Please note: send all correspondence to me only at: terrymosel@aol.com
1. IAA Lecture, Wed 13 November, 7.30 p.m., Larmor Lecture Theatre, Physics building, QUB: "Cosmology on the Brink: What exploding stars tell us about the history of the Universe" by Dr Phil Wiseman, University of Southampton
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Due to a major conference at QUB at this time -
1) There will be no parking in front of the physics building or around Whitla Hall. Parking will be available via the Botanic Avenue entrance, or on-street if you can find a spot.
2) The normal entrance to the Larmor Lecture Theatre will be closed. Entry and exit will be via the original entrance for the Bell Lecture Theatre at the other end of the building to the main physics building, and through it to the Larmor via the ground floor. This entrance requires QUB card access, so QUB staff will let people in and show them the way to the Larmor in batches. It also applies to exiting after the meeting, so your co-operation is requested. This will be inconvenient, but it can't be avoided.
3) There will be no tea/coffee after the meeting this time.
4) As parking spaces will be at a premium, consider using public transport or car-sharing.
Abstract: Our Universe is expanding. The theory of the Big Bang and cosmic expansion is backed up by countless evidence, but what it is made of and how that content controls the expansion rate is still a mystery: 70% is some `dark energy' which appears to be countering gravity to accelerate the expansion rate, and what dark energy is and how it works are some of the largest open questions in modern physics.
Measuring the expansion rate at different points in cosmic history is key to understanding how dark energy works and eventually what it is made of. The most simple models suggest that dark energy should be the same at all places and times, while myriad more exotic theories exist that predict an evolving dark energy. Modern day experiments are able to make expansion-rate measurements to extraordinary precision. This year, two major astronomical surveys combined to provide the most accurate measurements of dark energy's effects and left tantalising clues that it is indeed evolving, a result which if proven would require a full re-write of one of the fundamental theories of the Universe. One of these, the Dark Energy Survey, makes use of a particular type of exploding star (supernova) to make its distance measurements. DES has re-defined how cosmology is performed with supernovae, with stunning success. In this talk I will introduce the background of dark energy and supernova-cosmology, describe how DES managed to make such precise measurements, and discuss the implications of a non-constant dark energy for our cosmological understanding.
Bio:
Phil Wiseman is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Southampton. He received an undergraduate Masters in Physics from Durham University in 2014 before moving to Munich for a PhD at the Max-Planck-Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics. There, he worked on gamma-ray bursts and the interstellar medium of very distant galaxies. In 2017 he moved to Southampton to begin work on the Dark Energy Survey. He has since worked on numerous aspects of supernovae with a particular interest in how they relate to the galaxies in which they explode. Recently, he led a team that discovered and analysed the most energetic cosmic event ever observed, believed to be caused by a supermassive black hole. He will continue research to understand that new phenomenon for which he was awarded an Ernest Rutherford Fellowship.
Admission free, all are welcome.
2. Saturn still well placed .
Saturn is still well placed for observing in Aquarius in the S as the sky darkens, and is highest up around local midnight, although it's still fairly low in our skies. It's mag 0.9, with a disc diameter of 17".
Notice how narrow the rings are now! The angle is less than 4 degrees They will gradually get narrower as Saturn approaches its 'equinox' next March, in other words its equator and ring plane will be edge on to the Sun, and therefore almost edge on to the Earth. Observe it for as long as possible to see just how narrow they get!
Also look out for some of its many moons, Titan (8m.3) is easy to see in any telescope, Rhea is also fairly easy at 9m.7. Tethys (10m.2) and Dione (10m.8) are also fairly easy in a reasonable telescope. Enceladus (11m.7) and especially Mimas (12m.9) are challenging, but getting easier to see as the rings narrow and become less bright; they will be even easier to see next year as the rings narrow almost to invisibility.
3. Jupiter is well placed and brilliant!
It's now really bright in Taurus as it heads towards its opposition on 7 December. It's mag -2.5, with the disc diameter an impressive 47"
Even a 75mm telescope will show the Great Red Spot when it's on the or near the meridian. Binoculars will show the 4 big Galilean Moons, Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto, and a moderate telescope will show at least the start and end of their transits across the disc. That's because the edge of the planet is darker than the middle due to 'limb darkening', so the bright satellite shows up against the dark background. But when the satellite is near the middle of the disc, the contrast with the brighter background is much less, and it takes a big telescope and steady seeing to reveal the satellite.
However, the much darker shadows of the satellites are easy to see the whole way across the disc. Also interesting to watch, and easier to see, are the satellites entering and leaving eclipse in Jupiter's shadow, except very near opposition when this happens very close to the disc itself.
At the moment, the outer Moon, Callisto, does not undergo any of these phenomena, because of the orbital tilt at present, so it always passes just above or just below the disc of Jupiter each orbit.
| 4. Venus creeping up into the SW evening twilight. The Evening Star is starting to live up to its name, creeping out from the solar glare, and eventually becoming quite well placed just in time for Xmas. It's still very low down, but binoculars should locate it from about 20 minutes after sunset for maybe half an hour or so before it sets.
5. MARS The Red Planet is now becoming more prominent late in the night, in Cancer, but not too far from Castor and Pollux in Gemini. It's magnitude 0.0, but still very small with an apparent diameter of only 9.8". It will get brighter and bigger as it approaches opposition on 16 January.
6. URANUS: Is well placed for viewing now, in Taurus, near the border with Aries, at mag 5.7, with opposition on 17 November. But with an apparent diameter of only 3.7", even large telescopes will show only a small bluish disc.
7. ISS. The ISS starts a new series of evening passes on 15 November. See www.heavens_above.com for details |
8. Mayo Dark Sky Festival, Newport.
As always, this was a great event, with lots of activities in several centres. Congrats to Derek, Fiona, Georgia, Jed, Mags, Marina & Michael and all the rest of the team. And special thanks to Stephen and Vicky of K-Tec telescopes who brought their usual selection of astronomical goodies, and donated 300 worth of vouchers as prizes in the raffle! Always support them if you can, rather than buying online from abroad.
9. Operations Manager for Armagh Planetarium Post.
The Armagh Observatory and Planetarium is seeking to appoint an Operations Manager for the Armagh Planetarium.
For further details, including application form, please see AOP's website at https://www.armagh.space/opportunity/operations-manager-planetarium
Closing Date 14 November.
10. IAA Annual Subscriptions. Subscriptions were due on 1 September. See https://irishastro.org/join-the-iaa/
Membership of the IAA costs £20 (€25) per year for Individual Membership or £25 (€30) per year for Family Membership (all members of a family at one address) from September to August and entitles members to attend all IAA events including our regular speaker programme. Also, there are four issues of the IAA magazine "Stardust" produced annually and these will be delivered to your home address.
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 http://www.irishastro.org/ https://irishastro.org/
11. Recurrent Nova T Corona Borealis – We are still waiting!
I hate to have to say – "I told you so." OK, that's not true – everyone likes to know that they've been right, when they've gone out on a limb!
There were reports on social media in early March that T CrB was due to explode again in the next week or two, i.e. in late March: I stuck my neck out, and said that we couldn't predict the next outburst with that degree of accuracy. That period has now well passed, so I was right.
There have since been several more articles, saying much the same thing, and it still hasn't happened. The position remains the same - It could explode tomorrow – or not for another year or more! It's normally around magnitude 10 but in 1946 it faded to about 11 just before the outburst, but at outburst it reaches mag 2.0 or 2.5.
The first outburst was discovered by Irish astronomer John Birmingham in Tuam, Co Galway, in May 1866. Earlier archive observations indicate possible previous outbursts in 1217, 1787, as well as 1866 & 1946. The eruptions in 1787, 1866 and 1946, indicated an approximate 80 year period. BUT you can't assume a period from only 2 intervals ! However, in the year before the 1946 outburst, it dimmed to magnitude 12.3, and this has happened again recently, suggesting a possible outburst is imminent. BUT, once again, you can't predict from a single event!
Incidentally, the gap from 1217 to 1787, assuming some eruptions that were not observed, gives a
period of 81.4 years if there were 7 outbursts, so that's fairly constant!
As I've said many times, while there are records of several previous explosions, we only have a sample of one set of detailed observations of the pre-explosion stage – in 1946. And it's always dangerous to extrapolate from one set of observations!
So, keep an eye on it - comparison charts can be found on the websites of the BAA Variable Star Section, or the AAVSO. The current magnitude is around 10, so you'll need a good telescope to see it now.
(BTW, don't confuse it with the other nearby famous variable star, R CrB, which does the opposite – it stays normally around 6th magnitude, but occasionally dims to as faint as magnitude 14 or 15!)
(And for comparison, the other not quite so well-known recurrent nova, RS Oph, was seen to, or is thought to have, erupted 9 times since 1898 – with intervals of approximately 9, 26, 12, 13, 9, 18, 21 and 18 years; so its period is by no means constant.)
Anyway, do keep an eye out – T CrB lies just outside the East side of the circle of the 'Crown', about a degree from Epsilon CrB, but you really do need charts to observe it properly. It's moderately high in the W as the bright twilight ends, about 25 degrees to the left of Arcturus.
It's at Declination: 25° 55′ 12.613″; R.A.: 15h 59m 30.1622s
See also https://www.facebook.com/share/39XnUDPUGgsnmMDG/
And now this! Talk about a misleading headline!?! Much-awaited star explosion is finally here. How to watch it and where to look https://www.wionews.com/science/much-awaited-star-explosion-is-finally-here-how-to-watch-it-and-where-to-look-762377
LATEST - REALITY BITES!
Now they're saying "sometime this year" – and also, in the same article "within the next couple of years" ! What Is the 'Zombie Star' Set To Come Back to Life According to NASA? - Newsweek
12. Dr Mike Simms immortalised in palaeontology!
Congratulations to IAA Member and meteorite expert Mike Simms who has been honoured by having a species of cockroach named after him! Palaeontologist Mike spends more time looking down than up, but his contributions to the IAA in the field of meteoritics are invaluable. Mike discovered this species in 1984.
13. Moon Occults Saturn, 4 January.
The waxing 5 day old crescent Moon will occult Saturn on the early evening of Saturday 4 January. This will be a beautiful sight, with the Earthlit ghostly lunar limb slowly approaching and covering the Rings and then the planet. The Moon will not be so bright as to drown out the satellites, so at least the occultation of Titan should also be visible in a moderate telescope. More details later, but save the date!
14. Irish Astronomy Week 2025; March 1st to 8th.
Ronan Newman launched this event, which was a great success last year, but due to personal circumstances he won't be so involved in the next one. So it will be up to individual clubs to organise their own events,
15. Total Lunar Eclipse, 14 March. This occurs in the pre-dawn sky, as the Moon is getting very low. The start of totality is just visible here before the Moon sets.
16. Partial Solar Eclipse, 29 June. The magnitude will be over 50% for all of Ireland, with NW Mayo getting 57%.
17. INSAP, QUB, 9-12 June, and at AOP, 13 June.
18. European Astronomy Society 2025 meeting in Cork 23-27 June 2025
19. ALAN 2025, 28 – 30 October 2025, Westport.
Preparations are under way for the 9th Scientific Conference on Artificial Light At Night, ALAN2025, from October 28-30, 2025, in Westport, Ireland. Our host will be Dark Sky Ireland. The invited speakers will be revealed soon, but we can already promise you interesting talks about science, governance, dark sky outreach, and lighting design.
The conference offers a platform for interdisciplinary networking and exchange on the topics Biology & Ecology, Governance & Regulations, Health, Measurements & Modelling, Social Sciences & Humanities, Technology & Design.
We welcome researchers, lighting professionals, policy makers, light pollution activists, and everybody who is interested in the effects of artificial light at night. The conference aims to present new findings, exchange experiences and ideas, network, and discuss hoe artificial light can be used with less negative impacts.
I'm on the organising committee for this event, so I'll keep you posted regarding the programme.
For more information check out our website at artificiallightatnight.org .
20. NEW DIFFICULT TEASER - Sort of answered!
Q. What's the connection between a moon of one planet and a mission to explore a different planet?
No correct answers yet, so here's a clue: The second planet is one of the outer solar system planets.
Peter Denman - Right but Not Right! Peter submitted the following -
"Voyager 1's encounter with Titan bent the spacecraft's path northward [out of the ecliptic plane]. Had Titan not been satisfactorily imaged, the Voyager 2 would have been targeted to carry out a survey, so losing an opportunity to rendezvous with either of the outer giant planets."
However, while that is an answer, it's not correct, because it involves two different missions, (V1 & V2). What I'm looking for involves one mission only.
Peter then came up with another answer, in which he identified one half of the answer, but the other part was not what I'm looking for. Still, his answer was correct in its own sense, so I'll give him an honourable mention. So, well done Peter, but the teaser is still open.
One more clue: The second planet is Jupiter.
Another clue: The other planet (with the moon) is a neighbour of Jupiter.
21. New Easy Teaser :
What does the number 12.368265923 represent? (It's only because I'm an absolute nerd that I give the figure to that degree of accuracy! If you take 12.368 it will be close enough!)
ANSWERED – BUT NOT ANSWERED! Jim Verner got it right, but as a previous winner, he's not eligible to answer the Easy ones anymore. So, it's still open.
Clue. It relates to time.
OK, another clue: What's the nearest whole number to that?
Remember, only send answers to me at my aol address: terrymosel@aol.com.
22. 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:
Breaking the Limits: New Supermassive Black Hole Defies Theories
3D map reveals our solar system's local bubble has an 'escape tunnel'
Massive Galaxies Hold the Key to Fast Radio Bursts
'Hawking radiation' may be erasing black holes. Watching it happen could reveal new physics.
Scientists just found a mind-boggling object in deep space | Mashable
'Vega continues to be unusual:' Lack of planets around young star puzzles astronomers
Astronomers spot unusually synchronized star formation in ancient galaxy for 1st time
Voracious Black Hole https://www.facebook.com/share/15Aq8Z7DJj/
Hubble Spots Black Hole Beam Causing Stellar Eruptions | Watch
A NASA telescope reveals a giant black hole jet like never before | Mashable
This Ancient Supernova Remnant Looks Like a Stellar Dandelion - Universe Today
Hubble watches neutron stars collide and explode to create black hole and 'birth atoms'
The universe is watching: NASA telescopes capture stunning image of space 'eyes'
Distorted galaxy whizzes through crowded cluster in new Hubble Telescope image
A 20-Year Study Reveals New Insights into Black Hole Behavior
NASA delays budget-cut decision about Hubble and Chandra space telescopes
The mystery of the Milky Way's most bizarre supernova - Big Think This is full of very interesting information and graphics.
The biggest holes in NASA's suite of observatories - Big Think
COSMOLOGY:Science has found its first candidate for a dark-matter detector. It's a really old rock
Scientists discovered 'secret life' of the universe before the Big Bang
Do we live in a giant void? It could solve the puzzle of the universe's expansion
EARTH & MOON We've Found the Source of Most Meteorites - Sky & Telescope - Sky & Telescope
NASA identifies potential landing sites for historic manned mission to the moon
The fascinating origins of the Moon's crater names
EXOLIFE:'Interstellar' fireballs likely came from within our solar system, study suggests Avi Loeb's interstellar theses are being shown to be increasingly unlikely. (He had argued that 'Oumumua was an alien artefact, and that the Pacific ocean event was also probably an alien artefact)
Study shows Uranus Moon Could Harbor Alien Life in Subterranean Sea - Newsweek
Father-daughter team decodes 'alien signal' from Mars that stumped the world for a year
EXOPLANETSScientists discover a 'tiny Earth' five light-years away from our planet
The Impact of Stellar Environments on Planet Formation
Habitability of exoplanets studied by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory | Watch
IMAGES:
Amazing photos of Jupiter from Juno! Nasa releases stunning images of Jupiter during Juno's latest flyby Juno's lens: Unveiling Jupiter's atmospheric wonders
Explore Jupiter's icy ocean moon Europa in NASA virtual tour (photos)
Supernova hides in new Hubble Telescope galaxy 'light show' image (photo) | Space
SOLAR SYSTEM Amazing photos of Jupiter from Juno! Nasa releases stunning images of Jupiter during Juno's latest flyby'Interstellar' fireballs likely came from within our solar system, study suggests Avi Loeb's interstellar theses are being shown to be increasingly unlikely.
Juno's lens: Unveiling Jupiter's atmospheric wonders
NASA's Parker Solar Probe to glimpse Venus' surface tomorrow before historic sun encounter
Apparent hole in Jupiter! https://www.facebook.com/share/15X4VMWY6t/
Hubble Helps Solve The Mystery of Mars' Escaping Water | Watch
Study shows Uranus Moon Could Harbor Alien Life in Subterranean Sea - Newsweek
We've Found the Source of Most Meteorites - Sky & Telescope - Sky & Telescope
NASA Unveils Mars' Evaporation-Driven Transformation
Saturn's moon Titan may have a 6-mile-thick crust of methane ice — could life be under there?
Will China return Mars samples to Earth before the US does?
Mysterious features on asteroid Vesta may be explained by saltwater
SPACESpace stations are loud — that's why NASA is making a quiet fan
SpaceX's Dragon is about to do something to the ISS it's never done before
NASA faces tough decisions on Orion capsule's heat shield for Artemis moon mission | Space
Voyager 1 Jolts Back to Life After NASA Lost Touch - Newsweek
China sends three new-generation astronauts to space station | Watch
Chinese taikonauts return after breaking space records
NASA to resume ISS spacewalks in 2025 after spacesuit leak | Space
Plans to Destroy the International Space Station Preview a Bigger Orbital Junk Problem | Scientific American
Voyager 1 spacecraft phones home with transmitter that hasn't been used since 1981 | Space
Voyager 1 loses contact with NASA, turns on retro transmitter not used since 1981
Will China return Mars samples to Earth before the US does?
Musk Says SpaceX Plans Uncrewed Mars Missions in Two Years | Watch
Boeing considers selling its space business, including Starliner: report
NASA identifies potential landing sites for historic manned mission to the moon
SpaceX's Starship booster was '1 second away' from aborting epic launch-tower catch
SUN
NASA's Parker Solar Probe to glimpse Venus' surface tomorrow before historic sun encounter
The awe-inspiring effect of a TSE
https://medium.com/@ltelkins/feeling-awe-changes-you-it-will-make-you-a-better-person-857c3a691fd4
TELESCOPES, EQUIPMENT & TECHNIQUES
The biggest holes in NASA's suite of observatories - Big Think
FINAL WORD:
"The treasures hidden in the heavens are so rich that the human mind shall never be lacking in fresh nourishment." - Johannes Kepler
23. 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 http://www.irishastro.org/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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