We were really excited to join forces with the British Astronomical Association (BAA) and the Society for Popular Astronomy (SPA) to run this day-long Astronomy Back to Basics event in the historical surroundings of the Old Royal Naval College. Marie-Louise Archer coordinated for the BAA, Robin Scagell for the SPA, and I – Poly Philippou – coordinated for Flamsteed.
The event was fully booked within days of advertising! There were members of the three societies present, but the majority of the attendees were members of the public largely new to astronomy. In total, we had over 80 attendees.
It was a jam-packed day of talks, stands, telescopes, a planetarium show, a raffle, and goodie bags.
A big part of the day was the talks, all geared to a beginner-level audience. Our very own Simon Hurst ensured everything ran smoothly in the lecture theatre, managing both the presentations and sound.
The event opened with an introduction by Janice McClean, the recently appointed President of the BAA.
In the morning, Bobby Manoo gave a welcome from and introduction to the Flamsteed Society and also delivered an Introduction to the Skies. Mike Meynell followed with a talk on the History of the Royal Observatory Greenwich. Nick James from the BAA presented on The Solar System, and Philip Jennings, also from the BAA, spoke about The Moon, which included a quick sketching exercise.
After all this sitting down and listening, it was time to walk up the hill to the Observatory for the planetarium show! The ROG’s astronomer Sam gave the show, and the ROG was kind enough to tailor this for the event, highlighting subjects and objects mentioned in the talks. For many of those present, it was their first time visiting a planetarium, and they thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
After the planetarium show, there was a well-earned lunch break, during which attendees could relax, explore Greenwich, and visit the stands at the event. The three societies – BAA, SPA, and Flamsteed – as well as First Light Optics (FLO) each had a stand. At the Flamsteed stand, we showcased videos of our society events and members’ astrophotography on laptops, and we demonstrated a selection of telescopes.
Then it was back into the lecture theatre for more talks! Robin Scagell from the SPA kicked off the afternoon with an Introduction to Equipment, followed by Mike Meynell presenting an Introduction to Astrophotography. This was very aptly followed by Richard Miles from the BAA, who spoke on Why We Need Dark Skies.
Afterwards, there was a well-deserved coffee break, during which the stands were once again very busy.
The final session of the day began with a talk on Deep Sky Objects by Nick James from the BAA, followed by Paul May’s presentation on Getting Involved – Next Steps. We hope this final talk gave everyone more information and motivation to pursue their interest in astronomy!
The day ended with a fun raffle featuring prizes from the three organisations involved, as well as others such as Royal Museums Greenwich, Dallas Campbell, and Jodrell Bank. This was followed by closing remarks from Janice McClean.
As attendees left, they were given goodie bags containing information and merchandise from the BAA, SPA, and Flamsteed, along with magazines, postcards, bookmarks, and chocolate (for an extra bit of energy on the way home after a very full day of astronomy!).
Huge thanks to all the Flamsteed speakers and helpers on the day – Bobby Manoo, Clive Inglis, Gurinder Lall, Mike Meynell, Paul May, Phil Benson, Richard Summerfield, and Simon Hurst. Thanks also to the BAA, SPA, FLO, Royal Museums Greenwich, and the University of Greenwich for their partnership in making the day such a success. It was a massive team effort!
Finally, thank you to all those who attended.
The event was not recorded, but copies of the slides will soon be available on the BAA’s website: https://britastro.org/.
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