Sussex Practical Astronomers was formed in 2023.
Originally known as the Adur Astronomical Society, the change was made both to acknowledge the fact that our members now come from a much wider area of Sussex than when it was originally formed, plus we have also expanded our offering to include both monthly lecture evenings at the Southwick Community Centre and also monthly practical astronomy meetings at Clayton Village Hall.
Formed in 2008, the Adur Astronomical Society came from an initiative by Robin Durant and Trevor Little. Its inaugural meeting being held in the Barn Theatre at the Southwick Community Centre. Helped by Pete Lawrence of the BBC’s Sky at Night program and attended by Sir Patrick Moore, the late Honorary President, Sir Patrick launched the Society on its way and continued to host evenings for Society members at his home until his death. Recently Robin accepted the role of Society President and will continue his work in supporting the Society, leading the Practical Astronomy Group in conjunction with Steve Miles, introducing new members and acting as an ambassador for the Society and Astronomy in general.
Typically, our members now come from Brighton to Worthing on the coast and many of the surrounding inland villages, thus making the very best use of the South Downs National Park and it’s dark skies.
We fundamentally believe that astronomy can and should be enjoyed by everyone. Consequently, we welcome all those new to astronomy as well as the more experienced. We invite prospective members along to a meeting as guests, in order to meet the membership, learn about our activities and experience one of the monthly meetings at first hand.
Our Society is managed by an enthusiastic team of committee members who are elected at our AGM which takes place at the June meeting. To meet them go to the “committee” page from the main menu.