Institute of Astronomy Public Open Evening Wednesday 16Th January 2013

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Institute of Astronomy Public Open Evening Wednesday 16Th January 2013 INSTITUTE OF ASTRONOMY PUBLIC OPEN EVENING WEDNESDAY 16TH JANUARY 2013 After all the excitement of Stargazing Live, welcome back to the more usual form of our public open evenings. Tonight our speaker is SARAH SMEDLEY, who’ll be PLAYING PINBALL WITH STARS. The talk begins promptly at 7.15pm and lasts for about half an hour; it will be followed by an opportunity to observe if (and only if…) the sky is clear. Two of the historical telescopes will be open, and the CAMBRIDGE ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION will provide a floorshow on the observatory lawns relaying live images from three modern telescopes. If we’re unlucky and it’s cloudy, then we’ll offer you a cup of tea and the CAA will give more astro-information afterwards in the lecture theatre for those who want to stay on. The talk schedule for this winter season is listed on our outreach website at: www.ast.cam.ac.uk/public/public_observing/talks2012-13 and we TWEET current astr0-news and events as IOACOA. Next week’s talk will be given by JONATHAN CRASS who’ll be telling us how THE DEVIL'S IN THE DETAIL - HIGH RESOLUTION IMAGING IN ASTRONOMY. If you have any questions or comments about the IoA Open Evenings, please get in touch with CAROLIN CRAWFORD [email protected] The Cambridge Astronomical Association will be holding their monthly speaker meeting this FRIDAY 18TH JANUARY at 8pm, here in the Sackler Lecture Theatre: the topic is A HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO SOLAR ECLIPSES, and the talk will be given by Ithel and Omara Williams. Everybody is welcome. THE LARGEST SPIRAL GALAXY Observations of a large spiral galaxy - catalogued as NGC 6872, and lying about 210 million light-years distant from Earth – have revealed that it is much larger than previously realised. Observations taken in the UV are particularly sensitive to the light given off by newly-formed massive stars, and UV images of this galaxy show a host of young stars far from the galaxy centre, and at the very end of a long tidal tail of such stars. This takes the galaxy’s total armspan to some five times wider than that of the Milky Way, and to around 520,000 light-years. The recent star formation has been triggered by a much smaller galaxy blundering through the gas clouds in the spiral arms of NGC 6872 around 130 million years ago; this collision set a wave of star formation pulsing through the larger galaxy’s disc. The intruder galaxy can be seen as a lens-shaped object lying just above the centre of the spiral galaxy. The gravitational forces in the interaction will have helped with the stretching out of the galaxy, making it the biggest spiral galaxy yet seen. The largest star formation region (ringed in the image) is lit up by the radiation from some of the hottest and youngest stars (less than 200 million years old). This area is sufficiently remote from the bulk of the rest of the galaxy that it is expected to break away to form a separate, and new, dwarf galaxy. THE OLDEST STAR IN THE UNIVERSE? HD 140283 appears as just a normal star (an artist’s impression shown to the right), around 186 light-years away. However, it’s just been calculated to be at least 13.2 billion years old – given that the age of the whole Universe is 13.77 billion years, this means it must have formed within 600 million years of the Big Bang. But this does beg the question – how do you find the ‘age’ of a star? HD 140283 is a ‘sub-giant’, meaning that it is currently in a later stage of its evolution; it has just about exhausted the supply of hydrogen at its core and switching to burning helium – and in this phase, the star's slowly dimming luminosity is a highly sensitive indicator of its age. The very first stars to condense in the primordial Universe would have been made only of hydrogen and helium – all heavier elements are created through nuclear fusion at their cores, and then scattered into space when this first generation of massive stars exploded at the end of their lives. The fact that HD 140283 contains not just hydrogen and helium, but also a smattering of heavier elements, indicates that it is most likely from a second generation of stars to have formed. The early age of HD 140283 hints that the delay between the first and second generations might have been much shorter than previously realised, perhaps only a few tens of million years. INTRODUCING A SPECIAL NEW EXOPLANET… And this exoplanet is special as one of its co-discoverers is our very own Paul Fellows from the CAA. It was identified as part of the Planet Hunters ‘citizen science’ initiative, which encourages members of the public to use data from the Kepler satellite to try and spot the characteristic and regular dips in the brightness of a star that could be caused by a planet moving in front of it. The host star is about 80% of the Sun's size, but the planet itself is about 4.6 larger than the Earth (about the same as Uranus or Neptune). It orbits the star every 397.5 (Earth-)days at a radius just beyond that of the Earth round the Sun. At this distance the planet should be a slightly chilly -30° C, but could be a slightly warmer if it has an atmosphere to create a slight greenhouse effect. This is just one of 31 planet candidates that have been discovered by Planet Hunters. Want to discover your own exoplanet? Have a try at www.planethunters.org! … AND EARTH’S CLOSEST TWIN YET Another new planetary candidate found by Kepler seems to be the closest match yet found to Earth. With a radius only 1.5 times that of the Earth, the potential planet KOI 172.02 is likely to have a similar gravity to Earth at its surface. Its orbit lasts 242 days, giving its distance from its host star as safely within the ‘habitable zone’ - meaning it is at the right distance for any water on its surface to be liquid, a prime consideration for a planet to host life. It’s the first Earth-like planet found in orbit around a Sun- like (only slightly cooler) host star. KOI 172.02 is just one of 460 new planetary candidates announced by the Kepler science team, bringing their total to 2,740; this includes a dramatic increase in the number of Earth-sized and super -Earth-sized planets discovered. However, further measurements and observations are required to confirm the Kepler identifications as real exoplanets. The most up-to-date analysis of all the Kepler data suggests that almost every such Sun-like star could have at least one planet, and that there are likely to be somewhere in the order of 17 billion planets in the Milky Way that are Earth-like in size. WEATHER ON A BROWN DWARF A brown dwarf is a curious kind of object – it has too much mass and is too hot to be a planet, but neither is it a proper star. We don’t know very much about them – they are difficult to study, being both very small and very dim. Generally brown dwarfs are regarded as ‘failed stars’, that may resemble giant gas planets with deep and complicated atmosphere. Evidence in support of this view has been offered by astronomers who used both the Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes to study the turbulent atmosphere of one cool brown dwarf in detail. Spitzer and Hubble each observe a different layer within the atmosphere - certain infrared wavelengths are blocked by vapours of water and methane high up, while other infrared wavelengths emerge from much deeper layers. The brightness of the star varied with time as it rotated every 90 minutes or so, bringing different patches of atmospheric material into and out of view. This indicates that there are large storms within the upper layers of the brown dwarf, creating planet-sized clouds that are driven through the atmosphere by strong winds. A GIANT SPOT ON THE SUN TODAY The Sun goes through periodic changes in its activity over an 11-year cycle, which can be tracked by the level of radiation it emits, the frequency of the flares it gives off, and the number and location of sunspots on its surface. We’re now in a period of maximum Solar activity, so it’s no surprise that there’s currently a giant sunspot region (catalogued as AR 1654 and shown right) stretching many tens of thousands of miles across the Solar disc. Sunspots are magnetically active regions, and appear dark only because they are cooler compared to the surrounding regions (at temperatures of around 3300°C rather than at 5500°C). They also mark the regions responsible for the giant eruptions that release intense bursts of energetic radiation and charged matter out into interplanetary space as solar flares. The sunspot region is still growing and changing, and we’ll just have to hope that it stays nice and calm while it’s pointed so directly at us! .
Recommended publications
  • EVENT PACK Introduction
    EVENT PACK INTRODUCTION SAFETY Put some simple measures in place to allow people to enjoy your event safely. If you are using an indoor space, make sure everyone knows where the fire exits are and where to meet outside if there is an evacuation. Make sure that any outside steps are well lit. Consider capacity – have a plan in place just in case more people turn up on the night than you were expecting. Consider asking people to book in advance, it may feel like extra work but it will give you a sense of how many people to expect on the night. If you have children at your event please make parents aware that they should not be left unattended. Have a lost child policy and ensure all THINGS TO PROVIDE staff know what to do if children get separated from Even with perfect stargazing weather there are a their parents. number of things you should either try to provide or encourage people to bring to the event: If you have registered your event on Things To Do take a moment to have a look at the safety section in Warm clothes and a hat and gloves Hot drinks – these can really boost people’s enjoyment and allow longer sessions outdoors Red light torches/red cellophane/rear bicycle lamps “The entire event was extremely well – provide light without hindering night vision received with people of all ages and abilities in attendance proving that astronomy is a Telescope or binoculars truly universal subject. Many were surprised Deck chairs or camping chairs how easy it is to become involved in astronomy and that you don’t need A TV set to screen the live sho expensive pieces of equipment.” Dr Johanna F Jarvis Copies of the Stargazing LIVE Star Guide Smartphone or tablet with downloaded apps to help you find your way around the sky Compasses CONSTELLATION VIEWER Constellations are arrangements of stars that are shown to represent objects, animals or mythological creatures.
    [Show full text]
  • Britain Back in Space
    Spaceflight A British Interplanetary Society Publication Britain back in Space Vol 58 No 1 January 2016 £4.50 www.bis-space.com 1.indd 1 11/26/2015 8:30:59 AM 2.indd 2 11/26/2015 8:31:14 AM CONTENTS Editor: Published by the British Interplanetary Society David Baker, PhD, BSc, FBIS, FRHS Sub-editor: Volume 58 No. 1 January 2016 Ann Page 4-5 Peake on countdown – to the ISS and beyond Production Assistant: As British astronaut Tim Peake gets ready for his ride into space, Ben Jones Spaceflight reviews the build-up to this mission and examines the Spaceflight Promotion: possibilities that may unfold as a result of European contributions to Suszann Parry NASA’s Orion programme. Spaceflight Arthur C. Clarke House, 6-9 Ready to go! 27/29 South Lambeth Road, London, SW8 1SZ, England. What happens when Tim Peake arrives at the International Space Tel: +44 (0)20 7735 3160 Station, where can I watch it, listen to it, follow it, and what are the Fax: +44 (0)20 7582 7167 broadcasters doing about special programming? We provide the Email: [email protected] directory to a media frenzy! www.bis-space.com 16-17 BIS Technical Projects ADVERTISING Tel: +44 (0)1424 883401 Robin Brand has been busy gathering the latest information about Email: [email protected] studies, research projects and practical experiments now underway at DISTRIBUTION the BIS, the first in a periodic series of roundups. Spaceflight may be received worldwide by mail through membership of the British 18 Icarus Progress Report Interplanetary Society.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 5Th SSEWG Meeting 17-19 January 2011 Report Solar System Missions
    5th SSEWG Meeting 17-19 January 2011 Report Solar System Missions Division (SRE-SM) 1 Satellites in Orbit 1.1 SOHO A spacecraft roll manoeuvre on 29 October 2009 marked the beginning of the SOHO “Bogart” mission in which SOHO will be aligned with ecliptic North/South rather than solar North/South. JHelioviewer, a new visualization software that enables to explore all SOHO images from the past 15+ years as well as images from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, was launched on 14 December in conjunction with the AGU fall meeting. JHelioviewer allows users to overlay series of images from the Sun, from different instruments, and compile animated sequences and image- process those in real-time. In addition, it allows cross-referencing of different aspects of the large data sets. This is particularly important as many events observed on the Sun are interconnected and occur over vastly different temporal and spatial scales. More at: http://soho.esac.esa.int/hotshots/2010_12_14/ The release was widely covered by the media and countless blogs. On 26 December 2010, SOHO discovered its 2000th comet. Drawing on help from citizen scientists around the world, SOHO has become the single greatest comet finder of all time. The 1999th and 2000th comets were both discovered on 26 December 2010 by Michal Kusiak, an astronomy student at Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland. Kusiak found his first SOHO comet in November 2007 and has since found more than 100. More details at: http://soho.esac.esa.int/hotshots/2010_12_28/ The discovery was widely reported in the media. Kretzschmar et al.
    [Show full text]
  • Asteroid Named After Strathclyde Professor 13 September 2016
    Asteroid named after Strathclyde Professor 13 September 2016 A Professor at the University of Strathclyde has miles. The asteroid was discovered in 2002 by an had his name written among the stars, after an Italian observatory, with the first recorded asteroid was named after him. observation in 1993. Professor Massimiliano Vasile, who actively works Other famous people to have had asteroids named on finding solutions to control the motion of after them include astronomer Nicolaus asteroids, has received the honour from the Copernicus, scientists Isaac Newton and Stephen International Astronomical Union (IAU) in Hawking, novelists Jane Austen and Charles recognition of his work. Dickens and musicians Stevie Wonder and Freddie Mercury. Professor Vasile said: "There are several hundreds of thousands of asteroids in space. Out of these Professor Vasile has made numerous media relatively few are known, and even fewer are appearances, including on the BBC programmes actively tracked. Stargazing Live and Planet Ant: Life Inside the Colony. "In honour of my work on asteroid manipulation, SpaceDyS, one of the partners in the Stardust The Stardust team at the University of Strathclyde network, submitted my candidacy to the Minor was the winner in the Space Planet Centre to name an asteroid after me. The Achievement/Academic Study Research category Committee on Small Body Nomenclature of the of the 2015 Sir Arthur Clarke Awards, presented at IAU, part of the MPC, evaluated the submission the UK Space Conference. and finally assigned my name to asteroid 2002 PX33. Provided by University of Strathclyde, Glasgow "The one they picked is part of the asteroid belt.
    [Show full text]
  • Curriculum Vitae Dr. Ryan O. Milligan
    Curriculum Vitae Dr. Ryan O. Milligan Personal Details Address: Astrophysics Research Center Tel: +44 (0)2890 973691 School of Mathematics and Physics Fax: +44 (0)2890 973110 Queen’s University Belfast E-mail: [email protected] University Road URL: http://star.qub.ac.uk/~rm Belfast, BT7 1NN DOB: 24 November 1975 Northern Ireland Nationality: Irish Employment Sep 2014 – present Visiting Research Fellow at Queen’s University Belfast, funded by NASA/LWS grants administered by Catholic University of America. Jan 2014 – Jul 2014 Leverhulme Trust Research Fellow in Solar Physics, Queen’s University Belfast. Jul 2013 – Dec 2013 Research Associate in Solar Physics funded by NASA/LWS grants, Catholic University of America/NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Feb 2011 – Jun 2013 Leverhulme Trust Research Fellow in Solar Physics, Queen’s University Belfast. (3 year position) Aug 2009 – Jan 2011 Research Associate in Solar Physics for the RHESSI Mission, Catholic University of America/NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Aug 2007 – Jul 2009 NASA Postdoctoral Research (NPP) Fellow, Oak Ridge Associated Universities/NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Jan 2007 – Jul 2007 Research Associate in Solar Physics for the RHESSI Mission, Catholic University of America/NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Education Oct 2003 – Dec 2006 Ph.D. in Solar Physics: Multi-wavelength Observations of Chromospheric Evaporation During the Impulsive Phase of Solar Flares Queen’s University Belfast. Oct 1998 – Oct 2003 M.Sci.(1st class hons) in Physics and Applied Mathematics, Queen’s University Belfast. Research Interests Solar flares: variability in EUV irradiance; UV and EUV plasma diagnostics; chromospheric evaporation; plasmoid dynamics in coronal current sheets; solar flare forecasting; solar flare statistics; multi-wavelength observations; hard X-ray diagnostics of thick-target collisions; solar flare energetics.
    [Show full text]
  • Communicating Astronomy with a Mass Audience — BBC's
    Communicating Astronomy with a Mass Audience — BBC’s Stargazing Live goes Dutch Column Marieke Baan Keywords Netherlands Research School for Astronmy Television, astronomy television series, (NOVA) broadcasting @mariekebaan [email protected] Summary Following on from the hugely successful airing of Heel Nederland Kijkt Sterren — a Dutch stargazing event modelled on the BBC’s programme Stargazing Live — this article explores some of the issues involved in communicating astronomy directly to a mass audience. This includes the production process, co-sponsorship, content, the reach and lessons learned. Introduction ing overcast weather, the prime-time show, The astronomy community in the Nether- dubbed Heel Nederland Kijkt Sterren lands was closely involved in this produc- On a cold and cloudy night in early (HNKS; The Netherlands are Gazing tion as co-sponsor of the TV show. December 2014, the Dutch public broad- at the Stars) was a huge success. Three caster Omroep Max aired a 1.5-hour live million people — 18.8% of the market share stargazing event on its Channel 1, modelled — watched the show, #HNKS was trend- Public broadcasting on the popular BBC series Stargazing Live. ing on Twitter within half an hour, and over It was the first time the BBC format had five hundred people posed questions on a The public broadcasting system in the travelled abroad. Despite the disappoint- dedicated website. Netherlands is quite different from that of Figure 1. Still from HNKS. Joeri van Leeuwen (middle) comments to the co-hosts of HNKS Jeroen Latijnhouwers (right) and Govert Schilling (left). Credit: Tuvalu Media CAPjournal, No.
    [Show full text]
  • Stargazing Live!
    Chilton News 1th January 2016 STARGAZING LIVE! Further to the report in Chilton News last Friday, who is a two year finalist in the we are delighted to bring our Prep parents further International Astrophotography of coverage and photos of the Stargazing Live event the Year. Some of his pictures are held at Chilton last Thursday. Firstly, here is a currently on display at the Royal report from Joanne Richardson, Chilton’s Space Observatory in London. They both Ambassador: operate from their home observatory in Somerset. Esero-UK Space Ambassador Visit to Chilton Part of Jo’s Space Ambassador remit is to work within her Cantelo School – Thursday 14th January 2016 cluster schools for the duration of the Tim Peake Mission to the ISS. During that time, Jo will be running several Chilton Cantelo School is one of only 500 schools in the workshops with the children and encouraging the teaching whole of the UK who are currently taking part in the “Tim staff to do the same in her absence, using the free Peake Primary Project.” This came as a result of Mr Isack resources provided to the school via ESERO-UK. registering the school’s interest back in early 2015. The project is run by ESERO-UK and funded by both the UK On Thursday 14th January 2016, Jo came along and Space Agency and the European Space Agency. The aim of delivered a whole afternoon and evening of space activity! the project is to inspire children in STEM subjects (ie During the day, the children were taught about Tim’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) by using the Mission.
    [Show full text]
  • History of the Universe Timeline
    Document name: History of the universe timeline Document date: 2015 Copyright information: BBC/The Open University OpenLearn Study Unit: In the night sky: Orion OpenLearn url: http://www.open.edu/openlearn/ocw/course/view.php?id=1270 History of the universe timeline Monica Grady www.open.edu/openlearn Page 1 of 1 STARGAZING LIVE THE UNIVERSE THROUGH TIME 20 BILLION YEARS You can download the 13.7 BILLION Stargazing LIVE Star Guide YEARS and find out more about 10 BILLION free Stargazing LIVE events at bbc.co.uk/stargazing 9 BILLION YEARS SUN expands A FEW BILLION YEARS to RED GIANT A FEW HUNDRED MILLION YEARS 300,000 YEARS S A FEW YEARS N I MINUTES Y G A E D N B O I FIRST H T T UNIVERSE BIG NUCLEI EXPANSION OF THE A HIGH FORM FIRST GALAXIES R eventually L ENERGY COLD UNIVERSE BEGINS A F particle FIRST AND DARK BANG AND STARS FORM E atoms N REACTIONS I form TO ACCELERATE N T O N E E F I S END OF LIFE E Formation OF THE L ON EARTH The Universe has R SOLAR SYSTEM, expanded and P cooled ever since INCLUDING EARTH TIME SIZE UNOBSERVABLE UNIVERSE (PAST) POTENTIALLY OBSERVABLE UNIVERSE (PAST) TODAY FUTURE THE BEGINNING FRACTION OF 1 SECOND 100 – 1000 300,000 YEARS A FEW HUNDRED MILLION YEARS A FEW BILLION YEARS 9 BILLION YEARS 10 BILLION YEARS 13.7 BILLION YEARS 20 BILLION YEARS 10100 YEARS The Universe begins 13.7 A SECOND The Large Hadron SECONDS We can detect radiation Matter clumps together under its own gravity forming the first protogalaxies and Initially, the expansion of the Universe decelerated – but a The Sun, along with its eight The first life appears on This is where we are today.
    [Show full text]
  • BBC Stargazing Live Star and Moon Guide 2012
    STAR GUIDE 2012 WELCOME TO STARGAZING LIVE Welcome to the 2012 Star and Moon Guide, designed to help you discover some of the best things to see in the night sky throughout the year and learn more about our closest neighbour, the Moon. Even if you’ve never tried stargazing before, you can get started with our easy-to-use star charts and Moon atlas. PROFESSOR DARA O BRIAIN When you’re ready for the next step, there’s more BRIAN COX waiting for you at bbc.co.uk/stargazing, including audio guides to the night sky and how to stargaze on your smart phone or computer. So what are you waiting for? There’s a whole world of incredible wonders above your head. Isn’t it time you looked up? Happy Stargazing! LIZ BONNIN MARK THOMPSON BEFORE YOU HEAD OUT You might like to take the following items to help with your stargazing: • Binoculars/telescope – to help you get a better view of objects in the night sky, although most of the stars in this guide can be seen without them. • A red torch – so that you can still read your Star Guide without affecting your night vision. You could adapt a normal torch using red cellophane or use a For more information rear bicycle light. on using equipment and • Apps – there are many free apps available for astronomy apps head to mobile devices that utilise inbuilt GPS to help bbc.co.uk/stargazing navigate the night sky. • A compass – so you know which direction you’re facing. Turn the page if you don’t have a compass.
    [Show full text]
  • [109-111] Index YB11FIN.Indd
    Article index 2011 TheAstronomy Now index January–December 2011, Volume 25, numbers 1–12. References are presented in the following form: Title, issue number (in bold type), page number. The issue number relates directly to the cover date, so 4 is April, 7 is July. 2011 Ask Alan Drawn to the Universe Focus By Alan Longstaff By Jeremy Perez 1: Uranus, by Sir Patrick Moore, 1, 77; 2, 79; 3, 87; 4, 87; 5, 85; 6, 73; 7, 87; 8, 77; 9, 73; 10, Estimating light pollution ................................................. 1, 56 Ian Welland and Keith Cooper 73; 11, 73; 12, 71 Auriga ............................................................................. 2, 56 The new world ................................................................ 1, 64 The Messier Marathon .................................................... 3, 52 Herschel’s world ............................................................. 1, 66 Astroloot M81 and M82 ................................................................. 4, 56 The ice giant ................................................................... 1, 68 By Steve Ringwood Saturn ............................................................................ 5, 42 1, 93; 2, 92; 3, 86; 4, 84; 5, 82; 6, 86; 7, 84; 8, 86; 9, 84; 10, Sketching the Sun .......................................................... 6, 46 2: What’s next for spaceflight? by Stephen Clark 86; 11, 84, 12, 83 The Moon’s Sea of Nectar ............................................... 7, 52 What’s next for spaceflight? ............................................2,
    [Show full text]
  • Summer/Autumn 2015
    Aries The Journal of the Derby and District Astronomical Society The Dwarf Planet Pluto as revealed by the New Horizons Spacecraft. Summer/Autumn 2015 Aries - Summer/Autumn 2015 Editorial - 2 Society News - 4 Astro News Desk - 13 Local Astronomers: Alan Heath: A Lifetime of Observations – Arthur Tristram 22 The Man from Buzzard – Stephen Webster 27 Book Review: The Lonely Hearts of the Cosmos by Dennis Overbye - Malcolm Neal 28 Aries Summer /Winter 2015 Page 1 Welcome to this Edition of Aries! And we have had a change of Management, as it were, since Aries was last published, at this year’s (2015) May AGM, I stood down from the Secretary position on the DDAS Committee, as I thought it was high time to let someone else have a go, (thank you to Brian Dodson who took up the DDAS Secretary job) as this was my third stint as DDAS Secretary (not my longest one either), I felt it was time to move on, but I did not want to leave the Committee, Dave Selfe, the then Aries Editor and the current DDAS Chairman wanted to step down from the Editorship of Aries, and as I was looking for another Committee job anyway, and I really enjoyed my last ‘tour of duty’ as Aries Editor, both myself and Dave thought it would be a good idea if I were to return to the ‘top job’ at Aries, so here I am! Before I go any further I want to say thank you to the previous Editor, Dave Selfe, the last edition of Aries was brilliant, and though Dave only managed to get one edition of Aries out, it was a good one.
    [Show full text]
  • Astronomy Now the Index
    Article index The Astronomy Nowindex January–December 2012, Volume 26, numbers 1–12. References are presented in the following form: Title, issue number (in bold type), page number. The issue number relates directly to the cover date, so 4 is April, 7 is July. 2012 Ask Alan 1; 86 Farpoint two-inch enhanced auto-collimator 7; 72 Elusive Wow, The By Alan Longstaff 5; 84 Farpoint U mount medium parallelogram 9; 78 Everything You Need to Know About Everything You 1; 75 What effect would a quasar have on a nearby planet? 12; 83 Galilean thermometer Need to Know About the Universe 1; 75 Can we detect Jupiter by Doppler wobble of the Sun? 4; 84 HM5 polar alignment scope 4; 80 Exoplanets: Finding, Exploring and Understanding 2; 65 When relativity was tested by comparing clocks on the 8; 84 Hotech advanced CT laser collimator Alien Worlds ground and in an aircraft what time discrepancy was 5; 84 Istar 25 pro focuser 2; 72 Explorers of the Southern Sky found? 6; 82 Kendrick Digi-Klear pad heater 10; 79 Exploring the Universe 2; 65 Why do we see Venus as a morning or an evening star? 7; 72 Magnifi iPhone camera adaptor 2; 72 Falling to Earth: An Apollo 15 Astronaut’s Journey to 3; 73 Is it possible to image the Ashen Light of Venus? 6; 82 Nexus GOTO wireless controller Earth 3; 73 How fast can a star rotate? 12; 82 Nightstreak green laser pointer 11; 80 Fritz Zwicky – An Extraordinary Astrophysicist 4; 75 Whatever happened to Hagen’s cosmic clouds? 1; 86 Northern Hemisphere two-sided planisphere 12; 78 Galileo 4; 75 Who was the Astronomer Royal
    [Show full text]