080811 SW Astronomy Fair 2008

The South West Astronomy Fair

Saturday 9 August, 2008

Despite a very wet and foggy day, the South West Astronomy Fair, hosted by the Norman Lockyer Observatory in Sidmouth, was extremely well attended by exhibitors and visitors alike. In between four guest lectures by renowned speakers Tim Naylor, Nik Szymanek, Chris Lintott and Allan Chapman, who spoke about star formation, astrophotography, cosmology and Sir Norman Lockyer respectively, visitors could enjoy an extensive exhibition of everything from the latest in telescope technology and hands on meteorite collections to advice in astronomy distance learning and opportunities to join astronomy societies, as well as having the chance to grab a copy of the latest Astronomy Now from our own stand, of course! It was great to meet some of our avid AN readers, too.

Here are some photo-highlights of the day. All images Keith Cooper, Astronomy Now.

Astronomy Now’s Website Editor Emily Baldwin makes another sale of the popular Messier Catalogue poster.

Visitors could admire the telescopes on display from The Widescreen Centre, First Light Optics (top), SCS Astro (middle), and Altair Astro (bottom).

Left: An impressive collection of meteorites from the Moon, Mars and asteroids were available to buy from Space Rocks, along with meteorite-related jewellery. Right: Crowds gather around the Open University and Society for Popular Astronomy stands to learn more about astronomy courses and to pick up some SPA memorabilia.

Altair Astro pros demonstrate the Sky Shed POD (Personal Observatory Dome), the ultimate in permanent or mobile domes.

Despite the clouds that enshrouded the Norman Lockyer Observatory, a good time was had by all!

2009 Yearbook

This 132-page special edition features the ultimate observing guide for 2009, a review of all the biggest news stories of 2008, in depth articles covering all aspects of astronomy and space missions for 2009, previews of International Year of Astronomy events and much, much more.

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Infinity Rising

This special publication features the photography of British astro-imager Nik Szymanek and covers a range of photographic methods from basic to advanced. Beautiful pictures of the night sky can be obtained with a simple camera and tripod before tackling more difficult projects, such as guided astrophotography through the telescope and CCD imaging.

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Starry Night

Explore the Universe with these new versions of the award-winning Starry Night Software. Available now from the Astronomy Now Store.

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Exploring Mars

Astronomy Now is pleased to announce the publication of Exploring Mars. The very best images of Mars taken by orbiting spacecraft and NASA's Spirit and Opportunity rovers fill up the 98 glossy pages of this special edition!

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Mars rover poster

This new poster features some of the best pictures from NASA's amazing Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity.

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