Hi all,
1. Webinar on Mars today (Thursday 14 May) on Mars
I'll be taking part as a panel member in a Zoom webinar about the exploration of Mars today (Thursday) at 5.30 p.m. Arranged by the one and only Nick Howes, we'll attempt to answer all your questions about the past, present and future exploration of our fascinating red neighbour. It will last about an hour, and the Q&A session should start about 6.00 Join via this webinar link to register directlyhttps://zoom.us/webinar/register/1115892260445/WN_hZaCQDCIQneMhgwRMkPxQQ. or via this Facebook event link. https://www.facebook.com/events/2538869296429098/
2. 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
3. Mercury will soon meet big sister Venus
Mercury is moving out and up into the evening twilight, and is already visible in good binoculars if you have good clear sky right down to the NW horizon. Look from about 30 minutes after local sunset.
You'll get a great opportunity to spot it from 20 to 24 May, when it passes close to much brighter Venus. On the evening of 20 May Mercury lies 3º 15' below and right of Venus. Next evening it's only 1º 23' below Venus. On the 22nd it will have passed its brighter sister, and will lie 1º 21' to its left. By the 23rd it will lie just over 3º above left of Venus. And you might just spot a VERY thin crescent Moon, phase only 1.3% lying 6º below Venus. Next evening will give a better photo opportunity, with the slightly brighter Moon lying to the left of Mercury, and Venus about 5º below right of Mercury.
Observers in the S part of the island will get the best view, as the twilight will be less obtrusive.
4. Comet Swan may disappoint too?
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/technology/newfound-comet-swan-could-soon-fizzle-out-of-view/ar-BB13Zktz?ocid=spartandhp But all comets are inherently unpredictable in terms of brightness, so we'll just have to wait and see.
5. TEASER
Still no takers for this one 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!!"
Armagh Observatory and Planetarium
Bring the Moon to your house with the AOP Moon App
We have released the app with instructions on how to get it to work. Give it a try! (Please see video uploaded with instructions)
·
7. 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
8. 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
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. 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).
11. 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
12. 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
13. 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).
14. 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
15. 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.
16. 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.
EARTH & MOON
Carbon emissions from Moon cast doubt on the accepted formation theory.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-8296741/Carbon-emissions-detected-moon.html
The Solar System's earliest molecular fluids hold key to origin of life. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/05/200511154907.htm
Huge impacts formed rocks on the Moon https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/05/200511112537.htm
SOLAR SYSTEM
Earth life from spacecraft is unlikely to contaminate Mars https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/05/200511142150.htm
Hyabusa 2 reveals more secrets of asteroid Ryugu https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/05/200511112547.htm
SPACE
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/spotlight/is-nasa-actually-working-on-a-warp-drive/ar-BB13ZM71?ocid=spartandhp Probably still just SF, but 'never say never'. One aspect not addressed is -how do you determine your arrival point? In other words just how much space do you 'warp' past the stationary spacecraft? In the analogy given, the tablecloth is of a fixed and arbitrary size: but it's all or nothing – it only works if you pull out the whole tablecloth.
And where does the warped space go? If you were in another spacecraft just beside the active one what would happen to you? What would you see? According to the theory, the spacecraft itself does not move, so it should still be there beside you. Yet it would be in another part of the universe! (Now don't start quoting quantum theory at me – this is crazy enough as it is!)
17. 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
No comments:
Post a Comment