Author: kuiperkaren

Come and say hi at the Norman Lockyer Observatory when we hold our annual astronomy fair with speakers including Chris Lintott from the Sky at Night, and many hands on sciency things to do. Lots of trade stands. Refreshments available. I'm working on a nice display about Sir Norman Lockyer to whom we are most …

Continue reading "28 June – Astronomy Fair"

The sun shone and the people came to the Norman Lockyer Observatory for a delightful afternoon of music, 'This is your life' presentation, and cake. Member, Bill Hitchings, dressed magnifcently as Sir Norman, was treated to an overview of his life from 'Eamon Andrews' aka Jonathan Milford. Chairman, David Strange, had produced an excellent script …

Continue reading "17 May…Celebration of Sir Norman Lockyer’s 189th Birthday…"

     Karen presented a copy of her book to David Strange, Chair of Norman Lockyer Observatory, who kindly made some positive comments about the outreach work and promotion of the NLO that Karen does.      The Norman Lockyer Observatory contains three historic telescopes through which can be seen images as good as any modern telescope …

Continue reading "     Karen Hedges, gave a very well received talk at Exeter Central Library followed by the launch of her new book Stargazing for All  (ISBN: 9781739123611) .  The book is available from Winstone’s Bookshop in Sidmouth (which has a wonderful array of beautiful books for young and old) as well as online from Waterstones and Amazon.  The book is a guide to stargazing for beginners and for amateur astronomers whose memories may need refreshing from time to time.  The book contains illustrations from renowned artist, John Meacham.  Karen gave many talks at St Thomas Library in Exeter when former librarian Lee Rawlings ran a monthly science club.  She has drawn on her experience with the general public as a telescope presenter and from her previous work in education to produce the book.  She is most grateful to Exeter Central Library for hosting the book launch. "

Delighted to say that the book is now 'out there' and in the hands of those who pre-ordered it. Copies available from bookshops, online at Waterstones, and Amazon.

At long last, Stargazing for All, is out and about and available to pre-order ahead of the 3 April publication date. Grab your copy now! It is ideal if you were given a telescope for Christmas sitting there unused, or have enjoyed the plethora of planets parading across the skies recently. What a busy weekend …

Continue reading "THE BOOK IS OUT!"

...and what am I up to? Something exciting arrived in the post today! Follow me to see what it is 🙂 This week I have been rereading my old OU essays and comments. Bodes well for an MA course. However, the years studying for that OU degree were not easy and I did not always …

Continue reading "Sunny Spring Day"

With a gargantuan effort, I managed to get out of the door and into the gym for a very good session on the recline bike...which has a video screen. Today I chose to cycle around Portugal in the sunshine. Next week sees another scout evening, fingers crossed for a break in the clouds, a meeting …

Continue reading "8 February"

January sped by in a blur of busyness, with the last week ending on some high notes. Flooding was an issue at the beginning of the last week and a beady eye was kept on the weather forecast. Bradninch Scouts were truly blessed by a clear, dry day which was followed by a crystal clear …

Continue reading "4 February 2025 Life moves on apace"

Get out into the fresh air and daylight...to combat the January blues they say. Well, it is a challenge to do that today with the rain belting down, and the wind howling. I did show my face outside for a second. And every day I do at the very least stand outside in the daylight, …

Continue reading "Sunday 26 January 2025"