November:-  The next meeting of AAS will be on the 28^th, the 4^th Monday of the month, at 7:30pm.
The proposed topic, from a suggestion at our September meeting, will be “Dark Matter”.
If you have any questions or answers or other thoughts on this elusive Matter do come along and share them with the rest of us.  We are all operating in the Dark so any and all contributions are welcomed!
Further details will be posted nearer the date.

December:-  As the 4^th Monday falls between Christmas and the New Year we have decided to miss out this month.

January:-  Our first 2023 meeting is scheduled for the 23^rd of January.  This session will continue with the “Astronomy Basics” theme.  The topic will be decided in the New Year.
If anyone has a specific subject they would like to be covered please let me or Nick know, email addresses below.

All sessions are upstairs in the Hen & Chicks, Flannel St, Abergavenny NP7 5EG, starting at 7:30pm

Everyone is welcome.

Kevin: webmaster@abergavennyas.org.uk         Nick: observing@abergavennyas.org.uk

Although the weather forecast is not very promising for tomorrow morning and the solar eclipse, a few of us will be in Bailey Park, Abergavenny with proper solar scopes from 9:30am should anyone want to view the eclipse but does not have suitable equipment. As it lasts for over an 1 hour and a half we may get a few gaps in the clouds with a bit of luck.

There will be a partial solar eclipse visble from Abergavenny, weather permitting, on the 25th of October from around 10:08 to 11:45. If you wish to observe it under no circumstances look at the Sun with unprotected eyes, only use equipment specifically designed for the purpose. You can also look at the reflection of the Sun in a bucket of water

The next meeting of the Astronomy Society will be first floor in the Hen and Chickens Pub, Abergavenny at 19:30 on the 24th October. The subject will be “Observing the planets for absolute beginners”. With Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune well placed this is an ideal time to get out and observe the planets. You can find most of them without any optical aid but can see interesting features with binoculars and fascinating views with telescopes. This talk will show you how to find them and the best ways to observe them.

All welcome, both members and non-members.

Yesterday’s meeting at the Hen & Chicks went well.  We had a general discussion as to interests and how to take AAS forward.
There was support for the “Back to Basics” series, including basic astrophotography.  A number of topics that would be of interest were also highlighted, eg latest NASA/ESA missions, black holes, neutron stars, exo-plants etc.  It was also suggested that trips out would be of interest.
A couple of people also expressed a willingness to host an informal chat.
I have put a pdf copy of last night’s notes on the download page ( HERE ).  These are my notes so please excuse any errors that you spot or any missed attributions!

Next meeting is scheduled for the Monday 24^th October.  Notification with details will be posted nearer the date. Many thanks for everyone’s support and it is good to see that there is an interest in keeping the Abergavenny meetings going.

Great news about the resumption of in-person meetings of the AAS.  I will be there having my pint (or two).  Looking forward to meeting up with old and new faces.

In the meantime next week, 7:30pm on the 15^th September, there is a lecture at Cardiff University on “Gravitational Waves”, free tickets via eventbrite (website)

There will be a couple of us from AAS going – so maybe see you there?