Hi all,
1. NEW. Partial Lunar Eclipse at Moonrise, July 16.
This eclipse is only partly visible from Ireland, as the eclipse is already underway as the Moon rises. Maximum eclipse, of 66%, occurs at 22h 30m 26s BST, when the Moon is only 3.7º above the horizon from Belfast, and 5.7º up from Dublin. The Moon leaves the umbra (the main darkest part of the shadow) at 23h 59m 46s BST, and leaves the penumbra at 01h 19m 09s, when its altitude has reached 13º. Viewers in the SE corner of the island will get the best view, with the Moon 6.5º up from Wexford at mid eclipse.
The upper part of the Moon will be the part obscured, and since the rest of the Moon will be in the penumbra, or fainter outer part of the Earth's shadow, the whole Moon will appear dimmer than usual.
The Moon will be low down, in Sagittarius, in the 'Teapot' asterism, near Phi Sgr, mag 3.1, and you'll need a very clear view to the SE horizon to see all of the eclipse that's visible from your own location. The azimuth at moonrise will be approx 140º.
2. Saturn just past Opposition.
The most beautiful planet in the sky, and probably the most beautiful of all celestial sights, it's very low down, in Sagittarius, making seeing conditions poor. But it has now passed its most southerly point, and each successive year for the next 13 years will see it climb higher in our sky. We can watch as faster moving Jupiter gradually catches up with it, leading to a VERY close conjunction on 2020 Dec 21.
I never tire of having a look in any telescope. The rings are still very wide open, and this helps to make the planet a bit brighter than its average magnitude. . It's about magnitude 0.1, comparable to Arcturus, Capella or Vega, but will appear fainter as it's so low down. Look for the main gap in the Rings, the Cassini Division, and in a good telescope with steady seeing you may spot the Encke Division in the outer ring.
Also look for the satellites: Titan is the biggest and brightest, and 2nd biggest in the SS, and is visible in any telescope, and is visible even in good binocs when at elongation from Saturn. Look on July 18, 27, Aug 3, 11/12, 19 and 27. Rhea can be spotted in even a 60mm refractor when well placed. Dione and Tethys are fainter and closer in, and the latter can be a challenge in most amateur telescopes at present. The next easiest target is Iapetus, but only when it's at greatest W elongation from Saturn, when it reaches 10th magnitude. It's then about twice as far from Saturn as Titan ever gets, so it's not overwhelmed by the brightness of Saturn itself. Its next greatest W elongation will be on July 15.
Also in the days around opposition, you may see the rings shine a little brighter than in the weeks before and after opposition. This is a consequence of the Seeliger effect, the temporary disappearance from our point of view of the shadows of the tiny ice particles that make up the rings.
3. Astrophoto Exhibition, mark 2. To mark the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing, the Irish Astronomical Society is pleased to present 60 stunning images of the Moon, planets and other night sky objects at the Phoenix Park Visitor Centre during the month of July.
There will also be a special public talk titled "Apollo 11 - To the Moon and Back, Half a Century ago" by Paul Evans arranged for the 27th July at 11am at the same venue.
4. Apollo 11 Documentary recommended The Apollo 11 docu-film is based on remastered and recoloured original filming from a whole variety of sources mixed to give the story from launch to landing; the footage is brilliantly restored.... worth a second look. (Per Andy McCrea)
5. ISS: The ISS commenced another series of morning passes on 4 July, which will gradually transition to both morning and evening passes which will continue until 2 August.
Meanwhile, the 'train' of Starlink satellites is currently visible, although much more spread out now. Details of both ISS and Starlink for your own location, and lots more info on space and astronomy, on www.heavens-above.com.
If you want to check for transits of the ISS across the Sun or the Moon which occur somewhere near you, visit http://transit-finder.com
6. Apollo 11 Remembered, 18 July, 3 p.m. Bangor Library. Public talk by Paul Evans, IAA.
Therfe's also an exhibition of Apollo memorabilia running through the month of July – well worth seeing, as well as the talk, of course.
7. For Sale: 16" Revelation Dobsonian reflector Never really used - It is literally out of the box new. This is a big and powerful telescope, suitable for a keen observer or an astronomy club etc The new price is around £1500. For sale at £850 delivered. Contact Dr Andy McCrea of North Down Telescopes, email s.mccrea980@btinternet.com,
8. Festival of Curiosity, Dublin. July 18 – 21, 2019. Programme now available at
www.festivalofcuriosity.ie/programme
9. NEW. Apollo 11 celebrations in Cork, july 19 - 21.
Apollo fever is taking Cork City by storm, as CIT Blackrock Castle Observatory lead celebrations of the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing. While RTÉ are broadcasting a live commemorative show from the observatory itself on Saturday the 20th July, the observatory team will bring the space experience to the heart of the city by transforming Nano Nagle Place and St Peter's Cork into The Moon and The Earth respectively for the whole weekend.
Take part in a "Moon Walk" and travel between the two locations on a scaled-down walking tour that emulates the iconic mission. Enjoy a bumper schedule of events at each location, including special planetarium shows, workshops, and guest speakers.
An exciting element of the celebrations is the installation of a Space-themed mural by award winning Irish street artist, and 2019 European Space Agency Artist in Residence, Shane Sutton. Funded through Cork City Council's City Centre Placemaking Fund to "enhance, improve and enliven people's experience of Cork city centre" the artwork "Loves Me, Loves Me Not" appears at Cornmarket Centre.
"These celebrations are an important reminder of humanity's most daring and impressive achievement" says Dr Niall Smith, Head of CIT Blackrock Castle Observatory. "I know that seeing this event live had a deeply profound impact on me, and here at the observatory, we're hoping that these anniversary celebrations will serve to rekindle that inspirational spirit for a generation that wasn't lucky enough to see this incredible moment first-hand".
In honour of the iconic anniversary, the observatory will host a brand-new exhibit from July 22nd, on all things Apollo. They will also be opening up a whole new area that allows visitors to observe some of the real-time research taking place in their labs.
To find out more about the celebrations in Cork, visit www.bco.ie/events/cork-moon-walk/
10. July 19, Stargazing at Dunsink. Details at www.dias.ie/event
11. Moon on the Mall, Armagh; 20 & 21 July. Part of AOP's celebrations of 50th anniversary of Apollo 11.
12. IAU100: Moon Landing 50th Anniversary - Let's All Observe the Moon!
Date: 20 July 2019 Location: All around the world
More information: https://www.iau-100.org/moon-landing-anniversary
The Moon will be waning gibbous, and not rising until about midnight, but at least some spectacular formations will be visible for those prepared to stay up late!
13. Mayo event: SATURDAY 20 JULY 2019, 12 noon; The W Cinema | Westport | County Mayo. Talk: 'HOW WE GOT TO THE MOON AND BACK'
"Fifty years ago, the most ambitious scientific project ever undertaken by humanity reached its climax as three men set out to walk on the Moon. It was the culmination of a vision set out nine years earlier by President John F Kennedy. In this talk, amateur historian and astronomer Brian MacGabhann will examine the logistical, scientific and technological challenges which had to be overcome, the remarkable talent and courage it demanded, and the way in which a project born out of conflict and hostility united humanity across the globe; if only for a brief moment"
Price: Adults : €5, Children : FREE [under 16, accompanied by an adult] (admission by ticket only)
To book: Visit www.mayodarkskyfestival.ie, or Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/moon-landing-50th-anniversary-tickets-64127821039
14. Birr Theatre & Arts Centre; Starcamp Summer Camps. (NB: check this – may be cancelled?)
Mon 12 – Fri 16 August
To Book- 0214377900, www.starcamp.ie
15. Skellig Star Party, Ballinskelligs, Co Kerry, Aug 24 – 25. see www.skelligstarparty.com
16. Asteroid flyby, 9 September
https://earthsky.org/space/asteroid-2006-qv89-strike-earth-september-2019?utm_source=EarthSky+News&utm_campaign=2e143f4e51-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_02_02_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c643945d79-2e143f4e51-394571661 Note that I didn't headline this "near-miss", or "close flyby". A distance of nearly 7 million km is not close, unless we're talking about something the size of Vesta, and then only in relative terms! This one is only about 30-40km in diameter. And whatever the actual statistics say, in practice the collision risk from asteroid 2006 QV89, is zero, because the orbital calculations could be slightly in error, but not by 7 million km! And even if some unknown external factor was to alter its orbit significantly, the chances that it would change EXACTLY in our direction, and by EXACTLY the right amount to hit a target only 12,800 km in diameter, are negligible. So it will be of interest, but the risk is zero.
17. IRELAND TO NAME EXOPLANET!
As part of the International Astronomical Union's 100 year Anniversary celebrations, Ireland will get to name an exoplanet!
IAU100 NameExoWorlds gives every country in the world the opportunity to name an exoplanet and its host star. Ireland has been assigned the honour of giving a popular name to HAT-P-36, an exoplanet 1.8 times Jupiter's mass, in Canes Venatici. The planet's host star is similar in age and mass to our Sun.
Within the framework of its 100th anniversary commemorations, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) is organising the IAU100 NameExoWorlds global competition that allows any country in the world to give a popular name to a selected exoplanet and its host star. Over 70 countries have already signed up to organise national campaigns that will provide the public with an opportunity to vote. The aim of this initiative is to create awareness of our place in the Universe and to reflect on how the Earth would potentially be perceived by a civilisation on another planet.
The public competition will open in mid-July, and close during World Space Week in October.
[My initial reaction – as the star is in Canes Venatici, home to M51, the Whirlpool Nebula, famously drawn by the third Earl of Rosse as the first spiral galaxy to have its shape and structure identified, how about naming them "Rosse" and "Birr"?]
18. Centenary of IAU in 2019: IAU100: Uniting our World to Explore the Universe
In 2019, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) celebrates its 100th anniversary. To commemorate this milestone, the IAU will organize a year-long celebration to expand awareness of a century of astronomical discoveries as well as to support and improve the use of astronomy as a tool for education, development, and diplomacy under the central theme "Uniting our World to Explore the Universe". The celebrations will stimulate worldwide interest in astronomy and science and will reach out to the global astronomical community, national science organizations and societies, policy-makers, students and families, and the general public.
IAU100 Celebrations around the World for details for your own country, check the link below.. Meet the IAU100 National Committees and learn more about the people who are here to support you during the 2019 celebrations. For the UK, it's Prof Robert Walsh, originally from Belfast, but now at U of Central Lancs (who gave a great talk to the IAA in Belfast some years ago); and for ROI it's the indefatigable Clair McSweeney from BCO in Cork. See https://www.sciencespace.ie/celebrating-100-years-of-the-international-astronomical-union-ireland/
Read more: https://www.iau-100.org/national-committees
19. Apollo 11; 50th Anniversary. Armagh Observatory and Planetarium will be holding a suite of events through July and August to celebrate this event. See website for details.
20. European Symposium for the Protection of the Night Sky Mulranny, County Mayo, 3 - 5 Nov.
The14th European Symposium for the Protection of the Night Sky is to be held in Mulranny, County Mayo, from 3rd to 5th November 2019 (immediately following the Mayo Dark Sky Festival weekend). Please share the dates and details on this event and would love to see you there.
In particularly we are looking to promote the call for abstracts and would be grateful if you can help us share this international event for Dark Sky Ireland with colleagues in environmental /astronomy & scientific/ dark sky networks. This event will be sanctioned by the International Dark Sky Association.
Information is available on our website www.mayodarkskyfestival.ie/symposium and we will be updating this with more announcements, news and updates on the event as they happen.
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). NB: If the title in the weblink does not indicate the subject matter, I give a brief simple intro before the link. I may also comment about the link afterwards.
ASTROPHYSICS
Two SMBHs are on collision course, and each is more than 800 million solar masses! https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/07/190710121543.htm
HST images a Black Hole feature that shouldn't exist https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/07/190711114832.htm
Where the interstellar iron is hiding https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/07/190709153607.htm
Neutron star collision helps refine the Hubble Constant https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/07/190709110202.htm
COSMOLOGY
BOSS's new results agree with the simplest model of a flat Universe with a cosmological constant dark energy, and tighten the constraints on alternative theories. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/07/190710121542.htm
EARTH & MOON
Modelling early impacts on the Moon solves an old mystery https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/07/190710132024.htm If there's alot of those elements in the Moon's core, it would raise the mean density.
Auroral sounds caused by Schuman resonances https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/07/190710121547.htm
EXOPLANETS
Modelling colours of early life on other planets https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/07/190710131940.htm
Finding 'ploonets' https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/07/ploonets-are-real-now-we-might-be-able-find-them?utm_campaign=news_daily_2019-07-10&et_rid=415711678&et_cid=2900477 and
https://newatlas.com/ploonets-exoplanet-exomoon/60557/?utm_source=New+Atlas+Subscribers&utm_campaign=2831f649bf-UA-2235360-4&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_65b67362bd-2831f649bf-92786061 Is a 'ploonet' not just a small exoplanet? For example, if Mercury was a former satellite of Venus it would still be a planet now, as per our definition of a planet.
Watching the birth of an exomoon! https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/07/190711150921.htm
EXOLIFE
Peptides can form without amino acids https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/07/190710132019.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Ftop_news%2Ftop_science+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Top+Science+News%29
SOLAR SYSTEM
Asteroid with shortest known period found https://earthsky.org/space/asteroid-2019LF6-shortest-orbit?utm_source=EarthSky+News&utm_campaign=b67c116d47-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_02_02_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c643945d79-b67c116d47-394571661
Jupiter's aurora caused by sulphur dioxide from Io producing AC currents https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/07/190711105629.htm
Hyabusa's second successful touchdown on Ryugu https://newatlas.com/jaxa-hayabusa-2-asteroid-second-touchdown/60496/?utm_source=New+Atlas+Subscribers&utm_campaign=2831f649bf-UA-2235360-4&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_65b67362bd-2831f649bf-92786061
SPACE
A jumping space robot https://newatlas.com/spacebok-jumping-space-robot/60532/?utm_source=New+Atlas+Subscribers&utm_campaign=2831f649bf-UA-2235360-4&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_65b67362bd-2831f649bf-92786061
You'll be able to buy shares in Virgin Galactic https://mail.aol.com/webmail-std/en-gb/displaymessage?ws_popup=true&ws_suite=true
22. 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 .
The Irish Astronomical Association is registered with The Charity Commission for Northern Ireland NIC 105858
DISCLAIMER: Any views expressed herein are mine, and do not necessarily represent those of the IAA.
Clear skies,
Terry Moseley
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