Every month except January, we have meetings with talks on astronomy topics from people who know what they're talking about. Talks are usually given with the assumption that the audience may have little or no experience in the topic.
Details of each meeting can be found in the newsletter posted to members shortly before the meeting. They will also usually appear on the notices page of the website.
As well as the regular meeting, we often hold a beginners corner starting at 7pm, in which a designated member will provide beginners assistance on particular topics.
Even if you're not a member, you're welcome to come along and see what it's like. Meetings usually begin at 7:30pm and are held on the second Wednesday of each month at Science House, Turnbull Street, Wellington. This is subject to change, so be sure to check the newsletter, or call / email a member of the WAS council.
The main parking area shown on this map is a privately run parking lot. You can safely park in the shingle area at the back without paying, but your car may be clamped or towed away from the main area --- this has happened in the recent past. There is also some street parking along Murphy Street.
Click on the thumbnails to open a window showing a larger version of each image.
;)
This photo is looking down Murphy Street, approaching Turnbull Street which is a sidestreet on the left. (Click on the thumbnail, and there's an arrow pointing to it on the large version.) The road coming in from the left is the Murphy Street exit from the motorway that heads south into Wellington.
;)
Still on Murphy Street, Turnbull Street (where Science House is) can now be seen slightly easier. When coming from the motorway, it's the second sidestreet on the left.
;)
Now looking directly down Turnbull Street, the entrance to the parking lot (where there's usually stacks of parking) can be seen on the left.
;)
A very short walk down Turnbull Street, and not only have we reached Science House (the regular meeting venue), but we've also met our wonderful friend, provider of light, sustainer of life, and eradicator of lazy photography: the Sun! Luckily for us, meetings normally take place in the evenings after the Sun has gone to bed.
;)
Finally, confirmation that Science House is indeed number 11 on the street, is given by this incredibly useful photo that looks directly at the door. Our meetings are usually held through the door and up the stairs. Please open the door prior to entering because broken glass can cost money to replace.
Because organisation and reorganisation happens continuously, the topics, speakers and dates of these meetings are subject to change. Please check the newsletter before the meetings for official details.
The content of this list was last updated on 30th January 2006.
Topic:
Presented by:
Location: Science House
Topic:
Presented by:
Location: Science House
Topic: Martian Fluvial Features
Presented by: Ian Miller, Carina Chemical Laboratories Ltd
Location: Science House
Topic: The Moon and its importance
Presented by: Vicki Irons
Location: Carter Observatory
Topic: The Solar System: A presentation of Celestial Mechanics
Presented by: Warwick Kissling
Topic: My Life in Optics
Presented by: Norman Rumsey
Topic: Near Earth Objects and the Impact Hazard
Presented by: James Ashley
Topic: Star Finding Unplugged
Presented by: Ian Cooper
Topic: Sharing Space
Presented by: Paul Moss
Topic: Is anybody out there?
Presented by: Craig Tice, Brenda Johnston and Vicki Irons
Topic: Telescopes, Sidewalk Astronomy and Cosmology
Presented by: John Dobson and Graeme Loftus
Topic: Cosmology
Presented by: Matt Visser
Topic: Measuring the Universe
Presented by: Roger Feasey
Topic: Mercury: The neglected planet in space exploration
Presented by: Dave Maclennan
Topic: Arguments from Assos: Aristotelian Cosmic Considerations
Presented by: Dr Ed Budding
Topic: A mystery video, surrounded by the AGM
Presented by: Everyone
Topic: An Astrophotography Feast
Presented by: John Drummond
Topic: Towards radio astronomy interferometry in New Zealand
Presented by: Duncan Hall
Topic: Cassini at Saturn
Presented by: John Field
Topic: Minor Planet Occultations
Presented by: Graham Blow
Topic: Transit of Venus
Presented by: Grant Christie
Topic: The Kotipu Place Observatory
Presented by: Gordon Hudson
Topic: Telescope Collimation
Presented by: Howard Page
Topic: Mars Geology
Presented by: Warren Dickinson
Topic: Observable Comets in 2004
Presented by: Ian Cooper
Topic: Tips for Buying a Telescope
Presented by: People with telescopes
Featuring: Lots of telescopes
Note: Please feel wrlcome to bring your telescope
Topic: Uncle Charlie, Uncle Dunkie and Uncle Jacko: What's the Connection?
Presented by: Duncan Hall
Featuring: Wine, Cheese and the AGM
Note: Second Wednesday of the month (to avoid Guy Fawkes night)
Topic: Astro-imaging using a webcam
Presented by: Glen Rowe
Topic: How the public are (mis)informed about Astronomy and Aspects of the Three-Body problem
Presented by: Marilyn Head and Warwick Kissling (respectively)
Topic: Jovan Skuljan
Presented by: GAIA
Topic: Mars
Presented by: Bill Sheehan
Topic: Peter Read's "Night Sky" TV program from the 1960's and 70's
Presented by: The wonderous VCR
Topic: The SALT Project
Presented by: Peter Cottrell
Topic: The destruction of the Space Shuttle Columbia and possible implications for future manned spaceflight and the International Space Station
Presented by: Dave Maclennan
Topic: The Calendar
Presented by: John Harper, Emiritus Professor of Applied Mathematics at Victoria University,
Topic: The Total Eclipse at Ceduna,
South Australia.
Presented by: Peter Graham, Marilyn Head, Graeme Jonas and Warwick Kissling
Topic: End of year social evening.
Featuring: Short cameo talks by John Field and Duncan Hall
Topic: 1981 BBC Horizon Documentary: The
Pleasure of Finding Things Out. 50 non-stop minutes with
Richard Feynman.
Presented by: Duncan Hall
Featuring: The 10 minute quickie AGM
Topic: Reminiscences of a New Zealand astronomer
Speaker: Rod Austin
Topic: A Hitch-Hiker's Guide to Spectroscopy
Speaker: Graham Townsend
Topic: Graviational waves
Speaker: Shaun Hendy
Featuring: The beanie sale! Pay top dollar for the
privilege of being able to blatantly promote the Wellington
Astronomical Society on your head!
Topic: A night at the Carter Observatory
Hosted by: John Field
Featuring: Telescope viewing in the Thomas Cooke refractor and Ruth Crisp reflector telescopes, a visit to the Thomas King observatory and planetarium sessions..
Topic: The RICE experiment and Neutrino Astronomy
Speaker: Pauline Harris
Topic: The Moon
Speaker: John Field
Featuring: The post-meeting
dishwasher-stuffing championships.
Topic: Aurorae
Speaker: Ian Cooper
Featuring: The pre-meeting
buy/sell/swap table.
Topic: Restoration of the Cooke Refractor
Speaker: Gordon Hunter
Topic: Radio Astronomy in New Zealand
Speaker: Dr Ed Budding
Topic: Choosing astronomy books
for a stormy night.
Speaker: Marilyn Head (Editor of Galactic Circle Magazine
and Gifford Observatory Trust)
Topic: The annual Wellington
Astronomical Society debating championships.
The AGM
Speaker: You
Topic: Observational
Gravitational Lensing: Part 2 - The CCD Strikes
Back
Speaker: Mike Reid (Carter
Observatory)
Featuring: Basics of Astronomy -
Planning for Observing in the spring and summer sky.
Presented by Helen Bright and Robert Persse.
Topic: The State of our
Universe
Speaker: Frank Andrews (Carter
Observatory)
Topic: Microlensing in
Astrophysics at the Lake Tekapo Observatory
Speaker: Dr Richard Dodd
(Carter Observatory)
Featuring: Basics of Astronomy -
How to buy a telescope. Presented by Helen Bright and
Robert Persse.
Topic: Quiz night
Speaker: Owen Moore
Topic: Mars: The next ten years
Speaker: Dave Maclennan
Featuring: Basics of Astronomy - The celestial
sphere, using RA and Dec coordinate systems to find your way around
the night sky.
Topic: Asteroids, Orbits and Things that go Bump in the Night
Speaker: Warwick Kissling
Featuring: Basics of Astronomy - a course given before the
regular meeting, by Robert Persse.
Topic: Restoring the Gifford Observatory
Speakers: Marilyn Head and Duncan Hall (Gifford Observatory Trust)
Featuring: The don't-get-your-car-towed-away standup benefit talk
Topic: Exploring the Jovian System
Speaker: Gary Wilmshurst (Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand)
Featuring: The super-intelligent, ultimately-superior-to-other-beings,
come-along-to-be-a-part pre-meeting chair organising brigade
Topic: Space Stations of the past, present and future
Speaker: John Field
Topic: Cosmology!
Speaker: Jenny Adams (Canterbury University)
Featuring: Goodie plate bringing night, including
Owen Moore teasing people's brains (with brainteasers)
Topic: MYSTERY TOPICS (plus annual general meeting)
Presented by: MYSTERY SPEAKERS (plus outgoing council, etc)
Also featuring: FREE FOOD! (after the agm, yadiyadiya)
Topic: Building and working in an amateur observatory
Presented by: Bill Allen
Also starring: Bevan Burgess's recent video footage of the July total lunar eclipse.
Topic: Galactic Clusters
Presented by: Dr Murray Forbes
Topic: Fits Of Reflection
Presented by: Duncan Hall
Featuring: The showing of a special Professor Richard Feynman video
Held at Victoria University
Topic: Theft of the Night (Light pollution)
Speaker: Dr. Tim Hunter
Topic: 1001 Things To Do With A Small Telescope - Towards Solar Speckle Interferometry
Speaker: Duncan Hall
Beginners topic: General questions about astronomy (Robert Persse)
Topic: Encouraging Young Investigators in Astronomy
Speaker: Tony Fisher
Topic: The Life and Times of Professor Bickerton
Speaker: George Jones
Beginners topic: Telescope Building (part 2)
Topic: Comets, Meteors and Meteorites
Speaker: John Field
Beginners topic: Telescope Building
Topic: Discovering new planets
Speaker: Tiri Sullivan
Topic: Unidentified Flying Carpets: Ed Budding talks about his recent visit
to Sultan Mehmet's observatory in Istanbul.
Speaker: Ed Budding
Featuring: The bring a plate bring children bring a friend fancy dress
christmas party
Topic: The upcoming transit of Mercury
Speaker: Brian Carter
Beginners topic: Meteors (John Field)
Featuring: the once in ahhleventimes Annual General Meeting
Topic: The "Skeptics" meet the "Theologians"
Speakers: Vicky Hyde and Maureen Garing
Beginners topic: Globular Clusters
Topics: Factors affecting the rotation of the Earth, Using setting circles,
Improvisation in telescope building, Participation in your Society, Radiotelescope at CIT.
Speakers: Robert Persse, Marilyn Head, Helen Bright, Mike Clear, Tony Dodson.
Beginners topic: Small telescopes, and Easy to find globular clusters (Robert Persse)
Topic: MARS GLOBAL SURVEYOR: The First Two Years
Speaker: David MacLennan
Beginners topic: Reading star maps (Robert Persse)
Topic: FAINT GALAXIES: A Journey Back to the Very Early Universe
Speaker: Warrick Couch (School of Physics, University of New South Wales)
Topic: SETI - The great mystery!
Speaker: Wayne Thresher
Topic: The toys and joys of the modern Amateur Astronomer
Speaker: Marc Bos
Held at the Carter Observatory
Topic: Astrophysical research program at the Carter Observatory
Speaker: Dr. Glen Mackie
Featuring: The current video/planetarium show,
"Alien Worlds: An Odyssey of Life in the Universe"
Topic: The Secret of the Slingshot Technique
(or .... There Really is a Free Lunch)
Speaker: Robert Persse
Topic: Deep Sky Observing
Speaker: Ian Cooper
Topic: Astrophotography
Speaker: Bevan Burgess
Featuring: WAS auctioning off the Universe (we had lots of fun)
Topic: Observational tests of cosmology
Speaker: Grant Christie
Featuring: AGM
Topic: The WET project
Speaker: Denis Sullivan
Topic: Superactive objects
Speaker: Glen Mackie
Topic: The South African Large Telescope
Speaker: Peter Cottrell
Topic: Radioastronomy at CIT
Speaker: Tony Dodson and Ed Budding
Topic: Public Programmes
Speaker: Brian Carter
Topic: Brains Trust and Graze
Speaker: John Harper, Gary Wilmshurst, Frank Andrews, and Marilyn Head
Topic: The Moon
Speaker: Mark Chamberlain
Topic: Occultations
Speaker: Graham Blow
Topic: SETI
Speaker: Peter Shuch