Category Archives: Event

Event

Lecture: Weds 31st October – Dr. Marc Sarzi (AOP) – “Supermassive Black Holes, the DNA of galaxies?”

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Abstract: Supermassive black holes, million to billion times more massive than the Sun, are now believed to lurk at the centre of every galaxy. Furthermore, it would appear that supermassive black holes "know" in which galaxy they live, as bigger galaxies contain bigger supermassive black holes and vice versa. This suggests that the formation of galaxies and the growth of supermassive black holes are tightly linked, which is surprising considering that despite their tremendous mass such black holes are still much smaller than their host galaxies, just like DNA molecules to a human body. Could they play a similarly vital role in the growth of galaxies?

 
Bio: Dr. Marc Sarzi is the Head of Research at Armagh Observatory & Planetarium, and is a former SFTC Public Engagement Fellow.
 
Doors open about 7.15pm. There is free parking available on the campus in the evenings. Admission Free, including light refreshments. We are located in the Bell Theatre, Department of Mathematics and Physics, QUB – details here……
 
With thanks to the Astrophysics Research Centre, QUB, for assistance with this event.
Event

Lecture Weds 17th Oct – Prof Gerry Doyle (AOP) – “The Probability of a Doomsday Solar Superflare: Fact or Fiction?”

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Here's Prof Doyle with the synopsis of his talk…….

"The first part of the talk is on solar flares, how they occur, their energy, etc .. then I go into stellar flares and show data from Kepler on flares from solar-like stars and discuss whether such super-flares could occur on the Sun .. i include spot data over the past 300 years .. what is happening now, predications for the next cycle, how a super-flare could occur on the Sun .. plus observations from 900 years ago."

 

Doors open about 7.15pm. There is free parking available on the campus in the evenings. Admission Free, including light refreshments. We are located in the Bell Theatre, Department of Mathematics and Physics, QUB – details here……

 
With thanks to the Astrophysics Research Centre, QUB, for assistance with this event.
Event

Irish / World Space Week – 4th – 10th October

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Observing at Delamont Country Park is ON tonight Sat 6th Oct

 

As well as our Lecture with Prof Frank Drury on 3rd October, we hope, weather permitting,  to hold an Observing Night at Delamont Country Park in Co Down on either Friday 5th or Saturday 6th October as part of Irish Space Week, and World Space Week. Keep an eye on this page of the Forum or our Facebook page for the latest update on whether the event is go/no-go.

As well as this, there are many other events taking place throughout Ireland listed on these pages…

Irish Space Week

World Space Week

Event

IAA Lecture Weds 3rd October – Prof Luke Drury (DIAS) – “Multimessenger Astronomy Comes of Age”

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Throughout most of its long history astronomy has been based on the study of light from the stars and other celestial objects. In the language of physics this is photonic astronomy, the photon being the quantum mechanical particle of light. Yet at least two other astronomies are possible according to standard physics. The graviton, the particle asssociated with gravity, and the neutrino, associated with the weak force, share the property of being electrically neutral and stable and can thus propagate undeflected over cosmic distances. Remarkably both these new astronomies have recorded significant developments in the last few years, notably the simultaneous detection of a merging neutron star binary in both gravitational waves and the optical and the recent claim of an association between high energy neutrinos detected in the ice-cube detector and a flaring AGN. 



Professor Luke Drury has recently stepped down as head of Astronomy and Astrophysics in the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies. He studied experimental physics and pure mathematics in Trinity College Dublin before a PhD in Astrophysics at the Institue of Astronomy, Cambridge. Subsequently he worked in the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg, Germany, before returning to Ireland in 1986

 

Doors open about 7.15pm. There is free parking available on the campus in the evenings. Admission Free, including light refreshments. We are located in the Bell Theatre, Department of Mathematics and Physics, QUB – details here……

 
With thanks to the Astrophysics Research Centre, QUB, for assistance with this event.
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Lecture Weds 19th September – Prof Frank Prendergast, Dublin Institute of Technology – “From Neolithic to Iron Age—three case studies in Irish archaeoastronomy”

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For the season opener we are very pleased to welcome Prof Frank Prendergast from Dublin.

 In his presentation, Frank will focus on contrasting prehistoric monuments where he has made significant discoveries. 
  • The Iron Age post enclosure at Lismullin, Co. Meath, discovered by top-soil stripping associated with the recent development of the M3 motorway, was an extraordinary ceremonial and ritual complex. It is now ranked as one of the most important Irish archaeological discoveries in recent years. The timber structure was the embodiment of structural perfection and symmetry and had an important astronomical alignment, indicative of its importance to the community that built it around 455 BC. 
  • The Neolithic passage tomb at Slieve Gullion, Co. Armagh is now known to be aligned on the setting sun at the winter solstice and is annually celebrated as a cultural heritage event of growing importance. The survey methodology used to make this discovery will be described, as will the broader cultural context and symbolism of the phenomenon. 
  • The third case study will present the author's findings relating to Ireland's largest stone circle located at Grange in Co. Limerick. This Neolithic monument was built  around 2,900 BC and embodies all the hallmarks of a ceremonial complex. But was it used as a calendrical device as is popularly believed? The speaker will confront those questions head on!                 

Doors open about 7.15pm. There is free parking available on the campus in the evenings. Admission Free, including light refreshments. We are located in the Bell Theatre, Department of Mathematics and Physics, QUB – details here……

 
With thanks to the Astrophysics Research Centre, QUB, for assistance with this event.
Event

IAA Solar Day at WWT, Castle Espie, near Comber; 18th August, 2pm. – 5pm

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The IAA will be back again at one of our favourite venues for our summer Solar Day on Saturday 18 August. We'll have solar observing if clear, using a variety of special safe solar observing equipment, an exhibition of telescopes, meteorites and other astronomical items, and of course the very popular shows in our own stardome. 

https://www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/castle-espie/whats-on/2018/08/18/solar-day/

These shows need to be booked in advance with the WWT – seewwt.org.uk, or email karl.simmonds@wwt.org.uk , tel 02891 875975

Event

Total Lunar Eclipse, Friday 27th July – Scrabo Tower and Knockagh Memorial – CANCELLED

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UPDATE: Weather – Cloud now 100% – Event Cancelled
 
Some call it a ‘Blood Moon’, but it’s actually the effect of a Total Lunar Eclipse, when the Moon turns a reddish colour – anywhere from orange to a deep crimson. And the fascinating thing is that we can’t tell in advance just how red it will be: that depends on the state of our atmosphere at the time.
 
A lunar eclipse happens when the Sun, Earth and Moon line up exactly in a straight line, and thus the Moon passes into the shadow of the Earth as it orbits around it.  
 
This will be the first Total Lunar Eclipse (TLE) visible from Ireland since 28 Sep 2015. It will be the longest TLE of this century, because the Moon will pass almost through the centre of the Earth's shadow, giving a particularly long traverse, although there are other factors too.
 
However we won’t see all of this eclipse, as the Moon will already be deep in the shadow as it rises above the horizon from Ireland. The maximum of the eclipse occurs at 9.21 pm, but the upper edge of the Moon won’t rise from Belfast until 9.27pm. It will take about 4 minutes more before the whole moon is fully above the horizon,
 
The total stage of the eclipse will end at 10.13pm, and by then the Moon will have risen to an altitude of only 4 degrees, or just about 8 times its own diameter, above the South East horizon, so to see it properly you must have a really clear view in that direction.
 
After the total phase when the whole of the Moon is in the Earth’s shadow, it starts to gradually emerge from the shadow, and this marks the Partial phase of the eclipse. That will end at 11.19pm, when the whole Moon has passed out of the darkest central part of the Earth’s shadow. It will then pass slowly through the faint outer penumbral shadow, but this is barely noticeable to the casual observer.
 
So you need to get as clear a view to the SE as possible, where the Moon will be deepest in eclipse as it rises.
 
Since by definition Full Moon is exactly opposite to the Sun in the sky, that means that there will still be bright twilight as the Moon rises, because the Sun will only just have set in the opposite part of the sky. And as the Moon may be a faint dull red colour, it may not be visible to the naked eye at first! Use binoculars if you have them to give you a better chance to spot it while it is still low down..
  
THE GOOD NEWS!
The IAA will hold TWO PUBLIC VIEWING EVENTS for this eclipse, starting at 9.15 p.m:
A: at Knockagh War Memorial Monument on the hill overlooking Greenisland, Co. Antrim, and
B. at the car park on Scrabo Hill, near Newtownards.
Both these locations have an excellent view to the SE, across Belfast Lough, and Strangford Lough, respectively. We will have a selection of telescopes and binoculars to give the best possible view of the eclipse, advice on how to photograph it; to look at Mars which will be at its closest to Earth since 2003; and to answer all your questions about eclipses, and astronomy generally.
 
MORE GOOD NEWS – we will also be treated to a very bright pass of the International Space Station just after 11 p.m. – that can be seen from anywhere in the country, but we will give you an informed running commentary on it.
 
 
Event

IAA Midsummer BBQ, Sat 23rd June, at Armagh Planetarium

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We are delighted to be able to confirm that the annual barbecue will again take place in the coach car park at Armagh Planetarium. We will be setting up from 3 p.m., and attending the Planetarium show at 4.00, “We are stars” (optional, the group rate admission charge of £7.50 per adult less 10% applies).

Please let Terry Moseley terrymosel@aol.com know BY RETURN if you will be attending the Planetarium show and how many in your group, so he can book seats.

For the BBQ, it’s the usual format – bring all your own consumables, cutlery, chairs etc if you want them – we supply the cooking facilities.

Terry will also conduct a tour of the Astropark, Hill of Infinity, Human Orrery, and the outside of the telescope domes.

Solar observing if clear.

We hope to see lots of you there.

Event

Solar Lecture and Annual General Meeting – Weds 18th April

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Wednesday 18th April marks the date of the 44th Annual General Meeting of the Association. The purposes of the meeting are to review the activities of the past year, elect a new Council for the coming year and for the Council to receive feedback from the membership on how they – that’s you – would like to see the Association develop.
 
We have also had a sub-committee sitting to decide whether or not the prestigious Aidan P Fitzgerald Award should be awarded this year, and if so, who the recipient should be. 
 
This award is given no more than once a year for “Outstanding Service to the Association” and is named after one of the leading members of the Association in the 1940s and 50s.
 
This year we are re-arranging the order of events in order to allow and custom url on youtube very special guest to speak to us prior to the formal business.
 
TITLE: “The Eye of the Giant: Solving the Sun’s mysteries with the European Solar Telescope”
 
Let’s be honest: the Sun, when compared to other stars, is a pretty mediocre star. It is not very big, it is not very small. It is not very hot, it is not very cold. And it is in the middle of its life. But it is our own star, the one that gives us light and warmth, the star that gives us life. Life in planet Earth would not be possible without our Sun. In this talk we will travel through the wonders of our very own nuclear reactor. I will talk about how Earth — and indeed all of us — interacts with the Sun, about the so-called Space Weather, about the internal workings of the star and about what we still do not know about it. After one hundred years since the discovery of magnetic field in the Sun by George Ellery Hale, still many questions remain unanswered. In this context, the European Solar Telescope mega-project will help scientists to extract the smallest details of the Sun’s atmosphere and, hopefully, to give an answer to some of the long standing mysteries that surround the Sun. I will end the talk by giving a first hand insight on this 4-meter class european solar telescope that will use tomorrow’s technology to bring the Sun a little bit closer to us. Click here and check maid service paramus nj near me
 
Dr Ada Ortiz is a researcher at the Rosseland Centre for Solar Physics of the University of Oslo. As a teenager, she loved Astronomy and wondering about what’s out there, and she would do whatever it takes to become a real astronomer. That’s why she took a BSc and a PhD in Physics at the University of Barcelona and became a Solar Physicist. Her PhD thesis was finalist for the AGU’s Scarf Award in 2004.
The topic of her PhD thesis was the variations on the observed solar irradiance due to magnetic activity present on the solar surface. Soon Ada moved towards observations of the Sun at very high spatial resolution and whatever spectropolarimetry techniques could tell us about the physical properties of the Sun’s atmosphere and its magnetism at the finest scales. Now she is focusing on the process of emergence of the magnetic field from the interior of the Sun upwards into the solar outer atmosphere and its effects in the Sun’s activity.
Her job has taken her to living in different places: the Rocky Mountains in Colorado (USA) for her first postdoc, Oslo (Norway), Granada (Spain) and now back to Oslo.
Ada is heavily involved in the European Solar Telescope project. She is a member of the EST Scientific Advisory Group (that will decide on the scientific questions to be tackled with EST) and has also an education & outreach component in her appointment as the scientific responsible for EST communications in Oslo.
When Ada is not scrutinizing the Sun, she can be found diving, skiing, or just enjoying the pleasures of life.
 
All are welcome, though of course only paid up members are eligible to vote on business matters. Doors open about 7.15pm. There is free parking available on the campus in the evenings. Admission Free, including light refreshments. We are located in the Bell Theatre, Department of Mathematics and Physics, QUB – details here……
 
With thanks to the Astrophysics Research Centre, QUB, for assistance with this event.