Wednesday 15 April 2009

IAA AGM, TONIGHT; Bovedy Meteorite Lectures, Fireball update

 

Hi all,

1. IAA AGM + IYA2009 Lecture, 15 April.  (Sorry for the short notice for this reminder - I'm just back from a short Easter Break.) The Irish Astronomical Association AGM will be held at 7.30 p.m. on Wednesday 15 April, in the Bell Lecture Theatre, Physics Building, main campus, QUB.

    This will be followed by a special lecture on IYA 2009, by none other than the great Galileo himself. Well, actually, it might be Prof Mike Redfern from NUI Galway, who's the official Irish Representative, or 'SPOC' for IYA2009. He has been seen in a strange outfit, masquerading as the great Italian astronomer!

    BRING & BUY: Some people have asked for a 'Bring & Buy' session after the AGM: We'll try to fit this in if there's time:

Derek Heatly says ".... after it I'd like to sell books for charity; and at a recent auction I paid £5 for a Halley's Comet whiskey bottle, deep blue glass, marked 1985/6, scheme of comet's path on back. Sorry, it's empty: if I got £5 I'd be happy."

   So bring along anything you want rid of, and plenty of cash for any bargains you might see!

Admission is free, including light refreshments, and all are welcome. 

   Free parking is available on the main campus, beside the lecture theatre, in the evenings - entrance via University Square.

   The IAA gratefully acknowledges the support of the Astrophysics and Planetary Science Division of the Department of Physics, QUB, in sponsoring these lectures.

   More details on www.irishastro.org.

2. BOVEDY METEORITE 40 Years On.

"TO HERE FROM ETERNITY: The 4.5 billion year story of the Bovedy and Sprucefield meteorites." 40 years ago a brilliant fireball streaked across the night sky (over Ireland), leaving behind two rocks, a damaged roof, and a hole in a field. But what happened to them before they arrived here?
   Dr Mike Simms, from the Ulster Museum, will take you on a journey from the very beginnings of the Solar System, as recorded in these amazing meteorites. There will be a chance to see some real meteorites, and a cast of the Bovedy meteorite. Bring along any you think you might have found.
    Monday 27th April, 7 pm: Bangor Library, 80 Hamilton Rd, Bangor, BT20 4LH, Tel. 028 91270591
     Tuesday 28th April, 8 pm: Garvagh Community Building, 85 Main Street, Garvagh (almost opposite the war memorial)
   Thursday 30th April, 7 pm: Irish Linen Centre and Lisburn Museum, Market Square, Lisburn.
ENTRY IS FREE!

3. FIREBALL UPDATE: Thanks for all the reports on the fireball seen after midnight on the night of 4-5 April. I've had one really excellent detailed report which will help to determine the trajectory, and calculate the final endpoint, and any possible meteorite fall. If you saw this event, or know someone who did, get them to send in a report to me asap.

Clear skies,

Terry Moseley

Wednesday 8 April 2009

Fireball, Aliens at BCO, Memorial Service, Lectures, AGM, Lidl Binocs

 

Hi all,

NB: If anyone wants removed from this email list, reply with "REMOVE MY ADDRESS" in subject line

1. Brilliant Fireball: A very bright fireball was seen widely over Ireland, and even as far away as Liverpool, at about 00.30 on Sunday morning, 4 April. John McConnell saw it from Maghaberry, Co Antrim, and a woman saw it from her home in Newry, Co Down. The Liverpool observer reports that the fireball appeared at 30 - 40 degrees altitude in the western sky at 00:33 UT on 2009 April 05.

And here's part of John's McConnell's report: 

"(I saw it) early Sunday morning at 00:32 BST.  I was talking to a friend on the phone and had just sat down to finish a cup of coffee when I saw what appeared to be the lights of an aircraft. Aircraft with lights on are common being so close to Belfast International Airport when they are making their final approach. This idea faded somewhat when the object dropped with a steep angle almost due south and burned out behind the neighbouring houses. Some smaller bits were seen to break off on the way down. It appeared to come from the eastern side of Leo but I didn't actually see its full path. It did not appear to have any tail but was vivid green in colour and about half the size of the gibbous moon, so it was very bright. From my vantage point it appeared to drop out over the Mournes, but took about five seconds to come down.

    If you saw it, please send in as many details as possible; i.e. time, brightness relative to the Moon, speed of motion, duration, direction it was moving, direction you were facing, direction when first seen and last seen, approximate altitude when first seen and last seen, and particularly if you can relate the path to any bright stars. Also, were you indoors or out, did you hear anything, did you see any bits drop off it, did you see a tail or trail behind it? etc. And we also need your location at the time, as accurately as possible

   Lots of reports have been received, but we need many more in order to calculate the exact path and work out where any meteorite may have landed.

   Even if you can't give all those details, tell us anything you can remember - every little helps.

2. Alien Evolution
Location: Blackrock Castle Observatory, Cork. Date: April 6 - April 19 2009 from 11 am.
   The Alien Evolution workshop takes a fun look at how aliens might have evolved on very different planets. Spend a morning making aliens over the Easter break at Blackrock Castle Observatory. Just drop in any day from next Monday April 6 to Sunday April 19 from 11am for the one and a half hour workshops. Price €5.00 per child. Suitable for children aged 6-10. Younger children are welcome if accompanied by a parent.

3. Memorial Service for Tao Kiang: There will be a secular memorial service in the
Unitarian Church St Stephen's Green, Dublin at 11.00am on Thursday, 9 April.

4: IAA AGM + IYA2009 Lecture. The Irish Astronomical association AGM will be held at 7.30 p.m. on Wednesday 15 April, in the Bell Lecture Theatre, Physics Building, main campus, QUB. This will be followed by a special lecture on IYA 2009, by none other than the great Galileo himself. Well, actually, it might be Prof Mike Redfern from NUI Galway, who's the official Irish Representative, or 'SPOC' for IYA2009. He has been seen in a strange outfit, masquerading as the great Italian astronomer!

Admission is free, including light refreshments, and all are welcome. 

   Free parking is available on the main campus, beside the lecture theatre, in the evenings - entrance via University Square.

   The IAA gratefully acknowledges the support of the Astrophysics and Planetary Science Division of the Department of Physics, QUB, in sponsoring these lectures.

   More details on www.irishastro.org.

5. LIDL Binoculars special offer, from Thursday 9 April: No, I don't have shares in the company! But these Bresser binoculars, which are basically a clone of the better known Meade models, are remarkable value for money. The 10x50s are ideal for astronomy, with good quality BAK4 prisms, and fully coated (but not fully multicoated) lenses. They also have a reasonable field of view. They are not really 'Top Quality', and wouldn't compare with Leica, Zeiss, Pentax, Nikon, Fujinon etc, but the latter cost about 10 to 50 times more! I would rate them as 'Good' but not as high as 'Very Good', nor 'Excellent'.

   The 10x25's are really too small for serious astronomical observing (although they are better than nothing). However, they are very light and compact, and you can take them anywhere with you in a pocket or handbag or light backpack - very useful when you spot that mysterious object in the sky which you might be about to report as a UFO, when a quick look through the binocs reveals that it's a weather balloon or whatever. Or indeed that it really is an Alien Spaceship! (Well, surely we're due a visit by one sometime soon?).

    These prices are in £ in N.I., - I'm not sure what the € price is in ROI - sometimes they are much better value on one side of the border than the other!


Bresser Binoculars, 10 x 50
50mm objective for extra clear image, BAK4 prisms with clear contrast-rich image and particularly high resolution, Objective Ø: 50mm, Magnification: 10x, Size: 165 x 205 x 65mm, Weight: 780g, Field of vision: 114m/1000m, LE eyepieces with twist-up cups (rotatable, ideal for spectacle wearers, Fully coated lens for especially clear images, Includes: practical nylon bag with carrying strap and belt loop, wide binocular strap, Price per pair

More product details

15.99*

http://newsletter.lidl.ie/c/r?EMID=09500CC0MFPFU13DIDJIA015ODJ92


Bresser Binoculars, 10 x 25
Objective Ø: 25mm, Magnification: 10x, Optical system: roof prism, Field of view: 96m/1000m, Size: 112 x 110 x 33mm, Weight: 214g, Fully coated, Price per pair

More product details

5.99*

Clear Skies,

Terry Moseley

Wednesday 1 April 2009

Lectures, Carnfunnock Event, 100h of Astronomy, Hidden Heritage, BCO

 

Hi all,

1. A final reminder: PUBLIC LECTURE: Irish Astronomical Association, Public Lecture: "Astronomy and Poetry", by Professor Dame Jocelyn Bell-Burnell. This is a new venture for Jocelyn Bell, originally from Lurgan in Co Armagh. Best known as the discoverer of pulsars, for which she narrowly, and unfairly, missed out on a Nobel Prize, Jocelyn has gone on to the very top of her profession, with a professorship at Oxford, being elected President of the Royal Astronomical Society, and now President of the Institute of Physics. Well-known as a broadcaster, writer and speaker, she has lectured to the IAA twice before, and we are delighted to welcome her back to talk on this new topic, which coincides with the publication of her new book on the subject. Like all her talks, it promises to be entertaining and illuminating.

Date: Wednesday 1 April, at 7.30 p.m. in the Bell Lecture Theatre, Physics Building, main campus, QUB.

Admission is free, including light refreshments, and all are welcome. 

   Free parking is available on the main campus, beside the lecture theatre, in the evenings - entrance via University Square.

   The IAA gratefully acknowledges the support of the Astrophysics and Planetary Science Division of the Department of Physics, QUB, in sponsoring these lectures.

2. IYA 2009: IAA Event at Carnfunnock Country Park, Friday 3 April, 8 p.m. The next IYA2009 event by the Irish Astronomical Association will be held at Carnfunnock Country Park, Drains Bay, Larne, Co Antrim, on Friday. This will be part of the global "100 hours of Astronomy" project as part of IYA 2009

    We'll have observing, particularly Saturn and the Moon (if clear), displays of telescopes, and a mobile planetarium show. Come and see Saturn's Rings as they shrink to a thin line, just before they turn exactly edgewise to the Earth in September. Marvel at the amazing detail in the craters and mountains and valleys on the Moon, just past First Quarter. Get copies of the IAA's fantastic competition for IYA2009: easy to enter, with lots of super prizes. Something for everyone, in fact.

3. SDAS: The next talk will be given by Dr Kevin Nolan on Thursday, 2nd April 2009 in Gonzaga College at 8pm. Kevin will talk about "Mars: A Cosmic Stepping Stone" which is the subject of his recent book of the same title. More details about Kevin's book are available from http://www.amazon.com/Mars-Cosmic-Stepping-Stone-Uncovering/dp/0387341641

4. 100 HOURS of ASTRONOMY: April 2nd - 5th. The 100 Hours of Astronomy event is a cornerstone project of the International Year of Astronomy 2009. A number of activities will be held throughout Ireland over the few days, co-ordinated by Deirdre Kelleghan, President of the IAS.

   The  SDAS will join in the IAS outreach event on Friday, April 3rd from 8pm-10pm at the Martello Tower Car Park in Sandymount, Dublin. The event will be enhanced by the e-Learning bus from Dublin City Libraries which will run astronomy software on PCs. 

    Search for 100 Hours of Astronomy in Ireland at http://www.100hoursofastronomy.org/component/eventlist/search, www.100hoursofastronomy.org

and read more about IYA 2009 at www.astronomy2009.ie

5. "HIDDEN HERITAGE", UTV, Monday April 6, at 8.0 p.m. will feature some archaeoastronomy - or astroarchaeology depending on how you come to it. It will look at, among other things, the famous & enigmatic stone circles at Beaghmore in Co Tyrone, and another similar set of circles nearby at Copney Hill. (The IAA will be holding a joint trip with local archaeologists to these sites in June - more on that later.)

   Yours truly will feature in a short interview (filmed in my conservatory!), talking about these circles - I'm not sure when the astro bit will be on, but I'm told it will be in the first half of the programme, i.e. before 8.15. It's in between the two episodes of Coronation Street, which seems a bit odd, but the programme makers have no control over the scheduling. Still, it's 'prime time', so we can't complain!

6. 100 Hours of Astronomy at Blackrock Castle Observatory

Blackrock Castle Observatory prepares for 100 hours non stop astronomy action at the award winning Cork science centre from April 2-5 2009. The Castle will stay open with extended hours with events around the clock, telescope viewing, astronomy workshops and remote feed from telescopes around the world.

Thursday, April 2. 6.00 - 7.30 pm, Space Observation Webcast: The webcast will feature science centres from around the world discussing the importance of space observation throughout history. This event is a must for adults and teachers interested in learning more about one of the world’s oldest fundamental sciences and its role today.

Friday, April 3. From 10 am: “Around the World in 80 Telescopes”: Live 24-hour webcast from astronomical observatories begins with the telescopes on Mauna Kea in Hawaii, before moving westwards around the planet.

First Fridays at the Castle: Blackrock Castle Observatory hosts open nights on the first Friday of the month until 11pm with astro-related activities for visitors of all ages: lectures by visiting scholars, Star Parties, night observing & star counts and activities for children.

6.00 – 8.00 pm: Hands on Science: Preparing for observing! Discover the wonders of deep space scopes in this children’s workshop. Four 30 minute sessions.

8.00 pm: Moon Viewing: Join us in the Courtyard for a look through the Observatory’s telescopes.

8.00 pm: Theatre: Feed and reports from our 16” Meade robotic rooftop telescope and from telescopes around the world.

10.00 pm – late: Film Festival:  Eyes on the Skies: 400 Years of Telescopic Discovery: a 60 minute European Southern Observatories (ESO) documentary on telescopes and their discoveries followed by A Star Wars Movie Marathon.

SATURDAY APRIL 4: SIDEWALK ASTRONOMY. Enjoy Side Walk Astronomy in unexpected locations. Be surprised by an astronomer! As part of the 100Hours 24-Hour Global Star Party, Astronomers will setup telescopes at locations around Cork. This event will commence at 8pm