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Highlights

• Spend the weekend accompanied by leading experts in astronomy, cosmology and space science.
• Enjoy a private tour of Jodrell Bank's south side and an in-depth guided tour of this historic site.
• The weekender is hosted by astronomy journalist and fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, Stuart Clark.
• Enjoy an insightful talk from Professor Tim O’Brien, Associate Director of Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics at The University of Manchester on the history of Jodrell Bank. 
• Stay at the beautiful, Grade II-listed De Vere Cranage Estate hotel.
• Meet ×îÐÂÂ鶹ÊÓƵ staff, space experts and fellow ×îÐÂÂ鶹ÊÓƵ readers.
• Live link-up with remote telescope in Australia to view still images the southern hemisphere's night skies.
• Dinner and drinks with your fellow experts, guests and the ×îÐÂÂ鶹ÊÓƵ team.

Meet the expert

Stuart Clark - Host

Stuart is an astronomy journalist who has devoted his career to presenting the complex world of astronomy to the general public. He holds a first class honours degree and a PhD in astrophysics, is a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and a former vice chair of the Association of British Science Writers. In 2020, he was awarded a higher doctorate from the University of Hertfordshire for “services to astronomy and the public understanding of science”.

Stuart’s latest book is Beneath the Night: How the stars have shaped the history of humankind (faber), and in his capacity as cosmology consultant, he writes articles for ×îÐÂÂ鶹ÊÓƵ. Through his company Expanded Universe Ltd., he consults for the European Space Agency, the UK Atomic Energy Authority’s Fusion Cluster, and International Asteroid Day. He has written for, among others: BBC Sky at Night, BBC Science Focus, The Times, The Guardian, The Observer, The Economist, The Times Higher Education Supplement, Astronomy Now, Sky and Telescope and Astronomy.

Professor Tim O’Brien

Tim is a Professor of Astrophysics and an Associate Director of Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics at The University of Manchester.  He has published around 150 research papers, mainly on the study of thermonuclear explosions on white dwarf stars in binary systems. He has used a wide range of telescopes around the world and in space, including the e-MERLIN radio telescopes operated from Jodrell Bank, X-ray satellites, the Hubble Space Telescope and the Very Large Telescope in Chile. Recently, he has been busy studying the aftermath of the explosion in August 2021 of his favourite star, RS Ophiuchi. Tim is also Programme Director for Physics at The University of Manchester, was a co-founder of bluedot festival and plays a lead role in the heritage of Jodrell Bank Observatory.

Tim will give a talk on Friday evevning telling the amazing story of Jodrell Bank, from its beginnings at the University’s Botany Grounds in 1945 to its present-day role: forming part of a global community performing astronomical research that’s, quite literally, out of this world.

Emma Curtis Lake

After obtaining a D.Phil in Astrophysics at the University of Oxford in 2011, Emma held post doctorate positions at the University of Edinburgh, Institute d'Astrophysique de Paris and the University of Cambridge. In 2021 she joined the University of Hertfordshire after winning an STFC Webb Fellowship.

Emma is a member of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) NIRSpec guaranteed time observations (GTO) team who have observed two patches of sky that have been previously observed with many other observatories, including the Hubble and Spitzer Space telescopes. She is studying the properties of the earliest galaxies in the Universe with JWST.

Marcus Chown

Marcus is an award-winning writer, journalist and broadcaster. He worked as reviews editor, science news editor and cosmology consultant of ×îÐÂÂ鶹ÊÓƵ and is formerly a radio astronomer at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. His books include Quantum Theory Cannot Hurt You, The Ascent of Gravity, which was The Sunday Times Science Book of the Year and recently published A Crack In Everything which explores black holes. Marcus has also tried his hand at Apps and won The Bookseller Digital Innovation of the Year for Solar System for iPad.

Marcus was a regular guest on the BBC4 comedy-science show, It’s Only A Theory and often appears on Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch. He has appeared at a variety of events from the Cheltenham Literary Festival to the Sydney Writers Festival, from the National Theatre to the Wilderness Festival.

Anna Scaife

Anna is a Professor of Radio Astronomy at Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics and one of the five inaugural AI Fellows of the UK’s Alan Turing Institute. Previously she has worked at the University of Southampton, the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies and the University of Cambridge. She has a PhD from the University of Cambridge and an undergraduate degree from the University of Bristol.

She is part of a team working on the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio-telescope, and she led the design of the computing and storage for the European SKA Regional Centre. She is currently the UK representative to the International Union of Radio Sciences (Commission J: Radio Astronomy) and Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the Royal Astronomical Society’s Techniques & Instruments (RASTI) journal. 

In 2014, Anna was honoured by the World Economic Forum as one of thirty scientists under the age of 40 selected for their contributions to advancing the frontiers of science, engineering or technology in areas of high societal impact. In 2017 she was awarded the Blaauw Chair in Astrophysics (prize chair) at the University of Groningen in The Netherlands for excellence in research, broad knowledge of astronomy and an outstanding international status in astronomy. In 2019, Anna received the Jackson-Gwilt Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society, awarded for outstanding invention, improvement, or development of astronomical instrumentation or techniques.

Laura Wolz

Laura is a Presidential Fellow (Academic) at the University of Manchester in the Astronomy and Astrophysics Theory Group. Laura has worked on Neutral Hydrogen Intensity Mapping (H i IM) surveys which will be a powerful new probe of cosmology. 

Chris Baker

Following a life-long interest is astronomy, Chris has been an astrophotographer since 2005 with a focus on ‘deep sky objects’. Chris has set up remote telescopes in Spain and Australia, allowing him to capture the skies in ideal clear sky conditions for sale via his company Galaxy on Glass. In addition, Chris analyses ‘exo-planet’ data, which are planets orbiting stars other than our sun.

He enjoys the challenges of capturing data from objects where the light has travelled through the universe for thousands or millions of years. He is interested in investigating the cosmos through the language of art as an alternative to the language of physics. He sees both physics and art to be equally valid descriptions of reality.

Nicholas Crisp

Nicholas is a Lecturer in Aerospace Engineering at The University of Manchester. He has a PhD and is a Chartered Engineer (CEng) and Member of the Royal Aeronautical Society (MRAeS). His areas of expertise include Orbital Aerodynamics and Satellite System Design. 

WHAT'S INCLUDED

• A full programme of talks and demonstrations
• Two nights’ accommodation with no single supplement in a double or twin room
• Two breakfasts, two lunches and two three-course dinners. The dinners will be in a private dining area exclusive to ×îÐÂÂ鶹ÊÓƵ (please advise in advance if you have any dietary requirements)
• Tea and coffee throughout the event
• Jodrell Bank tour including transport to and from the site
• Fully detailed joining instructions pack, sent two weeks before the event
• 24-hour onsite support
• Onsite parking
• Access to heated indoor pool, gym and steam room

WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED

• Travel insurance
• Transport to the venue
• Additional snacks, drinks and alcohol
• Visa/ETA (if applicable)
• Additional nights of accommodation (Thursday and Sunday night available).

HOW TO GET THERE

The Weekender is hosted at the De Vere Cranage Estate hotel in Cranage, near Crewe in Cheshire, England.

By road: The hotel is minutes away from junction 18 of the M6 motorway. The postcode is CW4 8EW.

By rail: The nearest train station is Goostrey, which is just 15 minutes by train from the mainline station at Crewe. Goostrey is just 4 kilometres from the hotel and a local taxi service is available (advance pre-booking is required). Alternatively, you can alight at the mainline stations of Crewe or Macclesfield, both of which are 20 minutes away by taxi.

WEEKENDER START AND END TIMES

The weekender will begin at 17:15 on Friday evening with an introduction talk followed by the first main talk at 17:30. The talks will finish at 15:00 on Sunday afternoon. There will be the option to stay for an additional astro-photography session with Chris Baker from 15:00 on Sunday afternoon.

Hotel check-in is available from 15:00 on Friday. A member of the ×îÐÂÂ鶹ÊÓƵ team will be on hand at the hotel from 15:00 to help answer any questions you may have. Checkout will be at 10:00 on Sunday. There will be somewhere to leave your luggage.

PACE AND PHYSICALITY

The talks will be held in a private conference room with comfortable seating. 

We will provide transport in comfortable coaches to Jodrell Bank, where a walking tour around the site will take place, lasting approximately an hour. There will also be a film presentation in an indoor seated pavilion. Some of the walking tour is on grass, so remember to wear your outdoor clothes from the night before.

CAPACITY

For this weekender, there will be a maximum capacity of 90 guests. Discovery group tours generally operate at much smaller capacities, between 14 - 22 guests. However, our weekenders work slightly differently, they are based in one location and involve a series of highly engaging talks from a number of distinguished speakers as well as an offsite activity. During the visit to Jodrell Bank, the group will be split into smaller groups of between 20 - 25 guests to explore the site. 

SOLO TRAVELLERS

Our group tours are perfect for solo travellers, as travelling as part of an organised group provides security and peace of mind in faraway places. For this Weekender, there is no single supplement. 

AGE RESTRICTIONS

Children are welcome, but must be aged 10 or over. Please bear in mind that the level of the talks and activities are aimed at adults.

Accommodation

De Vere Cranage Estate, Cheshire, England

Tucked away in a peaceful corner of Cheshire, this Grade II-listed 4-star rural retreat is near the charming village of Holmes Chapel. It has both indoor and outdoor restaurants, comfortable meeting rooms for our event, a heated pool, gym, steam room and tennis courts.

Outdoors, there are 20 acres of attractive gardens with views across the Cheshire countryside. Jodrell Bank is within 8 kilometres of the hotel.

Please note: If required for reasons beyond our control, we reserve the right to substitute alternative accommodation of equal or higher quality or adapt the itinerary if required.