Bath Astronomers

Looking forward to Dr Heather Johnston's talk on evening Wed 28th Oct on Sculpting Planetary Systems. Dr Heather Fenwick Johnston is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Exeter where she works on all things to do with planet formation and evolution bathastronomers.org.uk/2026_dr_heat...

A fun afternoon with a stall at the 3SG Volunteer Fair in Bath Abbey. Got to chat to nearly 50 potential volunteers to hopefully woo them towards the dark side.

If we thought Daylight Saving was a pain, wait until we have a Leap Hour!

365 challenges completed already under 100hours.online and still a night to go. Many thanks to Jenny Shipway, Gemma Kerr, James Fawcett and Neill Sanders for making it possible.

Really looking forward to Dr Heather Johnston's talk to Bath Astronomers and the public on Wednesday 28th October. The title is "Nature vs Nuture: Sculpting Planetary Systems" Tickets available at: bathastronomers.org.uk/2026_dr_heat...

Such an enjoyable evening at Wellow with families taking on the 100hours.online challenges. We dodged the clouds to complete all the challenges and have a visual and telescopic tour of the slies over Somerset. Thanks to all the lovely families that travelled to Wellow this evening.

A great start to 100 Hours of Astronomy with challenges completed all over the UK. Still 3 more nights to get friends and family involve simply by visiting 100hours.online on your smartphone. #100HoursOfAstronomy #100Hours #stargazingcountdown #StarryNights #selfcare

The southwest finds gaps in the clouds this morning and starts 100Hours of Astronomy using the amazing app at 100hours.online 4 fun tasks to spot things in the night sky. You can take part this evening. Runs from 1st to 4th October

Bath Astronomers members are supporting 100hours.online to encourage everyone to look up and enjoy the night sky. Hoping for loads of pins in the online UK map in the south west. The action starts on Thursday 1st October at 00:00 so keen to see those first pins on web app. 100hours.online

Whoosh!!! Just 5 more years to Jupiter.

Saturn reaches opposition on 4th October. This is when the Earth moves directly (almost) between the Sun and the Saturn. There is an odd visual effect on the brightness of the rings as observed from Earth. It is called Opposition Surge or the Seeliger Effect after its discoverer.

FIVE days to go! People across the world will be looking up at the starry skies 1-4 October for '100 Hours of Astronomy'. Take a short break, step outside, and join us at 100hours.online to complete four simple stargazing challenges and put a marker on your town or city of our UK/Ireland map.

Ready to deliver Georgian astronomy outreach at the Jane Austen Festival.

After a day of solid cloud cover and drizzle, I find myself surprised that the Sun kept busy without us. I love using jHelioviewer to make videos from Solar Dynamics Observatory images.

For over 7 years, the favourite activity when out and about on outreach is pneumatic paper rocket launching. Even better when dressed as an astronaut.

A great day sharing the fun and fascination of space with hundreds at Bathampton Village Show. We missed the 100's of Jane Austens in the City Centre but my hat had a Georgian theme.

All set up ready for our final local show of the year. It's never been about a membership drive. Just a little area in a field to spark wonder in minds of every generation who popped along for the Tombola, burnt burgers and Face Painting

Bath Astronomers have visited 10 community fetes this year. The final one this year is today - Bathampton Village Show. Larkhall Fest, WestFest, Combe Down Fest, Saltford Fest, Bath Rotary Fest, Hinton Charterhouse Fete, Odd Down Fest, Batheaston Fete, Wellow Village Show & Marshfield Village Day.

Got my copy of How to Design a Universe by @astroroyalscot.bsky.social . Looking forward to reading it on cloudy evenings when stargazing is not possible. Clear this evening so it will have to wait. Supernovas to have a look at.

Mutuals from twitter times will remember my very dark yrs of Long Covid 😵‍💫 I lost so much, but found a wonderful silver lining to the dark cloud: I decided to use all the time in bed to v slowly write a book. It took 3yrs. I can't quite believe that tomorrow is publication day & Fri is book launch! 🥹

What a lovely surprise to meet @astroroyalscot.bsky.social's mum at an event in Somerset today. It was a celebration of the award of the British Empire Medal to Jean Routley and Ann was with Jean. It's a small world.

Hopefully Nancy Grace Roman space telescope will be able to launch today at 12:26pm during lunch. Coverage starts at 11:18am on SpaceX. Weather is still 50% chance. science.nasa.gov/blogs/roman/... Watch: www.spacex.com/launches/roman

Smart Scopes are great but sometimes they can be a pain and you can miss the very thing you set out to watch.

Almost maximum

Love that Moon and Earth working together

Enjoying the eclipse from a Somerset hillside with a badger

Welcome to National Colander Day. Last celebrated 27 years ago. #LoveMyColander

Taken my colander on holiday to Bristol. Seeing the eclipse safely for those without eclipse glasses

Well that's fun. First time I've been asked to do an interview with the opening line "you must bring your own Colander!"

Nervously walking through busy crowds in Bath. If anyone discovers I'm carrying 200 pairs of eclipse glasses, perhaps the last in the city, it could trigger a riot. Perhaps my astronomer's gait will give me away. The result of years carrying OTAs to outreach events.

Glad to see @gostargazing.bsky.social and @firstlightoptics.bsky.social have smashed their last eclipse glasses record of 48,000 with a cool 100,000. Super happy @bathastronomers.org.uk helped in distributing 7,500 of these to local schools and young peoples' organisations.

I was really hoping for some great sunspot groups around the time of the solar eclipse to really accentuate the Moon's transit but I fear the cupboard may well be bare 😭

It's fun watching the waning Moon sneaking up on the Sun. Just 5 days until the Ninja Moon takes out the Sun.

Had a fun morning up in the Paddocks by Beckford's Tower checking all is ready for the partial solar eclipse next Wednesday evening. Thanks to Netty for being an amazing guide.

Waiting for lunar impact, under clouds, and getting wet fro. The rain. Oddly very happy.

Obligatory #selfie from the East Coast Main Line, rocking the I'm-about-to-sand-your-floors look 😷! Heading back to Westminster to ask MPs for their help in halting the impending catastrophic funding cuts to UK astro and particle physics. #SaveUKAstronomy 🔭

Bath Astronomers are kicking off their Partial Solar Eclipse campaign 3 months ahead of the big event on Wednesday 12th August 2026. The society are looking to supply up to 40 local schools with free solar glasses and guidance for schools on how to train pupils on their safe usage. Going to be busy

Great the buddy up with Bath Space Society at the University of Bath to run an evenings stargazing for all at Brickfields Park, Bath last night. Lots of people seeing different types of celestial objects for the very first time.

Thanks to Skye of Transition Bath for organising last night's #EarthHour in Royal Victoria Park, Bath. It was great to chat about protecting the night sky and then look up into it with 6 different telescopes all lined up and loads of keen visitors. The telescope crew were Martin, Roger and Simon.

Great evening catching up with friends at @bathastronomers.org.uk 50th Anniversary bash. Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell gave a fine talk and I got to catch up with Dr Jen Millard of Amesome Astronomy and Weatherman Walking fame.

Bath Astronomers aka Bath Astronomical Society made it to 50 years. Time to celebrate. Forecast is cloudy over Somerset so good chance the astrophotographers will join us 😜

Back in school today. This time Downside School, Stratton-on-the-Fosse, Radstock, to help support their topic To Infinity and Beyond. We spent our time looking for exoplanets, planets beyond those in our precious solar system. Over 7,000 found and no inbound phone calls for ET detected... yet.

The Bath Astronomical Society had its first meeting on Wednesday 24th March 1976. It was held at the Percy Boys Club and the small ad in the Bath Evening Chronicle had mustered quite a crowd. Great things lay ahead for the Bath Astronomical Society. As Bath Astronomers, it is still going strong.

A busy weekend of astronomy outreach. Had planned a quiet Sunday but lots of fixing/planning astro jobs to do!!! We've supported Astrofest 2026 by StarQuest in Sutton Veny and run two simultaneous observing sessions. One north of Bath for the public and one in All Cannings, Wilts for brave members.