1. IAA Lecture, Wed 16 November, 7.30 p.m, LARMOR LECTURE THEATRE, Physics Building, QUB. This will be a double-header meeting, with the following talks -
Sean O'Brien – 'Hunting for Exoplanets using Citizen Science'
SYNOPSIS: The field of exoplanet science is booming with new surveys being built and huge amounts of data being generated at a rapid pace, but all of this data needs to be searched systematically and, ideally, quickly. Traditionally, astronomers have relied on a combination of computer algorithms and human "eyeballing" to identify the most promising exoplanet candidates that should be put forward for additional observations. The eyeballing process, where professional astronomers will view large lists of potential candidates, is time-consuming and open to error for any small team of astronomers. However, by harnessing the skills and enthusiasm of public volunteers through citizen science projects such as Planet Hunters and Exoplanet Explorers, we have been able to find exoplanets that would have likely remained undetected by professional astronomers. In this talk I will guide you through a brief history of exoplanets and how we find them, and give an overview of the process of citizen science searches and the interesting discoveries they have made.
Biography:
Sean is a 2nd-year PhD student at Queen's University Belfast where he works with Dr Meg Schwamb as part of the Exoplanet Group. His PhD project is focused on using the help of public volunteers through the Planet Hunters NGTS project to find exoplanets that may have been missed in the initial searches of datasets from the Next Generation Transit Survey (NGTS). Prior to starting his PhD at Queen's, Sean completed a Masters degree at the University of Warwick where he tested the precision of the NGTS telescopes by measuring the amount of scintillation, or "how much stars twinkle," in the NGTS data.
and
Thomas Moore - Discovery and Characterisation of Supernovae in the Local Universe'.
Synopsis:
With the advent of large-scale robotic sky surveys, the number of supernovae has grown exponentially. In this talk I will discuss what supernovae are, the history of supernova discovery and the processes we use to of find, characterise, and study supernovae.
Biography:
Thomas is a second-year astrophysics PhD student at Queen's University Belfast where he graduated with and MSc in Physics with Astrophysics in 2021. His research currently focuses on observation and theoretical modelling of supernovae discovered by the ATLAS sky survey.
NB: The lectures are now 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.
ADMISSION FREE – All welcome!
2. ARTEMIS ready to go! See NASA's massive Moon rocket rides out the storm as skies clear for launch (newatlas.com)
3. Leonids
The Leonid meteors peak on Nov 17, ZHR 15, with the Moon just past LQ, so conditions are fairly good, although the radiant doesn't get high up until later in the night.
4. ISS. The ISS starts a new series of evening passes on 19 November.
5. Saturn – shrinking window for observing.
Saturn is moving towards conjunction with the Sun and is gradually sinking lower in the SSW as the sky gets dark enough to observe. So make the best of the next few weeks.
Saturn still lies well south of the celestial equator, so northern observers need nights of good seeing to get the best view of the planet and its rings. The rings span almost 40 arc-seconds, with a tilt of about 13 degrees. The disk is about 17 arc-seconds in diameter.
6. JUPITER
The giant planet was opposition on 26 September, and is still by far the brightest object in the night sky apart from the Moon. This was a particularly close opposition, in fact the closest opposition in at least 70 years, with Jupiter at a distance of only 591,295,249 km. It still shines at around mag -2.7. The 4 Galilean moons will be easy to see, even in binoculars.
7. Mars approaching and brightening.
Mars is gradually getting closer to Earth as it approaches a good opposition on 8 December. This guide may be useful. Guide to Observing Mars in 2022 - Cosmic Pursuits
8. Occultation of Uranus by the Moon:
On Dec 05 at 16.57, the waxing gibbous Moon occults Uranus, mag 5.8, at the dark limb, near the Moon's N Pole. Reappearance will be at 17.18, at the bright limb of the Moon. Those times are for Belfast. Because the Moon will be nearly full, and Uranus has a very small faint disc, you'll need a telescope and a high magnification to show Uranus clearly. The event will only last for a few seconds.
It will be very difficult to observe the reappearance, as it will be at the other very bright edge of the Moon.
In Dublin the event will occur about 2 minutes earlier, and in Cork, 4 minutes earlier, than those times.
9. Occultation of Mars by the Moon.
On Dec 08, at 04.53 the Full Moon will occult Mars. Reappearance will be at 05.54. This will be a nearly central occultation. Mars will have an apparent diameter of 17", so the Moon will take 35 seconds to cover the disc of Mars. Reappearance will take the same amount of time. Mars will be magnitude -1.9, so it will show up well even beside the Full Moon. Mars will have an altitude of 23º, so viewing conditions should be OK.
Since the occultation is nearly central, times across the whole of Ireland will vary by no more than about 10 minutes, but obviously start observing early to be on the safe side.
This occurs when Mars is at opposition, and within 1 hour of Full Moon! Wouldn't it be amazing if it occurred during a Total Lunar Eclipse?
10. Irish Astronomy Week
This has been proposed by Ronan Newman from Co Mayo, and member of Galway Astronomy Club, and has been well received. There has been considerable discussion about the best date, and the latest thinking is for the week commencing Monday 20 March, ending on Sunday 26 March. But discussions are ongoing, to see what suits various clubs and societies best. Watch this space!
11. GOLDFINDER!
Royal Astronomical Society press release; RAS PR 22/34; 14 November 2022
A team of researchers from the University of Notre Dame and Tohoku University have revealed the birthplace of so-called 'gold-rich' stars – stars with an abundance of heavy elements beyond iron, including the "jewellery store elements", gold and platinum. Their research is published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
Hundreds of gold-rich stars have been discovered by state-of-the-art telescopes worldwide. The mystery was when, where, and how these stars were formed in the history of the Milky Way, the galaxy we live in. The team found that most gold-rich stars formed in small progenitor galaxies of the Milky Way over 10 billion years ago, shedding light on the stars' past for the first time.
In order to reach this conclusion, the team tracked the Milky Way's formation from the Big Bang to the present with a numerical simulation. This simulation has the highest time resolution yet achieved - it can precisely resolve the cycle of materials formed by stars in the Milky Way. The simulation was produced over several months using the ATERUI II supercomputer in the Centre for Computational Science at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan.
The simulation made it possible to analyse the formation of gold-rich stars in the Milky Way for the first time. The standard cosmology it used predicts that the Milky Way grows by the accretion and merging of small progenitor galaxies. The simulation data revealed that some of the progenitor galaxies - that existed over 10 billion years ago - contained large amounts of the heaviest elements. Each event of neutron star merger – a confirmed site of heavy element nucleosynthesis – increased the abundance of the heaviest elements in these small galaxies. The gold-rich stars formed in these galaxies, and their predicted abundances can be compared with the observations of the stars today.
Yutaka Hirai, of Tohoku University, says "The gold-rich stars today tell us the history of the Milky Way - we found most gold-rich stars are formed in dwarf galaxies over 10 billion years ago. These ancient galaxies are the building blocks of the Milky Way. Our findings mean many of the gold-rich stars we see today are the fossil records of the Milky Way's formation over 10 billion years ago." He adds, "Comparison with simulations and observations in the Milky Way opens a new avenue for extracting the fossil records of stars".
12. Easy Teaser:
What's the close, but not perfect, connection between James Bond and one of the most important numbers in physics?
No correct answers yet, so here's a clue: What is James Bond also known as?
13. Difficult Teaser:
What does the number 43.875 represent?
No answers yet, so here's a clue: it's a ratio.
Still nothing, so another clue: the ratio involves human-made quantities.
Still nothing, so, another clue: It's the ratio between a largest and a smallest.
No answers yet, so another clue: It relates to the sky.
I've really got you on this one! Another clue: one is only visible in more Southerly latitudes
Please send all Teaser answers to me at my aol address terrymosel@aol.com
14. 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:
Can JWST see Galaxies Made of Primordial Stars? - Universe Today
Black hole announces itself to astronomers by ripping apart a star | Space
When Black Holes Collide They Also Produce Neutrinos - Universe Today
Planets Make it Harder to Figure out a Star's age - Universe Today
It's Tough to Find Evidence of Stars Eating Planets - Universe Today
Remnants of oldest known solar system discovered 90 light-years from Earth | Space
Scientists discover massive 'extragalactic structure' behind the Milky Way | Live Science
Scientists spot record-breaking gas cloud bigger than Milky Way | Space
James Webb Space Telescope peers into lonely dwarf galaxy | Space
Too Many Supernovae Can Slow Star Formation in a Galaxy - Universe Today
Not Just Gold. Colliding Neutron Stars Forge Strontium, Lanthanum, and Cerium - Universe Today
In a New Hubble Image, Dark Matter Anchors the Giant Galaxy Cluster Abell 611 - Universe Today
COSMOLOGY
A miniature universe shows particles may emerge out of empty space | New Scientist
The Hubble tension problem is getting worse The Hubble tension: Is cosmology in crisis? - Big Think
We tested Einstein's theory of gravity on the scale of the universe – here's what we found (theconversation.com)
Antimatter and its origin https://www.facebook.com/100045998303732/posts/682167949993142/?sfnsn=scwspmo
EARTH & MOON
Surviving the lunar night can be a challenge for astronauts | Space
Lunar Cruiser is sensational, prototype lunar vehicle will house humans (msn.com)
The modern satellites shaping the course of climate science (newatlas.com)
NASA needs a new moon car for astronauts at the lunar south pole | Space
Tonga eruption's towering plume was the tallest in recorded history | Live Science
EXOPLANETS
10-billion-year-old ruins of Earth-like planet found around nearby star (newatlas.com)
Another Reason Red Dwarfs Might Be Bad for Life: No Asteroid Belts - Universe Today But no-one has shown that life could not have originated on Earth – it did not have to be brought here on either asteroids or comets!
EXOLIFE
Will Enceladus finally answer, 'Are we alone?' - Universe Today
Another Reason Red Dwarfs Might Be Bad for Life: No Asteroid Belts - Universe Today But no-one has shown that life could not have originated on Earth – it did not have to be brought here on either asteroids or comets!
IMAGES
A spectacular and beautiful composite of the recent TLE (which was not visible from here). It shows the size of the Earth's shadow at the distance of the Moon, and by extrapolating from the curve you can see that the Moon passed well North of the centre of the shadow. One Total Lunar Eclipse Photo to Rule Them All - Universe Today
SOLAR SYSTEM
Hydrothermal Vents Under the Arctic Ice are Perfect Places to Practice Exploring Europa - Universe Today
Mars is Mostly Dead. There's Still Magma Inside, so it's Slightly Alive - Universe Today
Gigantic eruptions discovered on Mars in the past (msn.com)
A huge meteorite that struck Mars led scientists to an even bigger discovery (msn.com) and
InSight Felt the Ground Shake From a Meteorite Impact on Mars - Universe Today
Huge potentially hazardous asteroid discovered hiding in Sun's glare (newatlas.com)
NASA's InSight Mars lander has just weeks left to live | Space
Edward Stone Has Been the Voyagers' Project Scientist for 50 Years. He Just Retired - Universe Today
SPACE
US Space Force's "secret" spaceplane lands after record 908 days in orbit (newatlas.com)
Filmmakers Find Section of Destroyed Space Shuttle Challenger on Ocean Floor - Scientific American and
Long-lost wreckage from the Challenger spacecraft discovered near Bermuda Triangle | Live Science
Tiny CAPSTONE moon probe gears up for lunar arrival on Nov. 13 | Space
NASA assessing damage to Artemis 1 moon rocket from Tropical Storm Nicole | Space
Surviving the lunar night can be a challenge for astronauts | Space
Tropical Storm Nicole pushes Artemis 1 moon launch to Nov. 16 | Space
SpaceX launch of Japanese moon lander, UAE rover delayed to Nov. 22 | Space
Another huge piece of Chinese space junk is falling to Earth | Space and
Chinese rocket will crash to Earth on Nov. 5. Here's what we know. | Live Science
NASA CAPSTONE moon probe overcomes glitch on way to lunar orbit | Space
SpaceX targeting December for 1st Starship orbital launch: report | Space
SpaceX's all-powerful Falcon Heavy flies for the first time since 2019 (newatlas.com)
When Should Robots Take Risks Exploring Other Worlds? - Universe Today
Telescopes, Instruments etc.
Woohoo! JWST's Mid-Infrared Instrument is Fully Operational Again - Universe Today
Can JWST see Galaxies Made of Primordial Stars? - Universe Today
UFOs, Aliens, etc.
Most UFOs are 'Chinese surveillance' drones and 'airborne clutter,' Pentagon officials reveal | Live Science Shame – I'd love to meet some real-life Vulcans!
15. 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
