Outreach

The group has a long heritage of engaging with the public, explaining astronomy and our research. This continues through talks to a variety of different groups and organisations as well as small group (scouts/brownies/schools) visits to the observatory.

Lectures & Talks

Astronomy and Astrophysics group members regularly engage in different types of talks, lectures and scientific demonstrations to a variety of audiences.

Over the years this has included: IntoUniversity, Glasgow Science Centre, Our Dynamic Earth Edinburgh, Shetland Museum and Shetland Schools, UK Space Conference, Caithness Schools, BBC Stargazing Live, Pint of Science, Glenelg Mars Twinning Day event, Astronomy Ireland Dublin, Edinburgh Science Festival, Scottish Dark Sky Observatory, Cafe Scientifiques, Wigton Bookfest, Middle of Scotland Science Festival Crianlarich, Glasgow Science Festival and to several Astronomical societies (including Glasgow, Dumfries, Airdrie, Dundee, Stirling, Newcastle, Moray, Ayrshire).

Please contact the individual group member for availability:

Prof Lyndsay Fletcher with Caithness Astronomy Group in Thurso
Prof Fletcher with Caithness Astronomy Group, Thurso
  • Prof Lyndsay Fletcher
    • Solar Storms and Northern Lights
    • Shadows On The Sun – The Story of Sunspots
    • The Magnetic Sun
    • Solar Eclipses
    • New Science with the Solar Dynamics Observatory
  • Dr Iain Hannah
    • The many “colours” of the Sun
    • Is the space weather safe for travel?
    • New views of the Sun’s Hot Corona.
    • Solar Eclipses
  • Dr Eduard Kontar
    • Solar flares
    • Radio Astronomy
    • Space plasmas
  • Prof Declan Diver
    • Plasmas in the Universe
    • Relativity and Astronomy: Concepts and Challenges
  • Dr Craig Stark
  • Dr Graham Kerr
  • Dr Alec Mackinnon
    • General Night sky talks, e.g. “The night Sky this Winter” or “What can I see in the sky tonight?”
    • Sun, solar activity, heliosphere. e.g. “Flares on the Sun and other stars”, “Edge of the solar system”, “Killer Neutrons from Space!”
    • The Ben Nevis Observatory and Scotland’s first Physics Nobel Prizewinner, The Cosmic Way
    • “Michael Scot (1175 - 1235): A forgotten Scottish figure in the history of science”
    • Miscellaneous other talks, suitable for different sorts of audience, e.g. “My very own HR Diagram”, “Rainbows, sundogs and glories”, “Radio astronomy and LOFAR”
Observatory Visits

The observatory at Acre Road is primarily used for teaching but can occasionally accommodate visits from small groups. This has previously been for school groups and scouts/brownies doing their space badges. The visit can involve observing with telescopes, but if the weather is not clear a tour of the main telescope dome, a short planetarium show and some talks and Q&A about space, astronomy and our research.

Please contact Dr Iain Hannah for more information.