Star Gazing

Tutor: …………. Peter Coates
Sessions
: ……. Depends on the weather
Dates
: …………. First Session 15th Mar, 2022. Mar, Apr, Sep, Oct. 2022
Time
: …………… First Session Only 1:30 to 4:00 pm
Then: …………… Nominally 8:00 to 10:00 pm
Venue
: ………… To be advised
Delivery
: …….. Face to Face
Numbers
: …… 20

Prerequisites: First session only: Laptop not Mac, with the ability to process word and excel documents. Not mandatory as we will be sharing. All PC study material will be distributed to the participants prior to the course starting to load and test on their laptop.
Binoculars, planisphere or similar, red torch, compass (mobile phone). None are absolutely essential but are always good tools for a star gazer to have. But no white light torches.


This course is a variation on traditional U3A courses. It is more like an event that runs semi regularly. There will be no fixed day and the times and locations may vary to suit the weather, the leaders availability and the best viewing site.

The way it will be run is that the leader will decide if he has a good night forecast for viewing and plan to go star gazing. This could be any night of the week. He will then notify all those who “enrol” by email and messenger of where he will be and when. Enrolees may then decide if they wish to join him or not

Whilst it is listed as star gazing the tutor will demonstrate how to use the tools they have and how to go about it as requested

The maximum number of 20 is usually high for this style of course, however it is highly unlikely that, with the strange scheduling, on any given night only a few will be able to participate.

The first session though will be a formal scheduled daytime 2.5 hour session where we will complete the two outstanding items from 2021. How to use computers, the Internet and other resources to research objects and How to plan a nights viewing.
It will then be run in two semesters the 1st and the 4th.