It would be difficult to imagine a night with better observing conditions that the last Plaistow astronomy night, back in October 2023.   Under a perfectly clear sky, we saw Saturn, Jupiter and lunar craters through the telescope, the autumn constellations, the Andromeda galaxy and a meteor.  Some will also remember the somewhat sinister train of freshly launched Starlink satellites.

So, with fingers crossed, we are hoping for similar conditions on the above date, which represents the spring equinox and the last Saturday before the clocks go forward.

The event aims to celebrate our dark skies here in rural Sussex, and provide an introduction to what is up there in the spring.  Being five months later than last time, we will have many new  stars and constellations to pore over.

As before, there will be a telescope or two trained on something interesting, but you are more than welcome to bring your own to use, share and (if needed), seek guidance on.  But please do bring any binoculars that you may have, as they are often the best option for viewing certain objects.  Also, for those not familiar with the spring constellations, a guided tour of them will be given.

The event is obviously weather dependent, so please keep an eye on the status below.  An email will also be sent to those who register.  A final update will be made at noon on the day itself.

Please keep any torches dim and/or red, and shone down, and you may still consider the hot chocolate!

Parking

There are a few parking places at the site for those bringing telescopes, but please otherwise park in the village if you're able to walk.  If you do need to park at the field, we would be grateful if you could register below so we can manage numbers.