About
“The friendly astronomy society”
The NEAS aims to share our passion for astronomy. We welcome everyone with an interest in astronomy, no matter what their level of expertise – from novice to advanced. We aim to be an society for all amateur astronomers, with interests ranging from observing and astrophotography, from telescopes to astrophysics. We try to build a greater appreciation of the dark night sky and help people enjoy it.
H
ISTORY: - Starting out life in 1980, the Braintree Astronomical Society was a small group of enthusiasts wanting a place to gather and talk about their hobby. Gradually this developed into regular meetings and telescope observing. Over the course of thirty years, the Society has evolved and progressed and greatly expanded in numbers – currently peaking at around 100 members, the largest the Society has ever been.
Due to the increased geographical area that our membership covers, our name was change to the North Essex Astronomical Society in 2000. The use of an observatory and dark site makes our Society somewhat unique and our members enjoy use of the site and it’s facilities.
Astronomer and science writer Dr Stuart Clark has been our Honorary Vice-President for over a decade, further helping us promote astronomy in the local area.
PUBLIC LECTURES:- We hold a public meeting once a month with a guest speaker. The subjects at meetings range from cosmology, planetary science, life on other worlds, to astrophotography and more. You can find out more information on our Events page.
STARGAZING NIGHTS: – Since 2010 the Society has been actively engaged with public observing and we run a monthly Stargazing event at Great Notley Country Park, details of which can be found on the Stargazing page.
MEMBERSHIP: - Our membership continues to grow and currently consists of an around 100 members, some more active than others, covering a range of interests and abilities. We welcome anyone into our Society – from beginners to experts. For more information about membership benefits and how to join, please see our Membership page.
You can also download a membership application form here.
OBSERVATORY: – The society has its own darksite observatory called The Munday-Sayer Observatory which is located near Wakes Colne. It is home to a 11-inch Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope, a 4-inch William Optics apochromatic refractor and a Lunt solarscope. We are also currently restoring a 14-inch Dobsonian telescope which we hope to be finished very soon. Originally constructed in the 1980s to observe Comet Halley, the observatory building and facilities have since been extended and upgraded. Further details can be found on the Observatory page.
OUTREACH: - The Society is quite active in the local community, often running public observing events, astronomy evenings for schools and scout groups. If you are part of a school or community group which would like to learn more about the night sky, we are more than happy to get involved. Please see our Outreach page for more information.
CONTACT:- You can contact the Society by either leaving a comment below, by sending a message to us via Twitter, on our Facebook page or by emailing us at: northessexastro@gmail.com. We will then try to get back to you as soon as possible
hello david thank you i will plumb for the 200p. thanks for your help hope to see you on the 31st kind regards john
I have a 6″ reflector telescope, motorised for which I have no use and no knowledge about.
It is contained in 3 wooden boxes and has never been used. I have the instruction booklet and anybody with the knowledge needed to understand it and the possible interest in the iotem are welcome to contact me and I will gladly e mail a copy of it to them.
I live in Layer Breton. (near Birch, Layer Marney etc)
Regards Alan Draper
I wondered if anyone could recommend one or two makes / models of binoculars suitable for general astronomical viewing – 50mm aperture or less so as not to require a tripod. I’m 64 years old so the pupils don’t dilate as much as when I was young, so I probably need a x10 mag with a 50mm aperture or a x8 mag or x10 mag with a 40mm aperture, in order for the exit pupil to be small enough. Any suggestions / recommendations greatly appreciated.
Hi I am thinking of getting my husband a telescope but I havnt a clue where to start! Can someone please give me some advice on what it is the best type to get for a first timer? It will be used for hobby purposes and I can go up to £300. Thanks
Hi Alison,
I usually recommend one of the Skywatcher dobsonian telescopes. You get a lot of telescope for your money, and they are simple to set up and to use.
However, they can be quite large telescopes so you do need to have somewhere to store them. If you needed it to be more portable, the Skywatcher AZ-GOTO or Heritage ranges are also quite good. The former have some computer/motor control, the latter are more compact tabletop scopes.
Two retailers to look at online are http://astronomia.co.uk/ or http://www.firstlightoptics.com (both offer good selections, prices and service).
For example:
http://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-skyliner-200p-dobsonian.html
http://www.firstlightoptics.com/az-goto/skywatcher-explorer-130p-synscan-az-goto.html
http://www.firstlightoptics.com/heritage/skywatcher-heritage-90-virtuoso.html
I would also suggest coming along to one of our stargazing nights to see our telescopes, as it’ll let you and your husband get a better idea of what you might want to buy.
Please feel free to get in touch if you have more questions.
All the best
David
Dear Sirs. I have recently purchased, over the internet, a Skywatcher Heritage 130P Dobsonian telescope. Upon arrival the box was rather battered but nothing appeared to be out of order apart from some scoring in the chipboard base where the adjusting screws for the primary mirror have pushed into it. I wondered therefore whether the collimation was out of alignment. I have read up on the internet all about alignment but it can get very confusing ( I am 72 years old) and I therefor wondered whether you have a department which can take me through the proper collimation setup procedure and also whether the reflecting telescope is otherwise OK. Kind regards, Barry Grainger. 10th Jan. 2013.
Message for Alan Draper in Layer Breton.
I live in Birch and have a small telescope but had the same problem. Have you tried Googling the manufacturer? I did this with mine several years ago, called and found them to be extremely helpful.
Perhaps you are up and running now. Hope so – we are quite lucky with lack of light pollution here. Good Luck.
Hi we inherited a very large telescope any years ago abou 4 foot long with a large diameter we have never used it and would be interested in donating it to a worthy club contact me on chrisburbridge@hotmail.com