Public Open Nights at the Institute of Astronomy 13th February 2008 Institute of Astronomy http://www.ast.cam.ac.uk & Cambridge Astronomical Association http://www.caa-cya.org/home/index.php Any comments or suggestions please to Carolin Crawford [email protected]
Cambridge Science Festival will soon be upon us, and as usual, the IoA has some associated events: • Our annual Open Afternoon is from 4 - 8pm on Saturday 15th March: come along and listen to talks, look at posters/displays/demonstrations, talk to astronomers, have a closer look at the historical telescopes (in the daylight), see the meteorites, moonrock, visit the library exhibition, observe with the telescopes (if it’s clear) – and any budding young Slartibartfasts in the audience might welcome the return this year of the Planet Factory. Entrance is free, and open to everyone. • Our Open Evenings will continue as normal on the Wednesdays of 12th and 19th March: but as they are listed as part of the festival, from previous experience we know they are very likely to be overcrowded. So this year we are reluctantly limiting access to those with tickets only – we think it’s better that fewer people have a better experience than everyone ends up cold and fed up of waiting for a turn. Apologies to any of our ‘regulars’ who might feel offended... but the tickets are free, and we do have some ourselves to give out – ask Carolin or the front-of-house students around this evening (not the people staffing the ‘scopes). Alternatively you’ll be able to get them from the CSF box office. • I am also running two creative art-science workshops for families, on the theme of The Planets, along with the artists Issam Kourbaj on the Sunday 16th March, 10.30 - 1 or 2.30 – 5pm. These are again free, but ticketed on a first-come first-served basis; tickets from the CSF box office only. For more information, start off with http://www.cambridgescience.org/ or look for the programme booklet.
We have some new, rather nice and modestly-priced postcards for purchase out in the foyer this evening.
And don’t forget to listen to February’s Astropod, the new-look, slicker, IoA podcast. The download, and lots of additional information can be found at : http://www.ast.cam.ac.uk/astropod/. And if you have comments, suggestions or astronomy questions you’re burning to ask, email the crew at [email protected]
This week’s talk : Lindsay King is Hunting for the most distant galaxies in the Universe Next week’s talk : Anna Quider will be telling us about Ancient Astronomy This term’s talk schedule is at http://www.ast.cam.ac.uk/public/public_observing/0708/timetable.html
The International Space Station is visible from Cambridge in the early evenings just for a bit longer, and it’ll soon be too low down in the sky. Look for a bright ‘star’ moving across the sky at the time and direction specified. And while you do, remember there are 10 people up there at the moment (3 on the Space Station, and a crew of 7 on the Space Shuttle Atlantis mission STS-122 which is docked there this week). Here are some of the easier viewings coming up: Starts Maximum Ends Date Time Altitude Direction Time Altitude Direction Time Altitude Direction
14 Feb 18:22:06 10 W 18:24:24 22 SSW 18:26:42 10 SSE
16 Feb 17:27:56 10 W 17:30:19 24 SSW 17:32:41 10 SSE
You might have heard in the news of the American satellite USA 193 which is due to re-enter (and hopefully burn up in...) Earth’s atmosphere sometime towards the end of March. Contact was lost shortly after its launch in December 2006, and it’s now losing height as it is slowed by friction with the upper part of the atmosphere. It’s a large satellite, and now it’s in a low orbit, and so easy to see with the unaided eye. Here are some of the easier passes to observe in the next week: Starts Maximum Ends Date Time Altitude Direction Time Altitude Direction Time Altitude Direction
20 Feb 18:46:06 10 SW 18:48:19 43 SE 18:48:26 43 SE
21 Feb 18:39:22 10 SW 18:41:39 67 SE 18:42:24 35 ENE
22 Feb 18:32:24 10 WSW 18:34:42 83 NNW 18:36:00 22 NE There are also a few early evening Iridium flares visible from Cambridge during the next week. Again, look for a very bright ‘star’ moving across the sky. This will be the sunlight reflected back towards the earth from a satellite in a fairly low orbit. I’ve picked out the easiest to watch in the next week for you: Day Time Altitude & Direction 17 Feb 17:57:54 44° S 17 Feb 19:33:26 47° SE 18 Feb 19:27:24 46° SE this one will be incredibly bright! 19 Feb 19:21:22 46° SE More details about both satellites and the ISS, can be found at www.heavens-above.com
Targets we intend observing tonight : (well, if this afternoon’s fog lifts) • The Moon • The planets Mars and Saturn (once it gets high enough above the trees...) • The ‘Crab’ supernova remant (M1) • The constellation of Orion, including the red giant star Betelgeuse, the ‘Great’ nebula in Orion’s sword (M42) and the reflection nebula M78 • The binary star systems 55 Cancri, and Mizar & Alcor in Ursa Major • The open star clusters M35 and NGC2158 in the constellation in Gemini, M52 in Cassiopeia and M44 in Cancer (the ‘Beehive’ cluster) • The planetary nebula NGC2392 (the ‘Eskimo’ nebula) • The ‘Bubble’ nebula NGC 7635 • The cluster of stars NGC2244 that lies at the heart of the Rosette nebula (just for Valentine’s day...)
Chart of the night sky from Cambridge for 8pm on Wed 13th February (taken from www.heavens-above.com) Mars is unmistakable as a bright orange object high in the East in the early evening, crossing overhead during the night. Saturn is here! You can now see it low down in the East beneath the constellation of Leo in the early evening.
And finally, a site map to help you find your way back to the car in the dark! (always a challenge...)
Gravel car park
Public observing happens here Enter the IoA here for the talk You may have parked here suggested route back to Madingley Rise – follow the red rope light!