SOCIETY IN FOCUS
Luton Astronomical Society was founded in late 1969, around the time of the Apollo 11 Moon landing. Our members are our greatest asset, of course, but we can boast a half-meter-aperture reflecting telescope in our observatory at Putteridge Bury near Luton as a singular attraction. This observatory, dedicated on 10 October 1992 by Sir Patrick Moore, provides stunning views of those ‘faint fuzzies’ at magnitude 14 and greater. Our members share the wonders of the night sky with the public at least monthly, in addition to our regular members’ observing events. Post-pandemic, in 2021 our observatory hosted 120 astronomers under age 12. In 2022 our members provided lectures on the James Webb Space Telescope to over 500 students at local schools, as well as 90 STEM students at the University of Bedfordshire in Luton.
Like most organisations, we had to restrict activities during the COVID pandemic. Our solution was to establish a virtual meeting forum using Zoom as a substitute for our monthly meetings at Putteridge Bury. We now have a significant number of virtual members who live well outside the Luton area, in addition to our local membership. To accommodate both local and virtual members, a typical month includes both a Zoom meeting mid-month and an in-person meeting near the month’s end, which is broadcast on Zoom to our virtual members as well. The emphasis going into 2023 will include Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and ‘the usual suspects’ in the winter night sky as we approach British Science Week 2023.
Larry Jones, Education Officer, Luton Astronomical Society www.lutonastrolink.org.uk