January Public Lecture – Ian Ridpath (Pictures in the Sky)

Image by Ian Ridpath

On Wednesday 18th January, we welcome reknowned science writers and broadcaster Ian Ridpath to the Society to talk about the constellations – the titular “Pictures in the Sky”.

“In the days before writing, storytellers used the sky as a picture book to illustrate their tales of gods, mythical heroes and fabulous beasts. Those pictures among the stars were the origin of our system of constellations. Today, the entire sky is divided into 88 constellations of varying shapes and sizes. This talk, which includes illustrations from some of the world’s greatest star atlases, will trace the origin of the constellation system back to Greek times and explain who filled in the gaps between the ancient Greek figures, who decided on the official boundaries between constellations, and how the names of certain stars came about.”

So come along and find out more!

The public lecture takes place at the Henry Dixon Hall, Rivenhall End on Wednesday 18th January at 7:30pm. Entry is £4 for non-members. For further information, see the Events page.