Sunderland Astronomical Society (SAS) was formed in July 1993 by an enthusiastic group of local amateur astronomers. We are one of most active and largest astronomical society’s in the North East with lots of things going on (for e.g. observing, related projects, astro events, meetings, lectures, visits, and outreach), so come on down and take a look.
SAS are a dynamic, active, open and friendly group of local amateur astronomers.
Our aim is to promote, inspire, inform, empower & advance the awareness & education of the public in the science of Astronomy and related subjects.
SAS in one of the largest, if not the largest and most active astronomical society in the North East.
We support the whole of Tyne & Wear community and North East region with anything astronomical.
We cater for all levels of Astronomy interest and experience.
We are especially pleased to welcome newcomers into the fascinating study of the heavens.
Regularly provide astronomically themed talks, observing sessions, projects & workshops in schools, at other venues/establishments, within the North East region at our public observatory at the Washington Wetlands Centre.
We run outreach projects & programs that are recognised by NASA outreach.
Especially interested in Schools, Cubs, Brownie and Scout groups of all ages to inspire, empower & learn about astronomy and view the night sky.
Our season runs from September to September each year.
See our Events Calendar for all our SAS related events, for e.g. visits, lectures, public outreach, local community engagement events, etc.
We hold meetings on:
All at the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, Washington, in the Discovery Centre.
Astro related lectures and Astro workshops from 7 pm.
Meetings are free to attend, so you can come along and see if the Society is for you before you join up.
Also to socialize and join in the craic on all things space & astronomical.
Every Thursday: Open to the Public, all year round.
Held in the Discovery Room of Wetlands Centre, and in and around our Cygnus Observatory where our members meet and greet members of the public, potential/new members and show them around and what SAS are all about.
Members also help the those new to the science to get acquainted with their instruments and with finding objects in the night sky.
For more information on SAS activities and other events, see our Society News and/or Events Calendar web pages.
Every Sunday: Originally informal. Now it’s held all year round.
Held in the Discovery Room of Wetlands Centre, where our more experienced astronomers help the those new to the science to get acquainted with their instruments and with finding objects in the night sky.
For more information on SAS activities and other events, see our Society News and/or Events Calendar web pages.
On the 2nd Sunday of each month:
Held all year round, Workshop Meetings are held in the Discovery Room of Wetlands Centre, where our more experienced astronomers help the those new to the science to get acquainted with their instruments and with finding objects in the night sky.
For more information on SAS activities and other events, see our Society News and/or Events Calendar web pages.
SAS Lecture
On the 3rd Sunday of each month: From September to August each year, lecture meetings are held and feature a talk lasting around 40 to 60+ minutes, either by a visiting professional astronomer or an experienced amateur astronomer.
The Cygnus observatory will be open afterwards for observing if weather is permitting.
For more information on lectures, see our Society News and/or Events Calendar web pages.
The Cygnus Observatory & Society will be open on the following days of each month for observing, workshop meetings. tutorials and lecture meetings.
Something a bit different for the July lecture night. In recent years “Smart Telescopes” have arrived on the astronomy scene. Smart telescopes offer an automated way of doing astronomy and astrophotography, albeit at a quite expensive price. If you have a Seestar S50, or are are thinking of getting one, or would like to know…
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Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE) is a mission that will revolutionise our understanding of the solar-terrestrial relationship, including the dynamic processes that control phenomena such as the aurora borealis (Norther/Southern Lights). In this fascinating talk Dr Jennifer Carter (Leicester University) will explain how the mission was born from a problem for X-ray astronomers,…
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The Sunderland Astronomical Society’s Astrophotography Competition will held on Sunday 18th May 2025 and we are returning to our pre Covid format. The event will be held at the Washington wetlands centre from 7:00 pm, where the best of our SAS astrophotographer images will be displayed and voted on at the event. All members attending the…
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Although it took only three minutes to make our Universe (see ‘Beginning of Everything’) it will take more than a trillion trillion years for it to come to an end. In this talk Dr Steve Barrett (Liverpool University) will talk about this talk looks at what will happen to the Earth, the Sun, our the…
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As larger telescopes get, as more light they gather. This together with the wish for higher spatial resolution gives rise to the development of telescopes of larger size. However, while the light gathering power increase works very well, due to the perturbations of our atmosphere the larger telescopes not necessarily deliver images of higher resolution,…
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Back by popular demand, Sunderland Astronomical Society are will visiting Northumberland Park). Date: Friday 21st February 2025. Time: from 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm. Entry: Free Event SAS have been asked by the Northumberland Park (the park in North Shields) to hold a Stargazing event on Friday 21st February 2024 from 7 pm till 10 pm.
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Back by popular demand, Sunderland Astronomical Society are will be hosting a unique Moon Watch and Stargazing event at our base of operations (Cygnus Observatory and Washington Wetlands Centre). Join Sunderland Astronomical Society for this awesome public Moon Watch & Stargazing event. See the moon in stunning detail through many telescopes and enjoy a tour…
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We know surprisingly little about the nature of the stage upon which the universe’s great show plays out. In this talk Graham Darke will take us through the ages, along the way examining humanity’s developing understanding of what space is. It will bring us right up to the modern era where what we know today…
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What are galaxies, how are they classified, how are they formed: What do we understand about their lives, and their influence and how many pretty pictures can Julian can fit in one talk.
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