Welcome to the website of the Derby & District Astronomical Society (DDAS). We were founded in 1974 and are open to all with an interest in astronomy. We currently number around 50 members from all walks of life and whose knowledge of astronomy ranges from complete beginner to advanced. The society holds regular meetings on the first Friday of each month (except July and August) at 7:30 pm at the Friend's Meeting House on St. Helen's Street in Derby. This period stone building is owned by the Quakers Religious Society Of Friends, and is next door to BBC Radio Derby. Please note that we are not affiliated with the Quakers Religious Society Of Friends, but rent the meeting space from them. This venue may be found on Google Maps. Meetings usually involve an outside speaker, but members also give talks, and the society holds a quiz in January. We also hold 'Introduction to Astronomy' evenings at the Friends Meeting House on the third Friday of the month, and these are designed to cover the basics of astronomy. See below for more information or check out our meetings programme. We are a friendly and, despite our subject, 'down to earth' society. Meetings are a great way for potential new members to see what we're about in an informal and relaxed atmosphere. The social aspect continues after most monthly meetings with a visit to, appropriately enough, The Seven Stars.
The society's Flamsteed Observatory houses a 10-inch Meade Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope and Altair ED-80 refractor on a computerised 'GOTO' mount. The observatory is named in honour of England's first Astronomer Royal, the Reverend John Flamsteed (1646-1719), who was born in Derbyshire and attended Derby School. Regular monthly observing sessions are held (weather permitting) at the facility and new people are always welcome. They are usually held on the second Saturday of the month and start times vary with the season. The observatory is located on North Lane, Ashbourne, DE6 1PL, about two miles north of the village of Brailsford, and may be found on Google Maps. The observatory is available for use by individual members at any time after some simple training. A barbecue is held at the observatory on the first Saturday in July instead of a meeting at The Friend's Meeting House that month. The society also takes part in a number of public events and observing evenings during the year, at which members share their enthusiasm for the night sky and bring along their telescopes. An annual trip provides the opportunity for members to visit a different site of astronomical or space interest within the UK each year. Several of our members photograph the night sky and our picture gallery is entirely comprised of DDAS member's work.
Our NEXT MAIN MEETING will be held on Friday, 6th June 2025 from 7:30 pm onwards at The Friends Meeting House, St. Helens Street, Derby, DE1 3GY (next door to Radio Derby). We welcome Katie Smith who organises the annual and highly popular stargazing event in Alvaston Park, Derby, to give us a talk on Space: An exploration of how we got there and where we might be going. For further details please email the , Dave Selfe. Find our meeting location on Google Maps.
OUR NEXT OBSERVING SESSION will be held on Saturday 14th June 2025 from 9:30 pm onwards at the Society's Flamsteed Observatory. View the night sky through our 10-inch Meade telescope, and on screen via our video astronomy setup. Learn the constellations under our rural skies. Need advice on getting into astronomy, or on telescopes, binoculars or cameras? - just ask! For more details please email the . Our observatory may be found on Google Maps. Please note that anyone visiting our observatory and site, be they members or non-members, do so entirely at their own risk OBSERVING SESSIONS MAY BE CANCELLED AT SHORT NOTICE DUE TO POOR WEATHER CONDITIONS - PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL BEFORE LEAVING IF YOU HAVE SHARED THAT WITH OUR SECRETARY.
We will be holding an INFORMAL EVENING on Friday, 20th June 2025 from 7:30 pm onwards at The Friends Meeting House, St. Helens Street, Derby, DE1 3GY (next door to Radio Derby). There won't be any presentation and this is a chance to chat to others with a common interest in astronomy. Tea, coffee and biscuits will be available. For further details please email the , Dave Selfe. Find our meeting location on Google Maps.
DDAS member Pete Hill has a couple of telescopes FOR SALE. Details are available here.
A NIGHT TO REMEMBER... On Saturday, 10th May 2025 the DDAS held one of its regular monthly observing sessions at the Society's Flamsteed Observatory, which was well attended by both members and visitors alike. Photos and a brief account of the session can be seen here.
ALVASTON PARK STARGAZING ATTRACTS HUGE CROWDS... On Saturday 25th January this year DDAS members set up a medley of telescopes in Alvaston Park and delighted many hundreds of visitors with views of four bright planets. Photos from the event can be seen here.
The much anticipated 50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION OF THE DDAS JOURNAL ARIES is now available for download in PDF format here. Thanks go to Aries editor Anthony Southwell for putting together this 41 page bumper edition, and to all those members past and present who contributed to it! Many DDAS memories and recollections are contained therein, as well as accounts of the many events we have held in our 50th anniversary year. We hope you enjoy reading it. So settle down with a nice hot drink and dive into its pages!
DR COLIN STEELE GIVEN HONORARY DDAS MEMBERSHIP Dr Colin Steele, from the Mathematics Department at the University of Manchester, in recognition of the many talks he has given our Society over the years, was given honorary lifetime membership of the DDAS at our meeting on Friday 6th December 2024. More details....
CLOUDY SKIES FAIL TO HALT SUCCESS OF MUSEUM OF MAKING EVENT... Despite the overcast skies and a touch of rain, our event at the Museum of Making on the 9th October last year still attracted many visitors. See our member's photos of the evening.
A TALK DOWN MEMORY LANE... Our meeting on the 6th September 2024 saw DDAS stalwarts Arthur Tristram and Dave Maynard present a talk that looked back on 50 years of the DDAS. Anthony Southwell provides an article and pictures on the event.
RECENT IMAGES BY MEMBERS A video of asteroid Vesta moving against the background stars of Virgo, taken by John Hill on the 9th-10th May 2025. A video of an ISS pass by Jim Sarsgard, and Jupiter over the dome of the Flamsteed Observatory by Tony Razzell, both taken at the Society's observing session on the 10th May 2025. M101 captured by John Hill on the 6th April 2025. The Whirlpool Galaxy captured by Mike Lancaster over 4 nights in April 2025. The moon, the Pleiades and the Double Cluster, all captured by Tony Razzell on the 5th April 2025. An auroral display from Norway captured by Colin Blockwell on the 2nd April 2025. The Whirlpool Galaxy captured by John Hill in March and April 2025. The partial solar eclipse of the 29th March 2025, photographed by various DDAS members. The International Space Station captured by Chris Callaway on the 26th March 2025. M101 by Chris Callaway using data collected during April 2024 and March 2025. The Owl and Oyster nebulae, and galaxies M51, M64, M65, M106. M108 and NGC 4565, all captured by Peter Branson in March 2025. Galaxies M63 and M94 taken by Mike Lancaster in March 2025.
