Meetings

Monday 12 January 2026: Chris Hooker – The Planet Mercury

Chris Hooker, Mercury Coordinator for the BAA Mercury and Venus Section, looks at the history of our observations of Mercury up to the present day, and explains how our knowledge of the planet has developed. Chris will show how he takes his own images of the planet, and how amateurs can image Mercury’s amazing sodium tail.

Following this we will have our usual roundup of our own observations, and a look ahead to what’s in the sky for the next month by David Arditti.

The meeting is at the Royal British Legion Harrow Club, South Harrow, starting at 8 pm.

Forthcoming meetings

Monday 9 February (Uxbridge)   Gabriella Rajpoot: Stars in the Satellite Age

Monday 9 March (South Harrow)   Details to be announced

General Meeting Info.

Meetings are held every month (except August),  at Christ Church, Redford Way, Uxbridge UB8 1SZ  (even months) and the Royal British Legion Harrow Club, 76 Northolt Road, South Harrow,  HA2 0DW  (odd months). Admission to meetings is free to members, and non-members are welcome to attend one or two meetings before deciding if membership is for them. Meetings begin at 8 pm sharp and finish at 10 pm.

Each meeting begins with the talk by the main speaker, which usually lasts 60-75mins. This is followed  by a slot where we show astronomical observations made by members. The meetings close with society notices and we often have time for refreshments afterwards. Here you can socialise with other members, speak to WOLAS committee members, or even talk directly with the main speaker.

We run an observing competition over the year where each meeting where a member has items shown in the observing slot earns them a point. In September of each year, a trophy is given to the member with the most points. This is the Geoff Smith Award which commemorates a former secretary of WOLAS who was a very keen observer of the night sky. As a member you can read more about the trophy by logging in and clicking here.