Ordinary Meeting, 2002 November 30
This document is also available in pdf format. The British Astronomical Association website is here.
Ordinary Meeting, 2002 November 30
held at the Scientific Societies' Lecture Theatre, 23 Savile Row, London W1
Guy Hurst, President
Ron Johnson, Nick Hewitt and Nick James, Secretaries
The President opened the second Ordinary Meeting of the 113th session. The minutes of the October meeting were read by Dr Hewitt and approved by the audience. Mr Johnson announced that there were no presents to announce. Mr Hurst stated that 26 new members had been proposed, and that their names would be displayed in the library. The members present approved the election of the 32 new members proposed at the previous meeting.
The President announced on behalf of Mr James, who was absent, that no papers had been approved by Council. Mr Hurst went on to comment upon a recent article1 in the Independent, which had reported government plans to levy rent charges upon the occupants of New Burlington House. This would affect the Royal Astronomical Society, of which the Association is a sub-tenant. He informed members that Council were aware of this matter, however he did not wish to comment further in view of the likelihood of legal action. Members were assured that these proposals would not be realised for several years.
The next meeting would be at a new venue, the St Bride Institute on Fleet Street. Peter Hingley would be speaking on Astronomers and Oddities - the RAS and its library, and Prof Joseph Silk would speak on The Big Bang. The President regretted that the current meeting would be the last at Savile Row after 32 years. Dr Richard McKim had reliably informed him that the first meeting at this venue had been 1970 January 28th.
Mr Hurst then welcomed Prof Robert Hutchison to deliver the afternoon's first talk about meteorites. Prof Hutchison's highly respected work in this field had earned him the Gold Medal of the RAS in 2001.