Venus, Exhibition, TRANSIT, ISS, Weblinks, Bridge name, Dick Gordon, Solarfest

Hi all,

 

1. Venus disappearing: Never mind 'Where's Wally?' - Where's Venus? Not so long ago, Venus was a brilliant unmistakable beacon in the W evening sky. Now you need to look carefully and quickly low down in the bright NW twilight about 20-30 mts after sunset. The reason of course is that Venus is hurrying to its date with the Sun on 6 June: the last Transit of Venus until December 2117. See below for details of that.

  But if you want a challenge, on 1 June try to spot it one last time before the transit. And you will get extra points if you also manage to spot Mercury very close by that evening: as Venus moves in closer to the Sun, Mercury is moving out. But both will be very low down, and will set when the sky is still quite bright, so you will need binoculars, and fainter Mercury will be quite a challenge.

   Venus will be a very thin crescent, only 7% illuminated, and magnitude -3.9, Mercury will be nearly 'Full', as it is on the far side of the Sun, and much fainter at mag -1.6.

   The following details apply to Greater Belfast: if you live much further West and/or South, add 5 or 10 minutes to these times.

 At 22.10 BST, look at an azimuth of 312 degrees, just to the left of where the Sun has set. Venus will be at an altitude of 1 deg 51' (almost 4 moon diameters), and tiny Mercury will lie almost directly above it, at 00.30 on a clock face, at a distance of just over 13 arcminutes: that's a bit less than half the diameter of the Moon.

   By 22.15 Venus will have dropped to an altitude of 1 deg 27', with Mercury's alt = 1 deg 39'. At 22.20, Venus will be down to an altitude of 0deg 58' (about 2 moon diameters), with Mercury above it at alt = 1deg 11'. If the sky is exceptionally clear, you might even spot them at 22.25, when their altitudes are 0deg 31', and 0deg 44', respectively.

   You will need a very clear NW horizon and good binoculars or a telescope, but DO NOT LOOK while the Sun is still above the horizon!

 

2. Transit of Venus Exhibition at Armagh Observatory:

The Armagh Observatory is presenting a special exhibition to mark an exceptionally rare astronomical event, namely the Transit of Venus which will be visible from Northern Ireland (weather permitting) for a short
time on the morning of Wednesday 6 June. During such a transit, the planet Venus passes directly between the Earth and the Sun, appearing as a small black circle taking several hours to cross the Sun.
   This year's transit is the last visible from Earth for more than a hundred years. The exhibition to mark the event comprises items relating to the history of transits of Venus including items from the Observatory's
archives and the King George III Collection. Further details can be found at the web-site http://star.arm.ac.uk/venustransit/exhibit/.
   The exhibition will be open, free of charge, from 10:00--11:00 and 15:00--16:00, Monday to Friday, from Friday 1 June to Tuesday 12 June inclusive.  Groups of more than six persons are requested to contact the
Observatory in advance: Tel: 028-3752-2928; E-mail: jmf@arm.ac.uk.

3. The TRANSIT OF VENUS, 6 June: This is the last Venus transit visible anywhere in the world until 2117. Transits usually occur in pairs separated by 8 years, with a gap of over a century until the next pair; the first one of the present pair occurred in 2004.  However, 'single' transits do rarely occur: the next one will be in 3089, i.e. there will be none in 3097. It is the most central transit since 1639, with Venus passing 9' 13" from the centre of the Sun at mid-transit at 01.28 UT (that moment is not visible from Ireland, as the Sun will still be below our horizon), and that record won't be exceeded until 2255.

   Maximum visibility of the event in Ireland will be from the NE part, where the sun rises earliest. But in theory at least part of the transit will be visible from all of the island of Ireland, although from the far SW it will be just about over at the moment of sunrise. Intermediate locations may get a brief view if you have a perfectly clear NE horizon right down to the theoretical level at the time of sunrise. In approximate terms, the altitude of Venus, as seen on the solar disc, at 3^rd contact (the start of the planet's exit off the disc) are: Dublin = 4.0˚, Cork = 2.2˚, Galway = 2.6˚, Limerick = 2.4˚.

   The apparent diameter of Venus during the transit will be 57.8" (arcsecs); just below the limit for naked eye visibility, so some sort of optical aid will be required. NOTE: All the usual safety advice applies when observing this transit: i.e. do NOT look at the Sun directly with anything except proper solar filters on either telescope or binocs, or by projecting the image through a telescope on to a piece of white card. See www.irishastro.org for details.

 The following times are given in BST. Time of 3^rd Contact in N. Ireland = 05h 37m 03s.  Time of 4^th Contact (end of the transit) = 05h 53m 14s.  The effects of refraction on both the Sun's and Venus' altitude and the various timings have been taken into account. 

    NB: Sunrise is the time when the upper limb of the Sun first comes above the theoretical horizon. But the transit will not start to become visible at this time, as Venus will be a bit below the upper limb of the Sun. So to calculate the visible duration, we must start from the time of 'Venus rise', not sunrise. Venus will transit across the N third of the Sun's disc, and will be exiting at the NW (top right) of the disc, after which it will cease to be visible.

   OBSERVING SITES: I have checked about a dozen possible observing sites in NE Co Antrim, with the recommendation below. (Skerries, Co Dublin, is in effect the best site in ROI, although the tip of the Cooley Peninsula is marginally better than Skerries, but not enough to justify a long journey).  

   Note also that the time of first visibility of the Sun and Venus will depend on the altitude of the actual local NE horizon. For sites near Fair Head and Torr Head, that's the Mull of Kintyre in Scotland, (reaching 446m above sea level), and beyond it the Isle of Arran, which reaches 874m. So actual local sunrise from those sites will be delayed by several minutes. Those mountains might also attract a covering of cloud, delaying visibility of the Sun and Venus by several minutes, or even longer.

   APPEARANCE ON THE SUN'S DISC:  Venus will appear in the NE sector of the Sun's disc. At the moment of Venus rise it will be about 1/10 of the Sun's diameter from the Sun's limb. From then on that distance will decrease as the transit progresses to its end.

   OBSERVING SITE: All factors considered, the best option seems to be Garron Point, between Carnlough at Glenarriff/Waterfoot, where there are two suitable car parks within 0.2 miles, with the option to move to the higher site at nearby Tower Rd if there is a sea fog. NB: There is no car park on Tower Road, but there are two areas where one could park safely along the roadside (as there will be no traffic there at that time of the morning), with clear views to the NE: these are at 0.9 miles and 1.0 to 1.1 miles from the junction of the south end of Tower Road with the main A2 road. This is at N55˚ 01' 49", W 5˚ 58' 21", 3.5m N of Ballygalley Castle Hotel.

    WEATHER: Apart from the risk of cloud, there is also a slight chance of a sea fog. All the sites along the A2 coast road are vulnerable to that. Two suitable higher sites are available: Tower Road, above Garron Point (alt 70m), and the car park at the summit of Ballycoose Rd, above Cairncastle (alt 270m).

   TIME: If you want to set up cameras and/or a telescope, you should be ready to image / observe by about 04h 40m – 04h 45m BST, so arrive in plenty of time. Orient your instruments to the NE (approx. azimuth of 46˚), and look for the first glimpse of the Sun. Look 20˚ left of Ailsa Craig (a prominent conical island on horizon).

   EATS: We will celebrate (or commiserate if cloudy) with a fry-up at the site after the event, so bring some suitable grub, plus a portable BBQ or gas stove, frying pan etc.

N.B. This event occurs at sunrise on the 6th, so it's the night of 5-6 June!

 

4. ISS. The ISS has started another series of morning passes over Ireland. Because of the approach of midsummer, with almost continuous twilight through the night, these morning passes will gradually merge into a series of evening passes in early June, and it will continue to be visible here well into mid-late June. Details are on the excellent free site www.heavens-above.com  

 

5. Apollo 12 Command Module Pilot Dick Gordon will be attending two public events in Glasgow on Wednesday 17 October 2012. There will be an event in Blackfriars at 11am and in Glasgow Caledonian University at 7.30pm. Tickets for both events include a complimentary autograph from Captain Gordon. Full details are on the website www.walkwithdestiny.com and tickets can be purchased on the website too.

Best wishes, Aileen Malone, www.walkwithdestiny.com, 01236 766970

 

6. INTERESTING WEBLINKS: NASA time-lapse shows Lyrid meteor shower from space - as well as the Aurora Borealis and lightning strikes hitting the earth.

Mystery of Mars's organic carbon deepens - meteorites from Red Planet DID carry building blocks of life | Mail Online

The hunt for Planet X is back on: Noted astronomer calculates planet four times size of Earth must exist on fringe of solar s.

 

Britain must build spaceport to avoid being 'left behind' in the tourism space race, business leaders claim | Mail Online

 

A New Count of Potentially Hazardous Asteroids - NASA Science

 

The new space race heats up: Russia plans 'permanent' bases on moon | Mail Online

7. A BRIDGE FOR PHYSICS: "The Walton Bridge petition". The Institute of Physics (IOP) Ireland is campaigning to have the new bridge across the Liffey in Dublin at Marlborough Street named for ETS Walton - Ireland's only physics Nobel prize-winner. Please sign our petition to Dublin City Council via the link at http://www.iopireland.org/news/12/page_55296.html. (via Peter Gallagher)

8. Dunsink Solarfest, 23 June. Following on from the success over the last 3 years, IFAS in conjunction with Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS) www.dias.ie and Trinity College Dublin www.tcd.ie are organising a one-day event in Dublin to celebrate solar astronomy. Solarfest 2012 will take place on Saturday 23rd June at Dunsink Observatory, Castleknock, Dublin. IFAS are very grateful to DIAS and TCD for supporting the event and entry is FREE.
   The programme for the event is currently being finalised and will be updated in due course on the IFAS website www.irishastronomy.org However, the event will feature a number of lectures, a workshop, solar observing (weather permitting) and more. The lunchtime break will allow an opportunity to take in a tour of the facility to see the observatory and the 12" Grubb refractor. Tea/coffee will be provided, however please bring your own lunch.
  Spaces are limited to 60 seats. If you are interested in attending, please send an e-mail to ifas.solarfest@gmail.com. Please state in the e-mail how many seats you would like to reserve.
  Regards & Thanks, Michael O'Connell

(NB: Dunsink Observatory is on Dunsink Lane, Castleknock, Dublin. The Observatory is at 53 deg 23' 14.3"N, 6 deg 20' 19.0" W, with the entrance off Dunsink Lane at 23' 16.6"N; 20' 14" W. But Dunsink Lane has been blocked on the city side, and the observatory is now only accessible from the New River Road end, off the Navan Road, near the junction of the N3 and the M50 - the Castleknock junction, Junction 6. Since the M50 upgrade this has become a very complex junction.

    If approaching via the M50 from the Dublin airport direction, you MUST get into the correct lane at the offslip, or you'll be way off course! So when you approach Junction 6, move onto the offslip lane (to the left, obviously), but then stay on the two right hand lanes of the offslip, signed for 'Castleknock'. Do NOT keep on going round to your left via the left hand lane on the offslip, which will take you on to the N3 and Castleknock village! (That seems wrong when you know where Dunsink is, but believe me - I learned the hard way! If your Satnav says something else, ignore it.)

    Then move into the left hand of the two 'right' offslip lanes (in other words, the middle one of the three). This will bring you to the original roundabout, with traffic lights, where you then keep left, and then immediately left again, signed for 'Dunsink'.

   This road leads directly on to New River Road. At the 'cul-de-sac' sign continue on straight, and it becomes Dunsink Lane. Go straight on for almost 2 km (past Elmgreen Golf Course) until you see the road blocked ahead of you: the entrance to the Observatory is on the right just before the block. 

   If you go this way, it's simple and easy, so don't be put off - just follow those directions exactly.

On the return journey you go back along Dunsink Lane, then follow signs for the M50 Northbound. (TM)

 

9. TWITTER: the IAA now has a twitter account. twitter@IaaAstro

 

10. BBC THINGS TO DO WEBSITE: See the forthcoming IAA events on  

http://www.bbc.co.uk/thingstodo

 

11. JOINING the IRISH ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION is now even easier: This link downloads a Word document to join the IAA. http://irishastro.org.uk/iaamembership.doc. If you are a UK taxpayer, please tick the 'gift-aid' box, as that enables us to reclaim the standard rate of tax on your subscription, at no cost to you.  See also www.irishastro.org. 

 

Clear skies,

Terry Moseley

Last Chance in a lifetime

Irish Astronomical Association MEDIA RELEASE

 

LAST TRANSIT OF VENUS FOR OVER 100 YEARS

 

On 6 June Planet Earth will see the last Transit of Venus until December 2117. People in Ireland can see this event, with NorthEast Antrim being best favoured for viewing.

 

A Transit of Venus occurs when Venus, Earth's 'twin' planet, passes directly across the face of the Sun, as seen from Earth. These events are very rare, with only 6 having been observed in the whole of human history. They usually occur in pairs, 8 years apart, with an interval of over a century until the first of the next pair. The last one occurred in 2004, and was glimpsed through patchy cloud by some members of the public at a viewing event run by the Irish Astronomical Association (IAA) at Botanic Gardens, although some people were unlucky and did not see it at all.

 

Transits of Venus were very important in the history of astronomy, as they were used to determine the distance from the Earth to the Sun, and hence the size of the whole Solar System. Now we have other methods to do that, but the events are still fascinating, and their rarity makes them very special. At the time of the last event, in 2004, no-one alive then had ever seen one! But because of increasing life expectancy, it is just possible that a young person of about 4-7 years old who sees this one could still be alive and see the next one in December 2117!

 

On 6 June, the event will already be well underway as the Sun rises in Ireland, and the transit will end not long after sunrise. Earliest sunrise in June in Ireland occurs in the far NE of the island, so the Antrim coast gives the longest visible duration here.

 

Venus will appear as a small black dot, just at the limit of naked-eye visibility, slowly moving across the face of the Sun, so a telescope or binoculars will be needed to give a proper view. But NEVER look at the Sun through a telescope or binoculars without proper filters - see safety warning below!

 

The IAA will run a public viewing session at the Car Park at the East of Garron Point, on the A2 Coast Road, between Carnlough and Glenarriff, starting at 04.40 a.m. The transit will first become visible from there when Venus rises at 04.47. The end of the transit will start at 05.37, when the small round disc of the planet starts to pass off the edge of the Sun, and that process will be complete at 05.53, when the disc of Venus has completely passed off the face of the Sun.

 

SAFETY: It is very dangerous to look at the Sun with any sort of optical equipment, particularly telescopes or binoculars. Direct observing should only be attempted with proper safe solar filters. If in doubt about your filter, don't look through it.

 

NOTES TO EDITORS:

 

1. The Irish Astronomical Association is a registered charity dedicated to promoting interest in, and information about, astronomy and space and related topics. It is the oldest and largest astronomical society based in N. Ireland, and the largest amateur astronomy society in Ireland.

 

2. Venus is the second planet out from the Sun, with Earth being the third. Venus is just slightly smaller than the Earth, and during the transit it will lie 43 million km away from the Earth. It will have an apparent diameter of 57.8 arcsecs, or 0.0160 degrees.

 

3. The IAA runs public events throughout the year, including free public lectures at QUB, and public outreach events in various locations throughout Northern Ireland, details of which are available on the website: www.irishastro.org and http://www.bbc.co.uk/thingstodo 

 

Contact:

 

Terry Moseley

PR Officer,

Irish Astronomical Association

Tel. 07979 300842.

God, Science & Global Warming, Giant sunspot, Solarfest, Rover awakes, News, BAA

Hi all,

 

1. "God, Science and Global Warming".  An Audience with Sir John Houghton CBE FRS. 7.45pm, Tuesday 15th May 2012, The Market Place Theatre, Armagh. (Prof Mark Bailey asked me to circulate this, which may be of interest even though it's not strictly astronomy)
    Sir John Houghton, former co-chair of the Scientific Assessment Working Group of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) will speak on "God, Science and Global Warming". This will be followed by a discussion chaired by BBC Presenter Mark Carruthers with questions and contributions from the audience.
  Members of the Panel will include Father Timothy Bartlett (author of the pastoral reflection on climate change "The Cry of the Earth"), Professor Valerie Hall (Emeritus Professor of Palaeoecology at Queen's University Belfast) and Michael Nugent (Chairman of Atheist Ireland).  With Sir John as the keynote speaker and with such a group of experts this promises to be an enjoyable and enlightening evening.
   The ticket price of £7.50 (+ £1 online booking fee) includes light refreshments at 7.00pm and there are afternoon tours of Armagh City's main attractions, and packages for overnight stays.  Book online at
http://www.marketplacearmagh.com/whats-on/an-audience-with-sir-john-houghton-cbe-frs/
  To learn more about the event and opportunities to experience Armagh City visit http://www.armaghu3a.org/?p=492, and http://www.armagh.co.uk/.

 

2. NEW GIANT SUNSPOT:  Huge sunspot AR1476 is crackling with M-class solar flares and appears to be on the verge of producing something even stronger. The sunspot's 'beta-gamma-delta' magnetic field harbours energy for X-class flares, the most powerful kind.  Radio operators are recording strong bursts of short-wave static from the sunspot as it turns toward Earth. Visit http://spaceweather.com for sample recordings and forecasts. See:

'Monster' sunspot could put Earth in the crosshairs of powerful solar storms | Mail Online

 

3. Dunsink Solarfest, 23 June. Following on from the success over the last 3 years, IFAS in conjunction with Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS) www.dias.ie and Trinity College Dublin www.tcd.ie are organising a one-day event in Dublin to celebrate solar astronomy. Solarfest 2012 will take place on Saturday 23rd June at Dunsink Observatory, Castleknock, Dublin. IFAS are very grateful to DIAS and TCD for supporting the event and entry is FREE.
   The programme for the event is currently being finalised and will be updated in due course on the IFAS website www.irishastronomy.org However, the event will feature a number of lectures, a workshop, solar observing (weather permitting) and more. The lunchtime break will allow an opportunity to take in a tour of the facility to see the observatory and the 12" Grubb refractor. Tea/coffee will be provided, however please bring your own lunch.
  Spaces are limited to 60 seats. If you are interested in attending, please send an e-mail to ifas.solarfest@gmail.com. Please state in the e-mail how many seats you would like to reserve.
  Regards & Thanks, Michael O'Connell
(I'll send directions later on how to get to Dunsink from the North - the new junction at the M50/N3(M3) is very confusing if you don't know it! Terry M)

 

 

4. Mars Opportunity Rover awakes after winter 'sleep': The amazing saga of Opportunity, designed for a 3-month lifespan, but still functioning on the Martian surface into its eighth year of operation, continues. See:

Winter's over (for Rover): Nasa's Mars probe 'wakes up' after hibernating through dark months on Martian surface | Mail Online

 

5. Light from ExoPlanet detected directly: Progress in instrumentation and techniques continues to produce amazing results. NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has detected the light from a planet going around another star, directly - the first time that has ever been done. See:

NASA Space Telescope Sees the Light from an Alien Super-Earth - NASA Science

 

6. ASTEROID / COMET OBSERVATION MEETING: Some of you are doing amazing work in the field of asteroid and comet detection and imaging, so you might be interested in the following BAA meeting: It's intended for BAA members, but I'm sure that visitors would be welcome - contact either Guy or Richard via the addresses at the end.
"OBSERVING PROJECTS WITH ASTEROID-COMET CONNECTIONS": A joint meeting of the BAA Comet Section and Asteroids and Remote Planets Section, at 10.00-17.00 hours on Saturday, 2012 October 6
at the Berrill Lecture Theatre, Berrill Building, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA
    Topics to include:
* Methods in common for observing asteroids and comets
* Discovering comets and asteroids
* Comets masquerading as asteroids
* Asteroids masquerading as comets
* Water ice in asteroids
* Short contributions from members
   In addition, there will be keynote lectures by
* Dr Simon Green, Senior Lecturer in Planetary and Space Sciences, Department of Physical Sciences,
The Open University, Milton Keynes
* Dr Stephen Lowry, Lecturer in Astronomy and Astrophysics, Centre for Astrophysics and Planetary Science, School of Physical Science, University of Kent, Canterbury,
* Dr Sam Duddy, Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Kent, Canterbury
    N.B. We are hoping to have a small display area for members' use. Any member wishing to contribute a short talk should contact Richard Miles or Guy Hurst.
Travel directions to the Berrill Building can be found at: http://www3.open.ac.uk/contact/locations.aspx
along with a map of the campus at: http://www3.open.ac.uk/contact/maps/wh-campus.gif
  More details of the programme, catering arrangements for the day, etc. will be made available in August.
Richard Miles: E: arps [at] britastro.org, Guy Hurst: guy [at] tahq.demon.co.uk

 

8. BEWARE STOLEN ITEMS: There has been a break in at the Astronomy Centre, Todmorden. Unfortunately a lot of kit has been stolen. This is a public outreach facility and is Peter Drew's life work. This is a big blow for the club. http://www.astronomycentre.org.uk/
   Please be on the lookout for new ads for Coronado scopes and Solar scopes that have been modified. Large refracting binoculars and large reflecting binoculars in particular. Please pass the word and inform the police and the Astronomy Centre if you have your suspicions. If you can help by putting up warnings on any of the Astronomy forums, that will be appreciated. Thank you,
David Dench, Rochdale
So far, the list comprises:-
Unique 6" F8 refracting Binocular telescope
Unique 6" F8 reflecting binocular telescope
12" Meade LX200 OTA
6" F8 black Helios refractor modified Ha scope
6" F8 blue Skywatcher refractor
3 Coronado PST bodies
2 black EQ6 mounts
1 white EQ6 Pro mount.

   Clearly there will be other genuine similar articles for sale, but please check carefully the provenance of such items.  If you have the slightest doubt, then you should refer this to the police.

Many thanks, John Axtell FRAS, Membership Secretary, Federation of Astronomical Societies, www.fedastro.org.uk, 01932 341036

9. TWITTER: the IAA now has a twitter account. twitter@IaaAstro

10. BBC THINGS TO DO WEBSITE: See the forthcoming IAA events on  

http://www.bbc.co.uk/thingstodo

 

11. JOINING the IRISH ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION is now even easier: This link downloads a Word document to join the IAA. http://irishastro.org.uk/iaamembership.doc. If you are a UK taxpayer, please tick the 'gift-aid' box, as that enables us to reclaim the standard rate of tax on your subscription, at no cost to you.  See also www.irishastro.org. 

 

Clear skies,

Terry Moseley

SUPERMOON SATURDAY - SUNDAY

Irish Astronomical Association MEDIA RELEASE

 

Supermoon on Saturday evening & Sunday morning: 

 

Look out for a bigger, brighter, Full Moon, this weekend!

 

The Full Moon on 6 May will happen at the time when the Moon is at its closest to the Earth all year. This means that it will appear particularly big and bright in the sky - up to 30% brighter than some other Full Moons this year. The increase in apparent size won't be quite so noticeable - it will be 14% bigger than some of the other Full Moons this year.

 

It's all due to the Moon's elliptical orbit around the Earth, which means that its distance from us is constantly varying. Closest approach to Earth is called 'perigee', and due to various other factors, some perigees are closer than others. And it so happens that the closest lunar perigee of 2012 coincides very closely with the Full Moon on May 6. In fact, Full Moon will be at 04.35, and the perigee will be at 04.33, BST. The distance of the Moon then will be 356,955 km, compared with the mean distance of 384,400 km. That's 27,445km closer than average. 

 

Thus the Full Moon will appear noticeably bigger and brighter than usual on May 5 - 6. The effect will probably be most noticeable at moonrise and moonset, because of the so-called Moon Illusion, which makes the Moon appear bigger when it is close to the horizon.

 

So have a look at Moonrise in the SE on the evening of Saturday 5th at about 8.45 p.m., and if you are up early, at Moonset on Sunday morning at about 05.20 in the SW.

 

 

NOTES TO EDITORS:

 

1. The Irish Astronomical Association is a registered charity dedicated to promoting interest in, and information about, astronomy and space and related topics. It is the oldest and largest astronomical society based in N. Ireland, and the largest amateur astronomy society in Ireland.

 

2. The Moon's orbit has an 'eccentricity' of 5.5% - in effect this is the amount by which it is an ellipse rather than a circle.

 

3. There is a lunar perigee every month, but it is rare for that to coincide with the Full Moon, and very rare for such a close perigee to coincide almost exactly (within 2 minutes) of Full Moon.

 

4. The next lunar perigee to be closer than this one won't be until 2014 Jan 14 (distance 356,923 km), but that will happen at New Moon, and so won't be visible.

 

4.  The Moon Illusion is a well-known odd effect whereby the Moon, particularly the Full Moon, always appears much larger when it is close to the horizon, i.e. rising or setting. It is a purely psychological effect, but it is a very strong one, and is not fully understood.

 

5. The IAA runs public events throughout the year, including free public lectures at QUB, and public outreach events in various locations throughout Northern Ireland, details of which are available on the website: www.irishastro.org and http://www.bbc.co.uk/thingstodo 

 

Contact:

 

Terry Moseley

PR Officer,

Irish Astronomical Association

New IAA President, F/Medal, QUB Lecture, Supermoon, Solarfest, BCO, Stolen items

Hi all,

 

1. IAA New President: At the recent AGM, Paul Evans was elected as the new president of the Irish Astronomical Association. He replaced Philip Baxter, who had served the maximum 3 year term, with great distinction, seeing a significant increase in membership, and numerous improvements in the service to members. I'm sure you will all join me in thanking Philip for all his efforts.

   Paul of course is already well-known to many: he has given several lectures, often does the presentations in the Stardome at our public events, and the introductory 10-minute beginners talk at our lecture meetings.  He has also been the IAA webmaster for the last few years, and has done an excellent job in that respect. We wish him good luck in his new role.

   You can see the details of the new Council on the website: www.irishastro.org

 

2. Fitzgerald Medal awarded to Mrs Jo Magill. Also at the AGM, the Fitzgerald Medal 'For Outstanding Service to the Association', was awarded to Mrs Josephine (Jo) Magill. Jo has been the IAA treasurer and membership secretary for the last year, but she has also been a very active and willing Council Member for several years, attending at all our public events, and volunteering for almost everything that needs to be done! Even before joining the Council, she was a willing volunteer at all our public events since she became a member. Many thanks Jo - it's very well deserved.

 

3. "At The Speed of Light?" 2 May, at QUB: The Astrophysics Research Centre at Queen's University Belfast invites you to the 1st lecture of this year's Michael West Lecture Series in Astronomy and Astrophysics.
   The Michael West Public Lectures are sponsored by Dr. Michael West, a QUB alumnus and benefactor, and aim to give everyone the chance to hear about the latest scientific developments in Astrophysics and related subjects directly from world-leading scientists.

   The 1st lecture of 2012 deals with and challenges one of the postulates of Einstein's Relativity Theory, that the speed of light is a universal constant. 

   Professor João Magueijo of Imperial College London will tell us about the Big Bang and the subsequent evolution of the Universe. He will also describe his revolutionary idea that the speed of light may not be a constant after all.

Date: 2 May 2012, 7-8pm. Title: What if the Speed of Light isn't constant? What you gain and what you lose. Place: Larmor Lecture Theatre, Queen's University Belfast 

  Please find more information on our speaker and reserve your seat at 

http://tinyurl.com/MichaelWestLectureSeries2012

Attendance is free but a reservation is required.

 

4. Supermoon on Sunday: Forgive the hype, but this is probably what the media are going to be saying. The Full Moon on 6 May coincides with the closest lunar perigee of the year, so the Full Moon will appear bigger and brighter than usual. It's all due, of course, to the Moon's elliptical orbit around the Earth, which means that its distance from us is constantly varying. Closest approach to Earth is called 'perigee', and due to various other factors, some perigees are slightly closer than others. And it so happens that the closest lunar perigee of 2012 coincides very closely with the Full Moon on May 6. In fact, Full Moon will be at 03.35, and the perigee will be at 03.33.

  The distance then will be 356,955 km, compared with the mean distance of 384,400 km. But this perigee is only slightly closer than the next closest one for the rest of the year - that one will be on Dec 12, when the distance will be 357,075 km - only 120 km further away. Indeed, the next perigee to be closer than this one won't be until 2014 Jan 14 (956,923 km).

   So don't get too excited, but the Full Moon will appear a bit bigger and brighter than usual on May 6. The effect will probably be most noticeable at moonrise and moonset, because of the so-called Moon Illusion (Google it - no room to explain it here!), so check it out at Moonrise on the evening of the 5th, and if you are up early, at Moonset on the morning of the 6th.

 

5. New European Astronomy Journalism Prize launched. A new journalism competition to capture and promote inspirational coverage of astronomy was launched on Thursday 29 March at the National Astronomy Meeting in Manchester. The prize is the ultimate for any astronomy enthusiast - a trip to the European Southern Observatory's (ESO) Very Large Telescope in Chile. Never a week goes by without coming across stories or features on astronomy in the UK media; yet many of the people behind the stories have never had the opportunity to visit the facilities that produce the results they are covering. The Very Large Telescope is the world's most advanced optical instrument, and is located at the Paranal Observatory on Cerro Paranal, a 2,635m mountain in the northern part of Chile. 

Entries into the European Astronomy Journalism Prize must be about astronomy and related areas of technology, or about the work and lifestyles or astronomers, engineers or others working in the field of astronomy. Online, written or broadcast entries are welcome. The competition is being run by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) and European Southern Observatory (ESO, in conjunction with the Association of British Science Writers and the Royal Astronomical Society. It is open for entries from Monday 2 April 2012 until Friday 27 July 2012. Works must have appeared in English and in the UK, between 1 July 2011 and 30 June 2012 inclusive to be eligible. They must reflect European interests. A full list of terms and conditions can be found at www.stfc.ac.uk/astroprize and at www.eso.org/public/astroprize

6. INTERESTING WEBLINKS: You might be interested to check out the following links:

The 'Guinness Book of (Universe) Records': Meet the planets which are the hottest, coldest, oldest, youngest and fastest | Ma.

'Supermoon': Biggest full moon due this weekend as tides rise around the planet | Mail Online

Wanted - asteroid miners: Rewards 'trillions' of dollars (you just have to work out how to get all that platinum back to Eart.

The star that 'beats' our own solar system: Distant star could have NINE planets orbiting it - including rocky 'super Earths'.

Legal expert says James Cameron's multi-billion space mining venture may be hit with lawsuits | Mail Online

Planet for rent - but hurry up! Worlds may become suitable for life - but then they need life in order to remain habitable | .

7. BCO EVENTS: see their website: www.bco.ie for details of forthcoming events, including the summer SPACECAMP, and the public lecture on Friday 4 May: "The Big Bang – is it true?".  Join Dr Cormac O' Raifeartaigh as he discusses if the Big Bang is just a mathematical model or does it truly tell us how the Universe began

8. "God, Science and Global Warming".  An Audience with Sir John Houghton CBE FRS. 7.45pm, Tuesday 15th May 2012, The Market Place Theatre, Armagh. (Prof Mark Bailey asked me to circulate this, which may be of interest even though it's not strictly astronomy)
    Sir John Houghton, former co-chair of the Scientific Assessment Working Group of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) will speak on "God, Science and Global Warming". This will be followed by a discussion chaired by BBC Presenter Mark Carruthers with questions and contributions from the audience.
  Members of the Panel will include Father Timothy Bartlett (author of the pastoral reflection on climate change "The Cry of the Earth"), Professor Valerie Hall (Emeritus Professor of Palaeoecology at Queen's University Belfast) and Michael Nugent (Chairman of Atheist Ireland).  With Sir John as the keynote speaker and with such a group of experts this promises to be an enjoyable and enlightening evening.
   The ticket price of £7.50 (+ £1 online booking fee) includes light refreshments at 7.00pm and there are afternoon tours of Armagh City's main attractions, and packages for overnight stays.  Book online at
http://www.marketplacearmagh.com/whats-on/an-audience-with-sir-john-houghton-cbe-frs/
  To learn more about the event and opportunities to experience Armagh City visit http://www.armaghu3a.org/?p=492, and http://www.armagh.co.uk/.

9. Dunsink Solarfest, 23 June. Following on from the success over the last 3 years, IFAS in conjunction with Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS) www.dias.ie and Trinity College Dublin www.tcd.ie are organising a one-day event in Dublin to celebrate solar astronomy. Solarfest 2012 will take place on Saturday 23rd June at Dunsink Observatory, Castleknock, Dublin. IFAS are very grateful to DIAS and TCD for supporting the event and entry is FREE.
   The programme for the event is currently being finalised and will be updated in due course on the IFAS website www.irishastronomy.org However, the event will feature a number of lectures, a workshop, solar observing (weather permitting) and more. The lunchtime break will allow an opportunity to take in a tour of the facility to see the observatory and the 12" Grubb refractor. Tea/coffee will be provided, however please bring your own lunch.
  Spaces are limited to 60 seats. If you are interested in attending, please send an e-mail to ifas.solarfest@gmail.com. Please state in the e-mail how many seats you would like to reserve.
  Regards & Thanks, Michael O'Connell
(I'll send directions later on how to get to Dunsink from the North - the new junction at the M50/N3(M3) is very confusing if you don't know it! Terry M)

10. BEWARE STOLEN ITEMS: There has been a break in at the Astronomy Centre, Todmorden. Unfortunately a lot of kit has been stolen. This is a public outreach facility and is Peter Drew's life work. This is a big blow for the club. http://www.astronomycentre.org.uk/
   Please be on the lookout for new ads for Coronado scopes and Solar scopes that have been modified. Large refracting binoculars and large reflecting binoculars in particular. Please pass the word and inform the police and the Astronomy Centre if you have your suspicions. If you can help by putting up warnings on any of the Astronomy forums, that will be appreciated. Thank you,
David Dench, Rochdale
So far, the list comprises:-
Unique 6" F8 refracting Binocular telescope
Unique 6" F8 reflecting binocular telescope
12" Meade LX200 OTA
6" F8 black Helios refractor modded Ha scope
6" F8 blue Skywatcher refractor
3 Coronado PST bodies
2 black EQ6 mounts
1 white EQ6 Pro mount.

Clearly there will be other genuine similar articles for sale, but please check carefully the provenance of such items.  If you have the slightest doubt, then you should refer this to the police.

Many thanks

John Axtell FRAS
Membership Secretary
Federation of Astronomical Societies
www.fedastro.org.uk
01932 341036

11. TWITTER: the IAA now has a twitter account. twitter@IaaAstro

12. BBC THINGS TO DO WEBSITE: See the forthcoming IAA events on  

http://www.bbc.co.uk/thingstodo

 

13. JOINING the IRISH ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION is now even easier: This link downloads a Word document to join the IAA. http://irishastro.org.uk/iaamembership.doc. If you are a UK taxpayer, please tick the 'gift-aid' box, as that enables us to reclaim the standard rate of tax on your subscription, at no cost to you.  See also www.irishastro.org. 

 

Clear skies,

Terry Moseley