Public talks

We meet approximately every two weeks for talks on astronomy and related topics. These talks are open to the public - no need to book.

After Easter, starting on Friday 2nd May 2025, our meetings will move to the small hall, Shirley Methodist Church, Eldon Avenue, CR0 8SD and will be held on the first and third Friday of each month. Our meetings will run, as now, from 7:30 – 9:30.

Shirley Methodist is within walking distance of Trinity School and is easily accessible by bus from East Croydon. There is parking on site but, if it is full, there is ample parking on nearby roads.

Programme

The dates for the rest of2026 will be the 1st and 3rd Fridays of the month:

January 2nd & 16th, February 6th & 20th, March 6th & 20th.

January 2nd.

La Palma and the CAS.

The Observatory on La Palma and Croydon Astronomical Society have been connected for many years. From Dr.Paul Murdin who was was a member of CAS the 50s and who took the Issac Newton Telescope to La Palma and was the first Head of Operations and John Mills our member from the 70s who went there as electronics engineer on the telescope in the mid 80s through to the many private visits to the island and Observatory by members.

Our speaker tonight and one of those visitors is Konrad Malin-Smith. He will speak about the various times he has been to La Palma and his experiences there.

January 16th.

"The Universe is like a Box of Chocolates, an introduction to the Milky Way and other Galaxies".

Tonight we welcome Les Brand FRAS who lectures at the Royal Observatory Greenwich and presents at the Peter Harrison Planetarium. He will lead us through a history of Galaxies, their formation and different types, starting with our own Milky Way and moving out to the other different galaxies in the Universe.

This will be an online presentation.

February 6th.

Reach for the Stars - How a Croydon School aims to be the first school in UK to have its own satellite in orbit.

We welcome back Arabi Karteepan who is the Head of Physics at Croydon High School for Girls.

A couple of years ago she spoke to us about the girls "Astrogazers" group and how they had successfully launched instrumentation 37 kilometres high on weather balloons. She left us with a cliff hanger...... they had plans to build and launch their own CubeSat!

Tonight we will hear how a school (with only normal resources, no astronomical budget!) will achieve this amazing milestone.

Arabi Karteepan was one of our best speakers, giving a clear, concise but entertaining and accessible talk. We highly recommend with talk. She was the winner of the 2024 Royal Astronomical Society "Secondary and Further Education Award" and one of last years winners of the Institute of Physics "Teacher pf Physics" Awards.

February 20th.

Graham's new toy.

Using a home made spectroheliograph to image the sun in narrow band light.

Ever since he first looked through a Hydrogen Alpha telescope at the sun, Graham has been interested in solar observing. The surface of the sun, and the prominences, are great to look at and notice how they change over an afternoon.

And solar observing has the benefit of being able to be done in the daytime when you can see what you are doing, it isn’t cold and it doesn’t get in the way of an early night.

But narrow band telescopes (such as the Coronado PST, or the Lundt solar telescopes) are expensive. They cost several hundred pounds – even several thousand pounds to get a good one.

The home-built spectroheliograph that Graham will demonstrate is no more expensive that the cheapest solar telescope but is so very much better. Graham will explain how it works and demonstrate some images which, he assures us, will match the detail and quality of images obtained from much more expensive equipment.

Location

The church is between Wickham Road and Eldon Avenue, but the entrance is in Eldon Avenue.

If driving from West Wickham turn right down Shirley Avenue then first left to Eldon Avenue.
If driving from Croydon or London Eldon Avenue is a turning on the left off the dual carridgeway.
If driving from New Addington go right at the roundabout into Wickham Road, then left into Shirley Avenue then left into Eldon Avenue..

There is a small parking area in the church grounds, otherwise park on the local roads (Barnfield Avenue, Eldon Avenue or Shirley Avenue for example).

These buses stop close by and all of them connect with East Croydon Railway Station and tram stop.

119: Croydon Airport to Bromley Catch the bus at stop E1

194: West Croydon to Lower Sydenham Catch the bus at stop E1

198: Shrublands to Thornton Heath Catch the bus at stop E1

466: Caterham-on-the-Hill to Addington Village Catch the bus at stop E3

If coming from East Croydon get off at Valley Walk. This stop is on the dual carriageway. Walk up the slight hill, left into Eldon Avenue, and the church entrance is on the right.

(Note that to go back to East Croydon you will need to go to stop M (named Upper Shirley Road) in Wickham Road and catch the 119, 194 or 198 )