Hi all,
1. ISS visible through May.
The ISS began a new series of morning passes on 3 May, which will gradually transition into evening passes in the middle of the month, and these continue until May 29. during the transition period it's possible to see 4 passes during one night – some before midnight and the others after midnight. From Belfast, this is possible on the nights of 15-16; 16-17, and 17-18 May. . Full details for your location, and lots of other astronomy information, on the excellent free site www.heavens-above.com
2. Terry's Teaser, Two correct answers!
A. Fairly Simple; . Which of the following constellation names is the odd one out, and why?
Canis Minor, Leo Minor, Ursa Minor?
First correct answer was from Peter Millar, who correctly identified Leo Minor. It's the odd one out because there's no 'Leo Major' (just Leo), whereas we do have a Anis Major and an Ursa Major.
B. Challenging: What links the Latin word for heat, an English surveyor, a mountain in Greece, a Scottish physicist, and a simple type of eyepiece?
Danny Collins came in fairly quickly with an answer which showed that at least he was ion the right track, though not correct. Then Andy McCrea came up with something similar, but still not correct
Eventually Peter Millar (again!) got it.
Answer: they're the highest mountains on the inner solar system bodies,
Latin word for heat .gives Caloris Montes, highest mountain on Mercury (on rim of Caloris basin)
Scottish physicist – James Clerk Maxwell, = Maxwell Montes on Venus
English surveyor – George Everest, who survbeyed India, and after whom the mountain is named
A simple type of eyepiece = Huygenian, and Mons Huygens, highest mountain on the Moon,
A mountain in Greece = Mount Olympus, - Olympus Mons on Mars.
VERY well done to Peter and as he got both right, he'll get a prize at the next meeting – whenever that may be!
3. ANOTHER TEASER from Danny Collins
"On 14 August 1945, five days after they had dropped the second atomic bomb of WWII on Nagasaki, the US Air Force launched a B29 'Superfortress' bomber attack on Japan's last functioning oil refinery, on northern Honshu island, ostensibly to deny it to a possible USSR invasion of Japan. Japanese forces in Tokyo detected the approaching bombers, and fearing an attack on the capital, enforced an immediate blackout. This had the serendipitous effect of disrupting a revolt by extreme Japanese militants who were determined to prevent Emperor Hirohito signing the documents of surrender, and thereby saving hundreds of thousands of lives on both sides.
Bizarre as it may seem, there is a link between the particular B29 version used on that mission, and the demise of the dinosaurs some 65 million years ago. Happy hunting!!"
4. The impact of Low Earth Orbit satellites, including Starlink, on astronomy
They may be nice to look at, but they are vermin in the skies as far as optical astronomy is concerned. I refuse to promote them in any way. A very important article by Jonathan McDowell, "The Low Earth Orbit Satellite Population and Impacts of the SpaceX Starlink Constellation" was published in ApJ 892, L36. You can read it here: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2003.07446
5. Watch Venus's appulse to Beta Tauri.
Venus continues its passage Eastwards across the sky relative to the stars, even as it sinks lower in the Western Twilight relative to the Sun. When the sky gets quite dark you'll see a fairly bright star above and to its left: that's Beta Tauri, aka Elnath (or Alnath), mag 1.7 representing the N horn of Taurus the Bull. Watch as Venus gradually approaches it, getting closest as we see it on the evenings of 10 and 11 May, when they will be less than 1.5 degrees apart (a bit less than 3 moon diameters). After that Venus starts (apparent) retrograde motion, as its faster motion on its inside orbit allows it to 'overtake' the Earth on the inside. It will then start to plunge ever more rapidly into the evening twilight, but not before it also has a nice conjunction with Mercury on 21 – 22 May. It will be beyond naked-eye visibility before the end of May.
6. International Day of Light, May 16.
This event also looks at the importance of Dark Skies. More details here https://www.lightday.org/events and for events see https://www.lightday.org/events
7. USA to launch astronauts again, on May 27, @NASA will once again launch American astronauts on American rockets from American soil! With our @SpaceX partners, @Astro_Doug and @AstroBehnken will launch to the @Space_Station on the #CrewDragon spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket. Let's #LaunchAmerica
8. What's happening in the sky? An 8 minute video of what's coming up in the sky next week. See https://youtu.be/dDEXMxAAm_s Thanks to IAA webmaster Paul Evans for this.
9. BCO Remote Learning.
Our Daily Astro Challenge: Weekdays at 12.30pm
With this program we will slowly build your familiarity with the night sky through a series of increasingly complex challenges. These short, 2 minute episodes build on what you've learned in earlier sessions to take you from a novice to a real amateur astronomer in no time! These challenges have already proved to be immensely successful. You can view the back catalogue, and find new challenges every weekday. Check it out here.
ESERO Ireland Remote Workshops For Tech Week: Wednesday/Thursday at 11am.
For those of you with children in primary school, we will be running live astronomy workshops next week that focus on the topic of Light Pollution. No materials needed, just a screen and an internet connection. We'll provide links to educational resources if you're interested in building on the learning experience yourself. Further details here.
Planetarium at Home Fridays from 4pm
We are particularly excited to be bringing our planetarium experience to a remote learning platform. Guided planetarium shows are at the heart of the BCO visitor experience and we're sure you'll enjoy watching these weekly shows as much as we enjoy making them. These are a perfect family weekend activity, with two short episodes dropping every Friday evening. These videos are also supplemented with ESERO Ireland Resources for those who want to go one step further with the learning experience. The first episodes dropped already! We hope you find these programs are a good way to relax during this particularly stressful period, and that they can offer a stimulating educational activity for anyone with young people at home right now. We will have more programs coming online shortly.
10. Another embarrassing error. EarthSky gets it wrong yet again. Very wrong. It's simply not true that a First Quarter Moon is high up at sunset as seen from anywhere on Earth. A FQ Moon in autumn is always low down in the sky at sunset from moderately high N latitudes.
For example on 23 Sep 2020 the FQ Moon will be less than 11 degrees above the horizon at sunset from Belfast (Lat 54.6 degrees). And on 23 October it will be less that 10 degrees up at sunset. From Edinburgh, Scotland (Latitude 55.9 degrees) it will be even lower.
This shows a fundamental lack of knowledge of basic astronomy. Appalling.
11. Tim Peake's autobiography Signed copies of Tim Peake's autobiography ''Limitless'' due October, available for pre-order for £20 on Waterstone's site (unsigned would cost nearly as much).
12. Star Trek Free Download There's a site ''toptvseries.org'' for slow free downloads of box sets, or fast download if you pay. They're doing Star Trek Enterprise, they have all except TOS, and Next Generation.
(thanks to Derek Heatly for these last two)
13. COMET ATLAS may disappoint: - BUT
After early optimistic predictions, Comet ATLAS (C2019 Y4) is now breaking up and fading. You can get its position from www.heavens-above.com
But latest reports indicate a tiny nucleus, which may soon disintegrate… - but
14 New Comet Swan is brightening and will soon be coming far enough North to be visible from Ireland. Unfortunately iot will be past its best by the timer we can see it well. Details also on www.heavens-above.com
15. New book on Soviet Space programme
Soviet Space Graphics: Cosmic Visions from the USSR (Thanks to Danny Collins for this)
16. Asteroid Day, 30 June. Asteroid Day was co-founded by astrophysicist and famed musician Dr. Brian May of QUEEN; Apollo 9 Astronaut Rusty Schweickart; Filmmaker Grig Richters; and B612 President Danica Remy, to promote awareness and provide knowledge to the general public about the importance of asteroids in our solar system history, and the role they play in our solar system today. Events are scheduled leading up to 30 June, the date of the largest asteroid impact of Earth in recorded history (Tunguska).
17. International Astronomical Youth Camp in Spain, 12 July – 1 August
The International Astronomical Youth Camp (IAYC) is a three-week long summer camp aiming to promote knowledge of astronomy and related sciences in a unique international atmosphere. The IAYC is an experience unlike any other; a place for unforgettable memories and lifelong friendships. During the camp, 65 young and enthusiastic participants from all corners of the world gather in a remote location in Spain to observe and learn about some of the most spectacular skies on this Earth. Applications for the 2020 camp are being accepted until 5 April 2020.
International Astronomical Youth Camp, 12 July-1 August 2020; Baños de Montemayor, Spain
More information and application are here: www.iayc.org
18. National Astronomy Week, 14 – 22 November.
National Astronomy Week (NAW) will be held in the UK from Saturday 14 November to Sunday 22 November, to celebrate the close approach of Mars. Amateur and professional astronomers will be holding observing events during the week. Seen through a telescope magnifying about 100 times, Mars will appear as a pale orange disc, with its markings clearly visible, at a distance of 80 million km.
Although Mars is at its closest to Earth a month earlier, by November it is well up in the sky during the early evening, allowing younger schoolchildren an opportunity to get a good view of the planet. It will not be as close again until 2033. As well as Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and the Moon will be on show during National Astronomy Week. Details of observing events will be posted on the NAW website.
19. 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
How atoms behave in the centre of stars https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200424093609.htm
Spitzer reveals details of cosmic dance of two massive (I mean it!) Black Holes. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200428223728.htm isn't science just totally amazing?!
Gravitational Waves could prove existence of Quark-Gluon Plasma https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200430150232.htm
The Sun is less active than similar stars https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200430150211.htm
The closest known BH to Earth is only 1000 LY away https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/astronomers-discover-closest-black-hole-to-earth/ar-BB13HKzy?ocid=spartanntp and https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/05/200506091537.htm
Galaxies grow by swallowing their neighbours https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200422112311.htm
COSMOLOGY
Could dark matter be hiding in existing data? https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/05/200505093122.htm
Elegant solution describes universe's structure https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200427125120.htm
Are Nature's Laws really constant? https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200427102544.htm
EARTH & MOON
ANTS on the Moon! https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200430170933.htm
NASA space laser measures ice loss accurately https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/05/200501135243.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Ftop_news%2Ftop_science+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Top+Science+News%29
Possibly active tectonic system on Moon https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200430170933.htm
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-8296741/Carbon-emissions-detected-moon.html
EXOPLANETS
New largest planet in planetary system is 3 times mass of Jupiter https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200429134034.htm
Astronomers could find signs of life on planets orbiting White Dwarfs https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200430150222.htm
VLT provides images of protoplanetary discs round other stars https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200430091253.htm
EXOLIFE
Which galaxies are best suited for intelligent life?
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/05/200501120104.htm By this argument, very open spiral galaxies, like M33, would be good candidates, as they have low rates of SN radiation.
Detectability index to search for life on exoplanets https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/05/200504165647.htm
IMAGES
Spitzer Space Telescope's final image https://newatlas.com/space/spitzer-space-telescope-final-image/?utm_source=New+Atlas+Subscribers&utm_campaign=c9ac8bee88-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_04_24_10_02&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_65b67362bd-c9ac8bee88-92786061
SOLAR SYSTEM
Why Venus' atmosphere rotates so fast. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200423143050.htm
HST captures comet ATLAS disintegrating https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200428142410.htm That comet is like my Atlas – Norton's Star Atlas to be precise, which is falling apart (from constant use)
Mars had a long-lived magnetic field https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/05/200501150611.htm
4-billion year old organic molecules found in Martian meteorite https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200429075851.htm
Planet Nine – real or not? https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-8289925/Planet-Nine-MIRAGE-according-experts-say-sprawling-disk-icy-debris.html
HST + Gemini + Juno probe deep into Jupiter's mighty storms https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/05/200507163959.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Ftop_news%2Ftop_science+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Top+Science+News%29
River delta deposits in crater to be visited by new Mars Rover https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200423130451.htm
SPACE
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/techandscience/nasa-picks-spacex-blue-origin-and-dynetics-to-create-landers-to-take-humans-to-the-moon/ar-BB13svXn?ocid=spartandhp As one of the Apollo astronauts remarked, it's rather sobering to think that you're riding a rocket which is the most complex piece of machinery ever assembled, with a about a million components, every one of which was supplied by the company that submitted the cheapest tender price! And yet, apart from Apollo 13, all the actual flown missions (7 to 17) worked successfully.
How spaceflight affects risk of blood clots in female astronauts https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/05/200505164613.htm
Groundbreaking new rocket propulsion system https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200430113007.htm
TELESCOPES, EQUIPMENT, TECHNIQUES
Improving sensitivity of GW detectors https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200428091500.htm
20. JOINING the IRISH ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION. This link downloads a Word document to join the IAA. http://documents.irishastro.org.uk/iaamembership.doc
If you are a UK taxpayer, please tick 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
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