Mars has just passed opposition, that means when it is at its closest point to the Earth in its orbit, so it is presently very bright in the southern sky and very hard to miss on a clear night. At just before 4am tomorrow morning, Thursday December 8th, the Moon passes in front of the planet. This is called an “occultation”, a rare event particularly when Mars is as its brightest until 2033. It will be a great sight in binoculars and a super photo opportunity. The image below shows a screen shot of a simulation of the occulation from Stellarium. Mars will emerge about an hour later at 5:56 am. The forecast is clear, so set your alarm clock!
Although the weather forecast is not very promising for tomorrow morning and the solar eclipse, a few of us will be in Bailey Park, Abergavenny with proper solar scopes from 9:30am should anyone want to view the eclipse but does not have suitable equipment. As it lasts for over an 1 hour and a half we may get a few gaps in the clouds with a bit of luck.
There will be a partial solar eclipse visble from Abergavenny, weather permitting, on the 25th of October from around 10:08 to 11:45. If you wish to observe it under no circumstances look at the Sun with unprotected eyes, only use equipment specifically designed for the purpose. You can also look at the reflection of the Sun in a bucket of water
Simulation of the eclipse in Stellarium at 10:55, 25th October 2022
The next meeting of the Astronomy Society will be first floor in the Hen and Chickens Pub, Abergavenny at 19:30 on the 24th October. The subject will be “Observing the planets for absolute beginners”. With Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune well placed this is an ideal time to get out and observe the planets. You can find most of them without any optical aid but can see interesting features with binoculars and fascinating views with telescopes. This talk will show you how to find them and the best ways to observe them.
An observing group is being formed that any members can join. The idea is that you register your details with a WhatsApp group (the Astronomy Observing Group) and from time to time when members are going out to observe and they want some company a notfication will pop up on your smart phone. Obviously you will need a WhatsApp account but that it is. It is open to anyone whatever your experience or equipment – even just a pair of eyes and an interest. You can leave the group anytime to stop the notifications. The issue it addresses is that some members would like to do some observing but may lack experience or just want some company, also to book events more than a day or so in advance given the weather in South Wales is asking for problems.
To join the group simply send your details to Andrew Lohfink, the coordinator. You can do this by texting Andrew on his mobile phone number which is 07506448815. In the message please include your full name, the society you are a member of (if any) and a request to join the observing group, Andrew will then add you to the list. Andrew is the custodian of this data and it will not be used for any other purpose.
The Caroline Herschel Prize Lecture 2021 has been awarded to Dr Jenny Carter, University of Leicester, and you are invited to the online, free to attend event this coming month. It is entitled “Earth versus Sun: a precarious relationship in space” and is being held on Zoom at 7pm on Thursday 18th November.
You need to register for the free event via Eventbrite beforehand using the link https://tinyurl.com/2tjzdz3m. Details of the Zoom meeting will be sent to you in due course.
The talk:
The intimate, yet turbulent relationship between the Sun and Earth dominates space around our planet. We are familiar with one consequence of this interaction, through the spectacular displays of aurora, and other effects include currents induced in long distance cables, or the loss of signals and damage to spacecraft. Collectively, we term these effects `’space weather’. Understanding this space weather is paramount for our technology-dependent society.
In this talk, we will explore how our Earth is protected from the Sun’s solar wind by its magnetic field. We will follow how the Earth’s magnetic field gets buffered and altered, as the solar blows stronger, weaker, or changes direction. We will see how the SMILE spacecraft will soon revolutionise our view of near-Earth space by taking the first images of the solar-terrestrial interaction. Space near Earth is highly dynamic and volatile, and this drama is played right above our heads.
The Caroline Herschel Prize Lectureship is awarded annually and previous recipients include Dr Becky Smethurst, Dr Anna Lisa Varri, and Dr Sarah Rugheimer. It is awarded by the Herschel Society, in association with the Royal Astronomical Society, to celebrate Caroline’s memory by supporting promising women astronomers early in their careers.
