Thursday 29 September 2011

2 Lectures, Meteor outburst, Armagh Obs Meteors watch, UARS crash

Hi all,
 
1.  IAA LECTURE, 5 October:  The next public lecture in the new season by the Irish Astronomical Association will be given by Dr Geert Barentsen of Armagh Observatory. 
   His talk is entitled "Amateur Meteor Observing and a Possible Draconid Outburst on 8 October". Geert is a very keen meteor observer, and very active in the International Meteor Organisation. His talk will be aimed at the amateur astronomer, covering all aspects of meteors and meteor observing, and the outlining the prospects for a possible outburst of the Draconid meteors on the evening of 8 October - see below for more on this. The lecture will be set at a very simple and accessible level.
  The lecture is on WEDNESDAY 5 October, at 7.30 p.m., in the Bell Lecture Theatre, Physics Building, Queen's University, Belfast. ADMISSION IS FREE, as always, and includes light refreshments. Everyone is welcome! Full details of the rest of the programme are on the website: www.irishastro.org  
 
2. "Extraterrestrials - where are they?" Your humble scribe (that's me) will be giving a public lecture, hosted by the Galway Astronomy Club, at the Westwood House Hotel, Newcastle, Galway, at 7.30 p.m. on 3 October. Entitled "Is there Intelligent Life out there??" it will look at the latest findings on extrasolar planets, extraterrestrial biochemistry, and the implications for the existence of alien life. And if they are there, will we ever meet them (and if so, at 'your place or mine'?), or will we even be able to communicate with them?
 
3. DRACONIDS OUTBURST FORECAST FOR OCTOBER 8.
There is a fairly reliable forecast for a significant outburst of the Draconid Meteors on the evening of 8 October, just as the sky gets dark.

   They are not normally a major shower, but experts forecast a significant brief outburst on 8 October, centred on a time of 19h 57m (20h 57m BST). Estimates of the rate vary from about 200 per hour to almost 1,000 per hour, with the best guess about 400 per hour, or about 6 or 7 per minute.

   Unfortunately there will still be a trace of evening twilight, and a bright gibbous Moon will lie about 20 degrees above the SE horizon, and the meteors are predicted to be fairly faint, so we may not see most of them. However the radiant will be almost overhead at the time of the predicted maximum, so try to find a spot where the Moon is hidden behind some object, and get out a lounger so that you can look up almost overhead.

   The radiant will lie just below and left of the head of Draco as you look high in the NW sky. If you don't know Draco, the radiant will be about ¼ of the way from Vega towards the handle of the 'Plough' or tail of the Great Bear, if you prefer. The meteors can of course appear anywhere in the sky, but any Draconids will appear to have come from the area of the radiant: if you trace their paths backwards they should pass close to that part of the sky.

The outburst may last only for ¼ to ½ an hour, but if it's clear I suggest you observe from as soon as the sky gets dark enough to see Vega, until about 20.30 (21.30 BST), just in case! Let me know what you see, if anything.

 
4. Armagh Observatory Draconids Watch:

 Astronomers are predicting a sharp maximum of shooting stars to occur during the period from dusk until late evening on Saturday 8th October in the normally weak annual Draconid meteor shower. Between 20 and 100 meteors per hour are expected, with some experts predicting a peak ranging upwards of 500 to 1,000 meteors per hour. Countries of Europe, northern Africa and the Middle East are best placed to see the event. With this in mind the Armagh Observatory is opening for a public meteor watch between 6.30pm and 9.30pm that night.  The night of the meteor shower coincides with "International Observe the Moon Night", and assuming the skies are clear there will be an opportunity to see both the planet Jupiter and the Moon.

   There will be an introduction to the sky, meteors and the Moon, given by the students of astronomy at the Observatory, and an opportunity, if it's clear, to observe meteors and see telescopic views of the Moon and Jupiter. 

  The source of the meteors is dust shed by the periodic comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, discovered in December 1900 by Michel Giacobini of Nice, France, and in 1913 by Ernst Zinner of Bamberg, Germany.  The meteors are called "Draconids" because they radiate from the constellation Draco the dragon.  

    Normally, a maximum of between five and twenty Draconids per hour are seen, but occasionally several thousand per hour may occur, as in 1933 and 1946. The meteor storm that occurred in 1933 was observed from the roof of the Observatory by the Revd W.F.A. Ellison, then Director of the Observatory, who described the meteors as "becoming as thick as the flakes of a snowstorm. The sky was thick with them, wherever one looked" over a period of an hour or so during the evening of 9th October.

     Some enhanced displays also occurred in the 1920s, 1950s and 1970s, when the parent comet passed close to the Earth's orbit.  This year, on 8th October, there is again the possibility of a significant shower when the Earth passes through a complex of dust trails emitted from the comet in the early and late nineteenth century and in 1900 and 1913. The peaks of any enhanced activity are predicted to occur between approximately 6.00pm and 10.00pm that evening.  Unfortunately, it will be daylight when the brightest meteors are expected, and the Moon is in a waxing gibbous phase about three days before Full.  Moonlight significantly reduces the number of meteors that might otherwise be seen.

    Observations of this rare meteoric phenomenon are keenly sought, and are being encouraged world-wide to determine their numbers versus brightness and time.  This will enable astronomers to determine the orbit and activity of the parent comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner during the nineteenth century, before it was discovered.  Mark Bailey, Director of the Observatory, said: "A meteor outburst is an extremely rare phenomenon, and the chance to see one should not be missed — even if moonlight seems likely to reduce the number of visible meteors to a drizzle rather than a sharp shower."

    For the best chance to see these relatively slow-moving meteors, face towards the north-west away from the Moon and look about 40 degrees away from the meteor radiant, which lies fairly high in the sky to the west of the North Star, Polaris.

    The Observatory will be open to the public from 6.30pm to 9.30pm to view this event. Members of the Irish Astronomical Association will also be in attendance. As with all astronomy observing events it will be necessary to have clear skies. In the event of rain or thick cloud the event will be cancelled.  Those who may wish to attend the event should telephone or send an e-mail to Mrs Aileen McKee at the Armagh Observatory, College Hill, Armagh; Tel: 028-3752-2928; E-mail: ambn@arm.ac.uk, and meet outside the main Observatory building at 6.30pm.  It will be interesting to see if there will be an exceptional display of shooting stars this year, or just an average number.  Other observers should find a dark site, as far as possible from light pollution or the interfering light of the Moon, and should wrap up warm against the cold, and as comfortable as possible, ready to catch the meteors when they appear.

   FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: John McFarland at the Armagh Observatory, College Hill, Armagh, BT61 9DG.  Tel. 028-3752-2928; FAX: 028-3752-7174; jmf@arm.ac.uk; URL: http://star.arm.ac.uk/.

 
5. UARS CRASH UPDATE: NASA has now officially stated that the UARS satellite came down in the (Eastern?) Pacific Ocean. Since their last prediction, only hours before re-entry, indicated a spot in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, it just shows how hard it is to predict these things! Still, as the satellite was moving at over 17,000 mph, if it came down only 10 minutes later or earlier than expected, that's a distance of almost 3,000 miles! In fact, it seems as if the satellite completed almost one more complete orbit than had been predicted, before it re-entered.
 
6. TWITTER: the IAA now has a twitter account. twitter@IaaAstro
 
7. JOINING the IRISH ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION is now even easier: This link downloads a Word document to join the IAA. http://irishastro.org.uk/iaamembership.doc.  See also www.irishastro.org
 
Clear skies,
 
Terry Moseley
Mob: (+44) (0) 7979300842
 
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Wednesday 21 September 2011

4 Lectures, Cork trip, UARS crash, Draconid outburst, Comets, ISS, Mars events

Hi all,
 
1. OPENING IAA LECTURE, 21 September:  The first public lecture in the new season by the Irish Astronomical Association will be given by Professor Mark Bailey, MBE, Director of Armagh Observatory. 
   His talk is entitled "The Origin of Comets". Prof Bailey is a renowned expert on comets, particularly their orbits and evolution, with many papers published in the world's leading astronomy and astrophysics journals.
   Comets may well hold the clues to conditions in the very early Solar System, and may even have been responsible for bringing life to planet Earth! This is sure to be a fascinating talk.
  It's on WEDNESDAY 21 September, at 7.30 p.m., in the Bell Lecture Theatre, Physics Building, Queen's University, Belfast. ADMISSION IS FREE, as always, and includes light refreshments. Everyone is welcome! Full details of the rest of the programme are on the website: www.irishastro.org  
 
2. UPDATE ON IAA VISIT TO ASTRONOMY CENTRES IN CORK: 30 September - 2 October.
Due to a cancellation, there are still a few places left. Reply by email asap if you are interested.
UPDATES: New visit; On the Saturday morning we now intend to visit the new 32 meter radio telescope facility at Elfordstown, near Midleton, Co Cork. This is a former communications dish, now being converted for radio astronomy under the guidance and initiative of Dr Niall Smith of CIT. this will be by far the largest radio telescope in Ireland. See:
Accommodation update: We may also now all stay together in one hotel, if we can negotiate a good group discount.
Booking Update: Because STARDUST with the hard copy booking form did not issue as early as we had hoped, the booking deadline has been extended to 18 September. But you can also return the booking to me by email, as the quickest and easiest way.
   The original notice, updated, follows below.
 
We have arranged a visit to see some of the very interesting astronomical places of interest in Cork. These include the new state of the art Blackrock Castle Observatory and Science Centre, the historic and now beautifully restored Crawford Observatory in UCC, and the 32 meter radio telescope just outside Midleton. We will also meet up with our friends in the Cork Astronomy Club (CAC).
Access there is now quite easy, with Motorway or M-standard dual carriageway the whole way from Belfast. Plans are that we will car-share, with ideally no more than 4 per car (unless someone can offer a people carrier or similar), sharing travel costs. Accommodation will be in a good but reasonably priced hotel, or several B&Bs / Guest Houses all in the same vicinity, in Cork.
We aim to depart about lunchtime on Friday 30 Sep, returning on the Sunday evening.
The provisional programme is as follows:
Friday lunchtime: depart Belfast.
Friday evening: Arrive, check in to accommodation. Dark sky observing with CAC, if clear. If not, socialising in local hostelry (optional).
Saturday morning. Visit Radio Telescope
Sat Afternoon: visit Crawford Observatory in UCC.
Sat evening: dinner with CAC, and, if they wish, the Directors of the observatories & Science Centre
Sat night: dark sky observing with CAC, if clear. If not, stay on after meal or move to pub/hotel etc. (optional)
Sunday morning: Visit CAC Observatory near airport just south of the city.
Sun afternoon: tour of Blackrock Castle Observatory
Sun evening: return journey.
COSTS: The basic costs are estimated at about £150, including dinner (excluding your other meals) as follows:
2 nights B&8, singles, about £80 (maybe less if sharing)
Petrol, tolls, etc, @ 4 to a car, sharing: £25 each
Dinner on Sat night about £30 (optional)
Incidentals: £5 per head
Total about £140. Say £150 to be safe
Other meals to be paid for as taken.
For details on -
 
The trip is conditional on sufficient numbers booking. A deposit will be requested once we know how many will be going. This will only be refunded in the event of the trip being cancelled.
   See the IAA website www.irishastro.org for a downloadable booking form.
   Members should also have got a hard copy of this notice, with the booking form, with the latest edition of STARDUST.
   DEADLINE FOR BOOKING: 18 SEPTEMBER
 

. Galway astro event, 23 September. Dr Andy Shearer is organising an event as part of the EU Researchers Night Programme - see www.sea2sky.ie. This event has a strong astronomy element, and the Galway Astronomy Club are taking a key role in this. Dr Andy Shearer, Director, Centre for Astronomy, School of Physics, NUI Galway. Phone +353 91 493114, andrew.shearer@nuigalway.ie

 

4. LECTURE IN WEXFORD:  The public library in Wexford Town is hosting a particle physics lecture and discussion on THE GOD PARTICLE AND THE PARTICLE ZOO with Brendan Wallace, consultant engineer, on Wed 28 September 2011; 7 - 8.30pm. It also covers the LHC at CERN. Booking essential.  

 

5. UARS
debris over Ireland? - UPDATE  The Upper Atmospheric Research Satellite, or UARS, is expected to crash back to Earth late on Friday 23 September. As the orbit has an inclination of 57 degrees, it could in theory come down in Ireland (latitude approx. 52 - 55 degrees N.). In fact the satellite is due to pass over the Southern half of Ireland early on Friday morning, between about 03.00 and 03.30, depending on just how quickly it is slowed down by atmospheric drag, and again on Saturday morning, unless it has come down by then. The satellite will be in the earth's shadow for both those passes, so will not be visible, unless it has actually entered the atmosphere and is burning up, like a brilliant fireball. The fireballs (there will probably be more than one piece) will be visible (if it's clear) over a radius of about 70-100 miles from the actual orbital track, so you won't have to be directly under it to see them. If you are directly under the track (very unlikely!) observe at your own risk! Remember that the pieces causing the fireballs will only be visible when they are high up and still travelling at hypersonic speed and thus 'burning up'. Once the surviving pieces are slowed down by atmospheric resistance, they will cease to glow, so they will become invisible as they fall the last 10 or 20 miles or so. So, it's at your own risk! But in practice, the chance of YOU being hit is comparable to that of you winning the lottery.
   I'll give any further updates as and when they become available, but it might be worth planning to have a late night observing session that night if it's clear!
    26 components from the satellite, with a total mass of more than 1,100 pounds, are expected to survive re-entry and reach Earth's surface. The UARS was built before NASA and international standards were employed to limit human casualty risks from re-entering spacecraft to less than 1-in-10,000. 
   For updates on times of passes over Ireland you can check:  http://spaceweather.com/flybys. You can also turn your smartphone into a UARS tracker by downloading their Simple Flybys app:  http://simpleflybys.com
See previous email for more details on UARS.
 
6. Extraterrestrials - where are they? Your humble scribe (that's me) will be giving a public lecture, hosted by the Galway Astronomy Club, at the Westwood House Hotel, Newcastle, Galway, at 7.30 p.m. on 3 October. Entitled "Is there Intelligent Life out there??" it will look at the latest findings on extrasolar planets, extraterrestrial biochemistry, and the implications for the existence of alien life. And if they are there, will we ever meet them (and if so, at 'your place or mine'?), or even be able to communicate with them?
 
7. DRACONIDS OUTBURST FORECAST FOR OCTOBER 8.
There is a fairly reliable forecast for a significant outburst of the Draconid Meteors on the evening of 8 October, just as the sky gets dark. IAA members can find more details in the latest STARDUST, and I will be giving an update with observing hints in the next bulletin.
   In the meantime, Prof Mark Bailey, Director of Armagh Observatory, has been asked to circulate information about the BAA Draconid Meteor Project. For simplicity, the documents are on his public directory: http://star.arm.ac.uk/~meb/baa_draconid_project_2011sep20.pdf
 
8. COMETS: Comet Garradd is now fading gradually, but is still visible in the average amateur's telescope: it is now in SE Hercules. Comet Elenin has passed behind the Sun, and is now very low in the W sky after sunset, between Venus and Saturn. In fact it is so low, in a bright twilight sky, that in practice it is not observable from Ireland at the moment, though the aspect will slowly improve as it moves out from the Sun. But the nucleus seems to have broken up, and the comet may be too faint to be seen at all, though it may show up in CCD images. We'll just have to wait and see how it develops.
 
9. ISS: The ISS is just about to start another series of morning passes over Ireland, details for your location are available on www.heavens-above.com.
 
10. Mars Science Laboratory – In Search of Origins.
On November 25th, NASA will launch one of the most ambitious missions ever sent into space – the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL). Recent named "Curiosity", the Mars Science Laboratory rover will land on the surface of Mars in July 2012 and drive many kilometres across the surface in search of evidence of an origin to life there. Building on decades of exploration of the Red Planet, Curiosity will tell us more about the planetary context for life on Mars – and on Earth – than any other probe ever sent there. Whatever its findings, Curiosity will contribute to a deeper understanding of the chemical and planetary context for life as we know it.
   In celebration of the launch of Curiosity, and of Science Week 2011 theme "The Chemistry of Life", Kevin Nolan of The Planetary Society will present a Science Week media-rich talk titled "Mars Science Laboratory – In Search of Origins", in Dublin, Galway and Cork. The
talk, aimed at the general public, will present an engaging overview of the great questions regarding the origin of life, the groundbreaking research being carried out both on Earth and Mars in search of answers, how MSL-Curiosity will contribute, and what plans are afoot for the near and medium-term future for the exploration of Mars.
   Themes
1.    The search for the origin and cosmic abundance of life
2.    What Mars will tell us about the chemical origin and cosmic abundance of life
3.    The chequered road to Mars and the recently implemented optimum 'phased' strategy for present and future exploration of Mars
4.    Results to date regarding Mars' past and the possibility of life there
5.    Mars Science Laboratory – what it is, what exploration it will carry out and the value of that exploration
6.    The near term future – the outcomes of MSL, a sample return mission, human mission
7.    The value and relevance of Mars exploration
8.    The value of Space exploration in general
9.    The value and relevance of knowing answers to the origin and cosmic abundance of life

Event Details: The talk, including the latest "of-the-press" images sent back from Mars; delivered over three nights during Science Week 2011; in Galway, Dublin and Cork. The aim is to celebrate both Science Week 2011 and the imminent launch of the Mars Science Laboratory "Curiosity" (among the most sophisticated and far-reaching space probes ever to be launched in the search for life elsewhere in the universe).
   Admission: Free. Reservation advised – seats allocated on a first come first served basis.
   Suitability: All ages, general public
Venue and Times:
Dublin: Mansion House, Dawson Street; 8.00pm on Monday 14th November. Reservation: info@planetary.ie
Galway: NUI-Galway (Theatre TBA), Galway, 8.00pm on Wednesday 16th November
Reservations: info@planetary.ie
Cork: Blackrock Castle Observatory, Blackrock, Co. Cork, 8.00pm on Friday, 18th November
Reservations: info@bco.ie
   Event Website:  www.planetary.ie (Launch on September 30th)
 
11. TWITTER: the IAA now has a twitter account. twitter@IaaAstro
 
12. JOINING the IRISH ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION is now even easier: This link downloads a Word document to join the IAA. http://irishastro.org.uk/iaamembership.doc.  See also www.irishastro.org
 
Clear skies,
 
Terry Moseley
 

Friday 16 September 2011

IAA Lecture, update re Cork, lectures, space news, circumbinary exoplanet, MAC

Hi all,
 
1. OPENING IAA LECTURE, 21 September:  The first public lecture in the new season by the Irish Astronomical Association will be given by Professor Mark Bailey, MBE, Director of Armagh Observatory. 
   His talk is entitled "The Origin of Comets". Prof Bailey is a renowned expert on comets, particularly their orbits and evolution, with many papers published in the world's leading astronomy and astrophysics journals.
   Comets may well hold the clues to conditions in the very early Solar System, and may even have been responsible for bringing life to planet Earth! This is sure to be a fascinating talk.
  It's on WEDNESDAY 21 September, at 7.30 p.m., in the Bell Lecture Theatre, Physics Building, Queen's University, Belfast. ADMISSION IS FREE, as always, and includes light refreshments. Everyone is welcome! Full details of the rest of the programme are on the website: www.irishastro.org  
 
2. UPDATE ON IAA VISIT TO ASTRONOMY CENTRES IN CORK: 30 Sep - 2 Oct.
UPDATES: New visit; On the Saturday morning we now intend to visit the new 32 meter radio telescope facility at Elfordstown, near Midleton, Co Cork. This is a former communications dish, now being converted for radio astronomy under the guidance and initiative of Dr Niall Smith of CIT. this will be by far the largest radio telescope in Ireland. See:
Accommodation update: We may also now all stay together in one hotel, if we can negotiate a good group discount.
Booking Update: Because STARDUST with the hard copy booking form did not issue as early as we had hoped, the booking deadline has been extended to 18 September. But you can also return the booking to me by email, as the quickest and easiest way.
   The original notice, updated, follows below.
 
We have arranged a visit to see some of the very interesting astronomical places of interest in Cork. These include the new state of the art Blackrock Castle Observatory and Science Centre, the historic and now beautifully restored Crawford Observatory in UCC, and the 32 meter radio telescope just outside Midleton. We will also meet up with our friends in the Cork Astronomy Club (CAC).
Access there is now quite easy, with Motorway or M-standard dual carriageway the whole way from Belfast. Plans are that we will car-share, with ideally no more than 4 per car (unless someone can offer a people carrier or similar), sharing travel costs. Accommodation will be in a good but reasonably priced hotel, or several B&Bs / Guest Houses all in the same vicinity, in Cork.
We aim to depart about lunchtime on Friday 30 Sep, returning on the Sunday evening.
The provisional programme is as follows:
Friday lunchtime: depart Belfast.
Friday evening: Arrive, check in to accommodation. Dark sky observing with CAC, if clear. If not, socialising in local hostelry (optional).
Saturday morning. Visit Radio Telescope
Sat Afternoon: visit Crawford Observatory in UCC.
Sat evening: dinner with CAC, and, if they wish, the Directors of the observatories & Science Centre
Sat night: dark sky observing with CAC, if clear. If not, stay on after meal or move to pub/hotel etc. (optional)
Sunday morning: Visit CAC Observatory near airport just south of the city.
Sun afternoon: tour of Blackrock Castle Observatory
Sun evening: return journey.
COSTS: The basic costs are estimated at about £150, including dinner (excluding your other meals) as follows:
2 nights B&8, singles, about £80 (maybe less if sharing)
Petrol, tolls, etc, @ 4 to a car, sharing: £25 each
Dinner on Sat night about £30 (optional)
Incidentals: £5 per head
Total about £140. Say £150 to be safe
Other meals to be paid for as taken.
For details on -
 
The trip is conditional on sufficient numbers booking. A deposit will be requested once we know how many will be going. This will only be refunded in the event of the trip being cancelled.
   See the IAA website www.irishastro.org for a downloadable booking form.
   Members should also have got a hard copy of this notice, with the booking form, with the latest edition of STARDUST.
   DEADLINE FOR BOOKING: 18 SEPTEMBER
 

. Galway astro event, 23 September. Dr Andy Shearer is organising an event as part of the EU Researchers Night Programme - see www.sea2sky.ie. This event has a strong astronomy element, and the Galway Astronomy Club are taking a key role in this. Dr Andy Shearer, Director, Centre for Astronomy, School of Physics, NUI Galway. Phone +353 91 493114, andrew.shearer@nuigalway.ie

 

4. LECTURE IN WEXFORD:  The public library in Wexford Town is hosting a particle physics lecture and discussion on THE GOD PARTICLE AND THE PARTICLE ZOO with Brendan Wallace, consultant engineer, on Wed 28 September 2011; 7 - 8.30pm. It also covers the LHC at CERN. Booking essential.  

 

5. NEW GIANT ROCKET FOR NASA: Nasa has revealed plans for a new giant rocket to spearhead its space programme. It will outclass even the giant Saturn V rockets that propelled men to the moon. This time the destinations will be much farther and the rocket even more powerful.
   The 'Space Launch System' is a multibillion-dollar programme which will carry astronauts in a capsule on top and start test launching from Cape Canaveral, Florida, in six years. The cost of the programme is estimated at about 18 billion dollars over the next five years.
    The size, shape and heavier reliance on liquid fuel as opposed to solid rocket boosters is much closer to the moon rockets than the recently retired space shuttles, which were winged, reusable ships that sat on top of a giant liquid fuel tank, with twin solid boosters providing most of the power. It is also a shift in emphasis from the moon-based, solid-rocket-oriented plans proposed by the George Bush administration.
   The idea is to launch its first unmanned test flight in 2017 with the first crew flying in 2021 and astronauts heading to a nearby asteroid in 2025. From there, Nasa hopes to send the rocket and astronauts to Mars - at first just to circle, but then later landing on the Red Planet - in the 2030s.
     At first the rockets will be able to carry into space 77 tons to 110 tons of payload, which would include the six-person Orion Multipurpose Crew Vehicle capsule and more. Eventually it will be able to carry 143 tons, maybe even 165 tons. By comparison, the Apollo Saturn V booster was able to lift 130 tons.
    The plans dwarf the lift-off power of the space shuttle, which could haul just 27 tons. The biggest current unmanned rocket can carry about 25 tons.
 
6. Exoplanet discovered in the 'Goldilocks Zone'. Astronomers believe they have found a second planet outside our solar system that seems to be in the right zone for life - just. But it would feel like a steam bath - hot, sticky and beyond uncomfortable. European astronomers announced the discovery along with about 50 other planets outside our solar system at a US conference.
    The most exciting of those planets is the second to be confirmed as lying in what astronomers call the habitable zone, or the "Goldilocks zone". That means it is not too hot and not too cold for liquid water to be present. Water is the key to a planet being able to support Earth-like life, scientists say.
    Only one of the past discoveries of such Goldilocks planets has held up - found in 2007. And even this new one comes with an asterisk: the planet would need to have water and be a rocky, solid planet like Earth, not one that is primarily gas like Jupiter.
    The new planet is about 3.6 times the mass of Earth. Temperatures there may range from 30C to 50C with plenty of humidity. "It's going to be really muggy. We're not saying it's habitable for you and me."
   But other types of life - probably shorter and squatter life - could conceivably take root there. They would probably be closer to the ground than humans because gravity on this larger-than-Earth planet is about 1.4 times what we experience. A year there is only 60 days.
    For it to be considered liveable by astronomers, at least 60% of it would have to be covered in clouds. Earth has about 50% cloud cover, so 60% seems reasonable.
    The new planet, called HD85512b, closely circles a star about 35 light years from Earth in the constellation Vela.
 
7. "Tatooine" Planet discovered! In a scientific discovery that seems ripped from the pages of science fiction, astronomers have found a planet that orbits two suns, just like Tatooine in the movie "Star Wars." The Tatooine-like planet is called Kepler-16b and was discovered with NASA's Kepler space telescope. It is called a circumbinary planet, meaning it circles a binary star system.
   The two 'parent' stars are a K-type Dwarf with a mass of about 69% of the Sun, and a Red Dwarf with a mass of about 30% of our Sun. They orbit each other with a period of 41 days, and the planet orbits them both with a period of 229 days.
   The planet's orbit is stable, but it lies outside the habitable zone of the system.
(the following details are edited and adapted from "Space.com")
   Project leader Laurance Doyle, an astrophysicist at the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute in Mountain View, Calif., said: "It's a completely different kind of planetary system. About half the stars in our galaxy reside in double systems, and about one in 70 are eclipsing binaries. Now that we know how to find circumbinary planets, I think in the next month or so we're going to find a few more. We know what they look like and we know the tricks they play.
  Binary stars may just as easily have planets as single stars. There are disks that people think precede the formation of planets. And 'Kepler' found just as many disks around double stars as they had around singles. Some people thought that the two stars would dissipate the disk before planets could form. Others said, no, when you mix up the disk it actually starts to accrete, and you get planets forming even faster. But now we know that planets can form in such a system.
   I see no reason why you can't find a habitable system around two stars. This system is stable so I don't see why others couldn't be. But speculating on what their biological cycles would be as a consequence, that'd be a fascinating study.
   Nighttime would be odd. It would sometimes be a very short nighttime when the stars are far away from each other, then when they drew close you'd have a longer nighttime.  
See: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/kepler/news/kepler-16b.html,  and http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2011/15sep_doublesuns/
 
8. Satellite debris over Ireland? The Upper Atmospheric Research Satellite, or UARS, is expected to crash back to Earth in late September. As the orbit has an inclination of 57 degrees, it could in theory come down in Ireland (latitude approx. 52 - 55 degrees N.). NASA and U.S. military officials said it's currently impossible to predict when or where the spacecraft will fall, but it will most likely come down over the ocean or an unpopulated land mass. There is a 1-in-3,200 chance a piece of debris could injure or kill a person, according to an assessment by NASA. (The chance of it coming down over Ireland is simply the ratio of the land area of Ireland to the total surface area of the Earth between latitudes 57 degrees N & S. - You do the maths!)
  26 components from the satellite, with a total mass of more than 1,100 pounds, are expected to survive re-entry and reach Earth's surface. The UARS was built before NASA and international standards were employed to limit human casualty risks from re-entering spacecraft to less than 1-in-10,000.
   The spacecraft, launched by the Shuttle in 1991, measured chlorine and fluorine in the stratosphere, a region between 9 miles and 30 miles above Earth's surface. The discovery confirmed chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, used in manmade aerosol sprays, refrigerants and solvents caused the ozone hole over Antarctica.
    UARS is now being captured by the atmosphere as it orbits at altitudes between 152 miles and 171 miles. When NASA decommissioned the 12,500-pound satellite in 2005, they lowered its orbit from 340 miles to expedite its re-entry. See
 
9. Midlands Astronomy Club Outreach: The big MAC Astronomy Outreach event in Athlone is on Friday night, September 16th. MAC members will be there from 8pm in St. Kieran's Community Centre, Tormey Villas. A helpful guide with directions on Google Maps can be found here:
http://maps.google.ie/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Athlone+Bypass,+Athlone&daddr=Tormey+Villas,+Athlone&hl=en&geocode=FcJVLwMdN_CG_yldlFgpDElcSDEwxEEBEIJbgg%3BFQFNLwMd7cuG_ym_pHdFqklcSDECsGJmO006Mg&sll=53.431552,-7.936034&sspn=0.015571,0.038581&vpsrc=0&mra=ls&ie=UTF8&t=m&z=16&layer=t
   It begins to get dark after 8:30pm so if it is clear then telescopes will be set up for around then. Visitors can bring their own and ask questions about how to use and maintain them and set them up for all to see. This event is aimed at all ages and all levels of interest. And best of all IT'S FREE!
Not Weather Dependant: Should the weather not play ball then the event will be moved indoors where MAC members will demonstrate how to use some of the telescopes there, present a couple of 10 minute talks and take time to answer all manner of questions.

10. TWITTER: the IAA now has a twitter account. twitter@IaaAstro
 
11. JOINING the IRISH ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION is now even easier: This link downloads a Word document to join the IAA. http://irishastro.org.uk/iaamembership.doc.  See also www.irishastro.org
 
Clear skies,
 
Terry Moseley
 

Wednesday 7 September 2011

IAA/Cork, Lectures, Occult, Comet, Ast class, Comp, Galway, Twitter, Sun spheres

Hi all,
 
1. IAA VISIT TO ASTRONOMY CENTRES IN CORK: 30 Sep - 2 Oct.
We have arranged a visit to see some of the very interesting astronomical places of interest in Cork. These include the new state of the art Blackrock Castle Observatory and Science Centre, and the historic and now beautifully restored Crawford Observatory in UCC. We will also meet up with our friends in the Cork Astronomy Club (CAC).
Access there is now quite easy, with Motorway or M-standard dual carriageway the whole way from Belfast. Plans are that we will car-share, with ideally no more than 4 per car (unless someone can offer a people carrier or similar), sharing travel costs. Accommodation will be in several B&Bs / Guest Houses all in the same vicinity, in Cork.
We aim to depart about lunchtime on Friday 30 Sep, returning on the Sunday evening.
The provisional programme is as follows:
Friday lunchtime: depart Belfast.
Friday evening: Arrive, check in to accommodation. Dark sky observing with CAC, if clear. If not, socialising in local hostelry (optional).
Saturday morning. Visit Blarney Castle, or Drombeg Stone Circle near Clonakilty, which has a confirmed winter solstice sunset alignment.
Sat Afternoon: visit Crawford Observatory in UCC.
Sat evening: dinner with CAC, and, if they wish, the Directors of the observatories & Science Centre
Sat night: dark sky observing with CAC, if clear. If not, stay on after meal or move to pub/hotel etc. (optional)
Sunday morning: Visit CAC Observatory near airport just south of the city.
Sun afternoon: tour of Blackrock Castle Observatory
Sun evening: return journey.
COSTS: The basic costs are estimated at about £150, including dinner (excluding your other meals) as follows:
2 nights B&8, singles, about £80 (maybe less if sharing)
Petrol, tolls, etc, @ 4 to a car, sharing: £25 each
Dinner on Sat night about £30 (optional)
Incidentals: £5 per head'
Total about £140. Say £150 to be safe
Other meals to be paid for as taken.
For details on -
   The trip is conditional on sufficient numbers booking. A deposit will be requested once we know how many will be going. This will only be refunded in the event of the trip being cancelled.
   See the IAA website www.irishastro.org for a downloadable booking form.
   Members will also get a hard copy of this notice, with the booking form, with the next edition of STARDUST, going out soon.
   DEADLINE FOR BOOKING: 15 SEPTEMBER
 
2. Dublin Lecture: "CHINESE STAR CHARTS" by JEAN-MARC BONNET-BIDAUD.
    Discover an astronomy chart done 1300 years ago by a Chinese Astronomer. Dr. Jean-Marc Bonnet-Bidaud will present his work on Chinese Star Charts on the 7th of September 2011 at Dunsink Observatory (DIAS)
   Jean-Marc Bonnet-Bidaud is an astrophysicist at the Astrophysical Department of the French Atomic Energy Commission (C.E.A.), a specialist in high energy astrophysics and in the study of highly condensed stars in the Galaxy (white dwarfs, neutrons stars and black holes). He is involved in several international collaborations to search, locate and study new sources of X-rays and gamma-rays in the Galaxy by means of space astronomy. He is currently taking part in scientific programs, using the European satellites XMM (X-ray Multiple mirror Mission, XMM) and INTEGRAL (International Gamma-ray Astrophysics Laboratory).
   Jean-Marc Bonnet-Bidaud has also a deep interest in the history and popularisation of astronomy. He is at present the scientific adviser of the French astronomy magazine "Ciel et Espace". He has published numerous articles in different magazines and newspapers and was also the author of different television programs.
   He is currently carrying out research works on the roots of astronomy in Africa and China. After publishing results concerning the rate of star explosions in the Galaxy and the colour change of the star Sirius deduced from historical Chinese reports, he is now involved in a systematic study of the oldest Chinese Star Charts to evaluate their scientific content.
   Presentation at DUNSINK OBSERVATORY (DIAS) Castleknock, Dublin 15, Wednesday 7th September at 8 pm (20.00 h). A 40/45 min lecture in English with Q&A + a 12-15 min Break, with some refreshments for informal discussion. +  A visit to the South Dome and the Grubb Telescope. +  With possible observations of the night sky through the Grubb Telescope and others if the weather is kind on that evening
    Contact Details for the Event to be held in Dunsink Observatory: For your e-ticket request please e-mail hod@cp.dias.ie on or before Monday 22nd August 2011 (17.00 h)
    Please head the request for your e-ticket/s "Chinese Star Charts" by Jean-Marc Bonnet-Bidaud Dunsink Obs 7th Sept 2011, and state the number of tickets that you require. DIAS has a minimum age limit of 12 years of age for an evening event such as this.
   More details if required from: Hilary O'Donnell/Sullivan, Astrophysics and Astronomy Section, School of Cosmic Physics, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 31 Fitzwilliam Place, Dublin 2, Ireland.  Telephone + 353-1-662 13 33, Fax + 353-1-524 23 02, E-mail hod@cp.dias.ie Mobile number 00 353 (0) 87 629 49 66.

 

3. OCCULTATION BY PALLAS: (forwarded from Tolis Christou at Armagh Observatory, with slight editing).

   "An interesting astronomical event will occur over the UK and Ireland on the 18th of September: an occultation of an +11m star (+10m in the red) by the large asteroid 2 Pallas. The occultation path (see link below) and the small uncertainty means that practically anyone observing from most of the UK and all of Ireland will have a fair chance of seeing the star disappear.  

   Although the resulting light drop ((Pallas+star)/Pallas) is rather small (30%), the expected duration of 30 sec means that, for example, several CCD exposures with a small telescope can be fitted into the asteroid's "shadow". Could prove to be an interesting experience, especially for students wanting to try their hand at some observing.
   The occultation map is provided here:
http://www.asteroidoccultations.com/2011_09/0918_2_24051_MapE.gif
   If you are interested, I can provide finder charts and collate any results (positive or negative) for submission to the International Occultation Timing Association (European Section).
   Good luck (and clear skies) if you decide to give it a go. Regards. Tolis."

(Additional info: The star lies 52' 40" N and a little E of Mu Aquilae, or just about 4 deg 10' W, and a little S, of Altair. It's a very red star, with a B - V index of 1.6 mags. Unusually, the track of the occultation runs nearly N to S, as you can see from the map. Fortunately there are no other stars of comparable magnitude within 7 arcminutes, so it's easy to identify.

You can contact Tolis at aac@arm.ac.uk T.M.)

4. ASTRONOMY CLASSES, BANGOR: The inimitable Dr Andy McCrea (Editor of STARDUST, and proprietor of North Down Telescopes) will present another series of his popular basic astronomy classes "Night Sky For Beginners" in Bangor, Co Down. Start 13 September, weekly for 6 weeks. Time: 7 to 9 p.m. Location: Bangor SERC (South Eastern Regional College, formerly the 'Tech'). Contact number is (02891 276695) for registration and payment details.

 

5. Comet C 2009 P1 Garradd. Both Andy McCrea and David Stewart have got excellent photos of the comet as it passed near the lovely Coathanger (Cr399) or Brocchi's Cluster, in Vulpecula. See the IAA website: www.irishastro.org. It has now developed a short stubby tail. It should remain fairly bright and well placed for viewing into early 2012. A finder chart, with further details, is at http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/highlights/128836743.html 
 

6. CASSINI COMPETITION. (edited from an email by Deirdre Kelleghan) The Cassini Mission to Saturn is one of the greatest robotic space exploration missions of our time. Now you have an opportunity to become involved and maybe put your school's name on the map internationally. The Cassini Scientist For a Day Contest 2011 is now open. Deadline is October 26th. This contest increases awareness of space exploration, technology, engineering and science, all good STEM subjects.
   This contest stretches students' writing and research abilities. The Task? Write a 500 word essay on why the Cassini Spacecraft should target certain objects for imaging and investigation. How do I do that? Watch  three short videos, decide which is the most interesting for you, and write your essay based on that.

   The Cassini website would be your main source of reference for information, everything you need to know is here http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/. Watch this video below, for the an introduction and then watch each of the videos in turn to choose your target.
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/education/scientistforaday10thedition/

The three targets are: 1. Hyperion, 2. Rhea and Titan, and 3. Saturn.  Computer simulated pictures of these three targets are posted on the above website. 
Watch these videos to choose your essay subject Hyperion? Rhea/Titan? or Saturn?  You decide, it's your adventure.
Target Overview here http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/education/scientistforaday10thedition/targets/
There are three age groups: 11-13 years old; 14-16 years old; 17-18 years old

The Prizes: For the School - Pride. For the Teacher - Pride. For the winning child - Pride and their essay gets published on the Cassini website, how cool is that?
Send all entries to Deirdre Kelleghan, contest co-ordinator for Ireland. e-mail cassiniessay@gmail.com. Include child's name, age, postal address, name of your school, name of teacher, teacher' e-mail address.

7. Galway astro event, 23 September. Dr Andy Shearer is organising an event as part of the EU Researchers Night Programme - see www.sea2sky.ie. This event has a strong astronomy element, and the Galway Astronomy Club are taking a key role in this. Dr Andy Shearer, Director, Centre for Astronomy, School of Physics, NUI Galway. Phone +353 91 493114, andrew.shearer@nuigalway.ie

8. LECTURE IN WEXFORD:  The public library in Wexford Town is hosting a particle physics lecture and discussion on THE GOD PARTICLE AND THE PARTICLE ZOO with Brendan Wallace, consultant engineer, on Wed 28 September 2011; 7 - 8.30pm. It also covers the LHC at CERN. Booking essential.  

9. TWITTER: the IAA now has a twitter account. twitter@IaaAstro
 
10. SUN SPHERES. Visitors to Belfast from the M1 may have noticed a new piece of 'public art / sculpture' at the end of the Motorway where it becomes the Westlink, just above the roundabout at Donegall Road / Broadway. The two very large concentric lattice spheres are officially called 'RISE,' and reach a height of 37.5m, which is 3m higher than the Albert Clock! They symbolise "the rising of the Sun, and new hope for Belfast's future". They were inspired when the artist saw the Sun rise, with the Moon still in the sky, from his home in Northampton. I'm sure we've all seen that ourselves, and of course it's quite a common effect, when the Moon is waning gibbous to about just after Last Quarter.
   Following in the illustrious tradition of our friends in Dublin, they will of course have to get a nickname (like 'the Tart with the Cart' for Molly Malone.) Although they are not quite on the Falls Road, they are close enough to warrant the moniker "The Balls at the Falls'. (Adapted from a suggestion by J.M.). Has anyone any better suggestions?
 
11. IAA Solar Event in Merrion Square, Dublin. Apologies to John Flannery - I forgot to mention that he also called unannounced at this event on 27 August to offer his assistance.  T.M.
 
12. JOINING the IRISH ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION is now even easier: This link downloads a Word document to join the IAA. http://irishastro.org.uk/iaamembership.doc.  See also www.irishastro.org
 
Clear skies,
 
Terry Moseley