Celestial Hide & Seek (Eclipses, Transits and Occultations)

An on-line (Zoom) talk by Martin Lunn MBE

About the talk: An eclipse of the Sun is one of the grandest sights in nature. The Moon passes in front of the Sun and daylight becomes darkness for a short period of time. We cannot be surprised that people living in the past were terrified by this spectacle. We will see how eclipses of the Sun and Moon occur, how they have affected history and how transits and occultations can help astronomers better to understand the solar system.

About the speaker: Martin writes: " studied for my degree in astrophysics whilst working as a guard on British Rail in the 1970s. From 1989 until 2011 I was Curator of Astronomy at the Yorkshire Museum in York, and in 1998 I was presented with an MBE for services to astronomy and education."

"I am a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and have served a term on the council. I also present lectures on cruise ships all over the world, and to various clubs and societies at home. I have my own weekly Astronomy Show on a community radio station called Drystone Radio, which can be heard locally and on line. My show is probably the only weekly astronomy show on any radio station anywhere in the country. I also write a monthly ‘What’s in the night sky?’ feature for the Craven Herald newspaper which covers the Yorkshire Dales."

About the host: This event is hosted by Vectis Astronomical Society (VAS). Anyone is welcome. VAS members are free of charge; non-members are invited to make a donation. Please get tickets for this talk from Eventbrite [LINK TO BE ADDED SOON]

VAS presents public talks on the 4th Friday of most months (but not December). The speakers come from all over the country and give a presentation for around 45 minutes, with a chance for questions and answers afterwards. We have a suggested donation of £2.50 for non-members of VAS.