Public Open nights
Saturday 7th December 2024, 17:00hrs to 19:00hrs.
and Saturday March 8th 2025, 19:00hrs to 21:00hrs.
A note about the weather.
Unfortunately our telescopes cannot see through cloud please check it is clear before leaving home.
We plan to have many telescopes of various sizes, to bring you the very best sights of the night sky. If the conditions are good, you will hopefully go home after seeing some amazing objects such as:
The Moon
The Earth's natural satellite, orbits some 240,000 miles from us. Its airless surface is covered with impact craters of all sizes, formed by meteorite bombardment. The darker grey areas are called "Mare" (Latin for "sea") but are actually ancient lava flows which have now cooled.
We offer two ways of viewing the Moon. You can look at it through traditional telescopes which will give good views of it at various magnifications.
We also have our Moon projector. This is located in the Community hall. Come in, sit down and see our interactive talk on the Moon which is centred around a projector showing the surface of the Moon in amazing detail on a large screen. The images are live from a camera attached to a large telescope just outside.
Jupiter
is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, and slightly less than one one-thousandth the mass of the Sun.
Saturn
is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest planet in our solar system. Like fellow gas giant Jupiter, Saturn is a massive ball made mostly of hydrogen and helium. Saturn is not the only planet to have rings, but none are as spectacular or as complex as Saturn's. Saturn also has dozens of moons. Seeing Saturn and its rings through a telescope is an experience that everyone should see.
Globular clusters
are tightly packed, symmetrical collections of stars. And they orbit mostly in the extended stellar halos surrounding most spiral galaxies. Plus, globular clusters contain some of the oldest stars in a galaxy, forming early in its history.
Planetary nebula
The planetary nebula phase is a final stage in a low-mass star's life. During this phase, the star sheds its outer layers. This creates an expanding, glowing shell of very hot gas. Despite the name, they have nothing to do with planets. They got this name because astronomers using small telescopes long ago, thought they looked a bit like planets.
Galaxy
A galaxy is a system of stars, stellar remnants, interstellar gas, dust, and dark matter bound together by gravity. The word is derived from the Greek galaxias, literally 'milky', a reference to the Milky Way galaxy that contains the Solar System.
Point & Shoot (You decide)
Another telescope will be available to view whatever you want! Have a go at using a telescope yourself with expert advice. If you are seriously interested in buying a telescope, this is the chance to ask questions before you go out and buy. This telescope is also accessible for wheelchair users.
All these objects and telescopes are subject to change and objects may be added or removed on the night.
Other objects will be posted nearer the time so check back soon. Our RSS, Twitter and Facebook feeds will alert you when the object list has been posted
Our Public Open Nights are held at:
St Michaels Church,
St. Michael’s Road, Daws Heath, SS7 2UW.
Free car parking is available on site in the Church car park.
For further information about the Open night or the Castle Point Astronomy Club.
Please contact us or subscribe to our Open Night RSS FEED for the latest news, or Follow @CPAstroClub
Location map of St Michaels Church
