Where to Find Breckland Astronomical Society Events, News and Images

Breckland Astronomical Society (brecklandastro.org.uk) publishes its upcoming events, monthly meeting details, public observing nights, newsletter and image gallery on its own website. The site also links to an app and online calendar for event reminders, plus a local weather forecast for judging observing conditions. Everything below comes from the society's own pages; check the site directly before travelling, since dates and speakers can change.

Upcoming events: where the dates live

The homepage carries a Next Events section listing the nearest fixtures with date, time, venue and a short description. Each entry links through to the relevant part of the meetings page — for example, public observing nights link to /meetings/#public-obs and monthly meetings to /meetings/#monthly.

Two examples taken from the site at the time of writing:

The society also points members and visitors to an app and an online calendar so you don't miss upcoming events. The site offers an app install prompt for quick access to events and membership.

Monthly meetings: what to expect

• Who can attend: open to all — members and non-members, regardless of experience or knowledge.
• Booking: none needed; just turn up.
• When: the second Friday of every month.
• Where: Great Ellingham Recreation Centre.
• Timings: doors open 7:15 pm, sessions start 7:30 pm.
• Cost: £3.00 entrance fee, free for under-18s.
• Format: usually features a speaker. Some talks are delivered remotely — the Women In Astronomy Part 2 session had the speaker joining via Zoom while the audience met in the hall.

Public Observing Nights

These are free observing sessions at the society's observatory, held on the last Friday of the month when it is dark enough — which normally rules out May, June and July. There is no schedule: arrive when you wish and leave when you are tired, even though the event is planned to run for a few hours. Although free, donations are welcomed.

The observatory sits at the corner of the recreation ground and is a designated Dark Sky Discovery Site, equipped with a computer-controlled 20-inch reflecting telescope.

Newsletter, images and observing weather

• Newsletter: called Extra Terrestrial — the site's Newsletter section is the entry point.
• Pick of the Images: a gallery of member images, with a "See more" link to the wider collection.
• Local weather forecast: linked from the site so you can judge cloud cover and conditions before an observing night.

Quick answers

Do I need to be a member to come along? No — monthly meetings are open to members and non-members, and public observing nights are free to all.

Do I need to book? No booking is required for monthly meetings; public observing nights have no schedule and you come and go as you please.

How do I keep track of events? Use the Next Events section on the homepage, or the app and online calendar the society links to.

What if the weather is poor? Check the local weather forecast linked from the site before setting out for an observing night.