A Night to Remember

We are planning to make August 12 a very special night. This special day will enable you to see a partial solar eclipse and witness one of the prolific meteor showers of the year!

🌞 The August 12th Eclipse — A Summer Sky Spectacle Over Bramfield

On 12 August 2026, the skies over Hertford and Bramfield will host a rare celestial performance: a deep partial solar eclipse, with the Moon sliding across the Sun and covering an extraordinary 92% of its disc. Although the path of totality misses the UK, we still get the drama — the light dimming, the temperature dipping, and the Sun turning into a slender, glowing crescent hanging low in the west–north‑west. It’s a breathtaking sight, and our Bramfield Village Hall car park offers exactly what the moment demands: a wide, clear horizon and an open view straight into the heart of the action.

We’ll begin gathering from 17:30, building the excitement as the Sun sinks toward eclipse time. The show starts at 18:15, reaches its eerie, atmospheric peak around 19:10–19:15, and concludes at 20:05, just as the sky begins to slide into twilight.

This is a public event, so bring friends, neighbours, and anyone who loves a bit of cosmic theatre. Thanks to support from Go Stargazing, we’ll be supplying free eclipse glasses, ensuring everyone can watch safely. And remember — never look at the Sun without proper protection, even during an eclipse.

📍 Location: Bramfield Village Hall Car Park what3words: chefs.crazy.analogy Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Q4x61e8r2EDMq5u97

🌙 ➜ 🌠✨ The Perseids

As the Sun slips below the horizon after the eclipse on August 12th, the sky won’t be winding down — it’ll be gearing up for one of nature’s most electrifying shows. The Perseids will begin to spark into life above Bramfield, sending bright, fast, needle‑thin streaks across the darkening heavens as Earth ploughs through the dusty wake of Comet Swift–Tuttle. With the twilight fading and the western sky still glowing from the eclipse, the first meteors will feel like a reward for staying out late — and as the night deepens, the shower builds into a dazzling cascade of fire‑flecks, each one a tiny grain burning brilliantly as it meets our atmosphere. It’s the perfect cosmic double‑feature: an eclipse to start the evening, and the year’s most beloved meteor shower to finish it.

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Your Membership Matters

🌟 A New Era for Hertford Astronomy Group: MemberMojo Is HERE!

We’re excited to announce that Hertford Astronomy Group is moving to a modern, streamlined membership system — MemberMojo — designed to make joining and renewing easier than ever for all our members. This upgrade marks a major step forward in how we run the club, communicate with you, and support our growing community of stargazers.

⭐ What This Means for You as a Member

✔ Quick and effortless renewals

MemberMojo gives you a secure online portal where you can renew your membership in moments — no more paper forms, no more waiting for manual updates.

✔ Update your details instantly

Changed email? New address? You can update your own information at any time, ensuring our records are always accurate.

✔ Your own member dashboard

You’ll be able to:

Check your membership status
See your renewal date
Manage your contact preferences
Access club information in one place
Print‑Your‑Own Membership Cards
Lost your card? Misplaced it before an observing night? No problem. MemberMojo lets you download and print your own membership card at any time — quick, convenient, and always available when you need it.

✔ More ways to pay — with bank transfers still available

We’re introducing Stripe so you can pay by:

Debit card
Credit card

But don’t worry — traditional bank transfers will still be fully supported for anyone who prefers to pay that way as well as cheques (remember them?).

✔ Better communication

MemberMojo helps us keep our mailing lists up to date automatically, so you’ll receive:

Meeting reminders
Observing alerts
Event announcements
Club news

…without missing a beat.

⭐ What This Means for the Committee

✔ Less admin, more astronomy

MemberMojo automates renewals, reminders, and record‑keeping, freeing the committee to focus on running events, improving outreach, and supporting members.

✔ Accurate, secure, GDPR‑compliant data

All member information is stored safely and consistently — no more spreadsheets, duplicated entries, or lost details.

✔ Instant insights

The team can quickly see:

Membership numbers
Renewal patterns
Payment history
Attendance trends

This helps us plan better events and manage club resources more effectively.

✔ Smarter communication tools

Mailing lists update automatically as members join or renew, ensuring messages always reach the right people.

⭐ Why This Upgrade Matters

As the club continues to grow, MemberMojo gives us a professional, reliable system that supports our future. It makes joining easier, improves communication, reduces admin, and strengthens the club’s foundations — all while keeping things simple and accessible for every member.

🌠 Launched into orbit!

We’ll share full instructions on how to log in, renew, and manage your details as we roll out the new system. It’s intuitive, secure, and designed to make your membership experience smoother than ever.

A better system means a stronger club — and a stronger club means more observing nights, more talks, more outreach, and more of the astronomy we all love.

Tony's guide to using MemberMojo