Lewes Astronomical Society

30/10/2026

Our next talk* Entry Points to Astrophotography: from using what you own to buying your first 'rig' with Taylor Hughes, is happening on November 4th, 7.30pm, at The Subud centre in Lewes (BN7 2DS)

Have you ever seen photos of the night sky and thought "That's incredible, I wish I could do that!"? Us too!

Over the last few years, one of our members, Taylor, has been learning what it takes to capture exciting images of the night sky, and will be sharing what he's learned.
The session will cover what you need (and may already have) to get started, what to realistically expect from gear of different types and cost levels, and how to think about what works for you.

This will be followed by our Monthly celestial update with Paul Witmarsh, so stick around after the tea break.

Everyone is welcome.
Members go free. Non-members only £4.
Free Tea and Coffee during the break

*We ask all our speakers to aim their talks to astronomy novices. The reason for this is to make the topics accessible to everyone. However, we cannot guarantee that every audience member will understand everything in every talk. We hope that everyone will have an enjoyable evening and understand at least some of each talk.

📸From Taylor Hughes

30/10/2026

Our fantastic Monthly Star chart is out! Here's what to look out for in the Night Sky this month:

Saturn shines high in the evening sky, with Neptune nearby, while Uranus lies close to the Pleiades. Mars and Jupiter rise before midnight, and brilliant Venus lights up the morning sky.

Look overhead for Cassiopeia, the easily recognised W-shaped constellation. It’s a great starting point for exploring some beautiful star clusters, including M103, the spectacular Double Cluster and Caroline’s Rose – all wonderful sights through binoculars or a small telescope.

The Pleiades (Seven Sisters) also rise in the east. How many stars can you spot with the naked eye? Most people see six, but keen-eyed observers may see ten or more!

☄️ Don't miss November’s meteor showers:

Southern Taurids: 4–5 November

Northern Taurids: 11–12 November

Leonids: 18 November

The Taurids are known for their slow, bright meteors, while the Leonids are best viewed after 1am, once the Moon has set.

So wrap up warm, look up and enjoy the wonders of November’s night sky! ✨
📸Double Cluster
Chart produced by Sarah Carson and Paul Whitmarsh.
You'll find the star chart in the The Lewesian

05/10/2026

Happening Wednesday October 7th 2026, at 7.30pm at The Subud centre in Lewes (BN7 2DS)

Stars & Stoolball: A Short History of Herstmonceux Observatory with Ian Whiteley

This fascinating talk will explore the history of the Herstmonceux Observatory, from its origins and development to its important role in British astronomy. Discover the story behind the observatory’s distinctive buildings, the scientists and astronomers who worked there, and its contribution to astronomical research. The talk will also look at the observatory’s changing role over the years and its place in the history and heritage of science in Sussex.

This will be followed by our Monthly celestial update with Paul Witmarsh, so stick around after the tea break.

Everyone is welcome.
Members go free. Non-members only £4.
Free Tea and Coffee during the break

*We ask all our speakers to aim their talks to astronomy novices. The reason for this is to make the topics accessible to everyone. However, we cannot guarantee that every audience member will understand everything in every talk. We hope that everyone will have an enjoyable evening and understand at least some of each talk.

30/09/2026

Our fantastic Monthly Star chart is out! Here's what to look out for in the Night Sky this month:

The chart shows how the night sky changes through October: 11 pm at the start of the month, 10 pm mid-month and 8 pm at the end. The Moon’s position and phase are shown for the 20th, 24th and 28th. Saturn is well placed in the evening sky, with Neptune nearby and visible through binoculars or a small telescope. Mars and Jupiter appear an hour or two after midnight.

The meridian is an imaginary line running from due north to due south through the point directly overhead. The southern meridian is the section due south.

Near the southern meridian is Pegasus. Its large “empty” square is a test of eyesight and sky darkness. Under very dark skies, 30–50 faint stars can be seen within it. How many can you spot?

Pegasus is traditionally shown as an upside-down winged horse. Near the tip of its nose, binoculars reveal M15, a beautiful globular cluster containing hundreds of thousands of ancient, closely packed stars. Imagine the night sky from a planet orbiting one of them.

The top-left star of the Great Square, Alpha Andromedae, was once shared by Pegasus and Andromeda, but the International Astronomical Union assigned it to Andromeda in 1928.

Andromeda contains another test of dark skies: the Andromeda Galaxy. Following the star pattern east from Alpha Andromedae leads to a faint smudge. It is obvious through binoculars and, under dark skies, visible to the naked eye. About 2.5 million light-years away, it is one of the most distant objects visible without optical aid.

The Andromeda Galaxy and Milky Way are on a collision course and are expected to merge in about 5 billion years.

Star chart produced by Sarah Carson and Paul Whitmarsh.
You'll find the star chart in the The Lewesian

📸photograph of the Andromeda Galaxy by Paul Whitmarsh.

22/09/2026

Our next talk is happening on October 7th 2026, at 7.30pm at The Subud centre in Lewes (BN7 2DS)

Stars & Stoolball: A Short History of Herstmonceux Observatory with Ian Whiteley

This fascinating talk will explore the history of the Herstmonceux Observatory, from its origins and development to its important role in British astronomy. Discover the story behind the observatory’s distinctive buildings, the scientists and astronomers who worked there, and its contribution to astronomical research. The talk will also look at the observatory’s changing role over the years and its place in the history and heritage of science in Sussex.

This will be followed by our Monthly celestial update with Paul Witmarsh, so stick around after the tea break.

Everyone is welcome.
Members go free. Non-members only £4.
Free Tea and Coffee during the break

*We ask all our speakers to aim their talks to astronomy novices. The reason for this is to make the topics accessible to everyone. However, we cannot guarantee that every audience member will understand everything in every talk. We hope that everyone will have an enjoyable evening and understand at least some of each talk.

29/08/2026

Our fantastic Monthly Star chart is out! Here's what to look out for in the Night Sky this month:

September brings some fantastic sights to the night sky. Venus makes its final appearance as an evening star before returning as the morning star in October, while Saturn makes a welcome return to the evening skies. Early risers can also spot Mars and Jupiter.

It’s a great month to escape the town lights and look for the Milky Way, stretching from southwest to northeast across the sky. Keep an eye out for the avian-themed constellations Aquila the Eagle and Cygnus the Swan. 🦅🦢

With binoculars, there’s plenty more to discover. Look between Aquila and Scutum for the Wild Duck Cluster, a fan-shaped group of stars resembling a flock in flight. Nearby, the Dumbbell Nebula in Vulpecula is the glowing remains of a dying star.

And then there’s Deneb, the brilliant blue supergiant in Cygnus. It shines tens of thousands of times brighter than the Sun and, in a few million years, is expected to end its life in a spectacular supernova.

📸This month we also have a beautiful image of the Dumbell Nebula taken by Paul Whitmarsh

📊 produced by Sarah Carson and Paul Whitmarsh.
You'll also find the star chart in the The Lewesian

29/08/2026

Day 2 of the Astronomy Festival at Herstmonceux Observatory begins in an hour.

The observatory have some amazing activities and talks lined up for all of you. The domes with the giant telescopes will be open and there is even a Moon experience!

The astronomy societies are out in their tents. We are delighted to be situated between our friends Eastbourne and Brighton astronomical societies.

Today at our tent we will have colouring and straw rocket making. We also have more magazines and badges to give away. And if the weather is right for it we will take the solar scope out during the day and the telescopes out tonight.

Hope to see some of you there ☀️🔭

📸 Image taking by Paul Whitmarsh

27/08/2026

The LAS will have a stall at the astronomy festival this weekend.

Times for the festival:
Friday 10am to 5.30 and 6.30pm to 11pm
Saturday the same!
Sunday 10am until 5pm

The observatory will have lots of activities for adults and children and you can take tours of the telescopes. In the evenings you will able to look through them too!

Our stall will be near Dome D, we will have our solar scope and several telescopes with us. Plus we have a range of kids crafting activities!

Hope to see you there!

27/08/2026

27/08/2026

The Landport volunteer team with Mayor Adrian Ross, also a member of the LAS! We all had a wonderful time and it was great to meet so many lovely people. The event was extremely well done and the Landport picnic team created a wonderful community atmosphere. Thanks for the invite! And thank you to everyone that took part in the activities and came to see us!