WDAS monthly meetings have now recommenced for the new season with the next meeting on Tuesday December 2nd from 7:30pm. The venue is the renamed (again) Whitby School, a title that for local people from the 70s to the 2000s would associate with the Prospect Hill site! 

For the coming meeting on December 2nd, we have a special guest speaker when Steve Bowden RO FRAS JP will be giving a talk on astro-photography.

Steve owns the Muston Observatory near Filey and is a national speaker on astronomy, delivering talks to astronomy/photography groups up and down the country and has been a STEM ambassador providing outreach to both schools and colleges. Steve is also the co-founder of Aurora UK on Facebook with over 40k members! Please put the date in your diaries as we would like to see a good turnout for this.

Steve's observatory at Filey. 

 

At November’s meeting WDAS member Richard Randle give a presentation on Dark Matter after recently accompanying fellow member John McCue down to the Dark Matter Facility located in Boulby Mine, 9 miles north of Whitby.

Richard’s presentation delved into the concept of Dark Matter, the ‘missing mass in the universe’ its fundamental relevance to cosmology and the considerable efforts, both historical and present, in detecting it. The ‘it’ is believed to be unknown fundamental particles that only interact weakly with normal matter- 'WIMP' particles.  

Richard and John in the facility clean lab

The presentation featured YouTube videos from scientists based at Boulby – interwoven with Richard’s own pictures and diagrams elaborating on why the mine is considered one of the best locations in the world for detecting WIMP particles with the Lab over 1100 metres below the ground surface. Here, for over 2 decades, UK and international scientists have developed and tested world leading dark matter detector technologies designed to detect WIMP particles in vastly reduced levels of cosmic ray interference that would be experienced on the Earth’s surface.

Richard explained why the NAIAD, and particularly the ZEPLIN detector constructed at the facility, are seen as key technologies now used in the world’s most sensitive dark matter detectors. All have been ‘glorious, but necessary failures’ in the hunt for capturing that all important ‘ping’ of success.

Boulby Mine & Dark Matter Facilty schematic. (Click to enlarge)

Richard explained why the facility is again planning to be at the forefront of Dark Matter detection, demonstrating new technologies to 'lure' various scientific and University consortiums to build the latest generation of larger detectors at Boulby. Should the bid be successful it would mean building a laboratory deeper still – around 1200+ metres.

Finally, Richard touched upon BUGS (the Boulby UnderGround Screening facility), enabling world class ultra-low background material screening essential for future Dark Matter and other low-background / rare event studies. Potentially breakthrough scientific experimental detectors, all facilitated at Boulby. It really was a most fascinating evening.

Further speakers are planned for the New year. 

If you are new to the area and would like to join the society or have become interested in the night sky and want to take 'one small step', please do come along, you will be very welcome. 

Meetings normally fall on the 1st Tuesday each month except when School holidays intervene as can sometimes happen for January and April (dependent on the School Easter break) 

Contact Mark - mobile number  07886069339 - or email spanton33attalktalk.net, or via the website www.whitby-astronomers.com