Federation of Astronomical Societies Convention 2025
It was a warm sunny day in Cambridge UK, for the Federation of Astronomical Societies annual meeting at none other than the Institute of Astronomy at Cambridge University.
With a packed schedule culminating in a presentation by The Astronomer Royal, Martin Rees, and an array of exhibitors include nPAE Precision Astro Engineering as Silver Sponsor it was a guaranteed day out!
The theme for the day was “The History of Astronomy”, and there were five speakers covering different periods of time. The first speaker was Stonehenge researcher Simon Banton, who covered the Archeoastronomy of Stonehenge. He was followed by Dr. Louise Devoy, Senior Curator of the Royal Observatory, who told the story of the Greenwich Meridian. Then there was Dr Matthew Bothwell, Public Astronomer at the Institute of Astronomy, who covered the invisible universe – the search for Dark Matter. He was followed by Dr Paul Daniels, the previous President of the Federation of Astronomical Societies, who looked at threats and challenges to modern astronomy. Our final speaker was a highlight to the programme – Lord Martin Rees, The Astronomer Royal.
The full show included AWR Technology, British Astronomical Association (BAA), First Light Optics (FLO), Mission Astro, Stargazing.co.uk, UK Radio Astronomy Association and the Observatory Science Centre in Herstmonceux. FLO has some great solar astronomy set ups for people to look through and you were able to get hands on with some nPAE favourites like the Ruby Turret and Theia90 Star Diagonal.
It is important this point to mention the Herstmonceux Observatory Campaign, as the historic observatory is under threat of closure to the public. You can sign the petition at this link: https://herstmonceuxobservatory.com/
The next Federation of Astronomical Societies annual meeting will be in Cardiff Wales in 2026. We hope to see you there!
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Rees
