June 2006 - astronomy@lists.redbrick.dcu.ie

[Astronomy Ireland] See Space Shuttle chase I.S.S!
by Astronomy Ireland 30 Jun '06

30 Jun '06

An extremely rare event will take place this weekend: The Space Shuttle Discovery is due to be launched Saturday (July 1) at 8:49pm (Irish time) to the International Space Station. Some 20 minutes after launch Discovery should fly over Ireland and could be seen, especially from the South of Ireland, low in the South but in daylight as the Sun will be still above the horizon. On the next pass of the I.S.S. at 10:31pm you may see the Shuttle chasing it across the sky, though there may be a delay of up to 10 minutes between the two. It all depends on the launch of the Shuttle, which can often be delayed or postponed due to weather or technical difficulties. Watch the launch on NASA TV available here: www.nasa.gov/ntv We will be updating our 1550-111-442 Newsline by 12 noon tomorrow with the latest prediction AND NEWS, and also later again that day if news warrants so do give it a call. We'll also be able to keep you updated via the Newsline with the even closer "space chase" of these two huge objects on Sunday when we should be able to see both in a dark sky. Please call each day after 12noon. It should be an amazing spectacle so let's hope for an on-time launch and clear skies. Please email observe(a)astronomy.ie telling us what you see (and your location) for the report we'll do for our magazine. Please pass on the 1550-111-422 newsline to everyone you know as we have not had time to release this story to the media yet. Astronomy Ireland Visit our Shop - open Saturday 12noon to 6pm remember. Tel (01) 847 0777 www.astronomy.ie/shop July 10 - Next Public Lecture available on DVD nationwide: www.astronomy.ie August 26 - "Star-B-Q" Ireland's biggest annual telescope event. Book now at www.astronomy.ie

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[Astronomy Ireland] Rare Space Chase this weekend, Lecture Online, Summer Sale
by Astronomy Ireland 22 Jun '06

22 Jun '06

1. I.S.S. "Space Chase" The International Space Station is visible in evening skies every night this week and next week, until June 30th. (For newcomers it looks like an extremely bright 'star' crossing the sky in 1 or 2 minutes high up in the South, moving from right to left). On Saturday afternoon an unmanned Progress re-supply craft will be launched to dock with I.S.S. on Monday afternoon. So, on Saturday and Sunday nights we should see the Progress craft as a less bright 'star' following I.S.S. across the sky! This is an extremely rare sight so please email observe(a)astronomy.ie if you see it so we can include you in our report for our magazine (www.astronomy.ie/sub) On board I.S.S. are Russian Pavel Vinogradov and American Jeff Williams. Their 6 month tour of duty on I.S.S. started on March 31. On July 1 NASA is to launch the Shuttle to I.S.S. despite fears about its reliability! Listen to Leo Enright comment about this on RTE Radio 1's Morning Ireland: http://dynamic.rte.ie/av/morningireland/2150026.smil I.S.S. flies over at different time each evening until June 30. The most accurate predictions are available after 12 noon each day on our Newsline, call 1550-111-442 (calls cost 95c/min) Please tell your friends about the "space chase" especially as I.S.S. is an easy naked eye sight requiring no binoculars or telescopes to see. For more background to I.S.S. see the ISS page on our website (left hand menu) www.astronomy.ie where you can also join Astronomy Ireland. That number for predictions again is 1550-111-442 and it's updated by 12 noon each day with the time to watch that evening. 2. Lecture Online Everyone in Ireland (and the rest of the world!) can download a small version (38MB!) of our June lecture from our website www.astronomy.ie ("Lecture Webcast" in menu at left). Better still, you can order the full quality DVD for just 5euro + postage. We want as many people around the country to be able to avail of the monthly lectures Astronomy Ireland videotapes and we try to keep the cost low. Order DVDs securely online at the website www.astronomy.ie ("Lecture DVD" in the menu at left - or click here: www.astronomy.ie/lectureDVD.html We have about 2 dozen lectures available on DVD now!) Chris Dainty from Galway University gave the June lecture, all about "Adaptive Optics". It was a superb lecture from a world authority in this field. What impressed us was his statement that all future high resolution imaging of the universe is going to be done by large ground based telescopes, forget space telescopes. It's a fascinating area and Prof. Dainty explained it extremely well. At least check out the "taster" version of the talk on our website and then get a copy of the DVD to see it in its full quality. Our next lecture (July 10) should be a humdinger also: Kevin Sweeney (his superb images of the universe often grace the pages of our Gallery in the magazine) will explain exactly how he takes such stunning images (often while he sleeps!). You can order tickets to his lecture now if you live in/near Dublin at www.astronomy.ie/lecture0607.html Or if you live too far from Dublin place your order now for the DVD we will be making, click here: www.astronomy.ie/lectureDVD.html 3. Clearance Sale!!! Our big summer clear out sale continues this weekend. Download the list of some of the items from www.astronomy.ie/sale2006.rtf or visit our Shop in Dublin 5 Mon-Fri up to 5:30pm and on Saturday from 12noon until 6pm. We're open to offers on all the items on sale - TELESCOPES, eyepieces, mounts, accessories - everything must go to make way for new stock! Map to the Shop is here: www.astronomy.ie/shop Or call (01) 847 0777 for help and advice P.S. - Don't forget our Radio Show every Tuesday at 8pm. Download it now at www.astronomy.ie/radioshow.html - Jupiter blazes in the South each evening see our magazine re the new Earth-sized red spot due to pass the Great Red Spot July 10ish ASTRONOMY IRELAND - your national astronomy society (and biggest in world relative to population) - NEW MEMBERS WANTED - no experience necessary! www.astronomy.ie/sub - publisher Ireland's only astronomy magazine - the biggest telescope Shop in Ireland: Call (01) 847 0777 Monday to Saturday

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[Astronomy Ireland] Public Lecture Monday June 12
by Astronomy Ireland 08 Jun '06

08 Jun '06

"Adaptive Optics" is the title of Astronomy Ireland's June Public Lecture and it promises to be a humdinger for anyone who wants to know what the world's most powerful telescopes can show. The lecture is aimed at the general public so do bring as many friends as possible. Prof Chris Dainty from The National University of Ireland, Galway will explain the fascinating developments in this area that enables astronomers to sharpen the normally blurred images that the world's largest telescopes produce due to the distorting effect of the Earth's atmosphere. Prof Dainty is a leading authority on the subject who has come to Ireland to continue his research in this fascinating area. Something like 2 billion euro was put in to the development of the Hubble Space Telescope and one benefit that HST has is that it is above the blurring effects of the Earth's atmosphere. However, there are ground based telescopes 20 times more powerful than Hubble that cost 20 times less (e.g. 10 metre Keck on Hawaii) and had such vast sums of money have been channelled in to developing the field of adaptive optics many people argue we would be able to see more for less money spent. Even bigger ground based telescopes are planned for the future and they will all use adaptive optics to make them perform even more spectacularly. The field of adaptive optics owes a lot to military spy satellite technology and today the latest systems shoot powerful lasers in to the upper atmosphere where they can light up a layer of sodium 100km above the ground providing artificial stars for the new telescopes to lock on to. The technology of Adaptive Optics includes "rubber mirrors" that move up to a thousand times a second to remove the shimmering effects of the Earth's atmosphere. But it's not all billion dollar science, there are amateur applications too, so come along and find out how it all works and see some of the incredible results - like the images of the black hole at the centre of our galaxy, the Milky Way! (movie www.eso.org/outreach/press-rel/pr-2002/video/vid-02-02.mpg , details www.eso.org/outreach/press-rel/pr-2002/pr-17-02.html ) IT'S FOR YOU! This Lecture is open to everyone so we hope to see you all there next Monday, unless you live outside Leinster, in which case we will be videotaping the lecture for you and putting a small downloadable version on our website FREE (or order the high quality DVD for just 5 euro which you can keep as a service to the 70% of you that live outside Dublin). DETAILS: Date: Monday June 12 at 8pm Venue: Dublin City University (Henry Grattan Building) Admission: 5euro (3euro to members,students,under 18s, Over 65s, unwaged). ALL WELCOME More details, maps, public transport, etc at www.astronomy.ie/lecture0606.html ( get downloadable past lectures now: www.astronomy.ie/webcast/webcast.html ) (order DVDs here: http://www.astronomy.ie/lectureDVD.html including THIS JUNE LECTURE - order now please) Looking forward to seeing all of you in the Leinster area on Monday. David Moore, Chairman, Astronomy Ireland. P.S. - Don't forget our Radio Show every Tuesday at 8pm. Download it now at www.astronomy.ie/radioshow.html - Saturn is near the Beehive (and Mars is closing in on both of them). See magazine www.astronomy.ie/sub - Jupiter near the Moon tonight June 8 (see magazine) and that new Earth-sized red spot is about to collide with the Great Red Spot (see July issue out next week) - Antares very near the Moon Friday June 9 (see magazine) - Moon occults a close double star on Saturday night (see magazine) - Huge Summer Clearance Sale in our Shop this month - see www.astronomy.ie for list of some bargains (or reply to this email and we'll email the list) ASTRONOMY IRELAND - your national astronomy society (and biggest in world relative to population) - publisher Ireland's only astronomy magazine - the biggest telescope Shop in Ireland: tel (01) 847 0777 Monday to Saturday up to 5:30pm

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