February 2004 - astronomy@lists.redbrick.dcu.ie

[Astronomy Ireland] Rosetta postponed, New Saturn pics, Armagh Events, Weekend viewing
by Astronomy Ireland 27 Feb '04

27 Feb '04

1. Rosetta was postponed well before launch this morning when a piece of insulation on the Ariane 5 was noted to be missing. A new panel will be fitted but it takes the glue 36 hours to set/cure so a new launch date will not be set until early next week. ESA's website is easy to remember and is excellent (you can see a photo of the problem spot on the rocket, watch the launch live, click on video clips about the mission etc): www.esa.int/rosetta A website deserving of a billion euro space mission and a 7 billion km journey. This morning RTE Radio 1 had Fred Kennedy, head of Captec in North Dublin, interviewed on Morning Ireland from Kourou in French Guiana: http://www.rte.ie/news/2004/0227/morningireland/morningireland8a.smil I assume Leo Enright will be covering the launch live on TG4 next week as well. We'll keep you posted. 2. Today at 2pm NASA/ESA released the latest picture taken by the Cassini spacecraft on Feb. 9 when it was 70 million km from Saturn (half Earth's distance from the Sun). Detail in the rings and planet's cloud tops can be seen. Cassini will enter orbit about Saturn on July 1. Again there is Irish involvement (see our Easter Monday Lecture "Ireland in Space" on our website below). See the Cassini pictures at: http://ciclops.org/ 3. We received this notice from our friends at Armagh Observatory Armagh Observatory Future Events In the period leading up to Easter, the Armagh Observatory is hosting, or co-hosting as part of other events, two Public Lectures (both in the Rotunda Lecture Theatre, St Patrick's Trian, Armagh) and two Tours of the Armagh Observatory and the Armagh Observatory Grounds and Astropark. The Public Lectures are as follows: 1. Wednesday, 17 March 2004 (St. Patrick's Day) at 7:30pm "Patrick, Comets and Christianity" by Professor Mike Baillie (Queen's University Belfast). 2. Thursday, 1 April 2004 at 8:00pm "Mars: New Opportunities and Challenges for European Space Science" by Michael McKay (European Space Agency, ESTEC, The Netherlands) The Tours of the Armagh Observatory and the Armagh Observatory Grounds and Astropark are on Wednesday 17 March 2004 and Saturday 3 April 2004. Please note that advance booking is necessary in order to guarantee a place on any of these tours, although all who turn up on the day will be accommodated if possible. Tours of the Observatory will last approximately 45 minutes; tours of the Observatory Grounds and Astropark will last a similar amount of time. * Tours on Wednesday 17 March will be provided at: 11:00, 12:00, 14:00, 15:00 and 16:00 * Tours on Saturday 3 April will be provided at: 14:00, 15:00 and 16:00 In order to obtain tickets for any of these events, please write, telephone or send an e-mail to: Mrs Aileen McKee, Armagh Observatory, College Hill, Armagh, BT61 9DG; Tel: 028-3752-2928; Fax: 028-3752-7174; e-mail: ambn(a)arm.ac.uk. 4. Weekend Observing: No major aurora is now expected from the Thursday morning X-class flare on that new sunspot 564 (see our email archive below if you're new to this list), but do observe the sunspot itself by projection or using AstroSolar filters (available from our Shop). Saturn and Jupiter are amazing sights in a telescope right now. Even binoculars will show Jupiter is approaching Chi Leonis this weekend. Saturn is very close to the Moon Monday night. The Moon occults a double star tonight, and will be a glorious sight high up each night this weekend. See magazine for details of all this. We have also had a report about Eta Geminorum fading (I can email details to variable star fans). So get those telescopes out observing and wrap up well so the cold does not put you off. Support Astronomy Ireland and join online at: www.astronomy.ie/sub ===== David Moore BSc FRAS, at Ireland's BIGGEST Telescope Shop. Tel (01) 847 0777. www.astronomy.ie info(a)astronomy.ie Click last line to change subscription options & see old messages:

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[Astronomy Ireland] Rosetta on TG4, SunSpot+Aurora, Mars red!
by Astronomy Ireland 26 Feb '04

26 Feb '04

1. TG4 had Leo Enright covering the expected launch of ESA's Rosetta Comet Mission live this morning around 7am. There is lots of Irish involvement with ESA's billion euro Rosetta spacecraft and lander, chief amongst them being Prof Susan McKenna-Lawlor who will be making a rare public appearance as Ireland's leading space scientist when she gives our Easter Monday Lecture on April 12 in D.C.U. We were very lucky to get her. There was a model of Rosetta and its lander at Astro-Expo last November. You may have heard in the news that the launch was eventually postponed 24 hours due to poor weather conditions. Leo has told me that he will be back on air live again on Friday morning (Feb 27) about 7:20am so do tune in. Leo was also on Morning Ireland RTE radio 1 this morning and you can still hear his piece online, emphasising all the Irish involvement in this 10 year mission to a comet at: http://www.rte.ie/news/2004/0226/morningireland/morningireland8a.smil Set your alarm clock or at least your video for TG4 and Leo in the morning! 2. From our Astronomy Shop in Artane, Dublin 5 we've been watching a new sunspot grow after it appeared on the disk a few days ago. It's now big enough to be seen with the naked-eye (protected by AstroSolar filter of course - call and we'll post a sheet to you). This morning the sunspot, numbered 564, emitted a fairly powerful X-class explosion (X1.1 flare) around 2am (Feb. 26). Solar astronomers can't say for certain yet if it will cause an aurora but if it does we would expect it tomorrow morning at the earliest but probably on Friday night so you would do well to keep an eye on the northern sky over the next couple of nights. Do text 086 081 9986 and email observe(a)astronomy.ie with your full name and location if you see any aurora. 3. Mars was a fantastic sight next to the Moon last night, as predicted in our February magazine and in Monday's email to you all (see archive using links on last 2 lines of each of these emails). Did you notice the colour? Whereas Mars was easily visible to the naked-eye did you take a close up look in binoculars as I suggested? The red colour of Mars next to the white of the Moon was stunning, even though Mars is 40 times dimmer then when at its closest last August. I was lucky enough (unlucky!?) to be testing a new batch of our ultra wide-angle 10x50 binoculars for sale in our Shop and noticed the dramatic colour of Mars immediately. (All 10 pair checked out perfectly - we test each one on stars at night, they are custom made for Astronomy Ireland in Germany and have superb optics that outperform brand names cost more than double the 85euro we sell them for making them the ideal binocular for astronomy in my opinion). The view of Earthshine on the crescent Moon was a superb sight in binoculars too. No one reported seeing Venus closest to the Moon on Monday, I know I was clouded out. Next up is a Jupiter next to Chi Leonis and Saturn near the Moon on Monday. 4. NASA Public Lecture takes place on Monday week March 8 in D.C.U. don't forget. Book your tickets now. Call the number below or see the website for detail. Support Astronomy Ireland and join online at: www.astronomy.ie/sub ===== David Moore BSc FRAS, at Ireland's BIGGEST Telescope Shop. Tel (01) 847 0777. www.astronomy.ie info(a)astronomy.ie Click last line to change subscription options & see old messages:

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[Astronomy Ireland] Venus+Moon, Planets, Comet, NASA+Rosetta lectures
by Astronomy Ireland 23 Feb '04

23 Feb '04

1. A lovely thin crescent Moon will be just 4 degrees below Venus this evening, starting from sunset (around 6pm). It should be a breath-taking sight to the naked-eye so don't miss it. See the diagram and details on page 26 of the February issue of A&S. 2. Mars is even closer to the Moon on Wednesday. See diagram on page 27 of February A&S. Saturn is an incredible sight in good scope at present. I've been viewing with powers of up to 500x in a an 8-inch Celestron! If you wait for Jupiter to get high up (just before midnight) it too shows incredible detail on nights of good seeing (there is a new white oval on the S edge of the NEB at a CM1 longitude of 0 degrees). See magazine for more details (incl mag 4 star that Jupiter glides past this weekend). A&S March issue begins to list Jovian moon events. If you are thinking of getting a good scope then NOW is the time with Saturn just past opposition and Jupiter just days away. We have a special eyepiece kit offer on for the next few weeks don't forget (see insert inside March issue) 3. Comet LINEAR was a nice sight last week in a pair of a pair of 25x100 Celestron SkyMaster binoculars from our Shop. It was about 7th magnitude with a tail half a degree long (from semi-rural skies on Meath-Dublin border anyway). Several of you also reported seeing it. It is just a dozen degrees left of Venus each evening. With the Moon moving in to evening skies try to view early this week - see finder chart and details on page 38 of March issue of A&S. 4. Quite a few of you have written in for tickets to our Special NASA Lecture on March 8 in D.C.U. You've only got this week and next to get them: "Heading to Mars" Dr Stuart Smith from NASA Ames Research Centre California. This Thursday morning around 7am E.S.A. launches the Rosetta spacecraft+ lander bound for Comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko (in 2014) with a major Irish contribution by Prof Susan McKenna-Lawlor (Maynooth University) who will give our special Easter Lecture (Bank Holiday Monday April 12) in D.C.U. in a rare public appearance (she usually has about a dozen spacecraft being designed or built so we were very lucky to get her to speak). You can order tickets for both lectures when you write (or drop in to Ireland's BIGGEST Telescope Shop in Artane to buy tickets). Send 5euro (3euro if AI member) per ticket to: P.O.Box 2888, Dublin 5. ALL WELCOME so do bring friends! Don't miss Venus & Mars near Moon this week. It's Saturn then Jupiter's turn next week - see magazine! And get a look through a good telescope soon, Jupiter and Saturn are stunning - do send your observations to observe(a)astronomy.ie ===== David Moore BSc FRAS, at Ireland's BIGGEST Telescope Shop. Tel (01) 847 0777. www.astronomy.ie info(a)astronomy.ie Click last line to change subscription options & see old messages:

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[Astronomy Ireland] Comet LINEAR, NASA lecture
by Astronomy Ireland 20 Feb '04

20 Feb '04

1. Comet LINEAR This new comet (see photo, details and chart on page 38 of March issue) has been an easy sight from dark skies away from streetlights over the past week. I've seen a short tail half a degree long in 10x50 binoculars on trips outside the city lights and estimate the comet is around magnitude 7.5. A group of us will be heading up the Wicklow mountains this evening if it stays clear (while out comet hunting we've been viewing Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn - the latter being stunning at 500x magnification in a Celestron telescope recently! See Sky Diary pages for more info). The comet is dead easy to find: as soon as it gets dark (about 7pm) just look a dozen degrees to the right of Venus and slightly higher, that's about two field of view of our 10x50 binoculars which many of you have bought from our Shop. There you will see the fairly bright star Algenib (which is the lower left star of the Square of Pegasus). Tonight the comet is just 1.5 degrees below this star, well within the 7 degree wide field of our 10x50 binoculars. At first all you will see is a small fuzzy patch but let your eyes get used to the dark for at least a quarter of an hour and use averted vision and you should be able to see a tail. The darker your skies the better the view. And the comet should brighten a little in the next few weeks. This is a slow-moving comet at present so it remains within 2 degrees of Algenib all weekend. Very few 'binocular comets' are ever this easy to find so don't waste this opportunity to see what will become a fine naked eye sight in May perhaps as bright as Comet Hale-Bopp was in 1997 as explained in the March issue of our magazine (though only from the southern hemisphere). We only have a few more weeks to see this Comet LINEAR so do send any reports of sightings to us at observe(a)astronomy.ie So far, no one in Ireland has reported seeing this comet yet so do let us know if you try. You can order the March issue for 5euro incl P&P by selecting "current issue" and saying in the comment box that you "want the March issue" at: www.astronomy.ie/sub or print that form and post a cheque. Or join the club for 12 issues a year for 40euro. 2. NASA speaker March 8 There are only just over 2 weeks to go until Dr Stuart Smith of NASA's Ames Research Centre in California gives our March Public Lecture in Dublin City University about "Heading to Mars". Dr Smith is in Ireland to set up a laboratory to collaborate on further studies of the effect of weightlessness on the human body particularly on long duration missions like NASA's new manned mission to Mars. The lecture is open to all on Monday March 8th at 8pm in the Henry Grattan Building (beside The Helix) in Dublin City University. All welcome. Tickets are 5euro (3euro to paid up members) and should be purchased in advance from our Astronomy Shop in Artane or by posting cheque/postal order/bank draft to: P.O.Box 2888, Dublin 5. Please bring as many friends as possible for what should be an extremely interesting talk. And get your tickets soon as last year's NASA lecture was sold out with standing room only. ===== David Moore BSc FRAS, at Ireland's Biggest Telescope Shop. Tel (01) 847 0777. www.astronomy.ie info(a)astronomy.ie Click last line to change subscription options & see old messages:

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[Astronomy Ireland] Comet LINEAR this weekend
by Astronomy Ireland 13 Feb '04

13 Feb '04

One of the two bright comets due in 2004 is Comet 2002 T7 LINEAR (the other is 2001 Q4 NEAT, which we won't see until May, hopefully at our Star-B-Q when it could be magnitude 0!). "Comet LINEAR" is about magnitude 7.0 and is very easy to locate in binoculars over the next few days as it is very close (half a degree tonight and only moving slowly from night to night) to the bottom left star of the Square of Pegasus each evening. Look just to the lower left of Algenib (Gamma Pegasi). There is an article and finder chart in the March issue of our magazine that Astronomy Ireland members (www.astronomy.ie/sub) should receive in the post today or Monday. As the article explains Comet LINEAR will also reach perhaps magnitude 0 in May but it will not be visible from our latitudes during that time. Still we should see it brighten in evening skies for the next few weeks and the Moon is out of the way so try to view it each night in a dark sky. A tail up to 2 degrees long has been reported in very dark skies using 80mm binoculars. Comet LINEAR may brighten to magnitude 5 before it gets too low in evening twilight to see by mid March. Even by then it will still just about fit in the same 7 degree field of view of our ultra wide angle 10x50 binoculars (which many of you have bought from our Shop) as the chart on page 38 of the March issue of "Astronomy & Space" magazine shows, so this is going to be an easy to locate comet. Please email any reports or sightings, or photographs, to observe(a)astronomy.ie Of course there are four bright evening planets on view each evening also - see magazine for details. ===== David Moore BSc FRAS, Chairman, Astronomy Ireland, P.O.Box 2888, Dublin 5. Editor, "Astronomy & Space" magazine. Visit us at Ireland's biggest Telescope Shop. http://www.astronomy.ie/map.html Tel (01) 847 0777. Fax (01) 847 0771. www.astronomy.ie (Subscribe to our FREE emailing list) Email: info(a)astronomy.ie Click last line to change your subscription details:

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[Astronomy Ireland] Darwin Day, Newgrange, ISS, Observing, Life Lecture + Calendar offer
by Astronomy Ireland 09 Feb '04

09 Feb '04

1. Darwin Day Thursday 12 February 2004 The Association of Irish Humanists present a lecture by Professor David McConnell, Department of Genetics, Trinity College Dublin "The Idea of Evolution - from Cosmos to Culture" The Walton Theatre, Arts Building, Trinity College Dublin, at 8.00 p.m. Admission is free. For more information see: http://www.irish-humanists.org/EventsSub/darwin04.html 2. AI 2002 New Year Lecture online Anthony Murphy gave our 2002 New Year Lecture about astronomy at Newgrange. He has posted a new page on his Mythical Ireland website containing the text of the lecture. http://www.mythicalireland.com/astronomy/ancientastronomers.html It's about 10,000 words and there's lots of nice photos. The html file is 80k, so it only takes a few moments to load, but it's well worth the wait!! 3. I.S.S. news The International Space Station finished its series of evening passes last Saturday (It will be back starting March 20 for 2 weeks). No one reported seeing the "space chase" with the Progress re-supply ship on Jan. 29-30 probably due to the poor weather. There is another chance of a "space chase" in May. We'll keep you posted. 4. Observing Jupiter was a spectacular sight rising close to the Full Moon last night. I watched it from the beach. Venus, Mars, Saturn and Jupiter are all on view each evening this week - see the Sky Diary pages of the magazine for more details. The Moon will be out of early evening skies this week so we can see the new Comet "2002 T7 LINEAR" (or Comet LINEAR for short) that is less than 1 degree to the left of the bottom left star in the Square of Pegasus all this week. There is a star map showing its path in the March issue of our magazine being posted out to members this week. The Comet is magnitude 7 or 6 and thus easily visible in binoculars from a dark sky.This is one of two bright comets due this year that could rival Hale-Bopp of 1997 and Hyakutake of 1996. The other is a Comet NEAT which we'll see in May hopefully at its best. Comet LINEAR is best seen from the southern hemisphere so enjoy it while it's a binocular object as it heads into the Sun's glare before reappearing in South skies at its best. Send reports of what you see and photographs/drawings to observe(a)astronomy.ie for inclusion in Ireland's only astronomy magazine "Astronomy & Space" 5. Life Lecture Tonight, everyone at our Public Lecture in D.C.U. should finally know how life got started and the likelihood of there being other life out there. It's a problem of chemistry and we have a leading Chemist explaining what we have learned to date. Don't miss it at 8pm in the Henry Grattan Building. ALL WELCOME. http://www.astronomy.ie/nextlecture.html for more details and map. At the lecture we will have a handful of the stunning CFHT 2004 Calendar we have been recommending to you this year for sale at HALF PRICE! (If you don't live in the Leinster area and cannot get along please call 01-847 0777 to reserve one at this price before they sell out) Regards and clear skies, David Moore, Astronomy Ireland info(a)astronomy.ie Come visit us at Ireland's Biggest Telescope Shop: www.astronomy.ie (01) 847 0777 Astronomy Ireland is seeking new members now: www.astronomy.ie/sub

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[Astronomy Ireland] Lecture: Life in the Universe, Mon Feb 9
by Astronomy Ireland 06 Feb '04

06 Feb '04

INVITATION TO ASTRONOMY IRELAND PUBLIC LECTURE FEB. 9 "The Enigma of the origin of life on Earth and the Question of Extraterrestrial Life; Facts and Fictions" by Prof R.N. Butler from the Chemistry Dept, NUI Galway on Monday February 9 at 8:00pm in the Henry Grattan Building, Dublin City University At a time when two rovers are scrutinising rocks on Mars for evidence for life sustaining conditions, this lecture that should satisfy your curiosity once and for all about how does life get started, where might it exist locally in our solar system and/or the rest of the universe. Prof Butler will: (i) critically assess the current state of knowledge on the origin of Life on Earth (ii) Assess the planetary bodies Mars, Europa, Titan and Triton from the point of view of Life and (iii) Comment on the prospects for Life elsewhere in the Universe in our space-time. The lecture will be at a 'popular level' and no chemical formulae or equations will be used. Everyone is welcome and admission is 5euro (3euro if you show a copy of our February magazine at the door, or are a student, OAP or under 18) See also http://www.astronomy.ie/nextlecture.html for links to maps. We hope to see you all there and why not bring some friends? Please forward this notice on to anyone you think may be interested. ===== David Moore, Astronomy Ireland, P.O.Box 2888, Dublin 5. Tel (01) 847 0777 info(a)astronomy.ie www.astronomy.ie To change details of your subscription to our emailing list, click the last line:

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