Tuesday, 19 February 2013

Lecture, THAT 'meteor', Missed!, Galileo @ Armagh, Sir PM event, Mars in Morocco


Hi all,
 
1.  IAA LECTURE: The next IAA public lecture will be on Wednesday 20 February, at 7.30 p. m. It will be given by Dr Chris Watson, Senior Lecturer in the Astrophysics Department at QUB. The title is "Mapping the Surfaces of Stars - Giant Spots and Shadows". Dr Watson is a leading researcher in the search for Exoplanets, and will describe this technique, and what it can also tell us about other stars. Once the stuff of science fiction, finding planets around other stars is now a reality, with the total discovered now approaching 900! What does this tell us about the chances of life on other planetary systems? You'll want to hear the answer.
   Admission is free, including light refreshments, and all are welcome.
This lecture will as usual be in the Bell Lecture theatre, Physics building, main QUB Campus.
 
2. ISS. The International Space Station continues its series of evening passes over Ireland. Details as usual on the excellent and free site: www.heavens-above.com
 
3. That 'Russian Meteor'. I use that name because that's what the media called it, but of course it was much more than a meteor! Even 'Fireball' seems inadequate for such a brilliant and spectacular event. And we can't call it a 'meteorite' until recovered pieces have been confirmed as extraterrestrial in origin. There are already many such claims on the internet, but as of now I've heard no official confirmation.
   IRISH TIMES ARTICLE:  I got two t/cs from Dick Ahlstrom, Science Editor of the Irish Times, one about the 'Russian Meteor', and one about the asteroid flyby due later that day. Both interviews were then combined into the one article, on Saturday 16 Feb, in which I get a couple of mentions. See   
 
It was a very spectacular sight. Here are some weblinks you may have missed:
 
WARNING: Following the Russian fireball event, at least we all now know that if we see a brilliant light in the sky like that, we should stay away from windows etc for the next few minutes. Or if it's possible, get out of the building very quickly provided we can get well away from any potential flying glass or other debris - but see below.
   Even if the object passes directly overhead (i.e. as close as it can be), there's going to be a delay of at least a minute between the flash and the sonic boom, because the object will be at its brightest at least 12 miles above the Earth's surface, and each mile of distance causes a delay in arrival of the sound by about 5 seconds
    BUT, if the object explodes violently, there will be a shock wave, which can travel much faster than the speed of sound. However, with the size of object that is likely to be involved, and the minimum distance above us, any shock wave will probably have slowed and become just a sonic boom by the time it reaches us. It needs someone with a lot more expertise in this field than me to work it out fully, but I would guess that there would always be at least 10 seconds between the flash from an exploding meteor similar to the recent Russian one and the arrival of a shock wave (blast wave or sonic boom) which would be strong enough to break glass.
    You might ask - how do we know that the object won't explode just about half a mile above the ground? That's because the maximum dynamic pressure and heating of the object will probably (maybe not always?) occur at least 12 miles above the Earth's surface. Of course, if it's a really big one (say 1km diameter or more) then it will almost certainly punch straight through the atmosphere & hit the ground, exploding then. But in that case, staying away from windows will be the least of your concerns! Fortunately, the chances of one as big as that hitting us are VERY remote.
   Anyway, if in doubt, just don't immediately rush to the windows if you see a bright flash like that one! TM
  
4. SEE MERCURY: You can just see Mercury for another few days, but it is fading and starting to move closer to the Sun. Look low in the West about 30 minutes after Sunset, with binoculars. It will lie about 5 degrees above and right of fainter Mars.
 
5. Asteroid Very Near Miss: I just managed to spot NEO 2012 DA14 with 15 x 70 binocs, as it was moving from Virgo into Coma, but it then passed behind a bank of cloud and I never saw it again. But Andy McCrea managed to image it: "Caught it around 9.30 between Megrez and Alioth - close to 74 and 75 UMa - It was very faint and through light cloud". A McC. See photo on www.irishastro.org.
 See also:
  
6. IAA Event at Bangor, 16 February - This was a huge success, with mainly clear skies in spite of a very pessimistic weather forecast! We got great views of the 6 day old Moon, Jupiter with all 4 moons, and TWO passes of the ISS! This email says it all: "On behalf of everyone at North Down Museum we would like to thank the IAA for a very successful event indeed. Please pass our thanks onto your members who assisted with the Star Dome, Exhibition and Telescope guidance, their enthusiasm was wonderful and it really came across. This was reflected in record visitor numbers on the night and from the comments and feedback we have received."

 7. GALILEO AT ARMAGH OBSERVATORY: THE LIFE OF GALILEO", by Bertolt Brecht, Performed in the Armagh Observatory.
   The Greenwood Players and the Armagh Observatory are presenting in the Armagh Observatory from 22nd to 24th February 2013 the first performance on the island of Ireland of the play "The Life of Galileo" by Bertolt Brecht in a new version by David Hare.
   The story of the Life of Galileo and its central drama of the conflict between science, religion and authority is one that resonates today. As remarked by Ian McDonald, author and Executive Producer with the Greenwood Players, "The Life of Galileo" is a story that needs retelling every generation, especially in a 21st century when we seem to be moving away from science to an authority and belief-based worldview.
   There will be five performances of the play: two matinees at 2.00pm on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th February, and three evening performances at 7.00pm on each of 22nd, 23rd and 24th February.  Tickets, which are strictly limited, cost 12 pounds and are available from 14th January 2013 at http://galileoattheobservatory.eventbrite.co.uk/.
For more information, see: http://star.arm.ac.uk/press/2013/galileo/

8. Sir Patrick Moore: commemoration. It is now certain that the public commemoration event for PM will not be held before late April or early May. There is going to be an event at Selsey on 4th March, but that will be a Selsey village event, organised by and within Selsey, for Selsey residents only (who are very keen to celebrate the life of Patrick as a long-time Selsey resident) - so that's not intended as a 'national' event. It is still planned to have a bigger public event, probably in London, bit nothing is final yet.

There is an obituary feature in the March issue of Sky & Telescope, on p. 16 "Alas no Moore". I was interviewed for that piece, so I get a little mention. 

9. COSMOS 2013: Advance notice: The next COSMOS star party will be held at Tullamore on 12-14 April. More details later.
 
10. MARS in MOROCCO: ISSUED BY THE AUSTRIAN SPACE FORUM. Mars in Morocco: (slightly edited for space: TM) Mars has come to Morocco - at least until the 28th February.  The Austrian Space Forum (OeWF) has begun a series of experiments under simulated conditions in a Mars analogue site in the Northern Sahara. As the centrepiece of the field tests the OeWF's two analogue Mars spacesuits, Aouda.X and Aouda.S, will be deployed. A total of 23 nations are participating in the simulation.
   The MARS 2013 simulation kicked off on February 11th 2013 at 10:40 CET with Flight Director Alexander Soucek, head of the Mission Support Center in Innsbruck, giving the command: "You are GO for SIM!"
    Out in Morocco, 'Mars' astronaut Daniel Schildhammer wearing the Aouda.X experimental spacesuit said, "It is a mistake to believe that a small group of dedicated people cannot change the world. In fact, it is the only way it always happens."
  However, Mission Support back in Austria had to wait to hear this communication - a time delay is an intrinsic part of this field mission. "During MARS2013 a time delay of ten minutes is embedded in the communication between Innsbruck (Earth) and Morocco (Mars), which is decisive for a successful Mars simulation and allows us to learn a lot," explained Soucek.
   Soucek added, "Currently the Morocco Mars Simulation is the only simulation in the world that incorporates a time delay. The one-way transmission time is 10 minutes, which means, we will receive an answer to our question from the team on Mars after 20 minutes."
   The lag-time for communications simulates the delay induced by electromagnetic waves travelling the distance between Mars and Earth. Depending on the position of the planets on their orbits around the Sun,
this can vary anywhere from 4 to 22 minutes. The radio interchange between Earth and Mars is hence complicated and can lead to problems in executing procedures and commands. The Morocco Mars simulation wants to uncover these potential issues to guarantee the safety and a smooth execution of future manned-Mars missions.
  More information about the Morocco Mars Mission of the OeWF and experiments as well as current pictures of the Mars camp in Morocco can be found online: http://www.oewf.org/cms/press-media.phtml
 
11. INTERESTING WEBLINKS: 
 
12. TWITTER: Follow the IAA on Twitter:  @IaaAstro


13. BBC THINGS TO DO WEBSITE: See the forthcoming IAA events on  
http://www.bbc.co.uk/thingstodo. Look under 'Countryfile'.
 
14. JOINING the IRISH ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION is easy: 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
Posted by at 25 comments:

Friday, 15 February 2013

Major Russian Fireball / Meteorite, IAA at Bangor.


Hi all,
 
1. Major Fireball + Meteorites?
 
You've probably heard of the major fireball with probable meteorites, over Russia.
 
Here are some interesting links, with amazing photos and videos.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
There are reports of Russian military personnel finding meteorite fragments and impact craters, but as they are not experts in meteorites, we need to await confirmation by experts.
 
But there is no connection to the asteroid 2012 DA14 which will fly past at 17,000 miles above Earth this evening. See e.g. http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/02/15/asteroid-2012-da14-astron_n_2692186.html.
 
The Russian object, and 2012 DA14, were hundreds of thousands of miles apart, and in totally different orbits, so it's just a coincidence. But it's worth remembering that while the minor damage and injuries in russia are regrettable and unfortunate, they are absolutely insignificant compared with the damage that would be done if 2012 DA14 were to hit us!
 
 
ASTEROID 23012 DA14 Flyby. See http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/scitech/display.cfm?ST_ID=2523

WATCH LIVE via GLORIA: 
IAA members had an excellent lecture earlier this month by ProfLorraine Hanlon of UCS on the new GLORIA project: This is the latest from Lorraine.
"As you know, asteroid 2012DA14 will pass close to Earth (within ~28,000km) on Friday, February 15th. A number of GLORIA telescopes (including UCD's Watcher in South Africa) plan to observe the approach and (hopefully!) retreat of the asteroid. Images will be uploaded to the website: http://live.gloria-project.eu/ every 5 minutes or so (weather permitting).
   We have also created a Flickr group: http://www.flickr.com/groups/gloriada14 and would love if you shared your own images through the group."

A final reminder:
2. "MOON, STARS AND JUPITER AT BANGOR CASTLE" 
 
The Irish Astronomical Association, in conjunction with North Down Borough Council, presents a public astronomy evening, at North Down Museum, Bangor Castle, on 16 February
 
FREE ASTRONOMY EVENING AT North Down Museum. The Irish Astronomical Association will be holding another of their very popular astronomy evenings at the Museum beside Bangor Castle, on Saturday evening, 16 February, at 6.30 p.m. Once again we'll have a selection of powerful telescopes and binoculars for viewing the night sky, an exhibition, short astronomy and space films, a selection of meteorites (rocks from space) which you can actually hold, and of course the Stardome mobile planetarium just in case of bad weather. And you'll have a chance to meet our own 'Ulsternaut', Derek Heatly from Groomsport, who is booked to fly into space with Virgin Galactic.
 
There will be free shows in the Stardome at 6.30, 7.15, 8.00 and 8.45, and these MUST be booked in advance by ringing the Museum at 028 9127 1200.
 
The highlight will be a spectacular Moon high in the sky, providing jaw-dropping views in the telescopes. In addition we will get a great view of giant Jupiter, the largest planet in the Solar System, with its four large Moons. And as a special treat we can watch the International Space Station, the largest, brightest and heaviest object ever put into space, blazing across the sky. All those of course are weather dependant.
 
These are always very popular events, so book early with the Museum. See: www.northdownmuseum.com
 
3.  TWITTER: Follow the IAA on Twitter:  @IaaAstro


4. BBC THINGS TO DO WEBSITE: See the forthcoming IAA events on  
http://www.bbc.co.uk/thingstodo. Look under 'Countryfile'.
 
5. JOINING the IRISH ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION is easy: 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
Posted by at 9 comments:

Tuesday, 12 February 2013

Lecture, ISS, NearMiss, IAA @ Bangor, Astrocourse, Mags in Space? Galileo, Cosmo

Hi all,
 
1.  IAA LECTURE: The next IAA public lecture will be on Wednesday 20 February, at 7.30 p. m. It will be given by Dr Chris Watson, of QUB. Title "Mapping the Surfaces of Stars - Giant Spots and Shadows". Not so long ago the idea of being able to map the surfaces of other stars was the stuff of science fiction. It's still not easy, but in certain circumstances it can be done. And what we are learning from this technique is both valuable and fascinating.
  Chris Watson is a leading researcher in this field in the Astrophysics Department at QUB, and is well known to most of us from his previous lectures and his appearances at the recent BBC Stargazing Live Events. He is an excellent communicator, so this should be a fascinating lecture. Admission is free, including light refreshments, and all are welcome.
This lecture will as usual be in the Bell Lecture theatre, Physics building, main QUB Campus.
 
2. ISS. The International Space Station continues its series of evening passes over Ireland. Details as usual on the excellent and free site: www.heavens-above.com
Also check: http://spotthestation.nasa.gov/.  If you enter your location & email address at this NASA website you will always receive an email a day before the ISS passes with the following info. Time and date: (e.g. 20 February 7.40 p.m, Visible: 4 min, Max Height: 33 degrees, Appears: SW, Disappears: SE.
   However, if you want even more detail, use the Heavens-above site, click on the date/time of a particular pass, and it will show you an actual skymap showing the ISS's path across the sky relative to the stars and planets, and the moon if present.
 
3. Asteroid Very Near Miss: IMPORTANT UPDATE: Note: Heavens-Above.com now provides details for the pass of this object, including a sky map, for your own location. And see at the end of this item. 
  On Feb 15 we will have a very near miss from a 'Near Earth Asteroid', which will come so close to Earth that it will pass inside the orbits of the geostationary satellites! Asteroid 2012 DA14, which is about 50m (165 feet) in diameter will pass about 21,000 miles from the centre of the Earth, or about 17,000 miles above the surface. There is no risk of a collision, but if an object of this size did hit the Earth, the damage would be very significant. 17,000 miles seems like a significant distance, but think of it this way: It's just over twice the diameter of the Earth. If a bullet was to miss your head by just twice your head's diameter, you would think that you had been very very lucky! It will be travelling at 7.8km/sec.
   NASA estimates that an object of this size only passes this close to Earth about every 40 years on average. And one of this size will hit us about every 1200 years, on average.
   Closest approach will be at about 18.00, and the object should be visible in binoculars as it speeds past the Earth, with a maximum magnitude of between 7 and 7.5. Since it will be so close, and moving so fast, predictions need to be based on your own location, not geocentric. I'm very grateful to Dr Tolis Christou of Armagh Observatory who has generated an ephemeris for Belfast, giving the RA, Dec, Azimuth, Elevation and magnitude of 2012 DA14 from Belfast ( 54.6000° N, 5.9167° W) for the night of the 15th to the 16th of February 2013 every 5 min. The asteroid rises at 20:00 UT in Virgo, and will move rapidly Northwards through Coma, Canes Venatici, Ursa Major and Draco during its period of best visibility from here. It will remain brighter than mag 10 until 22:20 UT. At that time its altitude is 53 deg.

   This ephemeris is too long and detailed to include here, but I will forward the details to anyone on request. It should be possible to record its motion with a time exposure on a digital camera with a reasonable zoom lens, and set to a high ISO setting.

   This will be the brightest-ever NEO to be observed approaching the vicinity of our planet (<0.1 AU). It is predicted to be 30 times brighter and more than 150 times more massive than the next largest known object to approach as close or closer to our planet in recent years: that one was 2012 MD. 

  (Newly added info regarding using Heavens-above.) Since the asteroid is moving so fast, the H-A site only gives details of the position every half-hour on Feb 15. But you can easily interpolate from those positions. The easiest way to find it will be to pick an easily identifiable spot in the sky, using a good star chart, through which the asteroid will pass when it is still fairly bright. Note when it will pass through that region of the sky. Train your binoculars or wide-field telescope on that area a few minutes before it is due, preferably while you are in a comfortable position to avoid strain, and then wait for the asteroid to appear as a moving point of light. It will be moving almost straight upwards when it first appears above our Eastern horizon, so you are unlikely to confuse it with anything else. If you can mount your binoculars on a tripod which allows you to pan smoothly upwards, that would be handy. But remember if you 'lose' the object for more than a minute in your field of view, you will find it hard to pick it up again!

See also: http://britastro.org/asteroids/ and

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2275507/Nasa-video-shows-just-close-asteroid-come-hitting-Earth-youre-Australia-youll-able-SEE-it.html
 
4. IAA Event at Bangor, 16 February - UPDATE. The IAA will be running another of its very popular astronomy evenings, this time at a new venue: the North Down Heritage Centre near Bangor Castle, Co Down. This is not a dark sky location, but we have chosen an evening when both Jupiter and a nice 6-day old Moon will be visible, so there will be spectacular sights for public viewing. There will also be a good pass of the ISS, which should please anyone who hasn't seen it before.
    We will of course have the Stardome shows, which will run whether it's cloudy or clear, and the usual exhibition of telescopes, binoculars, meteorites and other items. Our own local Ulsternaut, Derek Heatly, will be giving an update on the latest details for his flight into space with Virgin Galactic.
   NB: To guarantee a place for one of the Starshows you must book in advance with the ND Heritage Centre.
   Location: Bangor Castle, Castle Park. The Heritage Centre is just behind (South of) the Castle. Access is via Castlepark Avenue and Castlepark Road, or on foot via the Castle grounds by continuing along Castlepark Avenue. GPS: 54deg 39' 21" N; 5 deg 40' 09" W. Tel. 028 9127 1200.
   Start time is now confirmed as 6.30 p.m. 
 
5. ASTRONOMY COURSE at STRANMILLIS COLLEGE, BELFAST. I will be delivering a two part course, introduction to astronomy, as follows:

Astronomy:  Our place in the Universe

Looking to the sky for the first time you may feel overwhelmed and confused by the spectacle of thousands of stars above your head.  Astronomy is a great gateway science that can inspire you to do great things!  Participants will gain enjoyment from exploring the wonders of the night sky.  The topics covered include Greek mythology, Egyptian and Babylonian cosmology, Astrobiology, Quantum Physics, Terrestrial and Jovian planets and Solar System to help us understand our place in the cosmos.  This is a great way for the community to come together and take a fresh look at our night sky.....it belongs to us all.  No experience necessary and questions encouraged! 

Tutor:             Terry Moseley, Time:              7.00pm - 9.00pm

Session 1:         Tuesdays, 5 weeks; dates:      19th February 2013 – 19th March 2013 

Location:        Central Building.

Session 2:         Tuesdays, 5 weeks. Time: 7.00pm - 9.00pm. Dates:      9th April 2013 – 7th May 2013.   Location:        Central Building

There will also be a daytime visit to Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, provisionally on 17 May.

Full details and booking at:  http://www.stran.ac.uk/informationabout/courses/professionaldevelopmentlifelonglearning/

6.  MAGS HOPES TO BE FIRST IRISHWOMAN IN SPACE. Mags O'Sullivan from Kerry plans to be the first Irishwoman in space. And she needs your votes to achieve that. She is now in 51st place in a competition to qualify for the next stage at the Lynx Space Academy. The top 200 from UK and Ireland go through to the next stage, involving mental and physical fitness tests. The top four will then go to the Space Academy in Florida to begin their astronaut training.
   Mags manages the Aquadome in Tralee, Co Kerry, as well as studying for a degree at WIT. She is also a qualified pilot, and nurse. The slogan for the competition is "You go away a man and come back a hero". Mags hopes to counter that male bias, and 'go away a woman, and come back a hero'. Vote for her at www.lynxapollo.com/en_IE/26225/mags-o-sullivan. Good luck Mags.
 
7. GALILEO AT ARMAGH OBSERVATORY: THE LIFE OF GALILEO", by Bertolt Brecht, Performed in the Armagh Observatory.
   The Greenwood Players and the Armagh Observatory are presenting in the Armagh Observatory from 22nd to 24th February 2013 the first performance on the island of Ireland of the play "The Life of Galileo" by Bertolt Brecht in a new version by David Hare.
   The story of the Life of Galileo and its central drama of the conflict between science, religion and authority is one that resonates today. As remarked by Ian McDonald, author and Executive Producer with the Greenwood Players, "The Life of Galileo" is a story that needs retelling every generation, especially in a 21st century when we seem to be moving away from science to an authority and belief-based worldview.
   There will be five performances of the play: two matinees at 2.00pm on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th February, and three evening performances at 7.00pm on each of 22nd, 23rd and 24th February.  Tickets, which are strictly limited, cost 12 pounds and are available from 14th January 2013 at http://galileoattheobservatory.eventbrite.co.uk/.
For more information, see: http://star.arm.ac.uk/press/2013/galileo/
 
8. COSMOS 2013: Advance notice: The next COSMOS star party will be held at Tullamore on 12-14 April. More details later
 
9. INTERESTING WEBLINKS: N.B. I don't vouch for the accuracy of all of the following items! TM
 
10. TWITTER: Follow the IAA on Twitter:  @IaaAstro


11. BBC THINGS TO DO WEBSITE: See the forthcoming IAA events on  
http://www.bbc.co.uk/thingstodo. Look under 'Countryfile'.
 
12. JOINING the IRISH ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION is easy: 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

Posted by at 26 comments:

Tuesday, 5 February 2013

Lecture, ISS, Near-Miss update, IAA @ Bangor, Astro-course, Galileo, COSMOS

Hi all,
 
1.  IAA LECTURE: The next IAA public lecture will be on Wednesday 6 February, at 7.30 p.m. It will be given by Prof Lorraine Hanlon, of UCD. Title "The Gloria Project". GLORIA stands for "GLObal Robotic-telescopes Intelligent Array". GLORIA will be the first free and open-access network of robotic telescopes in the world. It will be a Web 2.0 environment where users can do research in astronomy by observing with robotic telescopes, and/or by analysing data that other users have acquired with GLORIA, or from other free access databases, like the European Virtual Observatory (http://www.euro-vo.org). The community is the most important part of GLORIA. Access will be free to everybody who has an Internet connection and a web browser. Therefore it will be open, not only to professional astronomers, but also to anyone with an interest in astronomy. See: www.gloria-project.eu
 Admission is free, including light refreshments, and all are welcome.
This lecture will as usual be in the Bell Lecture theatre, Physics building, main QUB Campus.
 
2. ISS. The International Space Station will commence another series of evening passes over Ireland on 9 February. Details as usual on the excellent and free site: www.heavens-above.com
 
3. Asteroid Very Near Miss: IMPORTANT UPDATE: Note: Heavens-Above.com now provides details for the pass of this object, including a sky map, for your own location. And see at the end of this item. 
  On Feb 15 we will have a very near miss from a 'Near Earth Asteroid', which will come so close to Earth that it will pass inside the orbits of the geostationary satellites! Asteroid 2012 DA14, which is about 50m (165 feet) in diameter will pass about 21,000 miles from the centre of the Earth, or about 17,000 miles above the surface. There is no risk of a collision, but if an object of this size did hit the Earth, the damage would be very significant. 17,000 miles seems like a significant distance, but think of it this way: It's just over twice the diameter of the Earth. If a bullet was to miss your head by just twice your head's diameter, you would think that you had been very very lucky! It will be travelling at 7.8km/sec.
   Closest approach will be at about 18.00, and the object should be visible in binoculars as it speeds past the Earth, with a maximum magnitude of between 7 and 7.5. Since it will be so close, and moving so fast, predictions need to be based on your own location, not geocentric. I'm very grateful to Dr Tolis Christou of Armagh Observatory who has generated an ephemeris for Belfast, giving the RA, Dec, Azimuth, Elevation and magnitude of 2012 DA14 from Belfast ( 54.6000° N, 5.9167° W) for the night of the 15th to the 16th of February 2013 every 5 min. The asteroid rises at 20:00 UT in Virgo, and will move rapidly Northwards through Coma, Canes Venatici, Ursa Major and Draco during its period of best visibility from here. It will remain brighter than mag 10 until 22:20 UT. At that time its altitude is 53 deg.

   This ephemeris is too long and detailed to include here, but I will forward the details to anyone on request. It should be possible to record its motion with a time exposure on a digital camera with a reasonable zoom lens, and set to a high ISO setting.

   This will be the brightest-ever NEO to be observed approaching the vicinity of our planet (<0.1 AU). It is predicted to be 30 times brighter and more than 150 times more massive than the next largest known object to approach as close or closer to our planet in recent years: that one was 2012 MD. 

  (Newly added info regarding using Heavens-above.) Since the asteroid is moving so fast, the H-A site only gives details of the position every half-hour on Feb 15. But you can easily interpolate from those positions. The easiest way to find it will be to pick an easily identifiable spot in the sky, using a good star chart, through which the asteroid will pass when it is still fairly bright. Note when it will pass through that region of the sky. Train your binoculars or wide-field telescope on that area a few minutes before it is due, preferably while you are in a comfortable position to avoid strain, and then wait for the asteroid to appear as a moving point of light. It will be moving almost straight upwards when it first appears above our Eastern horizon, so you are unlikely to confuse it with anything else. If you can mount your binoculars on a tripod which allows you to pan smoothly upwards, that would be handy. But remember if you 'lose' the object for more than a minute in your field of view, you will find it hard to pick it up again!

 
4. IAA Event at Bangor, 16 February - UPDATE. The IAA will be running another of its very popular astronomy evenings, this time at a new venue: the North Down Heritage Centre near Bangor Castle, Co Down. This is not a dark sky location, but we have chosen an evening when both Jupiter and a nice 6-day old Moon will be visible, so there will be spectacular sights for public viewing. There will also be a good pass of the ISS, which should please anyone who hasn't seen it before.
    We will of course have the Stardome shows, which will run whether it's cloudy or clear, and the usual exhibition of telescopes, binoculars, meteorites and other items. Our own local Ulsternaut, Derek Heatly, will be giving an update on the latest details for his flight into space with Virgin Galactic.
   NB: To guarantee a place for one of the Starshows you must book in advance with the ND Heritage Centre.
   Location: Bangor Castle, Castle Park. The Heritage Centre is just behind (South of) the Castle. Access is via Castlepark Avenue and Castlepark Road, or on foot via the Castle grounds by continuing along Castlepark Avenue. GPS: 54deg 39' 21" N; 5 deg 40' 09" W. Tel. 028 9127 1200.
   Start time is now confirmed as 6.30 p.m. 
 
5. ASTRONOMY COURSE at STRANMILLIS COLLEGE, BELFAST. I will be delivering a two part course, introduction to astronomy, as follows:

Astronomy:  Our place in the Universe

Looking to the sky for the first time you may feel overwhelmed and confused by the spectacle of thousands of stars above your head.  Astronomy is a great gateway science that can inspire you to do great things!  Participants will gain enjoyment from exploring the wonders of the night sky.  The topics covered include Greek mythology, Egyptian and Babylonian cosmology, Astrobiology, Quantum Physics, Terrestrial and Jovian planets and Solar System to help us understand our place in the cosmos.  This is a great way for the community to come together and take a fresh look at our night sky.....it belongs to us all.  No experience necessary and questions encouraged! 

Tutor:             Terry Moseley, Time:              7.00pm - 9.00pm

Session 1:         Tuesdays, 5 weeks; dates:      19th February 2013 – 19th March 2013 

Location:        Central Building.

Session 2:         Tuesdays, 5 weeks. Time: 7.00pm - 9.00pm. Dates:      9th April 2013 – 7th May 2013.   Location:        Central Building

There will also be a daytime visit to Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, provisionally on 17 May.

Full details and booking at:  http://www.stran.ac.uk/informationabout/courses/professionaldevelopmentlifelonglearning/

6. GALILEO AT ARMAGH OBSERVATORY: THE LIFE OF GALILEO", by Bertolt Brecht, Performed in the Armagh Observatory.
   The Greenwood Players and the Armagh Observatory are presenting in the Armagh Observatory from 22nd to 24th February 2013 the first performance on the island of Ireland of the play "The Life of Galileo" by Bertolt Brecht in a new version by David Hare.
   The story of the Life of Galileo and its central drama of the conflict between science, religion and authority is one that resonates today. As remarked by Ian McDonald, author and Executive Producer with the Greenwood Players, "The Life of Galileo" is a story that needs retelling every generation, especially in a 21st century when we seem to be moving away from science to an authority and belief-based worldview.
   There will be five performances of the play: two matinees at 2.00pm on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th February, and three evening performances at 7.00pm on each of 22nd, 23rd and 24th February.  Tickets, which are strictly limited, cost 12 pounds and are available from 14th January 2013 at http://galileoattheobservatory.eventbrite.co.uk/.
For more information, see: http://star.arm.ac.uk/press/2013/galileo/
 
7. COSMOS 2013: Advance notice: The next COSMOS star party will be held at Tullamore on 12-14 April. More details later
 
8. INTERESTING WEBLINKS: 
 
9. TWITTER: Follow the IAA on Twitter:  @IaaAstro


10. BBC THINGS TO DO WEBSITE: See the forthcoming IAA events on  
http://www.bbc.co.uk/thingstodo. Look under 'Countryfile'.
 
11. JOINING the IRISH ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION is easy: 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

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