Hi all,
(NB, all times are summer time when in force, for convenience)
1. IAA Lecture, Wed 27 October, 19.30. Dr Morgan Fraser, UCD: "Gravitational waves and the hunt for merging neutron stars"
Details – more in next bulletin
2. WEBINAR, TONIGHT, Tuesday 19 October, 19.30. Nick Howes and myself on the latest news in space and astronomy.
YouTube live stream here - https://youtu.be/3jjCw2NFfkU
3. STFC Event
Upcoming event
25 October, 19:00
Online astronomy: in pursuit of darkness.
The elements that affect astronomical viewing and their impact on the selection of sites to build modern telescopes.
Online. Free to attend. Click here to book.
4. 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.
5. Series of astronomy lectures by Gresham College.
A series of lectures from now to June 2022, at 6 p.m.. See: Cosmic Revolutions (gresham.ac.uk)
6. PAYMENT OF IAA ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION: PAYPAL IS WORKING AGAIN ! Subscriptions were due on September 1. We're glad to be able to keep the amount unchanged for yet another year: £20 for individual membership, £25 for family membership (only one copy of STARDUST per family).
Anyone wishing to pay by bank transfer should contact the Treasurer, Pat O'Neill (pb.oneill@ntlworld.com, or treasurer@irishastro.org) for our bank details.
7. PLANETS.
Mercury is visible low in the East in the morning twilight. Start looking about 45 minutes before local sunrise. It will brighten over the next 10 days or so.
Catch Saturn and Jupiter while they are still well placed
SATURN: is still fairly close and bright, but it's very low from our latitude, so viewing conditions are not great. It's now mag 0.2, in Capricorn, with an apparent diameter of 18.2".
The angle of the ring system to Earth has been steadily decreasing recently, so the rings no longer extend beyond the poles. Aesthetically, I think this angle, and down to an angle of about 10 degrees, is the most beautiful.
Of the satellites, Titan is visible in any telescope, and Rhea is not too difficult. With the low altitude, it may be harder to see fainter Dione and Tethys, especially as they are closer to the planet. Big telescopes and good seeing are required for Enceladus and Mimas.
I've seen them all, using the 10-inch refractor at Armagh Observatory, and my own 37cm Newtonian, but when Saturn was a lot higher up, and in much less light-polluted skies!
Jupiter is also still readily visible from UK & Ireland, after its Opposition on August 20. It's in Capricorn, mag -2.6, some 20 degrees E of Saturn, and with an apparent diameter of 48". It's a bit higher up than Saturn, and that will gradually increase over the next few years.
The four big Galilean moons are visible in even a modest telescope. This year, the Sun and Earth are almost exactly in the plane of Jupiter's equator, so the moons pass backwards and forwards almost exactly in the same plane. This means that sometimes they are so close together that they will appear as one, unless you use high magnification.
8. Halloween Events at Armagh Planetarium Pre-booking essential, at www.armagh.space
9. ISS: The ISS will start a new series of morning passes on 23 October. Full details for your location on www.heavens-above.com
10. New 'Easy' Teaser.
In a telescope without a drive, which First Magnitude star would move quickest through the field of view of any eyepiece?
A CLUE – no suggestions for this one yet, so here's a clue. Think about this - Conversely, which bright star (about 2nd mag), would move most slowly in the field of view of a telescope without a drive?
11. New Difficult Teaser: OK, No more Mr Nice Guy (Who said: Were you ever?!). From now on it's war with all you Smart Alecs (and Alices) out there!
Q: What's the connection between: a novena, a tax, and the last?
CLUE: No correct answers yet, although one 'new entrant' has got one of the 3 elements correct. So here's a clue (I'm too soft, I know….) - It involves a Solar System object.
Please send all answers to me at my aol address terrymosel@aol.com
12. 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
Immense set of mysterious fast radio bursts -- ScienceDaily
Stellar 'fossils' in meteorites point to distant stars -- ScienceDaily
Radio signals from distant stars suggest hidden planets -- ScienceDaily
The antimatter enigma: What is it and why didn't it destroy the universe? (newatlas.com)
COSMOLOGY
The antimatter enigma: What is it and why didn't it destroy the universe? (newatlas.com)
EARTH & MOON
Stellar 'fossils' in meteorites point to distant stars -- ScienceDaily
The Moon was volcanically active 2 billion years ago, new space rocks reveal | Science | AAAS
Meteorite crash-lands in woman's bed in Canada | Space an d
Meteorite Crashes into Woman's Bed in Canada - Scientific American
Interesting comparisons with Earth here Did Venus ever have oceans? -- ScienceDaily
Twelfth century literature and space-age data help map 3,000 years of auroras -- ScienceDaily
EXOPLANETS
Scientists may have found the first known planet to orbit three stars | Science | AAAS
Radio signals from distant stars suggest hidden planets -- ScienceDaily
The planet does not fall far from the star -- ScienceDaily
Sky Light Pollution
SOLAR SYSTEM
Stellar 'fossils' in meteorites point to distant stars -- ScienceDaily
Did Venus ever have oceans? -- ScienceDaily
Some of the biggest asteroids in our Solar System -- ScienceDaily and
https://www.facebook.com/100045998303732/posts/427190522157554/?sfnsn=mo Is it an asteroid or comet? This strange solar system object is actually both. | Space
Nasa spacecraft Lucy blasts off on 12-year mission to explore asteroids (msn.com) NB, some of the dates in that first graphic are obviously wrong! And
NASA, ULA launch Lucy Mission to 'fossils' of planet formation -- ScienceDaily
"Flawless" flyby for BepiColombo turns up its first photos of Mercury (newatlas.com)
https://www.aol.com/nasas-asteroid-hunter-lucy-soars-093412156-145447981.html Wind Speeds in Jupiter's Great Red Spot are Picking up - Universe Today Interesting. Could it be due to conservation of angular momentum? - As the GRS shrinks, it spins faster to conserve AM?
Did Venus ever have oceans? -- ScienceDaily
Titan's river maps may advise Dragonfly's 'sedimental' journey -- ScienceDaily
SPACE
Watch William Shatner gaze at Earth from space in awe during Blue Origin's launch (video) | Space It's Earth, Jim, but not as you've seen it!
Brain damage from long stays in space -- ScienceDaily
China launches Shenzhou 13 astronauts on historic mission to new space station | Space
That's a wrap! Soyuz lands with film crew after space station movie shoot | Space
Russian filmmakers land after shoot aboard space station [Video] (aol.co.uk)
Telescopes, Instruments, Techniques.
James Webb's 30 Days of Terror - Universe Today
Uncovering the secrets of ultra-low frequency gravitational waves -- ScienceDaily
13. 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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