Tag Archives: amateur astronomy

Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower May 3-6

Posted on by

Just a reminder that the Eta Aquarid meteor shower will peak this weekend and into early next week, this shower is associated with Halley’s Comet.

The Moon will be a very slim crescent by the time the Eta’s peak on the morning of the 6th May (Monday).

It is advisable that you try to observe at least the morning before and after the peak as the maxima is very broad for this shower and it is quite possible that rates can vary.

The expected Zenith Hourly Rate is around 65 meteors per hour, but realistically this may be much lower, this shower has shown good rates in the past.

Best observing time is from around 3:30am.
The meteors will appear to “radiate” away from the star Eta Aquarii, meteors closer to the radiant will appear much shorter and ones further away will leave longer streaks, of which you can trace the origin back to the radiant.
Any meteor NOT tracing back to the radiant is classified as “sporadic” or could be a member of another shower which might be showing activity.
Some meteors near the radiant will show as a rapid pinpoint flash of light indicating a “head-on” meteor, don’t worry they won’t hit you!

Look for fast (65km/sec) white/yellowish coloured meteors which leave a 2 to 3 second “train” (sometimes longer), ie: the streak left over after the meteor “burns” out.

There will be some early morning International Space Station passes in the NE on the morning of the peak (6th May) at around 4:21am but will keep low (17 degrees) above the horizon!

Thanks to my pal – Chris Wyatt for the reminder and chart!

Siding Spring Observatory Open Day – Saturday October 6, 2012

Posted on by

On Saturday October 6th, the Annual Siding Spring Open Day will be held here at Siding Spring Observatory. A number of the telescopes will be open during the day to the public.

There will be a BBQ lunch available; a shuttle bus on site to help you move around and see all there is to see. You will have the opportunity to talk to astronomers and learn about what science is carried out here.

Solar observing will also be available and there will be talks in the Exploratory lecture theatre throughout the day.

The Exploratory cafe will be opened for a well deserved cuppa, Devonshire tea or light lunch from the International menu. Visit the various telescopes and listen to astronomers talk about the research they do. Take part in the trivia treasure hunt to win prizes on the day.

Entry to the event is free. The Open Day will start at 10am and run until 4pm.

Science in the Pub – the End is Nigh! or is it?

Posted on by

Join for Coonabarabran’s Annual Science in the Pub

 This entertaining event starts the weekend off on Friday October 5th, 2012 from 6.30pm.  This annual debate is definitely entertaining and can be thoroughly outrageous at times as a group of astronomers from various backgrounds debate a topic of astronomical interest at the Royal Hotel, John Street Coonabarabran. This event has an entry fee of $5 and provides entry into the drawer for a variety of prizes on the night. Profits all go to a local charity. Food is available for sale on the night. Bookings would be appreciated. Vegetarian meals are also available. Enjoy Dr Fred Watson, Dr Amanda Bauer and Dr Bradley Schaeffer debate “The End is Nigh! Or is it?” and be a part of the fun in the Q&A!

Astronomy Events in Coonabarabran – October 5th-6th 2012.

Posted on by

Annual Science in the Pub

This entertaining event starts the weekend off on Friday October 5th, 2012 from 6.30pm. This annual debate is definitely entertaining and can be thoroughly outrageous at times as a group of astronomers from various backgrounds debate a topic of astronomical interest at the Royal Hotel, John Street Coonabarabran. This event has an entry fee of $5 and provides entry into the drawer for a variety of prizes on the night. Food is available for sale on the night. Bookings would be appreciated. Vegetarian meals are also available. Enjoy Dr Fred Watson, Dr Amanda Bauer and Dr Bradley Schaeffer debating the topic; “The End is nigh.. or is it? Come along join in  and be a part of the fun!
Siding Spring Open Day

On Saturday October 6th, the Annual Siding Spring Open Day will be held here at Siding Spring Observatory. A number of the telescopes will be open during the day to the public.
There will be a BBQ lunch available; a shuttle bus on site to help you move around and see all there is to see. You will have the opportunity to talk to astronomers and learn about what science is carried out here.
Solar observing will also be available and there will be talks in the Exploratory lecture theatre throughout the day.
The Exploratory cafe will be opened for a well deserved cuppa or Devonshire tea or try a light lunch from their International Men.

Entry to the event is free.

The Open Day will start at 10am and run until 4pm. Visit the various telescopes and listen to astronomers talk about the research they do.
Take part in the trivia treasure hunt to win prizes on the day.

Annual Bok Lecture
Saturday evening will culminate with the annual Bok lecture. This is a free lecture, held at the Coonabarabran Primary School in George Street, Coonabarabran.
The Bok Lecture is a light hearted look at astronomy and is accessible to even the most non-science mind. Dr Scott Croom from the University of Sydney will be speaking on the topic: “big Bangs, Big Crunches and Big Rips”.

This night is open to everyone and is free. The event starts at 7pm.
For more information on all these events or to make a booking please contact Donna Burton at Siding Spring Observatory on 02 6842 6255 or by email donna@mso.anu.edu.au.

“SuperMoon” this Sunday

Posted on by

The biggest and brightest full moon of the year arrives tomorrow as our largest natural or otherwise satellite comes a little closer than normal. It will, at least from our perspective on Earth appear a bit bigger – a good experiment – take a photo tonight and take one next full moon in the same place and see if it is true.

The term ‘Supermoon’ is a nickname for a perigee full moon, this is the when the Moon is  closer to the Earth than usual in its orbit. Apogee and perigee refer to the distance from the Earth to the moon. Apogee is the furthest point from the earth while Perigee is the closest point to the earth and it is in this stage that the moon appears larger. Looking at the moon in the sky without anything to compare it to, you wouldn’t notice any size difference. But the difference in size can in fact be quite significant.

full moon at apogee and perigee

If you were to take a picture when the Moon is at perigee and again at apogee using the same camera and lens you would notice the difference.

The full Moon occurs at 1:35pm (AEST) Sunday May 6th in Australia. It is predicted that the moon will about 14 per cent brighter than usual.

Sunday’s event is a “supermoon,” the closest and the biggest and brightest full moon of the year. At 1.35 p.m., the moon will be about 356,956 km from Earth. That’s about 24,653 km closer than it is on average.

That proximity will make the moon appear about 14 percent bigger than it would if the moon were at its farthest distance, however, the difference in appearance is so small that you will find it hard pick it with your unaided eye.

The moon’s distance from Earth varies because it follows an elliptical orbit not a circular one.

Like any full moon, tomorrow’s moon will look bigger when it’s on or near the horizon rather than higher in the sky, thanks to an optical illusion. The full moon appears on the horizon at sunset. On the East coast, for example, that will be a at 5.07pm.

The last “supermoon” on March 20, last year was about 380 km closer than this year’s will be. Next year’s will be even a bit farther away than this year’s. Each year there is a perigee and an apogee Moon and the distances vary.

One effect that can be noticed doesn’t affect me where I live, but coastal folks are very familiar with the tides and how their height varies over the course of a month, again, due to the Moon not always being the same distance from the Earth. As the Moon’s orbit brings it in closer proximity to our planet, its gravitational forces can increase by almost 50%, and this stronger force leads to high tides. Likewise, when the Moon is farther away from the Earth the tides are far less spectacular.

The Moon’s influence can also be balanced out by the position of the Sun – if the Sun and the Moon find themselves 90 degrees apart in relation to an observer on the Earth, then high tides are not as high as they normally would be. This is because despite its greater distance from the planet, the Sun’s mass allows it to exert enough gravitational force on the oceans that it can negate some of the effects of the Moon’s pull. This phenomenon of lower high tides is called a neap tide. In the same way, when the Sun lines up with the Moon and the Earth, as during a Full Moon, then the Sun can act to amplify the tidal forces, drawing even higher tides. These are known as spring tides, named not for the season, but for the fact that the water “springs” higher than normal. The variance in the height of the world’s tides also depends on the local geography of the coastline and the topography of the ocean floor.

Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower May 5/6 2012

Posted on by

The Eta Aquarid meteor shower is the first of two showers that occur each year as a result of Earth passing through dust released by Halley’s Comet, with the second being the Orionids.  The point from where the Eta Aquarid meteors appear to radiate is located within the constellation Aquarius. This shower definitely favours the Southern Hemisphere observer as they

Created in Stellarium - finder for the eta aquarids

are usually a lightish meteor shower producing about 10 meteors per hour at their peak in the Northern Hemisphere but can peak at around 40-50 per hour here in the Southern hemisphere in a dark sky. The shower’s peak usually occurs on May 5 & 6, however this shower tends to have a broad maximum so viewing should be good on any morning from May 4 – 7.

The full moon which occurs on May 6th will probably ruin the show this year, washing out all but the brightest meteors with its glare.

But still worth having a look if you are up, to see how many Eta Aquarids can be seen in the moonlit sky. For the most part, this is a pre dawn shower. The radiant for this shower appears in the east-south-east at about 4 a.m. local time (wherever you are) and the hour or two before dawn usually offers the most meteors.

David Malin astrophotography competition – entries open April 2, 2012

Posted on by

Entries open on 2 April and close at midnight on Friday 15 June 2012 (AEST)

More info:  http://www.parkes.atnf.csiro.au/news_events/astrofest/DMA/

The Central West Astronomical Society is proud to announce the 2012 CWAS “David Malin Awards”. Click to download the Conditions of Entry.

The competition this year will have three sections of entry -

  • General Section,
  • Open Themed Section
  • and a Junior Section (18 and under).

The general section is divided into five categories;

  • Wide-field (camera shots),
  • Deep Sky (telescope shots),
  • Solar System Objects – Hi-Resolution (<30′)
  • and Wide Field (> 30′)
  • and a category for Animated Sequences.

The Junior Section will have one open category and entries can be of any astronomical subject.

Open Themed Section – “Symmetries”The “David Malin Innovation Prize” may be awarded, at Dr Malin’s discretion, for a striking astronomical image that shows exceptional imagination, innovation or an unusual approach in any of the categories.

The Open Themed Section is open to all astrophotographers. They are invited to compete together to see who can be the most creative in evoking the theme, which this year will be “Symmetries” – pictures that emphasise symmetries between objects in the sky, between the sky and the land or water (or other reflective surface), or that in some way suggest or evoke such symmetries through imaginative concepts and ideas.

As always, the content must be dominated by an astronomical object (or objects). The images must be single exposures, not a composite, except for High Dynamic Range (HDR) and panoramic images. The intention is to encourage people with vision, imagination and creativity, using simple equipment, such as a tripod and ordinary camera, to make attractive images that evoke interesting symmetries in the night sky.

Entry payments can be made by cheque, money order or direct deposit. For the entries to be accepted, the payments must be received by the deadline. Entry fees are $15 per entry.

The photographs will be judged by world-renowned astrophotographer, Dr David Malin. During the course of the judging process, Dr Malin may invite, at his discretion, the views of other distinguished international astronomers to aid him in his deliberations, with Dr Malin’s decisions being final.

All entries will be judged without David being aware of the identity of the photographer, and to preserve anonymity, the submitted image files should not contain identifying metadata. The winners will be notified and presented with the “David Malin Awards” during a special ceremony held in Parkes in the presence of invited dignitaries on Saturday, 14 July 2012.

A selection of the finest astrophotographs received will be professionally printed and exhibited for the entire year at the CSIRO Parkes Observatory’s Visitors Centre. In addition, a second set will tour the country in a travelling exhibition, organised by the Powerhouse Museum, to selected venues beginning with Sydney Observatory in August.

There is a limit of five (5) entries per category per photographer, but all photographs must have been taken no more than 2 years before the closing date of entry, and no re-entries from previous DMA competitions will be accepted. All entries must be submitted in electronic form via a dedicated submissions web site.

It is not just technical skill that Dr Malin will be looking for, but a memorable picture that reflects and captures the beauty, inspiration and interest of astronomy. All images will be judged by this criteria.

Canon Australia is supporting the competition with significant prizes for both the category winners and honorable mentions.

EASTER School Holiday Activities at Siding Spring Observatory

Posted on by

The Siding Spring Observatory and Café/Visitors Centre will be open over the Easter holidays from 9.30 am to 4 pm Monday to Friday and 10 am to 4pm on Saturday, Sundays and Public Holidays. CLOSED GOOD FRIDAY

Walking Tours of the Mountain:

Take a closer look around Siding Spring Observatory. Join our Guide and explore this special astronomy site and learn about the importance of this area to astronomical research and the natural environment. Enjoy a walk with breathtaking views of the Warrumbungle volcano. Minimum number of people per tour group is 15.

Prices are: $10.00 for adults, $7.50 for children and Seniors, and $30.00 for a family (2A,2C) Prices include entry to the Exhibition area.

 April 2012
The dates and times for the Easter Holiday Period tours are as follows:

Tours usually take about 1½ hours.

Saturday   7th   10.00 am & 2.00pm
Monday    9th  10.00 am & 2.00 pm
Wednesday 11th Astro Talk 2.00pm
Thursday 12th  10.00 am & 2.00pm
Saturday  14th  11.00am & 2.00pm
Tuesday   17th  10.00am & 2.00pm
Wednesday 18th Astro Talk 2.00 pm
Thursday 19th 10.00am & 2.00pm
Weather permitting – solar viewing will precede the 2pm tours and the Astro Talks.

If you have a group of 15 or more people coming on another day and wish a tour – please contact the Visitors Centre to see if it can be arranged.
Bookings are required as numbers are limited per tour.

More information and bookings can be obtained from the Visitors Centre on 6842 6211.

2012 is turning out to be a landmark year for celestial events!

Posted on by
  • Partial Lunar Eclipse – June 4
  • Transit of Venus – June 56
  • Total Solar Eclipse – November 12 (North Qld)

A Transit of Venus is when Venus passes directly between earth and the sun so that we see the distant planet as a small dot gliding slowly across the face of the sun.  Historically, this rare alignment is how we measured the size of our solar system. For Australians – it is the reason captain James Cook was down this way back in 1769.

The next transit of Venus occurs June 6, 2012. This will be the last transit of Venus to occur in our lifetime. The next will be in 2117.

So: Mark your calendar.  Plan a visit to join us here at Siding Spring Observatory to safely view this rare event.

Planetary Alignments in the Evening Sky

Posted on by

Over the next 4 weeks, the solar system’s brightest planets will be putting on a spectacular evening show as they start to move into formation over the nights to come.

If you go out just after sunset and look towards the west, you will see Venus and Jupiter popping out of the twilight even before the sky has gone completely dark. After you have found them once or twice you will be able to find them earlier.   Seeing these two brilliant planets surrounded by darkening blue of the evening sky is a lovely sight.

If you go out at the next night, the view improves, because Venus and Jupiter are converging.  In mid-February they were about 20 degrees apart but by the end of the month, the angle narrows to only 10 degrees—so close that you can hide them together behind your outstretched palm.  Their combined beauty grows each night as the distance between them shrinks.

 A special night to look is Saturday, February 25th, when the crescent Moon moves in to form a slender heavenly triangle with Venus, Jupiter and the Moon as its vertices.  One night later, on Sunday, February 26th, it happens again.  This arrangement will be visible all around the world, from city and countryside alike.  The Moon, Venus and Jupiter are the brightest objects in the night sky; together they can shine through city lights, fog, and even some clouds.

 After hopping from Venus to Jupiter in late February, the Moon exits stage left, but the show is far from over.

 In March, Venus and Jupiter continue their relentless convergence until, on March 12th and 13th, the duo lie only three degrees apart—a spectacular double beacon in the sunset sky. Now you’ll be able to hide them together behind a pair of outstretched fingertips.

 There’s something mesmerizing about stars and planets bunched together in this way. This strange phenomenon is due to the fact that your eye works in much the same way as a digital camera does. In front, there is a lens which focuses the light and the retina acts like a photo-array behind the lens to capture the image of what you see. The retina is made up of rods and cones which are the organic equivalent of electronic pixels.

 There’s a tiny patch of tissue near the centre of the retina where cones are extra-densely packed. This is called “the fovea.” This enables you to see objects in high definition – it is critical to everyday tasks such as reading, driving and watching television. The fovea has the brain’s attention.

 The field of view of the fovea is only about five degrees wide. Most nights in March, Venus and Jupiter will fit within that narrow cone.  And when they do—presto!  It’s spellbinding astronomy.