Hi all,
(NB, all times are summer time when in force, for convenience)
- IAS Lecture "Planet Hunters", Monday March 29, 7.30 p.m. We are delighted to welcome Dr Emma Whelan of Maynooth University to give the IAS public Zoom talk on March 29th. We expect it to be an important and interesting talk which covers an Irish contribution to exoplanet research. The techniques astronomers use for finding new planets will be discussed. More details are shown below.
You can Join the meeting by clicking on the link below a few minutes before the start time:
Topic: Irish Astronomical Society's Zoom Meeting - Planet Hunters
Time: Mar 29, 2021 07:30 PM
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87247568509?pwd=cWNBbjBxNmo2V2E0NGtKRitHNG9Vdz09
Meeting ID: 872 4756 8509
Passcode: 783304
2. IAA lecture via Zoom & YouTube, Wednesday 31 March, 7.30 p.m.: "China: Moon, Mars and Space Station", by well-known author Brian Harvey.
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Brian Harvey is an acknowledged expert on the Chinese Space Programme, with "China in Space", the latest of his many books on space dealing with that very topic. He has given us fascinating and very well-informed lectures on other space programmes in the past, and with China becoming a serious rival to both NASA and ERSA in space exploration, this will be a timely and informative presentation.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86243362542?pwd=NW1PbjdLb3B1Qm4vSnBtTldBNmJ2Zz09
Meeting ID: 862 4336 2542
Passcode: 391881
The room will open around 19:15 to allow for a prompt start
This talk will also be Simulcast on our YouTube Channel=
https://www.youtube.com/user/irishastronomy/videos
3. Nova in Cassiopeia
A nova has been reported very close to the Cass-Cepheus boundary (https://www.aavso.org/aavso-alert-notice-735). It's currently around 7th magnitude, so it's below naked-eye visibility.
4. The ISS continues its series of evening passes until 3 April.
Details of each pass for your own location, and lots more astronomy and space information, on www.heavens-above.com
5. SPACE and ASTRONOMY WEBINAR – Next is May 4
NB: Note platform change. Since most people have been watching on YouTube, we are ceasing the presentation via Zoom, and it will now be streamed live on both YouTube and Facebook. This will also give us lots of added features in the presentation.
After a year of presentations, we're taking a break for April, and we'll be back on 'Star Wars Day' – May the Fourth be with you!
Presented by me and the amazing Nick Howes, they are approximately 45 minutes long, every second Tuesday, at 7.30 p.m., covering whatever is topical in space and astronomy. The next one will be on Tuesday 4 May: youtube.com/spacestorelive
NB – So, from now on it will be Live streamed to YouTube SpaceStore Live! Channel and Live streamed to Facebook Live. I'll post any last minute news via Twitter.
6. STAR TRACKER ONLINE, hosted by AOP, 31 Mar.
Armagh Observatory and Planetarium hosts "Armagh StarTracker Online", a star show where we take you on a tour of the night sky using a virtual planetarium followed by live viewing the stars using telescopes in the Canary Islands. We will be using Slooh's online robotic telescopes to view the celestial objects. There will be a chance throughout the sessions to ask questions to the Director of Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, Professor Michael Burton.
Each session will focus on different objects and stars that are visible in the night sky.
Tickets are free (donations are welcome) and the zoom details will be emailed in advance.
*Please note you only need to book one ticket for one household.*
Date: 31st March, Time: 8pm
Admission: Free (donations welcome)
7. Reach for the Stars astrophotography competition, run by the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies and the Irish Times jointly with the support of the IAS - John Flannery will be one of the judges. Details available at this site: For info: the images can be taken anywhere on the whole island of Ireland, up until 31 March 2021.
https://www.dias.ie/ga/2020/12/16/reach-for-the-stars-diass-astrophotography-competition/ or see
We're sponsoring a new DIAS astrophotography competition! - Alice PR & Events
Or else, just go to dias.ie, the host website, and you should see it flagged in the announcements.
8. Space for Art Foundation Requesting Space Art from Children, deadline 1 May
The Space for Art Foundation invites children from anywhere in the world to contribute artwork to their next project: a space suit called BEYOND. Submissions can be emailed to the foundation or posted to the foundation's Facebook page. Entries should be submitted by 1 May 2021.
Learn more here: https://www.spaceforartfoundation.org/projects
9. Easy Teaser – A clue!: Of the 12 official zodiacal constellations, what record is held by Scorpius?
I forgot to repeat the rules for that, but they are:
"Rules: you're barred from entering if you (A) have already submitted a correct answer to any of the previous teasers, and/or (B) if you've been a member of any astronomy clubs or societies for 15 years or more. Obviously I have to trust your honesty on that latter point, but remember, if you're correct your name will be published here, and other members of your club will see it!"
There has only been one correct answer so far, but that was from someone who is not eligible under the rules above.
So here's a clue: Look at the constellation on a star atlas, either paper, or digital, and compare it with other zodiacal constellations.
Please send all answers to me at my aol address terrymosel@aol.com
10. ESA seeks new astronauts: apply March 31 to May 28
European Space Agency on the hunt for new astronauts (msn.com)
11. June 8-11: Institutions of Extraterrestrial Liberty, hosted by U of Edinburgh. 4 days of webinars on Human Exploration of Mars.
12. Davagh Dark Sky Park and Observatory closed until further notice
See https://www.midulstercouncil.org/visitor/things-to-do/star-gazing/davagh-dark-sky-observatory , and https://www.facebook.com/omdarksky/ I'll post any updates here. Or phone 03000 132 132 for changing Covid-19 advice.
13. Europlanet Society press release
A pocket guide to Mars
A pocket atlas of Mars has been published that uses geographic techniques developed for terrestrial maps to reveal a wealth of information about the surface of the Red Planet, as well as its climate and cloud cover. The atlas is being presented this week at the 52nd Lunar and Planetary Science Conference.
The 84-page atlas is currently available in English, Hungarian and Czech, and will be available in a digital format later this year. The atlas, which has been developed for use in astronomy clubs and schools, was funded by the Europlanet Society through its Central European Hub.
The main part of the atlas consists of a series of double spreads showing each of the 30 cartographic quadrangles into which the surface of Mars has been divided by the US Geological Survey. The landforms created by lava, wind, water, and ice are shown separately on a topographic base map, highlighting features such as dune fields, mountain peaks, volcanic calderas, caves, ancient dried-up lakes and deltas, and fault lines.
For the first time in a published Mars atlas, climate maps are included, which show 13 climatic zones with boundaries defined by combining seasonal temperature and frost data. A series of climate diagrams show the variation in temperature through the martian year for each of the zones. In addition, a weather map shows the temperature at ground level across the western hemisphere of Mars at the two annual solstices.
The atlas also includes an albedo map, derived from data from Mars Express and Mars Global Surveyor, which shows the amount of sunlight reflected from the surface, the frequently cloudy regions and the maximum area covered by the seasonal caps of frozen carbon dioxide and water ice at the martian poles.
The map editor, Henrik Hargitai of the Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest and former chair of the Commission on Planetary Cartography of the International Cartographic Association, said: "The maps in the atlas are manually edited, using accurate data from missions and models. Thematic maps that reveal patterns in physical geography have been used for decades for in terrestrial atlases, but this is the first time that they are available in an atlas for Mars. The publication of this edition is a culmination of mapping efforts over the last two decades. The atlas also includes a one-page calendar for Mars year 36, covering the period from February 2021 to December 2022, which explains the milestones in the seasonal changes on Mars."
Future plans for the atlas include the addition of themed maps that show regions of interest in detail, and atlas-based activities for educators. As well as being a tool for outreach and education, this type of multi-themed map could be valuable for the scientific community in interpreting the geologic evolution of Mars, estimating whether an area might ever have hosted life, or identifying in-situ resources to support future human exploration missions.
Images
Double spread of thematic map of Tharsis region of Mars (Mars Chart 09) from the Pocket Atlas of Mars 36. The scale of the map is 1cm=107 km. Credit: NASA/JPL/GSFC/ESA/DLR/FU/H. Hargitai.https://www.europlanet-society.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/31-40-3.jpg
The atlas is available at: https://www.etsy.com/listing/955444239/mars-36-pocket-atlas
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
Why Russian scientists just deployed a giant telescope beneath Lake Baikal (msn.com)
Ultracold Quantum Collisions Have Been Achieved in Space for the First Time - Scientific American
Hubble shows torrential outflows from infant stars may not stop them from growing -- ScienceDaily
Astronomers see a 'space jellyfish' -- ScienceDaily
First images of the cosmic web reveal a myriad of unsuspected dwarf galaxies -- ScienceDaily
Cosmic lens reveals faint radio galaxy: Natural magnification enables discovery -- ScienceDaily
A supermassive black hole is speeding through space, and astronomers don't know why | Live Science
Ancient light illuminates matter that fuels galaxy formation -- ScienceDaily
First black hole ever detected is more massive than we thought
https://phys.org/news/2021-02-black-hole-massive-thought.html
Black holes https://www.facebook.com/46126453526/posts/10158025120493527/?sfnsn=scwspmo
Largest supernova remnant ever discovered with X-rays -- ScienceDaily
Scientists discover black hole racing through space - but can't explain why (msn.com)
Do Supermassive Black Holes Come From Supermassive Stars? - Universe Today
An All-Sky X-Ray Survey Finds the Biggest Supernova Remnant Ever Seen - Universe Today
Black hole pictures: New view of M87 supermassive hole reveals magnetic fields near edge (msn.com) and First image of a black hole gets a polarizing update that sheds light on magnetic fields (msn.com)
Dark matter drive-by may have disrupted closest star cluster to Earth (newatlas.com)
COSMOLOGY
How did the Universe begin? – Competing theories https://www.facebook.com/100000513466168/posts/4473851105975294/?sfnsn=scwspmo
Quantum collaboration gives new gravity to the mysteries of the universe -- ScienceDaily
Key to how universe works may have been discovered (msn.com) and Cern scientists find evidence that could give birth to a new physics and help solve mysteries of the universe (msn.com) and 'New force of nature': Scientists 'cautiously excited' as experiment points towards new era in our understanding of the universe (msn.com)
The very first structures in the Universe -- ScienceDaily My mind is boggled.
Effective Field Theories and the nature of the universe -- ScienceDaily
EARTH & MOON
Winchcombe meteorite story https://www.facebook.com/784440849/posts/10159463135565850/?sfnsn=scwspmo
Longer summers will probably prove bummers | Climate News Network
Lightning strikes played a vital role in life's origins on Earth -- ScienceDaily
Origin of life: Did Darwinian evolution begin before life itself? (phys.org)
Chicxulub impact crater gets further confirmation https://www.facebook.com/528759347/posts/10160640727259348/?sfnsn=scwspmo
Meteorite finds, falls, and a bit of statistics | Earth & Solar System (wordpress.com)
'Alien' fireball lighting up night-sky turns out to be burning SpaceX rocket (msn.com)
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2021/03/remains-impact-created-moon-may-lie-deep-within-earth
EXOLIFE.
Aliens from other planets will look 'just like animals here on Earth' | Daily Mail Online
The search for ET life at Harvard :https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2021/01/astrochemist-brings-search-for-extraterrestrial-life-to-harvard/
EXOPLANETS
Hot rocky exoplanets may retain a thick atmosphere full of WATER | Daily Mail Online
On the quest for other Earths -- ScienceDaily
NASA's TESS planet hunter spied 2,200 candidate worlds in its first 2 years (msn.com)
IMAGES
NASA Shares Stunning Photo of Pinwheel Galaxy and It Really Is Out of This World (msn.com)
Best ever image of M81 https://www.facebook.com/1728339851/posts/10208590067905666/?sfnsn=scwspmo
SOLAR SYSTEM
Water on Mars may be trapped in planet's crust (aol.co.uk) and
Mars hides an ancient ocean beneath its surface (msn.com) and
Water on Mars May Be Trapped in the Planet's Crust, Not Lost to Space - Scientific American and
Mars may hide oceans of water beneath its crust, study finds | Live Science
A great in-depth account Inside Japan's daring 10-year mission to visit ancient asteroid Ryugu (msn.com)
Massive tornado-like 'beast' winds spotted on Jupiter (msn.com) and
Powerful stratospheric winds measured on Jupiter -- ScienceDaily
Water on Mars May Be Trapped in the Planet's Crust, Not Lost to Space - Scientific American
Seismic Ripples Reveal Size of Mars's Core - Scientific American
Perseverance Rover Settles In during First Month on Mars - Scientific American
What if Planet Nine is a baby black hole? | Live Science
NASA launches interactive map that lets you track its Perseverance rover on Mars | Daily Mail Online
Interstellar object 'Oumuamua is a pancake-shaped chunk of a Pluto-like planet | Space
The mysterious core of Mars is on the large side, NASA's InSight lander data suggests | Space
Titan's largest crater might be the perfect cradle for life | Science | AAAS (sciencemag.org)
A Titan Mission Could Refuel on Site and Return a Sample to Earth - Universe Today
Oumuamua is Probably Very Similar to Pluto, Just From Another Star System - Universe Today
TCD astronomers explain the "Spiders on Mars" Researchers tackle the 'spiders' from Mars -- ScienceDaily
NASA reveals flight zone for historic helicopter flight on Mars (msn.com)
Smaller storms may be feeding Jupiter's Great Red Spot (newatlas.com) The GRS is only about ¾ the size now as when I first observed it in the Sixties.
SPACE
Nasa completes Artemis moon rocket hot-fire test (msn.com)
New era in space cooperation: Russia interested in joint lunar station with China (msn.com) Now this is interesting!
A great in-depth account Inside Japan's daring 10-year mission to visit ancient asteroid Ryugu (msn.com)
This golden box will soon make oxygen on Mars. That's great news for human explorers. | Live Science
Nasa and SpaceX agree deal to avoid catastrophic space collisions (msn.com)
Spacewatch: mission to clean up space debris set for launch (msn.com)
Microbes unknown to science discovered on ISS https://www.facebook.com/groups/45954014938/permalink/10159269024394939/?sfnsn=scwspmo
Elon Musk shows off SpaceX's 1st Starship Super Heavy booster | Space
Space-X launches and recovers a Falcon rocket for the 7th time. https://www.facebook.com/17610706465/posts/10157580037811466/?sfnsn=scwspmo
Bacteria could help feed astronauts on future Mars missions (newatlas.com)
Chinese Heavy Lift Long March 5b rocket being assembled https://www.facebook.com/1272698526/posts/10219438659258482/?sfnsn=scwspmo
See NASA Perseverance rover's first look at Ingenuity helicopter from Mars (msn.com)
Space debris demonstration mission blasts off (msn.com) A small step in the right direction, but the problem is probably grown faster than a satellite like this can tackle it.
UK braced for 'space war' as Russia fires fearsome weapon - satellites could be shot down (msn.com) Former Senator Bill Nelson nominated to lead NASA | Science | AAAS (sciencemag.org)
Perseverance's Landing Seen in Full Color, Thanks to Citizen Science - Universe Today
Elon Musk says the SpaceX Starship will get to Mars 'well before' 2030 (msn.com)
NASA reveals flight zone for historic helicopter flight on Mars (msn.com)
Plans for First Sustainable City on Mars Unveiled (msn.com)
'Dangling hamster ball' robot could explore caves on the moon (msn.com)
NASA shows off capabilities of Ingenuity Mars Helicopter (msn.com)
To infinity and beyond: Europe and the 21st century space race (msn.com)
TELESCOPES, INSTRUMENTS, TECHNIQUES
Icy ocean worlds seismometer passes further testing in Greenland -- ScienceDaily
The Lunar Farside Radio Telescope Interview: Jack Burns and the Lunar FARSIDE Telescope - YouTube
Work Begins on Cleaning up Arecibo. The job Could Cost $50 Million - Universe Today
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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