Hi all,
1. IAA Lecture, Wed 19 January, 7.30 p.m. The Webb: Well Worth Waiting For; by Prof Tom Ray, DIAS
Abstract: On Christmas Day, the Webb was launched from Kourou in South America. It is currently on its way to a special orbit well beyond the Moon having undergone a number of very complex manoeuvres. After giving everyone an update, and an explanation of what to expect over the next few months, I will briefly introduce its four main instruments and describe how the Webb can help us understand the birth of the first stars in the Universe and how stars and planets, like our own Solar System, form.
Biography
Tom Ray is Director of the School of Cosmic Physics at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies. He began his career in Radio Astronomy at Jodrell Bank before working at a number of institutions including the University of Sussex and the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg. His primary interest is in star and planet formation. Tom is Co-Principal Investigator of the Mid-Infrared Instrument on the James Webb Space Telescope and Co-Principal Investigator on the Ariel Mission to explore exoplanets. In addition he is building a new type of super-cooled detector, known as a Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detector, for optical/near-infrared astronomy. Tom's other interests include ancient astronomical sites, such as Newgrange, and the history of Irish astronomy. In his spare time, he sails.
DETAILS
Topic: IAA Zoom Meeting
Time: Jan 19, 2022 07:15 PM London
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4222002106
Meeting ID: 422 200 2106
The room will open around 19:15 to allow for a prompt start
This talk will also be Simulcast on our YouTube Channel
2. Congratulations:
A. To Prof Alan Fitzsimmons of QUB who has been nominated by the RAS to give the annual George Darwin Lecture for 2022. Alan needs no introduction to the IAA, having given us more superb lectures than I can remember, and assistance in many other ways.
B, to another friend, Prof Don Kurtz, University of Central Lancashire, North-West University, who has been awarded the Service Medal for Astronomy. Don gave us an excellent lecture based on HST images some years ago. And by coincidence, I met him again at a Buckingham Palace Garden Party when we were both there after our awards for services to astronomy – needless to say, his was a higher award than mine!
3. JWST is on its way to L2!
Some amazing and fascinating information in this article 10 unbelievable but true facts about NASA's James Webb Space Telescope | by Ethan Siegel | Starts With A Bang! | Dec, 2021 | Medium
Great video here This amazing HD video is the last view we'll ever have of the James Webb Space Telescope | Space
Landmark Webb Observatory Is Now Officially a Telescope - Scientific American
James Webb Space Telescope begins lining up its golden mirrors (msn.com) and
James Webb Space Telescope begins lining up its golden mirrors | Space. If you've ever tried aligning (collimating) a 2-mirror system (such as a Newtonian), you can imagine what it's like with a 27-mirror system! Not only has each to be aligned with the secondary, they all have to be aligned with each other! You might think that the first would automatically ensure the second, but each could be aligned with the secondary, yet one or more mirrors might sit 0.1mm proud of the others. Not acceptable - the alignment has to be accurate to 1/10,000th the diameter of a human hair !
What will the James Webb Space Telescope look at first? | Space
4. New Video Sky Guide for January.
Paul Evans has produced another excellent sky guide: https://www.facebook.com/groups/IrishAstronomy/permalink/5237962592899037/?sfnsn=scwspmo&ref=share
5. RAS Free Public Lecture – 18th January, 13.00 'Exploring Astronomy and Space Through Philately - A Brief Introduction' by Katrin Raynor-Evans
The first astronomy themed stamp dates to 1887 when Brazil issued a perforated stamp, buff and blue in colour, depicting the Southern Cross, an asterism seen in the southern hemisphere.Even throughout the 1800's, stamps were being printed with astronomical watermarks, such as suns and stars and early stamps issued in Egypt were designed with a pyramid and star. Over the decades, we have celebrated astronomy and space on stamps including comets, man on the moon and events in the astronomical calendar such as solar eclipses. This talk will take you on an out of this world journey looking at and discussing a selection of astronomy and space themed stamps that have been issued all over the world, proving that we can enjoy the wonders of the universe even on a cloudy night. To book your FREE public lecture ticket visit:https://ras.ac.uk/events-and-meetings/ras-public-lectures-and-events/exploring-astronomy-and-space-through-philately
6. ISS:
The ISS will commence a new series of evening passes on 19 January. Full details for your location on www.heavens-above.com, and on various Smartphone Apps
7. Public Engagement Officer at DIAS Dunsink Observatory
We are delighted to accept applications for the position of Public Engagement Officer in Data and Space Science at DIAS Dunsink Observatory. We are seeking an enthusiastic and creative person to run public-facing events including Ireland's first space-themed escape room, and to develop and deliver new content around the themes of Data Science and Space Science, reflecting the modern, cutting edge work of the DIAS Astronomy and Astrophysics Section.
Interested candidates should submit an application on our online recruitment system by 5pm on January 20th 2022. For more information visit http://dias.ie/public-engagement-officer
8. ESO Summer Research Programme 2022, ESO-HQ, Garching b. München, Germany / or virtually* 4th July - 12th August 2022 Applications open: 8th December 2021; Application deadline: 4th February 2022
The ESO Summer Research Programme provides a unique opportunity to students not yet enrolled into a PhD programme, to carry out a 6-week long research project at the ESO Headquarters in Garching (Germany)*. This fully-funded programme will allow the participants to choose between a wide range of research projects covering many areas of astronomy, from planet formation to cosmology. The ESO Summer Research Programme will also provide opportunities beyond research, including lectures, a mini-workshop, and social activities.
| * The ESO Summer Research Programme will be hosted in Garching if all accepted students are able to travel to ESO HQ. If the COVID-19 pandemic does not allow an in-person visit, the programme will be held virtually as it was done in 2020 and 2021. Website: http://eso.org/summerresearch/ ESO - SummerResearch2021 ESO is the European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere. It operates the La Silla Paranal Observatory in Chile and has its headquarters in Garching, near Munich, Germany. |
Poster: http://eso.org/sci/meetings/2022/SummerResearch2022/SummerProgramme2022-poster.pdf. Enquiries: summerresearch@eso.org
9. New EASY Teaser
What record does the 5m Hale telescope on Mt Palomar still hold?
10. NEW DIFFICULT TEASER
What does the number 695 represent?
NB: One early reply said that it was the distance in LY to a particular object. Well, firstly, that would have been too easy – just search lists of objects until you find one with that figure, in km, AU, LY, or parsecs etc ! I don't make these ones as easy as that! No, you'll have to do a bit of thinking about this one, as usual. When you see the answer your initial subjective reaction will be - Wow, that's amazing! Then you'll think – Well, yes, of course!
No correct answers yet, so here's a clue. The exact figure is 694.83, so it's something we know fairly precisely!
11. Non-Astronomical Teaser + Another hint for the holiday period – so non-astro spouses and partners can have a go: What have counties Cavan, Dublin, Tipperary and Wexford uniquely got in common?
No answers for this one yet, so here's a hint: it's to do with their names. And an extra clue – it's to do with the spelling of their names.
Please send all answers to me at my aol address terrymosel@aol.com
12. Davagh Dark Sky Park and Observatory is 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. 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
'Cosmic monster' star spits energy with the force of a billion suns (msn.com)
Black Hole information paradox solved https://www.facebook.com/1272698526/posts/10221291873267674/?sfnsn=mo Is the universe's dark matter hiding in primordial black holes? (newatlas.com) A big mistake here - Uranus was discovered by chance by Sir Wm Herschel; nothing to do with the orbit of Saturn. But Neptune WAS discovered because of its gravitational pull on Uranus. And, remarkably, Pluto was discovered during a search prompted by apparent discrepancies in the orbit of Neptune, although it turned out to be so small and with such little mass, that it could then have had no measurable effect on Neptune. ALSO – this theory does not explain why most of the dark matter seems to be concentrated in the outer parts of galaxies. And if it's there in the form of billions of mini black holes, we should see evidence of some collisions and mergers in colliding galaxies.
Supergiant star explosion seen live by astronomers in unprecedented breakthrough (msn.com)
The Milky Way's outer reaches may have lumpy, choppy arms | Space
NASA's TESS exoplanet mission reveals mystery of strange signals from dusty object | Space
CERN experiments investigate whether antimatter falls up or down (newatlas.com)
Stars may form 10 times faster than thought | Science | AAAS
'Orion's Fireplace': Flame Nebula is ablaze with color in stunning new image | Space
Bizarre cloud of gas is one of the longest structures in the Milky Way | Live Science
A Detailed Scan of the Milky Way Finds Possible "Fossil" Spiral Arms - Universe Today
Astronomers identify potential clue to reinonization of universe -- ScienceDaily
Stars might be forming much faster than expected, new study suggests | Space
Twelve for dinner: The Milky Way's feeding habits shine a light on dark matter -- ScienceDaily
'Mini' monster black hole discovered hiding in a dwarf galaxy (msn.com)
This introduction to stars may be of interest. Star Facts: The Basics of Star Names and Stellar Evolution | Space (I don't know why they keep quoting NASA as a source for astrophysics! Neither A stands for astronomy, or astrophysics! - It's National Aeronautics and Space Administration. I'm not saying that NASA gets it wrong (although very occasionally it does!), but it's not the ultimate source on astronomy or astrophysics.)
1,000-light-year wide bubble surrounding Earth is source of all nearby, young stars -- ScienceDaily I resume that this is the KBC Void (Keenan, Barger and Cowie Void) ?
New evidence of a gravitational wave background -- ScienceDaily
Black hole at center of Milky Way unpredictable and chaotic -- ScienceDaily
'Mini' monster black hole discovered hiding in a dwarf galaxy | Space
The Milky Way's supermassive black hole is leaking gas | Space
Powerful superflares discovered erupting from superdense stellar corpse (msn.com)
Shredded 'stellar streams' could lead to the Milky Way's missing dark matter | Live Science
Largest dark energy map could reveal the fate of the universe | Live Science That telescope (the 4 metre /158-inch Mayall) is the 2nd largest one I've ever been privileged to actually have had hands-on. It's less than half the size of the largest one I've been able to touch – the 10m (actually 11.1 x 9.8m) SALT in Sutherland, South Africa. But unlike SALT, the Mayall actually looks like a telescope! With SALT, you're in underneath it, and it is so huge that you can't really see it – like trying to see a forest when you're in it. I have unofficial souvenirs from each – if you look carefully, you can usually find a spare washer or nut or something lying underneath them!
ALMA catches 'intruder' redhanded in rarely detected stellar flyby event -- ScienceDaily
Cosmic 'spider' found to be source of powerful gamma-rays -- ScienceDaily
COSMOLOGY
How could the Big Bang arise from nothing? (theconversation.com)
This is why physicists suspect the Multiverse very likely exists - Big Think Worth a read!
Matter and antimatter respond to gravity in the same way, study finds | Space
Astronomers identify potential clue to reinonization of universe -- ScienceDaily
EARTH & MOON
Sodom Meteor Strike Claims Should Be Taken with a Pillar of Salt - Asteroid Day Anything published by, or under the aegis of, any organisation or individual with a particular agenda or bias should be treated with great scepticism.
Big hunk of failed Russian rocket crashes to Earth as space junk | Space
Study reveals more hostile conditions on Earth as life evolved -- ScienceDaily
An asteroid 3 times as tall as the Empire State Building will whiz by Earth next week (inverse.com) Since when were asteroids 'tall'??
Asteroid larger than Empire State Building to blast 'near Earth' at 50,000mph (msn.com) Nearly as bad as the one above! Why the media obsession with comparison with tall thin obje4cts like a skyscraper? They're not shaped like that!
Powerful European Earth-observation satellite suffers anomaly in orbit (msn.com)
Moon 'mystery hut' is just a rabbit-shaped rock, Chinese rover finds | Space Dang! It wasn't Jabba after all.
Satellites reveal record high methane concentrations despite reduction pledges | Space
Ocean temperatures 'relentlessly increasing' due to climate crisis (msn.com)
China's Chang'E-5 lander finds first onsite evidence of water on the Moon (newatlas.com)
Oldest ever confirmed human fossils are even older than previously thought (msn.com)
New explanation for Moon's half-century magnetic mystery -- ScienceDaily
Artemis 1: Going back to the moon (msn.com)
2021 saw record temperatures and deaths from natural disasters, NASA, NOAA reveal | Space
The Early Earth was Really Horrible for Life - Universe Today
Nearby Supernovae Were Essential to Life on Earth - Universe Today
'Slushy' magma ocean led to formation of the Moon's crust -- ScienceDaily
EXOPLANETS
These 10 super extreme exoplanets are out of this world (msn.com)
Eccentric exoplanet discovered -- ScienceDaily This article doesn't specify, but the eccentricity is 0.5. For comparison, that of Pluto, the most eccentric SS 'planet' is 0.25.
An Exoplanet Found Protected by a Magnetosphere - Universe Today
Scientists discover deformed exoplanet shaped like a rugby ball (msn.com) and
Rugby ball-shaped exoplanet discovered -- ScienceDaily (CHEOPS = CHaracterising ExOPlanets Satellite)
The hunt is on for exomoons around alien planets and scientists may have just found one (msn.com)
Astronomers Have Found Another Possible 'Exomoon' beyond Our Solar System - Scientific American
Newly-found planets on the edge of destruction -- ScienceDaily
IMAGES
China's Mars orbiter snaps amazing selfies above Red Planet | Live Science
Comet Leonard puts on a final, spectacular display with ion tail in solar wind | Space
52 breath-taking images from the International Space Station (msn.com) In image 10, you can see the domes on top of the peaks in Hawaii. And image 36 shows that there are not many dark sky locations left in Spain and Portugal!
SOLAR SYSTEM
China's Mars orbiter snaps amazing selfies above Red Planet | Live Science
Mars helicopter Ingenuity gearing up for 19th Red Planet flight on Friday | Space
The red color of Mars is only inches deep - Big Think
2029 Will be the Perfect Year to Launch a Mission to Sedna - Universe Today
Yes, there is really 'diamond rain' on Uranus and Neptune | Space
Perseverance rover chokes on Mars pebbles while collecting 6th rock sample | Space
Since the Empire State Building is mainly empty space, it's not particularly massive. Anyway, we don't actually know the mass of the asteroid, but we can estimate its size.
SETI
Hello, universe. Is there anyone out there? (msn.com)
SPACE
The solar system belongs to us all, not just Jeff Bezos | Space
NFT-backed vault on space station to showcase prized goods for sale | Space
Sending life to the stars: Scientists contemplate launching tiny lifeforms into interstellar space -- ScienceDaily Photonic communication, eh? Sounds good, but what is it? And something the size and thickness of the front cover of a paperback book is going to send back information from the nearest star, 4.3 LY away? I'm sure it could tap the energy of the star once it gets there, but what is it going to use to transmit a signal back so that we can detect it over that distance? Especially as it will appear so close to the star that it will be indistinguishable from it. And quadrillions of times fainter than it…..
Big hunk of failed Russian rocket crashes to Earth as space junk | Space
NASA's new astronaut candidates report to Houston to begin training | Space
Kazakhstan unrest not affecting Baikonur Cosmodrome spaceport, Russia says | Space
Powerful European Earth-observation satellite suffers anomaly in orbit | Space
Elon Musk unveils SpaceX launch and catch tower for Starship Mars rocket (video) | Space
China builds artificial moon with low-gravity and rocky surface (msn.com)
NASA may need more astronauts for space station, moon missions, report says | Space
'Space Adventure' exhibition to bring 300 Apollo-era artifacts to Miami | Space
Artemis 1: Going back to the moon | Space It's 'the Moon', not 'the moon'! It's a proper noun, like Earth, or Mars or Jupiter. And BTW, that's not just my opinion, that's the official IAU ruling on the matter.
It's Time for a Global Ban on Destructive Antisatellite Testing - Scientific American Actually, it's too late – too much damage has already been done.
SUN
SpaceWeather.com -- News and information about meteor showers, solar flares, auroras, and near-Earth asteroids and sunspotcounts.png (949×295) (spaceweather.com) As I pointed out on numerous occasions, one low cycle (cycle 24) was not enough to start predicting another 'Maunder Minimum'. Of course, by the same token, this early burst of activity is not enough to predict that cycle 25 will be higher than usual!
The sun used to have rings like Saturn (msn.com)
Telescopes, Instruments, Techniques.
This amazing HD video is the last view we'll ever have of the James Webb Space Telescope | Space
Hubble Space Telescope hits record-breaking 1 billion seconds in the final frontier | Live Science
NASA's newly launched X-ray space telescope is ready to start observing the cosmos (msn.com)
UFOs, ALIENS, etc.
9 things we learned about aliens in 2021 (msn.com)
14. JOINING the IRISH ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION. This link gives options to join the IAA.
https://irishastro.org/join-the-iaa/ If you are a UK taxpayer, please select 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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