Monday 23 July 2007

SOLAR DAY AT CARNFUNNOCK

The next in the Irish Astronomical Association series of 'Solar days' will be held at Carnfunnock Country Park, Drains Bay, on the A2 N of Larne, on Saturday 28 July, from 2.0. pm. to 5 p.m. There will be the usual selection of special telescopes for solar viewing, including H-alpha views, which are always spectacular. Has the Sun passed Solar Minimum yet? There was a good big spot recently, but it was part of the old cycle. Will there be any spots of the new cycle visible?
Other attractions will be available too, including our intrepid Ulsternaut, Derek Heatly, in case of bad weather. If you have any sort of telescope capable of showing the Sun safely, bring it along. IAA members bringing telescopes or otherwise assisting at the event get in free.
All are welcome.

ISS PASSES OVER IRELAND

The International Space Station is now starting another series of morning passes over Ireland. Most of them are at rather an inconvenient hour, in the small hours of the mornings, but some of them are forecast to be particularly bright. Details as usual are on the excellent, free, www.heavens-above.com

PERSEIDS COMING

The most popular, if not the best, of the annual meteor showers is the Perseids, which will start to grace our skies soon. Maximum will be on the night of 12/13 August, but some can be seen from 23 July to 20 August. Conditions this year are good, with no moonlight to interfere on the night of maximum, and the actual time of maximum, at 03h BST on the 13th, coincides with the time when the radiant, in Northern Perseus, will be highest in the sky for observers in the UK/Ireland. In good dark sky conditions an experienced observer should see an average rate of about 80 per hour at around that time.
But beware of some uninformed predictions! Just because the shower 'starts' on 23 July, and has a quoted rate of about 80/hour, does NOT mean that you'll see lots of meteors from 23 July onwards! A meteor shower is defined as beginning when the rate of meteors from that shower rises above 1/4 of the normal background sporadic meteor rate. In other words, when about 1 in 4 of every meteor seen is a member of that shower. Since there are about 10-12 sporadic meteors per hour visible in good conditions at this time of year, that means that you might see about 3 Perseid meteors per hour on July 23. (The converse applies to define the end of a shower).
So, like all meteor showers, the level of activity starts slowly, and gradually builds up to the peak. You won't see a significant number of Perseids until near the end of the first week in August. However, it IS worth looking any time from early August onwards.
The IAA will be holding a special 'Perseids BBQ' on the evening of 12-13 August, weather permitting. More details on that soon.

RESEARCH POST, TALLAGHT

DEPARTMENT OF APPLIED SCIENCE

Full time M.Sc. by research

Astrophysics – Exoplanet Search by Grid Computing

Abstract
Industry has highlighted a need for skilled postgraduates in ICT in general and in high-end computing in particular. One area of key importance is data-mining and analysis of large-scale datasets and currently at the forefront of this is astronomy. The ITTD Scientific Computing Group has chosen a research problem that encapsulates this - the search for planets around other stars (exoplanets). In cooperation with CIT, a sophisticated analysis technique will be applied to large catalogues containing hundreds of millions of star references to select the best candidates from which to search for exoplanets. A problem that would strain conventional computing, ITTD will apply parallel-programming techniques within a Grid-computing environment (A Grid is a portal to globally shared computer networks ‘on demand’) to solve this. The outcomes of this project include a published catalogue, an innovative web-based software suite for the astronomical community and metrics and software methodologies to make the software consistent with large-scale data-mining in general. It will include training for a postgraduate student in high-end computing, the software-development cycle, and project development and management.


Profile of suitable candidate
• An honours degree (2.2 or higher) in physics, engineering, or mathematical disciplines.
• Knowledge of and experience with computer programming.
• Knowledge of or interest in astrophysics would be preferable.
• Given the strong multidisciplinary approach, the candidate must have a strong motivation to learn skills in new fields and be willing to work in a multidisciplinary environment.
• Possess good oral and communication skills.

Project Schedule
The project will start on or before September 19th , 2007, for duration of 24 months.

Funding
The project is funded by ITT Dublin and the successful candidate will receive a grant of €1000 per month.

Application Process
Send an expression of interest and your Curriculum Vitae by 5.00pm, Friday August 24th 2007 to:

Dr. Eugene Hickey,
Department of Applied Science,
Tel: +353-1-404 2820
Email: eugene.hickey@ittdublin.ie
or
Kevin Nolan,
Department of Applied Science,
Tel: +353- 87 238 6141
Email: Kevin.Nolan@ittdublin.ie



ITT Dublin, Tallaght, Dublin 24, Ireland.

Thursday 5 July 2007

IAA Solar Day, WWT, Castle Espie

The next in our series of 'Solar days' will be held at the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, Caste Espie, near Comber, Co Down, on Sunday 8 July, from 2.0. pm. to 5 p.m. There will be the usual selection of special telescopes for solar viewing, including H-alpha views, which are always spectacular. Has the Sun passed Solar Minimum yet? Will there be any spots of the new cycle visible?
Other attractions will be available too, including our intrepid Ulsternaut, Derek Heatly, in case of bad weather. If you have any sort of telescope capable of showing the Sun safely, bring it along. IAA members bringing telescopes or otherwise assisting at the event get in free.
All are welcome.

MOON POSTER

John Moore has just launched a new 'moonposter', which may be of interest. The website address is www.moonposter.ie , and it's well up-to-date on the latest news and missions concerning lunar research.
More info from: John Moore, Tel: 021 7434721

IAA Greencastle Event

This was a great success, in spite of the dodgy weather. Members & visitors were treated to an excellent show in the Planetarium in the Maritime Museum, followed by some demonstration rocket launches. Then the rain came, so we went back into the planetarium for one of Ash's speciality live laser shows, set to Irish music. This was brilliant - you have to see it to believe it! It's almost impossible to believe that it's not being done by some very advanced computer trickery, concocted in the 'Dreamworks' Lab in the USA!
We then all adjourned to Ash's house nearby, where the BBQ was soon fired up in his garage, and he even provided a couple of staff from the Maritime Museum to do the cooking (sorry, I can't remember their names). This time, for some reason, nothing was burnt!
Many thanks to the director, Ash McFadden, for all his trouble, commitment, & hospitality - it was a great day, and much appreciated.