Hi all,
1. SOLSTICE INTERVIEW: - Apologies to the few of you who were disappointed that my Solstice interview did not broadcast - it was edged out by a certain Graham McDowell winning the US Open!
2. COMET: Comet McNaught 2009 R1 continues to brighten slowly, but is very difficult to find in the bright all-night summer twilight. On the morning of the 22nd it was about mag 5.8, but not visible even in 10x50 binocs because of the bright background sky. Even in 30x80s and 25x100s it was unimpressive. Those further south in the island will have a darker sky background, but the comet will also be lower down in the N sky when twilight is at a minimum. It is expected to be brightest on July 1, but will then be even closer to the Sun. Try for it now if you want to see it at all. See: http://www.aerith.net/comet/catalog/2009R1/2009R1.html
3. NLCs: There have been some sightings, so keep a look out in the NNW sky as soon as it gets dark enough to see Capella in that region of the sky. Send any photos to the IAA website: www.irishastro.org
4. RARE BRIGHT OCCULTATION - for those on holiday in Europe! On the evening of July 8 there will be an occultation of the bright star Delta Oph (mag 2.7) by asteroid 472 Roma. The asteroid itself will only be visible in large telescopes, but as it will pass between us and the star, the star will suddenly disappear for a few seconds, and this will be visible even to the naked eye!
The occultation will occur around 21:57 U.T. (22.57 BST, but allow for local time in whatever country you are in, i.e. convert from UT, which equals GMT. The expected maximum duration of the occultation is 5.6 seconds.
The narrowish track of the occultation (like a 'mini-eclipse') runs from S Portugal (Algarve region) across NE Spain, France, the Low Countries, N Germany, S Sweden and Finland. If you happen to be on holiday anywhere near the track on July 8, do have a look for this extremely rare event.
See: http://www.astrosurf.com/eaon/phenomenon%20rare.htm. The darker central track is the expected path where the occultation will be visible: the closer you are to the centre, the longer the duration of the occultation. The shaded area on either side is the zone of 1-Sigma uncertainty: in other words if there is an error in either the position of the star or the path of the asteroid it's possible that the occultation could be visible in this zone. If there's an update on the track before the event it will be posted on that website.
5.CIT Blackrock Castle Observatory presents Space Camp 2010
At our third annual Space Camp we invite students ages 8 to 12 to use science and engineering to explore the universe. Find out about life as an astronaut, the solar system & the search for alien life. The highlight of the week is the day we build and launch our own rockets! Places are limited so call 021 4357917 to reserve your place now.
€95 per student. 10% members and second child discount.
There are 6 SESSIONS TO CHOOSE FROM:
JULY 5-9: MORNING (10am-12:30pm)
JULY 5-9: AFTERNOON (2pm-4:30pm)
JULY 19-23: MORNING (10am-12:30pm)
JULY 19-23: AFTERNOON (2pm-4:30pm)
AUG 9-13: MORNING (10am-12.30pm)
AUG 9-13: AFTERNOON (2pm-4:30pm)
Day 1: Astronauts and Moon landing
Day 2: Mars – The Red Planet
Day 3: Comets & Craters
Day 4: The Search for Alien Life
Day 5: Rockets
The development link: www.bco.ie/dev
www.bco.ie/spacecamp
6. EXPLORERS of the UNIVERSE at BCO: On July 2nd at the monthly open night First Fridays at the Castle CIT Blackrock Castle Observatory in Cork will launch Explorers of the Universe, an exciting photography exhibition by acclaimed photographer Max Alexander.
The photographic exhibition will be showing until September 2nd 2010 uniquely in Ireland at Blackrock Castle in association with the European Space Education Resource Office, ESERO Ireland. CIT BCO is a centre that provides space age technology and information in a 400 year old Castle. Images available
http://www.maxalexander.com/astronomy
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8319044.stm
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap100621.html
Clair McSweeney, Facilities Manager, Blackrock Castle Observatory, Blackrock, Cork. Tel: +353 21 4357917. Email: clairmcsweeney@bco.ie
Web: www.bco.ie. email: info@bco.ie
ADVANCE NOTICE FOR YOUR DIARIES - MORE DETAILS LATER:
8. Aug. 12/13: IAA Perseids BBQ, Delamont Country Park, Co Down. Thurs 12 or Fri 13 - watch IAA website for update: www.irishastro.org
9. Aug 15: IAA Solar day, WWT, Castle Espie, Comber, Co Down. www.irishastro.org
10. Aug 22: IAA Solar day, Mt. Stewart, near Newtownards, Co Down. www.irishastro.org
11. 31 August - two evening lectures on 'Pan Starrs', Physics Building, QUB.
12. Sep 16 - 19: IMO Meteor Conference, Armagh. There will be special rates for locals and IAA members - more details in next bulletin.
Clear Skies,
Terry Moseley
IAA News by Terry Moseley
Friday, 25 June 2010
Friday, 18 June 2010
IAA/UAS/NIEA Event looking good!
IRISH ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION / ULSTER ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY / NIEA SOLSTICE EVENT, SATURDAY 19 JUNE - UPDATE
The forecast is very good, so it's almost certain that we won't need to resort to pub grub, but can have our Picnic/BBQ. And bring your Speedos / bikini too!
EVENT DETAILS
The IAA + UAS, in conjunction with the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, will be holding another joint event to mark the summer solstice, with a visit to Ballynoe Stone Circle, near Downpatrick, Co Down. This is the largest and most impressive and complex stone circle in Northern Ireland, and one of the biggest in Ireland, and may well have a winter solstice sunset alignment.
See, for example: http://www.megalithomania.com/show/site/270/ballynoe_stone_circle.htm and http://www.megalithicireland.com/ and http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/site/1048/ballynoe.html
We will visit the stone circle (SC) at 14.00, where there will be talks about the archaeology and possible astronomical connections, and then adjourn to the nearby beach at Minerstown for a BBQ/picnic.
DIRECTIONS: Ballynoe Stone Circle is on Ballynoe Road, which runs SSW from Downpatrick towards Dundrum Bay. It's about 2.5 miles from Downpatrick, at Map Ref:J481404
There are two possible routes:
1. via DOWNPATRICK:
UPDATED DIRECTIONS:
N.B. There are roadworks in Downpatrick so I suggest that if possible you try to go via Clough, on the main A24 Belfast - Newcastle Road. But if not.....
If you are going through Downpatrick via the B176, follow these directions to avoid these roadworks. - For those coming from Saintfield/Crossgar: when you reach the first roundabout, follow the sign for 'Town Centre', (it's the 2nd exit), you'll see a set of traffic lights in the distance. There's a filter road to the left just before these lights, This is 'SCOTCH STREET. Take this filter road, and follow the road, (there's a left bend, and then a sharp right turn) until you reach the first T junction (ignore all other junctions)... At the first T junction, turn left onto EDWARD STREET, keep driving until the next T junction, here you turn right, onto ARDGLASS ROAD, and drive on that road until the next T junction (with DOWNE HOSPITAL on your right) and turn left onto the road which will be the B176, it'll be signposted for 'Killough'.
Proceed round a noticeable left hand bend, then go straight ahead at a mini roundabout, then take the second right (it'll be signposted for 'Tyrella' with the Stone Circle tourist sign underneath). This is the Ballynoe Road, which leads straight to a crossroads with The Castle Inn pub on your right after about 1.5 miles. Proceed on through the cross roads and in about 200 yds you'll see the small 'Tourist' sign for Ballynoe Stone Circle. Maria adds "And the last time I was there, the sign at the actual SC was green, not brown which made it a bit more difficult to spot in the midst of the hedges!"
Or
2. Via CLOUGH (on the main Belfast - Newcastle Road) take the A 25 from Clough towards Downpatrick and turn right at the crossroads about 4 miles from Clough (it's the first proper crossroads you come to on that road) into Bonecastle Road. Go across the first crossroads, then turn left at an angled T-Junction. In about 400 yards you will come to the crossroads with the Castle Inn pub on your left. Turn right at this cross roads onto Ballynoe Road, and in about 200 yds you'll see the small green 'Tourist' sign for Ballynoe SC.
PARKING: There is limited parking at the roadside at the entrance to the SC, but if there isn't enough room there, more parking is available a bit further out along Ballynoe Road at a small group of houses, within easy walking distance.
ACCESS: The SC is about 1/3 mile (1/2 km) off the road along an unpaved path, and requires negotiation of an 'up and round' stile, so this visit would not be suitable for anyone with anything more than slight mobility problems. Also the site is quite exposed, with no shelter, so bring clothing and footwear appropriate for the weather. But if the weather is good, it's a fabulous spot!
BALLYNOE S/C: The Circle is unique among Irish SCs (as far as I know), because of the large internal, oval, off-centre raised cairn surrounded by its own small kerb stones, and also because of the complex of what I call 'entrance stones', which are quite large, and form a sort of portal. But the archaeologists can give a better explanation than I can. There are also more large outlying stones than I have seen at any stone circle in Ireland, which is another distinguishing feature.
Some websites also refer to a large stone with prominent 'cup-marks', but I will provide an alternative explanation!
ASTRONOMICAL CONNECTION? The astronomical connection seems to be that at midwinter solstice, the sun sets (or used to 3,000 - 4,000 years ago) from the SC in the very prominent notch formed by the gap between Slieve Donard and Slieve Commedagh, the two highest mountains in the Mourne Mountains across Dundrum Bay (as for Drombeg Circle in Co Cork: see http://www.megalithics.com/ireland/drombeg/drbgmain.htm). This provides a very accurate way to measure the exact date of the solstice. There may be other alignments too - all waiting to be discovered!
PICNIC/BBQ AFTERWARDS: Afterwards, unless it's raining, we will proceed to the seashore at Dundrum Bay for a picnic/BBQ: there are two parking lay-bys at the roadside just beside Minerstown Beach, about 1m East of Minerstown Caravan Site, at MR: J505361. There are no picnic tables, so bring a folding table and chair, or at least a waterproof-backed rug to sit on the ground. I will provide maps on the day to enable you to find your way there, but basically you just go to the main A2 Coast Road, 1m East of the Caravan Park. (You can bring a snack to the Stone Circle with you, but because of the distance, you wouldn't want to carry very much! Also, we don't want ANY litter at the site, and we certainly do not want any barbecues there!)
CONSUMABLES: Bring your own! Bring your own food, drink, plates, cutlery, cups, glasses etc, and if you want to BBQ, bring your own portable or disposable one. And matches or a lighter, and BBQ tongs etc.
Let's see lots of you there for what promises to be a good day out. And escape from some rather awful football! (You can record it, if you really have to, I suppose....)
Clear skies,
Terry Moseley
The forecast is very good, so it's almost certain that we won't need to resort to pub grub, but can have our Picnic/BBQ. And bring your Speedos / bikini too!
EVENT DETAILS
The IAA + UAS, in conjunction with the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, will be holding another joint event to mark the summer solstice, with a visit to Ballynoe Stone Circle, near Downpatrick, Co Down. This is the largest and most impressive and complex stone circle in Northern Ireland, and one of the biggest in Ireland, and may well have a winter solstice sunset alignment.
See, for example: http://www.megalithomania.com/show/site/270/ballynoe_stone_circle.htm and http://www.megalithicireland.com/ and http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/site/1048/ballynoe.html
We will visit the stone circle (SC) at 14.00, where there will be talks about the archaeology and possible astronomical connections, and then adjourn to the nearby beach at Minerstown for a BBQ/picnic.
DIRECTIONS: Ballynoe Stone Circle is on Ballynoe Road, which runs SSW from Downpatrick towards Dundrum Bay. It's about 2.5 miles from Downpatrick, at Map Ref:J481404
There are two possible routes:
1. via DOWNPATRICK:
UPDATED DIRECTIONS:
N.B. There are roadworks in Downpatrick so I suggest that if possible you try to go via Clough, on the main A24 Belfast - Newcastle Road. But if not.....
If you are going through Downpatrick via the B176, follow these directions to avoid these roadworks. - For those coming from Saintfield/Crossgar: when you reach the first roundabout, follow the sign for 'Town Centre', (it's the 2nd exit), you'll see a set of traffic lights in the distance. There's a filter road to the left just before these lights, This is 'SCOTCH STREET. Take this filter road, and follow the road, (there's a left bend, and then a sharp right turn) until you reach the first T junction (ignore all other junctions)... At the first T junction, turn left onto EDWARD STREET, keep driving until the next T junction, here you turn right, onto ARDGLASS ROAD, and drive on that road until the next T junction (with DOWNE HOSPITAL on your right) and turn left onto the road which will be the B176, it'll be signposted for 'Killough'.
Proceed round a noticeable left hand bend, then go straight ahead at a mini roundabout, then take the second right (it'll be signposted for 'Tyrella' with the Stone Circle tourist sign underneath). This is the Ballynoe Road, which leads straight to a crossroads with The Castle Inn pub on your right after about 1.5 miles. Proceed on through the cross roads and in about 200 yds you'll see the small 'Tourist' sign for Ballynoe Stone Circle. Maria adds "And the last time I was there, the sign at the actual SC was green, not brown which made it a bit more difficult to spot in the midst of the hedges!"
Or
2. Via CLOUGH (on the main Belfast - Newcastle Road) take the A 25 from Clough towards Downpatrick and turn right at the crossroads about 4 miles from Clough (it's the first proper crossroads you come to on that road) into Bonecastle Road. Go across the first crossroads, then turn left at an angled T-Junction. In about 400 yards you will come to the crossroads with the Castle Inn pub on your left. Turn right at this cross roads onto Ballynoe Road, and in about 200 yds you'll see the small green 'Tourist' sign for Ballynoe SC.
PARKING: There is limited parking at the roadside at the entrance to the SC, but if there isn't enough room there, more parking is available a bit further out along Ballynoe Road at a small group of houses, within easy walking distance.
ACCESS: The SC is about 1/3 mile (1/2 km) off the road along an unpaved path, and requires negotiation of an 'up and round' stile, so this visit would not be suitable for anyone with anything more than slight mobility problems. Also the site is quite exposed, with no shelter, so bring clothing and footwear appropriate for the weather. But if the weather is good, it's a fabulous spot!
BALLYNOE S/C: The Circle is unique among Irish SCs (as far as I know), because of the large internal, oval, off-centre raised cairn surrounded by its own small kerb stones, and also because of the complex of what I call 'entrance stones', which are quite large, and form a sort of portal. But the archaeologists can give a better explanation than I can. There are also more large outlying stones than I have seen at any stone circle in Ireland, which is another distinguishing feature.
Some websites also refer to a large stone with prominent 'cup-marks', but I will provide an alternative explanation!
ASTRONOMICAL CONNECTION? The astronomical connection seems to be that at midwinter solstice, the sun sets (or used to 3,000 - 4,000 years ago) from the SC in the very prominent notch formed by the gap between Slieve Donard and Slieve Commedagh, the two highest mountains in the Mourne Mountains across Dundrum Bay (as for Drombeg Circle in Co Cork: see http://www.megalithics.com/ireland/drombeg/drbgmain.htm). This provides a very accurate way to measure the exact date of the solstice. There may be other alignments too - all waiting to be discovered!
PICNIC/BBQ AFTERWARDS: Afterwards, unless it's raining, we will proceed to the seashore at Dundrum Bay for a picnic/BBQ: there are two parking lay-bys at the roadside just beside Minerstown Beach, about 1m East of Minerstown Caravan Site, at MR: J505361. There are no picnic tables, so bring a folding table and chair, or at least a waterproof-backed rug to sit on the ground. I will provide maps on the day to enable you to find your way there, but basically you just go to the main A2 Coast Road, 1m East of the Caravan Park. (You can bring a snack to the Stone Circle with you, but because of the distance, you wouldn't want to carry very much! Also, we don't want ANY litter at the site, and we certainly do not want any barbecues there!)
CONSUMABLES: Bring your own! Bring your own food, drink, plates, cutlery, cups, glasses etc, and if you want to BBQ, bring your own portable or disposable one. And matches or a lighter, and BBQ tongs etc.
Let's see lots of you there for what promises to be a good day out. And escape from some rather awful football! (You can record it, if you really have to, I suppose....)
Clear skies,
Terry Moseley
Wednesday, 16 June 2010
IAA/UAS Event update; Comet update, NO Dark Energy?
Hi all,
1. IRISH ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION / ULSTER ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY / NIEA SOLSTICE EVENT, SATURDAY 19 JUNE - UPDATE
Thanks to Maria Hanna for pointing out an error in one set of directions. If going from Downpatrick via the B176, see below for the correct directions
The IAA + UAS, in conjunction with the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, will be holding another joint event to mark the summer solstice, with a visit to Ballynoe Stone Circle, near Downpatrick, Co Down. This is the largest and most impressive and complex stone circle in Northern Ireland, and one of the biggest in Ireland, and may well have a winter solstice sunset alignment.
See, for example: http://www.megalithomania.com/show/site/270/ballynoe_stone_circle.htm and http://www.megalithicireland.com/ and http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/site/1048/ballynoe.html
We will visit the stone circle (SC) at 14.00, where there will be talks about the archaeology and possible astronomical connections, and then adjourn to the nearby beach at Minerstown for a BBQ/picnic. In the case of bad weather, there are two local pubs for refreshments.
DIRECTIONS: Ballynoe Stone Circle is on Ballynoe Road, which runs SSW from Downpatrick towards Dundrum Bay. It's about 2.5 miles from Downpatrick, at Map Ref:J481404
From Downpatrick, there are two possible routes:
1. From the town centre, take the B 176 (Irish St) towards Killough, and turn right at into Ballynoe Road just on the S outskirts of the town. You go past Downe Hospital, and past the junction with the B1 on your left. Proceed round a noticeable left hand bend, then go straight ahead at a mini roundabout, then take the second right (it'll be signposted for 'Tyrella' with the Stone Circle tourist sign underneath). This is the Ballynoe Road, which leads straight to a crossroads with The Castle Inn pub on your right after about 1.5 miles. Proceed on through the cross roads and in about 200 yds you'll see the small 'Tourist' sign for Ballynoe Stone Circle. Maria adds "And the last time I was there, the sign at the actual SC was green, not brown which made it a bit more difficult to spot in the midst of the hedges!"
Or
2. Take the main A25 from Downpatrick towards Clough and Newcastle etc. Turn left at the first crossroads after Downpatrick Racecourse (which is on your left) - it's about 1 mile past the Racecourse. This will take you into Bonecastle Road. Go across the first crossroads, then turn left at an angled T-Junction. In about 400 yards you will come to the crossroads with the Castle Inn pub on your left. Turn right at this cross roads onto Ballynoe Road, and in about 200 yds you'll see the small green 'Tourist' sign for Ballynoe SC.
IF APPROACHING FROM CLOUGH (on the main Belfast - Newcastle Road) take the A 25 from Clough towards Downpatrick and turn right at the crossroads about 4 miles from Clough (it's the first proper crossroads you come to on that road) into Bonecastle Road, then proceed as for '2' above.
PARKING: There is limited parking at the roadside at the entrance to the SC, but if there isn't enough room there, more parking is available a bit further out along Ballynoe Road at a small group of houses, within easy walking distance.
ACCESS: The SC is about 1/3 mile (1/2 km) off the road along an unpaved path, and requires negotiation of an 'up and round' stile, so this visit would not be suitable for anyone with anything more than slight mobility problems. Also the site is quite exposed, with no shelter, so bring clothing and footwear appropriate for the weather. But if the weather is good, it's a fabulous spot!
BALLYNOE S/C: The Circle is unique among Irish SCs (as far as I know), because of the large internal, oval, off-centre raised cairn surrounded by its own small kerb stones, and also because of the complex of what I call 'entrance stones', which are quite large, and form a sort of portal. But the archaeologists can give a better explanation than I can. There are also more large outlying stones than I have seen at any stone circle in Ireland, which is another distinguishing feature.
Some websites also refer to a large stone with prominent 'cup-marks', but I will provide an alternative explanation!
ASTRONOMICAL CONNECTION? The astronomical connection seems to be that at midwinter solstice, the sun sets (or used to 3,000 - 4,000 years ago) from the SC in the very prominent notch formed by the gap between Slieve Donard and Slieve Commedagh, the two highest mountains in the Mourne Mountains across Dundrum Bay (as for Drombeg Circle in Co Cork: see http://www.megalithics.com/ireland/drombeg/drbgmain.htm). This provides a very accurate way to measure the exact date of the solstice. There may be other alignments too - all waiting to be discovered!
PICNIC/BBQ AFTERWARDS: Afterwards, unless it's raining, we will proceed to the seashore at Dundrum Bay for a picnic/BBQ: there are two parking lay-bys at the roadside just beside Minerstown Beach, about 1m East of Minerstown Caravan Site, at MR: J505361. There are no picnic tables, so bring a folding table and chair, or at least a waterproof-backed rug to sit on the ground. I will provide maps on the day to enable you to find your way there, but basically you just go to the main A2 Coast Road, 1m East of the Caravan Park. (You can bring a snack to the Stone Circle with you, but because of the distance, you wouldn't want to carry very much! Also, we don't want ANY litter at the site, and we certainly do not want any barbecues there!)
CONSUMABLES: Bring your own! Bring your own food, drink, plates, cutlery, cups, glasses etc, and if you want to BBQ, bring your own portable or disposable one. And matches or a lighter, and BBQ tongs etc.
(BTW, do NOT believe the fanciful and totally erroneous explanation given for the origin of the word 'barbecue' on the Alan Simpson Show on Radio Ulster last week! He claimed that it came from the French words for 'beard' and 'tail', but it's actually from a Spanish word, 'barbacoa', originally from Haitian, meaning a framework of posts and sticks on which animals were roasted. This is confirmed by both the Shorter and Concise Oxford Dictionaries, and Chambers Twentieth Century Dictionary, all highly authoritative sources.)
PLAN B: If it's wet, there are two pubs fairly nearby: The Castle Inn, on Ballynoe Road, at Ballynoe Cross Roads, just 200 yds from the entrance to the SC, and the Ramble Inn, at Corbally, about 2m to the West.
Please let me know if you intend to go, so we can get some idea of likely numbers (there's no charge, BTW)
2. Comet McNaught 2009 R1: I got a really good observation last night, with a totally clear, but bright twilight sky. 15 June, 00.10 UT (01.10 BST): Comet 0m.2 brighter than HIP 17437, and 0m.2 fainter than HIP 18212, giving an average of magnitude 5.9. This is almost exactly in line with the predicted magnitude.
3. NO NEED FOR 'DARK ENERGY'? I've always had my doubts about 'Dark Energy', which I'm sure many of you have heard me express on various occasions! It seems too much of an ad-hoc hypothesis, almost reminding me of the Ptolemaic System's ever increasing complex system of cycles, epicycles and deferents.
Now, new research by astronomers in the Physics Department at Durham University has thrown doubt on the present version of the 'Standard Model' of the universe, in which about 75% of the total is comprised of so-called dark energy, which is supposed to be making the expansion rate of the universe speed up, instead of slow down.
Additional research covered samples from the SDSS surveys, comprising 1.5 million galaxies, with a redshift range between 0.2 and 0.9, over 7600 square degrees of the sky, and comprising a volume of space of 5.5h>-3 Gpc>3.
Their findings show very little positive evidence for the "Integrated Sachs-Wolfe" (ISW) effect, which is one of the main bulwarks of the Dark Matter/Dark Energy theories. The standard Cold Dark Matter model is rejected at 2-3% significance. (The ISW effect is caused by gravitational redshift of photons, and occurs when the universe is dominated in its density by something other than matter.)
The following is adapted from an RAS Press Release:
New research by astronomers at Durham University suggests that the conventional wisdom about the content of the Universe may be wrong. Graduate student Utane Sawangwit and Professor Tom Shanks looked at observations from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) satellite to study the remnant heat from the Big Bang. They find evidence that the errors in its data may be much larger than previously thought, which in turn makes the standard model of the Universe open to question. The team publish their results in a letter to the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
Launched in 2001, WMAP measures differences in the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation, the residual heat of the Big Bang that fills the Universe and appears over the whole of the sky. The angular size of the ripples in the CMB is thought to be connected to the composition of the Universe. The observations of WMAP showed that the ripples were about twice the size of the full Moon, or around a degree across.
With these results, scientists concluded that the cosmos is made up of 4% ‘normal’ matter, 22% ‘dark’ or invisible matter and 74% ‘dark energy’. Debate about the exact nature of the ‘dark side’ of the Universe – the dark matter and dark energy – continues to this day.
Sawangwit and Shanks used astronomical objects that appear as unresolved points in radio telescopes to test the way the WMAP telescope smoothes out its maps. They find that the smoothing is much larger than previously believed, suggesting that its measurement of the size of the CMBR ripples is not as accurate as was thought. If true this could mean that the ripples are significantly smaller, which could imply that dark matter and dark energy are not present after all.
Prof. Shanks comments “CMB observations are a powerful tool for cosmology and it is vital to check for systematic effects. If our results prove correct then it will become less likely that dark energy and exotic dark matter particles dominate the Universe. So the evidence that the Universe has a ‘Dark Side’ will weaken!”
In addition, Durham astronomers recently collaborated in an international team whose research suggested that the structure of the CMB may not provide the robust independent check on the presence of dark energy that it was thought to.
If dark energy does exist, then it ultimately causes the expansion of the Universe to accelerate. On their journey from the CMB to the telescopes like WMAP, photons (the basic particles of electromagnetic radiation including light and radio waves) travel through giant superclusters of galaxies. Normally a CMB photon is first blueshifted (its peak shifts towards the blue end of the spectrum) when it enters the supercluster and then redshifted as it leaves, so that the two effects cancel. However, if the supercluster galaxies are accelerating away from each other because of dark energy, the cancellation is not exact, so photons stay slightly blueshifted after their passage. Slightly higher temperatures should appear in the CMB where the photons have passed through superclusters.
However, the new results, based on the Sloan Digital Sky Survey which surveyed 1 million luminous red galaxies, suggest that no such effect is seen, again threatening the standard model of the Universe.
Sawangwit says, “If our result is repeated in new surveys of galaxies in the Southern Hemisphere then this could mean real problems for the existence of dark energy.”
If the Universe really has no ‘dark side’, it will come as a relief to some theoretical physicists. Having a model dependent on as yet undetected exotic particles that make up dark matter and the completely mysterious dark energy leaves many scientists feeling uncomfortable. It also throws up problems for the birth of stars in galaxies, with as much ‘feedback’ energy needed to prevent their creation as gravity provides to help them form."
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Clear Skies,
Terry Moseley
1. IRISH ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION / ULSTER ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY / NIEA SOLSTICE EVENT, SATURDAY 19 JUNE - UPDATE
Thanks to Maria Hanna for pointing out an error in one set of directions. If going from Downpatrick via the B176, see below for the correct directions
The IAA + UAS, in conjunction with the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, will be holding another joint event to mark the summer solstice, with a visit to Ballynoe Stone Circle, near Downpatrick, Co Down. This is the largest and most impressive and complex stone circle in Northern Ireland, and one of the biggest in Ireland, and may well have a winter solstice sunset alignment.
See, for example: http://www.megalithomania.com/show/site/270/ballynoe_stone_circle.htm and http://www.megalithicireland.com/ and http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/site/1048/ballynoe.html
We will visit the stone circle (SC) at 14.00, where there will be talks about the archaeology and possible astronomical connections, and then adjourn to the nearby beach at Minerstown for a BBQ/picnic. In the case of bad weather, there are two local pubs for refreshments.
DIRECTIONS: Ballynoe Stone Circle is on Ballynoe Road, which runs SSW from Downpatrick towards Dundrum Bay. It's about 2.5 miles from Downpatrick, at Map Ref:J481404
From Downpatrick, there are two possible routes:
1. From the town centre, take the B 176 (Irish St) towards Killough, and turn right at into Ballynoe Road just on the S outskirts of the town. You go past Downe Hospital, and past the junction with the B1 on your left. Proceed round a noticeable left hand bend, then go straight ahead at a mini roundabout, then take the second right (it'll be signposted for 'Tyrella' with the Stone Circle tourist sign underneath). This is the Ballynoe Road, which leads straight to a crossroads with The Castle Inn pub on your right after about 1.5 miles. Proceed on through the cross roads and in about 200 yds you'll see the small 'Tourist' sign for Ballynoe Stone Circle. Maria adds "And the last time I was there, the sign at the actual SC was green, not brown which made it a bit more difficult to spot in the midst of the hedges!"
Or
2. Take the main A25 from Downpatrick towards Clough and Newcastle etc. Turn left at the first crossroads after Downpatrick Racecourse (which is on your left) - it's about 1 mile past the Racecourse. This will take you into Bonecastle Road. Go across the first crossroads, then turn left at an angled T-Junction. In about 400 yards you will come to the crossroads with the Castle Inn pub on your left. Turn right at this cross roads onto Ballynoe Road, and in about 200 yds you'll see the small green 'Tourist' sign for Ballynoe SC.
IF APPROACHING FROM CLOUGH (on the main Belfast - Newcastle Road) take the A 25 from Clough towards Downpatrick and turn right at the crossroads about 4 miles from Clough (it's the first proper crossroads you come to on that road) into Bonecastle Road, then proceed as for '2' above.
PARKING: There is limited parking at the roadside at the entrance to the SC, but if there isn't enough room there, more parking is available a bit further out along Ballynoe Road at a small group of houses, within easy walking distance.
ACCESS: The SC is about 1/3 mile (1/2 km) off the road along an unpaved path, and requires negotiation of an 'up and round' stile, so this visit would not be suitable for anyone with anything more than slight mobility problems. Also the site is quite exposed, with no shelter, so bring clothing and footwear appropriate for the weather. But if the weather is good, it's a fabulous spot!
BALLYNOE S/C: The Circle is unique among Irish SCs (as far as I know), because of the large internal, oval, off-centre raised cairn surrounded by its own small kerb stones, and also because of the complex of what I call 'entrance stones', which are quite large, and form a sort of portal. But the archaeologists can give a better explanation than I can. There are also more large outlying stones than I have seen at any stone circle in Ireland, which is another distinguishing feature.
Some websites also refer to a large stone with prominent 'cup-marks', but I will provide an alternative explanation!
ASTRONOMICAL CONNECTION? The astronomical connection seems to be that at midwinter solstice, the sun sets (or used to 3,000 - 4,000 years ago) from the SC in the very prominent notch formed by the gap between Slieve Donard and Slieve Commedagh, the two highest mountains in the Mourne Mountains across Dundrum Bay (as for Drombeg Circle in Co Cork: see http://www.megalithics.com/ireland/drombeg/drbgmain.htm). This provides a very accurate way to measure the exact date of the solstice. There may be other alignments too - all waiting to be discovered!
PICNIC/BBQ AFTERWARDS: Afterwards, unless it's raining, we will proceed to the seashore at Dundrum Bay for a picnic/BBQ: there are two parking lay-bys at the roadside just beside Minerstown Beach, about 1m East of Minerstown Caravan Site, at MR: J505361. There are no picnic tables, so bring a folding table and chair, or at least a waterproof-backed rug to sit on the ground. I will provide maps on the day to enable you to find your way there, but basically you just go to the main A2 Coast Road, 1m East of the Caravan Park. (You can bring a snack to the Stone Circle with you, but because of the distance, you wouldn't want to carry very much! Also, we don't want ANY litter at the site, and we certainly do not want any barbecues there!)
CONSUMABLES: Bring your own! Bring your own food, drink, plates, cutlery, cups, glasses etc, and if you want to BBQ, bring your own portable or disposable one. And matches or a lighter, and BBQ tongs etc.
(BTW, do NOT believe the fanciful and totally erroneous explanation given for the origin of the word 'barbecue' on the Alan Simpson Show on Radio Ulster last week! He claimed that it came from the French words for 'beard' and 'tail', but it's actually from a Spanish word, 'barbacoa', originally from Haitian, meaning a framework of posts and sticks on which animals were roasted. This is confirmed by both the Shorter and Concise Oxford Dictionaries, and Chambers Twentieth Century Dictionary, all highly authoritative sources.)
PLAN B: If it's wet, there are two pubs fairly nearby: The Castle Inn, on Ballynoe Road, at Ballynoe Cross Roads, just 200 yds from the entrance to the SC, and the Ramble Inn, at Corbally, about 2m to the West.
Please let me know if you intend to go, so we can get some idea of likely numbers (there's no charge, BTW)
2. Comet McNaught 2009 R1: I got a really good observation last night, with a totally clear, but bright twilight sky. 15 June, 00.10 UT (01.10 BST): Comet 0m.2 brighter than HIP 17437, and 0m.2 fainter than HIP 18212, giving an average of magnitude 5.9. This is almost exactly in line with the predicted magnitude.
3. NO NEED FOR 'DARK ENERGY'? I've always had my doubts about 'Dark Energy', which I'm sure many of you have heard me express on various occasions! It seems too much of an ad-hoc hypothesis, almost reminding me of the Ptolemaic System's ever increasing complex system of cycles, epicycles and deferents.
Now, new research by astronomers in the Physics Department at Durham University has thrown doubt on the present version of the 'Standard Model' of the universe, in which about 75% of the total is comprised of so-called dark energy, which is supposed to be making the expansion rate of the universe speed up, instead of slow down.
Additional research covered samples from the SDSS surveys, comprising 1.5 million galaxies, with a redshift range between 0.2 and 0.9, over 7600 square degrees of the sky, and comprising a volume of space of 5.5h>-3 Gpc>3.
Their findings show very little positive evidence for the "Integrated Sachs-Wolfe" (ISW) effect, which is one of the main bulwarks of the Dark Matter/Dark Energy theories. The standard Cold Dark Matter model is rejected at 2-3% significance. (The ISW effect is caused by gravitational redshift of photons, and occurs when the universe is dominated in its density by something other than matter.)
The following is adapted from an RAS Press Release:
New research by astronomers at Durham University suggests that the conventional wisdom about the content of the Universe may be wrong. Graduate student Utane Sawangwit and Professor Tom Shanks looked at observations from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) satellite to study the remnant heat from the Big Bang. They find evidence that the errors in its data may be much larger than previously thought, which in turn makes the standard model of the Universe open to question. The team publish their results in a letter to the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
Launched in 2001, WMAP measures differences in the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation, the residual heat of the Big Bang that fills the Universe and appears over the whole of the sky. The angular size of the ripples in the CMB is thought to be connected to the composition of the Universe. The observations of WMAP showed that the ripples were about twice the size of the full Moon, or around a degree across.
With these results, scientists concluded that the cosmos is made up of 4% ‘normal’ matter, 22% ‘dark’ or invisible matter and 74% ‘dark energy’. Debate about the exact nature of the ‘dark side’ of the Universe – the dark matter and dark energy – continues to this day.
Sawangwit and Shanks used astronomical objects that appear as unresolved points in radio telescopes to test the way the WMAP telescope smoothes out its maps. They find that the smoothing is much larger than previously believed, suggesting that its measurement of the size of the CMBR ripples is not as accurate as was thought. If true this could mean that the ripples are significantly smaller, which could imply that dark matter and dark energy are not present after all.
Prof. Shanks comments “CMB observations are a powerful tool for cosmology and it is vital to check for systematic effects. If our results prove correct then it will become less likely that dark energy and exotic dark matter particles dominate the Universe. So the evidence that the Universe has a ‘Dark Side’ will weaken!”
In addition, Durham astronomers recently collaborated in an international team whose research suggested that the structure of the CMB may not provide the robust independent check on the presence of dark energy that it was thought to.
If dark energy does exist, then it ultimately causes the expansion of the Universe to accelerate. On their journey from the CMB to the telescopes like WMAP, photons (the basic particles of electromagnetic radiation including light and radio waves) travel through giant superclusters of galaxies. Normally a CMB photon is first blueshifted (its peak shifts towards the blue end of the spectrum) when it enters the supercluster and then redshifted as it leaves, so that the two effects cancel. However, if the supercluster galaxies are accelerating away from each other because of dark energy, the cancellation is not exact, so photons stay slightly blueshifted after their passage. Slightly higher temperatures should appear in the CMB where the photons have passed through superclusters.
However, the new results, based on the Sloan Digital Sky Survey which surveyed 1 million luminous red galaxies, suggest that no such effect is seen, again threatening the standard model of the Universe.
Sawangwit says, “If our result is repeated in new surveys of galaxies in the Southern Hemisphere then this could mean real problems for the existence of dark energy.”
If the Universe really has no ‘dark side’, it will come as a relief to some theoretical physicists. Having a model dependent on as yet undetected exotic particles that make up dark matter and the completely mysterious dark energy leaves many scientists feeling uncomfortable. It also throws up problems for the birth of stars in galaxies, with as much ‘feedback’ energy needed to prevent their creation as gravity provides to help them form."
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Clear Skies,
Terry Moseley
Saturday, 12 June 2010
IAA/UAS Solstice event, No Dark Energy?
Hi all,
1. IRISH ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION / ULSTER ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY / EHS SOLSTICE EVENT, SATURDAY 19 JUNE. The IAA + UAS, in conjunction with the Environment and Heritage Service, will be holding another joint event to mark the summer solstice, with a visit to Ballynoe Stone Circle, near Downpatrick, Co Down. This is the largest and most impressive and complex stone circle in Northern Ireland, and one of the biggest in Ireland, and may well have a winter solstice sunset alignment.
See, for example: http://www.megalithomania.com/show/site/270/ballynoe_stone_circle.htm and http://www.megalithicireland.com/ and http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/site/1048/ballynoe.html
We will visit the stone circle (SC) at 14.00, where there will be talks about the archaeology and possible astronomical connections, and then adjourn to the nearby beach at Minerstown for a BBQ/picnic. In the case of bad weather, there are two local pubs for refreshments.
DIRECTIONS: Ballynoe Stone Circle is on Ballynoe Road, which runs SSW from Downpatrick towards Dundrum Bay. It's about 2.5 miles from Downpatrick, at Map Ref:J481404
From Downpatrick, there are two possible routes:
1. take the B 176 towards Killough, and turn right at the well-known FLYING HORSE Inn just on the S outskirts of the town. Then take the first left, in about 300 yds, onto Ballynoe Road. Proceed along that road for about 1.5 miles until you come to the crossroads with The Castle Inn pub on your right. Proceed on through the cross roads and in about 200 yds you'll see the small brown 'Tourist' sign for Ballynoe SC. Or
2. Take the main A25 from Downpatrick towards Clough and Newcastle etc. Turn left at the first crossroads after Downpatrick Racecourse (which is on your left) - it's about 1 mile past the Racecourse. This will take you into Bonecastle Road. Go across the first crossroads, then turn left at an angled T-Junction. In about 400 yards you will come to the crossroads with the Castle Inn pub on your left. Turn right at this cross roads onto Ballynoe Road, and in about 200 yds you'll see the small brown 'Tourist' sign for Ballynoe SC.
IF APPROACHING FROM CLOUGH (on the main Belfast - Newcastle Road) take the A 25 from Clough towards Downpatrick and turn right at the crossroads about 4 miles from Clough (it's the first proper crossroads you come to on that road) into Bonecastle Road, then proceed as for '2' above.
PARKING: There is limited parking at the roadside at the entrance to the SC, but if there isn't enough room there, more parking is available a bit further out along Ballynoe Road at a small group of houses, within easy walking distance.
ACCESS: The SC is about 1/3 mile (1/2 km) off the road along an unpaved path, and requires negotiation of an 'up and round' stile, so this visit would not be suitable for anyone with anything more than slight mobility problems. Also the site is quite exposed, with no shelter, so bring clothing and footwear appropriate for the weather. But if the weather is good, it's a fabulous spot!
BALLYNOE S/C: The Circle is unique among Irish SCs (as far as I know), because of the large internal, oval, off-centre raised cairn surrounded by its own small kerb stones, and also because of the complex of what I call 'entrance stones', which are quite large, and form a sort of portal. But the archaeologists can give a better explanation than I can. There are also more large outlying stones than I have seen at any stone circle in Ireland, which is another distinguishing feature.
Some websites also refer to a large stone with prominent 'cup-marks', but I will provide an alternative explanation!
ASTRONOMICAL CONNECTION? The astronomical connection seems to be that at midwinter solstice, the sun sets (or used to 3,000 - 4,000 years ago) from the SC in the very prominent notch formed by the gap between Slieve Donard and Slieve Commedagh, the two highest mountains in the Mourne Mountains across Dundrum Bay (as for Drombeg Circle in Co Cork: see http://www.megalithics.com/ireland/drombeg/drbgmain.htm). This provides a very accurate way to measure the exact date of the solstice. There may be other alignments too - all waiting to be discovered!
PICNIC/BBQ AFTERWARDS: Afterwards, unless it's raining, we will proceed to the seashore at Dundrum Bay for a picnic/BBQ: there are two parking lay-bys at the roadside just beside Minerstown Beach, about 1m East of Minerstown Caravan Site, at MR: J505361. There are no picnic tables, so bring a folding table and chair, or at least a waterproof-backed rug to sit on the ground. I will provide maps on the day to enable you to find your way there, but basically you just go to the main A2 Coast Road, 1m East of the Caravan Park. (You can bring a snack to the Stone Circle with you, but because of the distance, you wouldn't want to carry very much! Also, we don't want ANY litter at the site, and we certainly do not want any barbecues there!)
CONSUMABLES: Bring your own! Bring your own food, drink, plates, cutlery, cups, glasses etc, and if you want to BBQ, bring your own portable or disposable one. And matches or a lighter, and BBQ tongs etc.
(BTW, do NOT believe the fanciful and totally erroneous explanation given for the origin of the word 'barbecue' on the Alan Simpson Show on Radio Ulster last week! He claimed that it came from the French words for 'beard' and 'tail', but it's actually from a Spanish word, 'barbacoa', originally from Haitian, meaning a framework of posts and sticks on which animals were roasted. This is confirmed by both the Shorter and Concise Oxford Dictionaries, and Chambers Twentieth Century Dictionary, all highly authoritative sources.)
PLAN B: If it's wet, there are two pubs fairly nearby: The Castle Inn, on Ballynoe Road, at Ballynoe Cross Roads, just 200 yds from the entrance to the SC, and the Ramble Inn, at Corbally, about 2m to the West.
Please let me know if you intend to go, so we can get some idea of likely numbers (there's no charge, BTW)
2. NO NEED FOR 'DARK ENERGY'? I've always had my doubts about 'Dark Energy', which I'm sure many of you have heard me express on various occasions! It seems too much of an ad-hoc hypothesis, almost reminding me of the Ptolemaic System's ever increasing complex system of cycles, epicycles and deferents.
Now, new research by astronomers in the Physics Department at Durham University has thrown doubt on the present version of the 'Standard Model' of the universe, in which about 75% of the total is comprised of so-called dark energy, which is supposed to be making the expansion rate of the universe speed up, instead of slow down.
I can't say more just yet, but watch this space!
Clear Skies,
Terry Moseley
1. IRISH ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION / ULSTER ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY / EHS SOLSTICE EVENT, SATURDAY 19 JUNE. The IAA + UAS, in conjunction with the Environment and Heritage Service, will be holding another joint event to mark the summer solstice, with a visit to Ballynoe Stone Circle, near Downpatrick, Co Down. This is the largest and most impressive and complex stone circle in Northern Ireland, and one of the biggest in Ireland, and may well have a winter solstice sunset alignment.
See, for example: http://www.megalithomania.com/show/site/270/ballynoe_stone_circle.htm and http://www.megalithicireland.com/ and http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/site/1048/ballynoe.html
We will visit the stone circle (SC) at 14.00, where there will be talks about the archaeology and possible astronomical connections, and then adjourn to the nearby beach at Minerstown for a BBQ/picnic. In the case of bad weather, there are two local pubs for refreshments.
DIRECTIONS: Ballynoe Stone Circle is on Ballynoe Road, which runs SSW from Downpatrick towards Dundrum Bay. It's about 2.5 miles from Downpatrick, at Map Ref:J481404
From Downpatrick, there are two possible routes:
1. take the B 176 towards Killough, and turn right at the well-known FLYING HORSE Inn just on the S outskirts of the town. Then take the first left, in about 300 yds, onto Ballynoe Road. Proceed along that road for about 1.5 miles until you come to the crossroads with The Castle Inn pub on your right. Proceed on through the cross roads and in about 200 yds you'll see the small brown 'Tourist' sign for Ballynoe SC. Or
2. Take the main A25 from Downpatrick towards Clough and Newcastle etc. Turn left at the first crossroads after Downpatrick Racecourse (which is on your left) - it's about 1 mile past the Racecourse. This will take you into Bonecastle Road. Go across the first crossroads, then turn left at an angled T-Junction. In about 400 yards you will come to the crossroads with the Castle Inn pub on your left. Turn right at this cross roads onto Ballynoe Road, and in about 200 yds you'll see the small brown 'Tourist' sign for Ballynoe SC.
IF APPROACHING FROM CLOUGH (on the main Belfast - Newcastle Road) take the A 25 from Clough towards Downpatrick and turn right at the crossroads about 4 miles from Clough (it's the first proper crossroads you come to on that road) into Bonecastle Road, then proceed as for '2' above.
PARKING: There is limited parking at the roadside at the entrance to the SC, but if there isn't enough room there, more parking is available a bit further out along Ballynoe Road at a small group of houses, within easy walking distance.
ACCESS: The SC is about 1/3 mile (1/2 km) off the road along an unpaved path, and requires negotiation of an 'up and round' stile, so this visit would not be suitable for anyone with anything more than slight mobility problems. Also the site is quite exposed, with no shelter, so bring clothing and footwear appropriate for the weather. But if the weather is good, it's a fabulous spot!
BALLYNOE S/C: The Circle is unique among Irish SCs (as far as I know), because of the large internal, oval, off-centre raised cairn surrounded by its own small kerb stones, and also because of the complex of what I call 'entrance stones', which are quite large, and form a sort of portal. But the archaeologists can give a better explanation than I can. There are also more large outlying stones than I have seen at any stone circle in Ireland, which is another distinguishing feature.
Some websites also refer to a large stone with prominent 'cup-marks', but I will provide an alternative explanation!
ASTRONOMICAL CONNECTION? The astronomical connection seems to be that at midwinter solstice, the sun sets (or used to 3,000 - 4,000 years ago) from the SC in the very prominent notch formed by the gap between Slieve Donard and Slieve Commedagh, the two highest mountains in the Mourne Mountains across Dundrum Bay (as for Drombeg Circle in Co Cork: see http://www.megalithics.com/ireland/drombeg/drbgmain.htm). This provides a very accurate way to measure the exact date of the solstice. There may be other alignments too - all waiting to be discovered!
PICNIC/BBQ AFTERWARDS: Afterwards, unless it's raining, we will proceed to the seashore at Dundrum Bay for a picnic/BBQ: there are two parking lay-bys at the roadside just beside Minerstown Beach, about 1m East of Minerstown Caravan Site, at MR: J505361. There are no picnic tables, so bring a folding table and chair, or at least a waterproof-backed rug to sit on the ground. I will provide maps on the day to enable you to find your way there, but basically you just go to the main A2 Coast Road, 1m East of the Caravan Park. (You can bring a snack to the Stone Circle with you, but because of the distance, you wouldn't want to carry very much! Also, we don't want ANY litter at the site, and we certainly do not want any barbecues there!)
CONSUMABLES: Bring your own! Bring your own food, drink, plates, cutlery, cups, glasses etc, and if you want to BBQ, bring your own portable or disposable one. And matches or a lighter, and BBQ tongs etc.
(BTW, do NOT believe the fanciful and totally erroneous explanation given for the origin of the word 'barbecue' on the Alan Simpson Show on Radio Ulster last week! He claimed that it came from the French words for 'beard' and 'tail', but it's actually from a Spanish word, 'barbacoa', originally from Haitian, meaning a framework of posts and sticks on which animals were roasted. This is confirmed by both the Shorter and Concise Oxford Dictionaries, and Chambers Twentieth Century Dictionary, all highly authoritative sources.)
PLAN B: If it's wet, there are two pubs fairly nearby: The Castle Inn, on Ballynoe Road, at Ballynoe Cross Roads, just 200 yds from the entrance to the SC, and the Ramble Inn, at Corbally, about 2m to the West.
Please let me know if you intend to go, so we can get some idea of likely numbers (there's no charge, BTW)
2. NO NEED FOR 'DARK ENERGY'? I've always had my doubts about 'Dark Energy', which I'm sure many of you have heard me express on various occasions! It seems too much of an ad-hoc hypothesis, almost reminding me of the Ptolemaic System's ever increasing complex system of cycles, epicycles and deferents.
Now, new research by astronomers in the Physics Department at Durham University has thrown doubt on the present version of the 'Standard Model' of the universe, in which about 75% of the total is comprised of so-called dark energy, which is supposed to be making the expansion rate of the universe speed up, instead of slow down.
I can't say more just yet, but watch this space!
Clear Skies,
Terry Moseley
Friday, 11 June 2010
Comet McNaught (C/2009 R1), Solarfest, IAA/UAS event
Hi all,
1. COMET McNAUGHT (C/2009 R1): At last, I got my first observation of this comet earlier this evening, near 14 Persei (just N of M 34).
Observing from 00.30 to 01.10 UT, using 10 x 50, 30 x 80 and 25 x 100 binocs, I estimated the total magnitude as 6.7. The sky had patchy cloud, but averaging all estimates over that period, using 3 comparison stars, and using the out of focus method, that was the average integrated magnitude - assuming that the Tycho star magnitudes in Skymap Pro 11 are reasonably accurate.
There was continual twilight, which may explain why I never saw any tail. The coma was moderately condensed.
It should gradually brighten as it moves closer to both Earth and Sun over the next few days, with minimum comet-Earth distance on 15/16 June. It then moves slightly further away from Earth, but continues to get closer to the Sun until perihelion on July 2. However it will always be low down in the Northern twilight for observers in Ireland, so I doubt if it's ever going to be easily visible to the unaided eye.
But with comets you never can tell, so we can only hope!
2. SOLARFEST AT DUNSINK: Saturday 12th June at Dunsink Observatory just off the M50 at the N3 Interchange.
http://www.dias.ie/lang/en/cosmic/astro/dunsink.html
Admission is FREE. Many thanks to DIAS and Trinity College for supporting the event.
Below is a programme of the day:
10:45 - Registration
11:15 - "The Sun-Earth Connection" - Dr. Peter Gallagher (TCD)
12:00 - Tea/Coffee
12:15 - "The Sun in Time" - Dr. Graham Harper (TCD)
13:00 - Lunch: Bring your own Picnic. Tea/Coffee will be provided.
13:45 - Solar Observing
14:30 - Tour of the South Dome and Grubb Telescope
15:00 - "3D Sun" NASA DVD
15:30 - Solar Imaging Workshop - Dave Gradwell (IFAS)
16:00 - Tea/Coffee
16:15 - "Introduction to Solar Filters" - Michael O'Connell (IFAS)
16:45 - "Solar Stellar Outreach" - Deirdre Kelleghan (IFAS)
17:15 - Q/A Session
Dinner: The Twelfth Lock - Menu Attached.
20:00 - Evening Public Lecture - "The Power of the Sun" - Dr. David Williams (UCL, MSSL)
The event is informal and, weather permitting, is hoped to generate plenty solar observing, sketching, imaging and healthy discussion. If you have appropriate solar equipment, please feel free to bring it along - the more the better.
For lunch, a picnic will take place in the open area around the observatory. Tea & coffee will be provided of course - all you need to do is bring your own food. If anyone has a spare picnic table or two, it would be greatly appreciated!
At the end of the afternoon session, we will head to The Twelfth Lock Bar (a 2 min drive) for an informal dinner http://www.twelfthlock.com/ which can be paid for individually at the bar (see menu attached). If you plan to stay for dinner, please let me know so that we can give approximate numbers to the bar (you can change your mind on the day of course).
At 8pm, our Evening Public Lecture will be presented by Dr. David Williams of the Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London http://www.mssl.ucl.ac.uk/~drw/ who is flying over just for the event. As this special lecture is also open to members of the public, we need to know exact numbers of those attending the evening lecture.
If you are interested in attending the evening lecture, we would greatly appreciate if you can please reply ASAP indicating so. All other remaining seats will be offered to the general public.
If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to ask.
Regards & Clear Skies,
Michael O'Connell, Irish Federation of Astronomical Societies (IFAS)
www.irishastronomy.org
3. IRISH ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION / ULSTER ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY / EHS SOLSTICE EVENT, SATURDAY 19 JUNE. The IAA + UAS, in conjunction with the Environment and Heritage Service, will be holding another joint event to mark the summer solstice, with a visit to Ballynoe Stone Circle, near Downpatrick, Co Down. This is the largest and most impressive and complex stone circle in Northern Ireland, and may well have a winter solstice sunset alignment with the most prominent dip in the profile of the Mourne Mountains to the SW.
We will visit the stone circle at 14.00, where there will be talks about the archaeology and possible astronomical connections, and then adjourn to the nearby beach at Minerstown for a BBQ/picnic. In the case of bad weather, there are local pubs for refreshments. More details soon!
Clear skies,
Terry Moseley
1. COMET McNAUGHT (C/2009 R1): At last, I got my first observation of this comet earlier this evening, near 14 Persei (just N of M 34).
Observing from 00.30 to 01.10 UT, using 10 x 50, 30 x 80 and 25 x 100 binocs, I estimated the total magnitude as 6.7. The sky had patchy cloud, but averaging all estimates over that period, using 3 comparison stars, and using the out of focus method, that was the average integrated magnitude - assuming that the Tycho star magnitudes in Skymap Pro 11 are reasonably accurate.
There was continual twilight, which may explain why I never saw any tail. The coma was moderately condensed.
It should gradually brighten as it moves closer to both Earth and Sun over the next few days, with minimum comet-Earth distance on 15/16 June. It then moves slightly further away from Earth, but continues to get closer to the Sun until perihelion on July 2. However it will always be low down in the Northern twilight for observers in Ireland, so I doubt if it's ever going to be easily visible to the unaided eye.
But with comets you never can tell, so we can only hope!
2. SOLARFEST AT DUNSINK: Saturday 12th June at Dunsink Observatory just off the M50 at the N3 Interchange.
http://www.dias.ie/lang/en/cosmic/astro/dunsink.html
Admission is FREE. Many thanks to DIAS and Trinity College for supporting the event.
Below is a programme of the day:
10:45 - Registration
11:15 - "The Sun-Earth Connection" - Dr. Peter Gallagher (TCD)
12:00 - Tea/Coffee
12:15 - "The Sun in Time" - Dr. Graham Harper (TCD)
13:00 - Lunch: Bring your own Picnic. Tea/Coffee will be provided.
13:45 - Solar Observing
14:30 - Tour of the South Dome and Grubb Telescope
15:00 - "3D Sun" NASA DVD
15:30 - Solar Imaging Workshop - Dave Gradwell (IFAS)
16:00 - Tea/Coffee
16:15 - "Introduction to Solar Filters" - Michael O'Connell (IFAS)
16:45 - "Solar Stellar Outreach" - Deirdre Kelleghan (IFAS)
17:15 - Q/A Session
Dinner: The Twelfth Lock - Menu Attached.
20:00 - Evening Public Lecture - "The Power of the Sun" - Dr. David Williams (UCL, MSSL)
The event is informal and, weather permitting, is hoped to generate plenty solar observing, sketching, imaging and healthy discussion. If you have appropriate solar equipment, please feel free to bring it along - the more the better.
For lunch, a picnic will take place in the open area around the observatory. Tea & coffee will be provided of course - all you need to do is bring your own food. If anyone has a spare picnic table or two, it would be greatly appreciated!
At the end of the afternoon session, we will head to The Twelfth Lock Bar (a 2 min drive) for an informal dinner http://www.twelfthlock.com/ which can be paid for individually at the bar (see menu attached). If you plan to stay for dinner, please let me know so that we can give approximate numbers to the bar (you can change your mind on the day of course).
At 8pm, our Evening Public Lecture will be presented by Dr. David Williams of the Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London http://www.mssl.ucl.ac.uk/~drw/ who is flying over just for the event. As this special lecture is also open to members of the public, we need to know exact numbers of those attending the evening lecture.
If you are interested in attending the evening lecture, we would greatly appreciate if you can please reply ASAP indicating so. All other remaining seats will be offered to the general public.
If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to ask.
Regards & Clear Skies,
Michael O'Connell, Irish Federation of Astronomical Societies (IFAS)
www.irishastronomy.org
3. IRISH ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION / ULSTER ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY / EHS SOLSTICE EVENT, SATURDAY 19 JUNE. The IAA + UAS, in conjunction with the Environment and Heritage Service, will be holding another joint event to mark the summer solstice, with a visit to Ballynoe Stone Circle, near Downpatrick, Co Down. This is the largest and most impressive and complex stone circle in Northern Ireland, and may well have a winter solstice sunset alignment with the most prominent dip in the profile of the Mourne Mountains to the SW.
We will visit the stone circle at 14.00, where there will be talks about the archaeology and possible astronomical connections, and then adjourn to the nearby beach at Minerstown for a BBQ/picnic. In the case of bad weather, there are local pubs for refreshments. More details soon!
Clear skies,
Terry Moseley
Saturday, 5 June 2010
Jupiter hit again?, Solarfest, IAA/UAS sostice event, NLCs.
Hi all,
1. ANOTHER JUPITER IMPACT? Australian amateur Anthony Wesley has reported seeing a very bright flash on Jupiter lasting several seconds at 20:31 UT last evening. It appeared near the terminator limb, at roughly the position where the SEB used to be, until its recent disappearance. All observers please take a look and see if an impact scar(s) has appeared!
The C. M. Longitudes of his raw image (link below) are:
C.M.: System 1: 300.1° System 2: 34.1° System 3: 210.6° (N.B. The System 2 Longitude is the relevant one. This longitude will be visible on the mornings of 5 June and 7 June from Ireland.)
Here is a link to photo: http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=77409
See the Video on Space Weather - it's quite obvious! The 'impact', assuming that's what it was, seems to comprise several elements in quick succession, and in close proximity, but that could just be the image breaking up due to poor seeing. See: http://spaceweather.com/
2. SOLARFEST AT DUNSINK: Saturday 12th June at Dunsink Observatory just off the M50 at the N3 Interchange.
http://www.dias.ie/lang/en/cosmic/astro/dunsink.html
Admission is FREE. Many thanks to DIAS and Trinity College for supporting the event.
Below is a programme of the day:
10:45 - Registration
11:15 - "The Sun-Earth Connection" - Dr. Peter Gallagher (TCD)
12:00 - Tea/Coffee
12:15 - "The Sun in Time" - Dr. Graham Harper (TCD)
13:00 - Lunch: Bring your own Picnic. Tea/Coffee will be provided.
13:45 - Solar Observing
14:30 - Tour of the South Dome and Grubb Telescope
15:00 - "3D Sun" NASA DVD
15:30 - Solar Imaging Workshop - Dave Gradwell (IFAS)
16:00 - Tea/Coffee
16:15 - "Introduction to Solar Filters" - Michael O'Connell (IFAS)
16:45 - "Solar Stellar Outreach" - Deirdre Kelleghan (IFAS)
17:15 - Q/A Session
Dinner: The Twelfth Lock - Menu Attached.
20:00 - Evening Public Lecture - "The Power of the Sun" - Dr. David Williams (UCL, MSSL)
The event is informal and, weather permitting, is hoped to generate plenty solar observing, sketching, imaging and healthy discussion. If you have appropriate solar equipment, please feel free to bring it along - the more the better.
For lunch, a picnic will take place in the open area around the observatory. Tea & coffee will be provided of course - all you need to do is bring your own food. If anyone has a spare picnic table or two, it would be greatly appreciated!
At the end of the afternoon session, we will head to The Twelfth Lock Bar (a 2 min drive) for an informal dinner http://www.twelfthlock.com/ which can be paid for individually at the bar (see menu attached). If you plan to stay for dinner, please let me know so that we can give approximate numbers to the bar (you can change your mind on the day of course).
At 8pm, our Evening Public Lecture will be presented by Dr. David Williams of the Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London http://www.mssl.ucl.ac.uk/~drw/ who is flying over just for the event. As this special lecture is also open to members of the public, we need to know exact numbers of those attending the evening lecture.
If you are interested in attending the evening lecture, we would greatly appreciate if you can please reply ASAP indicating so. All other remaining seats will be offered to the general public.
If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to ask.
Regards & Clear Skies,
Michael O'Connell, Irish Federation of Astronomical Societies (IFAS)
www.irishastronomy.org
3. IRISH ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION / ULSTER ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY / EHS SOLSTICE EVENT, SATURDAY 19 JUNE. The IAA + UAS, in conjunction with the Environment and Heritage Service, will be holding another joint event to mark the summer solstice, with a visit to Ballynoe Stone Circle, near Downpatrick, Co Down. This is the largest and most impressive and complex stone circle in Northern Ireland, and may well have a winter solstice sunset alignment with the most prominent dip in the profile of the Mourne Mountains to the SW.
We will visit the stone circle at 14.00, where there will be talks about the archaeology and possible astronomical connections, and then adjourn to the nearby beach at Minerstown for a BBQ/picnic. In the case of bad weather, there are local pubs for refreshments. More details, and directions, early next week, but mark your diaries now.
4. NOCTILUCENT CLOUDS. This is the start of the season for NLCs, with the first reports of sightings from Scandinavia and N. Scotland. These beautiful, ethereal, silvery / bluish - white clouds can be seen low in the N sky from around the start of nautical twilight, i.e. near local midnight by your watches and clocks (assuming they are set to Summer Time!). They are visible only in late twilight, after the Sun is too low to illuminate the usual lower tropospheric clouds. Indeed, if any scattered lower clouds are there, they will show up as dark, silhouetted against the NLCs. A good guide is to look for Capella, which can often be seen glinting in the midst of any NLCs. Please report any sightings to me, and the iAA website, www.irishastro.org.
Clear skies,
Terry Moseley
1. ANOTHER JUPITER IMPACT? Australian amateur Anthony Wesley has reported seeing a very bright flash on Jupiter lasting several seconds at 20:31 UT last evening. It appeared near the terminator limb, at roughly the position where the SEB used to be, until its recent disappearance. All observers please take a look and see if an impact scar(s) has appeared!
The C. M. Longitudes of his raw image (link below) are:
C.M.: System 1: 300.1° System 2: 34.1° System 3: 210.6° (N.B. The System 2 Longitude is the relevant one. This longitude will be visible on the mornings of 5 June and 7 June from Ireland.)
Here is a link to photo: http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=77409
See the Video on Space Weather - it's quite obvious! The 'impact', assuming that's what it was, seems to comprise several elements in quick succession, and in close proximity, but that could just be the image breaking up due to poor seeing. See: http://spaceweather.com/
2. SOLARFEST AT DUNSINK: Saturday 12th June at Dunsink Observatory just off the M50 at the N3 Interchange.
http://www.dias.ie/lang/en/cosmic/astro/dunsink.html
Admission is FREE. Many thanks to DIAS and Trinity College for supporting the event.
Below is a programme of the day:
10:45 - Registration
11:15 - "The Sun-Earth Connection" - Dr. Peter Gallagher (TCD)
12:00 - Tea/Coffee
12:15 - "The Sun in Time" - Dr. Graham Harper (TCD)
13:00 - Lunch: Bring your own Picnic. Tea/Coffee will be provided.
13:45 - Solar Observing
14:30 - Tour of the South Dome and Grubb Telescope
15:00 - "3D Sun" NASA DVD
15:30 - Solar Imaging Workshop - Dave Gradwell (IFAS)
16:00 - Tea/Coffee
16:15 - "Introduction to Solar Filters" - Michael O'Connell (IFAS)
16:45 - "Solar Stellar Outreach" - Deirdre Kelleghan (IFAS)
17:15 - Q/A Session
Dinner: The Twelfth Lock - Menu Attached.
20:00 - Evening Public Lecture - "The Power of the Sun" - Dr. David Williams (UCL, MSSL)
The event is informal and, weather permitting, is hoped to generate plenty solar observing, sketching, imaging and healthy discussion. If you have appropriate solar equipment, please feel free to bring it along - the more the better.
For lunch, a picnic will take place in the open area around the observatory. Tea & coffee will be provided of course - all you need to do is bring your own food. If anyone has a spare picnic table or two, it would be greatly appreciated!
At the end of the afternoon session, we will head to The Twelfth Lock Bar (a 2 min drive) for an informal dinner http://www.twelfthlock.com/ which can be paid for individually at the bar (see menu attached). If you plan to stay for dinner, please let me know so that we can give approximate numbers to the bar (you can change your mind on the day of course).
At 8pm, our Evening Public Lecture will be presented by Dr. David Williams of the Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London http://www.mssl.ucl.ac.uk/~drw/ who is flying over just for the event. As this special lecture is also open to members of the public, we need to know exact numbers of those attending the evening lecture.
If you are interested in attending the evening lecture, we would greatly appreciate if you can please reply ASAP indicating so. All other remaining seats will be offered to the general public.
If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to ask.
Regards & Clear Skies,
Michael O'Connell, Irish Federation of Astronomical Societies (IFAS)
www.irishastronomy.org
3. IRISH ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION / ULSTER ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY / EHS SOLSTICE EVENT, SATURDAY 19 JUNE. The IAA + UAS, in conjunction with the Environment and Heritage Service, will be holding another joint event to mark the summer solstice, with a visit to Ballynoe Stone Circle, near Downpatrick, Co Down. This is the largest and most impressive and complex stone circle in Northern Ireland, and may well have a winter solstice sunset alignment with the most prominent dip in the profile of the Mourne Mountains to the SW.
We will visit the stone circle at 14.00, where there will be talks about the archaeology and possible astronomical connections, and then adjourn to the nearby beach at Minerstown for a BBQ/picnic. In the case of bad weather, there are local pubs for refreshments. More details, and directions, early next week, but mark your diaries now.
4. NOCTILUCENT CLOUDS. This is the start of the season for NLCs, with the first reports of sightings from Scandinavia and N. Scotland. These beautiful, ethereal, silvery / bluish - white clouds can be seen low in the N sky from around the start of nautical twilight, i.e. near local midnight by your watches and clocks (assuming they are set to Summer Time!). They are visible only in late twilight, after the Sun is too low to illuminate the usual lower tropospheric clouds. Indeed, if any scattered lower clouds are there, they will show up as dark, silhouetted against the NLCs. A good guide is to look for Capella, which can often be seen glinting in the midst of any NLCs. Please report any sightings to me, and the iAA website, www.irishastro.org.
Clear skies,
Terry Moseley
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