Hi all,
1. IAA LECTURE Wednesday 12 November, 7.30 p.m. Larmor Lecture Theatre, Physics Building, QUB: "NIGHT SKY HUNTING" by Martin McKenna.
ABSTRACT
The talk will be part biography and part sky phenomena. Martin will describe how Comet Hale-Bopp first got him into astronomy, the development of his observing career and passion, the night I decided I wanted to learn all the stars in the sky, his ever bigger telescopes, comet-hunting], a few close calls and near misses when I came close to making a discovery and didn't.
He will then describe recent sky events which have impressed him, the auroras of May and Oct 2024, the NLC display of July 2024, comet NEOWISE of July 2020. Then a very brief change to how he got into storm chasing, the joys of the photogenic challenges it brings. The talk will end with a brief look at comet Lemmon to show he's still into comets as much as ever
Brief Bio:
Martin McKenna is an amateur astronomer and photographer from N. Ireland. After witnessing great comet Hale-Bopp in 1997 his life changed forever. He quickly developed a passion for the stars and for comets in particular and spent over ten years searching the skies for a new comet of his own. Martin has a particular interest in transient events and enjoys photographing the aurora borealis and noctilucent clouds. His passion for the sky also has evolved to daytime events such as atmospheric optics and convective weather events. Currently he splits his time between visual observations of the sky using his 10" telescope and photographing dramatic sky events with the intention of documenting memories and creating time lapse video sequences covering everything from a pulsating corona to an explosive updraught on a thunderstorm. He currently lives in Mid-Ulster and enjoys the dark skies from the Sperrins.
[I would also add that he has had the honour of having an asteroid named after him: 42531 McKenna. He was also awarded 'Irish Astronomer Of The Year 2005' by the Irish Federation Of Astronomical Societies. He is one of the most enthusiastic, dedicated, and indefatigable observers you will ever meet He reminds me of myself 50 years ago – and I can't say fairer than that! This talk will be a treat for everyone who simply enjoys observing the beautiful and amazing sky above us.]
2. ANOTHER!!! COMET!!!
New 'nearly interstellar' comet, wrongly linked to 3I/ATLAS, will reach its closest point to Earth on Tuesday (Nov. 11) | Live Science https://www.livescience.com/space/comets/new-nearly-interstellar-comet-wrongly-linked-to-3i-atlas-will-reach-its-closest-point-to-earth-on-tuesday-nov-11
3. MUSEUM OF THE MOON:
https://www.scienceweek.ie/celebrating-30-years-of-science-week-luke-jerrams-museum-of-the-moon-lands-in-dublin The huge 7-metre diameter moonglobe by Luke Jeram will be in Merrion Square, Dublin, from 13 – 15 November. Accurately mapped from NASA imaging at a scale of 1:500,000.and internally lit, it's really spectacular. However, for obvious reasons, the N half of the Moon is barely visible, except from a considerable distance away.
Maybe a future iteration will have it tilted over at an angle, and slowly rotated, so that all of it can be seen.
4. Saturday, 15 November, 5pm GMT. New Horizons and the Exploration of Pluto
Main speaker - Alan Stern, Principal investigator of the New Horizons mission to Pluto
Between 1979 and 1989, a rare planetary alignment allowed the Voyager missions to visit the outer planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, but not Pluto.
In 1989, Alan Stern was a member of a team that suggested a spaceflight to Pluto. This became the New Horizons mission, which was launched in January 2006, and took 9½ years to reach its distant target.
The flyby through the Pluto system with its five moons completely transformed our knowledge of Pluto, with staggeringly detailed views.
Alan was the Principal Investigator for New Horizons and is therefore the best person to speak about this unique mission of space exploration, including its results to date as well as its ongoing plans.
We are therefore delighted for him to be our main speaker for our second event. Alan is based in Colorado, so the start time of 5pm UTC will be 11am MST for him.
After Alan's presentation, Jerry Stone will give a short talk of about 20 minutes, looking in detail at the IAU's official definition of a planet. As a result he will give a definitive answer to the question of Pluto's status.
Places may be booked online at just £3 for members of Federation of Astronomical Societies and £6 for the public. (Eventbrite fees apply)
To get the reduced price, you will need to use the promo code FASNewhorizons
Tickets need to be purchased on Eventbrite.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/new-horizons-and-the-exploration-of-pluto-tickets-1706735735529
The Zoom link will be sent on Thursday evening to everyone who has bought a ticket.
5. ARMAGH OBSERVATORY & PLANETARIUM - TELESCOPE CLINIC, 28 November, 6.45 pm
https://armaghobservatoryplanetarium.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/1173648714
Members of the IAA will be giving their expertise on all aspects of choosing, buying and using telescopes and binoculars.
6. DIAS Wants your aurora photos – no matter how bad!
https://www.dias.ie/cosmicphysics/astrophysics/aurora-eire/
Further to that, I got this directly from Dr Alexandra Fogg:
I am a space scientist at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies Dunsink Observatory. I am writing to tell you about a new citizen science project we have launched, called Aurora Éire.
You may remember that the Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, were visible in Ireland in May and October 2024. They were visible here in Ireland as a result of two large space weather storms. We are collecting photos of the Northern Lights taken during these two storms from all over the island of Ireland. These photos will help us to understand what was happening in the skies over Ireland during the storms.
We know that many beautiful photos were taken across the island, from Malin head to Mizen head! We want to collect as many photos as possible, from all corners of the island of Ireland! Photos of any quality will help us with our science, we want to see phone snaps as much as professional photography.
I would be so grateful if you would advertise our project to your members, we need help from as many people as possible to build a large archive of photos! For more information on our project, please check out our webpage here:
https://www.dias.ie/cosmicphysics/astrophysics/aurora-eire/
Or check our social media channels including Instagram @diasdunsink and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DIASDunsink/ where you can find our posts on the project, in case you want to share them.
7. LIGHT POLLUTION SURVEY
We are reaching out as part of a research initiative called the Blu-RAY project, developed by researchers from TU Dublin, University College Cork, and the National Parks and Wildlife Service and supported by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Ireland. The project explores perspectives on light, lighting, and their impact on humans, animals, and the environment, with a particular focus on blue light.
To ensure broad and inclusive participation, we are seeking the support of relevant organisations and institutions to help circulate a short online survey among their members and networks. The survey is anonymous and designed according to TU Dublin ethic research principles, it takes about 15 minutes to complete, and is open to all adults, regardless of their background or expertise.
We would be very grateful if your organisation would consider sharing the survey link with your members, either via email, or newsletter, or social media. Your support would greatly enhance the reach and value of the project's findings.
Survey link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Blu-RAY
If you require any further information about the project or the survey, I would be happy to provide more details.
Thank you very much for your time and consideration. We greatly appreciate your help in supporting environmental research and public engagement on this important topic.
Warm regards, Anna Crowley, Post Graduate Researcher, TU Dublin
Email: C20343001@mytudublin.ie
8. SATURN fading but still visible, JUPITER well placed:
The second biggest planet in our system is still observable after its opposition on Sep 21.
Both the Sun and the Earth are now on the South side of the ring plane, but the rings present to us at a very narrow angle of just over 1 degree, and they will close even further as Saturn retrogrades, due to Earth's orbital motion.
Now is a good time to look for the fainter inner satellites, as the rings are much less bright than when fully open. The current magnitudes (outwards from Mimas) are: Mimas 13.0, Enceladus 11,8, Tethys 10.3, Dione 10.5, Rhea 9.8, Titan 8.4. `
Saturn has now faded slightly to mag 1.2, diameter 18.5"
JUPITER IS VISIBLE IN THE MORNING SKY, high up in Gemini. Look for the Great Red Spot in the planet's S. Hemisphere, and the 4 Galilean satellites, visible even in binoculars
9. IAA SUBSCRIPTIONS WERE DUE on 1 September
After many many years of keeping the subs constant at £20 we have reluctantly had to raise the amount to £25, to cover rising costs. Student membership is only £10. Details on the IAA website https://irishastro.org/
Please amend your payment details accordingly. If you have already paid at the old rate, please add an extra £5 via Paypal or whatever is convenient.
10. Two Comets – last chances to see them, And maye 3I Atlas?
Comet 3I/ATLAS now visible from Earth with a small telescope https://share.google/hzgTMh0Yj7X2vldFY (but not from here!)
Astrophotographers capture dazzling new views of Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) as it brightens for October skies | Space https://share.google/yLYu8mUyjFnFPsmw9
LATEST:
Comet Lemmon was closest to Earth on October 21. It'll be closest to the sun on November 8. Click here for finder charts and more. Many in the EarthSky community have already captured glorious images of this comet as it has sped inward in our solar system. See the photos.
See also: Monday's Comet Tracker: How To See Two Comets Close To Bright Stars https://share.google/6cunoUTdSa1aWbPBl
11. INTERSTELLAR COMET, 3I/ATLAS
(Prof Alan Fitzsimmons' superb talk on 1 October has whetted our interest in this object even more!)
Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS - Everything We Know - Newsweek https://share.google/MdItd4oiAnZvwybhu
1st known interstellar visitor 'Oumuamua is an 'exo-Pluto' — a completely new class of object, scientists say | Space https://share.google/vGHZM6kvulUiGnPMb
Avi never gives up ! Harvard Astronomer Claims "Major Anomaly" As Interstellar Object 3I/Atlas Measured Over 33 Billion Tons | IFLScience https://share.google/myii6Cwb2dxXQxRyr
It's official! An interstellar object is visiting our solar system
With an absolute magnitude of about 12, it will be interesting to see how much it brightens as it nears perihelion. We may get our best view as it moves out from the solar glare in December, and gets closest to Earth, although even then it will be about 1.6 AU away.
Please ignore all the media speculation about this being an alien artefact: just Avi Loeb off on his favourite hobby-horse again. - As Prof Chris Lintott told me recently 'It's nonsense on stilts!'
And NASA has just released the following NASA responds to claim that mystery space object is potential alien spacecraft
Since this is the first chance any of us will have had to see a non-stellar object from outside our solar system, I'm giving the following details for initial planning. No doubt more accurate details will be available in due course:
Epoch = 2025 Oct. 12.0 TT
T = 2025 Oct. 29.41062 TT Peri. = 127.93850
e = 6.1801697 Node = 322.18759 2000.0
q = 1.3620397 AU Incl. = 175.11382
(Note that the inclination is much more than 90 degrees – almost 180, in fact. This means that it is travelling round the Sun in almost the opposite direction to all the planets. Which also means that if it were to hit us, it would be quite a bang!)
The following ephemeris is from the above orbital elements, and uses photometric power-law parameters H = 9.5 and 2.5n = 8 for the magnitudes. (Delta is distance from Earth, and r (Radius Vector) is distance from the Sun, both in AUs). Elong is angular elongation from the Sun.
it is now too close to the Sun for easy observation, but may be visible by 21 November, much better placed for Northern observers.
I wonder who in Ireland will be first to image it? And I hope to be able to see it visually, although I no longer have my own 37cm reflector!
Date TT R. A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. Phase Mag.
2025 11 21 12 34.09 -02 22.3 2.040 1.593 49.8 28.3 12.7
2025 11 26 12 18.72 -01 01.8 1.978 1.694 58.9 29.9 12.8
2025 12 01 12 01.83 +00 27.9 1.920 1.808 68.4 30.5 13.0
2025 12 06 11 43.30 +02 06.8 1.871 1.932 78.4 30.0 13.1
2025 12 11 11 23.10 +03 54.3 1.833 2.063 88.8 28.5 13.3
2025 12 16 11 01.34 +05 48.4 1.811 2.202 99.7 26.1 13.5
2025 12 21 10 38.31 +07 45.8 1.808 2.345 110.8 23.1 13.7
2025 12 26 10 14.50 +09 42.1 1.828 2.493 122.1 19.5 14.0
2025 12 31 09 50.52 +11 32.4 1.872 2.645 133.3 15.7 14.2
2026 01 05 09 27.06 +13 12.7 1.941 2.799 144.3 11.8 14.5
2026 01 10 09 04.75 +14 40.1 2.035 2.956 155.0 8.1 14.8
2026 01 15 08 44.07 +15 53.7 2.153 3.114 165.1 4.6 15.1
2026 01 20 08 25.34 +16 53.8 2.293 3.274 174.5 1.7 15.4
2026 01 25 08 08.70 +17 41.8 2.454 3.436 175.2 1.4 15.7
2026 01 30 07 54.15 +18 19.6 2.632 3.599 167.0 3.5 16.1
See also section on this comet under 'weblinks' at the end.
Avi Loeb goes off the rails! Harvard Professor Warns Public to 'Take Vacations Before October 29' — Says NASA Is Concealing the Truth About 3I/ATLAS
And it gets worse! Doppler Code? Experts Claim 3I/Atlas Is Sending a Signal Back Toward Earth
12. WhatsApp Group for alerts on Observing Nights.
The IAA have set up a WhatsApp Group for updates on Observing Nights. If you would like to be included in this group, please e-mail Mary at callistoboxers@hotmail.com with your full name & mobile telephone number.
No discussions about anything other than Observing Nights will be posted on this group.
13. ISS
The ISS will start a new series of evening passes on 17 November. Details for your location are available on www.heavens-above.com
14. Possible GEMINIDS Observing Event, 12/13 December
More details later, but keep the date free if you are interested.
15: HEADS UP – Advance notice. IFAS Convention, Saturday 12 September 2026.
"From Ancient Stones to Distant Stars". Birr Castle, Co Offaly. This event, being organised by Ronan Newman, chair of IFAS, is the first event of its kind. It will be an all-day event, with a possible optional dinner in the evening, and possibly observing if clear. Top speakers are being invited, and there will also be major contribution from IFAS clubs. Details still being arranged, but mark the date in your diaries.
16. 2026 Eclipse planning.
This may be of interest to those planning observing locations for the total solar eclipses in 2026 and 2027
Global risk map reveals the most dangerous countries and cities
And weather prospects for the coming eclipses such as the one in Spain in 2026, and N. Africa in 2027, are on www.eclipsophile.com . The discussions there will help you pick a site for the eclipse, as weather is one of the important factors to consider.
17: Recurrent Nova T Corona Borealis – Latest predictions- 10 November?:
By extrapolating the empirical fact that the previous T CrB eruption dates were separated by an integer multiple of the orbital period 228 days, the next eruptions should appear at 27 March 2025, 10 November 2025, 25 June 2026 or 8 Feb 2027. No physical hypothesis is made behind this extrapolation. I urge observers to be cautious about it, since an external perturbation could happen, and to continue to monitor the light-curve of the star. (By Jean Schneider, Paris Observatory)
Obviously it didn't explode on 27 March, so the next date is 10 November.
(It's well over a year and a half now since the first predictions of an 'imminent' outburst! But, it could explode any time, so, keep an eye on it - comparison charts can be found on the websites of the BAA Variable Star Section, or the AAVSO. The current magnitude is around 10, so you'll need a good telescope to see it now.
(BTW, don't confuse it with the other nearby famous variable star, R CrB, which does the opposite – it stays normally around 6th magnitude, but occasionally dims to as faint as magnitude 14 or 15!)
Anyway, do keep an eye out – T CrB lies just outside the East side of the circle of the 'Crown', about a degree from Epsilon CrB, but you really do need charts to observe it properly. It's now visible in the sky each night.
It's at Declination: 25° 55′ 12.613″; R.A.: 15h 59m 30.1622s)
18. NEW EASY TEASER:
When does 3 come before 1?
19. NEW DIFFICULT TEASER:
What record or distinction is held by the constellation Draco?
20. HEADS UP. I'm not absolutely certain, because I didn't start keeping records immediately, but AFAIK that's the 99th teaser. Which means that the 100th is next. And I'm working on an absolute demon to really test you! But it will be worth it, as I will donate a significant prize to the winner, provided that s/he gets the answer within a certain number of clues.
Remember, send answers to me only at my aol address: terrymosel@aol.com.
21. INTERESTING WEBLINKS (Disclaimer – Use of material herein from various sources does not imply approval or otherwise of the opinions, political or otherwise, of those sources). NB: If the title in the weblink does not indicate the subject matter, I give a brief simple intro before the link. I may also comment about the link afterwards.
ASTROPHYSICS:
Black hole record: Brightest and most distant flare yet
'Impossible' merger of two massive black holes explained https://share.google/B8BVeyIy3Y46ISi0A
Confirmed—astronomers detect a repetitive signal from a dead star thousands of light-years from Earth https://share.google/imh8QteOnJ0mDaPI8
Dwarf Galaxies May Hold the Answers to the Debate on Dark Matter - Universe Today https://share.google/0VJBMCgPy6OFUEFfp
JWST makes 1st-ever detection of complex organic molecules around star in galaxy beyond our Milky Way | Space https://www.space.com/astronomy/james-webb-space-telescope/jwst-makes-1st-ever-detection-of-complex-organic-molecules-around-star-in-galaxy-beyond-our-milky-way
Space-time warping near Black holes https://search.app/dyt68
Universe expansion after Big Bang driven by Gravitational waves, not Inflation https://search.app/4Uja1
SMBH has trillions of Earth's Oceans of water https://search.app/GGLVR
One Of The Milky Way's Satellites Could Be A "Little Red Dot" - Universe Today
COMET I3/ATLAS (I3 stands for 'Interstellar 3', i.e. the 3rd known interstellar object)
Irradiated Comet 3I/ATLAS glows green and hides its tail in new image | Live Science https://www.livescience.com/space/comets/irradiated-comet-3i-atlas-glows-green-and-hides-its-tail-in-new-image 3I/ATLAS may be revving an engine, Harvard professor suggests https://share.google/wKUu7157kCoVEzY3E Unbelievable. This is what you expect from the lunatic fringe of conspiracytheoryland, not from a Prof of astronomy at Harvard!Breakthrough Radio Signal from Comet 3I/Atlas Silences Sceptics and Reveals Its True Identity COSMOLOGY'The universe will get colder and deader from now on': Euclid telescope confirms star formation has already peaked in the cosmos | Live Science https://www.livescience.com/space/astronomy/the-universe-will-just-get-colder-and-deader-from-now-on-euclid-telescope-confirms-star-formation-has-already-peaked-in-the-cosmos EARTH & MOONExperts issue warning after observing concerning shift in the Arctic: 'A lot of what we have today will be lost' https://share.google/vU6YNCz351oglrTr4The Pale Blue Dot: Still one of the most iconic and important images ever taken https://x.com/engineers_feed/status/1987240363854078408?t=9Egaeyab-RdgU_462JPVZA&s=09 EXOLIFEJWST makes 1st-ever detection of complex organic molecules around star in galaxy beyond our Milky Way | Space https://www.space.com/astronomy/james-webb-space-telescope/jwst-makes-1st-ever-detection-of-complex-organic-molecules-around-star-in-galaxy-beyond-our-milky-way EXOPLANETSTESS finds three Earth-sized exoplanets orbiting binary stars - NASASpaceFlight.com https://share.google/KhyzjvwypLuUUJ2RcMany mini-Neptunes once thought to be lava worlds may actually have solid surfaces https://share.google/NVVh9cILnJQjqFQAMAstronomers reveal tasty insights into exoplanet formation using SPAM https://share.google/0ZzqRFVIJG3Zi0DWl IMAGESAndromeda Galaxy: HST Close-Up https://search.app/fybzT SOLAR SYSTEM Gaia Solves the Great Asteroid Spin Mystery https://scitechdaily.com/gaia-solves-the-great-asteroid-spin-mystery/ SPACE NASA quietly sends two spacecraft to Mars — and they're going a new way https://share.google/VXryPhFoBbZC3jXM9
Vast's Haven Demo Launches to Test Commercial Space Station Tech
SpaceX defends Starship lunar lander as it works on 'simplified' approach - SpaceNews https://share.google/dTurSBb9R0XGmyJxT
TELESCOPES, INSTRUMENTS, TECHNIQUES
Europe's NewAthena telescope to detect supermassive black holes at the edge of the universe | Euronews https://www.euronews.com/next/2025/11/07/europes-newathena-telescope-to-detect-supermassive-black-holes-at-the-edge-of-the-universe
FINAL WORD:
"The treasures hidden in the heavens are so rich that the human mind shall never be lacking in fresh nourishment." - Johannes Kepler
22. JOINING the IRISH ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION. This link gives options to join the IAA.
https://irishastro.org/join-the-iaa/ If you are a UK taxpayer, please select the 'gift-aid' box, as that enables us to reclaim the standard rate of tax on your subscription, at no cost to you. You can also make a donation via Paypal if you wish: just click on the 'Donate' button. See also https://irishastro.org/
The Irish Astronomical Association is registered with The Charity Commission for Northern Ireland NIC 105858
DISCLAIMER: Any views expressed herein are mine, and do not necessarily represent those of the IAA.
Clear skies,
Terry Moseley
