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Meetings start at 19:30 over the winter season (October - March) with a brief introduction by the chairman followed by the evening lecture which will last about one hour . There will then be a short question and answer session.
Following this there is a tea break allowing members to meet each other and the guest speaker. The committee will be on hand to welcome potential new members.
The evening is rounded off with members contributions. The Director of Observations will give a short presentation on what to look out for this month. The chairman and committee members may make some brief announcements and importantly members may also make brief presentations.
This could be recent observations or news items of particular interest.
The chairman will then close the meeting. There is usually time for members to join the public viewing available at the Observatory until closing time.
There is a 10 inch Cooke refractor and a 12 inch Meade SCT telescope operated by Mills Observatory Staff.
Meeting Schedule (2009/2010)| Date | Details |
| 02/10/2009 | Pauline McRae, Highlands Astronomical Society - "The Dark Sky Scotland Project" |
| 16/10/2009 | Des Loughney, Astronomical Society of Edinburgh - "The Mysterious Eclipsing Star Epsilon Aurigae" |
| 06/11/2009 | Alison Craigon, University of Strathclyde - Astrochemistry |
| 20/11/2009 | Dr. Rachel Gilmour, Royal Observatory, Edinburgh - "A Night in the Life of the Very Large Telescope" |
| 04/12/2009 | Christmas Quiz and Party |
| 08/01/2010 | Dr. Simon Driver, University of St. Andrews - "Mapping the Cosmos" - MEETING CANCELLED DUE TO BAD WEATHER |
| 22/01/2010 | Robert Law - Return to the Moon |
| 05/02/2010 | Dr. David Gavine, Dundee Astronomical Society - TBA |
| 19/02/2010 | Members' night |
| 05/03/2010 | Ken Kennedy, Dundee Astronomical Society - Planting an Observatory at SCRI |
| 19/03/2010 | AGM, and possible short talk |
DAS Summer talks will be held on Sunday afternoons at 1.30pm for approximately one hour. The talks will be on basic astronomy and hope to encourage observation of the sky by participants. There may be a practical (observational) element if appropriate. Because of holidays, there will be no talks in July and August.
| Date | Details |
| 18/04/2010 | Observing and Recording Solar Activity - Ken Kennedy The Sun has recently become more active after some years of very low activity. This talk will explain how to observe the Sun safely, what equipment can be used and how sunspots can be recorded. If conditions are favourable we will have a look at the Sun after the talk. |
| 16/05/2010 | Astronomy with Binoculars - Bill Samson Binoculars are the cheapest and easiest way to explore many of the wonders of the night sky. There are many types of binoculars and these cover a wide price range. Find out what you should buy and what may be seen with these invaluable instruments. |
| 06/06/2010 | Beginners Guide to the Constellations - David Paterson The night sky becomes so much more interesting when you can identify the main star groups or constellations. The patterns formed by the stars change throughout the year as the Earth orbits the Sun and in a short time you will be able to pick out and name the brighter stars which form the constellations. |
| 27/06/2010 | Your Computer as a Planetarium - Phil Rourke Why not use your computer to find objects in the night sky? Computer programmes can allow you to look at the sky before you go out to observe or to see the sky for any day or date you choose. This talk will demonstrate how to use two free planetarium software programmes so if you have a computer it won’t cost you a thing! |
| 15/08/2010 | Astronomy and Our Own Planet - Bill Dow Looking back at the Earth from space, many features can be seen which are hidden from us earthbound humans. Patterns are seen in geological features and some of these may show changes on Earth and even foretell future consequences which may affect our lives. |
| 05/09/2010 | The New Solar System - Graham Young Our understanding of the solar system has expanded and changed thanks to spacecraft reaching and orbiting other planets. You will hear how the information gained has given us a better picture of the planets which are our neighbours. |
We plan to hold formal observing sessions related to meteor showers weather permitting, click here for details. Members will be informed as and when these events are forthcoming.