We pick the best live and virtual astronomy events and resources this month
PICK OF THE MONTH
Online: Year of Space lecture series
Enjoy the Geological Society’s talks from a range of space and planetary scientists The geology of the planets, moons and smaller bodies in our Solar System (as well as the worlds beyond) has been the focus of the Geological Society’s ‘2021 Year of Space’. Now you can catch up with all 10 of its public lectures, including a tour of the landscapes of Venus with Dr Peter Grindrod of the Natural History Museum and a close-up look at asteroids and comets with Professor Alan Fitzsimmons. In other talks, Dr Katie Joy explores the surface of the Moon, and Dr Ralph Lorenz (from the John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory) delves into Saturn’s icy moon Titan. For details see:
Radio: Elon Musk: The Evening Rocket
BBC Radio 4, available online Harvard historian Jill Lepore’s five-part radio series explores what helped shape the SpaceX founder and would-be Mars coloniser Elon Musk. bbc.in/3GmR1m4
Online: James Webb Space Telescope
10 December, 7:30pm All are welcome to Norwich Astronomical Society’s online talk on the largest space telescope ever launched, the James Webb Space Telescope. Book your place at: www.norwichastro.org.uk
Live: Geminids stargazing
Bellingham campsite, Northumberland, 12 and 13 December Enjoy an evening of dark-sky stargazing, and possibly a few Geminids meteors, with host astronomer Robert Ince and friends. Tickets £15. www.stargazingevents.com
Live: Time in Einstein’s Universe
Christ Church, Redford Way, Uxbridge, 13 December, 8pm What happens to time inside a black hole? Does time even really exist? West of London Astronomical Society welcomes potential new members to a fascinating talk by best-selling author Colin Stuart.
Free. www.wolas.org.uk/meetings
Online: Planetary magnetic fields
16 December, 7:30pm The Astronomical Society of Glasgow presents ‘A Tour of Planetary Magnetic Fields in the 21st Century’, a Zoom lecture by Dr Ciaran Beggan from the British Geological Survey’s Lyell Centre. See www.theasg.org.uk for login details.
Live: Observation evening
Toothill Observatory, Southampton, 29 December, 7:30pm Join Solent Amateur Astronomers for an evening observing the Andromeda Galaxy, Orion Nebula, Uranus, Neptune and more, weather permitting. Nonmembers: adults £5, children 50p. The club also hosts Bob Mizon’s talk ‘Comets in History’ on 14 December, via Zoom.
See www.solentastro.org for more.
Live: Keele Observatory
Tuesdays and Saturdays Keele Observatory is starting to welcome back visitors. Entry is free, but it is booking only: e-mail astro.obs@keele.ac.uk with your name and the total number of people.