imagining

1991

Jan	Dr. Tony Cox	Oxford Uni	Chemistry of The Solar System
Feb	AGM	Chairman's Address
Mar	Peter Gill	London Uni	The Sun part 2
Apr	Ernest Knagg	Maidstone AS	Astrocomputing
May	Richard Fleet	Reading AS	Under Southern Skies
June	Dr. Jonathan Maxwell	Imperial College	Catadioptric telescopes
July	Members' Evening	OAS	Various topics
Sept	Greg Smye-Rumsby	OAS	Jupiter
Oct	Konrad Malin-Smith	Croydon	Binary stars
Nov	Prof. Chris Dainty	Imperial College	High resolution imaging
Dec	Norman Fisher	Croydon AS	His telescopes

1990

Jan	Dr. Allan Chapman	Oxford Uni	RGO in Victorian era
Feb	Ian Griffin	University College	Carbon Stars
Mar	Dr. Jonathan Maxwell	Imperial College	Optics
Apr	Peter Duffett-Smith	Mullard Lab	Background microradiation
May	Peter Hunt	Maidenhead AS	The Sun
June	Dr. RLS Taylor	Birkbeck College	Selenogany-a post Apollo view
July	Roger Pickard	Crayford Manor AS	Pro-Am co-operation
Sept	Jerry Workman	AS of Haringey	Exploration of Mars
Oct	"Astronomy Fair"	(St. Olave's Sch.)	10 th Anniversary
Nov	Peter Gill	London Uni	The Sun part 1
Dec	Dr. Alan Johnstone	UCL	What comet missions found

1989

Jan	Neil Bone	Astronomy Now	Atmospheric phenomena
Feb	AGM	Chairman's Address
Mar	Glen Cross	Queen Mary Col	Birth of stars (UV)
Apr	Gilbert Satterthwaite	OAS	The Image Makers
May	Alan Smith	Tunbridge Wells AS	Astrophotography
June	Konrad Malin-Smith	Croydon AS	Astrophoto. from La Palma
July	Dr. Paul Phillips	Cen. London Poly	Supernovae
Sept	Norman Fisher	Croydon AS	The Sun
Oct	Gilbert Satterthwaite	OAS	RGO - The end of an era
Nov	Dr. Christine Sutton	New Scientist	Spaceship Neutrino
Dec	R.H. Tucker	RGO (retired)	Astronomer, man and boy

1988

Jan	Owen Brazell	OAS	Planetary nebulae
Feb	Gilbert Satterthwaite	OAS	Mount Wilson
Mar	Astronomy Now	National Quiz	OAS v. Brighton AS
Apr	Greg Smye-Rumsby	OAS	Planets
May	Nick Booth	Astronomy Now	Mars
June	John Rogers	BAA	Jupiter
July	Alan Smith	Tunbridge Wells AS	Dwarf Novae
Sept	Robin Scagell	SPA	Sundials
Oct	Paul Sutherland	Junior AS	Astrophotography
Nov	David Baker	NASA	Manned Space Flight
Dec	Lee Forbes	Junior AS	Birr Castle

1987

Jan	Owen Brazel	OAS	Variable stars
Feb	AGM	Chairman's Address
	Carl Murray	Queen Mary Coll.	Planetary Rings
Mar	John Mason	consultant	Halley's Comet/SN1987a
Apr	Norman Fisher	Croydon AS	Mirror making
May	John Griffiths	Science Museum	Astronomy from space
June	Dr. Richard Taylor	Birkbeck Coll.	Mars
July	Members' Evening	OAS	Various topics of discussion
Sept	?
Oct	Paul Murdin	RGO	First light on WHT
Nov	Alan Dowdell	BAA	Deep sky observing
Dec	Rosie Lopes	RGO	Vulcanism in the Solar System

1986

Jan	Konrad Malin-Smith	Croydon AS	Relativity Explained
Feb	AGM	Chairman's Address
	Ian Griffin	OAS	Ethel the Aadvark Measures the Universe
Mar	Peter Gill	London Uni.	Solar Activity
Apr	Greg Smye-Rumsby	OAS	Pluto
May	Mike Heskeys	Mid Kent AS	Stellar Evolution
June	Alan Drummond	Crawley AS	Perception of the Universe
July	Chris Green	Brighton AS	Music and Astronomy
Sept	John Howes	Mid Kent AS	Measurement in the Solar System
Oct	Roger Hutchins		Other Worlds
Nov	Gilbert/Greg	OAS	Any questions
Dec	Melvyn Smith	BIS	Bell X1-STS

1985

Jan	Michael Maunder	BAA	Beginning Astrophotography
Feb	AGM	Chairman's Address
	Cdr Henry Hatfield	BAA	The Spectrohelioscope
Mar	Brian van der Peer	Mid Kent	Galaxies
	Quiz Evening	OAS	Croydon AS vs OAS
Apr	Ken Marcus	Brighton AS	Religion and Astronomy
May	Philip Taylor	Brighton AS	First Light on La Palma
June	Quiz Evening	BAA	OAS vs Croydon
July	Owen Brazell	OAS	The Interstellar Medium
Sept	Konrad Malin-Smith	Croydon AS	Relativity Explained
Oct	Sq Ldr Nigel Wood	RAF	The Space Shuttle Programme
Nov	John Mason		Halley's Comet
Dec	Prof Stewart Malin		Where on Earth

1984

Jan	Konrad Malin-Smith	Croydon AS	Pulsars
Feb	AGM	Chairman's Address
Mar	Christine Sutton	New Scientist	The New Astronomy (Neutrinos)
Apr	Ian Griffin	OAS	The Messier Objects
May	?
June	Quiz Evening	OAS	OAS vs Ewell AS
Sept	?
Oct	Maurice Gavin	BAA	Comput., Spectro.& Building his Obs
Nov	Norman Fisher	Croydon AS	Colour and the Eye
Dec	Robert Christie		The Russians do it first, but the Americans do it better
	Robin Scagell	SPA	Fascinating Perseus

1983

Jan	Gilbert,Greg & John A	OAS	The Apollo Experience
Feb	AGM	Chairman's Address
Mar	Dr Peter Muller	UCL	Jupiter and Saturn
Apr	Dr Justin Schove	St Davids School	Hist., Celestial and Auroral Pheno.
May	John Wall	Crayford A.S.	Constructing a Telescope
June	Quiz Evening	OAS	OAS vs Croydon AS
Sept	(no meeting)
Oct	Nigel Henbest		The New Astronomy
Nov	Film Night	OAS	Solar System, Nautical Almanac, and Luna Exploration.
Dec	Richard Eastlake	Questar UK	The Questar Telescope

1982

Jan	?
Feb	AGM	Chairman's Address	Royal Greenwich Observatory
Mar	Gilbert Satterthwaite and Greg Smye-Rumsby	Society Members	NASA and Voyager's 'Grand Tour'
Mar	Trip to USA	Society Members
Apr	Trip to USA	Society Members
May	John Wall	Crayford MHAS	Making a 24" Telescope
June	Members' Evening	OAS
Sept	Ewen Whitaker	US Geol. Survey	The Moon
Oct	Greg Smye-Rumsby	OAS	Observing the Sky
Nov	Fim Night	OAS	Moon, Sun and Telescopes
Dec	Greg Smye-Rumsby	OAS	Satellites of Jupiter and Saturn

1981

Jan	Heather Couper		Journey to the Centre of the Gal.
Feb	AGM	Chairman's Address	Famous Observatories + Work
Mar	Iain Nicholson		Black Holes and the Fate of the Uni.
Apr	Reg Spry		Telescope Making
May	Patrick Moore		The Depths of the Solar System
June	Keith Brackenborough		Books for Beginners
	Dr. Alan Hart	OAS	Observing Minor Planets
	Tom McLeish	OAS	What shall we do with the 18"
Sept	?
Oct	Nigel Henbest		Supernova - Death of a Star
Nov	Norman Fisher	Croydon AS	Constructing the CAS Observatory
Dec	Members Evening	OAS	Christmas Meeting