South West Astronomy Fair 2009

The South West Astronomy Fair 2009, hosted by the Norman Lockyer Observatory in Sidmouth, attracted hundreds of visitors to peruse an impressive array of observing equipment, astronomy books and magazines, meteorite collections and hands on physics demonstrations, not to mention an outstanding lecture program from David Bryant, Heather Couper and Nigel Henbest, Will Gater and Greg Parker, who covered topics from meteorites and mass extinctions and the history of astronomy, to cosmology and deep sky imaging. This year the event was even blessed with sunny weather!

Here is our photo round-up of the day. All images Steve Kelly/Astronomy Now.

Astronomy Now editors Keith Cooper and Emily Baldwin ready and waiting to meet the crowds. Visitors to the stand could also receive a guided tour of Astronomy Now Online!

Inside the main tent visitors could purchase meteorites from Spacerocks – the UK's top meteorite and tektite dealership, sign up to astronomy societies and purchase the latest astronomy books and equipment.

Visitors to the event could take a look inside the domes at Norman Lockyer Observatory telescopes, including the oldest telescope on site, this 6.25 inch refractor (left) that Lockyer used to examine the solar chromosphere to discover the element helium, and the Kensington telescope (right), so-called because it was made to Lockyer's specification for his Solar Physics Observatory in South Kensington, London.

The Institute of Physics attracted visitors of all ages to their hands on physics demonstrations.

New telescope technology was demonstrated in grounds steeped in over one hundred years of astronomical history.

The Widescreen centre's William Optics refractor dressed with a Lunt H-alpha solar filter proved a great hit with the crowds on such a sunny day.

Astronomy Now contributers Greg Parker and Nik Szymanek were on hand to offer expert imaging advice.

Astronomy Now's Website Editor Emily Baldwin meets Galileo! He was demonstrating a new exhibition on astronomy for the blind (since Galileo became blind in later life), which includes intricate moulds of the lunar surface that visitors can touch. An event dedicated to astronomy for the visually impaired will be held at the Norman Lockyer Observatory on 12 October.

Meteorite expert David Bryant asks Emily to autograph his February 2009 issue of Astronomy Now, in which Emily wrote the Focus section on her PhD topic impact cratering.

Our latest 132-page Astronomy Now special edition is an extravaganza of astronomy for the year ahead, with a complete 30-page guide to observing the planets, moon, meteor showers, two solar eclipses, and the deep sky in 2010.
 U.K. STORE
 E.U. STORE
 U.S. & WORLDWIDE STORE

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.
 U.K. STORE
 E.U. STORE
 U.S. & WORLDWIDE STORE

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!
 U.K. STORE
 E.U. STORE
 U.S. & WORLDWIDE STORE

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.
 U.K. STORE
 E.U. STORE
 U.S. & WORLDWIDE STORE

Explore the Universe with these new versions of the award-winning Starry Night Software. Available now from the Astronomy Now Store.
 U.K. STORE
 E.U. STORE
 U.S. & WORLDWIDE STORE

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!
 U.K. STORE
 E.U. STORE
 U.S. & WORLDWIDE STORE

This new poster features some of the best pictures from NASA's amazing Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity.
 U.K. STORE
 E.U. STORE
 U.S. & WORLDWIDE STORE