(NB, all times are summer time when in force, for convenience)
1. Partial Solar Eclipse, 10 June.
This will be the first good partial solar eclipse visible from Ireland since March 2015
Times are in summer time. It's an annular eclipse in high Northern latitudes of Canada, Greenland and Siberia. The greatest eclipse in Ireland will be seen in the far NW of Mayo and Donegal. The W end of Tory Island will get 46%, but it's hardly worth the trip for the extra few tenths of a percent!
The Magnitude is the % of the solar diameter which is covered by the Moon at maximum. This is the traditional way of describing a solar eclipse: some other sources give the % of the area of the Sun which is covered – this gives a smaller figure.
| Place | Start | Time of max | Max Magnitude | Alt, in deg at Max | Eclipse ends |
| Belfast | 10.03 | 11.11 | 42.7 | 42.5º | 12.25 |
| L/derry | 10.02 | 11.10 | 44.6 | 42.4º | 12.25 |
| Dublin | 10.01 | 11.08 | 40.6 | 42.8º | 12.21 |
| Cork | 09.56 | 11.03 | 39.8 | 42.0º | 12.15 |
| Galway | 09.57 | 11.05 | 42.9 | 41.2º | 12.18 |
| Clifden | 09.56 | 11.04 | 44.1 | 41.2º | 12.18 |
| Belmullet | 09.58 | 11.06 | 45.4 | 41.1º | 12.20 |
| Bloody Foreland | 10.00 | 11.11 | 45.6 | 41.0 | 12.24 |
| Tullamore | 09.59 | 11.07 | 41.5 | 42.5º | 12.20 |
| Waterford | 08.58 | 10.05 | 39.3 | 42.6º | 12.17 |
DO NOT attempt to view the eclipse without proper eye protection, and ABSOLUTELY do not attempt to view it with any sort of optical device unless properly filtered, or by projection.
Specifically, do NOT use
• Tinted Sunglasses
• Polaroid Sunglasses
• ANY Sunglasses!
• CDs
• Exposed photographic film
• Photographic filters
• Any sort of plastic film
• Pinholes to look through directly
• Your crossed fingers
You can safely view the image projected THROUGH a telescope onto a piece of white card held behind the eyepiece.
There are also many ways of viewing the image PROJECTED BY a small pinhole – a Google search will give you lots of options. Remember, if in doubt, play safe. Good Luck!
See also 'Ring of fire' eclipse 2021: When, where and how to see the annular solar eclipse on June 10 | Space
2. Davagh Dark Sky Park and Observatory now open, with pre-booking, and some restrictions.
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.
3. June 8-11: Institutions of Extraterrestrial Liberty, hosted by U of Edinburgh. 4 days of webinars on Human Exploration of Mars.
4. Armagh Planetarium re-opening on 26 June.
Ticketsolve - Armagh Observatory Planetarium
5. Paul Evans has produced his latest excellent sky guide for June
6. NLCs
Noctilucent (or 'night-shining') clouds are the highest clouds in our atmosphere, at over 80 km altitude. In the N. Hemisphere they can be seen above the northern skyline between the end of May and roughly mid-July from Ireland/UK. They are so hight that they remain illuminated by the Sun from below the local horizon, while lower clouds are in darkness.
They form when water vapour crystallizes around specks of meteoric dust in the mesosphere when the temperature is really low. NASA scientists scientists are predicting low temperatures in the mesosphere, and so hopefully a good NLC season.
7. Dark Energy – all you ever wanted to know.
Dark energy: The eerie force accelerating the expansion of the universe (newatlas.com) .
Vacuum energy puzzles me. I can understand the concept of quantum fluctuations making virtual particles appear out of nothing and then annihilating each other in a burst of energy - but what's the energy source for the spontaneous appearance of the particles? We can't just say 'vacuum energy', because this process, which amounts to three quarters of the entire matter/energy in the universe, would be constantly depleting the amount of vacuum energy. So the expansion rate should be slowing down, not speeding up.
And if the quantum fluctuations are entirely random, there should also be an equal number of cases where energy becomes these virtual particles, so the net effect should be zero.
8. ISS. The ISS will start a new series of morning passes on 3 July, which will gradually transition to evening passes in mid-month. Details at www.heavens-above.com
9 SPACE and ASTRONOMY WEBINAR – starting again on July 6
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 date of the next one will be announced asap: 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.
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10. New Astronomy Message Board.
Frank Ryan Jr has started a new message forum, on the lines of Cloudy Nights, and Stargazers Lounge, and would be delighted to have contributions and comments. See https://eireastroboards.net Have a look, and even better, join in.
11. TEASERS
Easy Teaser – Answers:
Q. Of the 12 official zodiacal constellations, what record is held by Scorpius? The answer was that Scorpius has the shortest length of the ecliptic passing through it, and therefore the Sun spends less time in Scorpius than in any other Zodiacal Constellation.
Two 'experts' answered it (Brian Beesley and Peter Millar), but the first correct answer from an eligible candidate was from Ross Currie, at his first attempt! Well done Ross!
OOPS – Sorry – I also got a correct answer from Colin Parkes – apologies to Collin!
HARD TEASER – Answered at last!
The question was - What connects – the Queen's Fiancetto, The Ark, Oscar, Lancaster, a singular lens, and an old British coin?
First correct answer came from CONN BUCKLEY, and a day later, regular winner PETER MILLAR also got it right. The answer is 'Sir Patrick Moore'. Well done to both.
Patrick was an excellent chess player (he taught me, on cloudy nights in his study in Armagh), and his standard opening move was the Queen's Fiancetto; The Ark was the nickname he gave to his ancient upright Ford Prefect (in which I drove him from Armagh to Birr to meet Lord Rosse, and set in train the restoration of the Leviathan); Oscar was his nickname for his then favourite telescope, a 12.5" Newtonian; Lancaster was the type of bomber in which he flew as a Navigator for the RAF; a 'singular lens' was the monocle which he often wore; and an 'old British coin' was the clue for "Farthings", the name of the house he bought in Selsey when he left Armagh, and where he lived for the rest of his life (and where I visited many times, and observed with his latest telescope, a lovely wooden-tubed long-focus equatorial 15" Newtonian).
New Easy Teaser
What's the connection between – A type of singing, a Keeper of the Mint, a German musician, and a Buddhist monk?
"Rules for Easy Teasers: 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!"
Please send all answers to me at my aol address terrymosel@aol.com
12. European Astronomical Society Annual Meeting
Location: Virtual
Date: 28 June–2 July 2021
Website: https://eas.unige.ch/EAS_meeting/
13. Asteroid Day, 30 June. More details later.
14. NI Science Festival, astrophotography workshop, Ballintoy, 3 July.
NI Science Festival: Capturing the Night Sky at Ballintoy Harbour
This may be of interest, although I don't think that there will be anything that hasn't already been well covered by our own IAA and other local astrophotographers.
Also, note that it won't get dark enough for proper night sky photography at Ballintoy at all on the night of 3 July! And at 11 p.m., when the event finishes, the Sun will be only 5 degrees 34' below the horizon – still in civil twilight! Even at local midnight, at 01 31 BST, it will be less than 12 degrees below the horizon – still in Nautical Twilight. The only possible targets under those conditions would be noctilucent clouds, and they only occur well about a dozen times each summer, and you'd have to wait until after 12.00 to get a reasonable view.
You won't even have the Moon, as it's a waning crescent, and doesn't rise until 02.00!
15. 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
Gravitational wave search no hum drum hunt -- ScienceDaily
Fluffy ball of darkinos could be lurking at the center of the Milky Way | Live Science but if there's that amount of matter there, in such a small volume, why ISN'T it a Black Hole, even if it's a Darkino Black Hole?
It Could be Possible to see Gravitational Wave Lenses - Universe Today
Milky Way formed slowly and quietly and NOT as a result of a violent collision | Daily Mail Online
Monster black hole discovered that defies explanation (newatlas.com)
A dozen ultra-high-energy particle accelerators discovered in the Milky Way (msn.com)
Here's the most complete picture of the Milky Way's center ever created | Live Science
Weird nearby gamma-ray burst defies expectations | Space
Front-row view reveals exceptional cosmic explosion: Observation challenges established theory of gamma-ray bursts in the universe -- ScienceDaily Good to see Dublin's Felix Aharonian as one of the authors.
Turbulence in interstellar gas clouds reveals multi-fractal structures -- ScienceDaily
Measuring the skin on a neutron star https://www.facebook.com/100045998303732/posts/337983387744935/?sfnsn=scwspmoSimilar states of activity identified in supermassive and stellar mass black holes -- ScienceDaily
Dark matter map reveals hidden bridges between galaxies -- ScienceDaily
New energetic pulsar discovered in the Small Magellanic Cloud (phys.org)
Indian astronomers investigate magnetar CXOU J010043.1−721134 https://phys.org/news/2021-05-indian-astronomers-magnetar-cxou-j0100431721134.htmlProbing deeper into origins of cosmic rays: Simulation model provides first step in developing algorithms to enhance detection methods. -- ScienceDaily
Does the Milky Way move like a spinning top? -- ScienceDaily
Milky Way not unusual, astronomers find: Detailed cross-section of another galaxy reveals surprising similarities to our home -- ScienceDaily
36 dwarf galaxies had simultaneous 'baby boom' of new stars: Surprising finding challenges current theories on how galaxies grow -- ScienceDaily
COSMOLOGY.
Large Hadron Collider provides more detail on what happened in microsecond after Big Bang (msn.com)
Largest ever dark matter map suggests Einstein theory may have been wrong (msn.com)
Spacetime crystals proposed by placing space and time on an equal footing -- ScienceDaily Curioser and curioser, said Alice. But perhaps simpler and simpler?
Unravelling the mystery of the first MICROSECOND of the Big Bang | Daily Mail Online
Dark energy: The eerie force accelerating the expansion of the universe (newatlas.com)
Dark matter: Extra-dimensional 'dark force' could crack universe's biggest mystery - study (msn.com)
Is the Hubble constant not…Constant? - Universe Today
The earliest state of matter was a perfect liquid https://www.sciencealert.com/our-universe-s-earliest-state-of-matter-was-like-an-ocean-of-perfect-liquid
EARTH & MOON
Will the Next Space-Weather Season Be Stormy or Fair? - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
Are We Doing Enough to Protect Earth from Asteroids? - Scientific American
Miss the Super Flower Blood Moon this week? Here's when to see the next total lunar eclipse. | Space
Did heat from impacts on asteroids provide the ingredients for life on Earth? -- ScienceDaily
Understanding of invisible but mighty particles in Earth's radiation belts -- ScienceDaily
Solar storms are back, threatening life as we know it on Earth https://phys.org/news/2021-05-solar-storms-threatening-life-earth.html
EXOPLANETS
Astronomers watch as "exoplanet" vanishes before Hubble's eyes (newatlas.com)
Deep oceans dissolve the rocky shell of water-ice planets -- ScienceDaily
EXOLIFE
Seafloor volcanoes may be supporting life on icy Europa (newatlas.com)
https://www.universetoday.com/151382/what-would-it-take-to-see-artificial-lights-at-proxima-centauri-b/
IMAGES
Galactic glamor shots abound in annual Milky Way photo competition (newatlas.com)
Nasa releases spectacular new picture showing heart of the Milky Way (msn.com)
Views of Wednesday Morning's Amazing Total Lunar Eclipse from Around the World (universetoday.com)
SOLAR SYSTEM
NASA's Curiosity rover has captured amazing images of clouds on Mars (msn.com)
NASA's Curiosity rover is on the cusp of discovering salts on Mars | Daily Mail Online
Nasa announces two new missions to Venus, the first in more than 30 years (msn.com)
There Might be Volcanoes at the Bottom of Europa's sub-ice Oceans - Universe Today and
Europa's interior may be hot enough to fuel seafloor volcanoes https://phys.org/news/2021-05-europa-interior-hot-fuel-seafloor.html
SPACE
Nasa Ingenuity helicopter suffers major malfunction on Mars after 'phantom errors' (msn.com)
Rookie NASA astronaut Kayla Barron to fly on SpaceX's Crew-3 mission to space station | Space
Elon Musk reveals Starship progress ahead of first orbital flight of Mars-bound craft (msn.com)
Protests, trolling and more: Drama swirls around NASA's next moon lander for astronauts | Space
Lockheed Martin and GM partner up to build next-gen lunar rover (newatlas.com)
Virgin Galactic Reaches the Space Frontier Over New Mexico for the First Time - Universe Today
Record-setting astronaut Peggy Whitson will command private space mission (universetoday.com)
Astronauts on the ISS are helping NASA learn about how space impacts the spine | Daily Mail Online
Blue Origin: Bids to take ride on Jeff Bezos spacecraft pass $2M as more still flood in | Daily Mail Online I'm going to have to raid both my piggy banks!
China's Zhurong rover drives on the surface of Mars for the first time | Daily Mail Online
NASA announces $433.5million mission to send a rover to the MOON in 2023 | Daily Mail Online
European Space Agency reveals ambitious plans to build sat-nav around the moon | Daily Mail Online
ExoMars mission takes a step closer to launching after parachute tests | Daily Mail Online
Space station robotic arm hit by orbital debris in 'lucky strike' (video) (msn.com) That could have been nasty: if it had hit an astronaut working outside it could well have been fatal.
Elon Musk says Mars-bound Starship will launch from 'ocean spaceport' next year (msn.com)
JAXA to send tiny transforming robot to the lunar surface (newatlas.com)
Virgin Galactic to launch science communicator and researcher to space (msn.com)
The challenges that await the first visitors to Mars (msn.com)
Zhurong is Rolling on Mars - Universe Today
Self-Driving Lunar Rovers for Astronaut Road Trips on the Moon - Universe Today
1st commercial astronomy spacecraft Twinkle set for launch in 2024 | Space
NASA will launch 2 new missions to Venus by 2030 to return to Earth's hellish twin | Space
Jeff Bezos will go on Blue Origin's first human flight next month. Here's how his space plans compare to Elon Musk's and Richard Branson's (msn.com) – Money where the mouth is! – Although I don't suppose he'll be paying the full price for a ticket!
https://www.facebook.com/100001931893679/posts/5621643021243372/?sfnsn=scwspmo
Space station robotic arm hit by orbital debris in 'lucky strike' (video) | Space
SUN
Will the Next Space-Weather Season Be Stormy or Fair? - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
Is our sun going into hibernation? (msn.com) - Very interesting article.
TELESCOPES, INSTRUMENTS, TECHNIQUES
Another Delay for Webb, But This Time it's Because of the Rocket, Not the Telescope - Universe Today
16. 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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