Astronomy Talks – It’s about time
Tuesday 9th February 2027 from 19:00pm to 20:00pm
Princess Alexandra Auditorium
Yarm School, Middlesbrough, Cleveland, TS15 9EJ
Join Go Stargazing astronomer Dr Fred Stevenson for this one of a series of fascinating lectures in the Friarage Theatre at the Princess Alexandria Auditorium.
It’s about time – astro-archaeology, time, calendars and the art and science of the sundial.
Every aspect of modern life is dominated by time. Time – the 4th dimension, is the subject of this talk (and the following). Time and its measurement has been fundamental to society since its origin.
At first astronomical observations of Sun and Moon were used as calendrical devices to regulate agricultural cycles. The motion of the Sun over the course of the day and throughout the year were used to construct ever more accurate sundials – a device nowadays of more decorative purpose but once the most accurate clocks available.
We will consider the history of timekeeping and how the accurate measurement of time was crucial in solving the longitude problem.
Event booking
Event darkness
The below chart shows if and when the skies will be at their darkest during this event. Moonlight is shown in light yellow and the Sun's twilight in light blue. Midnight on the date shown is shown as a white line with sunset to the left and sunrise the next morning to the right. A black background with stars shows the best times for stargazing.
Tue 9th Feb
Local light pollution
Princess Alexandra Auditorium is estimated to have light pollution levels similar to an urban location based on the latest data from the VIIRS satellite. For more advanced light pollution data, view this location on DarkSkySites.
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Semi-rural
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Dark site
The above demonstrates the estimated effect of light pollution - graphics created using Stellarium.
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