Hi all,
CORONAVIRUS
This hardly needs saying, but if you have been exposed, or think you may have been exposed to the virus or anyone carrying it, or if you have recently been to a risk region, please do not attend the next meeting. Thank you.
1. IAA Public Lecture, Wednesday March 18, 7.30 p.m., "Observing the Radio Universe from Birr, Co. Offaly" by Prof Peter Gallagher, head of astronomy and astrophysics at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies.
Synopsis The Irish Low Frequency Array (I-LOFAR; www.lofar.ie) was installed at Birr Castle, Co. Offaly in 2017 and now links Ireland into the largest low frequency radio telescope in the world, stretching nearly 2,000 km from the Irish Midlands to eastern Poland. LOFAR is already giving us new views of astronomical phenomena such as solar flares, exoplanets, star-forming regions and rapidly rotating stars called pulsars. In this talk, I will given an overview of the building of I-LOFAR and the recent scientific insights that this unique telescope is providing."
Prof Gallagher is now effectively at the top of the tree in astronomy in Ireland. Formerly professor in TCD specialising in solar physics, he was appointed head of the astrophysics section of DIAS last year. He was almost single-handedly responsible for getting I-LOFAR approved, funded, designed, installed and operational. It's now the only astronomical facility producing top-end astronomical research results from the island of Ireland. I've been trying to get him for this lecture for almost a year, but he's a busy man! I'm delighted that he has now been able to oblige!
2. 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.
3. Globe At Night campaign for Pi Day (March 14)
4. 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/
5. The Impact of Satellite Constellations on Astronomy: IAU press release
https://www.iau.org/news/pressreleases/detail/iau2001/
6. 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.
7. 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..
8. ISS The International Space Station continues its series of morning passes until Mar 12. It 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
9. 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 1.4 at the moment. It seems that the unusually deep minimum 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.
10. Dark Sky observing event, Cavan Burren Centre, 20 March. 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. More details later.
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
Black hole ejects matter at near light[-speed https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200303113350.htm
ALMA observes evolution of aged star https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200305132141.htm
COSMOLOGY
The particle which may hold the key to Dark Matter - https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200303140225.htm
I've always had suspicions that the d-star hexaquark was hiding something….
Why there is any matter in the universe at all - https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/02/200228142022.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Ftop_news%2Ftop_science+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Top+Science+News%29
SOLAR SYSTEM
Juno spacecraft sees two Jovian storms merging https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/techandscience/nasa-catches-jupiter-storms-in-the-tempestuous-act-of-merging/ar-BB10IwlK?ocid=spartandhp
Amazing Mars panorama from Curiosity with zoom-ins and commentary https://youtu.be/X2UaFuJsqxk
SPACE
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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