It’s nearly here. The new season with so much to look forward to and challenges ahead
The 1000th Meeting!
After a lot of planning and some ups and downs, the YAS 1000th meeting will take place this coming Friday, 7th September at 19:00 . Don’t forget that, as a YAS member, you do not need a ticket but non members do and they can be obtained free of charge from St Peter’s.
There will be 4 short lectures showcasing the best of YAS and a free buffet. Enormous thanks to St Peter’s School for hosting this event for us.
Moving to Beetle Bank
The time for submitting comments about the planning application has now closed. We understand that the decision will be made by the City of York Council Planning Committee on September 13th. When we know the outcome there will be a special bulletin issued.
Once again, we are appealing for members with building or engineering skills to help with the move to Beetle Bank. If you would like to help in either an advisory or practical capacity, please contact us at a meeting or by email.
Membership Fees Due
Annual membership fee are now due. Following a resolution over a year ago, the 2018/19 fees have increased to £25.00 adult membership, £12.50 concessions (unwaged, over 60 or full time education) and under 16’s continue to be free.
Payment can be made by cash, cheque or card (PIN or contactless) at meetings or enquire by email. If you are a UK Taxpayer you could also GiftAid it. Forms available at meetings.
Rievaulx Terrace Event
September 15th sees a return visit to Rievaulx Terrace for a “Stargazing and Nature Walk Night” with the National Trust. Martin Whipp will be doing a talk and we have a couple of volunteers already. If you would like to help out (bring a scope or manage the crowds) please let us know ASAP here.
Knavesmire Star Parties
The first Knavesmire Star Party will be on Thursday 20th September. Come along to the Knavesmire for 19:00. Bring your scope. The next one will be on 18th October.
New Meetings Season
The first ‘normal’ meeting will be on Friday 21st September at Priory Street (usual start time 20:00) when Paul Money returns to educate and entertain us.
Forthcoming Event at Beetle Bank
We intend to hold a free event at Beetle Bank, currently entitled “A telescope is not just for Christmas” on November 17th. This is intended to guide prospective purchasers of telescopes either for themselves or as gifts. We will offer advice on what to look out for: the good and the bad, types of telescope, what they can realistically do and so on. We need your help if you are willing to bring your scope (beginner, mid range or advanced) and would be prepared to say a few words on why you chose the scope, what you use it for, what you see and how much it cost. We need three or four people to do this. We will also need several members to bring their scopes to show further examples and provide an opportunity to view the sky. Please get in touch ASAP by email so that the programme can be finalised and the event publicised.
Annual General Meeting (AGM)
The AGM will take place on October 5th 2018. At this meeting, the Annual Financial Report and the Trustees’ Annual Report will be presented for approval,
The meeting will also have the opportunity to vote for Trustees within the rules of the constitution. Three existing Trustees will be standing down and hopefully standing for re-election. There are also currently three vacancies. If you are interested in becoming a Trustee of YAS (with a term of three years) please look out for a specific email about this or if you would like more information please email.
There will also be a call for members to come forward to fill roles within the Management Committee. We intend to try to spread the workload as we start to establish ourselves at Beetle Bank. Please think about volunteering for either a specific role or as a committee member.
Some useful links
BAA Observing Calendar September 2018
BAA Bimonthly Sky Notes
SEASKY Astronomy Calendar
Aurora Watch