BAA Winchester Astronomy Weekend: Sparsholt (April 10 – 12 2026) Celebrating 60 years of Observational Astronomy.
Below is an account of the weekend written by CMHASD new member Tina Bishop. Thank you Tina.
”As a relative newcomer to the astronomy community, I was a little apprehensive that the Winchester Weekend might be too technical or “academic” for me, but I shouldn’t have worried. It was the perfect introduction as the BAA were celebrating 60 years of observational astronomy, not only that but the weekend also coincided with the completion of the Artimis II mission with Orion’s spectacularly safe splashdown!
While many of the lectures were scientific, they were accessible. It was also very useful going with other members of CMHASD, as they were on hand during and after each lecture and were, as always, happy to clarify anything I wasn’t sure of, including some of the acronyms (thank you Rita, Martin, Diane and Roger).
The whole atmosphere was very relaxed and welcoming. The food was of a high standard and plentiful! As were the tea and cakes between lectures! The campus bar also did a roaring trade!
Unfortunately, there was limited opportunity for actual observing due to cloudy skies, but some people managed to make observations of a variable star before rain stopped play. Everyone also had the opportunity during the day to observe sunlight using a spectroscopic telescope, which was amazing!
The lectures were interesting and informative. There was a packed varied programme that was well organised – from how amateur astronomers can contribute to exoplanet research, observing variable stars, control of dew and thermal management of telescopes, thermal imaging of the moon, what comets have done for us and much, much more!
The speakers were engaging and exuded enthusiasm in their chosen specialism. I particularly enjoyed the ‘Still Chasing Rainbows: A spectroscopic progress report” (Robin Leadbeater) lecture as the previous week I had attended the CMHASD own Whistlestop Introduction for Beginners to Astronomy course which had covered light and introduced me to spectroscopy!
There was a fantastic historical lecture ‘The 1896 eclipse expedition to Norway (Bill Barton) Detailed records of the meticulous planning of the expedition along with photographs were shared. A fascinating, light-hearted lecture.
Another highlight of the weekend was the keynote speaker for The Alfred Curtis Lecture on Saturday night. JWST (James Webb Space Telescope) as a New Voyager for the Giant Planets (prof Leigh Fletcher) explaining how astronomers are conducting ongoing research extending our knowledge of the Jovian planets.
On Sunday Newbury Astronomical Society presented a powerful insight into the campaign for dark skies, sharing how vitally important it is to keep our already light polluted skies dark!
In the afternoon a number of amateur astronomers shared projects they had been working on. Dave and Steve from CMHASD presented a particularly fun slot, reflecting the whole tone of the weekend a mix of engaging scientific lectures and friendly people sharing their love and knowledge of astronomy, the whole weekend was incredibly inspiring.
A huge thank you to the BAA organizers for such a seamless and high-quality event! I would definitely go again!!
Clear skies
Tina”
