From: TerryMoselaol.com
Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2005 19:54:08 EST
Subject: Great CSP, Radio, Lectures, inc IAA meeting
Hi all,
1. Congrats to all in the Galway Astronomy Club for running another excellent
Connaught Star Party! Once again all the speakers were excellent, including
our own Dr Andy McCrea who was asked to cram a 50 minute talk into half an
hour, and very nearly did so, with no loss of quality! It was good to see Prof
Barry Jones on the go again, after his recent illness. The venue is excellent, &
the craic always good. We were also treated to a tour of Prof Mike Redfern's
very impressive observatory on the NUIG campus:some very nice kit indeed! Next
year they hope to make it a 2-day event. The only down side was that the wrong
team won the quiz..... (Well done, John O'Neill, Patricia Carroll & sorry, I
can't remember who the third one was!)
2. RADIO:
Tues., 1st Feb., 9.30am BBC Radio 4: Relatively Einstein - Terry
Pratchett and Ian Stewart on Fantasy Physics
See http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/relativelyeinstein.shtml
Thursday 24th February at 4.30pm. "Material World" explores the mysteries of
Pluto. You can also listen again to the programme online at
www.bbc.co.uk/radio4 for up to 7 days after transmission.
75 years ago a far-flung planet shrouded in mystery was discovered by a
fortunate accident. Despite huge advances in astronomy and space travel, many
aspects of Pluto still remain a mystery today. Pluto was discovered in 1930 by
Clyde W. Tombaugh at Lowell Observatory in Arizona. He had been carefully
surveying the sky looking for the mathematically predicted ‘Planet X’. Even though
the calculations turned out to be incorrect, on the 18th February he
discovered the planet Pluto. It was quickly determined that Pluto was too small to
account for the orbital discrepancies of the other planets. The search for the
elusive Planet X continued but nothing was found. Yet our furthest planet is not
alone – Pluto has a moon which is almost the same size as the planet itself.
Charon, discovered in 1978, is now thought to have been formed in a similar
way to our Moon – by breaking off the Earth after a massive impact with another
planet. Some astronomers speculate that Pluto and Charon are really just
proto-planets - planets that haven’t fully formed and which may be leftovers from
the formation of the Solar System. In Material World this week, Sue Nelson
finds out what Pluto might be, and exactly how it was discovered when she talks to
Dr. Jacqueline Mitton of the Royal Astronomical Society and astrophysicist
Dr. Alan Fitzsimmons at Queen’s University Belfast. Can we really call Pluto a
planet? Will a mission to visit this far off world ever take off? How did a
little girl from Oxford get to choose the name Pluto? And is there an elusive
Planet X still waiting to be discovered?
“I suddenly came upon the images of Pluto! The experience was an intense
thrill, because the nature of the object was apparent at first sight.”Clyde W.
Tombaugh 18th February 1930.
[We are proud that Dr Fitzsimmons is an IAA member, & has given us many
fascinating talks!]
3. LECTURES
Tues., 1 Feb., 2.00 pm and 4.00pm, RDS Dublin, Tyndall Lectures 2005: Dr
Simon Steel on Inside Einstein's Universe.
See http://ireland.iop.org/program.html
Booking essential: Dr. Ciaran Byrne (01) 668 0866 ext. 217.
Wed 2 February: Public Lecture hosted by the Irish Astrononical Association:
"Dr Deirdre Coffey (DIAS): "Star Formation in Our Galaxy", 7.30 p.m., Lecture
Room 5, Stranmillis College, Belfast. Admission free, including light
refreshments. All welcome. "
Fri., 4 Feb., 6.30pm, Burke Theatre, TCD: Prof Sir Harry Kroto, Nobel
Laureate: "2010 NanoSpace Odyssey"
See http://www.ria.ie/events/kroto.html to book free places.
Clear Skies,
Terry Moseley.
aol.com Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2005 19:54:08 EST Subject: Great CSP, Radio, Lectures, inc IAA meeting Hi all, 1. Congrats to all in the Galway Astronomy Club for running another excellent Connaught Star Party! Once again all the speakers were excellent, including our own Dr Andy McCrea who was asked to cram a 50 minute talk into half an hour, and very nearly did so, with no loss of quality! It was good to see Prof Barry Jones on the go again, after his recent illness. The venue is excellent, & the craic always good. We were also treated to a tour of Prof Mike Redfern's very impressive observatory on the NUIG campus:some very nice kit indeed! Next year they hope to make it a 2-day event. The only down side was that the wrong team won the quiz..... (Well done, John O'Neill, Patricia Carroll & sorry, I can't remember who the third one was!) 2. RADIO: Tues., 1st Feb., 9.30am BBC Radio 4: Relatively Einstein - Terry Pratchett and Ian Stewart on Fantasy Physics See http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/relativelyeinstein.shtml Thursday 24th February at 4.30pm. "Material World" explores the mysteries of Pluto. You can also listen again to the programme online at www.bbc.co.uk/radio4 for up to 7 days after transmission. 75 years ago a far-flung planet shrouded in mystery was discovered by a fortunate accident. Despite huge advances in astronomy and space travel, many aspects of Pluto still remain a mystery today. Pluto was discovered in 1930 by Clyde W. Tombaugh at Lowell Observatory in Arizona. He had been carefully surveying the sky looking for the mathematically predicted ‘Planet X’. Even though the calculations turned out to be incorrect, on the 18th February he discovered the planet Pluto. It was quickly determined that Pluto was too small to account for the orbital discrepancies of the other planets. The search for the elusive Planet X continued but nothing was found. Yet our furthest planet is not alone – Pluto has a moon which is almost the same size as the planet itself. Charon, discovered in 1978, is now thought to have been formed in a similar way to our Moon – by breaking off the Earth after a massive impact with another planet. Some astronomers speculate that Pluto and Charon are really just proto-planets - planets that haven’t fully formed and which may be leftovers from the formation of the Solar System. In Material World this week, Sue Nelson finds out what Pluto might be, and exactly how it was discovered when she talks to Dr. Jacqueline Mitton of the Royal Astronomical Society and astrophysicist Dr. Alan Fitzsimmons at Queen’s University Belfast. Can we really call Pluto a planet? Will a mission to visit this far off world ever take off? How did a little girl from Oxford get to choose the name Pluto? And is there an elusive Planet X still waiting to be discovered? “I suddenly came upon the images of Pluto! The experience was an intense thrill, because the nature of the object was apparent at first sight.”Clyde W. Tombaugh 18th February 1930. [We are proud that Dr Fitzsimmons is an IAA member, & has given us many fascinating talks!] 3. LECTURES Tues., 1 Feb., 2.00 pm and 4.00pm, RDS Dublin, Tyndall Lectures 2005: Dr Simon Steel on Inside Einstein's Universe. See http://ireland.iop.org/program.html Booking essential: Dr. Ciaran Byrne (01) 668 0866 ext. 217. Wed 2 February: Public Lecture hosted by the Irish Astrononical Association: "Dr Deirdre Coffey (DIAS): "Star Formation in Our Galaxy", 7.30 p.m., Lecture Room 5, Stranmillis College, Belfast. Admission free, including light refreshments. All welcome. " Fri., 4 Feb., 6.30pm, Burke Theatre, TCD: Prof Sir Harry Kroto, Nobel Laureate: "2010 NanoSpace Odyssey" See http://www.ria.ie/events/kroto.html to book free places. Clear Skies, Terry Moseley.
