Over the last few weeks we have been delivering astronomy sessions to two schools near Lancaster, Scorton and Calder Vale. This was a great experience for us and a really memorable time. One of the best times I have had since we started the company actually. The students were simply ravenous in their pursuit of knowledge and I am certain that the seeds of great dreams have been planted. The culmination of our time there was last night's observing event with our special guest, Professor Ian Morison of Jodrell Bank. It was a tour de force and Ian did a superb job. The advantage of these two schools is that they are in the middle of nowhere, meaning we had extremely dark skies, and fortunately the weather held out. Regrettably my phone battery was dying, so it killed the camera flash meaning no photos - D'oh! I do, however, have plenty of photos from our time there anyway, which I have posted below. I was also fortunate enough to be able to get a couple of posters from AstroFest which were autographed by Brian Cox which I gave to the school, and, as they seemed to have an obsession with Pluto there I also donated a book about the (seemingly) controversial little planetoid to them.
Photos below now. To see the high resolution shots simply click the slideshow.
Demonstrating black holes with a bin bag
Space art by students, inspired by Beauty In The Universe
Saying goodbye to a fantastic bunch of students
I'm sorry to be leaving, but the wrench on both sides tells us how great a time we all had. Thanks for the memories kids, and thanks To Holly, Liz, Allison and all the ladies at Scorton and Calder Vale.
The brilliant students at students at Scorton and Calder Vale
In other news, we also delivered, on the same night (don't ask - it was frantic) to a children's centre in Darwen. Another great event and around thirty families attended, many looking through telescopes for the first time. That is what Beauty In The Universe is all about, taking this science to people who have never experienced it before.
Darwen families observing
this was an eighteen hour day that commenced at 0430 for me. To say I am exhausted is an understatement, but what a labour of love. It was well worth it.
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AstroFest
Erica and I recently went down to Kensington to AstroFest. We had a great time. I personally attended a couple of fascinating lectures. One was about the detection and tracking of Near Earth Objects and the other about the restoration of Moon landing footage. I also bumped in to a lecturer, Don Kurtz, who recently appeared on BBC Stargazing Live. The highlights were undoubtedly meeting Mandy at the SPA and the big names I met: Sir Patrick Moore and Brian May (yes, THAT Brian May - he is an expert on interplanetary dust).
Check out below photos from the weekend, including meeting Brian and Patrick. I had to leave before I was able to get a shot with Brian Cox, but I did get a book signed for my son.
Amazingly, for an astronomer who has been at it for around 25 years this was my first AstroFest. It was a pretty frantic weekend but well worth it. It was great to see how much time these men had for the fans, particularly Patrick, whose health is making meets and greets like this prohibitive. I am the only person in my school generation I know of who stayed up late to watch The Sky At Night so this man is a hero of mine, and after reading his autobiography I found him to be a remarkable man in many ways, not just astronomy. Brian May was so gracious and had so much time for us geeks who are not lucky enough to have been in one of the greatest bands of all time.
Now we're back to work, and we're every excited about the future. check out our latest video about eclipses, made after several requests from Facebookers and parents. Read More!
Check out below photos from the weekend, including meeting Brian and Patrick. I had to leave before I was able to get a shot with Brian Cox, but I did get a book signed for my son.
Amazingly, for an astronomer who has been at it for around 25 years this was my first AstroFest. It was a pretty frantic weekend but well worth it. It was great to see how much time these men had for the fans, particularly Patrick, whose health is making meets and greets like this prohibitive. I am the only person in my school generation I know of who stayed up late to watch The Sky At Night so this man is a hero of mine, and after reading his autobiography I found him to be a remarkable man in many ways, not just astronomy. Brian May was so gracious and had so much time for us geeks who are not lucky enough to have been in one of the greatest bands of all time.
Now we're back to work, and we're every excited about the future. check out our latest video about eclipses, made after several requests from Facebookers and parents. Read More!