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!

The Planets
From tiny Mercury to distant Neptune and Pluto, The Planets profiles each of the Solar System's members in depth, featuring the latest imagery from space missions. The tallest mountains, the deepest canyons, the strongest winds, raging atmospheric storms, terrain studded with craters and vast worlds of ice are just some of the sights you'll see on this 100-page tour of the planets.
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Hubble Reborn
Hubble Reborn takes the reader on a journey through the Universe with spectacular full-colour pictures of galaxies, nebulae, planets and stars as seen through Hubble's eyes, along the way telling the dramatic story of the space telescope, including interviews with key scientists and astronauts.
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3D Universe
Witness the most awesome sights of the Universe as they were meant to be seen in this 100-page extravaganza of planets, galaxies and star-scapes, all in 3D!
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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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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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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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This new poster features some of the best pictures from NASA's amazing Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity.
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