Hi all,
1. IAA LECTURE Wednesday 4 February , 7.30 p.m. Larmor Lecture Theatre, Physics Building, QUB: : "Exo-rings and Exo-comets" by Dr Ernst de Mooj, Astrophysics Research Centre, QUB
SYNOPSIS
Over the past 30 years, we have discovered thousands of exoplanets, but at the same time we have also started to find other objects around these stars, including exo-comets and giant exorings, some of which might be one astronomical unit across. I will discuss some of these strange objects, how we find them and how we can investigate them.
Brief biography
Dr. Ernst de Mooij is a Senior Lecturer at Queen's University Belfast. He obtained his PhD from Leiden University, after which he became a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Toronto. Subsequently he moved to Queen's University Belfast as the Michael West Fellow, following on from that he was an assistant professor for 3 years at Dublin City University.
His research is focused on the characterisation of exoplanets, focusing in particular on their atmospheres and the circumplanetary environment, including exorings. He has also been investigating exo-comets, particularly those orbiting beta Pictoris.
2. JUPITER JUST PAST OPPOSITION .
Giant Jupiter was at a very favourable opposition on Jan 10 in Gemini, at mag -2.7, second only to Venus in brightness, and with an equatorial diameter of 46.5".
An amazing fact is that at close oppositions, the disc of Jupiter is greater in apparent area than the maximum illuminated discs of all the other planets combined! Venus can have a greater apparent diameter, but only when it is a very thin crescent, with most of its disc dark. AFAIK, I'm the only one to have ever mentioned this, but I have double checked it, and it's true!
The satellite shadow transits are much easier to see than the transits of the satellites themselves, as the satellites often blend in to the disc background, so they are very hard to see, except at the very beginning and end of transits.
3. Galway Astronomy Club, Annual Astronomy Festival, January 31. it will be at the Ardilaun Hotel, Taylor's Hill, Galway, H91 H29F. 9.30 am – 6 pm.
The theme this year is the Sun:- Here is the link to the website
https://www.galwayastronomyclub.ie/astrofest-2026/
For accommodation in the hotel, the following are the rates but you need to use the code below when making your booking online to get the rate:- https://www.theardilaunhotel.ie
Same rate for both Fri 30th & Sat 31st - the hotel also has a leisure centre & pool and plenty of parking and if it's full on the grounds there is extra parking around the back of the hotel and underground.
Single B&B €120 per night
Double/Twin B&B €150 per night
Use booking code: #211177
If any issues with booking, contact the hotel directly (link above).
4. Feb 11 – 22: NI Science Festival. IAA events on 14, 15 & 18 Feb.
14 Feb: Participating with the Astrophysics Research Centre in event in the main Lanyon Building, QUB; morning and afternoon
15 February: Major IAA Event at Ulster Museum, morning & afternoon
18 February: 7.30 p.m. Special Lecture by Prof Tom Ray on the largest telescope in the woeld – the Extremly Large Telescope, nearing completion in Chile –
(More details on all these in next bulletin)
5. CALL FOR IAA VOLUNTEERS
We will be very grateful for any volunteers who can help in any way at our NISF event at the Ulster Museum on 15 February. If you can do so, please let me know ASAP. Many thanks.
6. Skellig DarkSky Festival, Co Kerry, March 20-22
7. Irish Astronomy Week, March 20 – 28
8. COSMOS Star Party, Midlands Astronomy Club. April 11
9. SATURN fading but still visible, but not for long:
The second biggest planet in our system is still just observable but getting low in the West as the sky gets dark..
The Earth has now passed through the ring-plane again, so the rings now 'opening up' slightly, after being edge on to Earth. Given their extreme thinness, they should be almost invisible from Earth except in very large telescopes, but they can be seen in a moderate telescope in good seeing conditions.
10. Another comet – maybe naked-eye?
Will comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) be the 'great comet' of 2026?
11. INTERSTELLAR COMET, 3I/ATLAS
Can anyone recommend a good psychiatrist for Avi Loeb? 'Alien spaceship' 3I/ATLAS could be 'space taxi' using 'jets' to travel across solar system
12. WhatsApp Group for alerts on Observing Nights.
The IAA have set up a WhatsApp Group for updates on Observing Nights. If you would like to be included in this group, please e-mail Mary at callistoboxers@hotmail.com with your full name & mobile telephone number.
No discussions about anything other than Observing Nights will be posted on this group.
13. ISS
The ISS will continue its series of evening passes until 31 January. It will then start a new series of morning passes on 12 February. Details for your location are available on www.heavens-above.com
14: HEADS UP – Advance notice. IFAS Convention, Saturday 12 September 2026.
"From Ancient Stones to Distant Stars". Birr Castle, Co Offaly. This event, being organised by Ronan Newman, chair of IFAS, is the first event of its kind. It will be an all-day event, with a possible optional dinner in the evening, and possibly observing if clear. Top speakers are being invited, and there will also be major contribution from IFAS clubs. Details still being arranged, but mark the date in your diaries.
15: Recurrent Nova T Corona Borealis – Latest predictions- 25 June 2026?:
By extrapolating the empirical fact that the previous T CrB eruption dates were separated by an integer multiple of the orbital period 228 days, the next eruptions should appear at 27 March 2025, 10 November 2025, 25 June 2026 or 8 Feb 2027. No physical hypothesis is made behind this extrapolation. I urge observers to be cautious about it, since an external perturbation could happen, and to continue to monitor the light-curve of the star. (By Jean Schneider, Paris Observatory)
Obviously it didn't explode on 27 March, nor on 10 November, so the next date is 25 June..
(It's almost two years now since the first predictions of an 'imminent' outburst! But, it could explode any time, 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!)
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 visible in the NE in the mornings from about 5 p.m. until dawn..
It's at Declination: 25° 55′ 12.6″; R.A.: 15h 59m 30.2s)
16. NEW EASY TEASER:
Which 1960's song mentions an ideal stargazing opportunity in one of the USA States?
Clue: It's in the Eastern part of the country.
Another clue: Maybe you are in the dark about it?
Another clue: 2 and 7 might help you find the performers
17. DIFFICULT TEASER ANSWERED
There are two things which always have a Right Ascension of exactly 18h. You have to name them both.
Clue: They aren't actually real 'things'
Another clue: Try to co-ordinate your reply.
The Answer: The most S point of the ecliptic and therefore the winter solstice, and the N Pole of the ecliptic.
Two correct answers! First was our IAA ex-President Philip Baxter, at his first attempt! Well done Philip – good to see you in action again!
Second one to get it right was, guess who – Peter Denman, winner of the Super-Difficult 100th one. (I had the pleasure of giving him his prize – a rather powerful bottle of Italian Red Wine – at the IAS meeting in Dublin on Monday). Well done again, Peter
18. NEW DIFFICULT TEASER:
What does this figure represent: 56" (56 arcsecs)?
Remember, send answers to me only 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:
NOTE: John Regan of NUIM is a main co-author of this - The growth of light seed black holes in the early Universe | Nature Astronomy https://share.google/RLJIxaROEV6ndmgkY
Monster Neutrino Could Be a Messenger of Ancient Black Holes | Quanta Magazine https://share.google/BhQ0OAQIisWrIgxkV
Ancient Galaxy With a Stellar Bar Challenges Timelines of Cosmic Evolution https://share.google/R7Jci31cuDTpBjvEx
Journey to center of Milky Way with upcoming NASA Roman core survey https://phys.org/news/2026-01-journey-center-milky-upcoming-nasa.html
Gravitational lens reveals a dark galaxy https://x.com/i/status/2015836604380664297
Milky Way is embedded in a 'large-scale sheet' of dark matter, which explains motions of nearby galaxies https://share.google/gBTn0h3ir99LdpsaB
JWST spies extremely old (i.e. young!) galaxy! https://x.com/i/status/2016526708191404497
The "China Sky Eye" Traces Fast Radio Bursts to a Binary Star System - Universe Today https://share.google/AEBOvWlsYHrxC81rC
Supermassive black holes found to be less massive
AI combed Hubble's archive, saw hundreds of cosmic anomalies
NASA lifts lid on mysterious 'glue' substance shaping universe after releasing most detailed map yet
Fast Radio Burst (FRB) source eclipsed https://x.com/i/status/2015978591608037645
Scientists just mapped dark matter in better detail than ever | The Independent https://share.google/CctNLlET1GbJepLCb
Is Betelgeuse about to explode into a supernova? Astronomers finally have an answer - Futura-Sciences https://share.google/WCOzOp7QY6MQxYRtP
The Many Faces of Monster Galaxies - Universe Today https://share.google/CPMCRqgJ1coRjPvgz
Astronomers Find that Black Holes "Seesaw" Between Ejecting Material as Winds or Jets - Universe Today https://share.google/mnirvK4mk7BRdmq8F
Dark energy survey scientists release analysis of all six years of survey data https://share.google/QfDFBvU0EcrCJeQpy
For the first time, astronomers have captured the birth of a new solar system https://search.app/NjuwX
Hubble tension: Primordial magnetic fields could resolve one of cosmology's biggest questions https://share.google/gjeip6GGgb7DPRAfo
Protostar EC 53 in the Serpens Nebula (NIRCam Compass Image) - NASA Science https://share.google/Rmr4KvJj51UgGveFE
Wobbling exoplanet hints at a hidden exomoon so massive it could redefine the word 'moon' altogether | Space https://share.google/maeCBTW9Z9khBhIkL
Iconic Ring nebula holds a mysterious iron bar, study finds
Studying massive and mysterious young protostars with Hubble https://share.google/zKN5CBqjIE6fFmVYZ
Webb finds young sun-like star forging common crystals and flinging them into its outer disk https://share.google/aWNPxVvEbDoVQONi4
Protostars carve out homes in the Orion Molecular Cloud https://share.google/FXTlN0wL7YEEBXQO2
Hubble uncovers the secret of blue straggler stars that defy aging https://share.google/A2NDGYh9rRAy84DeD
Space mystery is solved as scientists reveal clearest-ever images of black hole's edge https://share.google/8NOMVExF1iuciWJQb
Webb telescope reveals galaxy cluster's gravity warping light from distant galaxies https://share.google/2IMBepwd9uAEF1sZ6
Astronomers just found a 'mystery object' surrounded by a metallic wind cloud | The Independent https://share.google/xKh0AlIiBN9qdJR8d
Milky Way's central black hole erupted surprisingly recently
South Pole Telescope detects energetic stellar flares near center of galaxy https://phys.org/news/2026-01-south-pole-telescope-energetic-stellar
Reborn black hole seen erupting across 1 million light-years of space like a cosmic volcano | Space https://share.google/hiZsWBZ9mLfDwRCgZ
Star appears to have vanished in a failed supernova | New Scientist https://share.google/fjGGPB45Yx2nzRFyZ
Protostars Carve Out Homes In The Orion Molecular Cloud - Universe Today https://share.google/41pwRyuCUZBcnBZsG
Astronomers confirm earliest Milky Way-like galaxy in the universe, just 2 billion years after the Big Bang | Live Science https://share.google/ogd2w36E1OtR5sqY0
Hubble observes ghostly cloud alive with star formation https://share.google/lS8Z0COUEsxlZRgPK
Antarctic submillimeter telescope enables more complete view of the carbon cycle in star-forming regions https://share.google/aUOF5Ja2Do2g4zEzx
A Nearby Galaxy Is Being Torn Apart by Its Own Supermassive Black Hole https://scitechdaily.com/a-nearby-galaxy-is-being-torn-apart-by-its-own-supermassive-black-hole/
Massive supernova from Wolf-Rayet star could be precursor to black hole binary https://share.google/J7vSrZD5BVUDKSzau
Stellar Evolution Depends on Where Supernovae Occur - Universe Today https://share.google/IWkSfrjHAZrLUgver
COSMOLOGYNew data shows the universe isn't expanding as expected | Watch 'The dream has come true': Standard model of cosmology holds up in massive 6-year study of the universe — with one big caveat But what about the Hubble Tension? That's a major problem, and it's still unresolved! How can we say whether the expansion rate is speeding up, or slowing down, when we don't even know the rate at which it is expanding!? What is dark energy? Research shines light on space's biggest question https://share.google/mSkUTkjIxxFlGOwjmA cosmic anomaly suggests we need to rethink the shape of our universe - Futura-Sciences https://share.google/0BL5SX2OPkGKWReYLScientists just got the clearest picture of the dark universe yet: 'Now the dream has come true' | SpaceScientists release most detailed analysis on expanding Universe – UKRI The edge of the quantum world just moved closer to our reality | New Scientist https://share.google/CO4LDYFGVjICUij3O Scientists may be approaching a 'fundamental breakthrough in cosmology and particle physics', if dark matter and 'ghost particles' can interact | Live Science https://share.google/BSKy2i6LGOa9LgNjS These gravitationally lensed supernovae could resolve the Hubble tension https://share.google/N7Rxz5Zy1EaElrO6f New theory to unite quantum physics and relativity https://search.app/eG1jUThe most important second in the entire history of the universe | New Scientist https://share.google/TMJnhiW5xeMdEtMOf "Missing" Supernova Images Offer Measure of Universe's Expansion - Sky & Telescope https://share.google/BNvWnXmtpH3U1Q9lE String Theory Can Now Describe a Universe That Has Dark Energy | Quanta Magazine https://share.google/ogsRWtZHIz86jnagi DARK SKY / LIGHT POLLUTIONRural areas have darker skies but fewer resources for students interested in astronomy – telescopes in schools can help Stargazing: India's astrotourism boom draws urban stargazers beyond cities - BBC News https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cz7ylwr803no EARTH & MOONUS space start-up begins taking bookings for an inflatable hotel on the Moon I would prefer just a little bit more protection. Not just from micrometeorites (the structure could be self-sealing), but from cosmic and Solar radiation. How Earth's atmosphere is leaking onto the Moon - Earth.com https://www.earth.com/news/earths-atmosphere-is-leaking-into-space-and-settling-on-the-moon/Nebra Sky Disc: The world's oldest depiction of astronomical phenomena — and it may depict the Pleiades | Live Science It may be the Pleiades: there are indeed 7 in that group. And the round disc probably represents the Sun, and the fat crescent probably represents the Moon. One of the arcs might represent a boat – it doesn't say which one – and there is also no evidence that the society which made the disc followed the ancient Egyptian / Middle Eastern concept of a boat carrying the Sun across the sky. If it's not that, then there's no reason to have a boat along with astronomical bodies. The middle-sized arc could represent a large partial eclipse. In fact the larger arc could also do so, but why have two? Perhaps there were two large partial eclipses in that area in fairly quick succession?Scientists solve 66 million-year-old mystery of how Earth's greenhouse age ended https://share.google/miXtQwxVzCTKfIxwM ECLIPSE, 12 August: (I'll be posting about plans to observe this eclipse, both where it's total, and as a large partial here in Ireland)
Tourism frenzy in rural Spain as 10 million solar eclipse seekers book up for August - Olive Press News Spain https://share.google/lbry8W28ZHhsUmjKc EXOLIFERethinking where life could exist beyond Earth https://share.google/MQy9HnUEyFxKmZwTWComplex building blocks of life form spontaneously in space, research reveals https://share.google/nv42bM4gdPEGqrCDr Life in Europa's ocean still possible, new research suggestsScientists are now saying aliens may be able to detect our airports More planets could be homes for aliens than we thought, scientists say - AOL Powerful magnetic fields on super-Earths could boost chances of life EXOPLANETSEarth-size planet spotted with yearlong orbit | Science | AAASIs this where aliens are hiding? NASA discovers an exoplanet that's remarkably similar to EarthA potentially habitable new planet has been discovered 146 light-years away – but it may be -70CAstronomers discover the 'growing pains' of teenage exoplanetsTidal waves of lava may slosh around alien worlds | Science | AAASAI model that found 370 exoplanets now digs into TESS data https://share.google/QJ5iNr4KXJQw57J8OAstronomers discover dense super-Neptune exoplanet orbiting a sun-like star https://share.google/brm3wkKdfPVWstT9w Giant gas cloud holds mysterious object, astronomers say James Webb catches an exoplanet losing its atmosphere in real time | ScienceDaily https://share.google/BIn6iYm0lX639eYXeALMA reveals teenage years of new worlds https://share.google/IFOGcr1XaXWyyhK0G NASA launches Pandora telescope, taking JWST's search for habitable worlds to a new level | Live Science https://share.google/VZOevANnaddT40dlCExploring Where Planets Form With The Hubble Space Telescope - Universe Today https://share.google/f1kLmeGVMNxrbrs9DStrange discovery offers 'missing link' in planet formation: 'This fundamentally changes how we think about planetary systems' | Live Science https://www.livescience.com/space/exoplanets/strange-discovery-offers-missing-link-in-planet-formation-this-fundamentally-changes-how-we-think-about-planetary-systems IMAGES, VIDEOSAmazing JWST image of Cas A Supernova remnant https://x.com/i/status/2015797148353245264Clusters of galaxies by JWST https://search.app/NnZuLNASAWebb's new view of the famous Helix Nebula zooms into a section of the shells of gas cast off by a dying star, revealing pillars that look like comets with extended tails: https://news.stsci.edu/4qPKTsL https://search.app/MhXzjMap of the Milky Way https://search.app/MFaUc SOLAR SYSTEM ASA's Juno measures thickness of Europa's ice shell https://share.google/opePNlvEPJjOA5qYB Strange white rocks on Mars hint at millions of years of rain | ScienceDaily https://share.google/wU9A4sXO8iUPmugxs Venus may get a huge meteor shower this July, thanks to a long-ago asteroid breakup | SpaceIcy Comets Get A Contribution From Stellar Furnaces - Universe Today https://share.google/gW2bOdkM4pMHnvazpSinking ice on Jupiter's moon Europa may be slowly feeding its ocean the ingredients for life | Space https://share.google/z02i9AWYDmQ4FSNtvWater makeup of Jupiter's Galilean moons set at birth, new study finds https://share.google/CC5dBDpOspMpezXIz NASA's Mars Sample Return is dead, leaving China to retrieve signs of life from the Red Planet | Live Science https://share.google/EZzPn75ILUhEMGrrC This was always a far too complicated mission !New comet discovered by amateurs on Jan 13: https://www.spaceobs.com/en/Alain-Maury-s-Blog/The-discovery-of-new-comet-6AC4721 SPACE NASA moves critical fueling test for Artemis 2 moon rocket up to Jan. 31 | Space
US space start-up begins taking bookings for an inflatable hotel on the Moon
Former astronaut on lunar spacesuits: "I don't think they're great right now" - Ars Technica https://share.google/1KDVVnoVjCFbGCZ78
Blue Origin's New Glenn booster to be re-usable https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/01/blue-origin-makes-impressive-strides-with-reuse-next-launch-will-refly-booster/
Anger erupts as Americans blamed for not supporting NASA's Artemis astronauts to the moon They are probably not that interested in this mission, which is nothing new. In fact, it's an anticlimax, after the 6 successful actual Apollo landings over 50 years ago. But Artemis 3 - another landing, this time near the very dangerous area of the S. Pole, will probably attract a lot of interest.
Artemis 2 astronauts enter quarantine ahead of historic NASA moon launch | Space
We can handle any kind of difficult situation': Crew-11 astronauts say 1st medical evacuation from ISS had a silver lining | Space https://share.google/DGvkyTH8hGpw4qr32
Hmmmm – but what happens on a crewed trip to Mars? Once they leave Earth orbit, they can't get back to Earth in less than 16 months! They will be in a craft much much smaller than the ISS, with less medical facilities on board. And if they can't effect a cure on board, and the worst happens, they'll have to ditch the body overboard.
Damaged Shenzhou-20 spacecraft survives re-entry, Shenzhou-23 arrives at spaceport - SpaceNews https://share.google/lFHIjvCdQnPfWLqBx
Giving astronauts tardigrade toughness will be harder than we hoped | New Scientist https://share.google/01e17e1U8PD1qcj2y
China's Shenzhou-20 spacecraft returns to Earth broken and unbroken | South China Morning Post https://share.google/TLN0OaBOjm2gljblH
The first commercial space station, Haven-1, is now undergoing assembly for launch - Ars Technica https://share.google/79qAdXIipBD4VFM6N
SPACE DEBRIS/POLLUTION
How China quietly completed its biggest space milestone | Watch
SUN
We're about to solve the biggest mystery in the Solar System | BBC Science Focus Magazine
This Solar Flare Didn't Explode, It Cascaded in a Way Scientists Never Saw Coming https://share.google/JpXJfi1nkAjAKfvnF
Earth hit by biggest 'solar radiation storm' in 23 years, triggering Northern Lights as far as Southern California | Live Science https://share.google/4uCuL8ZEdGbNWZP2v
Sun releases largest solar radiation storm 'in over 20 years' | CNN https://share.google/HDJoriBiY1sa0zJyH
TELESCOPES, INSTRUMENTS, TECHNIQUES
The Rubin Observatory Will Rapidly Detect More Supernovae - Universe Today https://share.google/DY2drixs45mVvWSBf
Quantum computers and exoplanets: New view of distant worlds
$99k smart telescope captures cosmos with Canon optics https://share.google/U1sa2eScnFKgeR3wd
Damaged DSN antenna out of service until May - SpaceNews https://share.google/HFcKSNSTjxpMDAwlU
The race to build a super-large ground telescope is likely down to two competitors - Ars Technica https://share.google/YX2BtkFdOXgwTTxWU ESO's ELT will have more than twice the light grasp of the GMT! And it will be finished long before the GMT, if the latter gets built at all.
NASA launches Pandora telescope, taking JWST's search for habitable worlds to a new level | Live Science https://share.google/VZOevANnaddT40dlC
New insights into how the famed Antikythera Mechanism operated - Earth.com https://share.google/WMpNmYDBxskTlQpIC
Telescope discovers 49 new galaxies in less than three hours - Earth.com https://www.earth.com/news/meerkat-radio-telescope-discovers-49-new-galaxies-in-less-than-three-hours/
FINAL WORD:
"The treasures hidden in the heavens are so rich that the human mind shall never be lacking in fresh nourishment." - Johannes Kepler
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
