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From: TerryMoselaol.com

Subject: Free night @AP, STFC @ QUB, Lectures, Uinabox, ISS, new Meteors, NLCs, GRS, more

Date: 16 May 2014 18:47:14 BST

Hi all,

ҚҚҚ

1. Free Night with the Stars, Armagh Planetarium, TONIGHT: Doors open at 7pm and events run until 10pm.

On Friday 16 May, forget our normal opening hours as all the action at the Planetarium will take place late at night!Қ And best of all, it�??s FREE admission.

ҚҚ Blasting rockets is always great fun, but have you ever launched a rocket at night?Қ Well, now is your chance in our twilight rocket launches which take place during the �??Museums at Night�?? festival.

Қ During the night we will also launch our night-time great balloon race!Қ Last year one of our balloons travelled as far as Germany!Қ Will your balloon go even further?

Қ Rex the Baby T-Rex, kindly sponsored by D-Signs and Displays, will also make an appearance.Қ Meet and get your picture taken with Rex between 7pm and 8pm.

ҚҚ Come in fancy dress, maybe dress as an alien, an astronaut or your favourite character from Star Wars and you could be lucky to receive one of our spot prizes.

ҚҚ With other activities planned and special Digital Theatre shows screened, this is a night you will not want to miss!

Digital Theatre Show Times: Sun, Moon and Stars (Family Show) �?? 7:30pm - FULLY BOOKED

Perfect Little Planet (Family Show) �?? 8:30pm

Please pre-book for Digital Theatre shows on 028 37 523689

2. STFC Roadshow at QUB, 17 - 24 May, + Public Lectures: all FREE.Қ

ҚSeeing the Universe" has been sponsored and provided by the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council. The exhibition will be in the Great Hall in the main Lanyon Building from Saturday 17th May until Saturday 24th May inclusive, 10am until 4pm each day.

ҚҚ The exhibition features stunning science images and interactive exhibits, including:

ҚҚҚ �?? Scale models of ESO�??s Very Large Telescope (VLT), The James Webb Space Telescope and the Herschel Space Observatory.

ҚҚҚ �?? Hands-on exhibits including seeing the invisible, adaptive optics and micro autonomous robots

ҚҚҚ �?? An interactive control desk providing details on the full spectra of wavelengths used by astronomers

ҚҚҚ �?? An 8 metre interactive wall featuring an 'astronomical wow facts' screen, interactive touchscreen and a large 3D screen.

ҚҚҚ �?? Historical science papers from the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) & the Thomas Harriot trust

The exhibition will be manned by astronomy students and young researchers from the Astrophysics Research Centre here at Queen's, explaining the exhibits and answering any questions.

ҚҚ On each weekday Monday-Friday at 1pm in the Bell Lecture Theatre Department of Physics and Astronomy, Queen's University. Dr. Robert Ryans will be giving one of his 4 entertaining lectures on the "Science of Sci-Fi Weapons". Again entrance is free, just come along. Please note that there may be school classes at these talks.

ҚAdditionally, there will be three public evening events. Public lectures will be given by Prof. Paul Roche (University of South Wales)Қ on Saturday 17th May and Dame Prof. Jocelyn Bell-Burnell (University of Oxford) on Thursday 22nd May. Also, our popular "Ask an Astronomer" event held last year returns on Tuesday May 20th. Attendance at these events is free but space is limited, so to book your seat please register at https://STFC-QUB-Public-Events.eventbrite.co.uk

ҚCheck the `Seeing the Universe in All its Light�?? webpage at:www.stfc.ac.uk/2740Қ

ҚThere's also a facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/events/1476200725947775/?ref=5

3. And STFCҚthenҚgoes toҚArmagh Planetarium:

The STFC showҚwill then move to Armagh Planetarium for the following week: The Science and Technology Facilities Council are bringing their wonderful "Seeing the Universe in all its Light" interactive exhibition to Armagh Planetarium!Қ The exhibition showcases the story of astronomy, from the past to the future and highlights some of the key inspirational moments and technical challenges along the way.

ҚҚ Seeing the Universe will open on Monday 26 May and will run until Saturday 31 May from 10am until 5pm and admission is FREE. ҚThe exhibition is suitable for all ages. ҚWe would also encourage visits from schools but please contact us first if you plan to bring a group of 20 or more on 02837 523689.

Қ Dates: Monday 26 �?? Saturday 31 May 2014, Time: 10am - 5pm, Price: Free

4. UNIVERSE IN A BOX, FOR KIDS:

ҚҚ Universe Awareness launched a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign to share the educational toolkit - Universe in a Box - with underprivileged communities around the world. The box contains various interactive physical activities including solar and lunar eclipse.

ҚҚ The Kickstarter campaign runs for from 9 May until 10 June and aims to raise �??15,000. The money will be used to distribute free Universe in a Boxes and train teachers to use it, both face-to-face and online.ҚҚ

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/unawe/universe-in-a-box

ҚҚ We'd appreciate if you can help us to get the word out and pledge. Even the smallest support can make a big difference and inspire a child out there.

5. Statutory Public Lecture of the School of Theoretical Physics,Қ19 May.Қ

ҚҚThe 2014 Statutory Public Lecture of the DIAS School of Theoretical Physics will take place on Monday 19th May (time tbc) in UCD. The lecture entitled �??Are Brains Analog or Digital?�?? will be given by Professor Freeman Dyson, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton.

ҚҚ This FREE lecture is not strictly astronomical, but Prof Dyson is well known in the field of cosmology and fundamental physics. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeman_Dyson.

ҚҚ ABSTRACT: We know that creatures like us have two separate systems for processing information, the genome and the brain. We know that the genome is digital, and we can accurately transcribe our genomes onto digital machines. We cannot transcribe our brains, and the processing of information in our brains is still a great mystery. I will be talking about real brains and real people, asking a question that will have practical consequences when we are able to answer it. I am not able to answer it now. All I can do is to examine the evidence and explain why I consider it probable that the answer will be that brains are analog.

ҚҚҚ Location: Theatre D, UCD Science Hub, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4. Building 64 on map: http://www.ucd.ie/maps/2013/UCD_Map_August_2013.pdf

6. ISS Returns to morning skies. TheҚISS will start another series of morning passes over Ireland on 20 May. This series will eventually blend seamlessly into a series of evening passes in June, because of the very short summer nights.

7. New 'Camelopardalid'ҚMeteor Shower, May 23-24

A new meteor shower is due to light up the sky on the early morning of 24 May, with some forecasters predicting up to 200Қmeteors per hour; some say evenҚup to 1,000 per hour.

ҚҚ The new Camelopardalid meteor shower isҚexpected asҚthe Earth passes through a debris stream left by Comet 209P/LINEAR nearly 200 years ago. The new meteor display could rival the brilliance of the annual Perseid meteors inҚAugust.

ҚҚ The Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) team discovered Comet 209P/LINEARҚin February 2004. The relatively dim comet crosses Earth's orbit once every five years in its journey around the Sun.

ҚҚIn 2012Қmeteor experts Esko Lyytinen of Finland and Peter Jenniskens at NASA Ames Research CenterҚforecast that Earth would pass through debris shedҚfrom the comet in the 1800s. See

http://www.space.com/25836-new-meteor-shower-comet-209p-linear.html?cmpid=557587

and http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2014/06may_newshower/

and http://www.space.com/25769-meteor-shower-comet-209p-linear-gallery.htmlҚand

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bw3hVTUQ43UҚandҚhttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2621353/Meteor-shower-turn-STORM-1-000-shooting-stars-HOUR.html

ҚMaximum is forecast for 06.00 on the 24th (07.00 BST). The best place to observe in UK or Ireland will be SW Kerry, where the sky will stay darker for longest before sunrise, but even so it will be light well before 06.00 UT (= 07.00 BST/IST). But it will be worth having a look any time that night, or even as soon as it's dark on the next night. The radiant is in a very empty part of the sky (see the links above), but a general guide will be that just beforeҚthe skyҚgets too brightҚit's about 10 degrees below and left of Polaris.

ҚҚ But you shouldn't look directly at the radiant - look about 40 degrees away, high upҚin the direction where the sky is darkest.

8. Noctilucent Clouds. We are approaching the season of visibility for these ethereal high altitude clouds, visible when the sky is nearly totally dark, as they lie well above the height of ordinary clouds. They are thought to be connected with high altitude fine debris from meteors which have burned up high in our atmosphere. Look low in the Northern sky near local midnight

9. Jupiter's Great Red Spot is shrinking! But it should still be around for another few decades at least - after all it has been there for several hundred years. I regard it as an old friend, having timed andҚrecorded hundreds of transits of the GRS, mainly with the Grub refractor at Armagh Observatory. I evenҚrecorded two transits in one night, which involved over 10 hours observation. In fact, in 1966-67 Patrick Moore and I recorded so many transits between us that we managed to derive our own rotation period for the GRS for that opposition.

ҚSee http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140515103658.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Ftop_news%2Ftop_science+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Top+Science+News%29

10. SOLARFEST, DUNSINK Observatory:

Solarfest 2014 is now confirmed for Saturday 21st June. Further details will be posted here in due course:

http://www.irishastronomy.org/index.php/kunena?view=topic&catid=11&id=99787

11.ҚҚGoogle Lunar X-Prize and public events: Media Invitation for Google Lunar XPRIZE Team Summit: New pioneers of the Moon will meet in Budapest.

Қ ҚTeams participating in of one the world�??s foremost technological challenges, the 30 million dollar Google Lunar XPRIZE race to the Moon, will hold their annual meeting in Budapest next month. The Google Lunar XPRIZE Team Summit will last from 4th to 6th of June 2014 and will be hosted by the Hungarian entry of the race, Puli Space Technologies, and Design Termin��l.

ҚҚ The goal of the Google Lunar XPRIZE is to land a robotic vehicle on the surface of the Moon, explore 500 meters and send back a �??Mooncast�?? of high definition imagery and video before the end of 2015. The first team who reaches the Moon and completes the Қchallenge with a craft built from at least 90% private funding may claim the 20 million dollar Grand Prize.

Қ The initial field of 29 contenders has narrowed down to 18 teams still in the race, including the Hungarian Puli Space Technologies. The young engineers of Team Puli successfully tested their rover prototypes in MoroccoҚand Hawaii last year and are still aiming for the Grand Prize. Representatives of the other Google Lunar XPRIZE teams will arrive from more than a dozen countries to attend the meeting. The majority of teams are based either in the United States or Europe but the competition also extends

to South America and Asia. The goal of the Team Summit is to provide anҚ opportunity of the remaining teams to share their experiences and plans forҚthe rest of the competition.

ҚҚ The Google Lunar XPRIZE Team Summit 2014, Budapest will kick off with a press conference on 2014 June 3rd, 11:00 am, at Design Termin��l.Қ Media representatives are cordially invited to attend. For free registration, please email marton.albertpulispace.com.Қ The press conference will be streamed live over the Internet; details of how to access the live stream will be given on www.pulispace.comҚ closer to the time. Interviews with representatives of the teams competing for the Google Lunar XPRIZE can be scheduled after the press conference or during the Summit by contacting anita.hewardxprize.org.

ҚҚ Alongside the Team Summit there will be a series of public events, including the �??Google Lunar XPRIZE Rover Show�?? at Design Termin��l on June 4th and 5th, which will showcase both the Google Lunar XPRIZE and the competing teams. The Utaz�� (Travelling) Planetarium will premiere the spectacular, full-dome

documentary, �??Back To The MoonҚ For Good", at Akv��rium. The show, which tells the story of exploration of the Moon and introduces the Google Lunar XPRIZE, is narrated by the Hungarian actor Oszk��r G��ti.

ҚҚ To illustrate the interrelation of modern technologies, Design Terminal will host a Budapest 3D Printing Days event in collaboration with prominentҚ members of the 3D-printing industry from Hungary and the surrounding countries.Қ The event will be held in parallel with the Team Summit between the 5th and 7th of June. The main goal is to demonstrate the various uses ofҚ3D printing from industrial to commercial and household applications, and to provide a platform to introduce the newest innovations in the field.

Қ The Google Lunar XPRIZE Team Summit 2014 will conclude with the TEDxBudapest Future 2.0 event on June 6th at Akv��rium, organized by hvg.hu, where the prominent players of 3D printing and the new Moon race will share their personal experiences and challenges.Қ

FURTHER INFORMATION: Puli Space Technologies, M��rton Albert, press contact, marton.albertpulispace.com.

ҚGoogle Lunar XPRIZE: Anita Heward, International Communications Officer, +447756034243, anita.hewardxprize.org

12. NEW EVIDENCE ON ASTEROID 'DINOSAUR KILLER':Қ

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2626352/Were-dinosaurs-wiped-nuclear-winter-Dust-asteroid-impact-blocked-sun-caused-temperatures-plummet.html. An old theory of course, but supported now by new evidence.

ҚҚ But why can't they get a decent illustration for this sort of story? Either they show the asteroid trailing flames before it even enters our atmosphere, or else as in this one they fail to show the huge fireball that would result once it did enter the atmosphere, which would be thousands of times brighter than the Sun! Remember Chelyabinsk? - it was brighter than the Sun, and it was only the size of a house!

ҚҚ As for the information in the secondҚ'box', about the even bigger impact in South Africa: There are at least two major inaccuracies in that: the S. African impactor might have been about 6 times the diameter of the Chixulub one, but what really counts is the volume, and that would have beenҚ216 times greater than Chixulub! Also, the impact energy would have been MUCH greater than 10.8 on the Earthquake scale!

13. INTERNATIONAL METEOR CONFERENCE, 2014Қ Thursday September 18 till Sunday 21 September 2014, Giron, France.ҚGiron is a small village located in the south of the Jura Mountains close to Geneva. The region is easily reachable by air (Geneva or Lyon airport), by train (TGV high speed train from Paris and InterCity trains from Geneva railway station) and by car (highway A40 Lyon-Chamonix). Part of the attraction for this event is that a free visit to CERN is included in the price!ҚSee http://www.imo.net/imc2014.

14. World's oldest working telescope discovered in Holland: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2628304/Take-look-Dutch-archaeologists-claim-OLDEST-telescope-world-dating-17th-century.htmlҚҚBut as you may know, the telescopeҚmay well have beenҚinvented by Leonard Digges in England about 1570, although there's no record of him or his son using it for astronomy.

15. UFO Base on Earth discovered!??? http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/05/06/face-in-mountain-alien_n_5271525.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopularҚҚYou couldn't make it up!Қ BTW, I've just had a brilliant, highly original, brainwave! To all Aliens: If you want your Secret Underground Bases to be secret, don't put a face (or even something which, under certain lighting, if you screw your eyes up, and use a lot of imagination, looks vaguely like a face)Қon the rock outside! If there's a Galactic equivalent of the Nobel Prize, I want it, for that!

16: Live view of Earth rolling by beneath ISS: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/05/06/iss-live-hd-stream_n_5271857.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular. Amazing....

17. NEXT YEAR'S STAR PARTIES:ҚҚ

Galway Astrofest: Feb 21, 2015

COSMOS: April 17th to 19th 2015, Shamrock Lodge Hotel, Athlone.

18. INTERESTING WEBLINKS:Қ

http://www.space.com/25763-brilliant-daytime-fireball-meteor-video.html?cmpid=557584Қ

Nice amateurҚphoto: http://www.space.com/25169-gorgeous-rosette-nebula-amateur-photo.html?cmpid=557585

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2626675/One-small-step-Nasa-astronauts-start-training-mission-land-asteroid-decade.html.

I still don't see the point of landing on a tiny asteroid in lunar orbit on the way to Mars! �?10 or �??12 to anyone who can persuade me of the rationale (including justifying the cost)Қfor that step!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2627451/Diamonds-astronomers-best-friend-Researchers-carbon-rich-planets-far-common-previously-thought.html

http://www.space.com/25781-earth-moon-gravitational-wave-detector.html?cmpid=557585Қ

http://www.space.com/25786-how-to-become-an-astronaut.html?cmpid=557585Қ

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2623466/1-000-years-meteorite-impacts-30-SECONDS-Interactive-animation-reveals-startling-number-times-Earth-hit.htmlҚThis is fascinating - and scary!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2626031/Could-man-communicate-ALIENS-Seti-astronomer-reveals-maths-translate-extra-terrestrial-language.htmlҚHe looks the part!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2626359/Man-phenomenon-sign-extraterrestrial-life-Photo-rare-hole-clouds-California-social-media-users-crying-UFO.htmlҚOnly a Fallstreak, or 'Hole Punch' cloud, but it keeps the UFOlogists happy to have their theories.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2626408/Theres-hole-Sun-Nasa-reveals-video-showing-mysterious-square-hole-appearing-solar-surface.htmlҚ

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/11/08/ufos-modern-technology-alien-_n_2092361.html#slide=1552507Қ

http://www.space.com/25708-how-nasa-z2-spacesuit-works-infographic.html?cmpid=557587

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2628033/The-Earths-future-end-Universe-revealed-Amazing-simulation-shows-EVERYTHING-end.html. For the most realistic effect, watch this in EXTREME slow motion....

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2628353/Have-really-smoking-gun-Big-Bang-expansion-Scientists-squabble-experiment-claimed-glimpsed-birth-universe.html.ҚҚSomebody's making waves, anyway! Watch this space....

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2627931/Id-love-red-wine-Space-commander-returns-safely-earth-one-request-end-188-day-mission.html. Unfortunately there will be no welcome party like this for the first astronauts to land on Mars...ҚAnd a small point for accuracy: Tyurin was not "the first to experience Earth gravity" - they all experienced it simultaneously once the capsule landed. See also

http://www.space.com/25865-space-station-crew-earth-return-soyuz.html?cmpid=557588Қbut

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2627268/Russia-kills-International-Space-Station-Ukraine-sanctions-six-soldiers-killed-ambush-separatist-militants.html, and

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/13/russia-space-station_n_5318226.html

QUAOAR: Planetoid beyond Pluto: http://www.space.com/25817-quaoar.html?cmpid=557586

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2624137/Firing-MISSILES-Mars-best-bet-finding-alien-life-scientists-claim.html

http://www.livescience.com/45412-ancient-meteorite-carved-giant-crater.html?cmpid=557646Қ

http://www.irishtimes.com/blogs/generationemigration/2014/05/10/reaching-for-the-stars-in-australia/

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/03/20/are-there-other-universes_n_4998800.html?utm_hp_ref=uk-tech&ir=UK+Tech

http://www.newscientist.com/special/physics-crunch?cmpid=NLC%257CNSNS%257C2014-0515-GLOBAL&utm_medium=NLC&utm_source=NSNS&

http://www.livescience.com/45617-solar-winds-linked-lightning.html?cmpid=557648Қ

Solar winds do NOT strike Earth with 'predictable regularity'! They are certainly not regular, and their predictability after the CME leaves the Sun is still far from perfect.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2628213/A-comet-impact-DIDNT-spark-climate-change-trigger-mass-extinction-12-800-years-ago-study-claims.htmlҚand

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140513113605.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Ftop_news%2Ftop_science+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Top+Science+News%29

Name a Mars crater: http://www.space.com/25805-mothers-day-mars-crater-names.html?cmpid=557586

http://www.space.com/25863-neutron-stars-merge-black-hole-video.html?cmpid=557588Қ I can't officially endorse this, and the names are not recognised by any other organisation, but it seems to be in a good cause (though I can't even vouch for that; e.g. I don't know % of the money they receive actually goes out again to worthwhile causes). At your own risk!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2629457/Ice-Rosettas-target-comet-reveals-icy-exterior-stunning-footage-Esas-flagship-mission-nears-climax.html

http://www.space.com/25825-space-junk-real-life-gravity-disaster.html?cmpid=557587

http://www.space.com/25842-bone-density-decreases-in-space-what-to-do-video.html?cmpid=557587

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2624376/Will-contact-aliens-SELFIES-Esa-plans-send-ten-videos-edge-universe.html

Astronomers find Sun's 'Long Lost Brother': http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140510151703.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Ftop_news%2Ftop_science+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Top+Science+News%29Қ I would love to know how they're going to organise the 'family re-union'! And where..... See also: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2624257/The-suns-long-lost-BROTHER-revealed-Star-born-gas-cloud-discovered-host-planets-alien-life.html

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22229670.400-forget-dark-matter--embrace-my-mond-theory-instead.html

13 billion years in 3 minutes: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2622616/Virtual-world-tops-cosmic-charts-scale-rigor.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2623262/Nasa-creates-STARDUST-Earth-Cosmic-machine-helps-scientists-understand-material-makes-galaxies.htmlҚ

Light pollution at its worst: http://www.livescience.com/45367-brussels-night-lights-space-photo.html?cmpid=557645Қ

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn25542-a-brief-history-of-space-flight--in-numbers.html

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn25472?cmpid=NLC%7CNSNS%7C2014-0501-GLOBAL&utm_medium=NLC&utm_source=NSNS&

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/05/09/russia-moon-colony_n_5293640.html, and http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2623209/Russia-plans-colonise-MOON-2030-according-leaked-government-document-says-robot-rovers-sent-2016.html.Қ But have they asked the Clangers' permission?

http://aolbroadband.welcomescreen.aol.co.uk/video/incredible-new-earthrise-images-taken-by-the-moon-orbiter/518226011/

http://www.space.com/34-image-day.html?cmpid=557584

http://on.aol.co.uk/video/police-capture-meteor-falling-from-sky-in-canada-518220945?playlist=160757&icid=hpaolonҚ

http://www.space.com/25746-bicep2-team-discusses-findings.html?cmpid=557584

http://www.space.com/11554-photos-nasa-mercury-alan-shepard-freedom-7-spaceflight.html?cmpid=557584

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2618434/Artificial-intelligence-worst-thing-happen-humanity-Stephen-Hawking-warns-rise-robots-disastrous-mankind.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2620561/Could-microbes-lying-DORMANT-Mars-Icy-regions-hide-organisms-brought-life-claims-study.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2618745/Boeings-vision-manned-spaceflight-revealed-Firm-unveils-concept-space-transport-set-launch-2017.htmlҚThey'd better get it goingҚquickly, with the present difs with the Russians!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2620462/A-meal-fit-ASTRONAUT-Competition-launched-design-meal-Tim-Peake.htmlҚTo include Rocket Salad, obviously!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2620556/How-travel-Europa-cheap-Nasa-calls-cut-price-mission-ideas-explore-Jupiters-icy-moon.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2622272/Turning-red-planet-GREEN-Nasa-plans-create-greenhouse-garden-Mars-2021.htmlҚ At least they won't have slugs and weeds to deal with!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2622708/One-ten-Americans-believe-space-aliens-involved-disappearance-ill-fated-Malaysian-flight-MH370.htmlҚ

Hubble views Starburst galaxy: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140502120911.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Fspace_time+%28Space+%26+Time+News+--+ScienceDaily%29

A safe landing for Morpheus? http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140502120725.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Fspace_time+%28Space+%26+Time+News+--+ScienceDaily%29Қ

Earth microbes could colonise Mars: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140502120231.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Fspace_time+%28Space+%26+Time+News+--+ScienceDaily%29Қ

Star Wars Deflector Shields: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/04/140430091434.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Fspace_time+%28Space+%26+Time+News+--+ScienceDaily%29

First realistic virtual universe: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140507142849.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Ftop_news%2Ftop_technology+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Top+Technology+News%29

Stellar explosion links to Black Holes: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140507114718.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Ftop_news%2Ftop_technology+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Top+Technology+News%29Қ

The following para: "There is no other event in the cosmos that can compete in terms of energy and intensity with stellar explosions on the outer reaches of the universe and which are known as LGRBs (Long Gamma-Ray Bursts): in just one second a single GRB can emit as many as hundreds of stars like the Sun during its 10,000-million-year-lifetime.

should read something like

"There is no other event in the cosmos that can compete in terms of energy and intensity with theҚstellar explosions known as LGRBs (Long Gamma-Ray Bursts), which occur mainlyҚin the outer reaches of the universe. In just one second a single GRB can emit as much energyҚas hundreds of stars like the Sun during its 10,000-million-year-lifetime."

Are we ready for contact with aliens? http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140506074611.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Fspace_time+%28Space+%26+Time+News+--+ScienceDaily%29Қand

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/05/06/humans-meet-aliens_n_5275527.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

This is often suggested as one reason why they have not contacted us yet - we're not ready yetҚas a species.

Curiosity drills sandstone rock on Mars: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140506191142.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Fspace_time+%28Space+%26+Time+News+--+ScienceDaily%29

ROSETTA approaches landing on comet: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140507095316.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Ftop_news%2Ftop_technology+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Top+Technology+News%29

Giant planet found VERY far from its star: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140513113120.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Fspace_time+%28Space+%26+Time+News+--+ScienceDaily%29. NB:Қ The reference to "AB Doradus" should really be to the "AB Doradus Moving Group",ҚseeҚ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AB_Doradus_moving_group.ҚObviously if the star is in Pisces it can't be in Doradus! GU Psc is an M3 red dwarf, mag 13.6, so not readily visible in most amateur telescopes.

Stability lost as Supernovae explode: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140515090813.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Ftop_news%2Ftop_science+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Top+Science+News%29Қ

3d simulation of supernova: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2620902/When-stars-collapse-3D-animations-shows-simulated-supernova-unprecedented-detail.html

Gemini Telescopes derives orbit and size of exoplanet: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140515132231.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Ftop_news%2Ftop_science+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Top+Science+News%29

Headaches in space: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140501100922.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Fspace_time+%28Space+%26+Time+News+--+ScienceDaily%29Қ(not this orbit, darling: I've got a headache?)

MAVEN will study Mars' atmosphere loss:

New technique measurement of spinning star: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140506074456.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Ftop_news%2Ftop_science+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Top+Science+News%29

Magnetic field of our galaxy: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140506120240.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Ftop_news%2Ftop_science+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Top+Science+News%29Қand http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2621676/The-magnetism-Milky-Way-revealed-Astronomers-create-amazing-image-showing-magnetic-fingerprint-galaxy.htmlҚ

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140514165422.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Fspace_time+%28Space+%26+Time+News+--+ScienceDaily%29

Neutron star magnetic fields: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140506135518.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Fspace_time+%28Space+%26+Time+News+--+ScienceDaily%29Қ

Magnetar mystery solved? http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140514084500.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Ftop_news%2Ftop_science+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Top+Science+News%29Қand

http://www.livescience.com/45591-mystery-of-magnetar-formation-may-now-be-explained-video.html?cmpid=557601

Massive meteorite strike crater: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140507105023.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Ftop_news%2Ftop_technology+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Top+Technology+News%29Қ

Mars canyons formed by lava? http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140512101414.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Fspace_time+%28Space+%26+Time+News+--+ScienceDaily%29.ҚIt was not these features that Schiaparelli described as Canali! And I don't know where the ref to Prof Paul Tackley in para 3 fits in!

A turbulent birth for stars: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140512101417.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Fspace_time+%28Space+%26+Time+News+--+ScienceDaily%29, and https://www.ras.org.uk/images/stories/press/Renaud%20galaxy%20simulation.jpg

HADES searches for Dark Matter: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140512101734.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Fspace_time+%28Space+%26+Time+News+--+ScienceDaily%29

Radiation from early universe answers questions: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140513132705.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Fspace_time+%28Space+%26+Time+News+--+ScienceDaily%29ҚAnother variation on interpretation of the polarisation, following the claim that it indicated the presence of gravitational waves.

Best ever solar flare observations: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140507212335.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Ftop_news%2Ftop_technology+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Top+Technology+News%29Қand http://www.space.com/25814-monster-solar-flare-best-observed-video.html?cmpid=557586Қand http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2623249/The-suns-power-glory-Nasa-captures-best-images-powerful-solar-X-flare.html

Star Formation in clusters: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140508132946.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Ftop_news%2Ftop_technology+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Top+Technology+News%29

Nearest Bright High Speed Star: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140507093030.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Ftop_news%2Ftop_technology+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Top+Technology+News%29

19. TWITTER:ҚFollow theҚIAAҚon Twitter: The account is now operational again as before: IaaAstro.

ҚҚ

20. JOINING the IRISH ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION is easy: This link downloads a Word document to join the IAA. http://documents.irishastro.org.uk/iaamembership.doc

ҚҚ ҚIf you are a UK taxpayer, please tick the 'gift-aid' box, as that enables us to reclaim the standard rate of tax on your subscription, at no cost to you.ҚYou can also make aҚdonation via Paypal if you wish: just click on the 'Donate' button.ҚҚSee also www.irishastro.org.Қ

ҚҚ

Finally,Қin tribute to the late great John Dobson, a quote from him which is typical of the man, and very appropriate:Қ "If you figure something out for yourself, it doesn't make no never-mind who figured it out first, it's yours."

Clear skies,

Terry Moseley

mob: (0044) (0) 7979 300842

I'm now back on Twitter (occasionally - I don't have enough time!), after some temporary hiccups: terrymoseley2