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

[Astronomy Ireland] Skeptics Lecture cancelled, 'Major' NASA planet news, Special Newsline this week
by Astronomy Ireland 31 Aug '04

31 Aug '04

ASTRONOMY IRELAND MAILING LIST - www.astronomy.ie (The all-Ireland astronomy Club, Magazine and Shop) --------------------------------------------------- 1. IRISH SKEPTICS SOCIETY LECTURE CANCELLED Due to a bereavement the Irish Skeptics Society has had to cancel Kevin Nolan's Public Lecture ("The Scientific Response to Creationism") which was set for tomorrow, Wednesday Sept. 1st in Buswell's Hotel. An announcement will be made when the lecture can be rescheduled. www.irishskeptics.net 2. NASA: NEW TYPES OF PLANETS At 6pm our time today (August 31) NASA has called a press conference to announce a "MAJOR EXTRA-SOLAR DISCOVERY". They say "planet-hunters will announce their discovery of a new class of planets beyond our solar system at a NASA Science Update... to be held in the NASA Headquarters in Washington. The discovery represents a significant and much- anticipated advance in the hunt for extra-solar planets". You can tune in live on the net at www.nasa.gov and watch it on NASA TV. No doubt it will on the usual TV news channels after 6pm tonight also. 3. NEWSLINE THIS WEEK There's a LOT of news on our Newsline this week, a new bright comet is coming and Venus and Saturn are amazing in morning skies during their brilliant conjunction that is now taking place (see August issue of our magazine page 23!!!): HEADLINES THIS WEEK: SATURN AND VENUS VERY CLOSE THIS WEEK; (I've been up at 5am every morning, so should you!) GIANT SUNSPOT PREDICTED; (first time we've ever done this!) NASA TO ANNOUNCE NEW CLASS OF PLANETS FOUND; (see above) MOON NEAR PLEIADES STAR CLUSTER; (see September issue of magazine also) AND, NEW COMET MACHHOLZ WILL BE BRIGHT AT THE END OF THE YEAR. Please call 1550-111-442 (calls cost 95c/min, in UK dial 09001-88-1950 at 60p/min) for details 24 hours a day. Regards and clear skies, David Moore, Editor "Astronomy & Space" magazine. www.astronomy.ie Astronomy Shop: Tel (01) 847 0777 Mon-Sat -----------------------------------------

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[Astronomy Ireland] Venus approaches Saturn, Two Public Lectures
by Astronomy Ireland 27 Aug '04

27 Aug '04

ASTRONOMY IRELAND MAILING LIST - www.astronomy.ie (The all-Ireland astronomy Club, Magazine and Shop) --------------------------------------------------- 1. SATURN AND VENUS Don't forget, the coming days see Venus pass close to Saturn in morning skies. They'll be just 2 degrees apart on August 31 and close for several days (now and all of next week). It should be a spectacular sight to the naked eye, and a great photo opportunity. See write up and diagram on pages 23-26 in the August issue of our magazine (order here www.astronomy.ie/sub for 5euro). 2. IRISH SKEPTICS SOCIETY LECTURE SEPT. 1 Physicist Kevin Nolan will present the next public lecture to the Irish Skeptics Society entitled "The Scientific Response to Creationism" on Wednesday September 1st at 8pm in Buswell's Hotel, Dublin 2. Dr. Nolan is a regular contributor to Astronomy Ireland's 'Astronomy & Space' and always makes interesting reading. Kevin is a lecturer in Physics at the Institute of Technology, Tallaght and currently completing his PhD in astrophysics on image analysis software for the European Space Agency. Details www.irishskeptics.net 3. ASTRONOMY IRELAND LEINSTER AREA LECTURE SEPT. 13 In his first ever lecture to Astronomy Ireland the Director of Armagh Planetarium Dr Tom Mason will speak about "Mars - Life in Hostile Environments" on Monday September 13th at 8pm in the Henry Grattan Building, Dublin City University. All welcome. Admission 5euro adults (3euro with magazine and for students/unwaged/children/OAP). Details www.astronomy.ie/lecture0409.html If you intend coming to this lecture PLEASE "reply" to this email and say how many places you wish to reserve (then pay at the door on the night). Regards and clear skies, David Moore, Chairman, Astronomy Ireland. Editor "Astronomy & Space" magazine. www.astronomy.ie Visit our Astronomy Shop: Tel (01) 847 0777 open SATURDAYs from noon to 6pm ( www.astronomy.ie/map.html )

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[Astronomy Ireland] Evening Class Change, Stephen Hawking Theory Offer
by Astronomy Ireland 24 Aug '04

24 Aug '04

ASTRONOMY IRELAND MAILING LIST - www.astronomy.ie (The all-Ireland astronomy Club, Magazine and Shop) --------------------------------------------------- 1. EVENING CLASS CHANGE We have changed the start date of our Evening Classes by one week to Thursday October 7th. All other details remain the same (see last email or link below). If you live in the Leinster area and want to know more about astronomy then book online at www.astronomy.ie/eveningclass.html 2. HAWKING ISSUE PUBLISHED The September issue of our magazine is out NOW and has the low down on Prof Stephen Hawking's new theory about black holes which he presented IN DUBLIN (i.e. Astronomy Ireland's turf!) on July 21 to the world's scientists and media. We were there (click www.astronomy.ie/dm/DMSHJPKT.jpg for proof!) and as well as explaining the theory we have a feature article about Hawking and Black Holes as the cover story on the September issue which is out NOW. To read all about it you can order the September "Hawking Special" issue of Astronomy & Space magazine online right now at: www.astronomy.ie/sub (select current issue and say "September" in the comments box. Why do black holes have no hair? How big would the Earth be if crushed to a black hole? How long does it take a black hole produced in a supernova to evaporate? And how/when does the information get out of a black hole in Hawking's new theory? Intrigued by these fascinating cosmic maelstroms? Read more in the September issue of Astronomy & Space (published by Astronomy Ireland) and available at www.astronomy.ie/sub and get your souvenir of Hawking's 2004 visit to Ireland. Please pass details of this offer on to anyone you think might be interested. Regards and clear skies, David Moore, Chairman, Astronomy Ireland. Editor "Astronomy & Space" magazine. www.astronomy.ie Astronomy Shop: Tel (01) 847 0777 Mon-Sat Call our Weekly Newsline: 1550-111-442

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[Astronomy Ireland] Evening Classes, Newsline
by Astronomy Ireland 23 Aug '04

23 Aug '04

ASTRONOMY IRELAND MAILING LIST - www.astronomy.ie (The all-Ireland astronomy Club, Magazine and Shop) --------------------------------------------------- 1. Astronomy Ireland Evening Classes Start Sept. 30 Bookings have now opened for our very popular Introduction to Astronomy evening classes. They start Thursday September 30 and run for 10 weeks in total (7:30pm-9pm approx). The venue is Dublin City University (Henry Grattan Building). There is no mathematical content and the course is designed for the beginner (members of the general public). The course has been designed to give you a solid foundation in astronomy and allow you to appreciate the night sky. No knowledge of astronomy is assumed. This course was designed by Astronomy Ireland to answer the demand for such a course. A brief course outline is available at: www.astronomy.ie/eccontents.rtf PRICE: Course cost is 105euro (75euro for members) but you can join at the same time as booking the course and immediately avail of the members' rate, which is what most people do as the magazine will then keep your knowledge up to date every month. BOOKING: More details are on our secure website: www.astronomy.ie/eveningclass.html where you can NOW BOOK ONLINE (or print off the form available on that web page and post your payment). (If you have problems the form can be emailed to you by replying to this email) MATERIALS: While the course is self-contained, we do recommend you get the Stargazer Pack (20euro) in which Patrick Moore teaches you your way around the sky with a simple booklet, planisphere and large star chart (we recommend every member buys this when they join!). For those who want a book to go with the course we recommend "Astronomy, a self-teaching guide" (24.95euro). You can get these from our Shop before the course begins or buy them on the first night of the class where they will be available for sale. Please book early. www.astronomy.ie/eveningclass.html 2. NEWSLINE HEADLINES THIS WEEK: Saturn and Venus get close (2 degrees!) Uranus at opposition (easy tip for finding it and Neptune) Giant sunspot (more on way) Binocular Comet (Comet LINEAR 2003 K4 now mag 6!) Call 1550-111-442 (calls cost 95c/min, in UK dial 09001-88-1950 at 60p/min) Regards and clear skies, David Moore, Chairman, Astronomy Ireland. Editor "Astronomy & Space" magazine. www.astronomy.ie Astronomy Shop: Tel (01) 847 0777 Mon-Sat

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[Astronomy Ireland] Creationism Lecture, Comet LINEAR, Venus dichotomy, Perseids, Big Sunspots, Star-B-Q, Newslines
by Astronomy Ireland 17 Aug '04

17 Aug '04

ASTRONOMY IRELAND MAILING LIST - www.astronomy.ie (The all-Ireland astronomy club, magazine and Shop) --------------------------------------------------- 1. CREATIONISM LECTURE The Irish Skeptics Society will hold a Public Lecture: "The Scientific Response to Creationism" by Kevin Nolan, a regular contributor to Astronomy Ireland's magazine. It will take place in Buswell's Hotel on Wednesday September 1st at 8pm. Admission is 5euro, members 2euro. Last year Astronomy Ireland had a huge attendance at a public lecture by Mark Sweetnam (Schull Planetarium) who presented the case for Creationism. Kevin Nolan will give the other side of the coin. www.irishskeptics.net 2. Comet LINEAR Yet another Comet LINEAR (2003 K4 this time) has reached easy binocular visibility in evening skies at around magnitude 6.0 to 6.5. It's just a dozen degrees to the lower right of Arcturus. The Moon will move in to the sky later this week and the comet will sink lower, although the comet is set to brighten as it leaves our skies and becomes a fine southern hemisphere object. Print out this chart for locating it: www.astronomy.ie/dm/2003K4.jpg 3. VENUS DICHOTOMY Early risers have been spotting the planet Venus in morning skies. It rises about 3:30am BST. Seen in a telescope its phase is supposed to be 50% today i.e. exactly half sunlit but due to Schroter's Effect Venus does not actually look exactly half full (dichotomy) for several days around this time. Take a look in a telescope and let us know when YOU think it is exactly half full (see August issue of our magazine page 23 for more details) 4. PERSEIDS Lots of you sent in reports after my last email. Daniel Lynch (Oranmore, Co. Galway) saw 30 in a 20 minute period. Martin McKenna (Northern Ireland) saw 113 in an all night watch despite some cloud cover. Looks like rates were indeed 1 to 2 per minute for those with ideal conditions, as we predicted (page 28 August issue). Keep sending in any reports to observe(a)astronomy.ie so we can publish a round up for Ireland in our magazine. You should still see Perseids this week (I saw one last night during a short observing spell) though the numbers are dwindling fast. 6. BIG SUNSPOTS After the huge sunspot group of last week another pair of large spots has appeared on the Sun that should remain visible until next week. NEVER LOOK AT THE SUN WITH BINOCULARS OR TELESCOPES. Instead, use AstroSolar filters placed IN FRONT of your binoculars or telescopes and held securely in place for safe views. You can get AstroSolar by calling our Shop (01) 847 0777. Do send any photos in for publication in the magazine. With all this sunspot activity there is always a chance of an aurora at night also. We'll post any aurora predictions here if we get them. Should you see an aurora please immediately text your name and location to 086 081 99 86 For the latest Sun image from the SOHO spacecraft click: http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/data/realtime/mdi_igr/512/ 7. STAR-B-Q Our fund-raising barbecue went ahead last Friday after we spoke to the Met office and they forecast clear spells for the venue just outside Roundwood, the highest village in Ireland. The night started out promising with large clear patches covering most of the sky. During the lecture the telescopes got a look at the Andromeda Galaxy, Ring Nebula, and clusters but by the time the talk was over the skies had clouded in! Over 400 people attended the Star-B-Q making it one of the biggest on record. Dozens of volunteers helped run the event, to whom we are extremely grateful. The next Star-B-Q is set for April 29, 2005. Our next big annual gathering is Astro-Expo 2004 which will be held in Dublin City University on the weekend of November 13 and 14. Make sure you plan to be there for the annual gathering of all Astronomy Ireland members from around the country. 8. 1550-111-442 NEWSLINE THIS WEEK Please call our Newsline on 1550-111-442 (calls cost 95c/min, dial 09001-88-1950 in U.K. at 60p/min) This week's headlines are: PERSEID REPORT HUBBLE IN TROUBLE GIANT SUNSPOT VENUS IN MORNING SKIES MOON OCCULTS STAR BINOCULAR COMET AND, STAR-B-Q REPORT. ------------------------------------------ Regards and clear skies, David Moore, Chairman, Astronomy Ireland. Editor "Astronomy & Space" magazine. www.astronomy.ie ------------------------------------------ Astronomy Shop: Tel (01) 847 0777 Mon-Sat ------------------------------------------

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[Astronomy Ireland] Star-B-Q is "go", Perseid Report, Giant Sunspot
by Astronomy Ireland 13 Aug '04

13 Aug '04

ASTRONOMY IRELAND MAILING LIST - www.astronomy.ie (The all-Ireland astronomy club, magazine and Shop) --------------------------------------------------- 1. STAR-B-Q IS ON! With clear skies forecast for tonight our barbecue under the stars will go ahead as planned in Roundwood G.A.A. grounds tonight to see the wonders of the universe in powerful telescopes from a very dark sky site. It's Ireland's biggest annual viewing event and not to be missed. Hundreds of you have already bought tickets at 20euro and 25euro but you can still get them at the gate, however, you will have to queue and pay the increased price of 30euro. Call 086-8108155 to confirm availability if you're deciding to come at the last minute. 2. PERSEID REPORT It looks like AI's Hon. Sec. Tony Ryan was the only one to report seeing Perseids last night, the night of maximum as we have received no other reports so far. Tony was on Howth Head, Co. Dublin in slightly hazy skies with 50% or more cloud cover, but through the breaks he saw 8 Perseids and no sporadics in a one hour observing spell from 12:25am. Not bad under such adverse conditions. If you saw anything send your report to observe(a)astronomy.ie 3. NAKED-EYE SUNSPOT Another giant sunspot has erupted on the Sun. Use your AstroSolar filters (available from our Shop) to see them over the next week. They are so big that AstroSolar in front of the unaided eye will show them. Binoculars and small telescopes fitted with AstroSolar will give excellent views over the coming week. Watch out for possible display of the aurora too. If a display is predicted we'll announce it here, usually with 24 hours notice. Enjoy the sunspot in the meantime. The spot last month was absolutely amazing as it achieved a physical size comparable to Jupiter. Let's hope for a repeat performance. SURVEY: The September issue of our magazine was posted on Wednesday night. If you did not get yours in the post today can you quickly reply to this email and say so please as we are doing a mini survey. See you at Star-B-Q tonight. Regards and clear skies, David Moore, Chairman, Astronomy Ireland. Editor "Astronomy & Space" magazine. www.astronomy.ie Astronomy Shop: Tel (01) 847 0777 Mon-Sat

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[Astronomy Ireland] Perseids (Sky News), Lecture Review (want CD?), Star-B-Q doubles in size!
by Astronomy Ireland 11 Aug '04

11 Aug '04

ASTRONOMY IRELAND MAILING LIST - www.astronomy.ie (The all-Ireland astronomy club, magazine and Shop) --------------------------------------------------- 1. PERSEIDS HIT MEDIA I've done dozens of interviews about the Perseids which are getting a good press this year with the Moon out of the way and our Star-B-Q coinciding. Tonight and tomorrow night are the two top nights to watch but I got a brief glimpse last night (including 3 Perseids in 60 seconds, one being brighter than every star in the sky). So plan to view every night right through the weekend. You'll see a few next week too. Look anywhere in the sky, especially if partially cloudy, in which case look in the clear patches. Try to get to a dark rural sky (like our Star-B-Q event) but even if you're stuck in city suburbs you'll still see 10 to 20 times more shooting stars than normal, but far fewer than those in rural skies will see (1 or 2 every minute perhaps?). Report what you see the next day to observe(a)astronomy.ie See the Perseids page in the August issue of our magazine. The media have been quite interested with Sky News sending a camera crew in to our Shop/office today. Watch out for it on Sky News at 7pm and 10pm tonight. 2. LECTURE REVIEW Dr. Alan Fitzsimmons gave a superb talk on Monday night for Astronomy Ireland's August Public Lecture. Not only did he show the latest pictures from the Cassini spacecraft now in orbit about Saturn but he explained in great detail what we were seeing - density waves, up-and-down bending waves, shepherd moons, the dark spot at Saturn's pole and the surface and cloud features of Titan. He then proceeded to explain what we knew about Titan from Earth based observations including an incredible movie of a star passing behind Titan and being bent around the moon, as seen with the 10-metre Keck telescope and adaptive optics - so good he showed it twice! Then, in a world exclusive, he showed his own research when he and colleagues used the Ultracam on the 4.2-metre WHT in the Canary Islands last November, showing the smallest features ever seen in Titan's atmosphere, less than 1km across. These results have not been published yet so we got to see the work before anyone else in the world. It was a thrilling and brilliantly presented talk, one of the highlights of the year. Alan has spoken to the society in the past and we'll be sure to invite him again. Highly recommended. I wish you all could have been there, and in a way, you can. We hope to put the lecture online on our website so you can watch it ('streaming video' like Windows Media player, Real Player, etc can view using a modem or broadband). For the first time ever we are planning to put the lecture onto CD-ROM which will allow an even higher quality production. There will have to be a small charge to cover the cost of the latter, perhaps 5euro including postage? If you would be interested in this option let us know NOW please (just hit 'reply') as once the Star-B-Q is over we'll get to work on this project. Our next Leinster area public lecture should be equally thrilling when the Director of Armagh Planetarium, Dr. Tom Mason, gives his FIRST EVER lecture to Astronomy Ireland. Details are at www.astronomy.ie/lecture0409.html Click the link on that page to reserve your seats now! 3. STAR-B-Q RECORD? In the last email I grossly underestimated how many places had been booked at our Star-B-Q this Friday August 13. It was double the 200 I said then, with over 400 people having booked to date. That's close to the 500+ that booked last year for the Star-B-Q that featured the Mars close approach and set an all time attendance record. If you haven't booked already please do so today or tomorrow by clicking the Star-B-Q link on our website www.astronomy.ie where you'll find the online secure booking form and details of the talks, naked eye viewing, binocular astronomy, telescopes and the barbecue. All food and soft drinks are included in the ticket price of 25euro for adults (20euro for under 16s) so please book now and support our annual fund raiser that has been the biggest annual viewing event in Ireland for many years. It's aimed at the general public so bring some friends and forward this to anyone or any group you know on the internet. Don't be left out! STOP PRESS: Looks like we'll have a comet to view this weekend also. Comet LINEAR (2003 K4) is reported at magnitude 6 and so should be easily visible in the telescopes. It's not far from the bright star Arcturus - see the chart in the July issue of our magazine. Regards and clear skies, David Moore, Chairman, Astronomy Ireland. Editor "Astronomy & Space" magazine. www.astronomy.ie Astronomy Shop: Tel (01) 847 0777 Mon-Sat

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[Astronomy Ireland] Lecture, Perseids, Newsline, Star-B-Q
by Astronomy Ireland 09 Aug '04

09 Aug '04

ASTRONOMY IRELAND MAILING LIST - www.astronomy.ie (The all-Ireland astronomy club, magazine and Shop) --------------------------------------------------- 1. PUBLIC LECTURE about Saturn probe CASSINI-HUYGENS and Titan For those in the Leinster area, Dr Alan Fitzsimmons (from Belfast) will give Astronomy Ireland's AUGUST PUBLIC LECTURE "Titan Blinks" tonight Monday August 9th in Dublin City University at 8pm. With the Cassini spacecraft now safely in orbit about Saturn and due to release the Huygens probe on Christmas Day that will then land on the surface of Titan (Saturn's largest moon) there could not be a better time to review what we know about Titan, particularly from an event witnessed from Earth last November. Intrigued? Then come along and hear Dr Fitzsimmons (from Queens University Belfast), who is an excellent speak and an expert in planetary astronomy. ALL WELCOME. This talk is aimed at the general public. Admission 5euro (3euro for anyone carrying a copy of the August issues of A&S!). FREE TO STUDENTS (show valid student card at door). Details, and map of DCU at www.astronomy.ie/lecture0408.html Main lecture theatre in the Henry Grattan Building (follow the signs), next to THE HELIX. 2. PERSEID METEOR SHOWER I saw a few of these while on holiday last week in partially clear skies. The numbers will increase until the nights of maximum activity which should be Wednesday and Thursday nights this week, with pre-dawn on Thursday morning being officially best. The Moon is out of the way this year so conditions are ideal for the best annual shooting star shower. Watch every night this week and in to early next week too though, as clear skies cannot be guaranteed. Don't forget that this year's Star-B-Q is set for Friday deliberately to get a very good display of the Perseids - see below. Full details of the meteor shower, how best to see them (lots of tips), etc., are in the August issue of the magazine on page 28: click here to have a copy posted to you TODAY www.astronomy.ie/sub 3. NEWSLINES THIS WEEK This will be updated by 7pm tonight (just back from holidays!) This week's headlines are: PERSEIDS PEAK VENUS NEAR CRESCENT MOON SATURN NEAR CRESCENT MOON MERCURY PROBE LAUNCHED SEE NEPTUNE STAR-B-Q Please call our Newslines on: 1550-111-442 and 09001-88-1950 IRELAND U.K. 95c/min 60p/min (call costs from mobiles may vary) FAXBACK SERVICE: Use your fax (or modem and fax software) to get a printed copy of the weekly script I write (Ireland only) on 1580-111-767 (calls cost 240c/min but are much shorter than voice service). 4. STAR-B-Q Ireland's premier observing event take place this Friday and a special attraction will be the Perseid Meteor Shower (see above). Second only in popularity to Astro-Expo (in November), "Star-B-Q" is a barbecue under the stars with lots of large telescopes aimed at the wonders of the universe for the general public to see like few on Earth have ever seen them. There will be binocular and naked-eye guides to the night sky also, an indoor lecture, and of course all the food you can eat from the barbecue. Over 200 hundred people from all around Ireland have already booked and there are only a few days left to get your tickets, which you can do online at www.astronomy.ie/sbq.html by credit card, or by calling in to our Shop/office in Artane, Dublin 5 ( www.astronomy.ie/map.html ). Regards and clear skies, David Moore, Chairman, Astronomy Ireland. Editor "Astronomy & Space" magazine. www.astronomy.ie Astronomy Shop: Tel (01) 847 0777 Mon-Sat

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[Astronomy Ireland] Sky At Night, Newsline, Lecture Aug 9, Star-B-Q
by Astronomy Ireland 02 Aug '04

02 Aug '04

ASTRONOMY IRELAND MAILING LIST - www.astronomy.ie (The all-Ireland astronomy club, magazine and Shop) --------------------------------------------------- 1. PATRICK MOORE BACK Last night Sir Patrick Moore returned to present The Sky at Night on BBC television after his absence last month caused by illness. The show was about the Cassini mission (see our Public Lecture next Monday below). If you missed it the show will be repeated on Saturday August 7 on BBC 2 TV. You can also see past episodes online: www.bbc.co.uk/skyatnight 2. NEWSLINES THIS WEEK This week's headlines are: Patrick Moore back; Neptune at opposition while near bright star; 3 comets on view; and, Star-B-Q August 13th. 1550-111-442 and 09001-88-1950 IRELAND U.K. 95c/min 60p/min (call costs from mobiles may vary) FAXBACK SERVICE: Use your fax (or modem and fax software) to get a printed copy the weekly script I write (Ireland only) on 1580-111-767 (calls cost 240c/min but are much shorter than voice service). 3. Don't miss our Public Lecture next Monday August 9th in Dublin City University "TITAN BLINKS" is a round up of what we know about Saturn's biggest moon Titan as the Cassini probe gears up to study the moon in depth and release the European Huygens probe on Christmas Day to land on this intriguing moon's surface. Titan has been called an Earth in deep-freeze. Come along on Monday and hear Dr Alan Fitzsimmons explain why. For details and to reserve seats (then pay at the door) see www.astronomy.ie/lecture0408.html 4. Summer Astronomy Festival "Star-B-Q" This takes place next week remember, August 13, and already over 200 people have booked. For details and online booking see www.astronomy.ie/sbq.html and be a part of Ireland's biggest annual telescope viewing event. Regards and clear skies, David Moore, Chairman, Astronomy Ireland. Editor "Astronomy & Space" magazine. www.astronomy.ie Astronomy Shop: Tel (01) 847 0777 Mon-Sat

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