BOLTON Astronomical Society welcomed TV astronomer Dr Chris North to a special meeting.

The society’s “star guest” talked to members about the results from the SPIRE instrument on board the Herschel Space Observatory — the largest infrared telescope ever launched.

Dr Chris, a regular presenter on BBC’s The Sky at Night, is based at Cardiff University’s School of Physics and Astronomy where he works on European space missions.

The free meeting, which took place at Sharples School Science Specialist College in Hill Cot Road, saw 70 society members, staff and students listen to Dr Chris’s lecture before asking questions afterwards.

Club Secretary Carl Stone said: “It was a really fantastic event. There were 70 people, including children who came along to listen to the lecture about the results from SPIRE, and Chris was happy to stay and answer questions afterwards.

“He’s the second well known guest speaker we’ve had — Ian Morrisson is another — and we’ve had a really good reaction from the members. The kids loved it too.”