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Public Speakers For Hire
The Hampshire Astronomical Group has amongst its members, a number of skilled speakers who are willing to make themselves available for booking for your event or organisation. You will find a short CV and list of topics they are willing to cover in their talk/presentation as well as the distance they are willing to travel to provide their talk.
Steve Bosley BSc FRAS FBIS
Steve Bosley BSc FRAS FBIS
Current Chairman of the Hampshire Astronomical Group and member of the Sunderland Astronomical Society.
Elected a Fellow of the British Interplanetary Society circa 1976
Elected a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society in 2021.
Member of the BAA (twice Council Member between 2017 and 2021)
He is also a member of the Society for Popular Astronomy, the Society for the History of Astronomy, and the International Meteor Organisation.
Steve studied Physics & Astrophysics at QMC University of London and gained his BSc in 1976, with a final year project on Cosmic Rays.
He made a career in IT working first for P&O and then IBM, retiring in 2010 as a senior project manager in outsourcing sales.
As chairman of the Hampshire Astronomical Group he helps train new joiners in the safe use of the telescopes and regularly give talks to members on a variety of topics. He has also hosted visits to Clanfield Observatory by groups of all ages and interests, including Portsmouth University students as part of their coursework.
Observationally, Steve's focus main has been on meteors
Steve gives talks to local astronomy and community groups, and has supported outreach events including Stargazing Live, Dark Skies Festivals, and local STEM activities for Key Stage 1 and above.
He also has a passion for photographic safaris where he can image the southern skies, when it is safe to do so !
The following list is just an example of some of the talks that he can give. His talks are generally targeted at an introductory level, although more advanced talks may be available on request.
Topics covered / Talks available:
- Clanfield Observatory - Our Telescopes and What We Do
- Meteors and Meteor Science (Various)
- Ancient Visitors (a series covering famous meteorites, craters etc etc)
- Out of the mouths of babes – a thought provoking quiz based on questions received from 10 and 11 year old children from a local school
- Older Topics I could revisit include:
- Thomas Cooke and Sons
- Stephen Hawking
- Stellar Evolution
- Measuring the Speed of Light
- If you want something different from the above list, please ask … I might be tempted to say yes!
Max travel distance: 100 miles from Portsmouth
Contact email: chairman@hantsastro.org.uk
Steve Broadbent 
Steve Broadbent BSc FRAS
Chairman of Hampshire Astronomical Group 2018-2023
Member of the BAA and elected a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society in 2014.
Retired from the University of Portsmouth. Initially a chemist, undertook research into reaction mechanisms. Ran a spectroscopy laboratory and lectured in computational chemistry and programming. Latterly moved into computer systems management.
Offers mentorship to final year BSc Students from the University of Portsmouth whilst they are undertaking final year projects related to astronomy or the equipment at the Clanfield Observatory. Member of the observatory instrument team and also the training team which offers training on the use of all the telescope facilities at the observatory.
Gives regular talks to the Hampshire Astronomical Group including "Constellation of the Month" as well as talks on specific interest areas such as astronomical spectroscopy and individual astronomical observatories. Gives frequent talks at observatory public open evenings.
An example of some of the talks that can be given. All talks are aimed at the general popular introductory level. More technical talks can be provided upon request.
Topics covered / Talks available:
- Clanfield Observatory - Our Telescopes and What We Do
- The Night Sky Today (using Stellarium planetarium software)
- The Life and Death of Stars
- The most unusual stars : Wolf-Rayet stars
- Planetary Nebulae - Jewels of the Night Sky
- "The Colour of Light" - and how astronomers use it (Astronomical Spectroscopy)
- The Constellations (or one of your choice)
- Telescopes large and small, Types, Examples and Comparison
- The VLT (Very Large Telescope) array in Chile
- Galaxies: Types and how to observe them
- If any organisation wants anything different from the above list, please ask.
Max travel distance: 100 miles from Portsmouth
Contact email: steve.broadbent@hantsastro.org.uk
John Tarling 
His first degree was BEng (Hons) Engineering With Business (Upper Second Class) and a postgraduate masters degree MSc in Construction Project Management. John is a Chartered Engineer with the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers.
Topics covered / Talks available:
- Clanfield Observatory - Our Telescopes And What We Do
- The Night Sky - Stellarium Planetarium Software
- Getting Started In Astronomy
- Astrophotography & Image Processing
- A Dish Too Far - The Jodrell Bank Radio Telescope
Max travel distance: 50 miles from Portsmouth
