The Irish Astronomical Association was formed in 1974 and draws its 200 members from both the UK and Ireland. The IAA membership ranges from complete beginners to accomplished observers and astro photographers.

The lecture programme is held in association with the School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen's University Belfast. It runs from September until May and is held in the Bell Lecture Theatre in the Physics Building, main campus, Queen's University, Belfast. Meetings start at 7-30pm

Mercury & the Moon

The twilight sky looking WNW at about 21:30 6th May 2008

If you want to spot Mercury, perhaps for the first time, there's a great chance to find this elusive little planet quite easily on the evenings of 6 & 7 May, when the crescent Moon will act as a guide.

On the evening of the 6th, the very young Moon will lie just 2 degrees above and right of Mercury in the evening twilight. Start looking about 10-12 degrees above the horizon just N of West from about 21.45 BST using wide-field binocs and you should have found it by about 10 p.m. if the sky is clear. If not, keep trying - even up to 10.15 it should be quite easy: after that it may be getting a bit low down in horizon cloud or haze. If you can spot Capella much higher up, drop down vertically from Capella towards the horizon - at about 10.15 the Moon will be about 25 degrees almost vertically below Capella. (For those in the west of Ireland take about 10 mts later for all those times),

Next evening (May 7) the Moon will have moved well to the upper left of Mercury: you'll find the innermost planet 13 degrees below and right of the Moon at about the same time that evening.

Design a Space Station

IAA PUBLIC ASTRONOMY EVENING, MOUNT STEWART, GREYABBEY, CO DOWN, Sat 12^th April

The Irish Astronomical Association will be holding another public astronomy evening with telescopes, binoculars, talks, an exhibition, and a portable planetarium at the National Trust's Mount Stewart House near Greyabbey, Co Down.

If it's clear we will be using powerful telescopes to show spectacular views of a bright Moon, with its high mountains and huge craters, some of them as big as Northern Ireland! We'll also look at the most beautiful object in the sky, the 'Ringed Planet' Saturn, and several of its moons, one of which is much larger than our own Moon. We'll also be able to look at Mars, artificial satellites, maybe a comet or two, the lovely Pleiades or 'Seven Sisters', beautiful nebulae, star clusters and coloured double stars, and huge and incredibly distant galaxies.

Derek Heatly, our own local 'Ulsternaut', will describe his forthcoming flight into space, and recount his experiences so far which include a flight to the edge of space in a Russian Mig jet fighter, and his flights of weightlessness in the Cosmonaut's training aircraft.

Refreshments will be available in the cafe.

We start at 8.0 p.m. Standard NT admission charges apply. All welcome.

IAA AGM + 'Bring & Buy'

The Irish Astronomical Association's AGM will be held on Wednesday 16 April at 7.30 p.m. in the Bell Lecture Theatre, Physics Building, Queen's University, Belfast. We will combine it with an astronomical and space 'Bring & Buy' sale, to start immediately after the official business. So bring along all your old or spare astronomy or space items - eyepieces, filters, finders, adapters, photo items, IT items, binocs, tripods, telescopes, mounts, accessories, books, magazines, videos, CDs, DVDs, posters, photos, meteorites, space memorabilia, and anything else that might be of interest. And bring along plenty of cash, as you never know what bargains might be there for the taking. Bring along a biro or two and plenty of 'Post-It' notes to price your items, and a few plastic bags to help your customers stagger away with their heavy loads! Also a separate price-list just to be sure. The IAA will not be responsible for any of the items on sale, so it's up to you to look after them. This is not like a 'car-boot sale' - there's no charge to bring along your items, and the IAA will not be taking any 'cut' from the sales: we are doing this just as a service to the astronomical community.

To allow room for everyone, we'll also use the front row of desks, as well as the lecture counter at the front, and maybe a table or two. So get there early to get the best space!

Everyone is welcome to attend, and admission is free, including light refreshments afterwards, but of course only current IAA members can vote on any Association business.

Hubble Space Telescope Expert to lecture in Belfast

"Adventures with the Hubble Space Telescope" by Lars Lindberg Christensen of the Space Telescope European Co-ordinating Facility Larmour Lecture Theatre, Physics Building, QUB, Wednesday 2nd April, 19:30.

The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is one of the most successful scientific projects of all time, both in terms of its scientific output and in terms of its almost iconic public appeal. The HST's enormous impact derives from its ability to exploit a unique scientific niche where no other instruments can really compete at the moment - consistently delivering super-sharp images and very high quality spectrographs of various objects, right out to the edge of the universe.

The HST also reigns supreme in the elusive infrared and ultraviolet wavebands, not accessible from the Earth's surface. This has opened up new scientific territory and resulted in many paradigm-breaking discoveries. The HST's exquisite image quality has enabled astronomers to gain entirely new insights into the workings of a huge range of different astronomical objects and provided the visual overview of underlying astrophysical processes taking place in planets, stars and galaxies.

On top of all this astronomers are lucky scientists. Their telescopes do not only produce results of great scientific value, but also of eye-catching beauty and artistic potential. This talk aims to also show how Hubble has built a bridge between science and art.

This lecture is aimed at both the general public and the professional and amateur astronomical community, and will feature some of the most stunning astronomical photographs ever taken.

Lars Lindberg Christensen, the chief European Communicator for the HST, is a superb lecturer, and his speciality is making the fantastic discoveries of the HST accessible to everyone. This will be his first lecture in Ireland. See: http://www.eso.org/~lchriste/

Admission is free, but by ticket only, obtainable from the Irish Astronomical Association: www.irishastro.org

PUBLIC OBSERVING EVENING + STARDOME, CARNFUNNOCK COUNTRY PARK, 14 MARCH

The Irish Astronomical Association (IAA) will be holding another public astronomy evening on Friday 14 March at 7.30 for 8 p.m. at Carnfunnock Country Park, Drains Bay, near Larne, Co Antrim. It's on the main coast road going north from Larne, about 4 miles from the town. As usual we will have a good selection of telescopes and binoculars for viewing the sky, including a spectacular moon, and Saturn. We will also have the Stardome mobile planetarium, courtesy of Armagh Planetarium, and talks and displays of astronomy items, and Derek Heatly's presentation of space memorabilia and his forthcoming spaceflight. Thus, there will be something for everyone, even if the sky is cloudy. All are welcome, so come along for a good night's observing and/or outreach.

TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE, 21^st February

A total eclipse of the Moon will be visible throughout Ireland, weather permitting, in the early hours of Thursday 21 February (i.e. that's Wednesday night/Thursday morning).

In a Total Lunar Eclipse (TLE) the Full Moon passes into the shadow of the Earth and dims very considerably and changes colour, but it will probably remain faintly visible. That's because it will be lit by sunlight refracted, or bent, through the Earth’s atmosphere. The atmosphere scatters blue light more than red, so that most of the light that reaches the lunar surface is red in colour. Observers will therefore see a Moon that may be anything from brick-coloured, through orange, rust-coloured, or even blood red. Sometimes it has a dark greyish hue, depending on atmospheric conditions.

In Ireland the eclipse is visible at a rather unsociable hour! It begins at 00.35 when the Moon enters the penumbra, the lightest, outer part of the Earth’s shadow, and after 15 minutes or so you may notice the Moon start to take on a slight yellowish hue. At 01.42 the Moon starts to enter the dark core of the Earth’s shadow, the umbra. At 03.01 the Moon will be completely within the umbra – which marks the start of the ‘total’ phase of the eclipse, when any colour starts to become most noticeable. Mid-eclipse is at 03.26 and the total phase ends at 03.52. The Moon leaves the umbra at 05.09 and the eclipse ends when the Moon leaves the penumbra at 06.17.

The Moon will pass well to the South of the centre of the Earth's shadow, so the S edge (actually the SSW edge) of the Moon will not appear so dark, as it will be closer to the edge of the shadow. Conversely, the NNE edge of the Moon will appear darkest.

During the eclipse the Moon will lie in the constellation of Leo. During mid-eclipse the bright star Regulus will lie to the upper right of the Moon and the even brighter planet Saturn will lie to the left.

This eclipse should be a spectacular sight and the whole event can be observed without optical aid, although binoculars or a wide-field telescope will also give interesting views.

IAA New Year Party

Just a final reminder: IAA New Year Party and Film: Through the good efforts of Robert Hill of NISO, we have indeed been able to secure the first private viewing in Europe of the superb film "Shadow of the Moon" for our New Year Party on Saturday 5 January, at the Tudor Cinema, Drumhirk Road, Comber, Co Down! The film will not be officially released on DVD here until February, but Robert has special contacts..... Admission details as before: £10 per person, including excellent food and liquid refreshments, both alcoholic and otherwise. Also a great fun quiz with lots of prizes, and great craic for all. Be there 7.30 for 8.0 for this special preview, and a great evening.

NB: YOU MUST BOOK and PREPAY by 2 JANUARY: Cheques payable to the IAA (Sterling only please) - send to John Hall, 3 Vaddegan Avenue, Newtownabbey, Co Antrim, BT36 7SP.

DIRECTIONS:

A. Coming from the Greater Belfast area: follow signs for the A22 to Comber, proceed along the bypass (missing the town) to the roundabout, then turn right, still on the A22, towards Killyleagh and Downpatrick. Just 1 mile past the end of the 30mph speed limit zone in Comber, turn right into DRUMHIRK ROAD. After about 1/3 mile, look out for a row of cottages on the right, opposite which there is some 'ranch-style' fencing, with an entry to a laneway. There will be an IAA sign at this junction. Proceed along that laneway to the end where you will find the cinema and car park.

B. Coming from Downpatrick direction: proceed along A22 towards Comber, and look out for Drumhirk Road on your left, just 1 mile before you reach the edge of Comber.

C. Coming from the West or South: either go though Belfast and proceed as at A above, or turn off the M1 at Lisburn, taking the A49, then in a short distance turn left onto the B6, and then left again onto the B178, following signs for Carryduff and Comber. In Carryduff turn left, then right, following the B178 for Comber. Just before you reach Comber you join the A21: follow this into Comber, then follow signs for the A22 to Killyleagh and Downpatrick as at A above.

PARK AS NEATLY AS POSSIBLE PLEASE! We need to get as many cars in as possible.

Astro Buy/Sell at 9^th Jan public meeting

Please bring along your surplus astro equipment to the 9th Jan meeting.

Comet Holmes Explodes!

The formerly inconspicuous Comet Holmes has suddenly increased in brightness nearly a million fold and currently appears as a large fuzzy ball in the constellation of Perseus.  Professor Alan Fitzsimmons of Queen's University, Belfast, said, it was a "once in a lifetime" event.

"Although comets have been seen to undergo outbursts before, the scale of this dwarfed anything seen in the past century,"

 "From these images, we can see the ejecta moving away from the comet at 2,000km per hour (1,300 miles per hour). The total amount of material ejected is probably about 1% of the total mass of the comet."

"On a smaller scale, it is like the Earth suddenly threw off its crust."

Latest Pics from Andy McCrea

Comet Holmes tonight - I was dogged by cloud - but snapped a couple of images. Andy

Andy McCrea

Yes,

I got to see it last night, definitely up there in the strange beast category. Very interesting. Now that the Moon is leaving the sky, perhaps it will have more surprises in store for us. Last night it was slightly swollen to the unaided eye -- even with the full Moon out. Beautiful fan visible through the telescope and a ghostly disk for a pseudonucleus. definite yellow color with some deep orange/red forming a dense ring around the coma. The bright yellow coma was surrounded by a very large dim halo of diffuse light visible only with averted vision.

Very interesting!

Steve O'

Comet Holmes - Observed with ETX 125 at 2325 UTC on 28/10. Naked eye integrated magnitude estimated 2.5. Pale greenish circular disc approx diam 7 arc minutes with moderately sharp outer edge (not just tailing off into sky background). Slightly offset to South, brighter circular condensation approx diam 2 arc minutes, with two starlike points approx 1 arc minute apart, approx. 11th magnitude, the southern one seems to be brighter by 0.2 - 0.3 mag. Colour of coma faint green, "nuclei" white. Assuming the "nuclei" are actually part of the comet i.e. one or both are not background stars, the comet would appear to have split, with exposure of volatile material which has been covered by an insulating crust. I wonder whether the sudden huge increase in brightness may be an indication that it was hit by a small asteroid (or large meteoroid) - remember that a marked increase in brightness resulted when the relatively small "Deep Impact" probe struck home. Annoyingly the clouds keep rolling in and there are occasional showers, but I'm going to keep checking to see if the "nuclei" really are associated with the comet. Regards Brian Beesley

LECTURE TOUR BY RENOWNED ASTRONOMER, Dr JOHN MASON

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the space age, which started with the launch of Sputnik 1 on 4 October 2007, the IAA is pleased to announce a major public lecture by well known broadcaster, writer and lecturer on astronomy, Dr John Mason.

Entitled "The Next Giant Leap For Mankind", it will briefly review the history of space exploration over the last 50 years, and then look at the future for human exploration of space.

Dr Mason is doing a major lecture tour in Ireland to mark this anniversary, and we are delighted that he will be giving his first public lecture to the IAA in Belfast.

It will be on 3 October, at 7.30 p.m., in the Bell Lecture Theatre, Physics Building, QUB. Admission is free, and all are welcome.

BIOGRAPHICAL DETAILS:

Dr John Mason is a past President of the British Astronomical Association and a frequent guest on BBC TV’s Sky at Night. He is an Honorary Member of the Astronomical-Geodesical Society of Russia, a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society since 1976, and a full member of the International Astronomical Union since 1991.

Dr Mason travels extensively in the UK and overseas, lecturing on a wide range of scientific topics to audiences of all ages and varying degrees of expertise. He is a sought-after speaker with an international reputation as an enthusiastic and entertaining communicator of science.

He has led many overseas expeditions to observe and record phenomena such as annular and total solar eclipses, the polar aurora and major meteor showers to destinations as diverse as Alaska, Australia, Chile, China, Egypt, Hawaii, India, Indonesia, Mongolia, Scandinavia, Siberia and South Africa.

In September 2000, the asteroid 1990 MN (numbered 6092) was named Johnmason by the International Astronomical Union in recognition of his many contributions to astronomy.

THE BIRTH OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM?

One of the leading experts on the formation of the Sun and the Earth and the other planets in our solar system will be giving the inaugural lecture of the 2007 - 08 season of the Irish Astronomical Association. www.irishastro.org

Prof Tom Ray of the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS) will give the lecture, entitled "The Birth Of Stars and Planets: Do we really know how the Solar System Formed?".

It will be on Wednesday 19 September, at 7.30 p.m., in the Bell Lecture Theatre, Physics Building, Queen's University, Belfast.

A synopsis of the lecture and a brief biography of Prof Tom Ray follow:

Synopsis:
Stars and planets are born in the dark dusty environments of molecular clouds. For years we did not understand how they formed, but improvements in instrumentation, particularly at infrared and millimetre wavelengths, have revolutionised our knowledge. In addition to breakthroughs on the observational front, increased computational power meant we could make more and more realistic simulations of the whole process from molecular cloud to planet. In this talk I will outline the most dramatic new findings in this field and show how we are finally getting a clear picture of the early days of the Solar System.

Tom P. Ray

Tom Ray's interest in astronomy was sparked at an early age while out walking one night with his "Big Brother." Looking up he saw what must have been a meteor storm, although he didn't know it at the time. Instead, like the proverbial Chicken Little, he was sure the sky was falling! He bought his first telescope when he was 12 and around the same time joined the local astronomical society. During his final year at school Tom decided to pursue a career in astronomy. When he mentioned this to his careers teacher, she said: "That's a great idea, but what real job would you like?"

After completing his primary degree in Trinity College Dublin, Tom did an MSc and PhD in radio astronomy and plasma astrophysics at Jodrell Bank and at the University of Manchester. Subsequently he spent time in the University of Sussex, England and the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg, Germany before returning to his native Ireland. Currently he is Professor of Astrophysics in the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies. Tom's main area of interest is star formation although he has also dabbled in quasars, comets and archaeo-astronomy (the study of ancient astronomical sites like Stonehenge and Newgrange). He has been a Principal Investigator and a Co-Investigator on several Hubble Space Telescope (HST) programs and he is Co-Principal Investigator for one of the four main instruments on the James Webb Space Telescope, the successor to the HST.

Married with 3 children (all girls), he likes to consider himself the "token male" as even the pets in his household are female. When not pursuing astronomy, Tom likes to sail the Irish Coast and, like many other Irishmen, drink Guinness."

ASTRONOMY EVENT AT NEWGRANGE HERITAGE WEEK

The IAA is delighted and honoured to have been asked to run a special astronomy event at Newgrange, Bru na Boinne, Co Meath, to celebrate their 'Heritage Week', which is actually 8 days, running from Saturday 25 August through to Sunday 2 September. Details are as follows:

ASTRONOMERS CELEBRATE THE SUN AND THE ANCIENT SKIES OF NEWGRANGE

The Irish Astronomical Association (IAA), together with the Armagh Observatory and the Armagh Planetarium, are to mark Heritage Week with a major event at Newgrange, Bru na Boinne, from Saturday 25 August to Sunday 2 September. The event will celebrate the ancient and modern understanding of our Sun, the nearest star, and the ancient astronomy of Newgrange.

Newgrange is one of the most astronomically significant archaeological sites in the world. The amazing effect of the midwinter sunrise shining through the special roof-box into the passageway and illuminating the inner chamber is an almost magical experience. However, the reason for its construction more than 5,000 years ago, before both Stonehenge and the Egyptian Pyramids, remains a mystery. Its special astronomical significance is that it marks the midwinter solstice, which occurs this year on December 22. This is the time when the Sun reaches its most southerly point in the sky, marking the shortest day and the longest night of the year.

During Heritage Week, the IAA is mounting an exhibition and a series of talks about the Sun and its importance for us today and for the people who built Newgrange. There will be a major exhibition related to the Sun and ancient astronomy; interactive displays; real movies of the Sun from spacecraft; images in wavelengths of light invisible to the eye; hands-on experiments; safe viewing of the Sun with special solar telescopes, if the sky is clear; a quiz with prizes for both adults and children; free give-aways; and lots more.

There will also be a special exhibit, courtesy of Dr Miruna Popescu of the Armagh Observatory, which was selected for the Royal Society's Summerscience exhibition in London. This exhibit is part of the worldwide programme of activities for International Heliophysical Year 2007/2008, and the special display will show how dependent we are on our variable Sun. This exhibition has recently begun a tour of the island of Ireland with support from Discover Science and Engineering and the Northern Ireland Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure.

And for the first Saturday and Sunday, the Armagh Planetarium will provide special star shows in their mobile planetarium.

Admission to the Visitors’ Centre is free during both weekends, i.e. the first and second Saturdays and Sundays, although normal admission charges apply to the guided tours of the chambers within the Newgrange and Knowth mounds themselves. But on the last Sunday, 2 September, even those tours are free, too!

See: www.knowth.com or www.heritageireland.ie

DAZZLING DISPLAY OF SHOOTING STARS!

A collage of 36 meteors (some not visible), most are Perseids, R J Cobain

Members of the Irish Astronomical Association witnessed a wonderful display of the Perseid Meteors earlier tonight! Observing from Delamont Country Park, Co Down, in just about an hour we collectively saw almost 200 meteors! Some of these were about 100 times brighter than the brightest stars, and many were so bright that they left luminous trails behind them.

We also saw the International Space Station, with the Space Shuttle Endeavour attached to it, passing over: it also appeared brighter than the brightest stars.

Some more Perseid Meteors should be visible tonight (Monday night) if the sky is clear. Look to the darkest part of the sky from about 11 p.m. onwards: chances will improve from then until about 02.00.

From my back garden I saw 21 meteors between 11 and 12.25 at least 8 were stonkers. Clouds rolled in but I went out again at 1 and by 1.45 the clouds had closed in - I only saw another 8 in that period - again a couple of amazing ones - the brightest about 1.15 in the northern sky close to the plough. I got at least one image of a -3 one going through Cygnus ... but as usual the meteor travelled out of the frame. Clouds frustrated until 2.30 and I went to bed. Andy McCrea

Hi, Just thought you might like to see 2 of the perseids, caught just before the clouds closed in; About 11.30 pm from Cumbria. Hope you had better conditions in Ireland. Best Wishes, Peter Jennings

I think a count of 94 meteors is quite exceptional for a single observer under a mostly cloudy sky! Last year I saw 137 throughout the entire clear night. This year's Perseids seemed very active indeed and what was exciting was the large amount of fireballs which was incredible to watch particularly in the pre dawn hours when they tended to burn up east of the zenith in Ursa Major and Draco. Many bright members also favoured Aquila, Bootes, CrB and Pegasus. The best location again proved to be Uma. Luckily my batteries held out for the entire night (helped somewhat by the mild temps) and I managed to fill my memory card several times with patrol images. Many Perseids passed though my images however they were too faint for my camera to detect however I did catch a few but the best was a mag + 2.0 orange Perseid with long tail which cut down the centre of Capricornus! Martin McKenna

A mag -3.5 meteor streaks from Cassiopeia towards Deneb in Cygnus

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FALLING STARS - or SHOOTING STARS ?

The annual celestial fireworks show provided by the Perseid Meteors is now under way! Meteors are popularly known as 'falling stars' or 'shooting stars'. Of course they are not stars at all, but they just look like a star shooting across the sky, or sometimes appearing to 'fall' from it. They are caused by tiny little bits of material given off by a comet, in this case Comet Swift-Tuttle, colliding with our atmosphere at very high speed, and burning away in the streak or flash of light which we see as a meteor.

There are some already visible each night, but the numbers seen will increase noticeably from about 8/9 August until the night of maximum on 12/13 (Sun-Mon) August. In excellent sky conditions one might see up to about 60-70 meteors per hour just before dawn when the radiant is highest.

Observers in Ireland are slightly better favoured than those in GB, as the dawn occurs later here, giving up to about 30 minutes of extra observing time.

Perseid meteors are quite fast, with a fairly high proportion of bright meteors. As the name implies they appear to come from the constellation of Perseus, which will be rising higher in the North East part of the sky as the night progresses. The meteors can appear anywhere in the sky, but most will appear to come from the NE part of the sky. And there will be no moonlight this year, giving excellent observing conditions - if we get clear skies, of course!

To see them at their best, choose as dark a location as possible from which to observe: a really dark site will more than double the number of meteors you will see! Also, allow time for your eyes to adapt to the dark - allow at least 10 minutes after exposure to white light before you can expect to see many meteors, and after about 30 minutes you'll be able to see as many as sky conditions allow. You don't need any optical aid - just your eyes, a comfortable lounger or reclining chair, and some warm clothes or a rug.

Most meteors will be seen after midnight, up to the start of local dawn twilight, but you should see at least some soon after the sky gets dark on Sunday evening.

If you are lucky, you may see some much brighter than any of the stars in the sky!

The number of meteors drops away after August 12/13, but some should still be seen up to about August 15/16.

NASA graphic

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Philip Baxter receives the Fitzgerald medal for outstanding service to the Association

This medal, presented by the IAA for 'Outstanding Service to the Association" was awarded this year to Philip Baxter. Philip is one of the keenest and most active members of the Association and the Council, always suggesting new ideas or new ways of looking at things. He helps out at all our public events, and has been the recent organiser of our own observing nights. Congratulations Philip - it's well deserved.

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3^rd March Total Lunar Eclipse

UK and Irish Observers blessed by unusually clear skies hail best Lunar eclipse in years

Martin Campbell

 

Great time had by all at the IAA's Eclipse party in Cultra, Co. Down

Dear Terry,

 

As two of the figures in the darkness at Cultra at the Lunar eclipse last night we would just like to send our sincere thanks. It was a spectacular sight on its own, but the whole event was made much more enjoyable by your expert knowledge and willingness to answer all the bizarre questions directed at you!

 

Please add us to your email list for future events

Karen and John 

Andy McCrea, Cultra.

Tolis Christou of Armagh observatory and IAA member Robert Cobain try observing Lunar meteor impacts during the eclipse

Robert Cobain

I started monitoring the eclipsed part of the moon at around 21:45 with my 6" reflector and WaTEC902DM2S and was done at around 23:45 when my laptop ran out of hard disk (ouch!).

I took me some time (and some frantic deleting) to choose settings that did not result in continuous capture but I think I've got it licked now!  Tolis Christou

Please Check out the Photo Gallery for more eclipse images