SOCIETY in focus

Seven Sisters Astronomical Society (SSAS) is a small group of amateur astronomers based in East Sussex. On 22 June 2018 the society attended the National Trust’s Sheffield Park and Garden for the Waterlily Festival and an evening of stargazing. Weather conditions were perfect and we managed to set up four telescopes: two Meade 8-inch Go-Tos, a Sky-Watcher 10-inch Dobsonian and a Sky-Watcher 6-inch reflector. As the light faded, SSAS members were busy observing, and visitors of all ages left that evening filled with new knowledge and excitement having seen the Moon, Jupiter and Saturn. At 11pm the event closed to the public, but some SSAS members remained behind and observed until the early hours.

The following morning we were back in the field for solar observing, which went on until 3pm. There was a steady flow of visitors walking through the park, enjoying picnics and observing the Sun between the scattering of clouds! The clouds thickened later in the afternoon, which gave us a few hours rest, before we set up the telescopes again for our evening event, with around 50 members of the public. By then there were breaks in the clouds, and we were able to observe the Moon through the telescopes for over an hour.

We had a wonderful weekend, not only with the weather, but also experiencing the wonderful Waterlily Festival that weekend.

To find out more about Seven Sisters Astronomical Club visit their website at ssasonline.wordpress.com or follow the club on Facebook