Welcome to the Highlands Astronomical Society
Highlands Astronomical Society (HAS) is where amateur astonomers and others with an interest in astronomy share their passion for the stars, planets and all other wonders of the Universe.
There is something for everyone, from talks to observing sessions, suitable for all - from absolute beginners to the more advanced astronomer. Most of our activities take place in and around Culloden, where we meet every month and have our own observatory.
Monthly Club Meetings
Open to HAS Members, Affiliated Club Members, and First-Time Visitors
Tuesday, 6th July 2021 - Zoom Meeting*
Main Meeting (Members, Guests, & Visitors)
Room Opens: 7:15pm Starts: 7:30pm
The programme is -
- Chairman’s Chat
- Main Talk then Q&A
- Club News (incl. astropics, targets of the month)
The main talk is by Professor Christopher Conselice, from the University of Manchester, who will be speaking to us about “The Evolution of the Universe and the Astrobiological Principle for Intelligent Life”
(The following has been taken from Prof Conselice’s astronomer’s notebook page) The basic premise of the talk is to ask how many civilizations would there be in the Galaxy under the assumption that it takes 5 billion years for intelligent life to form, as on Earth. This is a sort of a form of convergent evolution but on a cosmic scale. If intelligent life can exist it will form, and it takes as long to do so as it did on Earth. Not an unreasonable assumption.
The two Astrobiological Copernican limits are that life forms at ~5 billion years or anytime after 5 billion years – as on Earth. In the strong criteria, whereby a metal content to the Sun is needed (the Sun is relatively speaking quite metal rich), there should be ~36 active civilizations in our Galaxy. This is under the assumption that a communicating civilization lasts for at least 100 years. If we survived for longer than that there would be more civilizations.
It's sure to be a great talk. Hope to see you there.
* This meeting is being held on Zoom for MEMBERS ONLY, however, if you are a FIRST-TIME VISITOR and wish to attend to see if our Club is for you, please use the Contact option just below the banner and we will get the Zoom link details to you.
You can easily contact us on FB, Messenger, or via our CONTACT menu button on this website
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MEMBERS and PUBLIC LIVE OBSERVING WEBCAST EVENT
Thursday 10th June starting at 9:45am - https://youtu.be/60w5QzIM8oA
Come view the Partial Solar Eclipse hosted by Highlands Astronomical Society Observing Team - live online & interactive with the Scope Pilot & Chat Host.
In Conon Bridge we are in a favourable location where the partial eclipse will show 35% 0f our Sun's disc being covered by the Moon.
Set yourself up so you can use the LiveChat facility and you'll be able to type any questions, comments, & requests throughout the session. You'll need to create a Google Account & your own YouTube Channel (details in the YouTube description section).
The webcast is high quality, at 1080p, which is great for the fine structures & solar features you should be able to view, and the LiveChat support team will be on audio & visual so you can see & hear us.
We are looking through a specialised hydrogen-alpha solar scope located in the home observatory of one of our members in Conon Bridge which, in addition to the eclipse, will allow you to see sunspots, filaments, solar prominences, and the granular structure of the Sun's chromosphere.
Public Live Observing Webcast - REWATCH
Saturday 24th October
on YouTube
A fantastic live observing webcast last night - watched by 33 enthusiastic viewers/observers from Stornoway to North Ronaldsay to Thurso to Brechin to Belgium!
You can watch the entire recorded session and fast track to your favourite bits (at the time of posting the YouTube video has already had 100+ views!).
This is an amazing achievement for an amateur astronomy club and if you want to help us keep doing this please consider joining our Club.
Membership ensures that you are invited to ALL the MEMBERS ONLY events (Monthly Club Meetings Online, Live Observing Webcasts, Advice/Tuition & Training for Practical Observers, become part of our Observing Team and/or Astrophotography Group, etc)
If you're interested then let us know by contacting us on FB Messenger, or through our CONTACT option on this website and we'll get further details to you.
Clear Skies and Keep Your Heads Up!
==========================
Come view the night sky in high quality 1080p resolution, hosted by Highlands Astronomical Observing Team.
If you want to use the YouTube LiveChat facility where you'll be able to type any questions, comments, & requests throughout the session, you'll need to create a Google Account & your own YouTube Channel (see link below) -
Create Google Account & YouTube Channel
Clear Skies and Hope To See You There!
Observing Sessions
Highlands Astronomical Society at "Cutting Edge" of Live Observing Webcasts (23rd September 2020)
Scottish Highlands based astronomy club, Highlands Astronomical Society, leads the way in delivering high quality, practical & interactive observing astronomy to its members & the general public (worldwide) in these restricted COVID-19 times
Thanks to everyone who attended & participated in last night's Live Observing Webcast - Final Test.
It was a great success - the final viewing of Messier 27 (The Dumbbell Nebula) demonstrated what we can achieve - and I now know we can do even better than that! Dave & I learned so much from your live & emailed feedback, which will be incorporated into future webcasts to improve your viewing experience and reduce our webcasting nerves!
If you want to view the session - glitches & imperfections included - please click on the YouTube link. It was webcast & recorded in 1080p so check that your own YouTube app is set to that in order to get the best experience.
We'll let you know via FB and our website when the next live observing webcast is happening - it will be soon! - and HAS members will be notified by email.
Clear Skies
Eric & Dave
If you attend one of our public observing sessions, enjoy the experience, and wish to thank us in a practical manner, you can actually help by making a contribution to the Society’s collection box. The Highlands Astronomical Society is a registered charity (number SC 037209) and it depends on fund raising and donations to keep the observatory running.
Joining HAS
Click here to find details about Member Benefits and How to Apply for Membership of your friendly, local Highlands Astronomy club.
Contact us via our Enquiries page if you need further information. We want this to be as simple a process for you as we can possibly make it.
 |
GalleryOur Image Gallery with high resolution images and details of image capture & processing is located on Flickr Latest Images
Also see our social media for more images: Our older images can still be viewed at |
 |
Space Exploration News Update – October 2020 by Pat Williams • OSIRIS-REx In the midst of sample stowage. • Spacebit secures a second ride to the Moon. • Northrop Grumman and NASA complete environmental testing on the James Webb Space Telescope. • Pluto's ice caps made of methane, turns Earth's process upside down. • First space census launches today 7th October. • Links to other space and astronomy news published in October 2020. This and all previous editions can be accessed HERE |
