Astronomy out 'n' about - July 2013

jfSDAS

It's been a while since I compiled a few notes on what's on (amongst other things) but here's a clatter of news items to keep everyone busy for a while during July

John


Thursday, July 25th (to 28th) – Festival of Curiosity
Central Dublin plays host to the Festival of Curiosity that will be held over 4 days this July. A wide range of science events for all ages makes up the programme and includes a lecture by Dame Jocelyn Bell-Burnell, walking tours with Ingenious Ireland, workshops, and drama hosted by Niamh Shaw’s group TATSOI. Read more about the Festival at http://festivalofcuriosity.ie/index.php/events/


Tiangong-1 sighting/photo opportunity coming up?
The Chinese space station Tiangong-1 (Heavenly Palace) recently hosted a 15-day mission that featured a number of firsts. I don’t know of any sightings of the station from Ireland but the morning of July 9th and the evening of July 16th could be your opportunity – the bad news is that it necessitates being up before dawn!
The orbit of Tiangong-1 can only occasionally bring it into Irish skies so I’m hoping someone will claim the first sighting this time round. Predictions for your own location can be generated via http://www.heavens-above.com and more about the station can be read at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiangong-1


Wednesday, July 17th – JFK and the US Space Programme
There is a panel discussion on the space exploration programme and JFK in the National Library on Wednesday 17th July at 7pm in association with the Festival of Science. The event is not actually highlighted on the Festival website though. More details and how to book can be found at http://www.nli.ie/en/list/current-events.aspx?article=acb9f559-3787-41c1-a4fe-6c01eee227be


2013 O'Ceallaigh medal awarded to Professor Edward C. Stone
The Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies are pleased to announce that the 2013 O'Ceallaigh Medal has been awarded to Professor Edward C. Stone (California Institute of Technology). Professor Stone is the project scientist for the Voyager missions which are now leaving the solar system and for the first time, entering interstellar space. More details about the award and the press release can be read under the News and Events section of http://www.dias.ie/


Vote for your favourite historic Irish woman scientist
The web site Silicon Republic is running a competition, asking people to vote for their favourite historic Irish woman scientist in the list. Irish astronomers Annie maunder and Margaret Huggins feature and you can read more at http://www.siliconrepublic.com/special-events/women-invent-tomorrow/news/item/33189-wit2013


Excellent web site on women scientists and astronauts
Check out http://www.astrochix.com/ where you can find out about historic and modern personalities. The site author is currently writing a series profiling women astronauts.


July 19th – say ciao for Cassini
On July 19, 2013, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft will photograph Saturn and its entire ring system during a total eclipse of the sun. Cassini has done this twice before during its previous 9 years in orbit, but this time will be different.

"This time, the images to be collected will capture, in natural colour, a glimpse of our own planet next to Saturn and its rings on a day that will be the first time Earthlings know in advance their picture will be taken from a billion miles away," says Carolyn Porco, Cassini imaging team lead at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colorado.
"While Earth will be only about a pixel in size from Cassini's vantage point 1.44 billion kilometres away, the team is looking forward to giving the world a chance to see what their home looks like from Saturn. We hope you'll join us in waving at Saturn from Earth, so we can commemorate this special opportunity."
Unlike two previous Cassini eclipse mosaics of the Saturn system the July 19 image will be the first to capture the Saturn system with Earth in natural colour, as human eyes would see it. It also will be the first to capture Earth and its moon with Cassini's highest-resolution camera.
This latest image will continue a NASA legacy of space-based images of our fragile home, including the 1968 "Earthrise" image taken by the Apollo 8 moon mission from about 240,000 miles (380,000 kilometres) away and the 1990 "Pale Blue Dot" image taken by Voyager 1 from about 4 billion miles (6 billion kilometres) away. July 19th, concludes Porco, "will be a day for people all over the globe to celebrate together the extraordinary achievements that have made such interplanetary photo sessions possible. And it will be a day to celebrate life on the Pale Blue Dot."

A thought-provoking gallery of photos of the Earth from Mars, Saturn, and beyond can be found at http://www.scientificamerican.com/slideshow.cfm?id=earth-from-space

To learn more about the public outreach activities associated with the taking of the Cassini image, visit:
· http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/waveatsaturn
· http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22968105
· http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2013/18jun_bluedot/
· http://ciclops.org/view_event/193/
· http://www.ciclops.org/view_event/193/?js=1

The Irish Astronomical Association will also be holding a special Saturn Observing Event, probably at Delamont Country Park. This imaging event will take place between 22:27 and 22:42 BST, and Saturn will be visible in the twilight sky low in the SW, so we'll be in the picture. Check the IAA website http://www.irishastro.org for more details.


July 16th (to 18th) -- NASA Lunar Science Institute Virtual Forum
The NASA Lunar Science Institute will broadcast the annual NASA Lunar Science Forum (LSF) as a virtual conference during the dates of July 16-18, 2013. The conference will be broadcast between the hours of 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. PDT, Tuesday-Thursday, followed by optional poster sessions each day.
The scientific program will feature sessions on in-depth scientific results from the recent and pending missions, including: the Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory (GRAIL), Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence and Electrodynamics of the Moon’s Interaction with the Sun (ARTEMIS), Lunar Reconaissance Orbiter (LRO) and a status update for the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) mission.
See http://lunarscience.nasa.gov/lsf2013/welcome for more details.


TCD Zoology Museum tours during July
Trinity College Dublin is running guided tours of the Zoology Museum for four weeks from Monday, 24th June 2013. The 250-year old collection houses 25,000 specimens, representing all of the animal phyla. Visitors will be given a guided introduction by zoology students and staff who will be happy to share their knowledge and experience of all creatures great and small. More details at http://www.science.ie/science-events/trinity-zoology-museum.html


Upcoming movie 1 -- "The Explorers"
"The Explorers" is a film that aims to capture the passion which all astronomers share, those conducting research or those simply gazing at the stars. Slated for completion in September 2013, the movie is a journey into the joy of learning motivated by looking into the night sky and asking, “Why?” See the trailer at


Upcoming movie 2 -- "In Saturn's Rings"
"In Saturn's Rings" is an IMAX film currently in production that will take the viewer on a journey from the Big Bang to the near-future via the Cassini-Huygens mission. The release dated is scheduled for 2014 and the venture is non-profit, relying instead on many donations to bring the concept to the current level. Read more about the movie at http://www.insaturnsrings.com/


A musical interlude
Some science and astronomy-themed clips I came across recently include:

· A song about Schrödinger -- http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2013/07/03/uncertainty_a_song_about_quantum_physics.html
· Country singer Beth Nielsen Chapman's album "The Mighty Sky" has a whole web site with songs about the Moon and other celestial objects, along with lesson plans for outreach. Check out http://themightysky.com/
· I may have mentioned this short animation before but I still find it particularly beautiful and worth highlighting again ...


Just like Missile Command ... and how long to get to Voyager 1?
Seeing the video at http://www.visualizing.org/visualizations/bolides brought to mind the arcade game Missile Command. The clip is an amazing visualisation of all the fireballs seen since ancient times – the Tunguska event is pretty spectacular even in this graphic! Check out other contributions at http://www.visualizing.org/explore

The BBC have also created their own infographic at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21937524 to highlight how long it would take at various speeds (walking pace, etc) to get to where the Voyager 1 spacecraft currently is. I’ll need to trade in the car for a Ferrari at least!


Vulcan misses out when naming Pluto’s newest moons
Even William Shatner was unable to save Vulcan from the International Astronomical Union who skipped over naming one of Pluto’s newest moons after the home planet of Mr. Spock in the Star Trek series. A public campaign organised by the SETI Institute gathered over half a million submissions in a naming contest with Vulcan topping the poll. However, the IAU said they gave serious consideration to the name but “because that name has already been used in astronomy, and because the Roman god (of volcanoes) is not closely associated with Pluto, this proposal was rejected.” The names subsequently selected are Kerberos and Styx – more details at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Moons_of_Pluto


Walking tours with Ingenious Ireland
Dublin's newest walking tour has an air raid shelter, elephants, earthquakes and chocolate!

Starting at Science Gallery every morning, the 90-minute odyssey boasts several surprising stories, including that air raid shelter (hidden deep in a quiet corner of the city), two elephants, some earthquakes, postage stamps and chocolate, and even the engine that electrified the modern world.. More details about the tour and how to book can be found at http://ingeniousireland.ie/walking-tours/


Building the Scientific Mind 2013 – a report from Java by Deirdre Kelleghan
Deirdre Kelleghan recently had the privilege to attend a global forum on astronomy outreach that was held on the Indonesian island of Java. Dee was invited to present her Action Sun workshop to participants and the programme over the few days also saw workshops and talks being given by others involved in astronomy outreach around the world. Read about Deirdre’s trip at http://www.deirdrekelleghan.net/blog.html where there are also some amazing photos.


Upcoming episode of The Sky at Night
Summer Solstice at Stonehenge is the title of July’s Sky at Night programme. Every year thousands flock to Stonehenge to celebrate the summer solstice. Seeing the rise of the summer sun at Stonehenge is one of the most obvious connections between ancient man and the celestial calendar, but there is still fierce debate about possible links between this ancient site and the moon and stars. The team join in the solstice revelry and also launch the Moore Moon Marathon, with some easy things to look at on the moon over summer.

Catch the broadcast on on BBC 2 on July 13th or the extended programme on BBC 4 on July 11th from 7:30pm to 8:00pm.


Summer edition of Walton magazine now available
The summer edition of Ireland’s latest science magazine is now available to purchase for download. Articles are on subjects such as Sustainable Refrigeration & Water Filtration, Breakthrough Drugs, Multiple Sclerosis Explained, Science & Children, Tweeting Research, Interview with the Fame Lab winner Fergus McAuliffe, Wildlife Detective, William Hamilton, Stem Cells, Regenerative Medicine. More details at http://www.waltonmagazine.com/shop


Summer 2013 at Blackrock Castle Observatory and Armagh Planetarium
If you are holidaying in Ireland this year or just fancy a day trip then check out Cork’s BCO ( http://www.bco.ie )and Armagh Planetarium ( http://www.armaghplanet.com ) where astronaut workshops, planetarium shows, and much more will be held during July. Learn more about Ireland’s astronomy heritage at http://www.astronomytrail.ie and maybe plan a holiday to follow this trail of stars around the island.


Science Gallery @ TCD events
Dublin’s Science Gallery has a wide range of talks and events planned during July ranging from the neuroscience of magic to the ever popular Mini Maker Faire. Check out http://sciencegallery.com/events for more information on what’s on.


Pocketspacecraft.com
A new Kickstarter project will give thousands of people the opportunity to design, build and launch personalised spacecraft that are smaller than a CD and as thin as a piece of paper, and send them to the Moon. You will be able to write software, customise the hardware, and personalise your spacecraft by adding a picture or customising the message it transmits. Visit http://www.pocketspacecraft.com for more details of this fascinating mission.


Irish Meteorological Society photo competition
The annual IMS photo competition has seen some truly stunning images of the Irish landscape and weather phenomena. The 2013 contest has a closing date of September 30th and you can read more about it at http://www.irishmetsociety.org/competitions/ims-photo-competition-details


Wednesday, October 16th – Hamilton Day event
Sir Roger Penrose will give a public lecture at the Royal Irish Academy to commemorate Sir William Rowan Hamilton who is arguably Ireland’s greatest scientist. Booking is not yet open for the event but keep an eye on http://www.ria.ie/Events/Events-Listing/Hamilton-Day-2013.aspx for the announcement.


Exploring further
The following web sites are also a great resource for information about what’s on view in our skies during the month;

http://www.skymaps.com — superb charts you can download
http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials -- absolutely essential reading for what's up
http://www.jb.man.ac.uk/astronomy/nightsky/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/series/starwatch
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/nightsky/
http://dcford.org.uk/index.php -- the Digital Astrolabe
http://www.jodcast.net — monthly night sky tour for MP3 players

http://www.science.ie — details of talks and science events in Ireland
http://www.irishastronomy.org -- the forum for Irish amateur astronomers
http://www.astronomytrail.ie – links historical and modern astronomical sites around Ireland

http://www.spaceweather.com – details of transitory events during the month as well as aurora alerts
http://www.atoptics.co.uk/ — the world of atmospheric optics

http://www.heavens-above.com — space station predictions
http://spaceflightnow.com — mission launches and other news (click “Launch Schedule” too)
http://www.universetoday.com – more astronomy and space news
www.skymania.com – astronomy and space news
www.nightskyobserver.com/the-sky-this-month.php -- Gary Nugent’s astronomy and space news

http://www.calgary.rasc.ca/downloads/ — buying a telescope or binoculars
http://www.twanight.org/newTWAN/index.asp — The World At Night astrophotography

http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/
http://scienceblogs.com/startswithabang/