Newtown Astronomy Society's next monthly meeting will be on Saturday, 10th November with a talk by Gary Poyner FRAS entitled Introduction to Variable Star Observing.
Gary will give the audience a brief account of the science behind a selection of Variable Stars, explain how to observe them and discuss the reasons why we observe them. The talk will take place at The Crypt in Newtown Catholic Church on Longbridge Street.
With an active interest in Astronomy encompassing some 50+ years, Gary has been seduced by variable stars since the Summer of 1975 and hasn’t looked back since, making over 300,000 visual observations of them to date.
In 1989, Guy Hurst invited him to become assistant
From 2000 to September 2018 he has been editor of the monthly Variable Star pages in 'The Astronomer' magazine, processing nearly 500,000 observations for these pages, as well as being a member of 'The Astronomer' editorial board. Gary is currently editor of the BAA Variable Star Section circulars, secretary of the Cataclysmic and Eruptive Variable Star section of the VSS and webmaster for the Section.
"For our new 2018-2019 season, we have a wide-ranging spectrum of talks already lined up such as “Transient Lunar Phenomena”, “Jupiter’s Moons” and “Solar & Lunar Imaging” to name but a few," said society secretary, Les Fry.
"Our society extends a warm welcome to all those interested in any aspect of astronomy at any level and at any age."
Full membership fees are just £20 per annum (10 meetings per year), with visitor fees at £3.50 per meeting.
Light refreshments are available during the meeting, with raffle prizes up for grabs during the main break, and a monthly “sky update” feature by Tony Cook of Aberystwyth University to bring the meeting to a close.
Members are also encouraged to bring along their own observations and photographs for display or inclusion within Tony’s presentation.
"If you have a telescope or binoculars that don't seem to work as you think they should, the "instructions" seem unfathomable or you simply need some advice on your scope, bring it along and we'll see what we can do to assist you," added Mr Fry.
"We can also offer advice about getting a telescope, so please ask colleagues at our meeting or contact us by email."