Category Archives: Event

Event

Lecture 4th January 2017 – Prof Mike Burton, Director, Armagh Observatory & Planetarium – “Galactic Explorers – Mapping the Molecular Gas of the Southern Milky Way”

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Professor Mike Burton has recently taken on the Directorship of Armagh Observatory and the Planetarium bringing both bodies under a single management. Prior to this he spent many years in Australia carrying our research into how stars form and the excitation of the interstellar medium in which this occurs. This makes uses the tools of infrared and millimetre-wave astronomy, measuring the spectral signatures arising from the gas and dust in interstellar molecular clouds.

We are very pleased to welcome Prof Burton to the IAA to talk to us about "Explorers of the Galaxy"

Further details here….

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. 

 

Picture by Bernie Brown

Event

Lecture – Weds 14th Dec – Aoife McCloskey, TCD – “Sunspots and Solar Flares: How can we forecast space weather?”

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One of the most challenging endeavours in modern technological society is predicting the occurrence of adverse space weather conditions in the near-Earth space environment that are hazardous to technology and human life. The main source of adverse space weather is our active star, the Sun. Solar flares are highly energetic events that occur on the Sun, but can directly impact day-to-day technologies in space (e.g. satellites, GPS signals, astronaut radiation) and on Earth (e.g. radio communication).
 
The main scientific questions to answer are when, where and why do these events occur on the Sun? If we can answer these, then we can better prepare for their impact here at Earth. The energy that powers these energetic events is known to come from magnetic energy stored in sunspot groups – dark regions/spots of strong magnetic field on the surface of the Sun. This talk will address the present state of space weather prediction and ongoing research, including using sunspots to predict solar flares, that aims to improve the capabilities of current space weather forecasting. 
 
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

“Heavens Above” – the IAA’s Astrophotography Exhibition 9th Nov – 27th Dec, Clotworthy Arts Centre, Antrim

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Update: This exhibition is now extended until Tues 27th December so plenty more time to see it!
 
On the morning of Wednesday 9th November, “Heavens Above”, an exhibition of astonishing photographs of the sky taken exclusively by members of the Association, will open to the public. 
 
The exhibition at The Clotworthy Arts Centre, Antrim will run until Sunday 3rd December and admission will be free to all.
 
Covering a range of subject matter from the mysterious clouds of the Milky Way, through the electric colours of the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) down to the detailed capture of time-critical celestial events such as Solar and Lunar eclipses, this exhibition is a must see for anyone with an interest in the sky above us.
 
Some of the pictures in this exhibition have been taken with specialist equipment from exotic locations in order to capture the very best starlight possible, however many others have also been captured from ordinary locations in Northern Ireland using off the shelf photographic equipment that many people would use for holiday snapshots. It is a measure of how far modern technology has come that such equipment is also able to capture such fabulous images in very low light.
 
Included in “Heavens Above” are category winners of the International Astronomy Photographer of the Year Competition organised by the Royal Greenwich Observatory in London, and also the recent winner of Amateur Astrophotography Ezine’s “Milky Way” competition.
 
In the New Year the Exhibition will move to new venues in Lisburn and Downpatrick.
 
Event

IAA Public Astronomy Outreach Event, Cullyhanna, Co Armagh, Sunday 4th December “Winter Sky Spectacular”. 5 p.m. to about 9.30 p.m

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Join members of the Irish Astronomical Association as they show you the wonders of the winter sky through their powerful telescopes at Cullyhanna Community Centre (Follow link for directions, SatNav BT35 0PZ  and Overhead view – Community Centre marked by red circle http://irishastro.org/cullyhannacc.jpg) on Sunday 4th December.
 
See Venus, Earth's sister planet, and the one closest to Earth, and the brightest object in the night sky after the Moon: it's also known as the beautiful Evening Star.
 
There will also be a lovely crescent moon, with the 'Old Moon in the New Moon's Arms'.
 
And we'll also view mysterious Mars – possibly the abode of simple life forms.
 
Another treat will be a pass over Ireland of the International Space Station – easily visible with your own eyes if you know when and where to look.
 
Then there are all the usual wonders of the winter night sky – the lovely Pleiades or Seven Sisters; the huge Andromeda Galaxy – twice as big as our own Milky Way galaxy, lying at the incredible distance of 2.5 million light years, or about 25 million million million miles! Even at that distance you can see it with your own unaided eyes and we will show you where to look.
 
And there's everyone's favourite constellation: Orion, the Mighty Hunter, with his famous 'Sword', which is actually a gigantic cloud of shining gas and dust, in which stars and planets are being born as we look. Orion's two brightest stars are truly amazing: Betelgeuse is a Red Supergiant, so big that it would engulf the orbits of the three innermost planets in our solar system: Mercury, Venus and Earth! Rigel is not so big, but it's very very hot, and tens of thousands of times brighter than our Sun.
 
And there's much much more all around the night sky, in Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Auriga, the Great Bear, and so on.
 
Even if it's cloudy there will be plenty to interest everyone: We'll have the portable Stardome, kindly loaned by Armagh Planetarium, in which we will give amazing starshows touring the universe from our own Earth to the far reaches of the universe.
 
We'll also have an exhibition of all sorts of interesting things to do with astronomy and space, including a selection of meteorites: rocks which have actually come from outer space to planet Earth.
Event

Lecture – Weds 30th Nov – Dr Wes Fraser (QUB) – “Recent space exploration: small guys take the spotlight”

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In the last few years, we have witnessed a second renaissance in robotic space exploration. Unlike the era of Voyager and Magellan however, the missions that have truly caught the public’s eye have visited the Solar System’s small objects. New Horizons to Pluto, Rosetta to comet 67P, Dawn to Ceres and Vesta, we now have a deep understanding of these small bodies implicating facts about their formation that we are still yet to fully appreciate.
 
Working our way from the asteroid belt outwards, I will give an overview of each mission, including details of the spacecraft, and summarize the astrophysical import of some of the landmark results each mission has produced. Along the way, I will show some of the most spectacular space photos ever taken, and some of social media’s often hilarious reactions to humanity’s latest space explorations.
 
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 16th Nov – Eleanor Edwards – “The Space Academy” and Paul Evans – “Beginners’ Astrophotography”

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Something a little different, this meeting is aimed at newcomers and beginners reflecting the substantial influx of new members this season.  IAA Schools Officer Eleanor Edwards will describe her involvement with the UK's Space Academy, and how it relates to teaching astronomy and space science in schools. IAA President Paul Evans will then talk about everything you need to know about getting started in astrophotography, using just your camera and a tripod, leading on to simple imaging through a telescope and a few fun techniques for presenting your work! 
 
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 2nd Nov – Dr David Malone (NUIM) “How we tell the time”

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Knowing the date and time is a question that is tightly tied up with astronomy, combined with some history, politics and a bit of physics. This talk will give a summary of how the calendar and clock we have today has changed from ancient times right up to 2016.

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 19th Oct – Dr Morgan Fraser (UCD) “Gaia: Mapping the Milky Way and Beyond from Space”

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Gaia is the European Space Agency's flagship mission for this decade, and is revolutionising our understanding of the Milky Way and beyond, by allowing astronomers to measure distances to a billion stars. 
 
I will outline the Gaia mission, and some of the technology that makes this possible. As the first public Gaia data release is made in September 2016, I will highlight some of the key science results to date, and discuss some of the things to look forward to from Gaia in the future. Finally, I will talk about the Gaia Alerts project, which uses Gaia data to find transients, and how amateur astronomers are getting involved.
 
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 5th Oct – Prof Jose Groh (TCD) – “Live fast and die hard: the evolution and death of massive stars”

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“Live fast and die hard: the evolution and death of massive stars”
 
Stars more massive than 8 Suns end their lives in dramatic supernova explosions. But before dying, these monster stars have tumultuous lives when they blow winds, suffer giant eruptions, and interact with companion stars. In this talk, Prof. Jose Groh (TCD) will give an overview on the fast lives of the most massive stars in the Universe and how they evolve. He will also discuss the roles of massive, monster stars as cosmic engines of the Universe.
 
This promises to be a masterclass in the role played by the biggest stars in our Universe and is a must see!
 
This is a World Space Week event
 
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

Opening Lecture Weds 21st September – Prof Alan Fitzsimmons – “Sungrazing Comets – Falling Into Hell”

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This year's season opener features a return visit to the IAA by Prof Alan Fitzsimmons of QUB's Astrophysics Research Centre on the subject of "Sungrazing Comets – Falling Into Hell". Alan is one of our greatest supporters and most popular speakers and has given us many superb lectures over a period measured in decades. This once again promises to be an excellent start to our new lecture season. 
 
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.