Hi all,
1. IAA PUBLIC MEETINGS CANCELLED until further notice.
Because of the Covid-19 virus outbreak, the next two lecture meetings have been cancelled. The AGM which was scheduled for April 15 has been postponed: a new date will be notified as soon as the situation becomes clearer: it may not be possible to hold it until September. Observing sessions at Delamont have also been cancelled until further notice.
2. Dark Sky observing event, Cavan Burren Park centre, 20 March, 7.30 p.m. I've been asked to run another one of these events, in a very dark sky location, near Blacklion, just across the border from Belcoo. At the moment, this is still going ahead, but obviously the situation is being kept under review. Details at www.cavanburrenpark.ie
3. COSMOS STAR PARTY, Athlone, (3-5 April) POSTPONED. Unfortunately this has had to be postponed because of the Covid-19 risks. It may be possible to hold it sometime in the autumn. I'll keep you informed.
4. Globe At Night campaign for Pi Day (March 14)
5. Eratosthenes Experiment
The Eratosthenes Experiment is holding a worldwide experiment to calculate the circumference of the Earth on 20 March 2020. Schools are welcome to join the experiment and submit your data to the Eratosthenes Experiment. The experiment can be performed in collaboration with another school at the same longitude. Registration takes place between 10 March 2020 (12:00 CET) and 16 March 2020 (12:00 CET).
For schools in Ireland, other schools at the same longitude can be found in NW Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Mauretania, Mali, Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea and Liberia.. Schools on the Ards Peninsula are also on roughly the same longitude as St Helena in the S. Atlantic – that would give a nice long baseline, and they speak English!
Find out more: http://eratosthenes.ea.gr/
6. The Impact of Satellite Constellations on Astronomy: IAU press release
https://www.iau.org/news/pressreleases/detail/iau2001/
7. Astronomy Stamps. A new set of stamps has been issued in the UK, with the theme Visions Of The Universe, marking the 200th anniversary of the RAS. Various sets are available, or you can just buy them singly.
8. Venus. You can't miss brilliant Venus in the SW twilight these evenings. Watch is it moves ever higher out of the bright twilight over the next few months as it approaches its rendezvous with the Pleiades on 3 April.
9. ISS The International Space Station will start a new series of evening passes on 20 March. Full details for your location, and lots of other astronomy information, on the excellent free site www.heavens-above.com
10. BETELGEUSE continues to brighten again.
As my observations indicated in late February, Betelgeuse reached a minimum magnitude of about mag 1.6, and is now slowly brightening again: it's about 1.3 at the moment. There are two theories for the unusually deep minimum; firstly that it was caused by the minima of at least two separate cycles coinciding round about Feb 22. Another theory is that it was due to the shedding of dust from its outer atmosphere, which has now thinned out enough for it to become more transparent.
Watch it for as long as you can – into early April, at a stretch - to see how much it brightens again. You can compare it with Procyon (mag 0.4), Aldebaran (mag 0.87, but slightly variable itself), Pollux (mag 1.16), Castor (mag 1.58), Bellatrix (mag 1.64). Only do it when Betelgeuse is at least 30 degrees above the horizon, and choose comparison stars at about the same altitude as it.
11. Asteroid Day, 30 June.
Asteroid Day was co-founded by astrophysicist and famed musician Dr. Brian May of the rock group QUEEN; Apollo 9 Astronaut Rusty Schweickart; Filmmaker Grig Richters; and B612 President Danica Remy, to promote awareness and provide knowledge to the general public about the importance of asteroids in our solar system history, and the role they play in our solar system today. Events are scheduled leading up to 30 June, the date of the largest asteroid impact of Earth in recorded history (Tunguska).
12. International Astronomical Youth Camp in Spain, 12 July – 1 August
The International Astronomical Youth Camp (IAYC) is a three-week long summer camp aiming to promote knowledge of astronomy and related sciences in a unique international atmosphere. The IAYC is an experience unlike any other; a place for unforgettable memories and lifelong friendships. During the camp, 65 young and enthusiastic participants from all corners of the world gather in a remote location in Spain to observe and learn about some of the most spectacular skies on this Earth. Applications for the 2020 camp are being accepted until 5 April 2020.
International Astronomical Youth Camp, 12 July-1 August 2020; Baños de Montemayor, Spain
More information and application are here: www.iayc.org
13. National Astronomy Week, 14 – 22 November.
National Astronomy Week (NAW) will be held in the UK from Saturday 14 November to Sunday 22 November, to celebrate the close approach of Mars. Amateur and professional astronomers will be holding observing events during the week. Seen through a telescope magnifying about 100 times, Mars will appear as a pale orange disc, with its markings clearly visible, at a distance of 80 million km.
Although Mars is at its closest to Earth a month earlier, by November it is well up in the sky during the early evening, allowing younger schoolchildren an opportunity to get a good view of the planet. It will not be as close again until 2033.
As well as Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and the Moon will be on show during National Astronomy Week. Details of observing events will be posted on the NAW website.
14. 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
https://newatlas.com/space/teardrop-shaped-star-pulsates-one-side-hd74423/?utm_source=New+Atlas+Subscribers&utm_campaign=534949f63e-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_03_10_09_07&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_65b67362bd-534949f63e-92786061 Interesting. But why is the Red Dwarf not also teardrop-shaped?
Star-forming galaxies likely primary energy source of Lyman-alpha radiation emitted from gigantic hydrogen gas blobs. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200309165242.htm
Strange matter findings in neutron stars https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200309130036.htm (I'd never even heard of a 'hypertriton'!
New telescope pinpoints rare binary brown dwarf https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200309130057.htm
There's something strange about Polaris https://www.livescience.com/north-star-cepheid-mystery.html?utm_source=Selligent&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=9160&utm_content=LVS_newsletter+&utm_term=3473357&m_i=RD%2BR30oBFc8wPDf473GojfT%2BsRBZgKfHOLiCSV19YY8dAiq4qLf4boMP%2BRF79Zxu90lA%2BVWjU3Nd4RizPBJpTUWfKV_1HKlFTUJeslkRR6
COSMOLOGY
Dark Matter may be d-star hexaquarks in the form of Bose-Einstein Condensates https://www.livescience.com/hexaquarks-could-explain-dark-matter.html?utm_source=Selligent&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=9160&utm_content=LVS_newsletter+&utm_term=3473357&m_i=QtSxnBqc2OyTDNGN9swhjQHQwJtO9HMpctmsDG6fbfsDVIHVXzG38UvUJAftFLePK8PPvwHx8U96s2ogXIvYORFAefZL8JtzwzB3vlSQQZ (Don't worry – that's not as frightening as it sounds – those are all already known to exist!)
Slimy solution to the growth of the cosmic web https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200310124708.htm
The Axion, if it exists, could solve 3 fundamental problems of the universe https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200310114721.htm
EARTH & MOON
Ancient shell shows days were 30 mts shorter for the dinosaurs https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200309135410.htm
Earth & Moon have different sorts of oxygen https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200310164742.htm
EXOLIFE
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200305002826.htm
EXOPLANETS
Exoplanet has iron rain! https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200311121832.htm this means that the planet is slowly being turned over: eventually the whole planet will have been evaporated from the hot side and deposited on the cooler side, if it survives long enough. A bit like turning over your compost heap from bin 1 to bin 2!
SOLAR SYSTEM
Temperature gradient safety zone stopped Titan from falling into Saturn https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200309110250.htm
DES finds hundreds of dwarf planets beyond Neptune https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200311161853.htm
SPACE
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-8084657/Elon-Musk-says-SpaceX-plans-build-reusable-rocket-ship-72-HOURS-colonizing-Mars.html You know, it will be no fun at all if they get a Corona virus outbreak on one of these transport ships, let alone on Mars itself. Let's look after Earth, rather than exporting our problems to Mars. Research yes, but colonising? – not for centuries at the earliest.
15. 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 https://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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