The Peter Harrison Planetarium Visit
You would think the most impressive thing to see during a day that is taken up by visiting the new planetarium at the Royal Greenwich Observatory might be the 28" refractor, or possibly the line on ground separating East and West marking GMT! You might even think that the superb graphics seen on the ceiling of the magnificent dome of the planetarium would be the highlight......well for me it was the fascinating feats of the rather large earth movers that were defining gravity on the banks of the M25 shoving new soil up what can only be a 50 degree bank. The sight was such a spectacle that it caused a rather large traffic jam that kept us from our destination by around 20 minutes.

However on arriving at the Royal Greenwich park and finally finding a space to park in which had not been crashed into by cars coming the other way (the police were coning that off) we noted the amount of space that was here just on the outskirts of central London. The open grass spaces were vast and welcoming. We walked (a group of us who drove) up the road and through the main gates to the park itself where trees lined the avenue leading up to the great observatory, the planetarium, the line on the ground and other attractions. The weather was warm, sunny (unlike most of the summer) and children played and families picnicked ....we waited, paused and chatted whilst members visited the Royal WC at the entrance to the park after a long (1hour 40 minute) journey.

Once we had walked up to the observatory we finally found our way down to the planetarium where we could book tickets even after 12pm despite what the website said. We met with other astronomers and we were now 13 in all from the society. Bob, mini Bob 1 and mini Bob 2, Andria, Michelle, Brendan, Ian, John, Jill, Derrick, Peter and Jean.....oh and of course me. We perused the gift shop first before having lunch. Andria and I both bought the large format Cosmos book (it's fantastic!!!!!). We had lunch overlooking the park in the sunshine and then headed off to the meridian line. The queue for having your photo taken astride the meridian line with one foot in the East and one foot in the West was long and boring, So some of us went for a walk around the museum of time..... (also long and boring.....only kidding) Clocks, Longitude, latitude, telescopes and more where all on display and explained.

At 2pm we all met at the planetarium (the reason for the trip) and went into the large white dome. The show was spectacular, flying through different nebulas, visiting other planets and stars and being shown around the sky. The show was informative as much as being impressive, and for those carrying babies in there tummies very relaxing allowing for that afternoon snooze. In fact Jill enjoyed the first 2 minutes before her sleep so much she went back a 2nd time later. A round of applause and the 20 minute show ended. We then walked around the rest of the observatory visiting the aforementioned 28" reflector up the spiral staircase as well as the viewing room for visitors past, where one could view Pluto through a wooden telescope even during the day!

After a much needed cup of tea we all said our good byes and headed off for some more parking on the M25, once mini Bob 1 and mini Bob 2 could draw Bob away from the fascinating time pieces that is. All in all a good day out for the society with much friendship to share and good astronomical sights to see. Thanks to all that came and made the day special.

Clear Skies
Dave

Dave Shave-Wall
Chairman - Basingstoke Astronomical Society