Monday 26 November 2007

Fw: INMG-HST-271107

 

Dear Members and Friends, Just a brief reminder on the an event with our distinguished speaker Dr Robin Catchpole from the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge, who will bring you where no man has gone before with his talk ... "Through the Eyes of the Hubble Space Telescope" Date: 27 November 2007 Time: 18:00 for 18:30 Venue: University of Ulster, Belfast Campus (also known as the "Arts College" - see map) Room 82 B01 After a brief introduction to light and the Hubble Space Telescope, you will embark on a tour through the universe. Starting in our Solar System and ending with the most distant optical views of the universe ever seen. On the way you will experience the birth and death of stars. Please find poster of the event and location of venue attached for circulation. (See attached file: Poster-Hubble-271107.ppt) I hope to be able to welcome you at the event. Kind regards, Wolfgang Wenger Chairman to the Irish North Materials Group

Two lectures

 

Hi all,

1. PUBLIC LECTURE: 27 November. 6.0 for 6.30 p.m.
"Through the Eyes of the Hubble Space Telescope" by Dr Robin Catchpole (Institute of Astronomy - Cambridge). The talk will include technology involved in the Hubble Space Telescope as well as the abilities of the telescope as such.
Venue:      University of Ulster at Belfast (also known as the Arts College)
(see website:   http://www.iom3.org/regions/ for further details and a map.) Admission free, all welcome

2. The next public lecture hosted by the Irish Astronomical Association will be on Wednesday 28 November, 7.30 p.m. sharp, Bell Lecture Theatre, Physics Building, main campus, Queen's University Belfast. Kevin Berwick will speak on "Astronomical Tourism". Admission free, including light refreshments. Free parking in the main QUB campus after 5.30 p.m. See www.irishastro.org for details and a map of the venue.

Clear skies.

Terry Moseley

Monday 19 November 2007

Corrections

 

Hi all,

Sorry - 1 error and 1 omission in my last email.

1. Geology programme: Somehow in copying & pasting I managed to lose the date of the first transmission of the programme, which will be on Tuesday 20 November, at 21.00 on BBC2.

2. The IAA lecture by Kevin Berwick in Belfast should of course have been Wednesday 28 NOVEMBER, not October.

Clear skies,

Terry Moseley

INMG-HST-271107

 

Dear Members and Friends,

The Irish North Materials Group invites you to an event of of an extreme magnitude, as our distinguished speaker Dr Robin Catchpole from the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge will bring you where no man has gone before with his talk ...

"Through the Eyes of the Hubble Space Telescope"

Date: 27 November 2007
Time: 18:00 for 18:30
Venue: University of Ulster, Belfast Campus (also known as the "Arts College" - see map)
Room 82 B01

After a brief introduction to light and the Hubble Space Telescope, you will embark on a tour through the universe. Starting in our Solar System and ending with the most distant optical views of the universe ever seen. On the way you will experience the birth and death of stars.

I hope to be able to welcome you at the event.

Kind regards,

Wolfgang Wenger
Chairman to the Irish North Materials Group

Further details on the Event:

Some like our Sun, live nine thousand million years before loosing their outer layers to form beautiful spheres of luminous gas. Other more massive stars, evolve faster and end their lives in huge supernovae explosions, spreading newly made elements throughout the Galaxy.

Beyond our Galaxy lie many clusters of galaxies. The closest help us find the size and age of the observable universe. Further away, you will see collisions between galaxies, galaxies with black holes, the enigmatic distant sources of gamma rays and gravitational lenses, which tell us that 90 percent of the mass of the universe is made of unknown dark matter.

Finally, we look so deep in space and so far back in time, that we see the Universe the way it was when it was one tenth of its present age.

Background on the Speaker:

Robin Catchpole works as an astronomer at the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge. having retired as Senior Astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich in July 2004.

Joined the Royal Greenwich Observatory (RGO) from Bryanston School in 1962. After obtaining a BSc at University College London, he was posted to the Royal Observatory at the Cape of Good Hope, S Africa (now known as the South African Astronomical Observatory) and spent the next 24 years, working first at the Radcliffe Observatory in Pretoria and then at the SAAO in Cape Town.

Obtained his doctorate at the University of Cape Town on The properties of the SC Stars and the Chemical Composition of UY Cen. In 1991 he returned to the RGO in Cambridge, until it closed in 1998, when he moved to Greenwich as Senior Astronomer.

He has authored and co-authored over 100 research papers and articles and used a number of telescopes around the world including the Hubble Space Telescope. Research interests include the composition of stars, exploding stars, the structure of our Galaxy and galaxies with black holes at their centres. His current research interst is in the structure of the Bulge of our Milky Way Galaxy, as shown by Mira variables.

In the last 6 years he has given 300 popular lectures in the UK, S Africa, Hong Kong and New Zealand to over 20,000 people. Has also given 280 TV and Radio interviews and participated in a number of programmes relating to astronomy. Regularly lectures at the Cambridge International Science Summer School and for Summer Schools at Downing and Pembroke Colleges as well as on Cruise Ships and at Game Lodges.

Leonids mini-peak, geology prog, Space Q, 3 Lectures

 

Hi all,

1. EXTRA LEONIDS PEAK: The Leonids 'traditional' maximum last night was clouded out for most observers in Ireland. But Dr David Asher at Armagh Observatory has alerted me to an extra - 'mini-peak' tonight, which might give ZHR rates of over 60 per hour. Don't get too excited, because it is forecast to occur at 23.05, when the radiant is barely above the NE horizon for observers in the NE of Ireland, and even lower for those in the West and South. So observed rates will be much lower than the theoretical maximum, which is quoted for the radiant being in the zenith.

   Further, the meteors are expected to be quite faint, which means that you will have to observe from a really dark site to see them properly.

   The accuracy of this forecast is stated to be 'high', which means that the timing is unlikely to be in error by more than about 15 minutes either way. The enhanced activity will decline fairly quickly after maximum, with ZHR rates down to about 30 about 2 hours after maximum. However, it might be worth having a look from about 11 or 11.30 p.m. onwards, if only out of curiosity, and to check the accuracy of the forecast. Observers in NE Ireland have the best chance, if you can get to a really dark site.  

   Further details can be found on http://feraj.narod.ru/Radiants/Predictions/Leonids2007eng.html from the Armagh Observatory website: www.arm.ac.uk

2. GEOLOGY PROGRAMME: Earth; the Power of the Planet; DOCUMENTARY OF THE WEEK
New series 1/5. Volcano.
Dr lain Stewart investigates the powerful natural forces that have shaped the world over billions of years. Beginning his quest with volcanos, he abseils into a lava lake and then explores the underwater caverns created by the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs. He also explains the positive role played by the greenhouse effect many millennia ago in ending the last ice age.
Director/Producer Paul Olding
Signed repeat on Wednesday at 1.50am on BBC1 (5) (AD) 7399

BLURB: (Edited for brevity) Dr Iain Stewart - senior lecturer in geology at the University of Plymouth - has already tackled Journeys from the Centre of the Earth and Journeys into the Ring of Fire, but his new five-part series, Earth: the Power of the Planet, attempts to tell the whole story.
"Other programmes have shown the grandeur of the planet," says Stewart, "but I wanted to show how Earth works: how complicated it is, how all the bits interconnect and how it came to be a planet that supports life."
Helped by some of the same techniques and cameramen that took our breath away during Planet Earth, Stewart looks at the forces that have shaped the planet - volcanos, oceans, the atmosphere and ice - and, in the final programme, concludes that Earth has nothing to fear from man.
"Earth was here billions of years before us; it's withstood a lot worse than we can throw at it. If we do mess things up this time, it won't be the planet that's in trouble. It won't be life that's in trouble. Life will carry on, the cockroaches will carry on. We're the ones who'll be in trouble!" Danny Scott

  REVIEW: (Edited for brevity) In this whopper of a series Stewart has pulled off the near-impossible: made a gripping, dramatic, inspiring programme about rocks. It's also about the origins of life on Earth and the forces that moulded our planet. It's big-picture stuff, with soaring shots of mountain ranges and lava lakes but also the odd 3-D diagram, too, to show how, say, subduction volcanos work (more interesting than it sounds),
Volcanos are the heroes of tonight's programme and the story is of how the heat trapped inside the Earth when it formed four-and-a-half billion years ago has played a vital role ever since. It's a fascinating story, told in a way that might just persuade older children to watch, too.  David Butcher.

    BOOK OFFER: RT DIRECT: To order Earth: the Power of the Planet in hardback for just £12 (normally £20) incl. free p&p, call 0844 848 9799, quoting reference RTD191.

3.  Space Expectations Study: "Maybe you could help us distribute a questionnaire which will try to ascertain the expectations of the public, particularly youth, regarding space. We have set up a special web site and we ask that people simply complete the questionnaire.
   The letter below may be of use. Thanks and regards, David Raitt"

October 30, 2007

"We ask for your help in shaping the future agenda for space as we stand at the dawn of a new century. This fiftieth year of orbiting spacecraft celebrates the best of human endeavours in space with achievements in global weather monitoring, navigation, stunning leaps in science and a permanent human presence in space. The International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) would like to involve the members of your organization in a voluntary web-based public survey to assess societal expectations of space. This could lead to space programs that are not only supported by the public but generate and maintain interest throughout society. This study, sponsored by the IAA would:

· determine the depth of understanding and backing of the public for space activities

· describe society’s expectations of space programs; and,

· ascertain how society could become more involved in the space arena

The next step would be to merge these three thrusts so that space projects could be positioned to fulfil public expectations, maintain their interest and excitement, and supported (both financially and intellectually) by the public.

Methodology: A public survey to be distributed though various national and international networks and organizations (including space agencies) to diverse groups including: high schools and universities; art, cultural and heritage organizations; as well as the public at large. For the public response, students would be encouraged to have their parents also respond to the survey. This would give the study team several sets of inputs from different age groups from around the world.

We should like to solicit your assistance in helping the IAA formulate the future through recognition of the positive impacts of space activities upon society. Please distribute the attached invitation throughout your organization. Information to assist you is shown on the website, www.space-expectation.org, along with brief descriptions of the IAA. We appreciate your contribution to this effort.

Sincerely yours,

Peter A. Swan, Ph.D.

Study Lead, Space Expectations

International Academy of Astronautics

                           “My Space Expectations”
Please  assist  the  International  Academy  of Astronautics in assessing the status of the space arena with respect to your expectations.  The approach is simple:

                   Go to:   www.space-expectations.org
                Fill in the survey   ---   Enjoy the feedback
               Invite your family and friends to participate.
Participate in the Celebrations for the 50th Anniversary of Spaceflight!"

(I'll forgive them for pinching the "IAA" initials from the Irish Astronomical Association! Just.)

4.  Next IAS Public Lecture will be "Galileo, Galileo, Who was Galileo?", by Deirdre Kelleghan, in Dunsink Observatory, Castleknock, Dublin on Monday November 19th, at 8 p.m. Admission Free."

5. PUBLIC LECTURE: 27 November. 6.0 for 6.30 p.m.
"Through the Eyes of the Hubble Space Telescope" by Dr Robin Catchpole (Institute of Astronomy - Cambridge). The talk will include technology involved in the Hubble Space Telescope as well as the abilities of the telescope as such.
Venue:      University of Ulster at Belfast (also known as the Arts College)
(see website:   http://www.iom3.org/regions/ for further details and a map.) Admission free, all welcome

6. The next public lecture by the "Real IAA" will be on Wednesday 28 October, 7.30 p.m. sharp, Bell Lecture Theatre, Physics Building, main campus, Queen's University Belfast. Kevin Berwick will speak on "Astronomical Tourism". Admission free, including light refreshments. Free parking in the main QUB campus after 5.30 p.m. See www.irishastro.org for details and a map of the venue.

Clear skies,

Terry Moseley

Tuesday 13 November 2007

IAA Public Lecture

The next IAA public lecture will be on Wed 14 November, by Prof Stephen Smartt of QUB, entitled: "The Fate of the Most Massive Stars in the Universe". It's at 7.30 p.m. sharp, in the Bell Lecture Theatre, Physics Building, QUB. Free parking in the main QUB campus from about 5 p.m., Entrance from University Avenue.
It's thanks to Prof Smartt that we can use this excellent venue, at a very reasonable price, in conjunction with QUB Outreach and the APS of the Physics Department, so I hope lots of you can make it for what promises to be a very interesting lecture by this award-winning astronomer!

IAA Observing Session

Philip Baxter writes: The next IAA planned observing session will be either on Fri. 16th or Sat 17th Nov., meeting at 7.30pm in the carpark at Delamont Country Park, Killyleagh, Co Down. This is of course weather dependent.
The park is on the left hand side, about one mile outside Killyleagh on the road to Downpatrick. It is sign posted with the usual brown direction signs. It is an excellent setting with good dark skies. We hopefully will also catch some Leonids.
Please note there is a barrier which comes down at 9.00pm preventing you getting in, but not out. So be in before 9.00pm.
I'll confirm at around 6.00pm on Friday night that all's well, so watch the Forum. If the weather is not looking good then we will go for the 17th.
See you there. Philip"

Wanted: TAL-2 OTA

Joe Kerr is looking for a TAL-2 OTA (Optical Tube Assembly), i.e. 'scope without mount or tripod. If anyone knows of one for sale, please contact him at Joe.Kerr@uk.fujitsu.com

Leonids

The Leonid meteors will be starting soon, although activity this year is not expected to be high. Maximum is expected on Nov 18 at 05h, but you could see the first members of the shower from about the 15th onwards. They appear to come from the 'Sickle' of Leo, not far from where brilliant Mars lies at present. They are very fast, and the brighter ones sometimes leave persistent 'trains'. Moonlight is not a problem this year.

Lidl Meade Telescope offer

Sorry for delay in reporting further on the excellent offer in Lidl of the Meade LXD75 150mm (6") Newtonian on Equatorial mount with GoTo: a situation outside my control! But I have now assembled the 'scope on the mount etc, and it looks good. It's a very sturdy mount, and would easily hold a larger telescope - a 200mm (8"), or even a short tube 250mm (10"). Everything is very well made & moves very smoothly, & clamps tightly & unclamps freely. It will take 2" or 1.25" eyepieces. Though the box says otherwise, it even comes complete with 8 D-Cell batteries.. But I have not had a chance to test the GoTo yet. The instructions for that are quite complicated, though clear enough. But I suppose it's a bit late now - I'm sure they are all sold by now!

Monday 12 November 2007

IAA Public Lecture

The next IAA public lecture will be on Wed 14 November, by Prof Stephen Smartt of QUB, entitled: "The Fate of the Most Massive Stars in the Universe". It's at 7.30 p.m. sharp, in the Bell Lecture Theatre, Physics Building, QUB. Free parking in the main QUB campus from about 5 p.m., Entrance from University Avenue.
It's thanks to Prof Smartt that we can use this excellent venue, at a very reasonable price, in conjunction with QUB Outreach and the APS of the Physics Department, so I hope lots of you can make it for what promises to be a very interesting lecture by this award-winning astronomer!

Discover Science and Engineering

are hosting a series of lectures to celebrate Science Week 2007. You might be interested in the Science and Space Travel Lecture by Joe Edwards. Details:

Joe Edwards, Former NASA Astronaut, Former Chairman of the National Science Centre in US

‘Science and Space Travel’

on Wednesday 14th November – Royal Irish Academy, Dawson Street, Dublin 2

from 18:30 to 20:00



Please note that places are limited and if you plan to attend you must register for a seat allocation on www.scienceweek.ie/lectures, or to find out more information, please contact Nicolas Reitzaum on 01 678 9333. More on science week at www.scienceweek.ie.

Galilieo, Galileo

who on earth was Galileo? Deirdre Kelleghan will provide some answers in the Irish Astronomical Society public talk this month. Monday, November 19, 8 p.m.; admission free. Dunsink Observatory, Dublin 15 http://www.irishastrosoc.org/

Hubble Space Telescope

The Irish North Materials Group (a group of engineers and scientists affiliated with the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining) invites you to a talk which may be of interest:
"Through the Eyes of the Hubble Space Telescope", by Dr Robin Catchpole (Institute of Astronomy - Cambridge).
The talk will include technology involved in the Hubble Space Telescope as well as the abilities of the telescope as such.
Venue: University of Ulster at Belfast (also known as the Arts College). Date: 27 November 2007. Time: 18:00. Admission free. All welcome.

Monday 5 November 2007

Aspects of the Moon

A series of 100 portraits imaginatively linked to phases of the moon by Japanese artist Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839-1892). Opens at the Chester Beatty library on November 16, and runs until February 2008. Admission free. On loan from the Museum of International for Folk Art, New Mexico, USA. http://tinyurl.com/33yqtb

Thursday 1 November 2007

Dave McDonald

will be doing a review on RTE Radio 1 tomorrow (Thursday) night with Dave Fanning. He says: " I'm reviewing the documentary film "In the Shadow of the Moon". Brilliant movie by the way. For those that miss it, I can post the link to the programme on the IFAS site.

The movie is released Friday Nov 2nd in IRL and UK (i.e. this coming Friday) but I don't know which cinemas are showing it other than the IFI in Dublin and another mainstream cinema in Dublin. "

I don't know what time it's at - no doubt you can check on-line.

Comet Holmes

Prof Alan Fitzsimmons of QUB gave an up-to-the-minute report on Comet 17/P Holmes tonight at the start of the IAA lecture by Dr Andy McCrea. The comet remains bright, with the coma expanding in a perfectly circular disc (from our perspective). But as the total brightness is no longer increasing, even with the increase in size, that means that the disc must be optically thin, i.e. it's mainly thinly scattered dust. The brightness is expected to decrease gradually over the next few weeks. There's no sign of a tail, and none would be expected, as if there is one, it will be pointing directly away from Earth. BUT - there is a chance that there might be another outburst! This happened some weeks after the outburst in 1892, during which the comet was discovered. This was not quite as bright as the original outburst, but it's still worth looking out for. And no, they still don't know what caused either this, or the original, outburst!

EAAS Lecture Mon 5th Nov

The next monthly meeting of the East Antrim Astronomical Society will take place on Monday 5th November in the Lecture Theatre at Ballyclare High School, George Avenue (off Rashee Road), Ballyclare, Co. Antrim, commencing at 8PM.
Main Speaker- Dr Miruna Popescu (Armagh Observatory) ( http://www.arm.ac.uk/~mdp/)

Lecture - The Sun: an exciting introduction

The Sky at Night

Sunday 4 Nov. "The Grand Collision" BBC4 7.30pm.- 8.00pm.

And: Sun/Mon 5 Nov. BBC1 1.00am - 1.25am.

Repeat: Sat. Nov. 10

Comet Holmes

Comet Holmes continues to amaze & puzzle everyone! It is still almost the second brightest object in Perseus, after Alpha (Mirfak); the comet lies closely to the East of Mirfak. It's still well above 3rd magnitude, and the 'fuzziness' is now apparent to the unaided eye. In binoculars you can see the bright 'nucleus' offset from the centre of the coma, and a telescope reveals more detail in the coma itself. The actual size of the coma is now bigger than the planet Jupiter! There is still no sign of a tail, which is not surprising, as if there is one, it would be pointing almost directly away from us. Charts available nightly on www.heavens-above.com, or www.spaceweather.com. See photos on www.irishastro.org.

Taurids

The Taurid meteors reach their long gradual peak of activity on 3-4 November. Rates are never very high (maybe 10-15 per hour at best), but there are a fair number of long slow bright meteors and fireballs, which are good targets for photography. There is a double radiant, in the general direction of the Pleiades.