OASI is a society for people interested in astronomy. We are based at Orwell Park Observatory and Newbourne Village Hall, both situated near Ipswich, Suffolk. Members enjoy a wide range of interests in astronomy and include armchair astronomers, casual observers, and dedicated amateurs with specialist skills in visual and photographic observing, constructing telescopes, public education in astronomy and the history of astronomy.
Events
Wed 26 Aug 2026, 20:00, Orwell Park Observatory. General observing.
Open to members of OASI
Mon 31 Aug 2026, 11:00-16:00, Bawdsey Radar Museum. Solar observing. This event is run by Bawdsey Radar. Booking not necessary.
Open to the public
Wed 02 Sep 2026, 20:00, Orwell Park Observatory. General observing.
Open to members of OASI
Thu 03 Sep 2026, 11:00, The Hold, Fore Street, Ipswich. Bill Barton, FRAS, The Astronomy of an Edwardian Lady. A presentation about the Suffolk amateur astronomer Alice Grace Cook (1877-1958), featuring her discoveries and what led to her becoming one of the first female Fellows of the Royal Astronomical Society. Booking via Suffolk Archives. The talk is in association with Suffolk Archives' summer 2026 exhibition The Moon: Our Nearest Neighbour. Details.
Open to the public
Full events list, with contact details for further information.
[1/10] Spectra of Nova Taurii 2026 and nearby field stars. Obtained using an objective prism. Mike Harlow. 16 August 2026.
[2/10] Comet 220P/McNaught experienced an outburst in brightness on 05 August 2026 when its brightness increased by a factor of approximately 600. Nigel Evans. 13 August 2026.
[3/10] Many members of OASI observed the solar eclipse on 12 August 2026. Our main observing site was Sutton Heath, but members observed and attempted to observe also from other locations around Ipswich, Spain and Scotland. The image shows observers at Sutton Heath and, below, three images from a sequence taken during the eclipse by Stephen Olley.
[4/10] A perseid meteor streaks through the night sky, just east of the Square of Pegasus. Mike Such. 12 August 2026.
[5/10] Members of OASI setting up for a public solar observing event as part of a summer exhibition at The Hold, Ipswich. Over 170 visitors enjoyed views of the solar disk through a variety of telescopes. Neil Morley. 08 August 2026.
[6/10] Images of the Sun in white light captured with a Seestar S50 "smart" telescope. LHS: using the standard Seestar solar filter; RHS: using an aftermarket Baader solar filter, which provides a much sharper image. Andy Gibbs. 03 August 2026.
[7/10] Members of OASI attended the Latitude Festival at Henham Park to host daytime solar observing for festival goers. As always, the OASI stand proved very popular. Martin Cook. 24 July 2026.
[8/10] The OASI BBQ provides an annual opportunity for members to meet socially. During the 2026 BBQ, solar observing was possible through gaps in the cloud. Photo by Pete Richards, 18 July 2026.
[9/10] OASI's solar observing event on 27 June 2026 was very popular with visitors to Christchurch Park. The sky was clear until early afternoon, enabling attendees to see sunspots, prominences and other features on the solar disk through a variety of telecopes. Photo by Mike Whybray.
[10/10] Globular cluster M12 in the constellation Ophiuchus lies some 16,000 light years distant. It is visible in binoculars. Gabriela Crane, 21 June 2026.
