Event

IAA at Benburb Castle, Sat 9th April, 7 p.m

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The IAA has been invited to hold another one of our ever-popular public astronomy events at a new venue, Benburb Castle, Co Tyrone. We will have observing (if clear) of a lovely young crescent Moon, magnificent Jupiter, and maybe even glimpse the innermost planet, elusive little Mercury. Plus of course all the usual Deep Sky Objects visible in this darks-sky location.
 
There will also be a very good pass over by the brilliant ISS.
 
Benburb Castle is just S of the main street, the B128, in the village of Benburb. The B128 runs from Blackwatertown to Aughnacloy, and Benburb is just a few miles west of Blackwatertown, NW of Armagh City.
 
The entrance to the Castle from the B128 was misleading the last time I was there- it took you into the Priory instead! So to be sure, note this: the entrance drive is just West of the junction between the B128 and the B130 from Benburb to Dungannon. Thus, if coming from Blackwatertown, enter Benburb village along the B128 and look out for the junction with the B130 to the right. The entrance to the castle is the next entrance on your left.
 
GPS: The entrance to the Castle off the B128 is at N 54d 24' 43"; W: 6d 44' 46".
The 'Castle' itself (more of a collection of fortified houses, really) is at N 54d 24' 36"; W: 6d 44' 45".
 
Tea and coffee etc will be provided.
Event

Lecture 30th March – Kevin Nolan (The Planetary Society) “An Emerging Cosmic Perspective”

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For this talk we are very pleased to welcome Kevin Nolan who is the Irish representative for The Planetary Society.

The talk is called  "An Emerging Cosmic Perspective" and looks at some of the most recent images from The Hubble Space Telescope and ESO, including the 8-GigaPixel image of the centre of the Milky Way and the 1-GigaPixel HST image of M31. We'll examine what such images reveal about the Universe and how they are rapidly changing our perspective on the Universe. We will also look at their limits, pointing the way toward new capabilities in astronomical observation. This is a highly visual talk, suitable for non-experts and experts alike.

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 16th March – Michael O’Connell, MAC: “The Antikythera Mechanism: The World’s Oldest Computer” *Updated*

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*Update* Michael mentioned the BBC Documentary on the subject. It can be seen here……..
 
The Antikythera Mechanism has been described as the 'World's Oldest Computer'. Dated to around 2,000 years ago, it was found in an ancient shipwreck off the coast of the Greek island of Antikythera. It's incredibly complex for such an ancient artifact, and was capable of predicting eclipses and other astronomical events. This is bound to be a fascinating talk.
 
Michael O'Connell is one of Irelands leading amateur astronomers, beng a past Chairman of the Irish Federation of Astronomy Societies and IFAS Astronomer of the Year 2009.
 
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 – 2nd March – Nick Howes – “The Largest Telescope in the World”

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We are delighted to welcome well-known astronomy populariser Nick Howes to talk to us on the ALMA Telescope.
 
Nick is a freelance science writer and amateur astronomer, whose work has included science writer for the European Space Agencies Science Portal.
A Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, he has written for Astronomy U.S, Sky and Telescope, Popular Astronomy and many other publications and websites, including occasional guest articles for NASA's website. His images of comets and asteroids have graced the NASA home pages on multiple occasions.
 
His comet and general imaging work has won awards and been featured by the like of National Geographic, The Times of London,Universe Today, Space.com, Financial Times and Discovery Channel Science as well as multiple books and peer reviewed journals.
 
He is the Pro-Am Programme Manager for the twin 2-metre Faulkes Telescopes, where he coordinates projects with the European Space Agency on their near Earth object programs, ESO on massive star cluster observations and NASA's CIOC project monitoring Comet ISON.
 
Currently Nick is also working as a research associate with the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff on their LARI program, the 2-metre Liverpool Telescope on cometary observations and the Italian CARA comet research group on dust measurements for cometary bodies.
 
Nick has over 300 NASA ADS citations for observational work on comets and asteroids, and is in the Guinness Book of records for leading a team of UK Astronomers in creating the World's largest image composite of the Moon taken by ground based observations.
 
A STEM ambassador in the UK, he has appeared on both BBC television and radio and he regularly features as the official astronomer for the BBC in the South West of England. He is also the tour leader for astronomy holidays in Africa and a consultant to the GEO Observatory in Andalucia, Spain. For more info See http://cherhillobservatory.freewebspace.com/
 
Lecture Synopsis –
 
The evolution of the telescope over the last 400+ years has led humankind to a greater and greater understanding of the Universe we inhabit. But as the LIGO experiment recently showed, looking at the Universe in optical wavelengths is only a part of the picture. Nick Howes will discuss one of the greatest scientific projects of the 21st Century and how its development will hopefully answer some of the great questions in science.
 
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 – 17th Feb – Prof Andy Shearer (NUIG) – “What we don’t know (Dark Energy and Dark Matter)”

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We know a lot about the universe but what makes astronomy a continuously fascinating subject is what we don’t know. This includes 96% of the energy of the universe which is in the form of either dark matter or dark energy. Apart from these major considerations there are many other aspects of the universe we don’t understand including :  Where do the highest energy cosmic rays come from? Is there life elsewhere in the universe? What are neutron stars made of? 
 
This talk will address these issues but will concentrate upon the dark universe and the current and future attempts to understand both dark matter and dark energy. In the next decade a number of both terrestrial and space borne instruments will try and solve this question. 
 
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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Sat 13th Feb – An Astronomical Day Out at Dunsink Observatory – with Final Programme!

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Situated on the North side of Dublin, Dunsink Observatory has a wonderful history of astronomical exploration going back centuries. These days it is run by the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, and they have teamed up with amateur astronomers from the IAA, IAS and IFAS to bring you a day of astronomy talks, tours and entertainment, all for free!

Dunsink Observatory is located here,,,,

Additional Directions here… or see bottom of article

For those wishing to visit the "Images of Starlight" exhibition beforehand (see below), the National Botanic Gardens is here…..

This major event is being arranged jointly by the IAA and other Irish amateur astronomy groups at Dunsink Observatory, Castleknock, Dublin. 

OUTLINE PROGRAMME:

13.00 Gates/Doors open: Solar observing if clear.

14.00 Welcome & opening remarks

14.15  Talk: John Flannery (IAS/IFAS) HISTORY of Irish Astronomy culminating in  DUNSINK OBSERVATORY:

15.00 – 15.45: Talk: Emmet Mordaunt, (MAC): "Galileo: Hero or Heretic"

16.00 – 16.20 Tea / coffee
 
16.20 – 16.45: Tours of Observatory – Two groups, one does main building, other does South Dome + Refractor, then groups swap.
 
16.45 – 17.40 – Talk: Paul Evans (IAA): "Observing Highlights of 2016 and how to photograph them"
 
17.40 – 18.30 – Break for food. Options
* Bring your own. You can reheat food in the large microwave or the oven. More tea and coffee and soft drinks will be available.
* There are other local eating options, including the Travelodge just on the Dunsink side of the main roundabout, or the Halfway House at Ashtown on the main N3, on the Dublin side of the M50. 
* It may be possible to arrange for some finger buffet food to be supplied on site, for a small charge. Final notice on this shortly.
 
 
18.30 – 19.20: Observing or Talk: Samuel Bleyen (IAS) Solar observation: a history from Galileo to Solar Orbiter, including a brief overview of the 3 main visible amateur observation options, namely white light, H-alpha and Calcium-K.
 
19.20 – 20.10: “The Northern Lights in Irish History – from Superstition to the Digital Age”, by Ronan Newman, GAC.
 
 
20.10 – 21.00 – “What was it really like on Apollo 11?”, by Seanie Morris, MAC
 
 
21.00 – Close of formal programme + socialising or observing Jupiter etc.

 
Ktec Telescopes:
I'm delighted that Stephen Kershaw of Ktec Telescopes will also be exhibiting some of his amazing selection of telescopes and equipment at this event. http://www.ktectelescopes.ie/
 
Observing is possible from 18.30. Moon is waxing crescent, phase 34%; best viewed from 18.30 to 20.00. Jupiter rises at 19.52; best observed after 21.00. Since there is a limit to the numbers that can observe with the South refractor, visitors are encouraged to take turns in the dome, and to support the speakers when not observing!
 
IAS/IFAS PHOTO EXHIBITION: Why not combine this event with a visit to the superb, and free, AstroPhoto Exhibition at Botanic Gardens nearby that morning, particularly if you are traveling some distance?
 
ALL WELCOME – TOTALLY FREE EVENT!
 
To give an idea of numbers for catering, please email me asap to let me know if you will be attending: Terry Moseley: terrymosel@aol.com
 
DIRECTIONS TO DUNSINK OBSERVATORY
 
Dunsink Observatory is on Dunsink Lane (New Dunsink Lane), Castleknock. The Observatory is at 53 deg 23' 14.3"N, 6 deg 20' 19.0" W, with the entrance off Dunsink Lane at 53 deg 23' 16.6"N; 6 deg 20' 14" W. But Dunsink Lane has been blocked on the city side, and the observatory is now only accessible from New River Road, leading to New Dunsink Lane, off the Navan Road, near the junction of the N3 and the M50 – the Castleknock junction, J 6. 
Since the M50 upgrade this has become a complex junction. 
 
1. FROM M50, from Dublin airport direction.
 
If approaching via the M50 from the Dublin airport direction, exit onto the offslip at J 6, but you MUST then get into the right lane at the offslip, or you'll be way off course! So when you approach that junction, move onto the offslip lane to the left, but then stay on the right hand lane of the offslip. Do NOT keep on going round to your left via the left hand lane on the offslip, which will take you on to Castleknock village!
    This right hand of the two offslip lanes will bring you round in a loop directly on to New River Road. Go straight on for 2 km, past Elmgreen Golf course, until you see the road blocked ahead of you: the entrance to the observatory is on the right just before the block.
 
2. From M50 coming from the Toll side, or inbound on M3/N3.
 
If coming along the M50 from the South, or the M3 coming in fron Navan direction , exit at Junction 6, the Castleknock roundabout (junction with N3), and follow signs for City Centre via the N3. At the first set of lights just on the city side of that major junction, turn left into New River Road / New Dunsink Lane, then go on straight until you can’t go any further.
 
3. Coming from City Centre via Navan Road:
 
If coming from the city centre along the N3 Navan Road, go almost as far as the major N3/M50 junction, and turn right at the lights just before this junction, into New River Road / New Dunsink Lane, then go on straight until you can’t go any further.
 
NB: Ignore any maps or Satnav which direction you along Dunsink Lane from the City side (i.e. the Finglas direction) – the road is blocked from there just before you reach Dunsink!

 

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Lecture – 3rd Feb – Prof Mihalis Mathioudakis: “What we’ll learn from the biggest solar telescope in the world”

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The Sun is the most important astronomical object for humankind with solar activity driving space weather and having profound effects on climate and communications. 



The Sun also offers an exceptional physics laboratory where we can study in detail the interactions between the plasma and the magnetic field over an enormous range of spatial and temporal scales. It provides a working example where the effects and phenomena that arise from this complex interplay are visible and can be studied continuously at unprecedented detail. Although these phenomena are likely to be much more pronounced in other cosmic objects, the Sun provides a vantage reference point to study the effects of rotation and magnetism when we can only catch glimpses of similar phenomena in other astrophysical sources. 



The Daniel K Inoue Solar Telescope, under construction by the US National Solar Observatory, with first light expected in 2019, will be a revolutionary instrument for ground-based solar physics. It will operate in the optical and near-infrared and be the pre-eminent ground-based solar telescope for the foreseeable future. Key advances in its instrumentation over that currently available include ultra-high spatial (25 km on the solar surface) and temporal (millisec) resolution, high resolution imaging spectroscopy and coronal magnetometry. 



I will start with a brief introduction to the field followed by some examples of our recent research. I will then provide a introduction to DKIST, highlighting its key instruments and the QUB-led UK contribution to this facility.

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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See All Five Naked Eye Planets at Once

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From 24th January to about 6th February, you have a rare chance to see all five naked eye planets at once in the morning sky.
 
 
Looking from left to right, or East to West, they will be: Mercury, Venus. Saturn, Mars, Jupiter.
 
The latter 4 are easy to see, just before the dawn sky brightens. But we have to wait until about 24th Jan  to first glimpse elusive little Mercury, which is always the hardest to see:
 
Mercury will be easiest to see from about 28th Jan to 2nd Feb, but you can start looking from about 24th Jan in case the skies are cloudy later. The group will be joined by the waning crescent Moon from 31st January.
 
You should start looking from about 45 minutes before sunrise, say about 07.30, and you'll need a good clear view right down to the horizon in the South East.
 
Venus will be by far the brightest, a brilliant beacon above the SE horizon. Look about a handspan to the left of Venus, and slightly below it, to try to spot Mercury, which will be much fainter, and not easy to find in the twilight glow. Use binoculars to find it at first if you have them.
 
Once you've found Mercury, go back to Venus, and then follow that line across the sky to find Saturn (quite bright, creamy white), Mars (moderately bright, reddish) and Jupiter, the second brightest, and white). Altogether they will span more than halfway across the sky.
 
The group will be joined by the waning crescent moon from 1 February onwards, making an even more glorious sight. The Moon will be close to Mars on 1st Feb , and will form a nice triangle above Venus and Mercury on 6th Feb.
 
And there will also be 2 bright stars in the line-up as well! Lovely blue-white Spica will lie between Mars and Jupiter, and noticeably red Antares will lie below right of Saturn.
 
A sight not to be missed!
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Lecture Weds 20th January, 7.30 p.m. – Dr Heather Cegla (QUB) – “Discovering Alien Worlds”

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This talk, by Dr Heather Cegla, of the Astrophysics Research Centre at QUB, will give a brief overview of the first ever confirmation of planets outside our solar system, the two main exoplanet detection methods, some stumbling blocks on the pathway to confirming an extra-solar Earth-analogue (which is her area of expertise), and discuss some prospects for the future and the efforts we’re taking to discover habitable alien worlds. 

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.

Astronomy in Northern Ireland and Beyond