BAA Variable Star Section Workshop

Hampshire Astronomical Group is hosting the BAA's Variable Star Section workshop at the observatory on Saturday 13th March 2010. Admittance is strictly by prior booking through the VSS Director, Roger Pickard on roger.pickard@sky.com

The Agenda for the Day is as follows...

10.30 Welcome and Intro - Why Variable Stars? Roger Pickard
11.00 Why Observe Visually in the 21st Century? John Toone
12.00 "Eclipses : when will/did they occur?" Tony Markham
12.30 Lunch
14.00 Using a DSLR to study Variable Stars. Des Loughney
14.45 Basic CCD Observing. Roger Pickard
15.30 Tea
16.00 Follow-up observations of Novae and Supernovae. Guy Hurst
17.00 Observing programmes for the Visual observer. Gary Poyner
17..30 Close

Announcement posted by : Graham Bryant

Events in the South of England

Do we need a new Theory of Gravity?
Dr Stuart Clark

Lecture: For much of the twentieth century astronomers have believed that large quantities of unseen matter must exist in the universe. Their evidence for this ‘dark matter’ comes from the peculiar motions of some celestial objects. But why can’t we find the dark matter? Could it all be a mirage? If dark matter does not exist, astronomers and physicists will be forced to reappraise their understanding of gravity.  This is a monumental undertaking, but perhaps there is a clue in the trajectory of two old NASA space probes – both currently off course for unexplained reasons. This talk will survey the mounting evidence that we do not understand gravity as completely as we thought we did, and that perhaps a revolution in gravitational physics is in the offing.

Dr Stuart Clark is a former academic who turned to writing full time in 2001. He has a contract with the European Space Agency producing web stories, press releases, brochures and so on. His articles are printed in New Scientist and BBC Focus magazine and he has written for many other publications. He has broadcast on radio, TV and podcasts and he has given talks all over the world. Nearly twenty of his books have been published, ranging from text books to coffee table books; books for children as well as adults. One of his most successful is The Sun Kings, on which another of his lectures is based. It was shortlisted by the Royal Society for their general science prize. Stuart is currently writing a trilogy of novels based in fact about the men involved in the three greatest turning points in cosmology. His latest book Big Questions in Cosmology will be available after the talk.

These events often sell out so pre-book or call to check on (01962) 863791

For more details and tickets please visit the Intech web site

Announcement posted by : Website Team

Event in the South of England

In Pursuit of Pulsars
Prof. Jocelyn Bell-Burnell DBE (Oxford University)

Lecture: an accessible introduction to pulsars (pulsating radio stars), and their amazing properties. Like lighthouses in the sky they may one day be used as navigation beacons for interstellar travel. Meanwhile they have stretched our understanding of the behaviour of matter and serve as very accurate clocks to check out Einstein's theory of relativity.

Jocelyn Bell-Burnell, as a postgraduate student, discovered the first radio pulsars with her thesis supervisor Antony Hewish, for which Hewish was awarded a Nobel Prize. Since this time she has had a successful academic career studying stars and astronomical bodies, has championed women in science, been president of the Royal Astronomical Society and is current president of the Institute of Physics (IOP).  She has received many honours for her scientific research and for engaging the public; she was made a CBE in 1999 and a Dame in 2007. This evening is run in association with the IOP.

These events often sell out so pre-book or call to check on (01962) 863791

For more details and tickets please visit the Intech web site

Announcement posted by : Website Team

Astronomical & Space Events for March 2010

Object of the Month

Praesepe (M44), also known as the Beehive Cluster, lies in the constellation of Cancer.  Ancient Chinese astronomers called it Tseih She Ke - 'the Exhalation of Piled-up Corpses'.

Vernal Equinox 

Takes place on 20 March at 5:32 p.m., and marks the beginning of Spring.

British Summer Time

Starts at 1:00 a.m. on 28 March - clocks go forward an hour.

Venus

By the end of the month Venus is setting at 9.20 p.m.  Its magnitude is -3.9.

Mercury

At superior conjunction on 14 March. From 25 March Mercury is a few degrees to the lower right of Venus, with a magnitude of -1.0.

Saturn

At opposition on 22 March, magnitude 0.5, and placed in Virgo.

Mars

Visible all night, setting at 5.00 a.m GMT.  Magnitude -0.6 fading to 0.2.  On 11 March Mars is stationery before doubling back on itself proceeding eastwards (prograde).  Try using a Wratten 80A blue filter to enhance the appearance of the clouds.

Moon

On 16 March the Moon is 21.5 hours old.  Its thin crescent can be found just after sunset (6.00 p.m. GMT).  To locate the crescent Moon, find Venus (mag. -3.8) and look right and down a bit.  The crescent Moon will have disappeared by 6.50 p.m.

Comets

Comet 81P/Wild at magnitude +9 should be able to be picked up using binoculars in the early morning skies.  Situated about 2 degrees south of iota Virginis at around 3 a.m. GMT mid-month.  See Astronomy Now page 45 for RA and dec co-ordinates.

Images credit: NASA

Announcement posted by : Website Team