Hi all,
1. IAA Lecture, Wed 8 December, 19.30. "Asteroids: the key to unlocking the secrets of the Solar System" by Dr Jamie Robinson.
Synopsis
Asteroids are the small bodies of the Solar System which represent the leftovers of planet formation. They can be found throughout the Solar system, mainly in the rocky asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter and the more icy region beyond the orbit of Neptune.
By considering the physical properties of these bodies and how they came to be on their present orbits one can investigate the various processes of Solar System formation. Asteroids provide clues as to how the first solid bodies grew out of the disk of gas and dust from which the Sun was born, and how these small bodies then grew into the major planets. Furthermore their distribution throughout space tells us how the planets would have migrated from their birth locations in the early Solar System, scattering these asteroids as they went.
The asteroids are an invaluable key to unlocking the secrets of the Solar System, helping to explain how planets such as the Earth came to be. They are both the building blocks of our planet from which life developed and also a threat to life in terms of their continuing collisions with the Earth. As such they are fundamentally linked to understanding our place in the Universe and are an extremely fruitful subject of study.
BIOGRAPHY
2011 - 2016: MPhys Durham University (year abroad at McMaster University 2013 - 2014)
2016 - 2020: PhD at Queen's University Belfast
2017 LSST Data Science Fellow
2020 - 2021: Postdoc at QUB, ATLAS asteroid science
2021 - present: Postdoc at University of Edinburgh, LSST software tools
My research has covered a wide range within the realm of small Solar System bodies, which represent the leftovers of planet formation and have a diverse range of physical and orbital properties. My research concentrates on the properties of these bodies, which provides a valuable constraint on how the Solar System formed and gives us insight into how the Earth, and life, came to be.
I also assist in efforts to analyse the ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System) data in real time searching for possible Earth impactors.
ZOOM DETAILS
Topic: IAA Zoom Meeting
Time: Dec 8, 2021 07:15 PM London
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85927713853...
Meeting ID: 859 2771 3853
Passcode: 796033
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
2. Paul Evans's Video Sky Guide for December
Another one of Paul's excellent guides of what to see and how to see it: https://youtu.be/cihOElOBlFY
3. Venus becomes a bit more visible
As the angle of the ecliptic to the horizon in the early evenings slowly increases, Venus slowly climbs above the SW horizon in the twilight. It currently is almost in an equidistant line with Saturn and Jupiter, and although it's much lower down, its exceptional brightness makes it easier to see – although you have to catch it before it sets. It's mag -4.7, and if you can get it in a telescope you'll see that it's a moderate crescent, with a phase of 25%, and an apparent diameter of 42". It will remain low down in the SW, and fade only slowly, from now until Xmas.
4. Catch Saturn and Jupiter while you can.
SATURN: is moving further away from the Earth, and so it's fading and shrinking in apparent size. It's also very low from our latitude, so viewing conditions are not great. It's now mag 0.3, in Capricorn, with an apparent diameter of 18".
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 reasonably visible from UK & Ireland, after its Opposition on August 20. It's in Capricorn, mag -2.3, some 17 degrees E of Saturn, and with an apparent diameter of 38". 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 plane of the planet's equator, so that's where the transits and shadow transits will appear.
5. ISS: The ISS continues its series of evening passes until 10 December. Full details for your location on www.heavens-above.com, and on various Smartphone Apps
6. Comet 2021/A1 (Leonard) is brightening! It looks like we're going to get another moderately bright comet, probably visible to the naked eye, and certainly in binoculars. It will be visible in the morning sky from UK/Ireland during the first half of December, with the main peak around Dec 9 perhaps at mag 4, maybe mag 3.5. But there may then be an extra peak a few days later, on December 12, when it might reach mag 2, due to a forward scattering effect, although it will be very low by then..
It will then move too far south in the sky to be seen from here, as it moves towards perihelion on January 3rd 2022, exactly a year after its discovery.
Last Quarter is on Nov 27, so after that there'll be no interference from moonlight until it starts to get bright again at FQ on Dec 11, and it will be full on Dec 19.
The website www.heavens-above.com gives finder charts and latest magnitude estimates, as well as lots of other observing information.
And here's one of several guides Comet Leonard on course for a good showing – Astronomy Now
7. Geminids
The richest annual shower, the Geminids on Dec 13-14 with a ZHR of 100 - 120, will be partly spoiled by a waxing gibbous Moon. The Moon will set about 03.15, so for the really keen observers, that will give dark skies until dawn, with the radiant at about its highest, giving the possibility of actual observed rates of 80-100 per hour in a very dark location. The meteors are generally slow, and with a good proportion of bright events, making them a good subject for photography.
The Zenithal Hourly Rate (ZHR) is the rate which would be seen by an experienced observer, in a VERY dark sky, and with the radiant in the zenith: actual observed rates very rarely reach the nominal ZHR for various reasons.
METEOR PHOTOGRAPHY:
If you have a digital SLR which can give longish time exposures, and you can manually focus it on infinity, and adjust it to a high ISO (film speed equivalent), you can image meteors with a bit of luck. Make a suitable lens hood, or heater, to prevent dew on the camera lens. You may also need a tripod.
Point the camera about 50° up in the sky, about 40° from the radiant, for best results. Consult your camera handbook, or experiment with exposures until the sky fogging becomes too severe.
8. Ursids, 22 December. This shower, oft neglected because it's so close to Xmas, will be affected by the just past Full Moon. But you can get a few hours observing before the Moon rises at about 7.30 p.m. The normal ZHR is about 10, but there have been occasional outbursts, the last one being in 2014. The radiant is near Kocab, or Beta Ursa Minoris,
9. Honours for QUB Astronomers
Professor Mihalis Mathioudakis, Director of Research at Queen's Astrophysics Research Centre, has been awarded the 2021 Institute of Physics Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin Medal and Prize for distinguished contributions to plasma, solar or space physics.
And Prof Stephen Smartt, who is an internationally recognised expert on Supernovae, now has his own entry in Who's Who.
It has been an honour for the IAA to have excellent lectures from both these distinguished astronomers'
10. 'Easy' Teaser.
To what am I referring? – "Father confused with eternal city".
11. DIFFICULT TEASER + hint No. 5.
ZZUB.
Yes, folks – that was it!
No-one has come close yet, so here are hints -
HINT 1. Part of the clue is in the nature of a joke.
HINT 2. Again, think of a joke, sort of a schoolkid joke….
NB: I've had several suggestions along the lines that ZZUB backwards would be BUZZ Aldrin, or BUZZ LightYear), and leading on from those. That's partly the right way of thinking, but it's neither of those.
HINT 3. You are looking for a lead to the name of an astronomer.
HINT 4. Everyone has got that ZZUB is BUZZ backwards. But you're not making the right follow-on. So here's the joke: "What goes ZZUB?" Take the answer to that, and take it from there.
(An honourable mention to Conn Buckley who has sent in about half a dozen answers, all of which were partly along the right lines!)
Oh, I AM enjoying this! I've got you this time! So, you need another clue.
HINT 5: "What goes ZZUB?" – Answer: "a BEE going backwards". Take it from there.
Please send all answers to me at my aol address terrymosel@aol.com
12. 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.
13. PAYMENT OF IAA ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION: This is your last chance – if you haven't paid by 8 December, your membership will lapse, and you won't get the next issue of Stardust! 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.
(See final item below)
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
Hubble witnesses shock wave of colliding gases in Running Man Nebula -- ScienceDaily
Black holes of all sizes in new gravitational wave catalogue – UKRI
Astronomers spot "invisible" galaxies at the dawn of the universe (newatlas.com)
Neutron star surface mapped for the first time https://www.facebook.com/100024704893495/posts/1095808707919282/?sfnsn=scwspmo Closest pair of supermassive black holes yet -- ScienceDaily The most interesting part of the story is the distance – but they don't state it! But I checked, and it's
Astronomers discover strangely massive black hole in Milky Way satellite galaxy -- ScienceDaily
Astronomers discover ancient brown dwarf with lithium deposits intact -- ScienceDaily
Heavy Metal Exoplanet Found Orbiting Nearby Star - Scientific American
Arecibo data still has astronomers in a spin -- ScienceDaily
Hmmmm Dark matter may spawn more of itself from ordinary matter, like a cosmic ice-9 | Live Science. I see a problem with this: If ordinary matter (OM) changes into dark matter (DM), when we look way back to the earlier, and indeed earliest, galaxies, we should see a much higher ratio of OM to DM. Indeed, because they would have a large excess of OM compared with now, they should appear much brighter than they do. Or, perhaps even worse – if that's the case it would require revising one of our main standard candles for estimating distance, and therefore age, of the earliest galaxies (the Tully-Fisher Relation)
Stellar cocoon with organic molecules at the edge of our galaxy -- ScienceDaily
Stars Getting Kicked out of the Milky Way can Help us map its Dark Matter Halo - Universe Today
A Gravitational Lens Shows the Same Galaxy Three Times - Universe Today
NASA Simulation Shows What Happens When Stars Get Too Close to Black Holes - Universe Today
https://www.9news.com.au/world/two-black-holes-may-have-just-exploded-with-light-nasa-says/6fa84a48-7bc9-4f91-b371-a9a78b96d5d4 Black Hole seen shredding stars. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1745892709055509/permalink/2905507636427338/
Sent from the all new AOL app for Android
Did astronomers see the light from two black holes colliding for the first time? | Space
Shock! Hubble telescope traces collisions in 'Running Man' nebula | Space
Massive simulation of the universe probes mystery of ghostly neutrinos | Space
Newborn star (unsuccessfully) plays 'hide-and-seek' in gas cloud | Space
Dark matter missing from some galaxies https://www.facebook.com/1272698526/posts/10221144455262316/?sfnsn=scwspmo and
This weird galaxy is missing all of its dark matter and scientists can't explain it | Space
COSMOLOGY:
Does the expansion of the Universe break the speed of light? - Big Think This is very good and well illustrated. If distances in the expanding universe make your brain hurt, this will ease the pain!
EARTH & MOON
Sun is likely an unaccounted source of the Earth's water -- ScienceDaily BUT –
Earth's water came from comets and asteroids https://www.space.com/earth-water-solar-wind-asteroids Andromedid meteors outburst SpaceWeather.com -- News and information about meteor showers, solar flares, auroras, and near-Earth asteroids
Lunar radar data uncovers new clues about moon's ancient past -- ScienceDaily
China's Yutu 2 rover spots cube-shaped 'mystery hut' on far side of the moon | Space The Conspiracy Theorists will be going into overdrive! Actually, there's no mystery – it's a copy of the Arc de Triomph, proving that the French secretly got there first….
EXOLIFE
Is That a Fossil on Mars? Non-Biological Deposits can Mimic Organic Structures - Universe Today
EXOPLANETS
Never-before-seen rocks found in these exoplanet graveyards | Live Science
A Field Guide to Alien Planets | Live Science
One year on this giant, blistering hot planet is just 16 hours long -- ScienceDaily
This doomed alien planet has a year that lasts just 16 hours — it's only getting faster | Space With such a massive planet, in such a close orbit, it should also be possible to detect the radial velocity orbital shift
Strange 'eggshell' exoplanets may have ultra-smooth surfaces | Space
GENERAL
Cosmic Record Holders: The 12 Biggest Objects in the Universe | Live Science
This is a very clear explanation of how we measure distances in the universe - The cosmic distance ladder (wordpress.com)
IMAGES
The HST Ultra Deep Field in 3D https://www.facebook.com/100000530351768/posts/5049434398417522/?sfnsn=scwspmo
You can Watch Ingenuity's Flight on Mars, Captured by Perseverance - Universe Today
NASA's Mars Curiosity rover shares new panoramic view of Red Planet | Space
Hubble telescope traces a spiral galaxy to chart our universe's expansion | Space
SOLAR SYSTEM
Nasa blasts off mission to knock asteroid off course in real life Armageddon (msn.com)
NASA Mars lander makes 1st ever map of Red Planet underground by listening to winds | Space And
Analysis of Mars's wind-induced vibrations sheds light on the planet's subsurface properties -- ScienceDaily this is incredible stuff!
Largest comet ever observed was active at near-record distance -- ScienceDaily and
Giant comet was active way farther from the sun than expected, scientists confirm | Space
Mars seismic deployment lays groundwork for future planetary missions -- ScienceDaily
Hyabusa's return sample shows water on asteroid Itokawa https://www.facebook.com/1431513238/posts/10227254210687677/?sfnsn=scwspmo
Interesting details on the interior of Neptune https://www.facebook.com/1315303067/posts/10226770178703306/?sfnsn=mo
SPACE
Russia launches new Prichal module to International Space Station | Space
Virgin Galactic announces winner of free trip to suborbital space | Space
NASA postpones spacewalk at space station due to space debris warning | Space
Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa launching to space station next week | Space
NASA astronauts will spacewalk on Thursday after space debris alert | Space
SpaceX's Starlink internet satellites forced to dodge Russian anti-satellite test debris | Space
It's Time to Stop Doing Anti-Satellite Tests - Universe Today
Russia pushes the International Space Station away from '90s US rocket debris — the 2nd space-junk scare this week (msn.com) It's strange that they lowered its orbit – usually they raise it, as they have to do that regularly anyway. Maybe it would have been at risk from another piece, if they had raised it.
Space travel's surprising impact upon humanity (mashable.com)
Military interest in the moon is ramping up (msn.com)
Spaceflight wreaks havoc on liver metabolism -- ScienceDaily
Astronaut's daughter packs father's space mementos for Blue Origin launch | Space this is a nice story!
NASA says SpaceX is only provider so far able to provide astronaut taxi rides | Space
NASA announces 10 new astronaut candidates for future space station, moon missions | Space Great news, and here's wishing them luck. But does anyone else wonder where Marcos Berrios has got his right hand?
Japanese space tourist will join human health research effort in orbit | Space
SUN
Parker Solar Probe sets new distance and speed records on solar slingshot (newatlas.com)
Sun is likely an unaccounted source of the Earth's water -- ScienceDaily
Telescopes, Instruments, Techniques.
James Webb Space Telescope cleared for launch on December 22 (newatlas.com)
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope is fueled up for its Dec. 22 launch | Space
HST is now fully back in operation https://www.facebook.com/1315303067/posts/10226872790868546/
Sent from the all new AOL app for Android Well done to all!
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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