I've found a list of four clubs in Suffolk http://www.astronomyclubs.co.uk/Clubs/Default.aspx?CountyId=67 Orwell Astronomical Society will be the closest to Hadleigh

Hi, looking to move to hadleigh in Suffolk. Are there any clubs near there ?

You may have noticed that we have created a new heading, above the banner, called 'Clubs'. The plan is to move all the existing social groups and observatories to this new area. Currently there are 17 different groups some more active than others. You need to advise me, in this thread, whether you wish your social group to be moved, otherwise the group will be closed and archived. I look forward to hearing from someone within group for us to take necessary admin action.

Look forward to meeting you there soon Kevin! I wasn't able to go this week but should be there next time ?

Again, like the others, I found this club by accident. It just happened to pop up on a re-tweet on Twitter. So, I went visiting the Athenaeum club at Nowton Park last Thursday, 18/01/2018. I was made very welcome and soon learned that they cover all aspects of astronomy, including unaided night sky viewing, binocular, telescope and astro photography. I shall visit again on Thursday 1st Feb and sign on the dotted line. This beats my lone astro endeavours into a cocked hat. Thanks to club members for their welcome. Kevin

With the permission of EEAC I would like to share this event - there is an attached file at the foot of this posting with the costs in: >>>>>>EEAC would like bookings to be made by 10th February to allow them time to arrange catering and print handouts.<<<<<< East Essex Astronomy Club Introduction to Astronomy Day The East Essex Astronomy Club would like to invite you to a day to introduce you to the hobby of astronomy on Saturday 3rd March at the Burnham on Crouch Village Hall. We hope to give beginners an insight into astronomy, defining many terms used in astronomy to give you a greater understanding of what we look at in the night sky. The day will consist of three parts. 1. Introduction to astronomical objects; Stars, planets, asteroids and comets, galaxies and nebula. 2. Introduction to binoculars, telescopes, mounts and how to use them. 3. How to take pictures of the night sky. The day will start at 10am with introductions to some of the club members and then on into the different kinds of objects we can observe. We will break for lunch at around 12:15 and resume at 1pm. A sandwich lunch will be provided. Please note that we can’t cater for all dietary requirements such as allergies or intolerances although some of the lunch will be suitable for vegetarians. If you have any such requirements please bring your own lunch. After lunch we will continue with the different types of optical instruments available, the different mounts and how to get the best out of them. Here we can also advise on the best instruments for a beginner. Finally we will briefly cover how to take images of the night sky using readily available equipment that you might already have and how some of this equipment can be connected to telescopes to extend the variety of objects we can image. Tea, coffee, cold drinks and biscuits will be available throughout the day. If the evening is clear we will meet at a local site to put some of what we have covered during the day into practice. We will have some club telescopes available to use, some equipment that belongs to club members and you are welcome to bring along any of your own equipment to either use or ask advice on using. We should be able to view the moon (a spectacular view through a telescope), the great Orion nebula, Sirius the brightest star in the night sky, the Perseus double cluster, the Pleiades cluster, the Great Andromeda galaxy, some other bright stars, galaxies, clusters and nebula and possibly the planet Uranus. Note: The event is aimed at all ages and experience but we suggest that It may not be suitable for those under 10 years old due to the lecture type nature of some parts of the event. All children under 16 must be accompanied by a responsible attending adult. We look forward to seeing you and hope that the day will spark your interest in astronomy. East_Essex_Astronomy_Club_Introduction_to_Astronomy_Day.pdf

Apologies for butting in on this thread but I wanted to thank you for the details above. I am in Manningtree, North Essex and due to work commitments it is difficult to get to some of the 'local' clubs in the evenings but the OASI in Ipswich is a great opportunity to participate with other astronomers. Cheers and a Happy New Year.

Did you get anywhere with this Graham? Can't have you getting despondent!

So guys, I'm a member of the The Athenaeum Astronomy Association in Bury St Edmunds and on October the 27/28th we're hosting a public event at Nowton Park to help invite the public into the world of astronomy. It's our second 'star party' and if anyone had any interest or is near the area, do come along. Details can be found here: https://www.whatsonwestsuffolk.co.uk/whats-on/event/3694/nowton-park-star-party Tickets are £5 for an adult and £3 per child. I believe the Friday is already sold out. Thanks

Clacton is your nearest http://www.clactonastronomy.co.uk/ And there's a monthly stargazing event just the other side of Colchester at Abberton Reservoir http://www.essexwt.org.uk/events/2017/09/30/stargazing?instance=0 organised by North Essex Astronomical Society. They also have a regular stargazing event at Great Notley and a club meet just off the A12 at Rivenhall End https://northessexastro.wordpress.com/ They are more of a trek for you. If you fancy an excursion into Suffolk, there's the Orwell Astronomical Society near Ipswich http://www.oasi.org.uk/index.php

Hi Graham, you could try the Clacton & District Astronomical Association. but

Here's another link to follow up, too. http://fedastro.org.uk/fas/members/members-a-z/ Olly

There are many clubs in your nation. This link will help you find one close to where you're located: http://www.astronomyclubs.co.uk/Clubs/Counties.aspx Hope this helps you. In the meantime, don't pressure yourself. You're into this for fun, and for learning. The beauty of this is the way 'fun' & 'learning' are what makes it fun, and the learning is the reward for having fun! Working in Cosmic-Symmetry, Dave PS - Here's another link for you: http://www.astronomyclubs.co.uk/

Hi all Any clubs in the Harwich Essex Area? I,ve been into Astronomy for about 5 or 6 years in an on off type of way, last year i started to find myself getting a little bit despondent with my observing. seem to be looking at the same old stuff and finding it hard to motivate my self to just get out there. i'm in a lucky position to have the space for an observatory and i'm in the process of re designing and building a new roll back unit. i think what i need is a boost and i think the way to do that is to join a club or something . Any suggestions would be greatly received. Thanks Graham

When I am observing I head out to the country to get reasonably clear skies. The only trouble is I usually end up by the side of the road in rural locations. Now this is fine with a Dob because it is a quick set-up and knock down but I want to do some imaging soon. My HEQ5 and ED80 not only take more time to set-up but is more visible and arguably more expensive to any n'er-do-wells that happen to be passing. So here are my questions 1) What do other people do and 2) Do you think we could organize some dark sky meets in the East? I have no problem travelling 1 - 2 hours for a meet if I am going to stay overnight in a tent or whatever? Errol

Here's another one in Northamptonshire or Wellingborough to be exact though I head out to dark sites nearby to do any observing Errol

I'm a member there, the big refractor is really beautiful though more and more folks from the club meet at Newbourne village hall. Access to the Orwell site where the Tomlin frac is can be pretty tricky as it's a private school so there are understandably a few security measures to bypass.

That's progress! Said you would get a prompt reply, there's a couple of lads, bit younger than you but very keen ! Ah, just realised I'm away in York next week so won't be there, make my apologies ... hope you get on okay and hopefully see you there next month !

Hehe feel free to add me if you like! I've sent Marian an email and I'm organising a drink and a chat with them at some point to learn some history about the club. I've also been asked to come on the 30th for the Nowton Park meetup, so hopefully should see you there if you're attending!

We have a mutual friend on social media, a lad I know very well! Small world ?

Think there are 2 or 3 up around there, equally it depends on how far from you they are and the distance you are happy to travel - one person in (I think) E or W Winch travels to the Norwich club. Easy option is: http://www.astronomyclubs.co.uk/ Says 4 in Norfolk, not sure of the Cambridgeshire options. 1 at Peterborough the rest may be a bit South, depends on ease of access I suppose.

There is an Astro Society near Kings Lynn, visited once (in the dark and with a SatNav) they are out in the countryside, so not sure how close! http://www.westnorfolkastro.co.uk/ Well worth a visit, heard a great speaker and a friendly group. Chris

Hi.are there any watchers near wisbech/kings Lynn /peterborugh/.

Hi.I'm also cambridgeshire based welcome to the dark side of life.

Their next meeting at Nowton Park walled garden is on Thursday week , I hope to be there then! Yep, I missed out on tickets for the star party too, I was told about it and the club at Sneezum's in Bury, they were promoting it as they sell telescopes in there. There were four newcomers last week so guess word is getting around ! It's a bit of a hike for me from Diss but I do travel to Bury often. Hoping to learn some new stuff too, and enjoy swapping information ....and basically natter with like-minded passionate people as I'm a bit of a lone wolf in my family when it comes to enjoying the night skies! ?