Public Starnights

'Star Nights'for the Public

These are public events held in conjunction with a variety of organisations/venues including the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, Normanby Hall and for 2012 with Creswell Crags in Derbyshire as well. Sadly the LWT events will take place at just two venues across Lincolnshire for 2012 due to volunteer shortages at Banovallum HQ and Whisby so they will not be hosting Starnights for 2012. Starnights will take place at Gibraltar Point Visitor Centre just south of Skegness on the Lincolnshire Coast and at Far Ings Visitor Centre near Barton upon Humber (left image). If you feel strongly about starnights no longer being held at either Whisby Education Centre or at the LWT HQ in Horncastle then I suggest you contact the LWT directly.

Normanby Hall is naturally at Normanby Hall, North Lincolnshire. Creswell Crags star nights are held at the Visitors Centre at Creswell Crags, Derbyshire.

Most events now ask that you book in advance so please refer to their respective web sites for details.

All the evenings will have a basic theme but if the sky is clear then observing with my telescope will take place instead of (and occasionally as well as) the evenings talk. Note that the events still take place even if the sky is cloudy as I will always give a talk based on that nights theme. There will usually be a charge for admission for the public which it should be noted is beyond my control.

Very Important!

Always come prepared for observing so make sure you are well wrapped up and have good footwear especially during the winter sessions! By it's very nature Astronomy and practical night sky observing are conducted in the dark so neither the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust/Forestry Commission/Normanby Hall/ North Lincolnshire County Council/Creswell Crags nor I (Paul Money) accept responsibility for misbehaviour of participants or anyone who doesn't take care in the dark. Please bring small torches but NOT mega bright ones! Binoculars would be useful if you wish to bring them along. Children should be accompanied by adults at all times. Note that for many events the cutoff time is now 9:30pm but where possible and if conditions allow we may have the option to continue longer if we do have clear skies.

2011
2011 saw the public starnights begin with a special event at the Education Centre, Gibraltar Point, Skegness run in conjunction with the BBC TV series Stargazing Live on January 4th to watch the partially eclipsed Sun rise looking like a sharks fin. Along for the view was BBC Look North reporter Amanda Thompson and cameraman Andy White and apart from a few areas across the UK we were lucky enough to see it (left) before snow blotted out the Sun. The Andromeda Galaxy is often a favourite and all the more amazing as it lies 2.5 million light years away! Another favourite is seeing planets such as Saturn and in the latter half of the year, Jupiter (left). Not all ‘starnights’ are actually starnights! On June 26th we held a ‘Sun Day’ at Gibraltar Point which was cloud free and thoroughly enjoyable with upwards of 40 attending to view the Sun safely and watch the wide range of bird life present! Overall for 2011 most starnights had partial or fully clear skies with only a few completely clouded out. So it was especially rewarding to have the final ‘starnight’ of 2011 at Far Ings, Barton, partially clear to witness another eclipse - this time the end of a Total Lunar Eclipse with only the final phase visible from the UK. After a talk describing the moon and explaining eclipses we all gathered in the cold wind on the south bank of the Humber on the afternoon of Dec 10th. Rising up past the south tower of the Humber Bridge the partially eclipsed moon (right) steadily rose passing through semi clear patches before becoming lost in thicker cloud. Many thanks to all the volunteer helpers with telescopes and to the various venues & staff for a successful year bringing the wonders of the Universe and night time natural world to the public and lets hope for clear skies for the 2012 events currently organised and listed below. Paul
2012 dates
Events for BBC Stargazing Live Mon January 16th to Wed January 18th
Monday Jan 16th 6pm to 9:30pm	LWT Far Ings / Waters Edge Centre, Barton upon Humber	The Winter Night Sky	Note this is a joint event with the organisers of the Waters Edge Centre at Barton upon Humber. Take a ramble through the Winter stars and seek out the giant planet Jupiter.
Tuesday Jan 17th Time 6pm onwards	Tattershall Castle	The Winter Night sky	Viewing from the grounds of Tattershall castle and possibly a talk on the night sky if cloudy.
Wednesday Jan 18th 7pm to 9:30pm	LWT Gibraltar Point Visitors Centre, Skegness	The Winter Night Sky	Take a ramble through the Winter stars and seek out the giant planet Jupiter.
Friday February 3rd 7pm to 9:30pm	LWT Far Ings Visitors Centre, Barton upon Humber	Catch an evening star, a giant planet and the moon	The Winter/spring sky plus the planets Jupiter & Venus and the Moon.
Friday March 30th 8:30pm to 10:30pm	LWT Far Ings Visitors Centre, Barton upon Humber	Goodbye to the Winter stars and hello Spring Sky	Goodbye to the Winter stars and hello Spring Sky plus Jupiter, Venus, Mars, Moon and Saturn!
Wednesday April 18th 7:30pm	Creswell Crags Visitor Centre	The Spring Night Sky	Explore the Stars and Planets of the Springtime night sky
Saturday April 28th 8pm until ~ 10:30pm	LCC Normanby Hall	Spring Starry Starry Night	Explore the Stars and Planets of the Springtime night sky
June 2nd Afternoon	LWT Far Ings Visitors Centre, Barton upon Humber	‘Sun Day’	Explore our nearest and most important star, the Sun, safely
June 5th / 6th Overnight/ early morning	LWT Gibraltar Point Visitors Centre, Skegness	The Transit of Venus	View (weather permitting) the last Transit of Venus across the disk of the Sun of our lifetime and in the talk discover the links it has with Captain Cook and Sir Joseph Banks!!
Friday August 10th 8:30pm to 10:30pm	LWT Far Ings Visitors Centre, Barton upon Humber	Perseid Meteor shower	Look out for early meteors and explore the Summer Milky Way.
Saturday September 22nd at 7:30pm	LCC Normanby Hall	“Autumn time starry night”	Enjoy a tour round the delights of the Autumn time night sky
Monday October 22nd 7:30pm	Creswell Crags Visitor Centre	The Moon and the Autumn Night Sky	Explore the Moon, Stars and Planets of the Autumn night sky
Friday October 26th 7pm to 9:30pm	LWT Gibraltar Point Visitors Centre, Skegness	Our nearest neighbour the Moon	Look at our nearest neighbour the Moon and explore the planet Jupiter as it lies in the eastern sky.
Friday November 23rd 7pm to 9:30pm	LWT Far Ings Visitors Centre, Barton upon Humber	Our nearest neighbour the Moon	Look at our nearest neighbour the Moon and explore the planet Jupiter as it lies in the eastern sky.