Our Place in the Universe

Guest Speaker

Thursday, 17th March 2022 (19:45 - 22:00)

Venue: Virtual Meeting

Change of Speaker due to illness.

An explanation with simulations of the astonishing series of astronomy-related processes and occurrences, many of which were sheer chance and random serendipity, led to us being here today.

Speaker: Steve Warbis

Astronomy has been a main enthusiasm of Steve’s since childhood, but it is only in later life that he has been able to pursue it as an active hobby. He is past Chairman of Macclesfield Astronomical Society and still organises MaccAstro’s Field Trips and Public Outreach events with Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre, at the Blue Dot Festival, and for the Cheshire Rangers at Tegg’s Nose Country Park. An Architect by profession, Steve’s subsequent second career, via his creative and educational services company, was to present a range of astronomy and earth science topics in an inflatable planetarium for Science Dome in schools around the country, delivering to some 50,000 students. He has given many presentations to MaccAstro, a number of other astronomy societies and public groups, and at various astronomy events and festivals. Steve considers himself a generalist rather than a specialist by nature, keen to explore innovative ways of presenting all kinds of astronomy in an easy-to-understand way. Steve has also coordinated MaccAstro’s involvement with the BBC, appearing on Stargazing Live, Eclipse Live, The Sky At Night’s 60th Anniversary, and BBC Breakfast for Apollo 11’s 50th Anniversary. He has also appeared in Channel 4’s ‘A New Life In The Sun’ over at Astrofarm in France, and a few of Steve’s images have featured in Sky At Night Magazine and on BBC Stargazing Live. He has assisted in the organisation of the North West Astronomy Festival and is currently a panel member on Astro Radio’s ‘Reach Out Touch Space’ show. Beyond Astronomy, Steve’s interests include Art, Acoustic Guitar, Antiquities, Architecture, and All Things Liverpool. Steve’s talk topics include our special place in the Universe, the formation of the Moon’s features, quick astrophotography under a light-polluted sky, the Messier Objects and how they map the Milky Way, aspects of constellation history, our life in the space age, astronomy in art, and an astronomy-music quiz.