Hi everyone. 
The website should be back up now.  There are still some adjustments need to be made, eg the “Page Tabs” are not showing.  However, the Home page is now accessible and the links in the emails should also be working.
Hopefully the other issues will be sorted out and full functionality will be resumed (fingers crossed!).
Any problems you become aware of just drop me a line.  Equally, if anyone has suggestions on how the web site could be improved please just let me know and I will investigate.  I am particularly interested in how it displays on smart phone screens as many people now use these for internet access.

Apologies for the downtime but I think I am getting there, albeit slowly.

Kevin

Apologies for the website which I am sure many of you will have discovered is not working, it is just a blank page.  Please be assured it is being looked into and we hope to have it up and running again soon, hopefully this post will reach you ok.  We have not yet started having in-person meetings yet but have been observing how Usk AS have got on with resumed meetings.  There have been a number of issues to resolve there. A new much larger venue is being used which allows for social distancing, which  Abergavenny AS does not have.  The new venue has had some problems with the bandwidth of the internet connection, which has been responsible for the poor quality of the Zoom meetings.  That is being addressed by the venue.  In the meantime if any members would like to attend the Usk meetings in person they are more than welcome.  For the time being in-person only meetings are being held one week followed by a Zoom only meeting then an in-person only meeting and so on.  The arrangement will be kept under constant review.

The next in-person meeting is to be held tomorrow evening in the large function room at the back of The Grange at the top of Maryport Street, Usk.  It starts at 7:30 and all are welcome.  A group then normally adjourns to the bar and you are very welcome to join in there as well.

The talks are aimed at beginners.  Andrew Lohfink will be discussing binoculars and how to observe with them and Nick Busby will present on finding and observing planets for beginners

If you have tried looking at our webpage you will know that it is only showing a blank page.  Hopefully I will get it working again before to long.
However, the auto email posting system is still working so you should still get notifications of meetings etc.
Sorry for the disruption.
20th Sept, 2021

Abergavenny Astronomical Society, Usk Astronomical Society and the Brecon Beacons Dark Sky Board have been working to run the first Dark Sky Festival.  This first event will be held on-line over the weekend of Friday 24th to Sunday 26th September.  There is a great line-up of speakers and authors presenting.

The festival is suitable for anyone with an interest in the night sky, particularly younger audiences over the age of 10.

Please visit https://www.breconbeacons.org/things-to-do/activities/stargazing/dark-sky-festival-2021 for more information and to book. All events are £2 per household.

The programme is as follows:-

Time travelling
24th September 11:30 – To gaze up at the stars is to look back into the past, much as Earth bound geologists do today. Alan Bowring

Where has the night gone?
24th September 14:00 – This talk explores the mounting challenges bats are facing with the increase in artificial lighting at night and how we can practically mitigate this problem. Dr. Henry Schofield

A beginner’s guide to observing planets
24th September 19:00 – This guide for absolute beginners will show you how to find and observe planets and what to look out for. Nick Busby

What’s eating the universe?
25th September 10:00 – Award-winning physicist Paul Davies walks us through the puzzles and paradoxes that have preoccupied cosmologists from ancient Greece to the present day. Paul Davies

Welsh myths and legends of the night sky
25th September 14:00 – In this talk David Thomas explores how the Welsh characters and heroes of the Mabinogion and other folk tales are reflected in the night sky. David Thomas

How stars work
25th September 19:00 – Are other stars like our Sun? If not what are they like – small and peaceful, or large and violent? What makes them the way they are? How long will the Sun be around for and what might happen to it? Keith Moseley

The greatest adventure
26th September 12:00 – The Greatest Adventure traces the events of the 20th century; the first satellite in orbit; the first animal, man and woman in space; the first spacewalk; as well as the ultimate US victory in the race to land on the moon. Colin Burgess

Meteorites and the story of the solar system
26th September 14:00 – This talk will reveal how the solar system was formed, explain why we are made of stardust and provide some surprising facts about the origin of some familiar materials. Nick Busby

Just a quick reminder for those who attended the Zoom meeting with Nick last week, and info for those who didn’t.
Nick said that, as we are now in the summer season, there will be no more Zoom meetings in July and August. AAS normally has no meetings in July & August so this follows our usual practice.
It looks as though COVID restrictions are slowly being eased. With a bit of luck face to face meetings may be allowed in a couple of months, for those who feel comfortable with it. I for one, will look forward to it.
Further information and updates will be forthcoming when we have more info.
In the meantime enjoy your summer.

Don’t forget the partial eclipse tomorrow! It will start at 10:04 am, the maximum is about an hour later at 11:09 am and it will finish at 12:20 pm.  Let’s hope it will be clear in the morning.  If you do want to observe it make sure you know how to do so safely by following this link