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X-WR-CALDESC:Events for South West Herts Astronomical Society
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20251031T200000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20251031T220000
DTSTAMP:20250616T164003Z
CREATED:20250616T164003Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250616T164003Z
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SUMMARY:SWHAS Monthly Meeting October 2025
DESCRIPTION:Dr. Paul Fellows: Once Around the Sun’s Sisters \nA talk which looks at the question of whether the Sun was born as a solitary star and if not how we might find its sisters! \n \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \nPaul leads the public observing events at the University of Cambridge and presents lectures on Cunard Queen Mary 2 and other ships on a frequent basis\, his talks are always popular. Having borrowed a small telescope and seen the rings of Saturn for the first time aged 13 Paul went on to build his own 8in reflector and do the O-level in astronomy the following year. His undergraduate studies were in Natural Science at the University of Cambridge specialising in Spectroscopy after which he joined the university Computer Laboratory for his postgraduate degree. He worked on the first generation of home computers and lead the design of the RiscOS operating system for the ARM processor\, including inventing the apps and icon bar user interface that has since spread to phones and computers across the world. \nPaul was a pioneer of streaming video across the internet and twice a winner of the Queens award for Technology. In 2005 he was elected a Fellow of the Institute of Engineering and Technology and was recently given a lifetime achievement award by Emmanuel College Cambridge and was awarded the British Empire Medal for services to the public understanding of science and technology in the new years honours of 2025. Through this time he maintained his interest in astronomy and has lead the public observing events at the University for over 20 years giving hundreds of live presentations\, lectures and planetarium shows. He teaches the introduction to astronomy course and leads the monthly “Cambridge young astronomers” events for younger children. He is also an elected Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society. Since 2016 he has been a lecturer on board Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 and other ships and frequent presenter to clubs and societies as well as at the international astronomy show. \nThe meeting will also include a news item and a tour of the night sky. \nWe look forward to seeing you.
URL:https://swhas.org/event/swhas-monthly-meeting-october-2025/
LOCATION:Royal Masonic School\, Rickmansworth\, Hertfordshire\, WD3 4HF\, United Kingdom
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DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20251128T200000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20251128T220000
DTSTAMP:20251118T173333Z
CREATED:20250616T165605Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251118T173333Z
UID:4723-1764360000-1764367200@swhas.org
SUMMARY:SWHAS Monthly Meeting November 2025
DESCRIPTION:In Search Of The Aurora by Andrew Ritchie Green BSc (Hons) FRAS \n \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \nAndy is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society has been actively involved in astronomy and space for over 48 years becoming interested in astronomy & space aged 7. He has travelled the world many times to promote astronomy and give presentations and lectures far and wide\, talking to varied groups including those at the University of Cambridge\, Sheffield Hallam University and visiting observatories as far afield as Hawaii\, mainland USA\, Europe\, Australia\, and Chile. He has visited several space agencies and their facilities including those at NASA and the European Space Agency\, ESA. He was involved in grass roots astronomy for many years\, and he has seen astronomy at all levels from the local astronomical society level to the public understanding of science and space to professional astronomy. \nAndy’s particular interest is in the Auroras and has spent over 16 years researching\, observing and photographing them in Iceland\, he has many friends in the country. He has a degree in Geo-Science / Planetary Geology from the University of Sheffield. He is also a freelance space journalist/photographer and has had articles published in several magazines both in the UK and USA. Andy recently wrote on Space Flight for the US Navy’s training manual for the ROTC Programme. An accomplished photographer his images have been published in many publications and used online in addition to many hard copy publications and books worldwide. One of his Aurora images was used on the title page of the 2021 Philips Stargazing Guide \nAffiliations Director & Senior Lecturer – StarDome Astronomy & Astronautics Fellow – Royal Astronomical Society Director – AAAEP Astro Education – Australia Aurora and Eclipse Travel Guide and Astronomer Freelance Space Journalist & Broadcaster Cunard “Insights” Lecturer \nThe meeting will also include a news item and a tour of the night sky. \nWe look forward to seeing you.
URL:https://swhas.org/event/swhas-monthly-meeting-november-2025/
LOCATION:Royal Masonic School\, Rickmansworth\, Hertfordshire\, WD3 4HF\, United Kingdom
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20251212T200000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20251212T220000
DTSTAMP:20251212T183720Z
CREATED:20251212T183720Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251212T183720Z
UID:4741-1765569600-1765576800@swhas.org
SUMMARY:SWHAS Monthly Meeting December 2025
DESCRIPTION:  \n  \n  \n  \n  \nFor our last meeting of 2025 we will be showing a selection of members images in the Cadogan House Hall\, Royal Masonic School For Girls\, Rickmansworth. \nThe meeting will also include a news item of interest and a tour of the night sky. \nWe look forward to seeing you.
URL:https://swhas.org/event/swhas-monthly-meeting-december-2025/
LOCATION:Royal Masonic School\, Rickmansworth\, Hertfordshire\, WD3 4HF\, United Kingdom
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260130T200000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260130T220000
DTSTAMP:20260120T182246Z
CREATED:20260120T182246Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260120T182246Z
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SUMMARY:SWHAS Monthly Meeting January 2026
DESCRIPTION:‘Rocky Planet Formation in the Outer Solar System’ by Dr. Ben Rider-Stokes \nJoin us for this fascinating talk at our first monthly meeting of 2026. \nDr. Ben Rider-Stokes is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at The Open University\, specialising in planetary materials and asteroid science. His current research integrates laboratory spectroscopy with meteorite microanalysis to interpret the mineralogy of asteroids\, providing ground truth for astronomical observations and supporting ongoing and future space missions. His focus is on linking differentiated planetesimals and their meteorite analogues to asteroid spectral properties\, with implications for planetary formation\, resource utilisation\, and the evolution of the early Solar System. \nLooking ahead\, Dr. Rider-Stokes aims to build an academic career that advances our understanding of planetary bodies through chemical and spectroscopic techniques\, while contributing to the teaching and mentoring of the next generation of planetary scientists. \nThe meeting will also include a news item of interest and a tour of the night sky. \nWe look forward to seeing you.
URL:https://swhas.org/event/swhas-monthly-meeting-january-2026/
LOCATION:Royal Masonic School\, Rickmansworth\, Hertfordshire\, WD3 4HF\, United Kingdom
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260227T200000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260227T220000
DTSTAMP:20260211T172743Z
CREATED:20260211T172743Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260211T172743Z
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SUMMARY:SWHAS Monthly Meeting February 2026
DESCRIPTION:An Astronomer’s Guide to Strange Things in the Sky  \nby Andrew Mowbray BSc (Hons). MSc. \nThis fascinating talk covers lots of different things and includes some audience participation! \nAndrew Mowbray is a former IT Professional who worked mainly in local government as well as teaching IT for several years. Having retired early he is a fully qualified tour guide who gives walking tours in the City of Colchester in Essex. Andrew has numerous interests\, one of which has always been astronomy. He has been a member of Castle Point Astronomy Club for many years and served fifteen years as the Secretary and Webmaster. \nThe meeting will also include a news item of interest and a tour of the night sky. \nWe look forward to seeing you.
URL:https://swhas.org/event/swhas-monthly-meeting-february-2026/
LOCATION:Royal Masonic School\, Rickmansworth\, Hertfordshire\, WD3 4HF\, United Kingdom
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260327T200000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260327T220000
DTSTAMP:20260320T224520Z
CREATED:20260319T215211Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260320T224520Z
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SUMMARY:SWHAS Monthly Meeting March 2026
DESCRIPTION:Full Moon by Dr Mike Foulkes \nMike is the director of the British Astronomical Association’s Saturn\, Uranus and Neptune Section. He is a keen observer\, particularly of the Moon and planets. Professionally he has worked in the spacecraft industry on both communication satellites and scientific spacecraft. \nThe Moon is a fascinating object to observe both with small and large telescopes. However the time around the full Moon can be frustrating for many observers as its brightness can make observing many objects in the sky more difficult.\nAfter briefly describing out nearest neighbour\, this talk will make a case for observing the Moon when it is close to or at full perigee. It will describe some of the features that can be seen including lunar eclipses. \nThe meeting will also include a tour of the night sky. \nWe look forward to seeing you. \n  \n 
URL:https://swhas.org/event/swhas-monthly-meeting-march-2026/
LOCATION:Royal Masonic School\, Rickmansworth\, Hertfordshire\, WD3 4HF\, United Kingdom
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DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260424T200000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260424T220000
DTSTAMP:20260416T201247Z
CREATED:20260327T181156Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260416T201247Z
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SUMMARY:SWHAS Monthly Meeting April 2026
DESCRIPTION:‘An Introduction to Astrophotography’ by Dr. Antonio Filippi. \n  \nUnfortunately we have had to cancel the planned talk by Andy Green on the Apollo Missions due to the speaker becoming unwell. \nAndy’s talk will be re-scheduled for a later date and we will let you know when that is in due course. \n  \nInstead our own accomplished astrophotographer\, Dr. Antonio Filippi\, has stepped up to give us a talk about Astrophotography. \nAntonio will lead us through the basics and talk about the equipment and tools now available to the modern astrophotographer. \n  \nThe meeting will also include a news item of interest. \n  \nWe look forward to seeing you there.
URL:https://swhas.org/event/swhas-monthly-meeting-april-2026/
LOCATION:Royal Masonic School\, Rickmansworth\, Hertfordshire\, WD3 4HF\, United Kingdom
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260529T200000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260529T220000
DTSTAMP:20260505T105232Z
CREATED:20260505T105232Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260505T105232Z
UID:4779-1780084800-1780092000@swhas.org
SUMMARY:SWHAS Monthly Meeting May 2026
DESCRIPTION:Join us for our AGM & Members Images Meeting. \n \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \nThis is your chance as a member of the SWHAS to have your say on how the society is run\, elect the committee members and make suggestions as to how to improve the way things are done. \nIn addition we hope that you will be inspired by the astrophotography images captured by our members. \nThe meeting will also include a news item and a tour of the night sky. \nWe look forward to seeing you.
URL:https://swhas.org/event/swhas-monthly-meeting-may-2026/
LOCATION:Royal Masonic School\, Rickmansworth\, Hertfordshire\, WD3 4HF\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260925T200000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260925T220000
DTSTAMP:20260829T193144Z
CREATED:20260829T193144Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260829T193144Z
UID:4789-1790366400-1790373600@swhas.org
SUMMARY:SWHAS Monthly Meeting September 2026
DESCRIPTION:The Pluto Story by Professor Ian Robson \nThis talk is about the erstwhile planet Pluto\, how it was discovered and how discovery and observations of the Kuiper Belt Objects eventually led to the International Astronomy Union (IAU) in 2006 to declassify Pluto from being a planet. Although ‘what is a planet?’ might seem to be an easy question to answer\, it turns out that the ensuing debate by professional astronomers was both complicated and fractious. The twists and turns of how Pluto finally came to be demoted by the IAU are revisited on a personal basis – astronomy democracy in action – or not\, and what was the legacy from the decision and what have we learned from the New Horizons space mission to Pluto and beyond. \nProfessor Robson has been Head of Dept of Physics and Astronomy at UCLAN; Director of the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope in Hawaii; Director of the UK Astronomy Technology Centre at the Royal Observatory Edinburgh and Director of the Science and Technology Facility Council’s Technology Department. He has undertaken extensive research in the fields of Active Galaxies and submillimetre astronomy and wrote an undergraduate textbook on Active Galactic Nuclei. \nProfessor Robson is very active in outreach and was the first President of the International Astronomy Union’s (IAU) Commission for Communicating Astronomy with the Public. He led the UK programme for the International Year of Astronomy in 2009. He was the International Astronomy Union Assistant General Secretary for 2018-19 and has been President of the Society for Popular Astronomy and the Royal Scottish Society for the Arts. He was Vice-president of the Royal Astronomical Society from 2021-23 and received the prestigious Service Award in 2024. \nThe meeting will also include a news item of interest and a tour of the night sky. \nWe look forward to seeing you.
URL:https://swhas.org/event/swhas-monthly-meeting-september-2026/
LOCATION:Royal Masonic School\, Rickmansworth\, Hertfordshire\, WD3 4HF\, United Kingdom
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