Hi all,
(NB, all times are summer time when in force, for convenience)
1. IAA lecture via Zoom & YouTube, 3 February, 7.30 p.m.: "Remote Telescopes for Public and Educational Access", by Pete Williamson.
Synopsis. This talk will cover what is available in access to remote observatories, and how you c an get involved with the educational networks. There is also a section on the growing amount of RAW data coming in from space missions that we ourselves can manipulate and process.
This resource is of particular interest and value during the current lockdown.
Biography.
Pete is a very well known astronomer, broadcaster, lecturer and astronomy outreach enthusiast, perhaps best known for his amazing photos using remote telescopes from all around the world, including the 2-meter Faulks telescopes, as well as his own near the Welsh border. You can check him out at www.peterwilliamson.co.uk
The link is:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87652213797?pwd=YTRyaWR6UWlKMGZjUmR3MU9Uemovdz09
Meeting ID: 876 5221 3797
Passcode: 750496 The room will open around 19:15 to allow for a prompt start. This talk will also be Simulcast on our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/user/irishastronomy/videos
2.. Gravitational-Wave Antenna IEEE Milestone Dedication Registration, Wed, Feb 3, 2021 at 8:30 AM | Eventbrite this starts at 4.20 p.m. GMT
3. Paul Evans' great new Sky video for February
In glorious Full HD, here's my sky guide for February 2021 featuring the Sun, the Planets, a very thin Moon and much more!
4. John Flannery's excellent guide for Februray in the Irish Times
What to watch out for in February's night skies (irishtimes.com)
5. REGULAR FORTNIGHTLY SPACE and ASTRONOMY WEBINAR – Next is February 9
NB: Note platform change. Since most people have been watching on YouTube, we are ceasing the presentation via Zoom, and it will now be streamed live on both YouTube and Facebook. This will also give us lots of added features in the presentation.
Presented by me and the amazing Nick Howes, they are approximately 45 minutes long, every second Tuesday, at 7.30 p.m., covering whatever is topical in space and astronomy. The next one will be on Tuesday 9 February: youtube.com/spacestorelive
NB – So, from now on it will be Live streamed to YouTube SpaceStore Live! Channel and Live streamed to Facebook Live. I'll post any last minute news via Twitter.
6. Deep Sky Astrophotography for Beginners Tickets, Sat 13 Feb 2021 at 19:00 | Eventbrite
7. Telescope for sale
For sale: Celestron C8 (OTA only, no mount, but comes with a few accessories). About 8 years old but has had very little use, so is in excellent condition.
I would prefer to try and sell it locally if I could (socially distanced and with masks of course).
I do have a rough price in mind, but would be open to sensible offers. Contact details are:
ciaranodonnell2000@yahoo.co.uk
Mob. 07791394834
8. NISF talk on astrophysics
https://www.facebook.com/543083169126615/posts/3120687611366145/?sfnsn=scwspmo
9. STAR TRACKER ONLINE, hosted by AOP, 24 Feb, 31 Mar.
Armagh Observatory and Planetarium hosts "Armagh StarTracker Online", a star show where we take you on a tour of the night sky using a virtual planetarium followed by live viewing the stars using telescopes in the Canary Islands. We will be using Slooh's online robotic telescopes to view the celestial objects. There will be a chance throughout the sessions to ask questions to the Director of Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, Professor Michael Burton.
Each session will focus on different objects and stars that are visible in the night sky.
Tickets are free (donations are welcome) and the zoom details will be emailed in advance.
*Please note you only need to book one ticket for one household.*
Dates: 24th February, 31st March, Time: 8pm
Admission: Free (donations welcome)
10. RESEARCH POST
Undergrad Summer Placements at I-Lofar at Birr.
Thanks to support from Berkeley, I will have 2 summer undergraduate research placements available next summer working with I-LOFAR, based at Birr Covid-permitting.
Any questions on this can be fired my way. Application deadline is Feb 12th.
https://lofar.ie/2021-research-summer-internship/
https://seti.berkeley.edu/Internship.html
Dr. E. F. Keane, evan.keane@GMAIL.COM,
11. Reach for the Stars astrophotography competition, run by the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies and the Irish Times jointly with the support of the IAS - John Flannery will be one of the judges. Details available at this site: For info: the images can be taken anywhere on the whole island of Ireland
https://www.dias.ie/ga/2020/12/16/reach-for-the-stars-diass-astrophotography-competition/ or see
We're sponsoring a new DIAS astrophotography competition! - Alice PR & Events
Or else, just go to dias.ie, the host website, and you should see it flagged in the announcements.
12. 'Hard' Teaser answered - The question was:
" Ironically, what hasn't happened in Scorpius since 1890?"
Once again, John O'Neill was in very quickly with the correct answer: - An Opposition of Mars.
Why 'ironically'? Because Antares, the brightest star in Scorpius, means 'Rival of Mars', but Mars has not been in opposition in that constellation, to make an easy comparison, since 1890, and won't be again until 2095! That's a gap of over 2 centuries!
Incidentally, the one in 1890 was only just in Scorpius – it was only 1' 25" from the E border of the constellation. And there were no others as far back as 1850, which is as far as I checked.
Well done John!
13.'Easy Teaser'
What's the connection between a piano and the night sky?
Rules: you're barred from entering if you (A) have already submitted a correct answer to any of the previous teasers, and/or (B) if you've been a member of any astronomy clubs or societies for 15 years or more. Obviously I have to trust your honesty on that latter point, but remember, if you're correct your name will be published here, and other members of your club will see it!
Please send all answers to me at my aol address terrymosel@aol.com
14. Astrophysics & Cosmology Masterclass, 25 February. Maynooth University
This event is targeted at 5th & 6th year LC secondary-school pupils, and may be of interest to younger members and acquaintances. More info at the following link.
https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/node/498485
15. Close fast pass by mountain-sized asteroid on March 21.
Asteroid 231937 will whizz past us on Mar 21, at only 5.3 Lunar Distances, and at the high speed of 34.4km/sec. It has an estimated diameter of 1024m. No danger of a collision, but that's fairly close for such a big asteroid and especially one going so fast! Remember, the energy of the impact increases directly with the mass of the body, but increases with the square of the velocity. That impact would destroy Greater London!
16. June 8-11: Institutions of Extraterrestrial Liberty, hosted by U of Edinburgh. 4 days of webinars on Human Exploration of Mars.
17. Davagh Dark Sky Park and Observatory closed until further notice
See https://www.midulstercouncil.org/visitor/things-to-do/star-gazing/davagh-dark-sky-observatory , and https://www.facebook.com/omdarksky/ I'll post any updates here. Or phone 03000 132 132 for changing Covid-19 advice.
18. 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
An Active Galaxy That Erupts Predictably Every 114 Days Or So - Universe Today
Why do Planetary Nebulae Look the Way They Do? - Universe Today
All The Gravitational Waves Detected So Far - Universe Today
We Now Have a 3D Map of The 525 Closest Brown Dwarfs - Universe Today
Astronomers spot mysterious never-before-seen behaviour from magnetic star (msn.com)
NASA: Hubble telescope captures fading supernova in NGC 2525 (msn.com)
COSMOLOGY
Searching for dark matter through the fifth dimension: A discovery in theoretical physics could help to unravel the mysteries of dark matter -- ScienceDaily – it sounds very 'way out' just like Relativity did at first – and then it was proved by the famous total solar eclipse experiment in 20
19. So who knows?
EARTH & MOON
Scientists say world's huge ice loss is speeding up | Climate News Network
Greenland is careening toward a critical tipping point for ice loss (msn.com)
EXOPLANETS
Astronomers Find a Planet Like Jupiter, but It Doesn't Have any Clouds - Universe Today
High schoolers discover four exoplanets through mentorship program -- ScienceDaily
HISTORY / ORIGINS
100,000-year-old story could explain why the Pleiades are called 'Seven Sisters' (msn.com)
Apollo 14: The mission that saved the US Moon program (newatlas.com)
IMAGES
Mind-blowing photos of the universe (msn.com)
NASA
NASA has Chosen 4 new Pioneer Missions: Aspera, Pandora, StarBurst, and PEUO - Universe Today
SOLAR SYSTEM
Strictly speaking, this shouldn't be in this section! https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2021/01/28/the-uncensored-guide-to-oumuamua-aliens-and-that-harvard-astronomer/
You Know it's Spring on Mars When the Carbon Dioxide is Starting to Sublimate - Universe Today
Galileo's Probe Discovered a Mystery at Jupiter, Juno Finally Helped Solve it - Universe Today
What Did The Solar System Look Like Before All The Planets Migrated? - Universe Today
Substance found in Antarctic ice may solve a martian mystery | Science | AAAS (sciencemag.org)
Martian mineral, rare on Earth, found locked in Antarctic ice | Space
SPACE
3-D Printing on the Moon. From Regolith to Paste to Useful Objects and Structures - Universe Today
Starships Will be Launching From These Oil Drilling Platforms Bought by SpaceX - Universe Today
Lightweight Iodine Thruster Could Help Solve Space Junk Problem - Universe Today
A Cubesat Will Test out Water as a Propulsion System - Universe Today
Space and Sustainability: How the Lessons of Biosphere 2 Inspired SAM² - Universe Today
OSIRIS-REx is Heading for Home in May - Universe Today
Explained: What is Stardust 1.0, the first rocket to run on biofuel? (msn.com)
Elon Musk's SpaceX will 'make its own laws on Mars' | The Independent Is Musk becoming a Musk-rat?
NASA Mars Perseverance rover: What to expect on landing day (msn.com)
European astronaut 'could be on Moon mission by the end of the decade' (msn.com)
Spacewalking astronauts complete a space station battery upgrade years in the making (msn.com)
SpaceX Starship explodes on landing in latest test of Mars-bound craft (msn.com)
SpaceX vs Nasa: who will get us to the Moon first? Here's how their latest rockets compare | Space
Virgin Galactic targeting Feb. 13 for next spaceflight | Space
New concept for rocket thruster exploits the mechanism behind solar flares -- ScienceDaily
Axiom Space announces crew for first all-private orbital mission (newatlas.com)
Ooops! Once again! Elon Musk's Starship SN9 rocket EXPLODES after its first high altitude test flight | Daily Mail Online
SUN
Why do Planetary Nebulae Look the Way They Do? - Universe Today
TELESCOPES, INSTRUMENTS, TECHNIQUES
Low-Cost Approach to Scanning Historic Glass Plates Yields an Astronomical Surprise - Universe Today
Backreaction observed for first time in water tank black hole simulation -- ScienceDaily
19. 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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