Please note: send all correspondence to me only at: terrymosel@aol.com
1. Moon occults Saturn, 21 August, 04.25 BST
This rare and spectacular event will occur in the not-so-early hours of the morning, but will be well worth getting up for. The Moon will be just past full, so disappearance will be at the bright limb, and it will reappear from behind the dark limb at about 05.05 BST. Those times are approximate, and will depend on your exact location, so start your observing at least 10 minutes before those times to be safe.
You'll need a telescope with a reasonable magnification to see the event properly, otherwise Saturn will be obscured by the light from the much brighter Moon.
Also note the difference in disc brightness – although Saturn has a much higher albedo than the Moon, it is very much further away, so its disc will appear fainter than that of the Moon.
They will be getting low in the SW by the time of reappearance, so make sure you have a clear view in that direction.
2. The Robots are at Armagh Planetarium!
An Exhibition of Robots, Cyborgs and Androids
The Robot Touring Exhibition showcases memorable and iconic robots from Science-Fiction movies and TV shows, highlighting their role in storytelling and exploring how they represent our changing relationship with technology. Visitors are invited to explore the past, present, and future of robots in Science-Fiction and consider how these machines might shape our world in the years to come.
The Robot Exhibition will give you a chance to get up close and personal with a cast of full-size heroic robots, vintage tin toys, and sculptures in all shapes and sizes from comics, books and the silver screen over the past 40 years – around every corner lurks another metallic star!
Open Tues - Sun in August
(Open Bank Holiday Mon 5th Aug and 26th Aug)
3. MORE NEWS FROM ARMAGH OBSERVATORY AND PLANETARIUM:
New Dome Show: Our Night Sky, 2pm Tues - Sun
Have you ever looked up into the night sky and wondered 'what is that star called?' or 'how many constellations are there?' Created and produced by Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, this interactive show will showcase the best of our night sky! It will showcase all our seasonal skies offer and let you ask all your stargazing questions.
Our World From Space
One Saturday a Month
Embark on a captivating journey through the wonders of our home planet, as seen from space, at our family Our World from Space Club.
Learn together with your child (perfect for KS2 children) in this fun and interesting club at the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium!
Each session will involve learning in our digital theatre, an indoor activity and an outdoor activity.
4. ISS. The ISS will start a new series of morning passes on 24 August. See www.heavens_above.com for details
5. COMET
Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) is currently around 8th magnitude in Southern Leo, but may become as bright as first magnitude in the autumn. But as we all know, predicting comet magnitudes is notoriously difficult!
6. Paul Bates' Astronomy & Physics Lectures at BMC
Class enrolments are now open at the Belfast Met for the evening classes in GCSE Astronomy and GCSE Physics, beginning in September 2024.
The Physics course contains a limited amount of astronomy content whereas the Astronomy course spends the entire academic year delving into the details of the subject.
Website URLs link to the course enrolment website.
GCSE Physics (Tuesday evening 6pm to 8:30pm, September 2024 to June 2025)
https://www.belfastmet.ac.uk/course/p00371-aa/gcse-physics-ccea-evening/
GCSE Astronomy (Thursday evening 6pm to 8:30pm, September 2024 to June 2025)
https://www.belfastmet.ac.uk/course/p00700-aa/pearson-edexcel-gcse-in-astronomy/
7. Recurrent Nova T Corona Borealis – We are still waiting! .
You may have read in some social media in early March that T CrB was due to explode again in the next week or two: I stuck my neck out, and said that we couldn't predict the next outburst with that degree of accuracy. That period has now passed, so I was right.
There have now 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, but at outburst it reaches mag 2.0 or 2.5.
The first outburst was discovered by Irish astronomer John Birmingham in Tuam, Co Galway, in May 1866. Earlier archive observations indicate a possible previous outburst in 1217, 1787, 1866, as well as 1946. The eruptions in 1866 and February 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 95 years!
LATEST
The latest prediction from the AAVSO was for the explosion to occur on 2024.4, +/- 0.3. Well, we're now at 2024.7, so according to them, it's just about to happen! But, 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 it's certainly well worth keeping 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 high in the SW as the bright twilight ends, about 25 degrees to the left of Arcturus. It's at Declination: 25° 55′ 12.613″; R.A.: 15h 59m 30.1622s
8. The first meeting of the IAA's New Season will be on Wed 18 September, and wll be given by Dr Marc Sarzi of Armagh Observatory. More details later.
9. NEW DIFFICULT TEASER
What's next in this sequence: 81, 770, 4200, …?
No correct answers yet, so I'll give a clue: It's astronomical rather than mathematical.
Another clue – it's a ratio.
And another clue – the first figure, a ratio, is fairly well known – so take it from there!
And another – the first ratio is 1:81
And another: it's the ratio of an aspect of one body to another.
10. New Easy Teaser:
What comes next in this sequence? AADFJJJMMN ?
Clue – it relates to something we all know very very well.
Remember, only send answers to me at my aol address: terrymosel@aol.com.
11. 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:
James Webb Space Telescope adds to the confusing drama of Hubble tension (msn.com)
Dark Energy Camera's new galactic portrait delves into dark-matter central (msn.com)
COSMOLOGY:Do we live in a giant void? It could solve the puzzle of the universe's expansion (msn.com)
EARTH & MOONScientists pinpoint where dinosaur-killing meteor came from (msn.com)
EXOLIFE:Astrobiologist explains Perseverance rover's possible detection of ancient Mars life | Space
EXOPLANETSThe discovery of a new Earth-like planet could shed further light on what makes a planet habitable (msn.com)
IMAGES:See China's Chang'e-6 land on far side of the moon in descent imagery time-lapse | Watch (msn.com)
SOLAR SYSTEM Perseverance Mars rover begins 820-foot climb up 'Witch Hazel Hill' (msn.com) Is asteroid Psyche actually a planetary core? James Webb Space Telescope results cast doubt (msn.com) Mars could host life in vast liquid oceans – but there's a problem (msn.com) SPACE
TELESCOPES, EQUIPMENT & TECHNIQUES
How a quantum sensor on the ISS could revolutionize space exploration (msn.com)
FINAL WORD:
"The treasures hidden in the heavens are so rich that the human mind shall never be lacking in fresh nourishment." - Johannes Kepler
18. 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
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