Public Open Evenings

The next Open Evening is on 16th October 2010.

Our next Open Evening is on 16th October 2010. Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society holds a number of public open evenings each year during the Autumn and Winter months. They are usually arranged for evenings when the skies are relatively dark, and when the Moon and the more visual Planets can be seen through the telescope.

The open evenings offer better opportunities for members of the public to meet society members and find out more about the observatory and backyard astronomy in general.

Society members often bring their own telescopes to Open Evenings, so while we can't guarantee what equipment will be on hand to look through, there are usually a variety of amateur telescopes ranging in price from a few hundred pounds, to several thousand pounds which members of the public are welcome to look through, and compare to each other.

We usually avoid holding open evenings on nights when there's a full (or close to full) Moon since the brightness of a full-Moon's reflected light tends to "wash out" other objects of interest in the sky.

For a small nominal entrance fee, £3.50 for adults, £1.00 for under 18s, visitors receive a multimedia presentation from one of the society's knowledgable amateur astronomy lecturers, and (weather permitting) are welcome to look through the main telescope at the Observatory, through any members' telescopes, or even just stand outside where one of the society's members will usually guide guests around the night sky pointing out some of the more recognisable constellations, and explaining how one constellation can be used to point the way to another, or how stars within constellations can be used to find other objects.

Q.	Do I need to book in advance to attend a Public Open Evening ?
	No there is no need to book in advance. The Public Open Evenings start at 7:00pm, and continue for several hours. Although the lecture room can only seat 20 people at a time, there are presentations scheduled throughout the evening, so if you aim to arrive later you will still be able to catch a later presentation.
Q.	What time should I arrive ?
	The first two sessions are specifically for parents with young children. The gates will open at 6:45pm and the first presentation will start at 7:00pm. so if you are planning to attend with younger children we would advise you to try to arrive early enough to enable you to view one these early scheduled presentations. The presentations last for about 20 minutes and continue throughout the evening.