It’s a week for volcanoes!

Yesterday was the 30^th anniversary of the eruption of Mount St Helens in Washington State in the US. Fifty seven lives were lost when the huge pressure that had been building on the north flank of the mountain was released explosively on May 18^th, 1980. Read more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_St._Helens

Nasa’s Cassini spacecraft made a close flyby of Saturn’s moon Enceladus yesterday and is currently sending images back to mission control. Back in 2005, Cassini found cryo-volcanoes, or geysers, of water ice erupting from fractures in the crust of Enceladus and has even flown through one of the plumes to analyse the chemistry.

And so on to our our next meeting on Thursday, May 20^th when the topic will be volcanoes in the Solar System. It’s our last talk before the summer break and you are all welcome to come along to Gonzaga College in Ranelagh on the night (8pm start.) We will also show a documentary about volcanoes on Earth.

Talk to you soon,

John

086-8181931

The moment of New

Here’s a pretty amazing photograph taken by ace French astrophotographer Thierry Legault. He managed to image the Moon on April 14^th this year at the exact moment it was New! Read more and see the image at http://www.astrosurf.com/legault/new_moon_2010april14.html

Solarfest 2010

Michael O’Connell has sent details of Solarfest 2010, a one day event in Dunsink Observatory on Saturday, June 12th where amateur and professional astronomers from Ireland will speak about the Sun and observing our nearest star. Spaces are limited to 60 people so if you are interested in attending then please mail Michael directly at [email protected]

You might also like to check out a free magazine on solar astronomy that you can download at http://solar-observer.com/

Skysketcher blog

Deirdre Kelleghan continues to put huge energy into astronomy outreach and Dee also writes a regular blog about what’s happening in astronomy and space at http://www.deirdrekelleghan.com/blog.html Do drop by and read the latest about events that may be happening countrywide or in the world of astronomy and space exploration.

Deirdre also sent details of a lunar observing project which might interest educators and amateur astronomers. Read more at http://www.eaae-astronomy.org/eratosthenes/

Observing this Saturday

Aubrey has the following post on www.irishastronomy.org – please reply to the post there if you are interested in going along on Saturday evening.

“Good evening, amateur astronomers. Is there anyone interested in having an observing session this coming Friday night 21st May at the Martello Tower in Sandymount? At the moment the weather forecast is promising clear skies on Friday night after a warm sunny afternoon. I should be there at 9pm complete with 6.2″ refractor to observe half Moon, Venus and Saturn. Aubrey.”

iPhone software

A few people were in touch about astronomy software for the iPhone. The notes here are really based on the apps Michael O’Connell previously showed me but if you have downloaded any useful iPhone software then let me know and we’ll mail the members with details.

Observing this FridayMichael Murphy sends the follow note about IAS/SDAS observing this Friday;

“The weather looks good so the plan is to meet up at the Sugarloaf car park at 9:30pm. After that we can either stay in the car park or travel to our new site in Trooperstown for more observing.

If you are interested can you either reply to the thread on www.irishastronomy.org or ring 087-6398143 before 8pm on Friday to make sure the observing is going ahead.“

It won’t get very dark but Saturn will be well placed for viewing. The summer constellation Scorpius will be high enough just before midnight to spot the nice globular cluster M4 which lies near Antares, the red giant beating at the celestial scorpion’s heart. In fact, quite a few globular clusters can be swept up in even just binoculars at this time of year.

Globular clusters are giant conglomerations of up to half a million suns and are scattered in a halo about our Milky Way. Their stars are ancient and globulars themselves may be the remnants of satellite galaxies torn apart by tidal interaction with our own galaxy. Long-exposure photographs show them to be densely packed but collisions between stars in a globular are extremely rare. Still, for a planet orbiting a star in a globular cluster the night sky would never get truly dark.

Jupiter’s SEB fades

Aubrey phoned me a short while ago to say that the internet is abuzz with news that Jupiter’s South Equatorial Belt (SEB) has faded. Such an event occurs about every 3 or 15 years. Some planetary scientists believe it is due to higher altitude white clouds forming in the gas giant’s atmosphere and obscuring the lower SEB which is a darker hue. You can read more about the discovery at http://planetary.org/blog/article/00002477/ and http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18889-jupiter-loses-a-stripe.html

Jupiter rises around 2:30am these mornings so an early start to the day is required to catch a glimpse of the planet.

Young Moon and Venus

Saturday’s slender crescent Moon will only be 20¼ hours old – a breathtaking sight – when you spot it above the WSW skyline after sunset. The golden curl will be 5-degrees up at 9:30pm (summertime) and Venus lies to its upper left.  Mars and Saturn are also on view in the evening sky.

Spaceflight

Japan’s Akatsuki (Planet-C) space probe is due to lift off on May 17^th and will reach the planet Venus in December 2010. The mission objectives are to study the thick Venusian atmosphere from orbit and determine if there is ongoing volcanic activity on surface of which there have only been tantalising hints to date. Read more about the mission at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akatsuki_(spacecraft) … though the external links will probably have a lot more information.

The final mission of the Space Shuttle Atlantis is pencilled in for May 14^th. The crew will bring additional components to the International Space Station and install them during a number of spacewalks. Making his second spaceflight is Garrett Reisman who visited Ireland about a decade ago when still a trainee astronaut. If anyone is following the current plans for the US space programme then you may have just this week seen a number of the Apollo veterans criticise future NASA plans for space exploration. The current push is for NASA to embrace more private space ventures such as commercial vehicles to resupply the ISS, extending the life-time of the ISS to 2010 and to send astronauts to a near-Earth asteroid before committing to a manned mission to Mars. I believe this phased approach makes far more sense than hugely expensive task of establishing a permanent base on the Moon. Let the debate begin!

Sad news

I heard some sad news yesterday that Chris MacLochlainn, one of our members, died tragically during the week. Chris was one of the gentlest people you could meet and had a wide circle of friends. Our last conversation was some time back when Chris and I chatted about all aspects of the night sky. His many friends offer our deepest sympathy to his family at this time.

Hi all,

Hope everyone has been well and enjoying the continuing good weather.

I was over at classes last night and noticed during break that some of the kids that go to the School during the day had done a project to observe the lunar phases during the month of April. Cloudy evenings were sketched in too but there hadn’t been too many of those.

The project was a wonderful idea and really teaches us to observe. I don’t just mean as amateur astronomers but to really see the world around us and the subtle aspects of nature that we can often be so blind to.

One book that teaches us to do this is “How to Use Your Eyes” by James Elkins. It contains wonderful essays not just on observing things as an artist does but also reading the story behind many objects we take for granted. A piece written by the author’s sister stands out for me. We are challenged to scoop up a handful of sand next time we are on a beach and really study the grains under a loupe. Hard to believe that some of those grains may be hundreds of millions of years old and once were part of a seam in rock thrust up during a mountain building epoch before being ground down over the aeons. Some of those motes may even have gone through a sequence of such events in Earth’s history.

That history has been violent for sure when we read the geological record. It’s easy to think more of the present though as we read about the ongoing rumbles of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano which have led to severe disruption for many people. Yet volcanic activity is not just confined to Earth but has and continues to shape other worlds in the Solar System.

And that’s the topic of our next talk, “Alien Volcanoes, Alien Worlds.” We have pencilled in Thursday, May 20^th in Gonzaga College at 8pm for our lecture. It’s the last talk before the summer break and we would be delighted to see you along. There will also be some books people might be interested in picking up for free as the trimming of the bookshelves continues!

See you all soon,

John

086-8181931

Most of the following information was taken from Mary Mulvihill’s Science@Culture Bulleting (http://scienceculturebulletin.wordpress.com/ ) and Terry Moseley’s regular mails about all that is happening in the Irish astronomy and space scene.

Solarfest 2010

Michael O’Connell has sent details of Solarfest 2010, a one day event in Dunsink Observatory on Saturday, June 12^th where amateur and professional astronomers from Ireland will speak about the Sun and observing our nearest star. Spaces are limited to 60 people so if you are interested in attending then please mail Michael directly at [email protected]

BBC2 Tuesdays at 9pm

A great 6-part series on the story and history of science is currently running on BBC2. Catch the 3^rd episode tonight and read more about the series at http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00s9mms

Communicating Science Conference

This will be held in Armagh Planetarium on Thursday, May 13^th and more details can be found at https://members.engineersireland.ie/store/view_product.asp?id=467049

Irish Meteorological Society photo competition

The IMS will be running a photo competition until October 2010 and images on the theme of weather are invited to be submitted. Last year’s winner went on to scoop the European prize. More details at http://www.irishmetsociety.org/cms/

Some events from Terry Moseley’s mailing list …

Public Lecture, St. Patrick’s Trian, Armagh, 8.00pm Thursday 13 May.

Martin Hendry (Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Glasgow): “Did We Really Land on the Moon?”

More than 40 years after Apollo 11 there are a surprising number of theories around — in books, documentary programmes and the internet — that Neil Armstrong’s famous “One small step” was an elaborate hoax, filmed in secret here on Earth. Conspiracy theorists point to a range of “evidence” to support their claim, including waving flags, strange shadows, no stars in the sky and deadly solar radiation. In this talk, using real Apollo video footage and a series of simple demonstrations, we will take a closer look at the science behind “moon hoax” claims, and ask whether we really did land on the Moon.

The public lecture is free of charge and open to all. To obtain a ticket, please contact Mrs Aileen McKee, Armagh Observatory, College Hill, Armagh; Tel: 028-3752-2928; E-mail: [email protected].

Armagh Heritage Day 2010: FROM EARTH TO SKY: REFLECTING ON ARMAGH’S HERITAGE THROUGH TIME

Organized by the Armagh Visitor Education Committee (AVEC) at the Navan Centre, Killylea Road, Armagh, from 10:00am to 4.00pm on Wednesday 19th May.

This is the fifth heritage day organized by AVEC to promote the wealth of Armagh City and District’s cultural heritage.  This year the event, which will be opened by Councillor Thomas O’Hanlon, Mayor of Armagh City and District, will trace the historical development of Armagh from pre-Christian times right up to the present day.

The principal speaker is Professor Jim Mallory (Professor of Prehistoric Archaeology, Queen’s University Belfast), who will provide an introduction to Navan – Emain Mhacha – and the Celts.  Local speakers drawn from the membership of AVEC are Dr Greer Ramsey (Armagh County Museum), who will provide a view of Armagh through time using information and artefacts contained in the Armagh County Museum, and Professor Mark Bailey (Armagh Observatory) who will highlight how the results of modern astronomical research are providing a new framework for interpreting prehistory and Earth’s place in space.  There will also be guided tours of the Navan Centre and information and displays about the work of AVEC and its more than a dozen individual members, all of whom are working together to promote better cooperation, communication and partnership amongst the visitor attractions and education and lifelong learning institutions in the City of Armagh.

Admission to the event is free of charge and open to all. To obtain a ticket, please contact Mrs Aileen McKee, Armagh Observatory, College Hill, Armagh; Tel: 028-3752-2928; E-mail: [email protected]. The full programme as well as further information about the AVEC institutions can be accessed from the AVEC website http://scholars.arm.ac.uk/avec/.

Blackrock Castle Observatory Events:  First Fridays at the Castle, continues with a CIT Blackrock Castle Observatory open night this Friday May 7 which includes the Cork Science Café, Hubble anniversary image unveiling, workshops, lectures and stargazing events.

Contact: Clair McSweeney, Facilities Manager, Blackrock Castle Observatory, Blackrock, Cork. Tel: +353 21 4357917, Email: [email protected],  Web: www.bco.ie.

Blackrock Castle Observatory is Ireland’s official media and outreach representative for the European Southern Observatory, ESO, the most productive ground-based observatory in the world. www.eso.org/public/ireland

Space art competition for children

The European Space Agency has launched a monthly art competition series for children aged up to 14. There is a space-related theme each month and the winning entries will be featured on the ESA Kids website. Find out more at:

http://www.esa.int/esaKIDSen/SEMV1VZNK7G_OurUniverse_0.html