British Astronomical Association : Exhibition 2017

The BAA has been supporting amateur astronomers since 1890, and has an international reputation for the quality of its scientific work. Its objectives include the encouragement of all aspects of observational astronomy and the promotion of a general interest in astronomy for beginners as well as for the more advanced. This year’s Exhibition took place on

Saturday

24 June 2017

at the

National Museum of Scotland

Edinburgh

Organiser: Lorraine Crook

E-mail: lorrainedewootton@outlook.com

Mobile: 07931 462596

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Solar Section

Lunar Section

Mercury and Venus

Section

Mars Section

Asteroids and Remote

Planets Section

Jupiter Section

Saturn Section

Comet Section

Meteor Section

Aurora Section

Variable Star Section

Deep Sky Section

Instruments and

Imaging Section

Historical Section

Computing Section

Radio Astronomy Group

Commission for

Dark Skies

Sales and Promotions

Section Directors and colleagues were available for consultation and conversation, and short grouped talks

summarising the objectives and work of the Association were presented at intervals throughout the day

At 2.00 pm a lecture was

presented by the guest speaker

Professor Ian Robson

Royal Observatory, Edinburgh

University of Edinburgh

The Changing Scene of Astronomy

In recent years the Exhibition has moved away from central London and been taken around the country to serve the membership and the public in as wide an area as possible: the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, Manchester Metropolitan University, St David’s Hall in Cardiff, and this year in the splendid surroundings of the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. The Directors and Coordinators again produced impressive displays using poster boards and several large monitors in conjunction with laptops, iPads, and other devices. Groups of short talks summarising the aims and objectives of the Association and the work of the Sections were presented in the auditorium throughout the day, and the talk by the guest speaker, Professor Ian Robson, on ‘The Changing Scene of Astronomy’, was enjoyed by a large audience. The event was a great success, and feedback from members and the public has been very positive.

John Rosenfield, a new member in Scotland, writes: ‘For me, the timing was perfect; I became a member of the BAA late last year, so an Exhibition north of the border gave me a good chance to meet with you all, for which I am grateful. I joined on behalf of the two astronomical societies to which I belong: the Highlands Astronomical Society, and Sigma, Moray’s Astronomical Society. Both are interested to hear about your work. The Exhibition was quite stunning. I was fascinated to see the photographs and drawings from each Section; it really brought home to me that amateur astronomers really do have a role to play. The chance to talk with Directors was greatly appreciated, and perhaps the greatest value was in hearing their talks, which helped me towards a greater understanding of just how the BAA goes about its work, all of which was very encouraging and thought-provoking. A quite superb Exhibition.’

Professor Ian Robson ‘really enjoyed meeting up with people and listening to the Section talks. The stands were very professional and it obviously was a good day for everyone. Well done on the organising of the Exhibition, very professional and a great website.’

Will Joy participated with his superb collection of meteorites: ‘Thank you so much for the opportunity to display and share some of my meteorite finds with other BAA members and the public here in Scotland. It was a fantastic day, and has given me a huge boost with progressing with my own research. In the last few days I have linked up with St Andrews University and will be making 3D photogrammetry scans of all my oriented meteorites. This will be a great electronic archive and will allow the 3D orientations to be clearly shown over the Internet.’

These and other commendations demonstrate that the BAA Exhibition is not just a one-day event but contributes significantly to the Association’s objectives in promoting all branches of astronomical research, both amateur and professional, and encouraging a popular interest in astronomy by serving the public as well as the members. I would like to thank all the exhibitors, speakers, visitors, and correspondents for their contributions, support, and enthusiasm.

Lorraine Crook, Exhibition Organiser Download this report