Friday, 26 August 2016

Photo Exhib, ASE, INAM, Star Trek is 50, PLE, Podcasts, IAA Lecture, Mercury

Hi all,
(Firstly, apologies for long silence: various internet software problems - as you can see from the weird layout below!)
1. AstroPhoto Exhibition, Linenhall Library, Belfast, until 30 Sep. We're delighted to have in Belfast the amazingly popular and successful astrophoto exhibition that featured recently in Dublin. This runs until 30 September. Free admission. A MUST SEE!
2. Annular solar eclipse, Africa, 1 Sep. This is only visible in Africa, Madagascar, S. Arabia, and parts of the Atlantic and Indian oceans. I'm off shortly to Tanzania to see it - more when I get back!
3. INAM 2016, UCD, 7-9 Sep: The 3rd Irish National Astronomy Meeting (INAM 2016) will be held between Wednesday 7th and Friday 9th September 2016 in UCD. Currently it is expected that the meeting will consist of themed science sessions over two full days, Thursday 8th and Friday 9th, with a welcome reception the evening of 7th and conference dinner on Thursday 8th.
NB, this is a professional level event, but members of societies affiliated to the ASGI, such as the IAA, are welcome to attend.
4. 50th anniversary of Star Trek, 8 Sep: the first broadcast of the first episode of the classic "Star Trek" TV series was on the 8th of September 1966.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_Trap. (Thanks to Brian Beesley for this - I remember it well, in B&W!)
5. Penumbral Lunar Eclipse, 16 Sep. Visible when underway at Moonrise. A very slight darkening of the N limb of the Moon may just be visible
6. Recent Podcasts by Kevin Nolan of the Planetary Society: From Kevin -
Two 'online outputs' I've been involved with recently as Coordinator to Ireland for The Planetary Society, are a Podcast about Mars Exploration run by the Irish Times, and a blog I've just written targeted at the non-expert (and expert alike) about the Proxima Centauri planet discovery.
Irish Times Podcast with Kevin Nolan of The Planetary Society about Mars Exploration: http://www.irishtimes.com/news/science/podcast-why-humans-must-go-to-mars-1.2760615
Blog about the Proxima Centauri Planet discovery offering background details, and thoughts on the science, sociological and future impact of the discovery. the blog aimed at non-expert and expert alike: http://planetarie.wordpress.com
7. IAA Opening Public Lecture Meeting, 21 Sep; Prof Alan Fitzsimmons of QUB, will be the star opening speaker, on the Topic "Sungrazing Comets - Falling Into Hell"
8. Autumn Equinox, 22 Sep at 15.21 BST/IST. Start of Autumn in N. Hemisphere.
9. Mercury visible in morning sky from late Sep to Mid Oct - See Stardust for details
10. Mercury just above thin crescent Moon before sunrise, 29 Sep. Look from about 30 to 45 mts before local sunrise.
11. Rosetta Impacts Comet 67P, 30 Sep. This amazing spacecraft will make a very gentle touchdown, or 'controlled crash', on Comet Churyumov - Gerasimenko, sending back data as it descends. The end to a fantastically successful mission.
12: World Space Week, 4 - 10 October. Various activities.
13. Blue Shift, Dublin, 7-8 October. See http://www.smartfutures.ie/resources/events/blueshift-2016
14. Stargazing at Silent Valley, Mourne Mountains, 8 October: The IAA has been invited back to this really dark sky site for another stargazing evening. More details later.
15. Armagh Observatory event at Beaghmore Stone Circles, Co Tyrone, 15 October. More details later.
16. Uranus at opposition in Pisces. See Stardust for details.
17. Mayo Dark Sky Festival, 27-30 October Ronan Newman asked me to mention this new link to the Mayo Dark Sky Festival website https://mayodarkskyfestival.wordpress.com/. They now have an official IDA Gold Tier Dark Sky Park award for this site in Mayo see http://darksky.org/idsp/parks/mayo/

18. IAA Telescopes for loan: The IAA has telescopes available to borrow, for any paid up member Enquiries to David Stewart david.stewart22@ntlworld.com or Andy McCrea s.mccrea980@btinternet.com

19. Interesting Weblinks.

ASTROPHYSICS

Gas discovered round larger stars. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/08/160825102322.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Ftop_news%2Ftop_science+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Top+Science+News%29

Using FRBs to explain Dark Matter: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/08/160824160255.htm

New light on Blazars: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/08/160824144027.htm

Galaxy clusters control star formation: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/08/160824135521.htm

http://www.techinsider.io/new-mars-reconnaissance-orbiter-hirise-photos-2016-8 some gorgeous imagery from Mars just released. (Thanks to Colin Huet for this)
SPACE:
NASA re-establishes contact with Stereo-B https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/08/160823172418.htm
20. TWITTER Follow the IAA on Twitter: @IaaAstro.
21. JOINING the IRISH ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION is easy: This link downloads a Word document to join the IAA. http://documents.irishastro.org.uk/iaamembership.doc
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Clear skies,
Terry Moseley


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