|
|
|
The Exhibition
Meeting is the annual showcase of the Association’s work – open
to everyone, free of charge. The Association’s Officers work all year
round and expend considerable time and effort on administration, while
Section Directors analyse observations, publish reports, and produce
exhibits. It is gratifying if they know that their work, and the work of
observers and other contributors, is seen and appreciated. Distinguished
contributions are acknowledged with the presentation of the
Association’s annual awards and medals. |
E-mail Mobile 07964759278 |
|
|
|
This
year’s Exhibition Meeting took place on Saturday 26 June 2010 at
the Old Royal Naval College Greenwich |
|
|
|
|
The Royal Hospital was
established by Royal Charter in 1694 for the relief and support of seamen and
their dependents. The plans were drawn up by Sir Christopher Wren, and during
the first half of the eighteenth century various illustrious architects
– including Nicholas Hawksmoor, Sir John Vanbrugh and James
‘Athenian’ Stuart – completed the design. After the
establishment of peace at the end of the Napoleonic Wars, and as the
nineteenth century progressed, the number of Pensioners declined, and the
Hospital finally closed in 1869. Soon afterwards the Royal Naval College
moved in, heralding a new beginning for the buildings as a naval training
centre for officers from around the world. In 1998 the Royal Navy left for
its new base at Shrivenham, and responsibility for the Old Royal Naval
College passed to the newly established Greenwich Foundation. |
|
|
The
exhibition, in Queen Anne Court, was
opened at 10.15 am by
The
Worshipful the Mayor of Greenwich Councillor
Barbara Barwick |
|
|
The Mayor Consort, Dr David
Boyd (President), Mayor Barwick, and Lorraine
Crook |
A brief visit by the Deputy Mayor
of Havering, Councillor Melvin
Wallace, on his way
to an event on the Thames |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Lyn Smith Director Solar
Section |
Prof Bill Leatherbarrow Director Lunar
Section |
Dr Richard McKim Director Mercury
and Venus Section Mars
Section |
Dr Richard Miles Director Asteroids
and Remote Planets
Section |
Dr John Rogers Director Jupiter
Section |
Mike Foulkes Director Saturn
Section |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jonathan Shanklin Director |
Dr John Mason Acting
Director |
Dr David Gavine Director |
Roger Pickard Director |
Dr Stewart Moore Director |
Bob Marriott Director |
|
Comet
Section |
Meteor
Section |
Aurora
Section |
Variable
Star Section |
Deeo
Sky Section |
Instruments
and Imaging Section |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mike Frost Director Historical
Section |
Guy Hurst Coordinator UK
Nova/Supernova Patrol |
Paul Hyde Coordinator Radio
Astronomy Group |
Bob Mizon Coordinator Campaign
for Dark Skies |
Hazel McGee Editor BAA
Journal |
Ann Davies Coordinator Sales
and Promotions |
|
|
|
Throughout
the day a short rolling presentation of BAA work and activities was shown in the
first-floor lecture theatre and on one of the large monitors in the main
exhibition area |
|
|
|
At
12.00 noon and 2.30 pm in the first-floor lecture theatre, live sessions
using the robotic Faulkes Telescopes North (Hawaii) and South (Australia)
were presented by Richard Miles (Director of the Asteroids and Remote Planets
Section) and Peter Meadows (Robotic Telescope Coordinator). The first session
was successful, but the second was foiled by cloudy weather. For
details of the Robotic Telescope Project see the website of the |
|
|
|
At 2.00 pm in the
ground-floor lecture theatre, the Association’s awards were presented. The Goodacre Award,
‘... in recogniton of the recipient’s contribution to the
progress of astronomy over many years.’ Eric Strach has been a member
for more than 44 years, and has been a leading amateur solar observer for
nearly 60 years, submitting regular monthly reports to the Solar Section
until declining health forced him to retire from active observing last year. The Steavenson
Award, ‘... to a member who has made an outstanding contribution to
observational astronomy.’ Monty Leventhall is also a solar observer, submitting
white-light and H-alpha observation reports to the Solar Section as well as
to many other solar observing groups worldwide over many years. The awards will be
sent to the recipients, as neither was able to attend the Exhibition Meeting.
Eric Strach is in his 96th year and lives in Liverpool, and Monty Leventhal
lives in Australia. Roger Pickard (Vice
President, and Director of the Variable Star Section) presented a Special
Award to Gordon Taylor for his work as Director of the Computing Section over
a period of almost four decades, and in recognition of his extensive career
as a professional and amateur astronomer. Mike Frost (newly
appointed Director of the Historical Section) and Lee Macdonald (Assistant
Director) briefly reviewed their proposed work and plans. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Roger
Pickard and Gordon Taylor Mike Frost Director of the Historical Section Lee
Macdonald Assistant
Director |
|
|
|
Lawrence
Newell (UKRAA) |
Bill
Leatherbarrow (Director, Lunar Section)
and David Boyd (President) |
Tony
Cook (Lunar Section) |
|
Lorraine
Crook and Jonathan Shanklin (Director,
Comet Section) |
John
Cook (Solar Section and
Radio Astronomy Group) |
Alan
Lorrain (Treasurer) and Mike
Frost (Director, Historical Section) |
|
Paul
Hyde (Coordinator, Radio Astronomy Group) and
David Gavine (Director, Aurora Section) |
Jeff
Lashley (Radio Astronomy Group) |
|
John
Rogers (Director, Jupiter Section) and Paul
Abel (Assistant Director, Saturn Section) |
Stewart
Moore (Director, Deep Sky Section), Geoffrey
Johnstone and Ron Johnson |
Lyn
Smith (Director, Solar Section) |
|
John
Mason (Acting
Director, Meteor
Section) |
Bob
Marriott (Director, Instruments
and Imaging Section) |
Sheridan
Williams (Director,
Computing Section) |
Darren
Baskill and Bob Mizon (Coordinator,
Campaign for Dark Skies) |
|
|
|
|
BAA
Sales and Promotions : Ann Davies (Coordinator) and Tony Morris – with
Jean Felles (Office Manager) at centre |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Observation
of the Sun in white light and H-alpha A
busy day for Neil Short and colleagues, North Essex Astronomical Society |
|
|
|
|
|
Provincial
societies : Crayford Manor House, North Essex, and Newbury |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Trade
stands : David Phillips (Explorers Astronomy Tours), Nik Szymanek, Ian King
Imaging, Terry
Platt (Starlight Xpress), San Shepherd (Escapist Games), Leonard Honey
(Science Replicas), Martin
Lunn (Aurora Books, York), UK Radio Astronomy Association, and Brian McGee
(Astro Expeditions) |
|
|
At
5.00 pm in the ground-floor lecture theatre a talk was presented by Dr
Francisco Diego Senior
Research Fellow, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College
London Aliens! : Could Darwin Work on
the Worlds of Galileo? The
recent discovery of planets around more than 400 nearby stars indicates that
there may be billions of planets in the Milky Way galaxy. Will we ever know
how many of them might also be living paradises suitable for Darwinian
processes? |
|
|
|
|
A
video of the Exhibition Meeting, produced by Bob Marriott, is now available
for download WMV
format – 182 Mb – 29 minutes |
|
|
Visitor |
|
since 14 December 2008 |
|
|
Report
on the Exhibition Meeting 2009 |