Welcome to the CDAA
Welcome to the Clacton and District Astronomical Association web site. We are a small informal group, meeting on the first Thursday of the month. CDAA is the only Astronomical Society serving the Tendring and Colchester districts.
Monthly Meetings
These meetings are held at "Christ Church United Reform Church" Carnarvan Road, Clacton-on-Sea at 7.30 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month (except August). The meetings conclude at 9.45 p.m. Find our Meeting Hall
In addition to the main events, there are also Monthly 'Night Sky' , 'Astro-News' presentations, Seasonal Constellations and a regular raffle.
We are a friendly bunch of amateurs where new members and visitors are always warmly welcomed. Annual membership is currently £15 adults, £6 juniors (under 18 years of age). This covers admission to all of the monthly meetings
Please note that although visitors are very welcome, they are charged an entry fee of £2.00
Outreach
As part of the lottery funded 'Outreach' programme, we offer speakers for local clubs, societies and schools. A small fee may be required to cover travel expences etc. Click the 'Contacts' tab to get in touch with an appropriate representative of our society. Outreach activities are outlined by clicking the 'Events' tab.
Find out more...
Our club secretary David Pugh, should be able to answer most queries about the Association itself, whereas I, Bob Leon can answer questions relating to the web site.
Data Protection Declaration Details
Please note that information given by members to the CDAA (such as email addresses) will not be used for any other purpose than that of providing a means of contact.
Our host for the evening is Roger Sidwell. He will challenge the members to a test of their astronomical knowledge. It should be a fun and social event.
With his interest in Deep Sky Objects David, our Secretary, has rarely spoken about night sky objects that may be viewed in the Southern Hemesphere. Although he has never had the opportunity to view these personally, he has seen a number of impressive deep sky objects in the literature. He plans upon giving us a countdown of 16 of his favourites
Postponed from 7th March - This will be the second time that Dr Bothwell has given us a presentation. On this occasion the full title is 'Monsters in the Dark - Searching for the Universe's mose extreme Galaxies'. It is now known that Black Holes lurk in the center of most, if not all galaxies. However, the galaxies themselves can be varied in the extreme. Matt will present many examples and discuss their unusual features.
As usual at this time of year, we have the Annual General Meeting. It should be mercifully short and be followed by a select few of our members giving a series of short (Approx ten minute) presentations upon aspects of astronomy that interest them.
Jerry Workman is a regular Special Guest Speaker that that we are fortunate to have give us a talk at least once a year. This time he will be giving a presentation called 'The Moon'. Having spoken before on subjects such as the Apollo Missions, Mars and his experiences of witnessing a number of total solar eclipes. It is assumed that on this occasion he will the tell of the Moon's history and how it is unique in the Solar System.
Bob Leon, our Vice Chairman, will give one of his now rare presentations. This time it is on the subject of 'The Elements of the Periodic Table'. Generally, they tend to be dug out of the ground but where did they originally come from? Is this a journey into Chemistry? - No, it's more in the area of Nuclear Physics. However, don't be put off by the complexity of the subject, Bob will try to explain in a step-by-step manner, the processes that we think occurred in the hearts of stars and beyond that led to the formation of all of the elements in the Periodic Table.
Once more, our Chairman Mike Haynes will present the latest in astronomical research taken from various sources. He will highlight new findings and give us an overview of current investigations into the world of astronomy.
This will be the fist time that we have had this speaker so we welcome Jonathan Clough. He will give an overview of cosmology. Cosmology is the study of the origin, structure and evolution of the universe as a whole.
This will be the second time that Dr Bothwell has given us a presentation. On this occasion the full title is 'Monsters in the Dark - Searching for the Universe's mose extreme Galaxies'. It is now known that Black Holes lurk in the center of most, if not all galaxies. However, the galaxies themselves can be varied in the extreme. Matt will present many examples and discuss their unusual features.
Our Chairman, Mike Hayes, will give this years 'Brian Cottis Memorial Presentation' in memory of our past treasurer 'Brian Cottis'. He will give a comprehensive story of the lives of stars. The night sky presents many stars that are at different stages of their lives. Astronomers have pieced together the sequence of their lives from Birth to Death.
David will give a comprehensive account of the life and times of William Herschel. It will detail his achievements and discoveries using telescopes that he made himself. He carried out systematic surveys of the northern night skies with the help of his sister Caroline.