Wednesday 28 March 2012

IAA at LNDC, IAA Lecture, COSMOS, EarthHour, ISS, GAM, Mars, Orionid meteors

Hi all,
  
1. IAA at Lough Neagh Discovery Centre, near Lurgan, on 30 March, evening:
This will be similar to other IAA events, except that there will be an optional supper first at the LNDC cafe - see details below. There will be a £15 admission charge for the whole event, including supper, or £5 for the later observing session only. We will of course have the Stardome, (loaned from Armagh Planetarium with thanks once again), with regular starshows, so there will be plenty of interest even if it's cloudy. N.B: The meal is now almost fully booked, so if you want to go for that, book now.
DETAILS: Friday 30th March: 6.30pm 'til late:
'Supper with the Stars':  Join the Irish Astronomical Association for a spectacular evening of stargazing and culinary delights at the Lough Neagh Discovery Centre.
   There will be star shows in a mobile planetarium commencing at 7.30pm, followed by celestial views of the First Quarter Moon, brilliant Venus ("the Evening Star"), and fascinating Jupiter with its four large Galilean moons, Mars, Saturn, plus a lot more! All this is of course weather dependent.
   There will also be an exhibition of the best photos taken by the Hubble Space Telescope and the best ground-based observatories plus some amazing ones by IAA members, a display of telescopes and binoculars, and some amazing meteorites.
£5 entry for stargazing experience.
£15 includes the stargazing and a two course meal (6.30pm, Loughside Café, LNDC).
Booking is essential for this event. Please contact the Interpretative team at the Lough Neagh Discovery Centre on 028 3831 1673 / 028 3832 1671 for further details and to book a place.
See also www.irishastro.org   
 
2.  IAA LECTURE, 4 April: (N.B. This is a change from what is in the programme card) The Astronomical Association's next public lecture will be given by John Flannery, of the SDAS: Title: "The Outer Limits: Exploring the Outer Solar System". WEDNESDAY 4 April, at 7.30 p.m., in the Bell Lecture Theatre, Physics Building, Queen's University, Belfast Synopsis: "For thousands of years we only knew of the classical planets out as far as Saturn. That all changed in 1781 when William Herschel discovered the planet Uranus and at a stroke doubled the then-known size of the Solar System. Neptune soon joined the planet club while Pluto had a brief membership during the 20th century.
    Astronomers have found though that the outer solar system is a far more dynamic place than was originally thought with various classes of asteroid-sized bodies now catalogued, while Pluto itself is just one of a collection of similar sized objects. The talk will classify the members of the outer solar system, what research is currently taking place, speculate on future discoveries, and detail why Pluto was demoted from planet status."
 
3. COSMOS 2012: The Midlands Astronomy Club have finalised the programme for their very popular annual star party, at Annaharvey Farm, just outside Tullamore, Co Offaly, on the W/E of 13-15 April.  Speakers include:
- Thierry Legault, world-renowned French astrophotographer
- Girvan McKay, Midlands Astronomy Club
- Eamon Ansbro, Kingsland Observatory, Roscommon
- Kevin Berwick, Dublin
- Dermot Gannon, Midlands Astronomy Club
- Apostolos Christou, Armagh Observatory
- Lawrence Rigney, Midlands Astronomy Club
More details are available on the website www.midlandsastronomy.com
 
4.  Earth Hour 2012 March 31, 20:30 - 21:30. Switch off all unnecessary lights, see the sky, and save the planet! Take part in a global call to action to highlight concerns about climate change and the way we are wasting the world's limited resources
 
5. ISS The International Space Station started another series of morning passes on March 19. Details for your own location, and lots of other useful information such as Iridium Flares, are on the free site www.heavens-above.com
 
6. Global Astronomy Month. There will be an international star party to promote peace during Global Astronomy Month in April.  "StarPeace" and "Astronomers Without Borders" have partnered for 30 days of StarPeace.  Simultaneous events, some with online interaction between clubs in different countries, will circle the globe through 10 segments of longitude.  Beginning in Oceania during the first three days of April, the event sweeps eastward to cover the world by month's end. If you are planning anything for this event, please let me know. For more information see www.astronomerswithoutborders.org/gam2012-programs/program-schedule/1064.html.
 
7. UNUSUAL CLOUDS ON MARS: What appear to be very high altitude clouds on Mars are puzzling astronomers. See the photos etc in this article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2119623/Is-life-Mars-Well-certainly-looks-like-CLOUDS.html

8. JUPITER HELPS HALLEY'S COMET GIVE US MORE SPECTACULAR METEOR DISPLAYS. The dramatic appearance of Halley's comet in the night sky has been observed and recorded by astronomers since 240 BC. Now a study shows that the orbital influences of Jupiter on the comet and the debris it leaves in its wake are responsible for periodic outbursts of activity in the Orionid meteor showers, according to a paper presented by Aswin Sekhar of Armagh Observatory, at the National Astronomy Meeting in Manchester on Tuesday 27th March.

Halley's comet orbits the Sun every 75-76 years on average.  As its nucleus approaches the Sun, it heats up and releases gas and dust that form the spectacular tail.  This outgassing leaves a trail of debris around the orbit. When the Earth crosses Halley's path – twice per orbit – the dust particles burn up in the Earth's atmosphere and we see meteor showers: the Orionids in October and the Eta Aquariids in May. Previous research has suggested that Orionid meteoroids have at times fallen into 'resonances' with Jupiter's orbit – a numerical relationship that influences orbital behaviour. Sekhar's new study suggests that Halley itself has been in resonances with Jupiter in the past, which in turn would increase the chances of populating resonant meteoroids in the stream. The particles ejected during those times experience a tendency to clump together due to periodic effects from Jupiter.

"This resonant behaviour of meteoroids means that Halley's debris is not uniformly distributed along its orbital path. When the Earth encounters one of these clumps, it experiences a much more spectacular meteor shower than usual," said Sekhar.  Sekhar's work suggests that the unusual Orionid outburst observed in 1993 was due to 2:13 resonant meteoroids ejected from Halley around 240 BC.

9. TWITTER: the IAA now has a twitter account. twitter@IaaAstro

10. BBC THINGS TO DO WEBSITE: See the forthcoming IAA events on  
 
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


Friday 23 March 2012

Spectacular conjunction, TV, IAA Event, COSMOS, EarthHour, ISS, Solar heat, Oops

Hi all,
  
1. Lovely gathering of the crescent Moon and the two brightest planets to continue into early next week.
    You've all seen Jupiter and Venus pass close by each other. But there's more to come. Although they are now slowly drawing further apart, this weekend they will be joined a beautiful 'New Moon', with 'the Old Moon In the New Moon's Arms'. This will be a lovely sight. 
   The show will start on Saturday evening when a very thin crescent 'New Moon' will lie close to the horizon below Jupiter and brilliant Venus which will then be 'top of the stack'. Look from about 7.30 to 8 p.m.
   The main event begins on Sunday evening, when the lovely crescent Moon will lie just to the right of Jupiter, with brilliant Venus above the pair. Look for the Earthshine, or the 'Old Moon In The New Moon's Arms', which is the faintly glowing disc of the rest of the Moon nestling in the 'arms' of the bright crescent. This will be visible from about 8.30 - 10 p.m. (Summer Time)
   (The Earthshine, popularly known as 'The Old Moon In The New Moon's Arms' is caused by sunlight reflected from the Earth onto the dark side of the Moon, thus faintly illuminating it, and then that light is reflected back to Earth so that we can see it. If you were standing on the Moon at the time when Earthshine is visible from here, you would see a big bright 'almost full' Earth shining in the sky, and that bright 'Earthlight' is the counterpart to Moonlight as we see it here on Earth.)
   The highlight will be on Monday evening, when the Moon will have forsaken Jupiter and will be nestling even closer to Venus! Again, look for the Old Moon in the New Moon's Arms. Time: from 8.30 - 10.00
   On Tuesday evening, the Moon will have climbed above both planets, and the Earthshine will still be easily visible. Time: 8.30 - 10.00.
  This beautiful grouping will make a lovely target for photographers.
 
2. See Four Planets + The Moon Simultaneously!
On Monday and Tuesday evening there will also be a chance to see the Moon and all of the naked-eye planets except Mercury simultaneously! From about 10.20 to 10.30 p.m. you can see Jupiter low in the West, Venus above it, then the Moon, and high up in the South will be ruddy Mars, just East of Regulus. Swing left to the East, and look low near the horizon to see the pale yellow glow of Saturn, left of Spica.
 
3. 'IN ORBIT: How Satellites Rule our World.' BBC2, 25 March, 9 pm. (thanks to Peter Paice for the alert)
 
4. IAA at Lough Neagh Discovery Centre, near Lurgan, on 30 March, evening:
This will be similar to other IAA events, except that there will be an optional supper first at the LNDC cafe - see details below. There will be a £15 admission charge for the whole event, including supper, or £5 for the later observing session only. We will of course have the Stardome of course (loaned from Armagh Planetarium with thanks once again), with regular starshows, so there will be plenty of interest even if it's cloudy. N.B: The meal is now almost fully booked, so if you want to go for that, book now.
DETAILS: Friday 30th March: 6.30pm 'til late:
'Supper with the Stars':  Join the Irish Astronomical Association for a spectacular evening of stargazing and culinary delights at the Lough Neagh Discovery Centre.
   There will be star shows in a mobile planetarium commencing at 7.30pm, followed by celestial views of the First Quarter Moon, brilliant Venus ("the Evening Star"), and fascinating Jupiter with its four large Galilean moons, Mars, Saturn, plus a lot more! All this is of course weather dependent.
   There will also be an exhibition of the best photos taken by the Hubble Space Telescope and the best ground-based observatories plus some amazing ones by IAA members, a display of telescopes and binoculars, and some amazing meteorites.
£5 entry for stargazing experience.
£15 includes the stargazing and a two course meal (6.30pm, Loughside Café, LNDC).
Booking is essential for this event. Please contact the Interpretative team at the Lough Neagh Discovery Centre on 028 3831 1673 / 028 3832 1671 for further details and to book a place.
See also www.irishastro.org   
 
5. COSMOS 2012: The Midlands Astronomy Club have finalised the programme for their very popular annual star party, at Annaharvey Farm, just outside Tullamore, Co Offaly, on the W/E of 13-15 April.  Speakers include:
- Thierry Legault, world-renowned French astrophotographer
- Girvan McKay, Midlands Astronomy Club
- Eamon Ansbro, Kingsland Observatory, Roscommon
- Kevin Berwick, Dublin
- Dermot Gannon, Midlands Astronomy Club
- Apostolos Christou, Armagh Observatory
- Lawrence Rigney, Midlands Astronomy Club
More details are available on the website www.midlandsastronomy.com
 
6.  Earth Hour 2012 March 31, 20:30 - 21:30. Switch off all unnecessary lights, see the sky, and save the planet! Take part in a global call to action to highlight concerns about climate change and the way we are wasting the world's limited resources
 
7. ISS The International Space Station started another series of morning passes on March 19. Details for your own location, and lots of other useful information such as Iridium Flares, are on the free site www.heavens-above.com
 
8. Solar Storms heats atmosphere - especially above Ireland! Look at the map in this link. Unfortunately the heating is completely separate from the aurora phenomenon, and is completely invisible.   http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/22mar_saber/
 
9. OOPS! Even Homer nods.... Prof Mark Bailey of Armagh Observatory forwarded to me this gem of a blooper from Sky & Telescope! (Maybe they'll continue the promotion until the 'Summer Equinox')
 ---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 23 Mar 2012 10:37:05 -0400
From: Sky & Telescope <service@eml.skyandtelescope.com>
Reply-To: Sky & Telescope
     <service.ue.t2227201.0414461438@eml.skyandtelescope.com>
To: "meb@star.arm.ac.uk" <meb@star.arm.ac.uk>
Subject: Spring Solstice is here, along with new products from Sky!
 
10. TWITTER: the IAA now has a twitter account. twitter@IaaAstro
 
11. BBC THINGS TO DO WEBSITE: See the forthcoming IAA events on  
 
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

Wednesday 21 March 2012

Lecture 2nite, SDAS, TV, LNDC, COSMOS, Spacetrain, Spaceclass, Earth Hour, more

Hi all,
 
1.  IAA LECTURE, 21 March:  The Astronomical Association's next public lecture will be given by Derek Heatly: Title: "Stop the World, And Let Me Off".  The lecture is TONIGHT,  WEDNESDAY 21 March, at 7.30 p.m., in the Bell Lecture Theatre, Physics Building, Queen's University, Belfast.
   Derek, who features prominently at almost all our public events, is going to be the first ever astronaut from N. Ireland, assuming all goes to plan. He has booked a flight into space with Richard Branson's 'Virgin Galactic', and has already been given his number in the launch sequence, among other celebrities and private individuals. He may get his flight next year, depending on how well the first commercial flights go.
   Derek has already been up to the edge of space in a high-powered supersonic Russian Mig jet fighter, and has done weightless flights in the Russian aircraft used to train their astronauts. He will tell us of the latest developments in the Virgin Galactic programme, and show videos of the test flights of the 'spaceplane' in which he is due to launch.
  It's great that one of our own members has taken the audacious step to fly into space, so this promises to be a fascinating evening. And before you ask, I don't know if there will be a toilet on board either!
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. SDAS Meeting: Thursday, March 22nd.  The speaker will be John Flannery, and his talk is titled "The Outer Limits: Cataloguing the Outer Solar System". Venue Gonzaga College, Ranelagh at 8pm and admission is free.     

Synopsis: "For thousands of years we only knew of the classical planets out as far as Saturn. That all changed in 1781 when William Herschel discovered the planet Uranus and at a stroke doubled the then-known size of the Solar System. Neptune soon joined the planet club while Pluto had a brief membership during the 20th century. 

  Astronomers have found though that the outer solar system is a far more dynamic place than was originally thought with various classes of asteroid-sized bodies now catalogued, while Pluto itself is just one of a collection of similar sized objects. The talk will classify the members of the outer solar system, what research is currently taking place, speculate on future discoveries, and detail why Pluto was demoted from planet status."

  
3. 'IN ORBIT: How Satellites Rule our World.' BBC2, 25 March, 9 pm. (thanks to Peter Paice for the alert)
 
4. IAA at Lough Neagh Discovery Centre, near Lurgan, on 30 March, evening:
This will be similar to other IAA events, except that there will be an optional supper first at the LNDC cafe - see details below. There will be a £15 admission charge for the whole event, including supper, or £5 for the later observing session only. We will of course have the Stardome of course (loaned from Armagh Planetarium with thanks once again), with regular starshows, so there will be plenty of interest even if it's cloudy.
DETAILS: Friday 30th March: 6.30pm 'til late:
'Supper with the Stars':  Join the Irish Astronomical Association for a spectacular evening of stargazing and culinary delights at the Lough Neagh Discovery Centre.
   There will be star shows in a mobile planetarium commencing at 7.30pm, followed by celestial views of the First Quarter Moon, brilliant Venus ("the Evening Star"), and fascinating Jupiter with its four large Galilean moons, plus a lot more! All this is of course weather dependent.
   There will also be an exhibition of the best photos taken by the Hubble Space Telescope and the best ground-based observatories plus some amazing ones by IAA members, a display of telescopes and binoculars, and some amazing meteorites.
£5 entry for stargazing experience.
£15 includes the stargazing and a two course meal (6.30pm, Loughside Café, LNDC).
Booking is essential for this event. Please contact the Interpretative team at the Lough Neagh Discovery Centre on 028 3831 1673 / 028 3832 1671 for further details and to book a place.
See also www.irishastro.org   
 
5. COSMOS 2012: The Midlands Astronomy Club have finalised the programme for their very popular annual star party, at Annaharvey Farm, just outside Tullamore, Co Offaly, on the W/E of 13-15 April.  Speakers include:
- Thierry Legault, world-renowned French astrophotographer
- Girvan McKay, Midlands Astronomy Club
- Eamon Ansbro, Kingsland Observatory, Roscommon
- Kevin Berwick, Dublin
- Dermot Gannon, Midlands Astronomy Club
- Apostolos Christou, Armagh Observatory
- Lawrence Rigney, Midlands Astronomy Club
More details are available on the website
www.midlandsastronomy.com
 
6.  SPACE TRAIN TO ORBIT? Some of us rode the ultra high speed Maglev Bullet train in Shanghai during our recent eclipse trip there. But how would you fancy a ride the whole way into orbit? See the link below. The basic physics for launch seems OK. But they haven't said how they would get passengers back down to Earth again! It's a wingless vehicle, so it can't glide back down like the Shuttle. I won't be holding my breath. http://travel.aol.co.uk/2012/03/12/startram-space-holidays-2032/
 

7. Take your classroom into space, with astronaut Andre Kuipers: When liquids and bubbles are in space, odd things begin to happen. Astronaut André Kuipers from the European Space Agency (ESA) is taking schools across Europe on a microgravity waltz to learn what is behind seemingly simple phenomena such as convection and foams. Space oddities on the International Space Station will help thousands of schoolchildren to realise that the consequences of the laws of physics running our Universe can be complex – and on Earth they are not the same as in the Station's weightlessness. Armed with two ESA educational experiments during his PromISSe mission, André is inviting students aged 10 to 14 to share his scientific adventure. (IAA members will recall the superb event we had with Andre about 10 years ago in Stranmillis College - an unforgettable evening!) See:http://www.science.ie/science-news/space-station-schools-experiment.html?utm_source=Newsweaver&utm_medium=email&utm_term=how+your+class+can+take+part&utm_campaign=Science.ie%3A+science+fun+at+St+Patrick%E2%80%99s+Festival

 
8.  Earth Hour 2012 March 31, 20:30 - 21:30. Switch off all unnecessary lights, see the sky, and save the planet! Take part in a global call to action to highlight concerns about climate change and the way we are wasting the worlds limited resources
 
9. 'Alien Object' at the Sun? Is there no limit to the gullibility of conspiracy theorists? Not content with pronouncing that the recent Comet Elenin was in fact a 'dwarf planet' called NIBIRU which was going to collide with the Earth (it wasn't, and it didn't, just in case you thought you had missed something!), they are now going crazy over some recent NASA video of an unusual funnel-shaped sunclone on the Sun. (A 'sunclone' = 'sun cyclone'). Their theories range from 'an alien spaceship refuelling from the Sun', to a 'Black Hole created at CERN'!  See
   After you've watched the video at the end click on the associated link "Several small sunclones join to form an enormous funnel cloud (The Dan Caudle 885)" - sorry I can't get a direct clickable or pastable link to that one. That shows that its a perfectly normal, though unusual, sunclone feature in the solar atmosphere. Sorry to spoil the fun....
  
10. ISS The International Space Station started another series of morning passes on March 19. Details for your own location, and lots of other useful information such as Iridium Flares, are on the free site www.heavens-above.com
 
11. TWITTER: the IAA now has a twitter account. twitter@IaaAstro
 
12. BBC THINGS TO DO WEBSITE: See the forthcoming IAA events on  
 
13. 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

Tuesday 13 March 2012

Lectures, IAA @ LNDC, COSMOS, A/O Events, SpaceTrain, Space classroom, More...

Hi all,
 
1.  IAA LECTURE, 21 March:  The Astronomical Association's next public lecture will be given by Derek Heatly: Title: "Stop the World, And Let Me Off".  The lecture is on WEDNESDAY 21 March, at 7.30 p.m., in the Bell Lecture Theatre, Physics Building, Queen's University, Belfast.
   Derek, who features prominently at almost all our public events, is going to be the first ever astronaut from N. Ireland, assuming all goes to plan. He has booked a flight into space with Richard Branson's 'Virgin Galactic', and has already been given his number in the launch sequence, among other celebrities and private individuals. He may get his flight next year, depending on how well the first commercial flights go.
   Derek has already been up to the edge of space in a high-powered supersonic Russian Mig jet fighter, and has done weightless flights in the Russian aircraft used to train their astronauts. He will tell us of the latest developments in the Virgin Galactic programme, and show videos of the test flights of the 'spaceplane' in which he is due to launch.
  It's great that one of our own members has taken the audacious step to fly into space, so this promises to be a fascinating evening. And before you ask, I don't know if there will be a toilet on board either!
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. SDAS Meeting: Thursday, March 22nd.  The speaker will be John Flannery, and his talk is titled "The Outer Limits: Cataloguing the Outer Solar System". Venue Gonzaga College, Ranelagh at 8pm and admission is free.     

Synopsis: "For thousands of years we only knew of the classical planets out as far as Saturn. That all changed in 1781 when William Herschel discovered the planet Uranus and at a stroke doubled the then-known size of the Solar System. Neptune soon joined the planet club while Pluto had a brief membership during the 20th century. 

  Astronomers have found though that the outer solar system is a far more dynamic place than was originally thought with various classes of asteroid-sized bodies now catalogued, while Pluto itself is just one of a collection of similar sized objects. The talk will classify the members of the outer solar system, what research is currently taking place, speculate on future discoveries, and detail why Pluto was demoted from planet status."

  
3. IAA at Lough Neagh Discovery Centre, near Lurgan, on 30 March, evening:
This will be similar to other IAA events, except that there will be an optional supper first at the LNDC cafe - see details below. There will be a £15 admission charge for the whole event, including supper, or £5 for the later observing session only. We will of course have the Stardome of course (loaned from Armagh Planetarium with thanks once again), with regular starshows, so there will be plenty of interest even if it's cloudy
DETAILS: Friday 30th March: 6.30pm 'til late:
'Supper with the Stars':  Join the Irish Astronomical Association for a spectacular evening of stargazing and culinary delights at the Lough Neagh Discovery Centre.
   There will be star shows in a mobile planetarium commencing at 7.30pm, followed by celestial views of the First Quarter Moon, brilliant Venus ("the Evening Star"), and fascinating Jupiter with its four large Galilean moons, plus a lot more! All this is of course weather dependent.
   There will also be an exhibition of the best photos taken by the Hubble Space Telescope and the best ground-based observatories plus some amazing ones by IAA members, a display of telescopes and binoculars, and some amazing meteorites.
£5 entry for stargazing experience.
£15 includes the stargazing and a two course meal (6.30pm, Loughside Café, LNDC).
Booking is essential for this event. Please contact the Interpretative team at the Lough Neagh Discovery Centre on 028 3831 1673 / 028 3832 1671 for further details and to book a place.
See also www.irishastro.org   
 
4. COSMOS 2012: The Midlands Astronomy Club have finalised the programme for their very popular annual star party, at Annaharvey Farm, just outside Tullamore, Co Offaly, on the W/E of 13-15 April. Speakers include:
- Thierry Legault, world-renowned French astrophotographer
- Girvan McKay, Midlands Astronomy Club
- Eamon Ansbro, Kingsland Observatory, Roscommon
- Kevin Berwick, Dublin
- Dermot Gannon, Midlands Astronomy Club
- Apostolos Christou, Armagh Observatory
- Lawrence Rigney, Midlands Astronomy Club
More details are available on the website
www.midlandsastronomy.com
 
5. Armagh Observatory Public Astronomy Event, 17 March.
AO presents a pair of public lectures in St. Patrick's Trian on the morning of St. Patrick's Day, Saturday 17th March, followed by tours of the Observatory Grounds and Astropark, as its contribution to Armagh City and District's Saint Patrick's Day festivities on Saturday, 17th March 2012 
DETAILS:

The programme of fascinating astronomical talks, "Discovering the Universe", begins with light refreshments at 10:30 am in St. Patrick's Trian, Armagh. Two public lectures are being provided, one on the risk to Earth posed by comet and asteroid impacts with our planet, the other a review of efforts during the eighteenth century to measure the size of our solar system and the role played by very rare planetary transits across the face of our Sun. The next Transit of Venus, the last for more than a hundred years, will be visible from Europe on 6th June this year.

   The free public lectures will take place in the Rotunda Theatre, St. Patrick's Trian, each lasting an hour and with time for questions, ending at 1:00 pm.
The first talk, beginning at 11:00, is by Mr Jay Tate, Director of the Spaceguard Centre, Knighton,
Wales. His presentation, "The Science of Armageddon: an Update", will explain how the Earth has a long
and violent history of collisions with extraterrestrial bodies such as asteroids and comets, and how some
of these impacts have been large enough to cause huge environmental upheavals, mass extinctions of life
and severe changes to global climate and geography. Massively more destructive than the most powerful
nuclear weapons, such impacts represent the most damaging natural hazard likely to end civilization as
we know it. The talk will review the nature and extent of the Near-Earth Object (NEO) impact hazard and
bring us up to date with the latest understanding in the field: how the risk can be dealt with and what is
currently being done.
   Jay Tate is one of the world's leading authorities in this subject, having led efforts over the past fifteen years to highlight the risk to civilization posed by these extreme events and improve public understanding of
natural events about which, fortunately, we have no direct experience.
The second talk, at 12:00, will be given by Armagh Astronomer Dr John Butler. He will provide a
contrasting historical talk, "Measuring the Solar System: The Eighteenth Century Transits of Venus".
The eighteenth century was a "Golden Age" for science, and many new and important discoveries were
made in astronomy. The two eighteenth-century Transits of Venus, in 1761 and 1769, provided a rare
opportunity to determine the fundamental unit of astronomical distance: the distance from the Earth to the
Sun. The talk will describe how astronomers across the world united in this, the first great international
scientific project. It will explain the difficulties they faced in carrying out their observations and their
eventual success and the scientific legacy of their efforts.
   John Butler has worked at Armagh for nearly all his astronomical career. He was instrumental in the design and construction of the Astropark, and has led efforts during the past twenty years to conserve and preserve the built heritage of the Armagh Observatory and to calibrate the unique meteorological record, the longest daily climate series in the UK and Ireland. His research interests encompass cool stars, the effects of solar variability on climate, and the history of astronomy, and he is well known for his active involvement in the community of Armagh and for discovering an exceptional flare on the star HD 6090, called "Butler's star".

   Everyone is welcome to these events. Free tickets for the "Discovering the Universe" presentations are available from Mrs Aileen McKee, Armagh Observatory, College Hill, Armagh; Tel. 028-3752-2928; E-mail: ambn@arm.ac.uk. No booking is necessary to join the guided tour "Bringing Heaven Down to Earth" or the Observatory tour and exhibition. Meet outside the Observatory at 2.30 pm and 4.00 pm respectively.

    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.

 
6.  SPACE TRAIN TO ORBIT? Some of us rode the ultra high speed Maglev Bullet train in Shanghai during our recent eclipse trip there. But how would you fancy a ride the whole way into orbit? See the link below. The basic physics for launch seems OK. But they haven't said how they would get passengers back down to Earth again! It's a wingless vehicle, so it can't glide back down like the Shuttle. I won't be holding my breath. http://travel.aol.co.uk/2012/03/12/startram-space-holidays-2032/
 

7. Ireland in space (thanks to John Flannery for this) The Irish involvement in space is surprisingly strong, yet most people are probably not aware of this significant contribution to international science. Dave Cullen has made an excellent documentary on the subject, and it's a real eye-opener. Watch the documentary at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJGfohno9m4  

 

8. Take your classroom into space, with astronaut Andre Kuipers: When liquids and bubbles are in space, odd things begin to happen. Astronaut André Kuipers from the European Space Agency (ESA) is taking schools across Europe on a microgravity waltz to learn what is behind seemingly simple phenomena such as convection and foams. Space oddities on the International Space Station will help thousands of schoolchildren to realise that the consequences of the laws of physics running our Universe can be complex – and on Earth they are not the same as in the Station's weightlessness. Armed with two ESA educational experiments during his PromISSe mission, André is inviting students aged 10 to 14 to share his scientific adventure. (IAA members will recall the superb event we had with Andre about 10 years ago in Stranmillis College - an unforgettable evening!) See:
9. 'Alien Object' at the Sun? Is there no limit to the gullibility of conspiracy theorists? Not content with pronouncing that the recent Comet Elenin was in fact a 'dwarf planet' called NIBIRU which was going to collide with the Earth (it wasn't, and it didn't, just in case you thought you had missed something!), they are now going crazy over some recent NASA video of an unusual funnel-shaped sunclone on the Sun. (A 'sunclone' = 'sun cyclone'). Their theories range from 'an alien spaceship refuelling from the Sun', to a 'Black Hole created at CERN'!  See
   After you've watched the video at the end click on the associated link "Several small sunclones join to form an enormous funnel cloud (The Dan Caudle 885)" - sorry I can't get a direct clickable or pastable link to that one. That shows that its a perfectly normal, though unusual, sunclone feature in the solar atmosphere. Sorry to spoil the fun....
 
10. Lectures in RDS, Dublin: In celebration of Dublin's status as European City of Science 2012, UCD School of Physics has teamed up with the RDS to bring some of the world's leading physicists to speak in Dublin about the latest developments in their fields of research. Please note these lectures are aimed at a public audience. Full details of these lectures and booking information can be found on the UCD website: http://ssmr.ucd.ie/speakerseries2012/speaker_series2012.html

Titan - The Moon that thinks it's a Planet - Prof. John Zarnecki. Tuesday March 20.

Minerva Suite; 6.00pm – 7.30pm.

Lasers in the Fast Lane - Prof. Wilson Sibbett. Tuesday May 15. RDS Concert Hall

6.00pm - 7.30pm

 
11. Venus close to Jupiter: Venus is now exceptionally prominent in the evening twilight as the brilliant 'evening star'. It is now at its closest to Jupiter, which is noticeably fainter than Venus, but still much brighter than any of the stars. The separation tonight is 2 deg 59'; tomorrow (14th) it will be 3 deg 5', and thereafter the two will gradually move further apart.
  
12: Earth Hour 2012 March 31, 20:30 - 21:30. Switch off all unnecessary lights, see the sky, and save the planet! Take part in a global call to action to highlight concerns about climate change and the way we are wasting the worlds limited resources
 
13. ISS The International Space Station will start another series of morning passes on March 19. Details for your own location, and lots of other useful information such as Iridium Flares, are on the free site www.heavens-above.com
 
14. TWITTER: the IAA now has a twitter account. twitter@IaaAstro
 
15. BBC THINGS TO DO WEBSITE: See the forthcoming IAA events on  
 
16. 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 9 March 2012

Another aurora chance?

Hi all,
 
1. ANOTHER AURORA CHANCE?
The best of the aurorae from the last CME weren't visible from Ireland - partly due to bad weather, partly due to the CME not being as energetic as had been thought, partly due to the magnetic polarity of the CME, and partly due to the time it arrived at Earth, which was during Irish daylight.
 
But there were some spectacular views from elsewhere in the world - see for example: http://www.spaceweather.com/
 
However, there have been more CMEs, and so there is another chance tonight, although once again the weather forecast is not good.
 
But keep an eye on the sky anyway, and if you do have some clear sky, have a look. Same guidelines apply as in my last alert.
 
There will be a short break of about half an hour or so between the end of twilight and the rise of the still bright Moon (just past Full), so that would be the best time to see anything.
 
Good luck, and let me know if you see anything.
TWITTER: the IAA now has a twitter account. twitter@IaaAstro
 
2. BBC THINGS TO DO WEBSITE: See the forthcoming IAA events on  
 
3. 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
 

Thursday 8 March 2012

Possible aurora tonight, + lots more.

Hi all, 
(Apologies for some repetition in this bulletin, but a number of new people have asked to be added to the list, so I want to inform them re all events, not just the aurora)
 
1. Possible Aurora Tonight.  
As you may be aware, the Sun unleashed a massive Coronal Mass Ejection towards Earth yesterday, an event which can cause aurorae here on Earth. I didn't send out an alert last night for 3 reasons:
1. Any expected aurora activity would not start until just about dawn this morning in Ireland.
2. The weather forecast for last night was very bad.
3. The Moon is Full, so all but a bright aurora would be drowned out in the Moonlight.
   So it seems that our North American cousins were much better placed to see any auroral activity, as it was still dark there after sunrise here. Reports are already coming in of a good aurora visible there. But there is a chance that auroral activity could continue into the period when darkness occurs again here in Ireland this evening.
   Unfortunately -
1. The weather forecast is still bad, and
2. There will still be a Full Moon.
   But if we do happen to get any clear sky, and if there is a bright aurora visible from here, then we would still see it in spite of the moonlight.
   As for any aurora, the best location is to go as far North as possible, or at least get to the North side of any brightly lit towns or cities. You'll also want to have a fairly clear North horizon, although if the aurora is a strong one, it can spread right up into the zenith, or overhead point in the sky. Look out for red or green or purple coloured bands or rays or patterns or even an overall bright orange glow. And if you are going out from a brightly lit room, or from exposure to bright vehicle lights etc, give yourself at least 5-10 minutes for your eyes to dark-adapt.
   It's just unfortunate that the best of this particular event may be happening during our daylight, and the weather forecast for tonight is not good, and the Moon is Full!
   But this event indicates that activity on the Sun is increasing, and we can expect more events like this over the coming years, hopefully with more auspicious circumstances for us.
   If you DO see anything, please let me know, by email or text, or post to the IAA website - www.irishastro.org
 
2. "The Sky at Night", March:  Sir Patrick Moore looks at 'citizen science' and how ordinary people can contribute to the world of science. As we heard in the fascinating IAA lecture by Dave McDonald last night, and in other lectures such as from the world's leading supernova discoverer Tom Boles, this is an area in which the amateur astronomer can play a very important part.

Transmissions: Thu 7:30pm BBC FOUR; Fri 12:15am BBC FOUR; Sat 12:00pm BBC 2 NI; Sun 12:55am BBC FOUR

 
3. IAA LECTURE, 21 March:  The Astronomical Association's next public lecture will be given by Derek Heatly: Title: "Stop the World, And Let Me Off".  The lecture is on WEDNESDAY 21 March, at 7.30 p.m., in the Bell Lecture Theatre, Physics Building, Queen's University, Belfast.
   Derek, who features prominently at almost all our public events, is going to be the first ever astronaut from N. Ireland, assuming all goes to plan. He has booked a flight into space with Richard Branson's 'Virgin Galactic', and has already been given his number in the launch sequence, among other celebrities and private individuals. He may get his flight next year, depending on how well the first commercial flights go.
   Derek has already been up to the edge of space in a high-powered supersonic Russian Mig jet fighter, and has done weightless flights in the Russian aircraft used to train their astronauts. He will tell us of the latest developments in the Virgin Galactic programme, and show videos of the test flights of the 'spaceplane' in which he is due to launch.
  It's great that one of our own members has taken the audacious step to fly into space, so this promises to be a fascinating evening. And before you ask, I don't know if there will be a toilet on board either!
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  
  
4. IAA at Lough Neagh Discovery Centre, near Lurgan, on 30 March, evening: This event had already been booked well before the BBC Stargazing Live event. It too will have our usual format (but without the broadcast this time). This will be similar to other recent events, except that we will be running the whole event ourselves, with the Stardome of course (loaned from Armagh Planetarium with thanks once again). More details next time. See www.irishastro.org   
 
5. COSMOS 2012: The Midlands Astronomy Club have finalised the programme for their very popular annual star party, at Annaharvey Farm, just outside Tullamore, Co Offaly, on the W/E of 13-15 April. Speakers include:
- Thierry Legault, world-renowned French astrophotographer
- Girvan McKay, Midlands Astronomy Club
- Eamon Ansbro, Kingsland Observatory, Roscommon
- Kevin Berwick, Dublin
- Dermot Gannon, Midlands Astronomy Club
- Apostolos Christou, Armagh Observatory
- Lawrence Rigney, Midlands Astronomy Club
More details are available on the website
www.midlandsastronomy.com
 
6. Armagh Observatory Public Astronomy Event, 17 March.
AO's next public event will be a pair of back-to-back public lectures in St. Patrick's Trian on the morning of St. Patrick's Day, Saturday 17th March, followed by tours of the Observatory Grounds and Astropark, as its contribution to Armagh City and District's Saint Patrick's Day festivities on Saturday, 17th March 2012 
DETAILS:

The programme of fascinating astronomical talks, "Discovering the Universe", begins with light refreshments at 10:30 am in St. Patrick's Trian, Armagh. Two public lectures are being provided, one on the risk to Earth posed by comet and asteroid impacts with our planet, the other a review of efforts during the eighteenth century to measure the size of our solar system and the role played by very rare planetary transits across the face of our Sun. The next Transit of Venus, the last for more than a hundred years, will be visible from Europe on 6th June this year.

   The free public lectures will take place in the Rotunda Theatre, St. Patrick's Trian, each lasting an hour and with time for questions, ending at 1:00 pm.
The first talk, beginning at 11:00, is by Mr Jay Tate, Director of the Spaceguard Centre, Knighton,
Wales. His presentation, "The Science of Armageddon: an Update", will explain how the Earth has a long
and violent history of collisions with extraterrestrial bodies such as asteroids and comets, and how some
of these impacts have been large enough to cause huge environmental upheavals, mass extinctions of life
and severe changes to global climate and geography. Massively more destructive than the most powerful
nuclear weapons, such impacts represent the most damaging natural hazard likely to end civilization as
we know it. The talk will review the nature and extent of the Near-Earth Object (NEO) impact hazard and
bring us up to date with the latest understanding in the field: how the risk can be dealt with and what is
currently being done.
   Jay Tate is one of the world's leading authorities in this subject, having led efforts over the past fifteen years to highlight the risk to civilization posed by these extreme events and improve public understanding of
natural events about which, fortunately, we have no direct experience.
The second talk, at 12:00, will be given by Armagh Astronomer Dr John Butler. He will provide a
contrasting historical talk, "Measuring the Solar System: The Eighteenth Century Transits of Venus".
The eighteenth century was a "Golden Age" for science, and many new and important discoveries were
made in astronomy. The two eighteenth-century Transits of Venus, in 1761 and 1769, provided a rare
opportunity to determine the fundamental unit of astronomical distance: the distance from the Earth to the
Sun. The talk will describe how astronomers across the world united in this, the first great international
scientific project. It will explain the difficulties they faced in carrying out their observations and their
eventual success and the scientific legacy of their efforts.
   John Butler has worked at Armagh for nearly all his astronomical career. He was instrumental in the design and construction of the Astropark, and has led efforts during the past twenty years to conserve and preserve the built heritage of the Armagh Observatory and to calibrate the unique meteorological record, the longest daily climate series in the UK and Ireland. His research interests encompass cool stars, the effects of solar variability on climate, and the history of astronomy, and he is well known for his active involvement in the community of Armagh and for discovering an exceptional flare on the star HD 6090, called "Butler's star".

   Everyone is welcome to these events. Free tickets for the "Discovering the Universe" presentations are available from Mrs Aileen McKee, Armagh Observatory, College Hill, Armagh; Tel. 028-3752-2928; E-mail: ambn@arm.ac.uk. No booking is necessary to join the guided tour "Bringing Heaven Down to Earth" or the Observatory tour and exhibition. Meet outside the Observatory at 2.30 pm and 4.00 pm respectively.

    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.

 
7. Lectures in RDS, Dublin: In celebration of Dublin's status as European City of Science 2012, UCD School of Physics has teamed up with the RDS to bring some of the world's leading physicists to speak in Dublin about the latest developments in their fields of research. Please note these lectures are aimed at a public audience. Full details of these lectures and booking information can be found on the UCD website: http://ssmr.ucd.ie/speakerseries2012/speaker_series2012.html

Titan - The Moon that thinks it's a Planet - Prof. John Zarnecki. Tuesday March 20, 2012

Minerva Suite; 6.00pm – 7.30pm.

Lasers in the Fast Lane - Prof. Wilson Sibbett. Tuesday May 15, 2012. RDS Concert Hall

6.00pm - 7.30pm

 
8. Venus closes on Jupiter, Mercury still visible: Venus is now exceptionally prominent in the evening twilight as the brilliant 'evening star'. It is now much closer to Jupiter, which is noticeably fainter than Venus, but still much brighter than any of the stars. On this (8th) and following evenings the separation will be: 5 deg 23'; 9th = 4 deg 42'; 10th = 4 deg 1'; 11th = 3 deg 30'; 12th 3 deg 8'; 13th 2 deg 59', 14th 3 deg 5'.
   And you can use these two planets as finders for the most elusive of the other naked-eye planets: Mercury, the innermost planet. It can be quite bright, as at present, but is always close to the Sun in the sky, so we can only see it low down in fairly bright twilight. At the moment it's still well placed for viewing from Ireland, but is getting fainter and closer to the Sun, so after the weekend it will be quite hard to see.
   At about 30 minutes after local sunset, follow the line from Jupiter and Venus down towards the horizon at an angle of about 45 degrees, and then look a bit to the left of that line, and about 5 - 10 degrees above the horizon. 5 degrees is about the width of your clenched fist, across the knuckles, when held out at arm's length in front of you. Mercury will look like a twinkling star glimmering through the twilight. It's still almost as bright as the brightest stars, but is quite hard to see because of the bright sky background. If you don't see it at first, keep looking up until about 50 minutes after sunset, a bit closer to the horizon after every 5 minutes or so, after which time it will be too low to be visible.
  Use binoculars if you have them, but DO NOT look while the Sun is above the horizon in case you accidentally get it in the field of view and blind yourself!
 
9. Record Close Moon 'could have sunk' the Titanic.
An article in 'Sky & Telescope' explores the idea that the moon's closest approach to Earth for 1,400 years, combined with Earth's perihelion and a spring tide, may have indirectly contributed to the disaster, which occurred on 14 April 1912. All these factors contributed to abnormally high sea levels which may have helped dislodge grounded icebergs and sent them into the shipping lanes of the North Atlantic. "Of course, the ultimate cause of the accident was that the ship struck an iceberg," said lead researcher Dr Donald Olson at Texas State University.
    Titanic's fate might have been sealed four months earlier on 4 January when there was a very close Full Moon and resulting spring tide. During a spring tide the Sun and Moon line up and the combined effect of their gravity causes sea level to rise exceptionally high. On 4 January, 1912, the tug of gravity was stronger than usual. The Moon's perigee - its closest approach to the Earth - was closer than it had been for 1,400 years and came within six minutes of the full Moon. In addition, the Earth's perihelion, the point at which its orbit brings it closest to the Sun, had occurred just the day before. 
   "It was the closest approach of the Moon to the Earth in more than 1,400 years and this configuration maximised the Moon's tide-raising forces on Earth's oceans," said Dr Olson. "That's remarkable. The full Moon could be any time of the month. The perigee could be any time of the month." The scientists explain how a freak high tide would have dislodged many of the stranded icebergs and released them into the southbound ocean currents. They would have had just enough time to congregate in the shipping lanes for their fateful encounter with the Titanic.
   Dr Olson explained: "As icebergs travel south, they often drift into shallow water and pause along the coasts of Labrador and Newfoundland. But an extremely high spring tide could refloat them, and the ebb tide would carry them back out into the Labrador Current where the icebergs would resume drifting southward. "That could explain the abundant icebergs in the spring of 1912. We don't claim to know exactly where the Titanic iceberg was in January 1912 - nobody can know that - but this is a plausible scenario intended to be scientifically reasonable."
 
10. ANOTHER ASTEROID CLOSE MISS: A 150-foot asteroid called 2012 DA14 will pass so close to Earth next year it will fly UNDER man-made satellites orbiting our planet. This body is a good bit bigger than other recent near-miss objects! Nasa's Impact Risk report said that the odds of the space rock actually hitting Earth are very low indeed - but on 2013 February 15 it will pass just 17,000 miles from Earth, just a bit more than twice the Earth's diameter!
   If an asteroid of that size hit our our planet, it would cause an explosion similar to a major nuclear blast. Astronomers from the Observatory Astronómico de La Sagra in Spain spotted 2012 DA14 in late February and its orbit has been calculated to be very similar to Earth's. 
   17,000 miles is much closer than many of our own orbiting satellites. This is believed to be the closest pass of a reasonable-sized asteroid ever seen before the actual pass itself.
   In astronomical terms, 17,000 miles is pretty close, but in practical terms it's a clear miss.  After next year, 2012 DA14's closest brush with Earth will come in 2020, but even then the odds of an impact will be less than the chance of being hit by lightning in your lifetime – 1 in 100,000.
   I'll update you closer to the time on how to observe this asteroid during its flyby
 
11: Earth Hour 2012 March 31, 20:30 - 21:30. Switch off all unnecessary lights, see the sky, and save the planet! Take part in a global call to action to highlight concerns about climate change and the way we are wasting the worlds limited resources
 
12. TWITTER: the IAA now has a twitter account. twitter@IaaAstro
 
13. BBC THINGS TO DO WEBSITE: See the forthcoming IAA events on  
 
14. 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 March 2012

Talk 2nit, IAA@LNDC, COSMOS, RDS, Astro events 17/3, V,J&M, Titanic, Close miss

Hi all,
 
1.  IAA LECTURE, 7 March:  The Astronomical Association's next public lecture will be given by Dave McDonald Title: "Celtic Rock: Discovering Asteroids from Ireland".  The lecture is on WEDNESDAY 7 March, 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  
NB: I've just realised that in Dave's synopsis below he was to modest to mention that in fact he is one of only two modern asteroid discoverers in Ireland - in fact there have ever been only three of them!
 Synopsis: In 1848, Andrew Graham stared through the telescope at Markree Observatory in County Sligo and saw a new object.  He had discovered an asteroid - a chunk of rock left over from the formation of our Solar System 5 billion years ago.  As it happens, this chunk of rock (about 230 miles in diameter) was the ninth asteroid ever discovered world-wide and the only one discovered from Ireland. "Celtic Rock" will take you on a whistle-stop tour through our Solar System and put asteroids into context - where are they? How did they get there? Where are they going? The presentation will touch on the various discoveries made from Ireland and will mention some of the previous asteroid impacts on Earth and some very close-shaves.  The talk will wrap-up with a very brief history of Irish Astronomy and will look at what the future might hold.The presentation is highly graphical and requires nothing more than an enquiring and interested mind. 
 
2. IAA at Lough Neagh Discovery Centre, near Lurgan, on 30 March, evening: This event had already been booked well before the BBC Stargazing Live event. It too will have our usual format (but without the broadcast this time). This will be similar to other recent events, except that we will be running the whole event ourselves, with the Stardome of course (loaned from Armagh Planetarium with thanks once again). See www.irishastro.org   
 
3. COSMOS 2012: The Midlands Astronomy Club have finalised the programme for their very popular annual star party, at Annaharvey Farm, just outside Tullamore, Co Offaly, on the W/E of 13-15 April. Speakers include:
- Thierry Legault, world-renowned French astrophotographer
- Girvan McKay, Midlands Astronomy Club
- Eamon Ansbro, Kingsland Observatory, Roscommon
- Kevin Berwick, Dublin
- Dermot Gannon, Midlands Astronomy Club
- Apostolos Christou, Armagh Observatory
- Lawrence Rigney, Midlands Astronomy Club
More details are available on the website
www.midlandsastronomy.com
 
4. Lectures in RDS, Dublin: In celebration of Dublin's status as European City of Science 2012, UCD School of Physics has teamed up with the RDS to bring some of the world's leading physicists to speak in Dublin about the latest developments in their fields of research. Please note these lectures are aimed at a public audience. Full details of these lectures and booking information can be found on the UCD website: http://ssmr.ucd.ie/speakerseries2012/speaker_series2012.html

Titan - The Moon that thinks it's a Planet - Prof. John Zarnecki. Tuesday March 20, 2012

Minerva Suite; 6.00pm – 7.30pm.

Lasers in the Fast Lane - Prof. Wilson Sibbett. Tuesday May 15, 2012. RDS Concert Hall

6.00pm - 7.30pm

 
5. Armagh Observatory Public Astronomy Event, 17 March.
AO's next public event will be a pair of back-to-back public lectures in St. Patrick's Trian on the morning of St. Patrick's Day, Saturday 17th March, followed by tours of the Observatory Grounds and Astropark, as its contribution to Armagh City and District's Saint Patrick's Day festivities on Saturday, 17th March 2012 
DETAILS:

The programme of fascinating astronomical talks, "Discovering the Universe", begins with light refreshments at 10:30 am in St. Patrick's Trian, Armagh. Two public lectures are being provided, one on the risk to Earth posed by comet and asteroid impacts with our planet, the other a review of efforts during the eighteenth century to measure the size of our solar system and the role played by very rare planetary transits across the face of our Sun. The next Transit of Venus, the last for more than a hundred years, will be visible from Europe on 6th June this year.

   The free public lectures will take place in the Rotunda Theatre, St. Patrick's Trian, each lasting an hour and with time for questions, ending at 1:00 pm.
The first talk, beginning at 11:00, is by Mr Jay Tate, Director of the Spaceguard Centre, Knighton,
Wales. His presentation, "The Science of Armageddon: an Update", will explain how the Earth has a long
and violent history of collisions with extraterrestrial bodies such as asteroids and comets, and how some
of these impacts have been large enough to cause huge environmental upheavals, mass extinctions of life
and severe changes to global climate and geography. Massively more destructive than the most powerful
nuclear weapons, such impacts represent the most damaging natural hazard likely to end civilization as
we know it. The talk will review the nature and extent of the Near-Earth Object (NEO) impact hazard and
bring us up to date with the latest understanding in the field: how the risk can be dealt with and what is
currently being done.
   Jay Tate is one of the world's leading authorities in this subject, having led efforts over the past fifteen years to highlight the risk to civilization posed by these extreme events and improve public understanding of
natural events about which, fortunately, we have no direct experience.
The second talk, at 12:00, will be given by Armagh Astronomer Dr John Butler. He will provide a
contrasting historical talk, "Measuring the Solar System: The Eighteenth Century Transits of Venus".
The eighteenth century was a "Golden Age" for science, and many new and important discoveries were
made in astronomy. The two eighteenth-century Transits of Venus, in 1761 and 1769, provided a rare
opportunity to determine the fundamental unit of astronomical distance: the distance from the Earth to the
Sun. The talk will describe how astronomers across the world united in this, the first great international
scientific project. It will explain the difficulties they faced in carrying out their observations and their
eventual success and the scientific legacy of their efforts.
   John Butler has worked at Armagh for nearly all his astronomical career. He was instrumental in the design and construction of the Astropark, and has led efforts during the past twenty years to conserve and preserve the built heritage of the Armagh Observatory and to calibrate the unique meteorological record, the longest daily climate series in the UK and Ireland. His research interests encompass cool stars, the effects of solar variability on climate, and the history of astronomy, and he is well known for his active involvement in the community of Armagh and for discovering an exceptional flare on the star HD 6090, called "Butler's star".

   Everyone is welcome to these events. Free tickets for the "Discovering the Universe" presentations are available from Mrs Aileen McKee, Armagh Observatory, College Hill, Armagh; Tel. 028-3752-2928; E-mail: ambn@arm.ac.uk. No booking is necessary to join the guided tour "Bringing Heaven Down to Earth" or the Observatory tour and exhibition. Meet outside the Observatory at 2.30 pm and 4.00 pm respectively.

    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.

 
6. Venus closes on Jupiter, Mercury still visible: Venus is now exceptionally prominent in the evening twilight as the brilliant 'evening star'. It is now much closer to Jupiter, which is noticeably fainter than Venus, but still much brighter than any of the stars. On this (7th) and following evenings the separation will be 6 deg 11'; 8th = 5 deg 23'; 9th = 4 deg 42'; 10th = 4 deg 1'; 11th = 3 deg 30'; 12th 3 deg 8'; 13th 2 deg 59', 14th 3 deg 5'.
   And you can use these two planets as finders for the most elusive of the other naked-eye planets: Mercury, the innermost planet. It can be quite bright, as at present, but is always close to the Sun in the sky, so we can only see it low down in fairly bright twilight. At the moment it's still well placed for viewing from Ireland.
   At about 30 minutes after local sunset, follow the line from Jupiter and Venus down towards the horizon at an angle of about 45 degrees, and then look a bit to the left of that line, and about 5 - 10 degrees above the horizon. 5 degrees is about the width of your clenched fist, across the knuckles, when held out at arm's length in front of you. Look for a twinkling star glimmering through the twilight. It's still almost as bright as the brightest stars, but is quite hard to see because of the bright sky background. If you don't see it at first, keep looking up until about 50 minutes after sunset, a bit closer to the horizon after every 5 minutes or so, after which time it will be too low to be visible.
  Use binoculars if you have them, but DO NOT look while the Sun is above the horizon in case you accidentally get it in the field of view and blind yourself!
 
 7. Record Close Moon 'could have sunk' the Titanic.
An article in Sky & Telescope explores the idea that the moon's closest approach to Earth for 1,400 years, Earth's perihelion, and a spring tide, may have indirectly contributed to the disaster, which occurred on 14 April 1912. All these factors contributed to abnormally high sea levels which may have helped dislodge grounded icebergs and sent them into the shipping lanes of the North Atlantic. "Of course, the ultimate cause of the accident was that the ship struck an iceberg," said lead researcher Dr Donald Olson at Texas State University.
    Titanic's fate might have been sealed four months earlier on 4 January when there was a very close Full Moon and resulting spring tide. During a spring tide the Sun and Moon line up and the combined effect of their gravity causes sea level to rise exceptionally high. On 4 January, 1912, the tug of gravity was stronger than usual. The Moon's perigee - its closest approach to the Earth - was closer than it had been for 1,400 years and came within six minutes of the full Moon. In addition, the Earth's perihelion, the point at which its orbit brings it closest to the Sun, had occurred just the day before. 
   "It was the closest approach of the Moon to the Earth in more than 1,400 years and this configuration maximised the Moon's tide-raising forces on Earth's oceans," said Dr Olson. "That's remarkable. The full Moon could be any time of the month. The perigee could be any time of the month. Think of how many minutes there are in a month." The scientists explain how a freak high tide would have dislodged many of the stranded icebergs and released them into the southbound ocean currents. They would have had just enough time to congregate in the shipping lanes for their fateful encounter with the Titanic.
   Dr Olson explained: "As icebergs travel south, they often drift into shallow water and pause along the coasts of Labrador and Newfoundland. But an extremely high spring tide could refloat them, and the ebb tide would carry them back out into the Labrador Current where the icebergs would resume drifting southward. "That could explain the abundant icebergs in the spring of 1912. We don't claim to know exactly where the Titanic iceberg was in January 1912 - nobody can know that - but this is a plausible scenario intended to be scientifically reasonable."
 
8. ANOTHER ASTEROID CLOSE MISS: A 150-foot asteroid called 2012 DA14 will pass so close to Earth next year it will fly UNDER man-made satellites orbiting our planet. This body is a good bit bigger than other recent near-miss objects! Nasa's Impact Risk report said that the odds of the space rock actually hitting Earth are very low indeed - but on 2013 February 15 it will pass just 17,000 miles from Earth, closer than 'geostationary' satellites. 
   If an asteroid of that size hit our our planet, it would cause an explosion similar to a nuclear blast. Two astronomers from the Observatory Astronómico de La Sagra in Spain spotted 2012 DA14 in late February and its orbit has been calculated to be very similar to Earth's. Some reports suggested that an impact was a possibility, but U.S astronomer Phil Plait, the creator of the Bad Astronomy blog, has ruled out an impact. He wrote: 'Asteroid 2012 DA14 is almost certainly not going to hit Earth next February. And by "almost certainly", I mean it. The odds of an impact are so low they are essentially zero. This does not rule out an impact at some future date, but for now we're safe.'
   Plait says 'Seventeen thousand miles is well beneath many of our own orbiting satellites. To the best of my knowledge, this is the closest pass of a decent-sized asteroid ever seen before the actual pass itself. However, let's again be very clear - it will miss. In astronomical terms, 17,000 miles is pretty close, but in real human terms it's a clean miss.'  After next year, 2012 DA14's closest brush with Earth will come in 2020, but Plait said that even then the odds of an impact will be less than the chance of being hit by lightning in your lifetime – 1 in 100,000.
 
9. Aurora alerts. A lot of people who are not particularly interested in astronomy have asked me about seeing an aurora from Ireland/UK. I'm therefore going to set up a separate alert bulletin for possible aurora events only. If you know anyone who would like to get alerts of chances when aurorae might be visible from here (but not these more comprehensive bulletins), send me their email address, or ask them to email me directly.
   I will of course include such information in these general astronomy bulletins too!
 
10: Earth Hour 2012 March 31, 20:30 - 21:30. Switch off all unnecessary lights, see the sky, and save the planet! Take part in a global call to action to highlight concerns about climate change and the way we are wasting the worlds limited resources
 
11. BCO Events. A wide variety of scientific events continue this month at Blackrock Castle Observatory, Cork. see www.bco.ie
 
12. TWITTER: the IAA now has a twitter account. twitter@IaaAstro
13. BBC THINGS TO DO WEBSITE: See the forthcoming IAA events on  
 
14. 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
 
(Apologies for the 'textspeak' in the title, but I was up against the letter limit!)
 
Clear skies,
 
Terry Moseley