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:
30th October 2025: "The Sixty-Four Trillion Mile Tape Measure" - Dr Jane Clark
Talk Description
The Sixty-Four Trillion Mile Tape Measure: That's how far away nearby stars are. Nobody came up with a credible answer until Friedrich Bessell managed this feat in 1838. We have tried to repeat this measurement with modern amateur equipment. We are looking for slight movement of the star as the Earth moves from one side of the Sun to the other. The signal is swamped out by atmospheric shimmer. There are many other difficulties. The Precession of the Equinoxes is noticeable on this timescale: in fact it is 200 times as strong a signal as the one for which we are looking. The time the light takes to travel down out telescopes is also significant. So, can we overcome these challenges?
Authors: Jane Clark & David Bennett
Biography
Jane Clark has been an enthusiastic amateur astronomer for 19 years. In that time, she has published four books on amateur astronomy. The latest is "Photographing Galaxies from Light Polluted Skies". Looking for a new challenge, she joined with David Bennet to try to measure the distance to a nearby star or two. She is minuting Secretary and Vice Chair of Cardiff Astronomical Society.
David Bennett is the Observatory Manager of Bristol Astronomical Society. He is heavily involved in measuring transits of exoplanets in front of their parent stars, and is a skilled astrophotographer. He has joined with Jane Clark to try to measure the distance to a nearby star or two.
| 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 | The sixty-four-trillion-mile tape measure | Dr Jane Clark, CAS |
| 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 | Second Star to the Right: A History of Celestial Navigation | Philip Wallace FRAS, CAS |
| 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 | The Secret History of a Space Telescope | Professor Stephen Eales, 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 | Space Domain Awareness (Title TBC) | 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 | Radio Astronomy (Title TBC) | Dr Biagio Forte, University of Bath |
| 11th June | ||
| 25th June | Solar Physics (Title TBC) - ZOOM EVENT | Professor Lyndsay Fletcher, University of Glasgow |
| 9th July |