Date: April 24, 2009
Title: My Astronomical Society
Podcaster: James O’Neill
Organization: Sheffield Astronomical Society: www.sheffieldastro.org.uk
Description: Today is the 75th Anniversary of the Sheffield Astronomical Society. This podcast briefly describes the history of “my astronomical society”. I will talk to members of the SheffieldAS about our current projects and future ideas. The podcast examines how the society has developed over the years and now works hard as a charitable organisation to bring astronomy education to the public.
Bio: James O’Neill is a secondary science teacher in Sheffield, UK. He is the Vice President of the Sheffield Astronomical Society. He has had a lifelong interest in astronomy and space science. Previous jobs include at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratories Space Science Dept. and team member of ESA’s StartTiger programme (www.startiger.org). He also sits on Association of Science Education committees and that of the Association of Astronomy Education.
Today’s Sponsor: This episode of “365 Days of Astronomy” is sponsored by Joseph Brimacombe, a hyper-enthusiastic amateur astronomer based at the Coral Towers and Macedon Ranges observatories in Australia, and New Mexico skies in the United States and is dedicated to Lawrence Brimbacombe, my father and Sir Patrick Moore, the father of amateur astronomy in the United Kingdom, who inspired me as a boy to look upward and wonder. For more information go to: Northerngalactic.com or Southerngalacatic.com
Transcript:
Welcome to the 365 Days of Astronomy, International Year of Astronomy Podcast, for the 24th of April 2009. My name is James O’Neill. By day I teach science at a secondary school and by night I am an amateur astronomer. Today I’m going to talk about “My Astronomical Society”. This will include how I got into astronomy and how an astronomical society has made such a positive impact on my life today. So really I hope this is way I can say thanks to everyone who makes my astronomical society what it is. And at the same time I can tell you about the work we do and maybe make some more people around the world join up to their local groups.
Why today? Why the 24th of April 2009. Well today is the 75th anniversary of my astronomical society. And that society is the Sheffield Astronomical Society, here in the UK.
I started enjoying astronomy and space as a young boy. I now know that my father, with the best intention of course, kept pointing at Venus and Sirius telling me it was the pole star. I soon became a grumpy teenager and lost my interest. But it was one day in my twenties when I was walking to a shop in town, when I saw a magnificent star slowly brighten and streak across the daytime sky. I am a little boring a logical maybe so I didn’t think we were all under attack from aliens. I headed back to my laboratory at Sheffield University and told a few friends. “That’s a daytime Iridium Flare” someone casually told me. I couldn’t believe it. I saw a satellite in the middle of the day. I spent the whole afternoon reading hundreds of pages on the Internet about spaceflight and astronomy. I suddenly felt annoyed that I didn’t know more about this subject I deep down had a passion for. So I typed into a search engine “Sheffield Astronomical Society” and that was it. At the first meeting, only a couple of days later I was there. I met new people. I looked through a large telescope and I started to recognise a few constellations. Only six months later I was part of the organisational committee and I was standing in front of people talking about astronomy and space.
Now this led to many things. Two years later I managed to work on a project called “StarTiger” for the European Space Agency. I also realised that I had a passion for science education so retrained as a teacher. And here I am now with a Podcast as part of the IYA2009. I can truthfully say I would not be the person I am today if there were not that group of Sheffield amateur astronomers out there.
So what about the Sheffield Astronomical Society? It’s our anniversary. How did it all start? At a recent meeting I asked Steve Adams the society’s current President to explain this to us.
Well it is the International Year of Astronomy 2009. It’s also the Sheffield Astronomical Society’s 75th anniversary. We were formed, it was the 24th of April 1934. Steve as the president of the society could you tell me a little bit about the history if it and how it was formed.
Well it was formed in 1934 by a maths professor from Sheffield University. He gathered together a few people and it, membership changed during the Second World War up and down and it steadily progressed, based at the university. But when we actually moved from the university to this outdoor education centre on the western side of the city. That’s when it blossomed. And membership went up three or four fold. And we got a huge variety of people coming out into the dark skies to enjoy the fantastic skies we have out here.
The priorities of the society, I suppose, have changed. I’m only a recent member of tens years or so. So I have kinda seen it since it has been here at our base at Mayfield Valley. But how have you seen it cause you have been around a bit longer than me. What have you seen? What changes have you seen? And how has that affected people’s love of astronomy?
Well we did meet at the university, one of the lecture theatres at the university for many years. And it appeared to be a very academic society and people visiting often expected everyone to be PhD professors and so on and so forth who attended the meetings. But it wasn’t until we moved away from the actual physical academic area. That people suddenly realised this was for ordinary people to come and enjoy the fantastic subject of astronomy.
I agree with Steve that astronomy is for everyone. And I passionately believe that astronomy is more than just a hobby. Astronomy is something in built in our very psyche. If you think about it the human race has always been looking at the stars and asking Why? How? What? Religions are based on the movement of the stars and planets. History and myth revolve around their very presence. Since the invention of modern lighting, and therefore light pollution, have we lost our ability to relate to the stars? I believe we haven’t. I believe we just don’t give ourselves the time to do so anymore. This is why amateur astronomical society’s and for me the Sheffield Astronomical Society is so very important.
I was out observing and a friend Darren was giving a fantastic sky tour. He is one of our longest serving members. I asked him what he felt he gains from being a part of the Sheffield Astronomical Society.
Right then turn around the other way. We have a look here. The Great Bear. The Plough. Looks a bit like a question mark. In the sky at the minute. Now this stat here the second one. Can you see there is more than one? Yeah?
Darren what do you feel that you get out from being part of the Sheffield Astronomical Society?
Well there’s lots of various members, a whole cross section of the community that you can get to talk to and get to interact with. There’s the telescopes, there’s the different bits of equipment that are available that I can’t necessarily afford to own myself that I have access to. There’s lots of other people that are interested in similar types of things like astrophotography, which is something I am really keen on. And they get involved and you can bounce ideas of each other. So it’s like being, doing the stuff for yourself but then having other people to bounce ideas off and interact with that actually enhances what you can do for yourself. And in the same thing you can help then get along and do more as well. So you get a lot more out of it than just being there and just listening to talks and things like this that you might have at meetings. Actually getting involved with people and talking to them. You get to enhance your experience of astronomy and you get to help enhance other people’s as well. And there’s just all the friendships that you build up with other people while your getting involved with things.
As part of the Sheffield Astronomical Society I have taken part in some great events and have seen some specials moments in our history. In June 2004 we held our largest ever public event for the Venus Transit. We had over five thousand visitors in Sheffield City Centre. And we had seventy thousand individual hits for our website feed that day. In September 2004 we became a registered charity. And in 2006 we reached a total of 100 members for the first time. We continue to thrive and develop the work we do.
Maybe I am being too presumptuous but I have a feeling those listening to this Podcast are already people who enjoy astronomy, who have some interest in the subject. But you are the very people I want to say thanks to. You are the people I want to remind about the simple idea which is the footing for the International Year of Astronomy. Let’s get people looking down some telescopes. Let us give everyone the opportunity to experience something that is truly wonderful. The beauty of the night sky. So don’t forget your local astronomical society. Make sure you support them and the work they do.
Thank you for listening to my Podcast. I wish to thank all the members of the Sheffield Astronomical Society for all their help and wisdom over the years on this our 75th anniversary. I look forward to many more years enjoying those clear nights under the stars. If you would like to find out more about what we get up to. Or if you would like to contact us, simply to say hello. Please visit our website www.sheffieldastro.org.uk.
End of podcast:
365 Days of Astronomy
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The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the New Media Working Group of the International Year of Astronomy 2009. Audio post-production by Preston Gibson. Bandwidth donated by libsyn.com and wizzard media. Web design by Clockwork Active Media Systems. You may reproduce and distribute this audio for non-commercial purposes. Please consider supporting the podcast with a few dollars (or Euros!). Visit us on the web at 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or email us at info@365DaysOfAstronomy.org. Until tomorrow…goodbye.