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From: TerryMoselaol.com Date: 17 August 2007 01:55:17 Aug 2007 Subject: Solar day, Mt Stewart; Newgrange Event; Seminar; PhD post; Perseids Hi all, 1. IAA + ARMAGH PLANETARIUM AT MOUNT STEWART. The Irish Astronomical Association will be having a public astronomy afternoon at Mount Stewart, near Newtownards, Co Down, on Sunday 19 August, from 2 to 5 p.m. We will have a selection of special solar telescopes for viewing the Sun safely, together with an exhibition, telescopes and binoculars on display, and public lectures if the weather is too bad to operate outside. You can also meet & hear a talk by Ireland's first prospective astronaut, Derek Heatly, who has booked to fly into space with Virgin's 'Space Adventures'. Armagh Planetarium will also be having a fun rocket-launching competition. See: www.irishastro.org 2. ASTRONOMY EVENT AT NEWGRANGE HERITAGE WEEK The IAA is delighted and honoured to have been asked to run a special astronomy event at Newgrange, Bru na Boinne, Co Meath, to celebrate their 'Heritage Week', which is actually 8 days, running from Saturday 25 August through to Sunday 2 September. Details are as follows: ASTRONOMERS CELEBRATE THE SUN AND THE ANCIENT SKIES OF NEWGRANGE The Irish Astronomical Association (IAA), together with the Armagh Observatory and the Armagh Planetarium, are to mark Heritage Week with a major event at Newgrange, Bru na Boinne, from Saturday 25 August to Sunday 2 September. The event will celebrate the ancient and modern understanding of our Sun, the nearest star, and the ancient astronomy of Newgrange. Newgrange is one of the most astronomically significant archaeological sites in the world. The amazing effect of the midwinter sunrise shining through the special roof-box into the passageway and illuminating the inner chamber is an almost magical experience. However, the reason for its construction more than 5,000 years ago, before both Stonehenge and the Egyptian Pyramids, remains a mystery. Its special astronomical significance is that it marks the midwinter solstice, which occurs this year on December 22. This is the time when the Sun reaches its most southerly point in the sky, marking the shortest day and the longest night of the year. During Heritage Week, the IAA is mounting an exhibition and a series of talks about the Sun and its importance for us today and for the people who built Newgrange. There will be a major exhibition related to the Sun and ancient astronomy; interactive displays; real movies of the Sun from spacecraft; images in wavelengths of light invisible to the eye; hands-on experiments; safe viewing of the Sun with special solar telescopes, if the sky is clear; a quiz with prizes for both adults and children; free give-aways; and lots more. There will also be a special exhibit, courtesy of Dr Miruna Popescu of the Armagh Observatory, which was selected for the Royal Society's Summerscience exhibition in London. This exhibit is part of the worldwide programme of activities for International Heliophysical Year 2007/2008, and the special display will show how dependent we are on our variable Sun. This exhibition has recently begun a tour of the island of Ireland with support from Discover Science and Engineering and the Northern Ireland Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure. And for the first Saturday and Sunday, the Armagh Planetarium will provide special star shows in their mobile planetarium. Admission to the Visitors Centre is free during both weekends, i.e. the first and second Saturdays and Sundays, although normal admission charges apply to the guided tours of the chambers within the Newgrange and Knowth mounds themselves. But on the last Sunday, 2 September, even those tours are free, too! See: www.irishastro.org and www.knowth.com or www.heritageireland.ie 3. SEMINAR in UCD: There will be a seminar at UCD on Monday afternoon, 20 August. Speaker: Professor Tsvi Piran, Racah Institute of Physics, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem Title: Gamma Ray Bursts in the post-Swift pre-Glast era. Date and time: Monday 20th August 3pm Location: Room 1.28, School of Physics 4. PhD position in Astronomy Applications are invited for a PhD Scholarship in the DIAS School of Cosmic Physics, to work with Prof. E.J.A. Meurs on one of the following projects: (1) a multi-wavelength study of Wolf-Rayet galaxies (2) distribution of stellar X-ray sources in neighbouring galaxies (3) observations of Gamma Ray Burst afterglows (4) low-level active nuclei in nearby galaxy groups Applicants should have a degree in Astronomy and/or Physics. Remuneration is according to standard DIAS scales, plus a provision towards fees (the successful candidate has to register with one of the universities). Prospective starting date is October 2007. Applicants should include a CV, a reasoned indication of possible preference for any of these projects, and the names and contact details of two academic referees. Submissions are requested by 31 August 2007, after which date the selection process will start. For further information contact Prof. E.J.A. Meurs, ejameursgmail.com, to whom also applications are to be submitted. (See also AAS Job Register advert No 23758.) 5. PERSEIDS: Finally, last but not least: a hardy & hungry band of IAA members enjoyed a BBQ at Delamont Country Park on Sunday 12/8 (largely thanks to Philip Baxter's cooking facilities), followed by about half an hour of partially clear sky in late twilight, and then almost exactly an hour of clear dark sky, from about 11 p.m. to midnight. Although the radiant was still low, and conditions were not perfect, we all saw between 20 and 30 meteors in that hour. And many of those were magnificent fireballs, several brighter than Venus, and leaving nice, though short-lived, trains. If it had stayed clear right through the night, I'm sure that the display would have been dazzling! So, next really good display will be the Geminids in December, also moon-free - though we may skip the BBQ for that one.... Clear skies, Terry Moseley
Last Revised: 2007 Aug 17th
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