Wednesday, 22 February 2017

Lecture tonit, Exoplanets, Dungannon, NISF, More talks, St Pat's Day events, etc

Hi all,

 

1.SPYING ON THE NEIGHBOURS! 22 February - CANCELLED. Because of adverse weather forecast, this event has had to be canceled

 
2. 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.
This Lecture is jointly hosted by the IAA, Belfast Geologists Society, and The Geological Society Northern Ireland Regional Group, as part of N.I. Science Festival . Larmor Lecture Theatre, Physics building, QUB, 6.30 p.m.
BOOKING - via the NISF website: nisciencefestival.com. Or turn up - there will almost certainly be some spare seats.

 

3. Major NASA announcement re Exoplanets this evening:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4243116/Mystery-NASA-press-conference-announce-major-discovery.html Maybe a multiple system with lots of planets? Or the first Earth twin orbiting Sun twin in habitable zone? Or the first planet with oxygen in atmosphere? Press conference at 6 p.m. our time. Should be interesting!

 

4. 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 all of these events. Although some are booked out, there are always some 'No-shows', so you can often get access by paying at the door (if there is a charge) if there are seats vacant as the event is about to start.

 

5. Venus, aka 'The Evening Star' still high and bright. Venus is still very  prominent  in the SW in early evening twilight but is now starting to move in closer to the Sun as we see it as it heads towards inferior conjunction in late March. However, the angle of the ecliptic to the horizon is still increasing for us in these latitudes, and further, Venus is moving gradually further North of the ecliptic as we see it. These factor all combine to keep it well up in the darkening sky, at least for another few weeks. more on what happens after that in later bulletins! It is now just about peak brightness, at mag -4.6, and completely outshines neighbouring, Mars, which lies less than a third of the length of the 'Plough', or 'Big Dipper', away to the upper left. Venus can be seen in daylight if you know just where to look.

  Venus's phase is now noticeably decreasing as it moves between Earth and Sun: it's now about 25% similar to a 3 day old Moon, but that will decrease to only 16% by 1 March.

 

6. Friday 24 February Department of Physics at Maynooth University: Lecture entitled "The Surprising Look of Massive Stars before Death", by Prof Jose Groh of TCD: 16.00h in the Physics Chemistry Theatre, Science Building, North Campus (off Kilcock Road).

 

7. IAS meeting, 27 Feb. Ely House,  Monday at 8pm. John Flannery will give a talk on "Naked Eye Observing", and Mick McCreary will outline the work he has been doing over the past year installing a telescope and dome in his back garden.

 

The superb exhibition of locally taken astro-photographs, which had very successful runs in the Linenhall Library In Belfast, and Clotworthy Arts Centre in Antrim, and the Island Arts Centre in Lisburn will transfer to the St Patrick's centre, Downpatrick, from 28 Feb - 31 March. Thanks again to Bernie Brown for setting this up.

8. Heavens Above: AstroPhoto Exhibition.

 

9. 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.

 

10. Irish Film documentary on Voyager Mission, 26 Feb.

I am the producer of a brand new Irish documentary called 'The Farthest'. The documentary tells the story of the Voyager space mission which will be screened for the first time as part of the Dublin International
Film Festival on 26 February at 2pm.
   We are delighted to share the link to The Farthest Facebook page if you think your members and friends would be interested to learn of our film https://www.facebook.com/thefarthestfilm
   We will be posting brand new teasers and a trailer in the coming days. The tickets are apparently selling fast and we would love to see some Astronomy enthusiasts in our audience so I am just letting you know as soon as possible.
   If people are interested to come to the screening, the tickets can be bought here: www.diff.ie/festival/film/the-farthest.  Crossing The Line Productions, IRE +353 87 772 6236, Skype zlatafilipovic

11. (New) IAA Public outreach event, St Patrick's Academy, Dungannon, 3 March. We will be holding another event at this school, beginning at 7.30 p.m. Observing with the school's own 14" Celestron and our own telescopes if clear, plus starshows in the stardome mobile planetarium, courtesy of Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, plus exhibition, meteorites, and 'fix your telescope help'. Book with the school for the stardome shows.

 

12. New Events: St Patrick's Day events, Armagh Observatory and Planetarium

A. 11.15 a.m., Public lecture on recent developments in astronomy, Market Place Theatre, Armagh. Suitable for all. Free, but must be pre-booked at www.saintpatrickscountry.com

B. Armagh Observatory Tour, 2.30 p.m. £7, children free. Must be pre-booked at www.saintpatrickscountry.com 

 

13. Sidewalk astronomy, Dublin, 3 & 4 March;

The IAS's next Sidewalk Astronomy sessions are scheduled for the evenings of Friday 3rd and Saturday 4th March at Sandymount and Clontarf respectively - see their Facebook page for details.

 

14. NSS Art Competition: The National Space Society (NSS) is looking for student artists to create original illustrations for the NSS Roadmap to Space Settlement. Submitted artwork should realistically illustrate one of 2017's two themes: People Living and Working in Space Settlements or Medicine and Medical Manufacturing in Space. By realistic, the organisation means as accurate as possible both in science and engineering terms and as closely as possible to what a real space settlement would look like. The contest is open to all full-time students between the ages of 12 and 25. Deadline for submissions is 16 March 2017 (at 11:59 pm UT). Learn more about the contest here: http://www.nss.org/settlement/calendar/index.htm  

 

15. 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/Scientist-For-A-Day. 

16. 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/ESA_Academy/ESA_looking_for_students_for_its_new_Fly_a_Rocket!_programme  And also see the UK Youth Build a Rocket Challenge http://www.ukayroc.org.uk/

17. Odysseus Space Science Challenge
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.eu/  

18. Total Solar Eclipse, USA, 21 August: Lots of people are asking about seeing this eclipse - the most accessible one for many years to come. See http://eclipsewise.com/solar/SEnews/TSE2017/TSE2017.html. If you haven't already made your arrangements, or plans, you might be interested in the following: Ulster Travel have already booked accommodation along the track, and depending on demand they will run a trip, provisionally to be led by Terence Murtagh, former Director of Armagh Planetarium. Contact http://ulstertravel.com/ 2 Church St, Dungannon, Co. Tyrone, BT71 6AB Tel: 028 87722985 (Intl +44 28 87722985), Email: info@ulstertravel.com. Contact them ASAP if you are interested. Ulster Travel did the travel arrangements for the very successful IAA eclipse trip to Bulgaria in 1999.

See also 365 Days Of Astronomy: It's time for Totality 2017 | 365 Days of Astronomy and https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170105133842.htm 

   The weather prospects are much better on the West side of the Mississippi - see: http://eclipsophile.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Cloudgraph-MODIS.jpg

19. FUTURE EVENTS ALERT: Note the Updates:

* Global Astronomy Month:  April 2017. More information: http://www.astronomerswithoutborders.org/ 

* 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/Kerry-Dark-Sky-Ltd-228216127519893/

* COSMOS 2017: 31 March to 02 April. Athlone.

* Earth Day / March for Science, April 22: In view of the latest attacks on science, this would be an opportunity to stand up and show support for science and scientists. It is hoped that something will be organised locally, in both Belfast and Dublin. More later. https://www.facebook.com/marchforscience/

* European Week of Astronomy and Space Science (EWASS): 26–30 June 201,: Prague, Czech Republic. More information: http://eas.unige.ch/EWASS2017/about.jsp 

* 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/ 

* International Observe the Moon Night, 28 October 2017. More Information: http://observethemoonnight.org/ 

 

20. IAA Telescopes for loan: The IAA has telescopes available to borrow, for any paid up member Enquiries to Andy McCrea: s.mccrea980@btinternet.com

21: 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)

ASTROPHYSICS:
Similar radial acceleration in galaxies https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170217012502.htm 
Brightest neutron star's multipolar magnetic field https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170221161532.htm 
 
EARTH & MOON:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4239526/Top-Nasa-scientist-wants-Moon-turned-PLANET.html 
Silly publicity stunt. He's making astronomy a laughing stock! Counter suggestion - let's make Jupiter a star, as it emits more energy than it receives from the Sun!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4084812/Astronaut-Don-Pettit-reveals-best-space-snaps.html 
Nice view of Iberia. But there seem to be ever fewer places there where you get dark skies. And what's just as amazing are the 'light-pollution trails' of towns and cities on Earth, often peppered with bright blue-white lightning flashes.
Earth to be habitable for 1.75bn years  https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/09/130918211434.htm 
Just wondering - how do you measure the 'massiveness' of a 'lifetime'? Not the best adjective....
Origin of 'meteor noises'? https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170220192702.htm But these sounds are sometimes heard accompanying ordinary 'bright meteors', i.e. as bright as Sirius or Jupiter or even Venus, but nowhere near bright enough to affect nearby surfaces. Something else must be involved.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4227220/Earth-NOT-ready-asteroid-impact-expert-warns.html 
I'm still wondering how plucking a large boulder off an asteroid and placing it in orbit around the Moon is a 'stepping stone to a manned mission to Mars'. Can anyone explain?
 
EXOPLANETS:
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170214130545.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Ftop_news%2Ftop_science+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Top+Science+News%29 Two little errors here - the first caption wrongly says that the star is an exoplanet! And the star's surface is much too hot to be molten - it's a plasma, not a liquid.
 

SOLAR SYSTEM:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4246392/Planet-Nine-breakthrough-study-backs-hidden-planet.html Another piece in the jigsaw. I reckon they'll find it within 5 years....

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4242048/Mars-moons-creating-rings-planet.html 

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/europa-lander-mission-takes-another-step-toward-reality 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4197980/Martian-atmosphere-did-NOT-CO2-warm-planet.html 

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/nasa-dawn-spacecraft-ingredients-for-life-ceres_uk_58a6ee40e4b037d17d26dcf3, and https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170216144033.htm - as I was told in advance by the wonderful Monica Grady at the NISF!

Signs for water site on Mars, by TCD https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170215084044.htm

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4228890/Stunning-image-reveals-glimpse-Mars-watery-past.html 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4229140/NASA-launches-website-armchair-astronomers.html 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4228420/NASA-image-highlights-thumbs-shaped-dune-field-Mars.html Ignore the pareidolia and enjoy the pics.

Different flavours of iron throughout SS https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170220134741.htm

 

SPACE:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4243234/Elon-Musk-s-Mars-plans-delayed-2020.html 
Elon, if you hope to land on Mars, you need to employ better staff! Regarding your second Instagram pic, the shadows are totally wrong - too short, and in the wrong direction! 5 out of 10 for that.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4240562/Britain-s-spaceports-set-lift-off.html I wish them luck, but as stated before, unfortunately the UK is not the best location for a spaceport.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4229282/Trouser-airlock-wins-30-000-NASA-space-poop-challenge.html On the way to Mars, they'll have to bring all their poop with them so they have plenty of fertiliser to grow their spuds!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4226688/The-tourism-space-race-heats-Russia-enters.html Now if only the exchange rate against the Rouble would improve!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4229002/Could-Donald-Trump-send-man-moon.html 

A race between USA and China for next boots on the Moon?

 

Telescopes, instruments

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170216110820.htm QUB's ARC has had one of these for several years!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4234572/We-image-BLACK-HOLE.html It's actually called Sagittarius A*, pronounced "Sagittarius A-Star"

Proposed cellphone search for galactic FRBs https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170214162802.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Ftop_news%2Ftop_science+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Top+Science+News%29 

 

UFO's ALIENS, CONSPIRACY THEORIES, End of the World, etc:

I love these guys! The best free comedy material on the internet! But BTW, that eclipse illustration is ridiculous - you can't see even the brightest stars in the sky while even a few percent of the Sun's disc is still visible.
 
22. TWITTER Follow the IAA on Twitter: @IaaAstro.

 

23. JOINING the IRISH ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION: This link downloads a Word document to join the IAA. http://documents.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. 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




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