Stargazing Live : Friday 13th to Sunday 15th January 2017 - 6:00pm to 10:00pm

Updates

15-01-2015 16:30 Angaisnt all expectations, last night we manged to get in a couple of hours observing. The forecast tonight are saying 100% and drizzle, so it looks like we'll be inside. Feel free to drop in any time!

14-01-2015 19:25 Surprisingly, it's cleared up to the North, so we are setting up the telescopes again.

14-01-2015 19:00 After the last update, Clear Outside changed their forecast to mostly cloudy. Now we've got to Henley-in-Arden we've found that it is indeed cloudy. We did try to setup a couple of 'scopes to pick up the odd star we could see, but we've had to give up on that, so all the telescopes will be inside unless it clears up.

14-01-2015 11:30 Last night the sky was clearer than weather forecasts might have suggested and we managed to keep observing all evening. Tonight, Metcheck is suggesting more cloud than last night but Clear Outside is saying that it will be much clearer, especially later in the evening. We shall probably have to wait until later to see what actually happens. Fingers crossed. If there any chance of observing, we will have telescopes outside.

13-01-2015 20:15 The weather has been a bit changeable all week. We have been observing tonight and although the clouds keep coming an going there's always been some clear patches and sometimes it's been completely clear. There's still loads of stuff to see in the sky. We have at least 4 telescopes outside with talks and displays in the club house.

Weather for tomorrow & Sunday currently looks less promising but we will be here whatever the weather.

Henley Star Party

Early in 2017 we are holding our usual weekend outreach event at Henley Golf and Country Club in conjunction with the BBC's Stargazing Live theme.

In the event of cloudy skies we shall use the club house to show you videos, telescopes and discuss topics of Astronomy and Cosmology.

As in previous years we will be running a free public "Star Party". This will include a range of interesting activities for people of all ages, each evening from Friday 13th to Sunday 15th January from 6:00pm to around 10:00pm. This will be an opportunity for you, your friends, children, to see planets, moons and galaxies as well as to learn about astronomy and telescopes. On our chosen dates astronomical twilight (when the sky is dark enough to observe fainter objects) begins not long after 18:25 GMT so visitors should be able to look through telescopes in the early evening. This will be helpful to those with young children with early bedtimes.

We are also extremely grateful to the hospitality shown us by the staff and management of Henley Golf and Country Club. They were tremendously helpful in making last year’s weekend a success.

In previous years we had great nights with around 200 people attending on the clearest night.

The photo above shows some of the telescopes we have had on display previously. There will be experts available to help visitors with advice about astronomy, telescopes and any other questions visitors may have. We also plan to have indoor briefing sessions to brief people about what can be observed that night, so as to make their skywatching more effective when they go outside. What we can show you outside will depend on the weather. We will "spread the word" online via this site, Facebook and Twitter about how the weather is affecting us so please keep an eye on our news.

Henley Golf and Country Club

Henley Golf and Country Club is an excellent venue for these events because it is located in an area that is much less light-polluted than many adjacent districts and offers a wide panorama of the sky.

The Golf Club will provide hot food & drinks along with a licensed bar.

Henley Golf and Country Club, Henley-in-Arden, Warwickshire. B95 5QA