SYNOPSIS

Over the past 30 years, we have discovered thousands of exoplanets, but at the same time we have also started to find other objects around these stars, including exo-comets and giant exorings, some of which might be one astronomical unit across. I will discuss some of these strange objects, how we find them and how we can investigate them.

Brief biography

Dr. Ernst de Mooij is a Senior Lecturer at Queen’s University Belfast. He obtained his PhD from Leiden University, after which he became a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Toronto. Subsequently he moved to Queen’s University Belfast as the Michael West Fellow, following on from that he was an assistant professor for 3 years at Dublin City University.

His research is focused on the characterisation of exoplanets, focusing in particular on their atmospheres and the circumplanetary environment, including exorings. He has also been investigating exo-comets, particularly those orbiting beta Pictoris.

Abstract:
Astronomers can be frustrated by bad weather and day-light when trying to make observations of celestial sources. Within the last 20 years a series of satellites have been launched allowing astronomers to obtain virtually uninterrupted observations of stars lasting months or even years. I will outline some of the results from these observations which have allowed us to probe into the core of stars and the discovery of thousands of planets orbiting other stars.
Bio:
Gavin obtained his PhD in X-ray observations of accreting binary stars from UCL’s Mullard Space Science Lab, after which he spent two years at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands. Returning to MSSL for more than ten years, he then moved to Armagh Observatory. His interests include accreting binaries, stellar activity, transients and exo-planets and uses multi-wavelength observations from radio to X-ray bands. He is the Community Scientist for ESA’s Plato mission due to be launched early in 2027.

 Constructing the largest telescope in the World, bigger than the Colosseum and high up in the Andes Mountain, has proven to be challenging. It is however already well on its way and promises us images of Earth-like planets around nearby stars, the ability to search for signs of life in their atmospheres and an understanding of how the first galaxies formed.

In this talk, Professor Tom Ray, President of the European Southern Observatory, will explain how engineers and astronomers have overcome the difficulties in building such a colossus and what it can do to help us unravel the birth of the Universe and address the age-old question of whether we are alone.

Unfortunately due to circumstances outside our control, the lecture by Dr Ernst de Mooj has had to be rearranged for March 18.

We are extremely grateful to one of our past Presidents, Paul Evans, for stepping in at a day’s notice to give us an alternative lecture on the latest on NASA’s Artemis Mission to the Moon.

This is very timely, with the first human-crewed mission to the Moon for over 50 years due to launch within the next month or so. This is an updated version of a very popular talk that Paul has already given to various groups. So it promises to be fascinating!

The meeting will begin with a short address by NI STEM Ambassador Manager, Dr Hanagh Winter.

VENUE: Larmor Lecture Theatre, Astrophysics Research Centre, Physics Building, QUB.

Admission free, including light refreshments, All welcome.

“The Nitrogen Crisis in the Early Universe” by Dr Jorick Vink, Senior Research Astronomer at Armagh Observatory & Planetarium,

Synopsis
Nitrogen is one of the key elements for life, yet its origins in the early Universe remain surprisingly uncertain. Recent observations of very distant galaxies with the James Webb Space Telescope have revealed unexpectedly high levels of nitrogen — levels that are difficult to explain with our standard ideas about how stars form and evolve. In this talk, I will explain where nitrogen is thought to come from, why these new discoveries pose a serious challenge to our current understanding, and how new insights into the lives of massive and very massive stars may help to solve this cosmic puzzle.

Brief biography
Jorick Vink is an Astrophysicist at Armagh Observatory & Planetarium, where he studies some of the most massive stars in the Universe and their role in shaping galaxies over cosmic time. He is Principal Investigator of the ESO Large Programme X-Shooting Ulysses: Massive Stars at Low Metallicity, and combines observations from major telescopes with theoretical models to understand how massive stars evolve and how they produce heavy elements and black holes.

“Kilonovae and the origin of the heavy elements”

Synopsis:

It is generally agreed that only hydrogen and helium were present in significant quantities immediately after the Big Bang, and so the question of how astronomical objects have created all the heavier elements has been a longstanding topic of research. In particular, the origin of the heaviest elements (those beyond the iron group) has been particularly difficult to explain. New insights on this have emerged in recent years thanks to the first clear identifications of astronomical explosions associated with the mergers of neutron stars, so-called “kilonovae”: these transients have been found thanks to advances in “multi-messenger” astrophysics, in which gravitational wave detectors and satellite telescopes (including gamma-ray and infrared observations) have made it possible to find and study these events. I will discuss our progress in the study of kilonovae, particularly efforts at Queen’s and elsewhere to understand the role they play in creating the heavy elements.

Bio:

Originally from the north east of Scotland, Stuart Sim studied at the University of Oxford (1995 to 2002) before working as an astrophysics researcher in London, Munich and Canberra. Since 2013 he has been a member of the Astrophysics Research Centre and Queen’s University Belfast where he was made professor of theoretical astrophysics in 2024. His research is focussed on studying astrophysical explosions, including supernovae and kilonovae, with an emphasis on using computer simulations to interpret data and understand the physics that undermines these phenomena.

VENUE: Larmor Lecture Theatre, Astrophysics Research Centre, Physics Building, QUB.

Admission free, including light refreshments, All welcome.

“Observing Asteroid Occultations from a Remote Observatory” by Michael O’Connell

Brief Synopsis:

Occultations are essentially mini-eclipses where a planetary body (such as the Moon, planet or asteroid), blocks the light of a star or other stellar target from reaching the Earth. The dip in the light curve due to this shadow effect can be analysed to tell us something about the planetary body or the stellar target itself. Michael’s talk aims to present some of the basics of observing occultations and the results derived therefrom. Michael will also explain how he is using his equipment in a remote observatory in Spain to pursue these observations.

Bio:

Michael is an amateur astronomer residing in Co. Kildare. Michael is a former chairperson of the Irish Federation of Astronomical Societies (IFAS) and Midlands Astronomy Club (MAC).

Aside from observing occultation events, Michael is also an active solar observer, member of the BAA, and operates 3 meteor cameras from his home as part of the Global Meteor Network (GMN).

Michael has previously presented to the IAA on the topics of ‘The Antikythera Mechanism’ and ‘Amateur Observations of Meteors’.

Venue: Larmor Lecture Theatre, Astrophysics Research Centre, Physics Building, QUB.

Admission free, including light refreshments, All welcome.