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.
Once more we welcome our regular Guest Speaker Jerry Workman. On this occasion he will be giving a general talk on the subject of 'The Moon'. We have little doubt that It will be an interwsting and informative presentation.
Our monthly meeting on June 1st will be an illustrated talk by our secretary David Pugh entitled "Toward the Galactic Centre with a Standard Camera Lens". David will show how a humble 50mm camera lens can be successfully used to obtain dramatic images of the Milky Way.
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.
Nik is a regular guest presenter at CDAA and is always very welcome. Once more he is here to give us views of his latest, always excelent, images of the night sky. He has access to some of the most advanced remote imaging telescopes in the world. With his skilled post processing, the images that he produces show the true wonder of deep sky objects.
Most of the stars in the Universe are born into binary or other multiple star systems. For most of their lives they orbit one another in peace but for some, their final stages often involve violent and spectacular behaviour. This talk looks at the lives of binary systems and outlines why they are so important to astronomers
How do we know how far away stars are? Dr Bothwell will describe the history and measurement methods used to determine distance. From Planetary Transits to Ceiphid Variables and beyond he will give an interesting and informative presentation.
The meeting on Thursday January 5th will be the Brian Cottis Memorial Lecture given by our secretary David Pugh. This year's talk will be "Understanding the Night Sky", suitable for beginners or persons wishing to learn more about finding their way around the night sky through the year. This will be followed by a planetarium software presentation of interesting objects to view during January.