Please note: send all correspondence to me only at: terrymosel@aol.com
1. Quadrantid Meteor shower, peaks on 3 January
This shower has a sharp maximum, occurring this year at about 15h on Jan 3. The radiant is circumpolar, in N Bootes, lying just South of 1/3 of the way between the end of the Plough handle and the head of Draco.
So you can start observing as soon as the sky gets dark, but it dips lowish below the North Pole before starting to rise again later in the evening. The quoted ZHR is about 80, and the crescent Moon won't be much of a problem. Best rates will be seen in the early hours of Jan 3 before dawn, and on the night of 3-4 January. In a clear dark sky you might see 30 or 40 per hour just before dawn on the 3rd, or around midnight on the 3rd/4th.
The meteors tend to be brighter than average, and are of moderate speed.
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.
2. Perihelion. The Earth will be at the closest point to the Sun in our elliptical orbit on 4 January at 13h 28m, so the Sun will have its largest apparent diameter of 32' 32". The separation between Earth and Sun will be 0.98333 AU, or 147,104,074km. I'm going to be the first to suggest that we DON'T call it a 'SuperSun' !
3, Venus – the Evening Star
Venus, the 'Evening Star', is now dominating our evening sky, shining brilliantly in the SW twilight. It will reach its Greatest Eastern Elongation on 10 January, although its greatest brilliancy comes later. The magnitude is now -4.2, and the apparent diameter is 21.6".
4. Moon Occults Saturn, 4 January.
The waxing 5 day old crescent Moon will occult Saturn on the early evening of Saturday 4 January. The exact time will depend on your location, but as a general guide, it starts at about 17.15. This will be a beautiful sight, with the Earthlit ghostly lunar limb slowly approaching and covering the Rings and then the planet. The Moon will not be so bright as to drown out the satellites, so at least the occultation of Titan should also be visible in a moderate telescope!
We will have a public observing event for this occultation in front of the main building at QUB: starting at 16.30. More details in next bulletin.
5. IAA Lecture, Wed 08 January, 7.30 p.m., Larmor Lecture Theatre, Physics building, QUB:
"Exploring our Solar System: Past, Present, and Future", by Dr Joseph Murtagh
of the Astrophysics Research Centre, QUB
Synopsis:
Our Solar System is a rich and dynamical playground of rocky planets, gas and ice giants, and lots of chaotic and interesting smaller asteroids. Within the various small body populations in our Solar System, there lies is a treasure trove of information that can tell us about where we came from and how we came to exist. In this talk I want to give a guided history tour of how we think we know how a Solar System is created, from the earliest dusty disk around the Sun, to planet formation, to what is currently out there now. I'll then talk a bit about my own research into how we get this understanding from both ground and space-based telescopes, as well as creating models of Solar System bodies. Finally, I'll give everyone a sneak peek into the next revolutionary telescope, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, that is going to revolutionise our understanding of the Solar System.
Biography:
Joe is a 3rd (and final) year PhD student at Queen's University Belfast, where he works with Dr Meg Schwamb on understanding the small Solar System bodies through both observational studies with ground-based telescopes, and by creating models and simulations to compare. He completed his undergraduate master's study at Queen's University Belfast in 2022 in ground-based observations of comets and their brightening as they move nearer to the Sun.
Admission free, all are welcome, including Light Refreshments.
6. Brilliant Jupiter dominates the Eastern Sky!
The king of the planets is still really bright in E Taurus after its opposition on 7 December. It's mag -2.7, which makes it the second brightest planet, after Venus. It's getting nicely up in the Eastern sky as soon as twilight ends.
The apparent disc diameter is now gradually decreasing, but is still an impressive 47", which is still a greater visible disc area than ALL the other planets combined! Venus can exceed that, but only when it's almost between us and the Sun, showing only a thin crescent.
Even a 75mm telescope will show the Great Red Spot when it's on or near the meridian. Binoculars will show the 4 big Galilean Moons, Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto, and a moderate telescope will show at least the start and end of their transits across the disc. That's because the edge of the planet is darker than the middle due to 'limb darkening', so the bright satellite shows up against the dark background. But when the satellite is near the middle of the disc, the contrast with the brighter background is much less, and it takes a big telescope and steady seeing to reveal the satellite.
However, the much darker shadows of the satellites are easy to see the whole way across the disc. Also interesting to watch, and easier to see, are the satellites entering and leaving eclipse in Jupiter's shadow, except very near opposition when this happens very close to the disc itself, as now.
At the moment, the outer Moon, Callisto, does not undergo any of these phenomena, because of the orbital tilt at present, so it always passes just above or just below the disc of Jupiter each orbit.
See NASA | Jupiter in 4k Ultra HD
7. WhatsApp Group for alerts on Observing Nights.
The IAA have set up a WhatsApp Group for updates on Observing Nights. If you would like to be included in this group, please e-mail Mary at callistoboxers@hotmail.com with your full name & mobile telephone number.
No discussions about anything other than Observing Nights will be posted on this group.
8. HST Observing Challenge:
Keen observers may be interested in this. If so, get started early,
NASA, Astronomical League team up for 2025 Hubble night sky challenge
9. Saturn still visible.
Saturn is still well placed for observing in Aquarius in the S as the sky darkens, although it's fairly low in our skies. It's mag 0.9, with a disc diameter of 17".
Notice how narrow the rings are now! The angle is about 5 degrees, because of the retrograde motion. But they will soon gradually get narrower as Saturn approaches its 'equinox' next March, in other words its equator and ring plane will be edge on to the Sun, and therefore almost edge on to the Earth. Observe it for as long as possible to see just how narrow they get!
Also look out for some of its many moons, Titan (8m.3) is easy to see in any telescope, Rhea is also fairly easy at 9m.7. Tethys (10m.2) and Dione (10m.8) are also fairly easy in a reasonable telescope. Enceladus (11m.7) and especially Mimas (12m.9) are challenging, but will be easier to see as the rings narrow and become less bright; they will be even easier to see next year as the rings narrow almost to invisibility.
Mark your diaries for the occultation by the Moon on 4 January – see above.
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10. MARS The Red Planet is now becoming more prominent late in the night, in Cancer, but not too far from Castor and Pollux in Gemini. It's magnitude -1.1, but comparatively small with an apparent diameter of only 14.1". It will get brighter and bigger as it approaches opposition on 16 January.
11. ISS. The ISS continues its series of morning passes until 31 December, and will then start a series of evening passes on 14 January. See www.heavens_above.com for details
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12. Recurrent Nova T Corona Borealis – SEE LATEST NEWS, at end of this item
I hate to have to say – "I told you so." OK, that's not true – everyone likes to know that they've been right, when they've gone out on a limb!
There were reports on social media in early March that T CrB was due to explode again in the next week or two, i.e. in late March: I stuck my neck out, and said that we couldn't predict the next outburst with that degree of accuracy. That period has now well passed, so I was right.
There have since been several more articles, saying much the same thing, and it still hasn't happened. The position remains the same - It could explode tomorrow – or not for another year or more! It's normally around magnitude 10 but in 1946 it faded to about 11 just before the outburst on 9 February, but at outburst it reaches mag 2.0 or 3.0 (as in 1946)
The first outburst was discovered by Irish astronomer John Birmingham in Tuam, Co Galway, on 12 May 1866. Earlier archive observations indicate possible previous outbursts in 1217, 1787, as well as 1866 & 1946. The eruptions in 1787, 1866 and 1946, indicated an approximate 80 year period. BUT you can't assume a period from only 2 intervals ! However, in the year before the 1946 outburst, it dimmed to magnitude 12.3, and this has happened again recently, suggesting a possible outburst is imminent. BUT, once again, you can't predict from a single event!
Incidentally, the gap from 1217 to 1787, assuming some eruptions that were not observed, gives a
period of 81.4 years if there were 7 outbursts, so that's fairly constant!
As I've said many times, while there are records of several previous explosions, we only have a sample of one set of detailed observations of the pre-explosion stage – in 1946. And it's always dangerous to extrapolate from one set of observations!
So, keep an eye on it - comparison charts can be found on the websites of the BAA Variable Star Section, or the AAVSO. The current magnitude is around 10, so you'll need a good telescope to see it now.
(BTW, don't confuse it with the other nearby famous variable star, R CrB, which does the opposite – it stays normally around 6th magnitude, but occasionally dims to as faint as magnitude 14 or 15!)
(And for comparison, the other not quite so well-known recurrent nova, RS Oph, was seen to, or is thought to have, erupted 9 times since 1898 – with intervals of approximately 9, 26, 12, 13, 9, 18, 21 and 18 years; so its period is by no means constant.)
Anyway, do keep an eye out – T CrB lies just outside the East side of the circle of the 'Crown', about a degree from Epsilon CrB, but you really do need charts to observe it properly. It's now getting too low in the NW twilight for observation in the evenings, but although it's not circumpolar, it's now visible in the morning sky in the East from about 3.0 a.m.
It's at Declination: 25° 55′ 12.613″; R.A.: 15h 59m 30.1622s
See also https://www.facebook.com/share/39XnUDPUGgsnmMDG/
And now this! Talk about a misleading headline!?! Much-awaited star explosion is finally here. How to watch it and where to look https://www.wionews.com/science/much-awaited-star-explosion-is-finally-here-how-to-watch-it-and-where-to-look-762377
LATEST - REALITY BITES!
Now they're saying "sometime this year" – and also, in the same article "within the next couple of years" ! What Is the 'Zombie Star' Set To Come Back to Life According to NASA? - Newsweek and this –
Another article with misleading statements and irrelevant illustrations ! A rare stellar explosion is coming: the first in 80 years
FINALLY - Someone else confirms what I've been saying since early March!
T Coronae Borealis: Why the mysterious star still remains unexploded
See near the end - "When should we expect an explosion?"
ANOTHER UPDATE: Where's the Blaze Star? Why the overdue 'new star' T Coronae Borealis has yet to light up the night sky
It's NOT overdue. Any sensible assessment would have concluded that it was impossible to predict to within a year, let alone within weeks or months!
13. GALWAY ASTROFEST, 25 January.
More details soon .
14. Irish Astronomy Week 2025; March 1st to 8th. – Amendment.
Ronan Newman is organising this event again this year, following last year's success. But all individual clubs are encouraged to organise their own events, under the IAW banner, and keeping Ronan informed. ,
Irish Astronomy Week is a national event in Ireland that celebrates and promotes interest in astronomy. It's a week filled with events, talks, workshops, and stargazing sessions organized by various astronomy clubs, observatories, schools, libraries, and science centres throughout Ireland. The week encourages people of all ages to engage with the wonders of space and understand more about the universe.
During Irish Astronomy Week, you'll typically find: Public talks by prominent astronomers and astrophysicists, covering topics like black holes, planets, and stars. Stargazing sessions with telescopes set up for public use to view the beautiful March conjunction of planets and Moon hosted by local astronomy clubs or observatories. Workshops and activities in libraries aimed at children and families, with fun and educational activities related to space. Planetarium shows and virtual reality experiences to help people explore space in immersive ways
Outreach events in schools to inspire students about careers in space science and technology. Irish Astronomy Week provides an opportunity for both amateur astronomers and the general public to explore astronomy together and to develop a greater appreciation for the night sky. Information about it can be found through our Facebook page, our website and other related groups as the week approaches.
See https://www.facebook.com/share/1B124rbzHv/
And https://www.facebook.com/share/18UAaWnbBB/
15. Total Lunar Eclipse, 14 March. This occurs in the pre-dawn sky, as the Moon is getting very low. The start of totality is just visible here before the Moon sets.
16. Partial Solar Eclipse, 29 March. The magnitude will be over 50% for all of Ireland, with NW Mayo getting 57%. We hope to organise at least one public observing event for this eclipse.
17. INSAP, QUB, 9-12 June, and at AOP, 13 June.
18. European Astronomy Society 2025 meeting in Cork 23-27 June 2025
19. ALAN 2025, 28 – 30 October 2025, Westport.
Preparations are under way for the 9th Scientific Conference on Artificial Light At Night, ALAN2025, from October 28-30, 2025, in Westport, Ireland. Our host will be Dark Sky Ireland. The invited speakers will be revealed soon, but we can already promise you interesting talks about science, governance, dark sky outreach, and lighting design.
The conference offers a platform for interdisciplinary networking and exchange on the topics Biology & Ecology, Governance & Regulations, Health, Measurements & Modelling, Social Sciences & Humanities, Technology & Design.
We welcome researchers, lighting professionals, policy makers, light pollution activists, and everybody who is interested in the effects of artificial light at night. The conference aims to present new findings, exchange experiences and ideas, network, and discuss hoe artificial light can be used with less negative impacts.
I'm on the organising committee for this event, so I'll keep you posted regarding the programme.
For more information check out our website at artificiallightatnight.org .
20. Research positions in exoplanets at TCD
We are writing to advertise 2 Research Fellow and 2 PhD positions in our Extrasolar Atmospheres and Exoplanetary Systems ERC groups for Autumn 2025 start - please share as widely as possible!
Full details on topics, conditions, eligibility, and more on our exciting Astro group at Trinity College Dublin below:
Research Fellow in Exoplanetary Systems: https://tinyurl.com/5n77ucnk
Research Fellow in Extrasolar Atmospheres: http://tinyurl.com/2ufcwvxf
PhD position in Extrasolar Atmospheres: http://tinyurl.com/5amcea6p
PhD position in Exoplanetary Systems: https://tinyurl.com/bdb3xyp3
Feel free to contact us or have potential candidates contact us at astrojobs@tcd.ie,
21. Exciting Opportunities for Research and Collaboration from the IAU Professional-Amateur Working Group
The IAU Professional-Amateur Working Group (Pro-Am WG) has launched the IAU Pro-Am Research Collaboration (PARC), an initiative that promotes and facilitates professional-amateur research collaborations in astronomy. PARC aims to enhance professional astronomy research capacity through collaboration with amateur astronomers.
22: Eclipse planning.
This may be of interest to those planning observing locations for the total solar eclipses in 2026 and 2027
Global risk map reveals the most dangerous countries and cities
23: Difficult Teaser answered:
Which comet could be said to be linked to the Irish Astronomical Association?
No guesses yet, so here's a clue: It's nominal.
Another clue – initially, it's nominal!
The last clue did the trick, with three correct answers coming in quick succession!
The answer is IRAS-Araki-Alcock, which shares the initials IAA. In 1983 it came closer to the Earth than any comet in recent times, and appeared to the naked eye as a large but faint fuzzy patch moving across the sky noticeably from hour to hour.
First was Peter Denman, followed just 3 minutes later by Jim Verner. But as Jim got his bulletin 2 or 3 minutes later than Peter (just an artefact of my mailing process), it's almost a tie! And Peter has graciously suggested a tie, so no need for VAR to settle it!
Next was Peter Millar, just about 90 minutes later!
Congratulations to all three!
24: New Difficult Teaser:
What's next in this sequence (i.e. after the H), and why? …..R, Z, S, C, H ?
25. Easy Teaser, another clue
What recurring thing in Star Trek is statistically very very unlikely? Apart from the fact that every civilisation in the galaxy speaks English!
CLUE: It usually occurs at or near the start of each programme.
Another Clue - it's numerical.
And another clue: it's also calendrical.
One more clue: it refers to the Captain.
LATE CREDIT: I've just found a correct answer in my Spam folder for the previous easy teaser, from Ben Emmett. Well done Ben, belatedly!
Remember, only send answers to me at my aol address: terrymosel@aol.com.
26. 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 unlocks mysteries of distant quasar 3C 273 "Leveraging"? Where does the lever come into it? Why use such an awkward and inappropriate word? What they mean is "using". Yep - they have just been 'using the unique capabilities of the HST'. No levers used, and none needed,
Mysterious Structures Near Supermassive Black Hole Revealed
How 2024 brought us deeper into the world of particles
China launches 'Einstein Probe' with x-ray tech inspired by lobster eye | Watch
'Mathematically perfect' star system discovered 105 light-years from Earth may still be in its infancy. Could that change its prospects for life?
COSMOLOGY:'There's no real competitor': Theoretical physicist Marika Taylor on how black holes could help us to find a theory of everything
EARTH & MOON Bad news! Satellite disaster: Military relic shatters into space debris
Scientists warn of major volcanic eruption
Astronaut Don Pettit is Serious, He Rigged up Astrophotography Gear on the ISS - Universe Today This will SO annoy the Flat Earthers and spaceflight deniers! (Yes, there are those who now deny that we have ever sent anything into space!)
Fascinating and lesser-known facts about the Moon Very poor journalism: the size comparison of Earth = Tennis ball and Moon = Golf ball is ridiculously inaccurate. It does say correctly that the Moon is about 1/4 the size of the Earth, but a Tennis ball is actually only about 1.55 times bigger than a golf ball: If the Moon was a golf ball, the Earth would actually be bigger than a lawn bowls ball!
Learning to explore the Moon in a Canadian meteorite crater | Watch EXOPLANETS'Mathematically perfect' star system discovered 105 light-years from Earth may still be in its infancy. Could that change its prospects for life?
Potentially habitable planet TRAPPIST-1b may have a carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere
Very poor journalism: the size comparison of Earth = Tennis ball and Moon = Golf ball is ridiculously inaccurate. It does say correctly that the Moon is about 1/4 the size of the Earth, but a Tennis ball is actually only about 1.55 times bigger than a golf ball: If the Moon was a golf ball, the Earth would actually be bigger than a lawn bowls ball! IMAGES:
NASA unveils cosmic wreath: A glimpse into early universe
Astronaut Don Pettit talks all things astrophotography from the International Space Station
Space photo of the week: James Webb and Chandra spot a cosmic 'Christmas Wreath' sparkling in the galaxy next door
Curiosity leaves Gediz valley channel – panoramic video Curiosity Rover Leaves Gediz Vallis Channel (360 View) | Watch
KESSLER SYNDROME:Urgent warning issued over space crisis that could make swathes of Earth unusable and Bad news! Satellite disaster: Military relic shatters into space debris
SOLAR SYSTEM 'Like nothing we've seen before': James Webb telescope spies a mysterious asteroid-comet hybrid lurking past Jupiter
Mega asteroid the size of a 10-story building will fly past Earth TONIGHT What atrocious journalism! If it was 1.51 Astronomical Units (that's 140,363,269 miles!) from Earth that morning, there's no way it was going to pass just 14 lunar distances (about 3,340,000 miles from us on Xmas Eve!
Also, it's crazy to talk of an 'estimated diameter' of 47.42 metres, i.e. to an accuracy of 1 centimetre! That's obviously a conversion from an imperial units figure, but don't quote it to an accuracy of 1 cm if it's an estimate!
Wouldn't it be great if everyone would just use metric units!
Asteroid-comet chimera Chiron has an unusual ice mix, James Webb Space Telescope finds
SPACE Bad news! Satellite disaster: Military relic shatters into space debris
ULA wants to upgrade Vulcan Centaur rocket into a 'space interceptor' to defend satellites | Space
Astronaut Don Pettit talks all things astrophotography from the International Space Station and
Astronaut Don Pettit is Serious, He Rigged up Astrophotography Gear on the ISS - Universe Today
How does spaceflight affect astronauts' brains? There's good news and bad
10 times space missions went very wrong in 2024
SUN
NASA's Parker Solar Probe Breaks Record in Closest Sun Encounter
The sun in 2025: How the solar cycle will shape our year ahead
Nasa probe successfully completes closest-ever approach to sun
NASA probe in Christmas Eve flight to 'uncharted territory' of Sun's surface How can it hover if it's traveling at 430,000 mph???? Hover means to remain stationary over a place. It's not even a scientific term. That's inexcusable. How does a journalist get a job without understanding the language they use?
TELESCOPES, EQUIPMENT & TECHNIQUES
FINAL WORD:
"The treasures hidden in the heavens are so rich that the human mind shall never be lacking in fresh nourishment." - Johannes Kepler
27. 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 http://www.irishastro.org/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
