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It was a busy week for the Sea to Stars team as Monday the 15th saw the trailer and volunteers Clint, Andrew, Harvey and Heidi spend a busy day at Stithians show. This is the largest one-day agricultural show in the country, and the 2019 edition drew record-breaking crowds under heatwave conditions.
It’s a favourite venue for Cornwall Sea to Stars mission to bring astronomy and geophysics to places that they might otherwise not reach. 

Cornwall Sea to Stars community outreach aspect is a priority for the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) who provided us with the funding to purchase and fit out the trailer through a grant scheme associated with the RAS 200th anniversary celebrations. This also had Sarah Jenkins, the evaluation expert from the RAS project, visit the team at Stithians, talking to visitors at the stand, getting an overview of what we provide and any improvements we can make to enable us to provide an even better interactive experience at future events.

We are looking for people to help us deliver a program of fun activities. Do you want to learn more about space and can spare a few hours of your time – please contact us, we would love to welcome you onboard.

Cornwall Sea to Stars, a project that aims to bring a ‘Universe of Wonder’ to the county, will be launching at Lemon Quay in Truro on Good Friday and Easter Saturday. Visitors of all ages are invited to join the Cornwall Sea to Stars team and take part in family-friendly activities to find out more about space, astronomy and the rocks beneath our feet.

From September, the Cornwall Sea to Stars Roadshow will start a tour of the county’s community groups, schools and festivals to run activity workshops themed around Cornwall’s dark skies, rich geology, astronomical heritage and role in a new era of space exploration.

The project’s mobile trailer has been funded by RAS200, an outreach award scheme established by the Royal Astronomical Society to celebrate its 200th anniversary.Activities over the Easter weekend will include: observing with solar telescopes, exploring the scale of the solar system, Easter planet hunt (with badge-making), handling meteorites, space videos a raffle and more.

“We are very excited to be launching Cornwall Sea to Stars at Lemon Quay on Good Friday and Easter Saturday,” said Clint O’Connor, Chair of Cornwall Sea to Stars. “Our project team includes researchers, amateur astronomers, teachers and space professionals, all of whom are dedicated to sharing their own passion for astronomy and geophysics. These are the real “rock stars” that we hope will inspire the rest of Cornwall to look afresh at the world around them!”

 Carolyn Kennett, the Project Coordinator for Cornwall Sea to Stars, said, “We will be piloting our activities over the next few months and taking full bookings from September onwards. If you would like a visit from our trailer, please contact info@cornwallseatostars.org.uk – we’d love to hear from you.”

Prof Steve Miller, Chair of the RAS 200 panel, said “With RAS200, the Royal Astronomical Society aims to reach out to new communities and regions. We are delighted to support the Cornwall Sea to Stars Roadshow in bringing astronomy and geophysics to the South West.”

‘Cornwall Sea to Stars’, a new project to bring astronomy and geophysics to Cornwall, has received £35,000 funding from the Royal Astronomical Society under the RAS 200: Sky & Earth programme that celebrates the run up to the Society’s bicentenary in 2020. The winning projects were announced on Friday 12th May at the RAS Annual General meeting.