1. IAA Public Lecture Meeting, Wed 18 January: 'Cosmic Lighthouses: Supernovae and the Dark Universe' , by Dr Kate Maguire, QUB
FREE REFRESHMENTS in the form of the usual biccies, tea and coffee.
TIME: 7.30 p.m., Bell Lecture Theatre, Physics Building, QUB.
Free admission, including light refreshments. Free parking on QUB campus after 5.30 p.m. http://irishastro.org.uk/
2. Heavens Above: AstroPhoto Exhibition.
OPENING TIMES - CORRECTION: Mon - Fri, 9.30 a.m. to 9.30 p.m. Saturday, 9.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m.
3. ISS The ISS will commence a new series of evening passes on 30 January
4. Galway Astrofest, 28 January, Westwood Hotel. Another top programme this year:
Friday evening, 27 Jan: Observing at Club's dark Sky site at Bearna, if clear.
Sat 28th Jan, Lecture Program
0900 – 1000: Registration
1000 – 1015: Opening Address and Welcome
1015 – 1115: Exploring the Cosmos – The View from Hubble and Beyond. Dr. Deirdre Coffey, Assistant Professor, School of Physics, UCD
1115 – 1215: A Mayan Adventure in Historical Astronomy, Dr. David Asher, Armagh Observatory & Planetarium.
1230 – 1400: Lunch break and workshops
1400 – 1500: An Introduction to Space Law and the Challenges It Faces. Dr. Zeldine O'Brien, Barrister & Lecturer.
1500 – 1600: Robotic Exploration of the Solar System. Dr. Wesley Fraser, Queens University Belfast
1600 – 1630: Tea & Coffee
1630 - 1730: The Patrick Moore Memorial Lecture: ET- Where are you? Terry Moseley, Irish Astronomical Association.
1730 – 1830: Guided Tour of the NUIG Astrophysics Observatory
1830 – 2000: Astrofest Evening Meal
2000 - Fiendishly Difficult (only kidding) Table Quiz.
Tickets:
Guests: €25. Club Members: €15. Students/OAP: €15 Children (U16): Free
Evening Dinner: €30
Another new exhibitor:
Another group attending the Festival on Saturday the 28th January will be the Irish Rocketry association. This Galway-based group are dedicated to all things rockety, and hold regular launches around Galway and elsewhere throughout the country.
In addition to providing information about the group and future launches, they will have a range of rockets, both large and small, on display in the exhibitor hall.
Irish Rocketry are a family-focused organisation, and all their events are family-friendly.
Exhibitor Update :Big Bear Planetariums.
We're also delighted to be joined by Big Bear Planetariums who will be setting up one of their mobile planetarium domes and running shows for both adults and kids throughout the day on Saturday the 27th Jan. These shows bring the wonders of the solar system and galaxy tight into the room, and enable viewers to embark on a voyage of discovery without even leaving the dome.
Shows will run throughout the day and are completely free for festival attendees. Alternatively, people who may wish just to see a show in the planetarium and not attend the festival as a whole can purchase tickets separately. Shows will run hourly from 1100 am to 3.00 pm.
See also 365 Days Of Astronomy: It's time for Totality 2017 | 365 Days of Astronomy and https://www.sciencedaily.com/
And Fred Espenak presents a Sky & Telescope live webinar on Jan. 12 at 7:00 pm EST) titled "How to Photograph the Great American Total Eclipse of 2017." If you can't attend the live event you can also stream it later. For complete details see: http://www.shopatsky.com/how-
7. NEW SHOW AT ARMAGH PLANETARIUM, commences 4 February: "Journey to a Billion Suns"
The age-old history of measuring the stars and a stunning journey through our Milky Way emerge in a modern astronomy show about stars, space science and the distances in the Universe. This brand new 4K show has been produced with ESA and 30 planetariums. It will commence at Armagh Planetarium on Saturday 4th February 2017 at 4pm. Tickets can be pre-booked on 028 37523689.
8. Venus, aka 'The Evening Star' getting higher and brighter. Venus is now very prominent in the SW in early evening twilight as it moves out from the Sun, and the angle of the ecliptic improves for us in these latitudes. It completely outshines its neighbour but one, Mars, which lies about a third of the length of the 'Plough', or 'Big Dipper', away to the upper left. Venus is now almost as bright as it ever gets, at magnitude -4.5, and can be seen in daylight if you know just where to look.
9. IAA Stargazing at QUB: The IAA, in conjunction with the ARC at QUB, will be holding a public observing evening at the main campus in QUB, as part of the NI Science Festival. this will be on the first clear evening on the eveningfs of 20, 21 or 22 February. Check the IAA website in advance for confirmation of the event taking place on any of those evenings. If it is the 22nd, it will take place AFTER the next event.
10. Major Lecture on the Geology of Mars, Wed 22 February, 6.30 p.m.: "EXPLORING THE RED PLANET - ADVENTURES OF THE CURIOSITY ROVER" by Professor Sanjeev Gupta, Imperial College, London. "Since the first flyby in 1965 Mars has been extensively explored by orbiters, landers and rovers and today we know a great deal about the planet's surface, atmosphere and geological history. This lecture will focus on the results from the most recent NASA Mars Science Laboratory mission - THE 'CURIOSITY' ROVER MISSION. It will also look forward to the upcoming European mission." Professor Gupta is a FIELD GEOLOGIST AND expert on Mars GEOLOGY. He is A SCIENCE TEAM MEMBER AND long term science planner on NASA's Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover mission which is currently exploring Gale Crater. He has published extensively both on Martian and terrestrial geology.
11. Life as an astronaut, for schools: Mon 20 - Fri 24 February
10:00am - 12:00pm:Suitability: Key Stages 1, 2 & 3. For bookings contact 02837 523689
Armagh Planetarium will be running very special 2-hour sessions for students which focus on the everyday life of an Astronaut! During these sessions, students will be treated to a special theatre show about what it takes to be an astronaut. After the show, the students will experience two workshops. One workshop will be building our famous water rockets to inspire budding rocket engineers, the other will focus on the details of an astronauts life today and in the future and will include experiments which will test the students to see if they have what it takes to become an astronaut!
12. Niamh Shaw at Armagh Planetarium Saturday 25th February 2017
We are very excited to have the amazing and funny Dr Niamh Shaw at the planetarium during the NI Science festival! Dr Niamh Shaw, an Irish performer, scientist and engineer, is passionate about awakening people's curiosity and she is coming to Armagh Planetarium. Niamh is passionate about all things Space and plans to get to Space within the next 8 years. Attending the International Space University's annual Space Studies Programme in 2015 in association with NASA, she was selected as a crew member on Crew 173 Mars analog mission, in January 2017 in the Utah desert in partnership with The Mars Society. Come meet Niamh here at Armagh Planetarium and hear her thoughts on her trip to Utah and what it will take to become the first Irish Astronaut!
Niamh will be doing 2 presentations during the day, at 1pm and at 3pm. Tickets cost £2 each. Pre-booking is essential. To book call 02837523689 or via private message on Facebook. There is limited availability.
13. Cassini Scientist for a Day Essay Contest
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, has announced the 2016–17 staging of its Cassini Scientist for a Day essay contest. Since the Cassini mission to Saturn will be ending on 15 September 2017, this will most likely be the last essay contest for the Cassini mission, for which students are asked to write an essay of up to 500 words about one of three possible imaging targets that the Cassini spacecraft has observed during the past few years. Winners and their classes are invited to participate in a teleconference with Cassini scientists from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The deadline for entries is 24 February 2017.
For contest rules, a flyer, frequently asked questions, and more information, please visit:
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/
14. Fly A Rocket: The European Space Agency is looking for students for its new "Fly a Rocket!" programme. ESA's Education Office is looking for twenty students to participate in an online course about rocketry. Following completion of the course, the students will have the opportunity to take part in a full launch campaign at the Andoya Space Center in Northern Norway, and to launch a rocket. The course is aimed at younger university students, and it is accepting applications from education, media, and management students, showing that careers in the space sector do not necessarily require a detailed technical or mathematical background. Learn more about the program here: http://www.esa.int/Education/
Odysseus is a European space science contest for young people, where three age groups are eligible to participate: Skywalkers (primary school pupils), Pioneers (secondary school pupils) and Explorers (university students). The contest is organised in three rounds — National, Regional and pan-European — that will be held in Toulouse, France in July 2017. The competition offers a unique learning experience for everyone involved, allowing students to push the boundaries of their knowledge by answering fundamental scientific questions.
Learn more about it here and explore the official website: https://www.odysseus-contest.
16. FUTURE EVENTS ALERT: Note the dates:
* N.I. Science Festival: 16 - 26 February. The NISF is back for a third year! And it's the biggest one yet. . Programme update now at nisciencefestival.com. You can now book for some of these events.
* Messier Marathon Fri Mar 24, 2017 at 2 PM to Sat Mar 25, 2017 at 11 PM, at Ballinskelligs, Co Kerry. See https://www.facebook.com/
* COSMOS 2017: 31 March to 02 April. Athlone.
* Global Astronomy Month: April 2017. More information: http://www.
* ISSP: Major Event: The International Space Studies Programme (SSP) will be coming to Ireland next year. It will be based at Cork Institute of Technology, running from 26 June to 25 August.
* International Symposium on Astronomy and Astrobiology Education: 3–8 July 2017; Utrecht, Netherlands. More Information: http://ise2a.uu.nl/
17. IAA Telescopes for loan: The IAA has telescopes available to borrow, for any paid up member Enquiries to Andy McCrea: s.mccrea980@btinternet.com
18: Interesting Weblinks: (Disclaimer - Use of material herein from various sources does not imply approval or otherwise of the opinions, political or otherwise, of those sources)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/
SPACE:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/
UFO's ALIENS, CONSPIRACY THEORIES, End of the World:
20. JOINING the IRISH ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION: This link downloads a Word document to join the IAA. http://documents.irishastro.
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. You can also make a donation via Paypal if you wish: just click on the 'Donate' button. See also www.irishastro.org.
Clear skies,
Terry Moseley
No comments:
Post a Comment