Eyes on the Skies 400 Years of Telescopic Discovery
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February 2020 Page 1 of 11
Newsletter Pretoria Centre ASSA February 2020 Page 1 of 11 NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2020 NEXT MEETING Venue: The auditorium behind the main building at Christian Brothers College (CBC), Mount Edmund, Pretoria Road, Silverton, Pretoria. Date and time: Wednesday 26 February at 19h15. Programme: ➢ Beginner’s Corner: “Discoveries by amateurs” by Michelle Ferreira. ➢ What’s Up: by Michael Poll. ----------------------------------- 10-minute break. Library will be open. -------------------------------- ➢ Main talk: TBA by e-mail to members. ➢ Socializing over tea/coffee and biscuits. The chairperson at the meeting will be Pierre Lourens. NEXT OBSERVING EVENING Friday 21 February from sunset onwards at the Pretoria Centre Observatory, which is also situated at CBC. Turn left immediately after entering the main gate and follow the road. TABLE OF CONTENTS Astronomy-related articles on the Internet 2 Report of observing evening on January 17th 2020 3 Astronomy basics: How Earth moves 3 Feature of the month: Does extraterrestrial life exist? 3 Observing: The Elephant’s Trunk 4 Chairperson’s report for the meeting on 22 January 2020 5 Summary of coming presentation on 26 February under “What's Up?” 6 NOTICE BOARD 7 Pretoria Centre committee 7 Astronomy-related images and video clips on the Internet 7 Determination of the Earth-Sun distance using the transit of Mercury on 11 8 November 2019 Newsletter Pretoria Centre ASSA February 2020 Page 2 of 11 Astronomy-related articles on the Internet These 2 outbound comets are likely from another solar system. https://earthsky.org/space/outbound-comets-are-likely-of-interstellar-origin? utm_source=EarthSky+News&utm_campaign=5b6df3e574- EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_02_02_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c64394 5d79-5b6df3e574-394671529 Rigel in Orion is blue-white. -
Exploration of the Moon
Exploration of the Moon The physical exploration of the Moon began when Luna 2, a space probe launched by the Soviet Union, made an impact on the surface of the Moon on September 14, 1959. Prior to that the only available means of exploration had been observation from Earth. The invention of the optical telescope brought about the first leap in the quality of lunar observations. Galileo Galilei is generally credited as the first person to use a telescope for astronomical purposes; having made his own telescope in 1609, the mountains and craters on the lunar surface were among his first observations using it. NASA's Apollo program was the first, and to date only, mission to successfully land humans on the Moon, which it did six times. The first landing took place in 1969, when astronauts placed scientific instruments and returnedlunar samples to Earth. Apollo 12 Lunar Module Intrepid prepares to descend towards the surface of the Moon. NASA photo. Contents Early history Space race Recent exploration Plans Past and future lunar missions See also References External links Early history The ancient Greek philosopher Anaxagoras (d. 428 BC) reasoned that the Sun and Moon were both giant spherical rocks, and that the latter reflected the light of the former. His non-religious view of the heavens was one cause for his imprisonment and eventual exile.[1] In his little book On the Face in the Moon's Orb, Plutarch suggested that the Moon had deep recesses in which the light of the Sun did not reach and that the spots are nothing but the shadows of rivers or deep chasms. -
The Annual Compendium of Commercial Space Transportation: 2012
Federal Aviation Administration The Annual Compendium of Commercial Space Transportation: 2012 February 2013 About FAA About the FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation The Federal Aviation Administration’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation (FAA AST) licenses and regulates U.S. commercial space launch and reentry activity, as well as the operation of non-federal launch and reentry sites, as authorized by Executive Order 12465 and Title 51 United States Code, Subtitle V, Chapter 509 (formerly the Commercial Space Launch Act). FAA AST’s mission is to ensure public health and safety and the safety of property while protecting the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States during commercial launch and reentry operations. In addition, FAA AST is directed to encourage, facilitate, and promote commercial space launches and reentries. Additional information concerning commercial space transportation can be found on FAA AST’s website: http://www.faa.gov/go/ast Cover art: Phil Smith, The Tauri Group (2013) NOTICE Use of trade names or names of manufacturers in this document does not constitute an official endorsement of such products or manufacturers, either expressed or implied, by the Federal Aviation Administration. • i • Federal Aviation Administration’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation Dear Colleague, 2012 was a very active year for the entire commercial space industry. In addition to all of the dramatic space transportation events, including the first-ever commercial mission flown to and from the International Space Station, the year was also a very busy one from the government’s perspective. It is clear that the level and pace of activity is beginning to increase significantly. -
Echo Exoplanet Characterisation Observatory
Exp Astron (2012) 34:311–353 DOI 10.1007/s10686-012-9303-4 ORIGINAL ARTICLE EChO Exoplanet characterisation observatory G. Tinetti · J. P. Beaulieu · T. Henning · M. Meyer · G. Micela · I. Ribas · D. Stam · M. Swain · O. Krause · M. Ollivier · E. Pace · B. Swinyard · A. Aylward · R. van Boekel · A. Coradini · T. Encrenaz · I. Snellen · M. R. Zapatero-Osorio · J. Bouwman · J. Y-K. Cho · V. Coudé du Foresto · T. Guillot · M. Lopez-Morales · I. Mueller-Wodarg · E. Palle · F. Selsis · A. Sozzetti · P. A. R. Ade · N. Achilleos · A. Adriani · C. B. Agnor · C. Afonso · C. Allende Prieto · G. Bakos · R. J. Barber · M. Barlow · V. Batista · P. Bernath · B. Bézard · P. Bordé · L. R. Brown · A. Cassan · C. Cavarroc · A. Ciaravella · C. Cockell · A. Coustenis · C. Danielski · L. Decin · R. De Kok · O. Demangeon · P. Deroo · P. Doel · P. Drossart · L. N. Fletcher · M. Focardi · F. Forget · S. Fossey · P. Fouqué · J. Frith · M. Galand · P. Gaulme · J. I. González Hernández · O. Grasset · D. Grassi · J. L. Grenfell · M. J. Griffin · C. A. Griffith · U. Grözinger · M. Guedel · P. Guio · O. Hainaut · R. Hargreaves · P. H. Hauschildt · K. Heng · D. Heyrovsky · R. Hueso · P. Irwin · L. Kaltenegger · P. Kervella · D. Kipping · T. T. Koskinen · G. Kovács · A. La Barbera · H. Lammer · E. Lellouch · G. Leto · M. A. Lopez Valverde · M. Lopez-Puertas · C. Lovis · A. Maggio · J. P. Maillard · J. Maldonado Prado · J. B. Marquette · F. J. Martin-Torres · P. Maxted · S. Miller · S. Molinari · D. Montes · A. Moro-Martin · J. I. Moses · O. Mousis · N. Nguyen Tuong · R. -
Eyes Skies Full En.Pdf
1 00:00:05,240 --> 00:00:08,800 By taking our sense of sight far beyond the realm of our forebears' 2 00:00:08,880 --> 00:00:13,200 imagination, these wonderful instruments, the telescopes, open the way to 3 00:00:13,280 --> 00:00:17,240 a deeper and more perfect understanding of nature. - René Descartes, 1637 4 00:00:17,720 --> 00:00:22,520 For millennia mankind gazed out into the mesmerising night sky 5 00:00:22,600 --> 00:00:28,320 without recognising the stars of our own Milky Way Galaxy as other suns 6 00:00:28,400 --> 00:00:33,400 or the billions of sister galaxies making up the rest of our Universe 7 00:00:35,440 --> 00:00:38,760 or that we are merely punctuation in the Universe’s 8 00:00:38,840 --> 00:00:42,480 13.7 billion year-long story. 9 00:00:42,560 --> 00:00:46,080 With only our eyes as observing tools we had no means of 10 00:00:46,160 --> 00:00:50,120 finding solar systems around other stars, or of determining 11 00:00:50,200 --> 00:00:55,000 whether life exists elsewhere in the Universe. 12 00:00:58,080 --> 00:01:00,320 Today we are well on our way to unravelling many of the 13 00:01:00,400 --> 00:01:03,520 mysteries of the Universe, living in what may be the most remarkable 14 00:01:03,600 --> 00:01:05,920 age of astronomical discovery. -
Dr. Andreja Gomboc, Astrofizičarka
september 2011, 1/74. letnik cena v redni prodaji 4,40 EUR mesečnik za poljudno naravoslovje PROTEUSnaroËniki 3,85 EUR dijaki in πtudenti 2,70 EUR www.proteus.si ■ Pogovori Dr. Andreja Gomboc, astrofizičarka ■ Iz zgodovine naravoslovja Jean-Baptiste Lamarck – od vojaka do učenjaka ■ Nevrobiologija Najstništvo - viharne spremembe v zorenju možganov proteus september 2011.indd 49 30.8.11 15:52 Zelo velik teleskop (VLT) v »ilu, ki z laserskim žarkom ustvari v višjih plasteh ozraËja umetno zvezdo ter jo s sistemom prilagodljive optike uporabi za odpravljanje motenj zaradi ozraËja, s Ëimer doseže izredno ostrino astronomskih posnetkov. Na nebu vidimo Rimsko cesto, kakršne v svetlobno onesnaženi Evropi ne vidimo veË. Foto: ESO/Y. Beletsky. ■ stran 6 Pogovori Dr. Andreja Gomboc, astrofizičarka Janez Strnad, Tomaž Sajovic Novoveška zgodovinska oblika znanosti je dejavnost in subjektivnost izključila iz svoje podo- be »objektivnega sveta«. Vendar je to »slepoto« znanosti vsaj že Martin Heidegger kritično razkril s spoznanjem, da je znanost samo eden od številnih načinov človekovega bivanja v svetu. Zato je človeško nujna odločitev, da Proteus, poljudnoznanstvena revija, odpira prostor tudi tistim »pozabljenim«, ki znanost ustvarjajo, da na osebno prizadet in kritičen način spregovorijo o svojem znanstvenem udejstvovanju, družbenem položaju znanosti in njenih človeških razsežnostih. Tokrat smo za pogovor zaprosili mlajšo slovensko mednarodno uve- ljavljeno astrofizičarko dr. Andrejo Gomboc, docentko na Oddelku za fiziko Fakultete za matematiko in fiziko. Njeno raziskovalno področje so astronomija in astrofizika, splošna te- orija relativnosti, črne luknje, izbruhi sevanja gama, vrtenje zvezd in vrtilne hitrosti simbi- otskih zvezd. Ima tudi izreden občutek za seznanjanje nestrokovnjakov in predvsem mladih s spoznanji v astrofiziki in astronomiji. -
Newsletter Archive the Skyscraper August 2011
the vol. 38 no. 8 August Skyscraper 2011 Amateur Astronomical Society of Rhode Island 47 Peeptoad Road North Scituate, Rhode Island 02857 www.theSkyscrapers.org August Meeting with Tom Thibault Friday, August 5, 7:30pm Seagrave Memorial Observatory Skyscrapers president Tom Thibault will Recently talk about “The Merits of Maintaining an improved Observing Log”. He will touch upon the northern reasons for his interest in astronomy and the & eastern timeline of his increasing involvement. The horizons, focus of his presentation will be why, how, thanks to our and what he includes in log entries as well as where the particular journal he utilizes can neighbor be purchased. Gene Allen. In this issue… 2 President’s Message 3 The Constellations in August Phases 4 August Meteor Shower to be Mooned Out & of the Observing the Moon Last Quarter Moon 6 13 21 28 6 July Reports Other notable events: Vesta is at opposition on the 5th. Perseid meteor shower peaks on the 8 New GOES-R to 12th-13th. Venus is at superior conjunction on the 16th. Mercury is at inferior conjunction Give More on the 16th. Neptune is at opposition on the 22nd. 8 Tornado Warning Time 9 The 30-Year Legacy of Seagrave Memorial Observatory NASA’s Remarkable is open to the public Spacecraft: The weather permitting Space Shuttles Saturdays: 9:00-11:00 pm 8:00 - 10:00 pm beginning August 27 15 AstroAssembly 2011 Registration 2 The Skyscraper August 2011 President’s Message Tom Thibault The Skyscraper is published monthly by Skyscrapers, Inc. Meetings are usually held Dear Skyscrapers Members, desserts that satisfied so many. -
The Atacama Pathfinder Experiment — Reaching New Heights in Submillimetre Astronomy
The Atacama Pathfinder Experiment — Reaching New Heights in Submillimetre Astronomy European Southern Observatory APEX on watch at Chajnantor. Credit: ESO/B. Tafreshi (twanight.org) The Atacama Pathfinder Experiment — Reaching New Heights in Submillimetre Astronomy ESO operates the Atacama Pathfinder “thermometers” known as bolometers submillimeter Array, a revolutionary new Experiment telescope, APEX, at one of to detect submillimetre light. In order to telescope that ESO, together with its the highest observatory sites on Earth, at be able to detect the tiny temperature international partners, is now operating an elevation of 5100 metres, high on the changes caused by the faint submillimetre on the Chajnantor Plateau. APEX is based Chajnantor Plateau in Chile’s Atacama radiation, each of these thermometers on a prototype antenna constructed for region. is cooled to less than 0.3 degrees above the ALMA project, and it will find many absolute zero — a frigid –272.85 °C. targets that ALMA will be able to study in APEX is a 12-metre diameter telescope, LABOCA’s high sensi tivity, together with great detail. operating at millimetre and submillimetre its wide field of view (one third of the wavelengths — between infrared light diameter of the full Moon), make it an APEX is a collaboration between the and radio waves. Submillimetre astronomy invaluable tool for imaging the submilli- Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy, opens a window into the cold, dusty metre Universe. the Onsala Space Observatory and ESO. and distant Universe, but the faint signals The telescope is operated by ESO. from space are heavily absorbed by APEX was developed as a pathfinder for water vapour in the Earth’s atmosphere. -
Annual Report / Rapport Annuel / Jahresbericht 1996
Annual Report / Rapport annuel / Jahresbericht 1996 ✦ ✦ ✦ E U R O P E A N S O U T H E R N O B S E R V A T O R Y ES O✦ 99 COVER COUVERTURE UMSCHLAG Beta Pictoris, as observed in scattered light Beta Pictoris, observée en lumière diffusée Beta Pictoris, im Streulicht bei 1,25 µm (J- at 1.25 microns (J band) with the ESO à 1,25 microns (bande J) avec le système Band) beobachtet mit dem adaptiven opti- ADONIS adaptive optics system at the 3.6-m d’optique adaptative de l’ESO, ADONIS, au schen System ADONIS am ESO-3,6-m-Tele- telescope and the Observatoire de Grenoble télescope de 3,60 m et le coronographe de skop und dem Koronographen des Obser- coronograph. l’observatoire de Grenoble. vatoriums von Grenoble. The combination of high angular resolution La combinaison de haute résolution angu- Die Kombination von hoher Winkelauflö- (0.12 arcsec) and high dynamical range laire (0,12 arcsec) et de gamme dynamique sung (0,12 Bogensekunden) und hohem dy- (105) allows to image the disk to only 24 AU élevée (105) permet de reproduire le disque namischen Bereich (105) erlaubt es, die from the star. Inside 50 AU, the main plane jusqu’à seulement 24 UA de l’étoile. A Scheibe bis zu einem Abstand von nur 24 AE of the disk is inclined with respect to the l’intérieur de 50 UA, le plan principal du vom Stern abzubilden. Innerhalb von 50 AE outer part. Observers: J.-L. Beuzit, A.-M. -
Site Testing for Submillimetre Astronomy at Dome C, Antarctica
A&A 535, A112 (2011) Astronomy DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201117345 & c ESO 2011 Astrophysics Site testing for submillimetre astronomy at Dome C, Antarctica P. Tremblin1, V. Minier1, N. Schneider1, G. Al. Durand1,M.C.B.Ashley2,J.S.Lawrence2, D. M. Luong-Van2, J. W. V. Storey2,G.An.Durand3,Y.Reinert3, C. Veyssiere3,C.Walter3,P.Ade4,P.G.Calisse4, Z. Challita5,6, E. Fossat6,L.Sabbatini5,7, A. Pellegrini8, P. Ricaud9, and J. Urban10 1 Laboratoire AIM Paris-Saclay (CEA/Irfu, Univ. Paris Diderot, CNRS/INSU), Centre d’études de Saclay, 91191 Gif-Sur-Yvette, France e-mail: [pascal.tremblin;vincent.minier]@cea.fr 2 University of New South Wales, 2052 Sydney, Australia 3 Service d’ingénierie des systèmes, CEA/Irfu, Centre d’études de Saclay, 91191 Gif-Sur-Yvette, France 4 School of Physics & Astronomy, Cardiff University, 5 The Parade, Cardiff, CF24 3AA, UK 5 Concordia Station, Dome C, Antarctica 6 Laboratoire Fizeau (Obs. Côte d’Azur, Univ. Nice Sophia Antipolis, CNRS/INSU), Parc Valrose, 06108 Nice, France 7 Departement of Physics, University of Roma Tre, Italy 8 Programma Nazionale Ricerche in Antartide, ENEA, Rome Italy 9 Laboratoire d’Aérologie, UMR 5560 CNRS, Université Paul-Sabatier, 31400 Toulouse, France 10 Chalmers University of Technology, Department of Earth and Space Sciences, 41296 Göteborg, Sweden Received 25 May 2011 / Accepted 17 October 2011 ABSTRACT Aims. Over the past few years a major effort has been put into the exploration of potential sites for the deployment of submillimetre astronomical facilities. Amongst the most important sites are Dome C and Dome A on the Antarctic Plateau, and the Chajnantor area in Chile. -
Rpt All Pis W/Juniors by MOA
rpt_All PIs w/Juniors by MOA MOAName PI Name and Science Interest Institution Email ScienceCollaboration Australia/Sydney MOA PI Scientists: 10 Brough, Sarah CAASTRO ‐ AAO Colless, Matthew CAASTRO ‐ ANU Filipovic, Miroslav CAASTRO‐UWS/WSU Galloway, Duncan CAASTRO‐Monash Univ Glazebrook, Karl CAASTRO ‐ Swinburne Murphy, Tara CAASTRO ‐ U Sydney Staveley‐Smith, Lister CAASTRO ‐ UWA Tinney, Chris CAASTRO‐UNSW Webster, Rachel CAASTRO ‐U Melbourne Zucker, Dan CAASTRO‐MQ Wednesday, July 26, 2017 Page 1 of 66 MOAName PI Name and Science Interest Institution Email ScienceCollaboration MOAName Institution Scientist Name Email Status MentorName Australia/Sydney CAASTRO ‐ AAO da Cunha, Elisabeta JR Brough, Sarah Australia/Sydney CAASTRO ‐ AAO Hopkins, Andrew JR Brough, Sarah Australia/Sydney CAASTRO ‐ AAO Taylor, Ned JR Brough, Sarah Australia/Sydney CAASTRO ‐ AAO Zafar, Tayyaba JR Brough, Sarah 4 Australia/Sydney CAASTRO ‐ ANU Bian, Fuyan JR Colless, Matthew Australia/Sydney CAASTRO ‐ ANU D'Eugenio, Francesco JR Colless, Matthew Australia/Sydney CAASTRO ‐ ANU Jerjen, Helmut JR Colless, Matthew Australia/Sydney CAASTRO ‐ ANU Wolfe, Chris JR Colless, Matthew 4 Australia/Sydney CAASTRO‐Monash Univ Brown, Michael JR Duncan Galloway Australia/Sydney CAASTRO‐Monash Univ Heger, Alexander JR Duncan Galloway Australia/Sydney CAASTRO‐Monash Univ Rol, Evert JR Duncan Galloway 3 Australia/Sydney CAASTRO‐Monash Univ Draskovic, Danica JR Filipovic, Miroslav Australia/Sydney CAASTRO‐Monash Univ Hyde, Alaina JR Filipovic, Miroslav Australia/Sydney CAASTRO‐Monash -
Zero Robotics Tournaments
Collaborative Competition for Crowdsourcing Spaceflight Software and STEM Education using SPHERES Zero Robotics by Sreeja Nag B.S. Exploration Geophysics, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, 2009 M.S. Exploration Geophysics, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, 2009 Submitted to the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the Engineering Systems Division in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degrees of Master of Science in Aeronautics and Astronautics and Master of Science in Technology and Policy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology June 2012 © 2012 Massachusetts Institute of Technology. All rights reserved Signature of Author ____________________________________________________________________ Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Engineering Systems Division May 11, 2012 Certified by __________________________________________________________________________ Jeffrey A. Hoffman Professor of Practice in Aeronautics and Astronautics Thesis Supervisor Certified by __________________________________________________________________________ Olivier L. de Weck Associate Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Engineering Systems Thesis Supervisor Accepted by __________________________________________________________________________ Eytan H. Modiano Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics Chair, Graduate Program Committee Accepted by __________________________________________________________________________ Joel P. Clark Professor of Materials Systems and Engineering Systems Acting Director,