From: TerryMoselaol.com
Date: Fri, 11 Feb 2005 20:27:55 EST
Subject: New Event, changes, COSMOS, Turkey

Hi all,

One event cancelled, plus one new event, plus reminders.....

REMINDER:
1. Next IAA Public Lecture: 16 Feb, 7.30 p.m., Stranmillis College, Belfast: 
Prof Mike Redfern, NUIG: "Large Telescopes & Little Telescopes". Admission 
free, including light refreshments, all welcome.

CANCELLATION: 

2. The special extra IAA Event on 24 February marking the 15th anniversary of 
the launch of the HST has been cancelled due to factors outside our control: 
apologies for any disappointment.

NEW EVENT: 

3. On the same date, Thursday 24 February, an event organised jointly by 
Armagh Observatory & Armagh Natural History & Philosophical Society, will be held 
in the County Museum, The Mall, Armagh, and will begin at 8.00pm. It is free 
of charge and open to all members of the public.  Professor David Williams, 
Emeritus Perren Professor of Astronomy at University College London, is giving a 
public lecture "Lessons from Joseph Priestley".
   Joseph Priestley (1733-1804) was one of the eighteenth century's most 
enlightened thinkers, regarded by some as the "father" of chemistry.  As well as 
being a noted scientist and the discoverer of oxygen (called "de-phlogisticated 
air"), he was an influential political writer and philosopher, and a famous 
English Unitarian.   He was also a principal figure of the Enlightenment, 
believing that science, religion and the arts were not separate endeavours, and saw 
science as an exploration of the
complexity of creation - and therefore a religious activity.
   Professor Williams's astronomical interests focus on the origin of stars, 
interstellar dust and the chemistry of the interstellar medium.   He is a 
former President of the Royal Astronomical Society, and was awarded an OBE for his 
scientific work.   Lately, he served on a three-person Task Force set up by 
Lord Sainsbury to advise the Government on the risks to civilization posed by 
collisions of comets and asteroids with the Earth.
    The lecture will review Priestley's life and works, and illustrate the 
many connections between modern astronomy and Priestley's science, and the 
relevance of his achievements and beliefs to the modern age.
    If you plan to attend, please let Aileen know so that the ANHPS can 
ensure that enough chairs are laid out and arrange for sufficient drinks and 
nibbles after the talk. Contact Aileen at ambnarm.ac.uk, or ring 028 3752 2928.

COSMOS 2005
4. Don't forget the always enjoyable annual COSMOS event, organised by the 
very enthusiastic Tullamore Astronomical Society, on 1-3 April, at Annaharvey, 
Tullamore, Co Offally. Details on their website.

ECLIPSE TRIP TO TURKEY
5. Places on this trip for the Total Solar Eclipse on 29 March 2006 are fast 
filling up! Nearly 60 have registered already! So book a place now, as per my 
previous email, if you want to go.

6. More details on the Belfast venue for the public lecture: " Tick, Tick, 
Tick Pulsating Star, How We Wonder What You Are", by Prof. Jocelyn Bell Burnell, 
University of Oxford. It will be at 4pm on Wed 16 February 2005, Larmor 
Lecture Theatre, Physics Building, Queen's University.
   Entrance to lecture theatre is just to the right hand side of the main 
University building on University Road.
   Contact: Dr. Jason Greenwood, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Queen's 
University Belfast, BT7 1NN, Tel. 028 9097 3935, Fax 028 9097 3110, Email: 
j.greenwoodqub.ac.uk 

REMINDER: 

7. SPECIAL QUB / IAA EXTRA LECTURE: Dr Paul Butler,  Carnegie Institution of 
Washington:  "From Extrasolar Planets to Extra-Terrestrials".  Larmour Lecture 
theatre, main Physics building, QUB, Thursday 3 March @ 7pm. Admission free. 
As you may know, Dr Butler is one of the world's leading discoverers of 
extra-solar planets, so this should be a fascinating talk, by someone at the leading 
edge of this area of research! Note your diaries now!
   This lecture is being organised by Dr Stephen Smartt, QUB, (recent speaker 
at the European Astrofest in London), with an invitation to all IAA members, 
and others, to attend.

ASGI MEETING - ADVANCE NOTICE:
8. The Spring 2005 ASGI meeting will be hosted by Matt Redman of the 
Department of Experimental Physics, NUI, Galway. It will take place on Thursday 21st & 
Friday 22nd of April. This two-day meeting will be held jointly with 
COSMOGRID (grid computing for astrophysics, http://www.cosmogrid.ie ). NB, this is a 
professional-level meeting. More details later.


Finally, a safety warning; nothing to do with astronomy, but it might be 
useful to know about. I'm just passing it on,  without comment as to the safety or 
otherwise of the product concerned:

This was received via a friend in the home insurance business. It is worth 
reading.  A couple's house burned down....  nothing left but ashes.  They have 
good insurance so the home will be replaced and most of the contents. That is 
the good news. However, they were sick when they found out the cause of the 
fire. The insurance investigator sifted through the ashes for several hours.
   He had the cause of the fire traced to the bathroom.  He asked what she 
had plugged in the bathroom. She listed the normal things....curling iron, blow 
dryer.  He kept saying to her, "No, this would be something that would 
disintegrate at high temperatures".
  Then her sister-in-law remembered she had a Glade Plug-In in the bathroom. 
The investigator had one of those "Aha" moments.  He said that was the cause 
of the fire. He said he has seen more home fires started with the plug-in type 
room fresheners than anything else. He said the plastic they are made from is 
a THIN plastic. He also said that in every case there was nothing left to 
prove that it even existed.
   When the investigator looked in the wall plug, the two prongs left from 
the plug-in were still in there.
   They had had one of the plug-ins that had a small night light built in it. 
She said she had noticed that the light would dim and then finally go out. 
She would walk in to the bathroom a few hours later, and the light would be back 
on again. The investigator said that the unit was getting too hot, and would 
dim and go out rather than just blow the light bulb.  Once it cooled down it 
would come on. That is a warning sign.  The investigator said he personally 
wouldn't have any type of plug in fragrance device anywhere in his house. He said 
he has seen too many homes that have been burnt down due to them.

Clear skies,

Terry Moseley

Last Revised: 2005 February 15th WWW contact:webmaster@arm.ac.uk

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