The Curious World of C. G. H. Tompkins: The City Speed Limit ~ David Pulley

In 1905 Albert Einstein introduced the world to special relativity.  But what is special relativity and why does it make such strange predictions?  And why don't we see the effects of special relativity in our everyday lives.  We will look at how the need for special relativity arose, answering many of sciences great mysteries of the late nineteenth century.  Apparent paradoxes abound and we will look at a few of those including the twin paradox and the bug on a rivet.  Finally we will explore where special relativity has a part to play in our violent Universe.

The good, the bad and the ugly ~ David Hornsby et al (Part 2)

This short episode completes our look at members telescopes and their thoughts on them.

What is a good telescope for the amateur astronomer? Magazines and web sites offer lots of advice, but what can one trust? This evening is an opportunity for the Local Group astronomers to share their personal experience of scopes they have actually used themselves. Of course, there is no such thing as the “ideal” scope, but some are less than ideal than others! Members will talk a bit about the good and bad points of their own telescopes in the hope of giving useful information to fellow members who may well be prospective purchasers of telescopes.

Contributors: David Hornsby, Jim Truelove, Peter Smith and Bob Okines