Next Friday January 27 from 6pm to 7pm in Marlborough Town Hall two local experts, Nick Howes and Gavin James, will share their tips and tricks on how to enjoy the night sky from your back garden and beyond. They will also introduce you to the year’s astronomical highlights (such as the Perseid meteor shower in August) and the best kit to have in your possession for observing them. The event is free (although you do need to book tickets here). It is suitable for anyone aged 8 or over (or younger if they can sit still for about 45 mins!) FREE meteorites will be given out to all children (U16) attending on the night!
The event follows the success of 2022’s Marlborough Dark Skies Fest. Nick Howes, who is a Test Analyst and Space R&D Lead at BMT Defence and Security and formerly with the science communications team at the European Space Agency, told Marlbrough.news, “Wiltshire, and particularly the Marlborough Downs, is an area of the country that is fortunate enough to have very little light pollution. Observing the night sky is free and very beautiful planets such as Venus, Jupiter, Mars and Saturn, can be seen at the moment with the naked eye. This is a great time of year for observing the night sky due to the longer duration of darkness.”
Gavin James, who shares the talk with Nick, is Marlborough College’s part time Astronomy Assistant. He tutors courses in astronomy at the Marlborough College Summer School and is a key member of Marlborough Photography. He is passionate about astrophotography, has published two books of his work and was shortlisted for the renowned International Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition in 2018.
Nick, who is also the Co-discoverer of multiple asteroids, runs a UK based meteorite company and in 2019 he hit international headlines with the potential discovery of the Apollo 10 lunar module “Snoopy. He’s looking forward to welcoming people of all ages to the talk. “Some of the most curious people,” he says, “are young kids and they ask the best questions.”
There will be a opportunity to ask questions after the talk. Please email your questions to Clare at charris@marlborough-tc.gov.uk
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