Times: Doors open at 8.30 am, close at 5 pm.
Ticket: £22.50 per person, including a buffet lunch.
Seats: A maximum of 55 attendees (on a first-come, first-served basis)
Parking: Parking is free. Click here for location.
Buy Tickets: Click here to buy Tickets

For more information, please email the secretary: secretary@yorkastro.org.uk

Schedule of Events

List of Speakers

Sue Bowler – Fred Hoyle: Yorkshire Grit Personified

Fred Hoyle (1915-2001) was one of the giants of twentieth century astronomy. His work was crucial to the understanding that we are made of elements that formed inside stars, for example, and he coined the phrase Big Bang; he also gave acclaimed public talks and wrote science fiction. Yet his considerable achievements were limited and overshadowed by his determination to go his own, independent, way. Did his Yorkshire grit help or hinder him?

Craig Stevens – Exploring Space, with True-to-Life Toys and Models

From the 1930s to the present day, space based toys and models have been produced and have been collected by enthusiasts of all ages. The advent of the Soviet Space Programme and NASA provided manufacturers with a blueprint, with which to produce realistic representations of spaceships, landers, satellites, and so on. Children (and adults) were introduced to a new play world, where they could take part in actual, science-based missions. In addition, a plethora of accurate model kits and replicas have become available.

Sue Bowler – John Michell’s Dark Star

John Michell (1724-1793) is buried at Thornhill Church, Dewsbury, where he spent the last 26 years of his life as rector. His early work at Cambridge University was in magnetism and geology, but later in life he pondered on gravity, devising an instrument to measure the mass of the Earth. He also described a dark star: one so massive that even light could not escape from it – what we know as a black hole.

Emma Alexander – Cosmic Magnetism

Magnetic fields are everywhere in the universe, existing on a large variety of strength and scales. They shape how stars form, power cosmic jets, and influence the structure of galaxies. Despite their ubiquity, many questions still remain about their origins, evolution, and interactions with astrophysical material. During the talk we will discover how we detect magnetism in space – and why it matters.

Brad Gibson – The Elusive Hunt for Dark Matter: A Nobel Prize in Waiting

The hunt for the elusive Dark Matter which dominates the matter content of our Universe is perhaps the most exciting (and frustrating) mysteries of the past half-century. This hunt is the primary science driver behind a myriad of next-generation ground- and space-based experiments, including the Vera Rubin Observatory, Euclid, and DESI. Some of the landmark observations which proved the existence of dark matter are well-known and well-documented, but there are a number of pioneering and unappreciated works which paved the way for those now associated with ‘Dark Matter’. Dr Gibson will explore a number of these incredibly prescient works in order to shed light on those whose contributions have perhaps been forgotten to the mists of time.