Hi all,
Please note: send all correspondence to me only at: terrymosel@aol.com
1. Perihelion. The Earth is 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' !
2. Moon Occults Saturn, 4 January.
N.B. The public observing event for this occultation in front of the main building at QUB at 16.30 has been cancelled due to a very unfavourable weather forecast. However you may have clear skies where you are!
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 17.10+. 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! Bigger instruments may show all the satellites mentioned below.
The altitude will be about 27 degrees at the start of the event, just to the West of South, and the reappearance will occur at an altitude of about 23 degrees, at an azimuth of about 210 degrees, so a bit further round to the West. Choose a location where you will get a clear view of the whole event.
You'll easily see Saturn right up to the moment of disappearance, but to see where it will reappear, you need to know where to look on the bright lunar limb. From Belfast, the reappearance will be at a position angle of 85 degrees. That's measured from North, so it will be just short of halfway down along the curve of the bright limb. That point will be slightly different for other locations, so you'll need to check for your own location using a planetarium program.
The following are the times for the disappearances and reappearances of the main satellites and features, from Belfast: (they will differ slightly for other locations)
Iapetus: 17h 05m 09s (Reapp: probably too faint to see)
Rhea: 17 15 29 - 18 21 15
Dione: 17 16 00 - 18 22 10
Enceladus: 17 25 25 - 18 22 56
Outer ring edge: 17 16 32 - 18 23 02
First disc contact: 17 16 37 - Third disc contact 18 23 22
Mid-disc disappearance: 17 16 50 - mid-disc reappearance 18 23 44
Second disc contact: 17 17 11 - fourth disc contact: 18 23 51
Outer ring disappearance 17 17 17 – outer ring reappearance: 18 23 11
Titan: 17 20 00 - 18 28 08.
NB: First disc contact is when the edge of the Moon first 'touches' the disc of Saturn; Second contact is when the whole disc of Saturn becomes completely covered by the Moon. 3rd and 4th contacts are the reverse of these.
Also visible in the field of view of a telescope will be the star 83 Aqr, mag 5.5.
Brilliant Venus will be 13 degrees away to the SW, with a phase of 54%.
Note that from about 17 20 when Titan disappears, until about 18 20 when you should start looking out for the reappearance of Rhea, everything will be hidden! But of course, you can study the Moon itself, and Jupiter will be getting higher in the East – always worth observing in a telescope.
3. 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.
4. Congratulations to Professor Francis Keenan, MBE.
Congrats to Francis, who has given many entertaining lectures to the IAA over the years, for his award of the MBE in the New Year's Honours list, for Services to Higher Education.
5. 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".
6. Moon occults Pleiades, 10 January.
The waxing gibbous Moon will pass across the S half of the Pleaides, or Seven Sisters, on the night of 9/10 January. Some of the brighter occultations are as follows: these times are for Belfast, and will vary slightly for other locations:
01h 57m 24s: 23 Tau, mag 4.2
02h 40m 00s: Eta Tau, mag 2.8
03h 06m 30s: 27 Tau, mag 3.6
03h 14m 50s: 28 Tau, mag 4.5 -5.5
Eta Tau is Alcyone, the brightest star in the cluster. There will of course be many other fainter stars also occulted.
7. A bright S. Hemisphere comet in mid-January?
You can alert your S. Hemisphere friends and relations to this Get ready for the 'New Year Comet': What to expect from Comet ATLAS (C/2024) G3
8. 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
9. Mayo Dark Sky Park wins major award!
Mayo International Dark Sky Park at Wild Nephin National Park has won the International 'Dark Sky Place of the Year Award 2024' – out of over 220 candidates from all around d the world: See
Mayo International Dark Sky Park wins international award | National Parks & Wildlife Service
They added: "We've been busy in the 8 years since accreditation. Whilst we have the privilege of very dark skies at the accredited National Park site, we recognise that light pollution is ever increasing and we plan to mitigate this further and eventually make Mayo a dark sky county.
This award recognises work done so far within and beyond the National Park boundaries, in collaboration with communities of Newport, Mulranny & Ballycroy Receiving such an amazing accolade will spur us on to achieve our goal to promote dark skies via partnerships and education.
Read more on the award here: https://lnkd.in/ekJeREV4
Big shout out to @IDADarkSky & to @darkskyireland for all their support.
Very well done to Georgia McMillan and Fiona Hopkins and the rest of the amazing team there. The Dark Sky Festival in Newport, Mulranny & Ballycroy in early November each year is well worth going to!
10. 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.
11. 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
12. 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 in January as the rings narrow almost to invisibility. They will be edge-on on March 23, but that's just after Saturn's solar conjunction on March 12, so it will be too close to the Sun to be seen from here, and very very difficult to see even from the S. Hemisphere.
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13. ISS. The ISS will start a new series of evening passes on 14 January. See www.heavens_above.com for details.
14. MARS will reach opposition on 16 January. 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.
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15. GALWAY ASTROFEST, 25 January.
Once again, this will be in The Menlo Park Hotel, Headford Road, Galway.
The hotel are offering a special rate for the festival, as follows; Friday night, single €109 and double €129 , Saturday night, single €119 double €139, Bed and Breakfast, but you must phone the hotel to get this festival rate. The phone number is 091761122.
Here is the link to the programme – all the talks look very interesting! ASTROFEST 2025 – The Galway Astronomy Club. Note that all payments on the day must be in cash only.
16. Recurrent Nova T Corona Borealis – Now postponed to 2025 – or later????
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!
The Story:
There were reports on social media in early March 2024 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. 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. It could also be that the 26 year interval actually comprises 3 of just under 9 years, 2 of which were missed; similarly with the 18 and 21-year intervals. It would be very easy to miss some eruptions if they occurred near its solar conjunctions. However, as T CrB is visible all year round, it's very unlikely that any outbursts since 1946 have been missed)
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 visible in the morning sky in the East from about 2.0 a.m., and high enough for proper observation by about 3 a.m.
It's at Declination: 25° 55′ 12.613″; R.A.: 15h 59m 30.1622s
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
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!
17. 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/
18. 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.
19. 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.
20. INSAP, QUB, 9-12 June, and at AOP, 13 June.
21. European Astronomy Society 2025 meeting in Cork 23-27 June 2025
22. 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 .
23. 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,
24. 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.
25: 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
And weather prospects for the coming eclipses such as the one in Spain in 2026, and N. Africa in 2027, are on www.eclipsophile.com . The discussions there will help you pick a site for the eclipse, as weather is one of the important factors to consider.
26: New Difficult Teaser:
What's next in this sequence (i.e. after the H), and why? …..R, Z, S, C, H ?
No answers yet, so here's a clue: Look both ways.
27. 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.
Final Clue: It relates to the decimal system.
Remember, only send answers to me at my aol address: terrymosel@aol.com.
28. 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.
ARCHAEOASTRONOMY:
Researchers solved a mystery surrounding a weird archeological discovery
"crescent motion" should be "crescent Moon". And how does it depict the Sun AND the Full Moon? If the big round disc is the Sun, what depicts the Full Moon? And there are NO star systems or constellations depicted. The tight group of 7 stars may be the Pleaides, but it's not a constellation. And what are the other two gold arcs or crescents? The one shown here at the bottom might be a depiction of a large partial solar eclipse, but what's the other one at the right edge?
And what "profound understanding of astronomy" does it reveal?
It's a fascinating object, but let's not jump to too many conclusions.
ASTEROID IMPACT RISK:
How Scientists Identify Apocalyptic Asteroids Heading For Earth | Naked Science | Spark | Watch
ASTROPHYSICS:
Dead stars can celebrate 2 New Years every second with nearby cosmic fireworks | Space
https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-trace-fast-radio-burst-to-surprise-source-for-first-time
Hubble's Inside The Image: Antennae Galaxies | Watch
COSMOLOGY:Was 2024 the year we finally started to understand dark energy? | Space
EARTH & MOONOur new home? What we've learned about the Moon since 1969
Report: 'Weak spot' in Earth's magnetic field now larger than Canada
Hundreds of dinosaur footprints dating back 166 million years found in quarry
EXOLIFE:We finally know where to look for life on Mars | Space
The Fermi Paradox – the explanations ranked: Where Are All The Aliens? We Ranked Every Explanation | Watch I haven't watched all of those, but Fraser Cain is usually good and reliable.
EXOPLANETS'Mathematically perfect' star system discovered 105 light-years from Earth may still be in its infancy. Could that change its prospects for life? | Space
IMAGES:
Unveiling Galactic Diversity with the Dark Energy Camera
NASA Hubble Space Telescope spots cosmic eye staring straight back at it from deep space There is no such thing as the "European Space Station"! The reference should be to the European Space Agency.
Hubble Space Telescope captures festive galaxy for the holidays | Watch
Space photo of the week: Hubble captures a cosmic snow angel created by a bright, young star
KESSLER SYNDROME:Experts Warn of Unstoppable Chain Reaction from Space Debris
LIGHT POLLUTIONThe world's brightest city - London is only fourth This is not something to be proud of!
SOLAR SYSTEM We finally know where to look for life on Mars | Space
The Puzzling Natures of Neptune and Uranus | How the Universe Works | Science Channel | Watch
SPACE Dreaming of space? Here are the health risks austranauts have to face 'Austranauts? – Obviously from Australia!
Will 2025 be the year of Starship? SpaceX's megarocket is growing up. | Space
Space rock donated by Nasa to Ireland lay in basement three years before being destroyed in fire
Meet the ACS3: a new NASA project that could revolutionize space travel
There are many problems with solar sails –
1. The acceleration is incredibly slow,
2. The amount of sunlight available decreases as the square of the distance from the Sun: double the distance and you only get ¼ as much sunlight; treble the distance & you only get 1/9 as much, and so on..
3. They are really only useful for fast flybys of very distant objects; otherwise you have to turn the sail around 180 degrees and use the light from the target star to slow the sail down as it gradually approaches it – and the deceleration is equally slow!
4. And assuming that you want to study a planet around a distant star rather than the star itself, you then have to steer it to the right position of the planet relative to that star. And that's not easy if, as is likely, there's a variable and unpredictable stellar wind from the star!
5. Finally, you then need to get your data back to Earth, over a huge distance – say 100 AU for a fast flyby of a distant EKBO, or a minimum of 4.3 light years for the nearest exoplanet – that requires an instrument (camera etc), a transmitter, a power source and a parabolic antenna. All of those add weight to the spacecraft, which is the very last thing you want on a solar sail!
SUN
NASA's Parker Solar Probe beams home 1st detailed update after record-breaking approach to the sun
FINAL WORD:
"The treasures hidden in the heavens are so rich that the human mind shall never be lacking in fresh nourishment." - Johannes Kepler
29. 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
