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Juniors meetings are open to 7 to 13 year olds of all abilities. A fun, friendly group for curious young space explorers. Come and start your journey into the cosmos. Free refreshments are available during the interval and if the sky is clear we will take telescopes outside for observing.
Meeting Details
Meeting Details
The meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month from September to May, starting at 6.00pm and finish at 7:30pm.
2026-2027 Season
Date Topic
Date Topic
15th September 2026 Theme: Welcome to Astronomy
Presentation: What astronomy is, what can we see in the sky, and how the junior section will work
Creative Activity / Observing: Decorate a personal observing logbook and practice spotting north, south, east and west
Age - Appropriate Learning Outcome: Children can explain that astronomy is the study of space, know how to start recording what they see
13th October 2026 Theme: The Moon
Presentation: Why the Moon looks different during the month, with simple examples of phases, craters and shadows
Creative Activity / Observing: Make a Moon phase wheel or a simple crater tray; observe the Moon if visible
Age - Appropriate Learning Outcome: Children can name some Moon phases and describe craters as marks made by
impacts
10th November 2026 Theme: Planets and the Solar System
Presentation: Meet the planets, learn their order from the Sun, and compare rocky planets with giant planets
Creative Activity / Observing: Build a simple Solar System model, play a planet-order challenge, or design a planet fact
card
Age - Appropriate Learning Outcome: Children can put the planets in order and share one interesting fact about a planet
8th December 2026 Theme: Stars, Constellations and Winter Skies
Presentation: How people use star patterns, what constellations are, and how to look safely at the winter sky
Creative Activity / Observing: Create a constellation viewer or
simple star map; try supervised outdoor observing if conditions allow
Age - Appropriate Learning Outcome: Children can recognise that constellations are patterns of stars and identify at least
one winter constellation
12th January 2027 TBC
9th February 2027 TBC
16th March 2027 TBC
13th April 2027 TBC
11th May 2027 TBC
Full annual membership of £30 covers entry to the juniors meetings, but casual visitors are welcome. To cover our costs there is a visitor fee of £5 per meeting - which includes refreshments during the break.
For more information, please browse around the website or email: valrussel@newburyastro.org.uk
You can follow us on X – @newburyastro – and we are Newbury Astronomical Society on Facebook – so give us a like!
Juniors meetings are held in the St Barts School, Andover Road, Road, Newbury, RG14 6JP. There is free parking on site. Click here for a map. The talks are aimed at juniors who have an interest in or are intrigued by astronomy. Children must be accompanied by a responsible adult. Please dress warmly for the observing, especially during the winter months!
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