tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68648790701563569362024-02-06T21:25:12.184-08:00Right AscensionA blog (and podcast series) to celebrate the International Year of Astronomy (2009), with regular (and spontaneous) comments and features on astronomy and astrophysics from an ex-professional, but still devout cosmologist!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864879070156356936.post-86544236011822350282009-05-17T09:28:00.000-07:002009-05-17T09:51:16.447-07:00Herschel and Planck - two great names, two amazing spacecraft<p>Why take a risk when you can take two? That was the nailbiting scenario planned by the European Space Agency on Thursday when it launched two highly sensitive and extremely important astronomical probes in the same launch vehicle. Planck and Herschel are now on their way on the next stage of their journey to an orbital position known as L2. <a href="http://http//sci.esa.int/science-e/www/area/index.cfm?fareaid=16">Herschel </a>is the largest ever space telescope with a mirror twice the size of that of Hubble, but operating at far-infrared wavelengths which are particularly valuable in probing star formation processes. It will be able to detect early galaxy formation and evolution by looking at extremely distant targets. For those of you that are relatively new to astronomy, the probe is named after the distinguished historical astronomer, <a href="http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Herschel/SEM8600P4HD_0.html">Sir William Herschel who was assisted by his wife Caroline</a>.</p> Planck, named after the great physicist, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Planck">Max Planck</a>, will study the distant cosmic microwave background radiation. For both such tasks you require low temperatures and this is one of the advantages of their particular location. You can learn more from this video which was produced last year.<br /><object width="560" height="340"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/rzjBKFLp4f0&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="450" height="260"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864879070156356936.post-51823231988622071132009-05-09T05:38:00.000-07:002009-05-09T05:40:44.767-07:00April came and went...!Apologies for the long gap and the absence of April's programme. Ended up being completely swamped in work and with family commitments. Tsk, tsk. Dashing the expectations of my loyal following. I will make amends and double up the number of podcasts to compensate. There's a lot going on astronomically speaking, so plenty to talk about. Next topic though is likely to be the Sun, since it causing some intrigue amongst astronomers at the moment.....Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864879070156356936.post-47403838986386797612009-04-04T03:30:00.000-07:002009-04-04T03:31:34.390-07:00AprilNew month, new video! Just be patient and all will be revealed, with luck later this week. For the moment, however, time to enjoy the brighter days (for some of us, at least)...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864879070156356936.post-13430813961321251052009-03-20T17:31:00.000-07:002009-03-20T17:42:06.645-07:0020th March at 11:44Happy vernal equinox! The Sun moves North into the summer zone as it passes the origin of right ascension. How's that for a technical sounding sentence? What does it mean...? ah <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_ascension">now that would be telling</a>, but spring has sprung and for those of you with winter gloom the bright few days we've had recently have rather symbolically illustrated the astronomical seasonal shift.<br /><br /><blockquote>For Right Ascension, the zero point is known as the <span style="font-style:italic;">First Point of Aries</span>, which is the place in the sky where the Sun crosses the celestial equator at the March equinox.</blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864879070156356936.post-78425809931608384212009-03-10T15:25:00.000-07:002009-03-10T15:26:19.212-07:00subscribe to our podcastsWe're on iTunes now, so if you'd rather access our podcasts that way and pop them onto your iPod/mp4 player then simply subscribe in the iTunes store to this URL:<div><br /></div><div><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=301418617">http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=301418617</a><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864879070156356936.post-33327901359738471142009-03-09T09:31:00.000-07:002009-03-09T09:33:30.410-07:00launch<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.launchphotography.com/Kepler.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 600px;" src="http://www.launchphotography.com/Kepler.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>As you no doubt, now realise, the launch of Kepler was a success. So, it's all go now as we try to track down Earthlike planets over the next 4-6 years of observations.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864879070156356936.post-89119839703665621702009-03-06T16:07:00.000-08:002009-03-06T16:26:50.782-08:00Kepler launch imminent<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCzKMvr9W9B3b9WkMCxeMfXRrPI8zwwR91vqQpC1woxswlp6nKCYY4h9FR45BiIJyFvsJz2FdgypFinJqyu46-OP7jrsD_SpO3AZoHKY8Dnt4Uaeh1X3KlWykCYkqtALkCYsutukoEeY-D/s1600-h/FlightSgmntBodypointLbld.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 132px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCzKMvr9W9B3b9WkMCxeMfXRrPI8zwwR91vqQpC1woxswlp6nKCYY4h9FR45BiIJyFvsJz2FdgypFinJqyu46-OP7jrsD_SpO3AZoHKY8Dnt4Uaeh1X3KlWykCYkqtALkCYsutukoEeY-D/s200/FlightSgmntBodypointLbld.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310233292831805538" /></a>Only a few hours to go now before the launch of one of the most exciting space missions yet. The <a href="http://kepler.nasa.gov/">Kepler telescope</a> will gradually make its way to an earth-trailing orbit which balances out the gravitational pull and minimises the torque on the spacecraft allowing it to be stable and afix its gaze on a patch of sky and stare and stare and stare! Looking at the light from stars to detect the clues that reveal planets. It will be able to reach down to Earth size detection, something that has not been achievable to date. Any such detection of a planet like this in the 'goldilocks' zone around another star will be a great achievement, so fingers crossed for a successful launch.<br /><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://kepler.nasa.gov/media/mpeg_files/ARC-KeplerOverview-480p.mov">For a movie describing the mission, visit here. </a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864879070156356936.post-46272269550690302482009-03-02T14:51:00.000-08:002009-03-03T06:37:22.838-08:00Cosmology - an introductionOur next video episode is an overview of some ideas that underpin cosmology. We'll be returning to these in later editions and in other articles on this blog (eg expansion of the Universe, background radiation, dark matter and distorted space), but for the moment this, hopefully, sets the scene. It's a bit long and I'm afraid I speak a little slowly this time, but with any luck the beauty of the images and the sheer profundity of the subject will carry you through!<div><br /></div><div><br /><embed src="http://blip.tv/play/AfDTIAA" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="320" height="270" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed><br /></div><div><a href="http://celtserver.nuigalway.ie:8080/intralibrary/open_virtual_file_path/i124n3663t/cosmo.mp4">Download iPod video version.</a></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864879070156356936.post-81871424835920743152009-02-22T08:29:00.001-08:002009-02-22T08:33:41.228-08:00It's coming soon - the story of the entire universe!Our next video programme is nearly complete - just been busy with a few other pressing deadlines in my non-astronomy time! I hope to post it up during this coming week.<br /><br />In the meantime, however, the next couple of days is also the closest approach of Comet Lulin. Not one of the most dramatic cometary visitors, but it is still visible in small telescopes and binoculars and if it reaches the predicted magnitude 5 you should be able to see it unaided in good conditions. For more info and some lovely images <a href="http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/highlights/35992534.html">click here</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864879070156356936.post-8975761224017281552009-02-14T05:45:00.000-08:002009-02-14T05:49:16.581-08:00down at the docks and up in the skyAfter entertaining sailors and random others in a bar in the docks with stories of the wonders of deep space ( a public 'science in the pub' type event), I'm turning now to the latest episode of our video series and it will be online soon. The theme will be the Big Bang and the universe on the largest scales.<br /><br />In the meantime, may I suggest that if you are keen on seeing what stars and planets are visible from your location at any time, and would like to explore the night sky in some detail, that you download and install the free <a href="http://stellarium.org">Stellarium software</a>? Versions run on Mac, Windows and Linux and its fun and extremely simple to use.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864879070156356936.post-33337250251309028832009-02-01T10:48:00.000-08:002009-02-01T11:29:45.269-08:00The Moon - latest videoAs promised, the latest 'astronomy in roughly 5 minutes' video is about the Moon. Of course this is a potentially vast subject and I only skirt around some aspects, but there's plenty more scope to revisit some topics as IYA 2009 continues! No questions on the video this time, but if you want a challenge, why not find out why we don't have eclipses every month?!<br /><br /><embed src="http://blip.tv/play/AenxWAA" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400" height="300" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864879070156356936.post-38694234963459790102009-01-17T06:25:00.000-08:002009-01-17T06:45:47.598-08:00Lunar influenceAs storms start to batter the western seaboard of Ireland, there's little hope that the telescope will see much action over the coming nights. Rain and sleet are promised, all fine for blowing away the cobwebs but classic hibernation weather too. Living on the coast, as we do, then its hardly surprising that we're aware of the tides as they rise and sink and indeed it's been suggested by a couple of my readers that perhaps I might say something about that engine of the tides, the moon, in one of my little 'astronomy in five minutes' videos. So why not? Sure there are plenty of other topics to cover, but its nice to get suggestions and with so many blogs that have no readers/followers I'm grateful that I have a readership and so am happy to oblige! I'll look at some interesting and lesser known aspects as well as the basics. I also had it originally in mind to issue an episode on every full moon, but I'm out of sync thus far!<div><br /></div><div>The video below shows the rotating Earth as the moon passes by viewed from a <a href="http://epoxi.umd.edu/1mission/index.shtml">space probe</a> some 31 million miles distant.</div><div><br /></div><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/F_eM_DxaEd0&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/F_eM_DxaEd0&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864879070156356936.post-57927835653216957872009-01-10T12:52:00.000-08:002009-01-10T12:53:55.312-08:00Podcast 2 - VenusWell here's the second of our video episodes, focusing this time (as promised) on the planet Venus. I aim to upload a video each month, but since this is the start of the series I thought an extra bonus episode wouldn't go amiss. I'd like also to acknowledge permission from the astrophotographer <a href="http://www.twanight.org/newTWAN/photographers_about.asp?photographer=Tunc%20Tezel">Tunc Teze</a>l (in Turkey) to use his amazing picture of the retrograde motion of Mars in this programme. Many thanks!<br /><br />Venus is of course the object most responsible for supposed sightings of "UFOs" given its brightness and the effect of an apparent motion near the horizon if you watch it whilst driving! It's often reported that such sightings peak when Venus is visible.<br /><br />Enjoy!<br /><embed src="http://blip.tv/play/AeXJGwA" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400" height="300" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed><br /><br /><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864879070156356936.post-21085684740133958932009-01-07T06:34:00.000-08:002009-01-07T14:20:24.783-08:00Venus<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgmTnHuCevtvzvgk5HVEtPE82b5XJ261t67KbsFq4w4dX9yW2tskAB_UM2F4MRifG5sTsVSMWPqXS-Xrtqc3jBQV4deoqd7dEo_qzSLekDcEhTnO49s5yv7ENIVQNpx0CXvgCWLB4h8RbG/s1600-h/galileo_12.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 153px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgmTnHuCevtvzvgk5HVEtPE82b5XJ261t67KbsFq4w4dX9yW2tskAB_UM2F4MRifG5sTsVSMWPqXS-Xrtqc3jBQV4deoqd7dEo_qzSLekDcEhTnO49s5yv7ENIVQNpx0CXvgCWLB4h8RbG/s200/galileo_12.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288561028618010834" /></a>Standing out in the cold and frosty nights that are around us, here in Galway at the moment, the most prominent evening object (apart from the Moon!) is the planet Venus. It's a fascinating object and one that played a pivotal role in the development of our view of the universe with Galileo's observations. In addition, it is a remarkable "sister planet" of the Earth, with its runaway greenhouse atmosphere perhaps a pertinent warning!! <div><br /></div><div>Anyway, it forms the subject of our next podcast episode (online later this week) but to whet the appetite, here's the picture of Venus (bottom series) that Galileo drew from his telescope observations, a series of sketches that had a profound effect at the time....but you'll have to wait for that!<br /><br /><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864879070156356936.post-84450366310146721312009-01-03T08:27:00.000-08:002009-01-05T07:07:12.344-08:00First Podcast/Vodcast January Skies - OrionIn this, the first of our series of short programmes I talk briefly about the Orion constellation and draw your attention to some of its interesting members. My approach is fairly simple and if you want to get the most out of these resources then:<div><br /></div><div>(1) Get yourself a notebook and pencil</div><div>(2) Sketch the basic constellation layout </div><div>(3) Jot down anything new or interesting you learn from the episode</div><div>(4) Try and answer the challenging questions I set, either by hitting "google" or looking at astronomy books.</div><div><br /></div><div>Enjoy. Horizon/Nova it is not - but I'm aiming to pass on some basic knowledge rather than to dazzle with orchestral music, globe trotting reports and special effects!!! </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><embed src="http://blip.tv/play/AeSYQwA" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400" height="300" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed><div><br /></div><div>iPod version <a href="http://celtserver.nuigalway.ie:8080/intralibrary/open_virtual_file_path/i279n1782t/January-Orion.mp4">available for download here.</a> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864879070156356936.post-42110873511485221032008-12-29T15:54:00.000-08:002008-12-30T05:27:37.574-08:00Streetlights - wipe out stars, planets, meteors and satellites<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlytrL2jU1W7lxWaVQzMvWFIfzB2K3kBXKHymXg0LCJzSnNamVV-6I5JDvVboD6teI7sSv1K9I1X-qZiHOd5x9I7SSwPTBBqd_csUltFflsjGPo8BWp8_7t_ShzBiDILNQXVK9YbO-qC6T/s1600-h/home_gethelp.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 139px; height: 92px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlytrL2jU1W7lxWaVQzMvWFIfzB2K3kBXKHymXg0LCJzSnNamVV-6I5JDvVboD6teI7sSv1K9I1X-qZiHOd5x9I7SSwPTBBqd_csUltFflsjGPo8BWp8_7t_ShzBiDILNQXVK9YbO-qC6T/s200/home_gethelp.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285366630539750482" /></a>I suppose its the street-lighting that's more annoying than the cloudy skies, although when you're hoping to see something at a specific time, both can be pretty bad. Clouds can't be helped, by and large, but street lighting is a 'crime' on so many fronts. It seems little appreciated by the public and local authorities in particular that current models of street lighting are hugely wasteful. The fact that most designs leak almost half the emission straight up into the night, giving that palid orange glow complete dominion over urban skies, seems not to register that it represents a waste of energy as well. More directionally oriented systems shine the light where its needed, directly downwards and make the streets brighter and the skies darker.<div><br /></div><div>The <a href="http://www.darksky.org/mc/page.do">International Dark Sky Association</a> and amateur astronomy groups have been campaigning, with some successes, for years on this issue, but still have a long way to go to get this into the public consciousness. Just think, though, how much we are being deprived of some of the most beautiful aspects of nature - the stars and planets. If you want to learn more have a look at this <a href="http://data.nextrionet.com/site/idsa/energy_brochure11-13.pdf">guide developed for US schools</a>.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864879070156356936.post-21842637430961830732008-12-27T04:21:00.000-08:002008-12-29T03:52:42.781-08:00Preamble - first clear night of the blog<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMG4MRWZ8jp6NdLhEHaiqJqjHbYoSJCNxp4kK33frSe99Cg_HxoIwAcIYBjEG3xshb1a4OprTRGab1tixOnUn3NG3Kr8hf5TxN95wdqpBIrOYk1mZANr5PbGWCDtTC5BgexEY1zEPOkEeC/s1600-h/IMG_4481.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMG4MRWZ8jp6NdLhEHaiqJqjHbYoSJCNxp4kK33frSe99Cg_HxoIwAcIYBjEG3xshb1a4OprTRGab1tixOnUn3NG3Kr8hf5TxN95wdqpBIrOYk1mZANr5PbGWCDtTC5BgexEY1zEPOkEeC/s200/IMG_4481.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284446196947328562" /></a><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1QQr4s5MuniXHx3W0-PX9pJOQsF8mxf2OYklP8B05XvKsA0n8EnwaZQzlx7xDJI_RXtyZjcYxdcv74f3PeYpO-u9-LJ_VBFL4KwMOYVb-FTOzlv669NShni6Aj3qDhH7jaJw_e96bJ61X/s1600-h/Pleiades_Lanoue.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1QQr4s5MuniXHx3W0-PX9pJOQsF8mxf2OYklP8B05XvKsA0n8EnwaZQzlx7xDJI_RXtyZjcYxdcv74f3PeYpO-u9-LJ_VBFL4KwMOYVb-FTOzlv669NShni6Aj3qDhH7jaJw_e96bJ61X/s200/Pleiades_Lanoue.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284445656655588226" /></a>With a bit of luck the sky was clear the evening the blog was started and even though we're not yet in the IYA, let alone having passed the <a href="http://ama09.obspm.fr/ama09/open.php">Opening Ceremony</a>, why shouldn't we grab the opportunity to pull out a little telescope and sneak a peek at the stars? <div><br /></div><div>What equipment do we have in our observatory? Well nothing more than a little 4.5inch (diameter of main mirror) Dobsonian telescope, the <a href="http://www.telescope.com/control/product/~category_id=dobsonians/~pcategory=telescopes/~product_id=09804">Orion Skyquest XT4.5 </a>to be exact - a couple of mirrors in a metal tube to be technical about it. As a point and look system it can't be beaten, but it can lead to ages wandering around the sky looking for your intended target, but then what's the rush, just scanning across the milky way at your leisure is fun enough surely? </div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, <a href="http://www.knoxvilleobservers.org/beginner/orioncrt.html">Orion</a> was prominent and up to the right of his shoulder the Hyades and then the <a href="http://www.naic.edu/~gibson/pleiades/">Pleiades</a>. The latter always looks beautiful, sharp and bright, filling my little eyepiece. Only a bigger telescope shows the glowing 'nebulosity' around some of the stars (as in the picture here -not taken from our telescope!).<div><br /></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864879070156356936.post-27208147338884668352008-12-26T10:33:00.000-08:002008-12-26T10:42:57.186-08:00A humble tour of astronomyGiven the plethora of sites on the web devoted to <a href="http://www.astronomy2009.org/">International Year of Astronomy</a>, both professional and amateur, what is the point of yet another? Well, my intention here is to basically just provide regular short podcasts on key themes in astronomy aimed at a general audience, which are not either overly specialist or overly hyped. The IYA official websites can handle all the orchestral music and video shots from Hawaiian mountain tops, whilst I just ditch the pretensions and try my best to give a flavour of why I find the subject fascinating.<br /><br /><br /><br />I'm an ex-professional and not one of those keen amateurs who spends every last cent on the latest computer-controlled telescope for their home observatory and I have other pastimes that prevent me from obsessing over the latest planetary configuration. In fact, if, like me, you'd like to spend a bit of time, but not too much, trying to get to grips with the subject and would love, in an ideal world, to sit out all night star-hopping, but would rather give it a go for 5 or ten minutes before nipping in for a warm drink and a good night's sleep - then you've come to the right place!<br /><br /><br /><br />Join me as 2009 kicks off for the first of my programmes, which I aim to (heroically) produce each month. I promise you'll learn something about space, telescopes and the aesthetics of astronomy - but not too much that your head will hurt. How does that sound? Is it a deal?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0