Hi all,
1. Opening IAA Lecture of new season, Wed 21 September, 7.30 p.m, LARMOR LECTURE THEATRE, Physics Building, QUB. We are delighted to be resuming live lectures again, after the break caused by the pandemic, when they were held by Zoom. "Last Horizons: The Solar System Beyond Pluto", by Dr Steph Merritt, Astrophysics Research Centre, QUB
ABSTRACT In 1930, Clyde Tombaugh's discovery of Pluto seemed to mark the furthermost boundary of our solar system. Here, it was thought, was the mysterious Planet X, the ninth planet responsible for inexplicable irregularities in the orbit of Uranus. The discovery of Pluto's small mass briefly gave Planet X new life: but the discovery that Uranus's orbit was not irregular after all seemed to kill it once more. There were nine planets in the solar system, with Pluto as the last: an idea that held for decades, an idea we were all taught in school. But now, with Pluto demoted to a dwarf planet, and several other Pluto-like objects discovered in the distant frontiers of the system, the Planet X hypothesis has been unexpectedly resurrected. What lies beyond Pluto? Is there yet another planet out there in the coldest, darkest reaches of our solar system? What is the evidence for this new Planet Nine? And if it truly exists, might the upcoming Legacy Space and Time Survey at the Vera C. Rubin Observatory discover it?
Biography I was born to a Northern Irish family in Surrey. After moving to Belfast aged 17 and working a series of minimum-wage jobs, I decided when I was 22 that I would be an astronomer instead. Working part-time and living on savings, I completed an Access Diploma in Science and Mathematics at Belfast Metropolitan College, then three A levels in Physics, Maths and English Literature, before beginning my four-year undergraduate Master's degree in Physics with Astrophysics at Queen's University Belfast in 2012. After graduating in 2016 with a first class honours, I decided I liked QUB enough to stay, and undertook a PhD in exoplanet atmospheres, specifically characterising the atomic species present in hot Jupiters. I passed my viva in 2021 and QUB apparently liked me as much as I liked it, as they hired me to work as a research fellow in the same department: however, my research focus has shifted to the study of the outer solar system with the upcoming Vera C. Rubin telescope.
NB: The lectures will be held in the LARMOR Lecture Theatre, also in the Physics Building, which is much bigger, and will allow greater distancing between attendees. Directions. The Larmor is at the other end of the Physics building to the entrance to the Bell LT, which we used previously. It's on the side of the Physics building which is closest to, and parallel to, University Road. There is a ramp to allow wheelchair axis. Please try to be there early, to facilitate a prompt start – access should be available from shortly after 7 p.m.
2. NB: IAA Subscriptions for the year 2022 – 2023 are now due. See section 13 below for details of how to pay.
3. 'Stunning' meteorite lights up UK night sky (aol.co.uk) and
Why a mysterious fireball in the skies has scientists puzzled | Watch (msn.com) and
Brilliant meteor lights up the skies over United Kingdom (video) | Space
The Fireball seen above UK was a meteor, experts say https://www.aol.co.uk/news/fireball-seen-above-uk-meteor-231037900.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=tw&tsrc=twtr So it wasn't space debris after all - I stand corrected! But it was certainly unusual for a natural object.
4. IAS Lecture, on JWST: Monday 26th September at 8pm in Ely House, Ely Place, Dublin 2. Dr Paddy Kavanagh of DIAS will talk about the James Webb Space Telescope to tell us about his participation in the project. Live, plus Zoom option: https://ucd-ie.zoom.us/j/61942416557
5. RGO Astronomy Photographer of the Year, - winners and short list in each category. Some fabulous inages! Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2022 WINNERS (rmg.co.uk)
6. Women in Dark Skies: The next event in this series will take place on Thurs 22nd September at 7pm (ONLINE). We are delighted to welcome Etta Dannemann to the series. Etta's talk is "Guided Stargazing - a new activity for Nature Parks and Resorts". In this talk, Etta Dannemann will talk about Guided Stargazing as a new activity for dark sky areas. She will explain how hosts and nature parks can use the concept to create value at their sites, and tell more about her motivation to contribute to the Dark Sky Movement.
Etta is the founder of VISIT DARK SKIES GmbH, a publisher focusing on dark-sky experiences located in Berlin, Germany. She has been working in the lighting industry for over 10 years as a lighting designer, researcher and communicator. As an architect by education, she is interested in visual and atmospheric topics as well as in outdoor experiences. With VISIT DARK SKIES, she wants to inspire people worldwide to create their own intense experiences with light and darkness. Among her collaboration partners, there are hosts, nature parks and providers from the US, UK, Austria, Ireland and Germany.
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwud-mppj4jGtPgtfjIFCvqP-tzf0c7BfqQ
7. Derek Heatly will be offering the following items for sale at the first meeting on Sep 21:
Mars & Universe books (Haynes Owners Workshop Manuals); Mars by Giles Sparrow (2022, 2 copies); Full Moon (Michael Light, 2002, 2 copies); Hubble Legacy (Jim Bell, 2020); Project Hail Mary (Andy Weir, 2021); 12 small meteorites from Morocco/N. Africa; Hubble dvds (5 disc set); Curiosity Rover medallion with metal removed before launch; 4 metal badges containing flown Apollo command module metal; likewise 3 Apollo medallions; signed Chris Hadfield bio - Guide to astronaut's life on Earth, and 2 signed copies of his ''You are Here'' Earth views book. All items just £5 each for quick sale!
8. ISS. The venerable space station started a new series evening passes over Ireland on 15 September, continuing until 2 October.
9. Saturn still well placed for observing.
Saturn has reached opposition and rises in the southeast as the Sun sets in the northwest. This marks the planet's closest approach to Earth this year at a distance of 1.324 billion kilometres. At magnitude +0.3, Saturn is easily visible in eastern Capricorn all night.
Saturn still lies about 15 degrees south of the celestial equator, so northern observers need nights of good seeing to get the best view of the planet and its rings. At opposition, the rings spanned nearly 44 arc-seconds, with a tilt of about 13 degrees. The disk is about 19 arc-seconds in diameter.
10. JUPITER
The giant planet is approaching opposition on 26 September, and is already by far the brightest object in the night sky apart from the Moon. This is a particularly close opposition, in fact this will be the closest opposition in at least 70 years, with Jupiter at a distance of only 591,295,249 km and it will shine at mag -2.9. The 4 Galilean moons will be easy to see, even in binoculars.
11. 100 Hours of Astronomy, 1- 4 October
1 to 4 October 2022, the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach (OAO) will continue the legacy of celebrating 100 Hours of Astronomy. For this year's theme, the programme draws inspiration from the OAO's motto: "Astronomy for Everyone". It aims not only to celebrate OAO's 10th anniversary but also to invite amateurs and professional astronomers, teachers, outreach professionals and astronomy enthusiasts from all over the world to collaborate and come together as a community to help make astronomy more inclusive of all Earth's people.
100 Hours of Astronomy project encourages our global community to host or participate in astronomy outreach events over these 100 hours. The goal is to enable as many people as possible, from children to senior people, to engage with the sky and gain a basic understanding of our astronomical surroundings. There are numerous creative possibilities for activities during these 100 hours, but we especially invite you to either organise a Meet the IAU Astronomers! meet-up or an outreach event as part of NameExoWorlds 2022.
Be safe1, be inclusive and share your event on OAO's IAU Global Outreach Event Calendar!
Win a telescope and other prizes
The 15 events that best connect communities will win a telescope kindly donated by OAO's partners Sterren Schitteren Voor Iedereen (Stars Shine For Everyone - SSVI), Leiden University, and BRESSER in a special edition of the Telescopes for All programme. The first 100 events registered for 100 Hours of Astronomy will receive IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach goodies, including printed versions of Communicating Astronomy with the Public Journal. For your event to be eligible, submit it to the IAU Global Outreach Events via this form before 31 September 2022, 23:59 your local time and implement the event during the 100 Hours of Astronomy (1-4 October your local time). More information on the contest can be found here.
When spreading the word about your event on social media, be sure to use #100HoursOfAstronomy and #IAUoutreach so we can help promote your activity too!
Stay tuned to OAO's social media channels (Facebook and Twitter) as we release more information and resources in the upcoming weeks.
Notes
[1] Covid-19 Safety Measures. Please follow the health measures recommended by your country or local area when joining the 100 Hours of Astronomy activities.
Contact: Suzana Filipecki Martins, International Outreach Officer, Tel: +81 905 9477 087
12. OPIS – Conversation with Oliver Jeffers, deadline 4 October
Teachers and educators are invited to take part in this virtual conversation, hosted by the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) in partnership with HarperCollins Children's Books and CLPE.
13. World Space Week, 4 – 11 October; more details later
14. Name Exoworlds competition, deadline 11 November
IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach (OAO)
nameexoworlds2022@oao.iau.org
15. Mayo Dark Sky Festival, 4-6 November, Newport, Mulranny and Ballycroy.
This year we will have talks by Brother Guy Consolmagno, head of the Vatican Observatory, Dr Sera Markoff of the University of Amsterdam, whose team was responsible for capturing the iconic first image of a black hole back in 2019, and renowned Irish botanist and broadcaster Dr Éanna ní Lamhna. Professor Mark McCaughrean of the ESA will return to the festival with an update on the James Webb Space Telescope.
People can look forward to world class speakers in a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. But it is not just about science and biodiversity - the festival offers curated performances and exhibitions that evoke the natural beauty of west Mayo. Cellist Patrick Dexter will perform on the opening night in Ballycroy on Friday 4th of November, and Ballycroy Visitor Centre will also play host to a stunning exhibition of night time photography.
Check out our website www.mayodarkskyfestival.ie for all the latest updates.
Tickets will go on sale at the end of September when the full programme will be launched
16. Easy Teaser - More Clues.
Time is fundamental to many aspects of astronomy. In that context: What comes before and after this sequence. Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten? And it's obviously NOT just Six, and Eleven!
No answers yet, so here's a clue: Think of it in a different language.
Another clue: The Moon is involved in the time aspect.
Do I have to spell it out for you? What unit of time is based on the Moon?
Right, this is going to be the last clue – the 'different language' is Latin. And don't say that you don't know Latin – you'll know these words OK.
17. DIFFICULT TEASER – Answered,
A S Z b R S, & T B D b J S. What's the space connection?
Answered - first was Sara Beck at 03.27 our time on the 11th, who had the advantage of the time difference of being in Massachusetts, USA, where it was still evening when my email was sent.
Next was frequent winner, Peter Millar, who answered it at 09.48 the same morning, local time. Even allowing for the time zone difference, Sara was first – well done. And to Peter too: I've never kept a tally of winners, but off the top of my head, I think he's out in front.
Next to get it was Stevie Beasant – a new name in the Hall of Fame; well done Stevie. Then Maurice McFadden got it too, well done also.
It stands for "Also Sprach Zarathustra" by Richard Strauss & "The Blue Danube" by Johann Strauss", the two best known pieces of music in "2001: A Space Odyssey" (The latter was used as the shuttle was docking with the orbiting rotating wheel space station).
18. New Difficult Teaser:
What was relegated from 2nd to 3rd in 1989?
Please send all Teaser answers to me at my aol address terrymosel@aol.com
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:
James Webb Telescope rediscovers Earendel, the farthest known star in the universe (msn.com)
Do black holes explode? (msn.com)1 million new galaxies discovered in just 300 hours https://www.facebook.com/104764268714933/posts/181461261045233/?sfnsn=scwspmo
Two SMBHs to merge within the next 3 years – and we should be able to watch! https://www.facebook.com/104764268714933/posts/181298001061559/?sfnsn=scwspmo Black Holes explained. https://www.facebook.com/100045998303732/posts/644466443763293/?sfnsn=scwspmo
COSMOLOGY:
JWST's First Glimpses of Early Galaxies Could Break Cosmology - Scientific American
EARTH & MOON
NASA's Mars rover, Perseverance collects 'amazing diversity of samples' to be tested on Earth (msn.com)
Startling find in meteorite that fell in UK (aol.co.uk)China discovered a new type of Moon crystal that might lead to limitless energy (msn.com) Brilliant meteor lights up the skies over United Kingdom (video) | SpaceNew moon mineral discovered in China's lunar samples | SpaceDinosaurs weren't wiped out by an asteroid 66 million years ago, study suggests (aol.co.uk)
EXOLIFE
Plants can photosynthesize with the light from M-Dwarf stars, https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EPSC2022/EPSC2022-495.html
NASA's Mars Perseverance rover finds samples of Microbial life on mars | Watch (msn.com)
EXOPLANETS
Earthlike exoplanets may not have oceans like ours https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EPSC2022/EPSC2022-506.html
Astronomers may be getting Webb Space Telescope exoplanet measurements wrong | Space
IMAGES & Videos
Perseverance snaps 'most detailed image ever taken' on Mars surface | Watch (msn.com)
Sizes of different galaxies – amazing! https://www.facebook.com/100045998303732/posts/644922800384324/?sfnsn=scwspmoGraphic showing distribution of nearest stars https://www.facebook.com/1624145592/posts/10225631919097822/?sfnsn=scwspmoHST's amazingly detailed image of M31 https://www.facebook.com/100057547862871/posts/502340721694186/?sfnsn=scwspmoBlazing comet tail is whipped by solar winds in astonishing astronomy photo (msn.com) Brilliant meteor lights up the skies over United Kingdom (video) | Space2.5-billion-pixel image is the most detailed view ever of Mars landscape (newatlas.com)
Amazing Pluto flyover https://www.facebook.com/1306886536/posts/10229773202576745/?sfnsn=scwspmo
SOLAR SYSTEM
New Horizons spacecraft https://www.facebook.com/695105737/posts/10158231434610738/?sfnsn=mo Space rock slams into Mars and explodes (msn.com)
Behold! Webb Telescope's first Mars image reveals a troubled planet (msn.com)
Perseverance Finds Strongest Signs Yet of Life on Mars | Watch (msn.com)
Lost moon may have spawned Saturn's rings | Science | AAAS
Mars sun halo seen by Perseverance rover was thought to be impossible | Space
SPACE
Congress wants transparency on Blue Origin launch failure | Space
The FCC Is Finally Taking Space Junk Seriously - Scientific American
SpaceX's Starship Super Heavy rocket just fired up 7 engines for the 1st time (video) (msn.com)
The Reason Why NASA's Artemis Program Doesn't Have Reusable Rockets (msn.com)
Record-breaking cosmonaut dies (msn.com)
NASA's Artemis 1 rocket launch hinges on fueling test on Sept. 21 | Space
Lunar Cruiser is sensational, prototype lunar vehicle will house man (msn.com)
NASA announces third launch attempt date for its 'mega moon rocket' | Live Science
NASA replaces leaky seals on Artemis 1 moon rocket, fueling test next | Space
Jeff Bezos's uncrewed rocket explodes in fireball during flight (msn.com)
SUN
Whip-cracking burst of energy from sun could explain solar wind | Live Science
Solar Orbiter sees carbon dioxide escaping Venus' atmosphere | Space
TELESCOPES, INSTRUMENTS, TECHNIQUES.
Can the James Webb Telescope see the past? | Live Science
20. 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
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