Event Calendar

The annual attempt at the Messier Marathon by society members.  An all night event with the hope of ticking off as many of the 109 objects in the catalogue as possible.

This event is weather permitting, with Friday 28th March being a possible replacement should forecast be unfavourable.  Anyone who is thinking of attending, please contact Andy Exton who will be monitoring the forecast closely as the day approaches.

Information on the marathon including downloadable spreadsheets / pdfs customised for the location at Ravenscar can be downloaded from the Messier Marathon page.

The annual attempt at the Messier Marathon by society members.  An all night event with the hope of ticking off as many of the 109 objects in the catalogue as possible.

This event is weather permitting, with mo backup date being suitable this year unfortunately. Please liaise on the society forum for meeting times and attendance.

Information on the marathon including downloadable spreadsheets / pdfs customised for the location at Ravenscar can be downloaded from the Messier Marathon page.

William Lassell (1799-1880). Image Credit: Science Photo Library

Lassell made his fortune as a Liverpool brewer which enabled him to pursue his passion of astronomy, particularly an interest in the outer planets. Described as one of the first “Grand Amateurs” of the Victorian age, William Lassell’s list of achievements is truly impressive. He built a 24 inch reflector telescope using his own workshops, discovered Triton, the largest moon of Neptune, co-discovered Hyperion, a moon of Saturn and went on to discover Ariel and Umbriel, two new moons of Uranus.

Gerard Gilligan first became interested in the great science of Astronomy when he was 8 years old, following the Apollo 8 mission around the Moon.. He joined Liverpool Astronomical Society in 1984 and is a founder member of the UK based Society for the History of Astronomy.

Gerard lives in Liverpool, working at Liverpool University, School of Life Sciences, as a Technical Supervisor. He has a wife, two teenage children and an 8 inch dobsonian telescope to support.