2025/2026 Talks
Our talks are usually held in person in the Trevithick Theatre at Cardiff University.
Booking is not required, however, if you are new to the Society please let us know when you arrive so we can give you a warm welcome. We kindly ask current members to bring their membership cards or membership number.
There is no requirement to wear a mask whilst on the premises; however, you are welcome to wear one should you wish.
Our talks usually start at 7.30 p.m. and are hosted by the School of Physics and Astronomy at:
Cardiff University
Queen's Buildings
The Parade
Cardiff
CF24 3AA
All attendees are kindly invited to sign the visitors' book upon arrival!
Next Talk:
Thursday 30th April - "AstroEngineering: Astronomy and Telescope Making" Martin Budzynski, Crewkerne & District Astronomical Society
Talk Description:
Bud Martin Budzynski came from (extremely) humble beginnings who began constructing his own telescopes out of cardboard and sticky tape while still a pupil at Junior school.
Later, in his early teenage years he began constructing better telescopes and crude cameras to capture the night sky... spending his paper-round money on film and chemicals.
All along the way, Bud soon discovered that astronomy equipment was not always built to the highest standards so he set about improving the engineering work by designing his own solutions to the problems.
As a result, it was never long before any manufacturers guarantee was invalidated!
Bud had always dreamed that one day he would have his own large telescope. As a schoolboy he had wondered what the view might be... looking through the 200 inch at Palomar.
Little did he know that 60 years later his dream would become reality. Bud has pursued an active role in re-engineering Astro gear to the present day.
Speaker Bio:
Bud is a renowned musician, film maker, writer, astronomer and astrophotographer specialising in lunar & planetary imaging. Besides having his pictures published internationally, he has also written a number of articles for astronomy magazines.
As an engineer, he also constructs telescopes and has invented various gadgets to improve the quality and performance of these instruments.
A born raconteur, Bud's presentations are superbly illustrated with colourful images and explanations.
You don't need a science degree to understand or appreciate his talks as they are tailored to suit the audience.
| Date | Description | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | ||
| 4th September | The Chemistry of the Universe | Professor Mike Edmunds |
| 18th September | The History of Sir Fred Hoyle | Dr Simon Mitton, St Edmunds, Cambridge |
| 2nd October | CAS Museum Exhibit - Private Showing | Tiffany Kew, CAS |
| 16th October | Why Chile is the best place in the world for astronomy | Dr Roger Wesson, Cardiff University |
| 30th October | Second Star to the Right: a History of Celestial Navigation | Phill Wallace JP FRAS |
| 13th November | Exoplanets with high dynamic range | Prof Hugh Jones, University of Hertfordshire |
| 27th November | The Original Orion | Dr Nik Whitehead, Uni of Wales Trinity St Davids |
| 11th December | The sixty-four-trillion-mile tape measure | Dr Jane Clark, CAS and David Bennett, BAS |
| 2026 | ||
| 8th January | Trapping nanoparticles and what we can learn about space weather | Dr James Bateman, Swansea University |
| 22nd January | Wales In Space | Dr Rosie Cane, Space Wales |
| 5th February | How to design a space telescope | Dr Lorenzo Mugnai, Cardiff University |
| 19th February | From the South Pole to Outer Space: Concordia research and ESA astronaut training - ZOOM EVENT | Dr Meganne Christian, UK Space Agency |
| 5th March | Astronomy and Art: Universal Appeal? | Dr Andy Newsam, Liverpool John Moores University |
| 19th March | Phosphine on Venus | Professor Jane Greaves, Cardiff University |
| 2nd April | Keeping Space Safe: How Advances in Space Domain Awareness and Space Traffic Control could affect you | David Sulley, UK Space Agency |
| 16th April | AGM | CAS Trustees |
| 30th April | Astrophotography, Astronomy and Telescope Making | Martin Budzynski, Crewkerne & District Astronomical Society |
| 14th May | Gravitational Waves (Title TBC) | Dr Vivien Raymond, Cardiff University |
| 28th May | Space Weather: What it is and how it can affect systems on Earth | Dr Biagio Forte, University of Bath |
| 11th June | Micro-Meteorites | Emma Wride, Director of AstroCymru |
| 25th June | Living with a star: solar activity and space weather - ZOOM EVENT | Professor Lyndsay Fletcher, University of Glasgow |
| 9th July | The Drake Equation | Dr Jeni Millard |