From: TerryMoselaol.com

Subject: S/gazing Update, Lecture, Galway SP, Spacecraft crash, Space/Astro News, Aurorae

Date: 16 January 2012 14:25:07 GMT

Hi all,

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1.ƒŠ BBC's STARGAZING LIVEƒŠ is on 16-18 January, featuring the Irish Astronomical Association with a 2-hour broadcast extravaganza from Lough Neagh Discovery Centre (LNDC) near Lurgan, Co Armagh,ƒŠon the evening ofƒŠTuesday 17th, and other activities on the Monday and Wednesday.

ƒŠƒŠ The IAA has been recognised by the BBC as an official 'Partner' in delivering this part of the programme.ƒŠMore on the IAA website: www.irishastro.org.ƒŠ

ƒŠLook out for the following highlights:

ƒŠƒŠ Monday 16th: A public "Jupiter Watch" will be held by members of the IAAƒŠin association with the School of Mathematics and Physics in front of the main buildingƒŠat Queen's University, fromƒŠ6 pm to 9pm. If it's cloudy, Dr Chris WatsonƒŠwill give aƒŠpublic lectureƒŠin the Larmor Lecture Theatre, Physics Building,ƒŠentitled "Jupiters around other stars". See: http://tinyurl.com/qubjupiterwatchƒŠ

ƒŠƒŠ Tuesday 17th: IAA Events at Lough Neagh Discovery Centre:ƒŠ

*Public Observing if clear: Venus, Jupiter, + all the usual Deep Sky wonders with a selection of powerful telescopes and binoculars.

*Stardome presentations: due to the expected demand, these will be ticket only, issued on a first come -ƒŠfirst served basis.

*Amazing Photo Exhibition: The fantastic A0 size photos produced for IYA 2009 will again be on show, plus some of the best from other sources.

*Telescope and binocular exhibition: see all the varieties available, the pros and cons of each, and learn how to use them to their best capacity.

*Meteorites: an exhibition of many different sorts of meteorites - hold in your hand a piece of outer space (if you can hold it!), with experts there to talk about them.

*Our first "Ulsternaut" - Derek Heatly from Co Down, who has booked to go into space with Virgin Galactic's SpaceshipƒŠTwo will be there to talk about his training experiences and forthcoming flight, with videos.

*Astrophotography for beginners" - A 'taster session' by our own expert, Paul Evans.

*Q&A session: 'Everything you always wanted to know about astronomy' - a panel of experts will be there to answer questions from the public on everything from the Andromeda Galaxy to the Zeeman Effect.

*Hands-on demos: How to make a comet, etc.

*EU-UNAWE

*3-D Modern Astronomy show, presented by Robert Hill from N.I. Space Office.

*Children's activities, such as making willow stars.

In other words, something for everyone.

See: www.irishastro.org and www.bbc.co.uk/stargazingƒŠfor updates.

See also:ƒŠ http://www.bbc.co.uk/thingstodo - put "Belfast" in the search box and seeƒŠall ourƒŠnextƒŠevents!

ƒŠ Wednesday 18th: Armagh Observatory and NIEA: Stargazing LIVE at An Creagan and Beaghmore: Where the Heavens Meet the Earth

Armagh Observatory and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA)ƒŠtogether with An Creagan and the Omagh and Cookstown District Councils are hosting a day of FREE Stargazing LIVE activities at An Creagan and theƒŠnearby Beaghmore Stone Circles. ƒŠThis is a unique megalithic site and the best Darksky site in Northern Ireland.

ƒŠƒŠƒŠ Following a series of Universe Awareness (EU-UNAWE) astronomy and science-based activities for local KS2 school children at An Creagan, in the afternoon there will be an opportunity, weather permitting, to visit the Beaghmore Stone Circles and learn more about the stones from Living History players and a professional archaeologist. This element of the FREE Stargazing LIVE event will take place from approximately 3.30pm to 5.00pm. Participants will watch the Sun going down and observe the bright planets Venus and Jupiter, both visible in the southern sky, as well as the first stars to appear after sunset. See http://star.arm.ac.uk/publicevents/2012/stargazing/

Further information about this Stargazing LIVE event will be available fromƒŠthe Observatory website. ƒŠMeanwhile, anyone wishing to participate in either the afternoon or evening events is requested to obtain their FREEƒŠticket(s) by telephoning or sending an e-mail to: Mrs Aileen McKee at the Armagh Observatory, College Hill, Armagh; Tel: 028-3752-2928; e-mail:ƒŠambnarm.ac.uk.

ƒŠArmagh Planetarium will alsoƒŠbe presenting a Stargazing Live event on Wednesday 18th January.ƒŠThey will be screening special FREE presentations of their brand new digital theatre show âÀØExperience the AuroraâÀÙƒŠat 7pm and 7.45pm. ƒŠAll seats for these showsƒŠmust be pre-booked in advance. ƒŠPlaces are limited soƒŠyou are advised to book early to avoid disappointment (Tel: 02837 523689). They will also be joined by experts from the Northern Ireland Amateur Astronomical Society who will be bringing along a range of telescopes for public night sky viewing. ƒŠThey will also be on hand to help with any telescope queries you may have. ƒŠSo if you have a telescope and are not sure how to use it, this is your chance to get some expert advice from theƒŠNIAAS members.

ƒŠƒŠ Planetarium Director Dr Tom Mason has over 40 years experience working with meteorites. He will show you how to identifyƒŠmeteoritesƒŠand also provide examples of the most commonly misidentified objects which are not meteorites. ƒŠOn display for the first time will be the Planetarium's latest lunar meteorite acquisition,ƒŠas well as a fragment of Mars and various other specimens. ƒŠFeel free to bring along any rock samples that you would like Dr Mason to identify.

ƒŠƒŠ For younger visitors there will be aƒŠspecialƒŠStargazing arts and crafts room where they can have fun making space objects.

6:30pm Doors open; Public telescope viewing commences; Stargazing arts and crafts commences

7:00pm Experiencing the Aurora show *Remember to pre-book your seats!

7:30pm Meteorite Workshop

7:45pmƒŠExperiencing the Aurora showƒŠ*Remember to pre-book your seats!

8:30pm Meteorite Workshop

9:30 Doors close

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2.ƒŠIAA LECTURE,ƒŠ25 January: ƒŠThe Astronomical Association'sƒŠnext public lecture will beƒŠgiven byƒŠPaul Evans, IAA: Title: "Manned pace Exploration, the First 50 Years". Paul, the IAA's webmaster,ƒŠis a life long spaceflight enthusiast, and regularly visits The Kennedy Space Centre in Florida to see launches. Paul is also an expert photographer, so I'm sure we will be treated to some amazing images.

ƒŠƒŠƒŠƒŠThe lecture isƒŠon WEDNESDAYƒŠ25 January, 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.orgƒŠƒŠ

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3. IAA 2-hour Live Radio Broadcast!ƒŠ The Irish Astronomical Association has also been invited by the BBC to present a 2-hour live astronomy programme on Radio Ulster on the evening ofƒŠFriday 27 January from Delamont Country Park, near Killyleagh! We will have a large selection of powerful telescopes and binoculars for viewing the sky, plus the Stardome mobile planetarium. This will broadcast from 8 to 10 p.m., and lots of interesting items will be included, to cope with either clear or cloudy skies. The presenters are the well-known Anne-Marie McAleese and Darryl Grimason. More details on this later.

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4. Galway Astronomy Festival - January 21st 2012 is on "New Frontiers of the Universe". It will be held as usual in the Westwood Hotel, Newcastle, Galway (just on the outskirts of the city, on the N59 road to Clifden).

PROGRAMME:

9am-10.00 Registration

10.00-10.15 Official Opening

10.15-11.15 Carl OâÀÙ Beirnes: Irish Astrophotography

11.15-12.15 Brian Harvey M.A.: Future Missions to the Moon and Mars

12.30-14.00 Midday break and Workshop by Jan Kotek on celestial maps

14.00-15.00 Dr. Niall Smith: Refurbishing derelict castles and defunct dishes âÀÓ frugal innovation with real scientific impact

15.00-15.30 Tea/Coffee

15.30-16.30 Dr. Ronan Mc Nulty: Faster than light Particles and the latest results from CERN

16.30-17.00 Raffle and closing session

19.00 Dinner

21.00 Observing in Brigit's GardenƒŠhttp://www.brigitsgarden.ie/

We look forward to seeing you, hopefully under clear skies. For more details see: http://galwayastronomyclub.ie/

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5. PHOBOS GRUNT probe crashes back into Pacific: Russia's Defence Ministry says a failed probe designed to travel to a moon of Mars has crashed, showering debris over the southern Pacific, according to news reports. The ministry said the fragments fell on Sunday 775 miles west of Wellington Island. The Phobos Grunt was one of the heaviest and most toxic space junk ever to crash to Earth, but space officials and experts said the risks posed by its crash were minimal as the probe's toxic rocket fuel and most of the craft's structure were to burn up in the atmosphere anyway.

6. CHINAƒŠAND INDIA TO BUILD WORLD's LARGEST TELESCOPE:ƒŠHot on the heels of the announcement of the next step towards the building of the 40-meter E-ELT (see previous bulletin), China and India are catapulting to the forefront of astronomy research with their decision to join as partners in a Hawaii telescope that will be the world's largest when itâÀÙs built later this decade. China and India will pay a share of the construction cost - expected to top $1 billion - for the Thirty Meter Telescope at the summit of Mauna Kea volcano. They will also have a share of the observation time. ItâÀÙs the first advanced telescope in which either nation has been a partner.ƒŠThe Thirty Meter Telescope's segmented primary mirror, which will be nearly 100 feet across, will give it nine times the light-collecting area of the largest optical telescopes in use today. Its images will also be three times sharper.
ƒŠƒŠ The telescope, known as TMT, will be able to observe planets that orbit stars other than the sun and enable astronomers to watch new planets and stars being formed. It should also help scientists see some 13 billion light years away for a glimpse into the early years of the universe.ƒŠIf completed on time, it will be by farƒŠthe world's largest until the E-ELT is completed, planned for a few years later.

7. SCIENTISTS CREATE THE SURFACE OF A STAR ON EARTH: The 'Z Machine' at the University of Texas, Austin,ƒŠwas built to simulate nuclear weapon detonations, but now devotes around 15 per cent of its time to experiments such as the star simulation, reports Inside Science. The machine produces huge amounts of energy - enough to melt diamonds. The machine can output power equivalent to 80 times Earth's total consumption. It has generated temperatures of 3.7 billion Kelvins, the highest ever created by humankind, including the centre of hydrogen bomb explosions. It also routinely generates electrical power equivalent to 80 times Earth's total power output. In the 'white dwarf' experiment, researchers simulated the 'spectrum' of a white dwarf's surface by firing 26 million amps of electricity through tungsten wires, which vaporises them, releasing X-rays. When the X-rays hit a container of hydrogen gas, it ionises and reaches a temperature of around 10,000 degrees centigrade, to recreate the conditions on the surface of a star.

8. DARK MATTER IN UNIVERSE MAPPED: 'Dark matter' is a theoretical - and controversial - substance which is undetectable by telescopes on earth, but thought by some scientists to account for up to three quarters of the mass of the whole universe. But scientists have mapped it for the first time, detecting dark matter by the 'ripples' it causes in space and time. Scientists studied 10 million galaxies in four regions of the sky using a 340 megapixel camera in Hawaii, looking for dark matter by the distortion of light from galaxies behind it - the gravity from dark matter 'bends' the light on its journey to us.The result is a map of dark matter onƒŠa huge scale - a tract of space measuring a billion light years. The international project involved studying images collected over a period of five years by the Canada-France Hawaii Telescope on Mauna Kea mountain in Hawaii.Galaxies included in the survey were typically six billion light years away. They emitted their light when the universe was six billion years old, roughly half the age it is today.

9. ISS: the International Space StationƒŠƒŠis now inƒŠa series of morning passes. See www.heavens-above.com for details of this, and other bright satellites, Iridium Flares etc,ƒŠfor your own location.

10. Venus, the Evening Star:ƒŠIs now readily visible in the evening twilight, and will be a brilliant âÀØevening starâÀÙ as seenƒŠfrom Ireland through the Spring, and will be very well placed in late March as it approaches the Pleiades.ƒŠIt's visibleƒŠlowish in the SW after sunset, atƒŠmagnitude -4.1, and apparent diameter 13âÀÝ (arcsecs). ItƒŠis gradually moving out from the Sun, and will become a brilliant and unmistakable object through February and March.

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11. Billions of Planets in the Milky Way? More than 100 billion planets could populate the Milky Way galaxy, and many of the undiscovered worlds could be the size of Earth, according to a study released last week. Using a statistical analysis of data collected by a world-wide team of astronomers, the study shows smaller planets are more common than massive Jupiter-sized gas giants.

ƒŠƒŠ The results, which are published in the journal Nature, were released by the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Md. "This means, statistically, every star in the galaxy should have at least one planet, and probably more," said Kailash Sahu, a member of the international team reporting on the study.

See: http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1201/11exoplanets/

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12. 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.

ƒŠƒŠ I will of course include such information in these general astronomy bulletins too!

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13. TWITTER:ƒŠthe IAAƒŠnow has a twitter account. twitterIaaAstro

14. BBC THINGS TO DO WEBSITE: See theƒŠforthcoming IAA events on ƒŠ

http://www.bbc.co.uk/thingstodo

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15. 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.ƒŠ See also www.irishastro.org.ƒŠ

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Clear skies,ƒŠ

ƒŠ

Terry Moseley

Mob: (+44) (0) 7979300842

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