Mysteries of the universe: Cheshire, England

Highlights

• Hear from leading experts in astronomy, cosmology and space science.
• Private tour of Jodrell Bank's south side and an in-depth guided tour of this historic site.
• Meet New Scientist staff, space experts and fellow New Scientist readers.
• Stay at the beautiful, Grade II-listed De Vere Cranage Estate hotel.
• 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 New Scientist 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. Stuart holds a first class honours degree and a PhD in astrophysics. He is a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and a former vice chair of the Association of British Science Writers. On 9 August 2000, UK daily newspaper The Independent placed him alongside Stephen Hawking and the Astronomer Royal, Professor Sir Martin Rees, as one of the "stars" of British astrophysics teaching.

Stuart divides his time between writing books and, in his capacity as cosmology consultant, writing articles for New Scientist. He is a consultant and writes for the European Space Agency, where he was senior editor for Space Science. Over the years, Stuart has written for, among others: BBC Sky at Night, BBC Science Focus, The Times, The Guardian, The Economist, The Times Higher Education Supplement, Daily Express, Astronomy Now, Sky and Telescope and Astronomy. In his sparse spare time, his joint passions are cooking and playing rock guitar, but not at the same time.

Emma Curtis Lake

Emma is an STFC Webb fellow based at the University of Hertfordshire. She studies galaxy evolution in the early Universe and is part of a team with over 800 hours of time booked with the Webb telescope.  

Marcus Chown is an award-winning writer, journalist and broadcaster. He worked as reviews editor, science news editor and cosmology consultant of New Scientist 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 Nati006Fnal Theatre to the Wilderness Festival.

Anna Scaife

Anna is a Professor of Radio Astronomy at the University of Manchester and Head of the Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics Interferometry Centre of Excellence. She is also co-director of Policy@Manchester.  

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

Chris is an astrophotographer with a focus on ‘deep sky objects’. Interested in astronomy since the 1970s, Chris has set up remote telescopes in Spain and more recently Australia, allowing him to capture the southern hemisphere 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. 

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. 

Further guest speakers will be announced shortly.

Their talks will cover such subjects as cosmology, astronomy and the history of Jodrell Bank.

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 New Scientist (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
• 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 New Scientist 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.

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