Beginners Meetings

Beginner's meetings are open to all ages and abilities. Come along and hear about what's going on in the sky in the coming month(s) and one or more astronomy talks in layperson's terms. Free refreshments are available during the interval and if the sky is clear we will take telescopes outside for observing. 

Meeting Details

The meetings are held on the third Wednesday of each month from September to May, start at 7.00pm sharp and end at 9pm. 

We also produce a monthly Beginners’ Magazine which is downloadable here.

2024-2025 Season

Date Topic

18th September 2024 The birth & early life of a star - Observing Saturn

16th October 2024 Our Moon and its effect on our seas - Recent solar and summer observations

20th November 2024 What Colour is the Sun, A First Telescope for Christmas, and What do we need a telescope to see?

18th December 2024 The Drake Equation, Observing the Moon, and Observing the Planets in the Winter Sky

15th January 2025 Basic introduction to Astronomical Telescopes - How to set up and use your telescope

19st February 2025 Are all stars the same? - The constellation of Orion

 19th March 2025 Observing Elusive Mercury - The Summer Triangle, a Signpost to the Constellations

16th April 2025 What happens to stars as they grow old? - Studying starlight, our messenger from the stars

21st May 2025 Astronomy and things to see over the summer - The Perseid Meteor Shower

2023-2024 Season

Date Topic

20th September 2023 Observing the Autumn sky -- How to observe the night sky (Summer Triangle)

18th October 2023 Observing the Superior (outer) Planets -- Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune

15th November 2023 Leonid Meteor Shower 17th - 18th November -- Binoculars and Telescopes for Christmas

20th December 2023 The Winter Solstice next Friday 22nd December -- Star Clusters

17th January 2024 Basic introduction to telescopes -- The Wonders of the Constellation Orion

21st February 2024 Deep sky observing: Star Clusters -- A Beginners Guide to Observing our Moon

 20th March 2024 The Spring Sky -- Observing the Inferior (Inner) planets

17th April 2024 Why is the star Polaris so important? -- Observing our star the Sun

15th May 2024 The Summer Solstice -- Our tilted view of the sky

We also offer an ICS Calendar file of all the meetings (main & beginners) of the session to add to your phone or email client:

Full annual membership of £20 (free for children under 18!) covers entry to both main speaker meetings and beginners’ meetings, but casual visitors are welcome.  To cover our costs there is a visitor fee of £2 per meeting for adults (children are free) - which includes refreshments during the break.

For more information, please browse around the website or email: contact@newburyastro.org.uk

You can follow us on X – @newburyastro – and we are Newbury Astronomical Society on Facebook – so give us a like!

Beginners meetings are held in the Stockcross Village Hall (Sutton Hall); post code: RG20 8LN. There is free parking on site. Click here for a map. The talks are aimed at beginners of all ages and anyone is welcome to attend, all you need is an interest in astronomy.  Children must be accompanied by a responsible adult.  Please dress warmly for the observing, especially during the winter months!