Due to cloud and rain, observing tonight (Saturday 30th April) is OFF.
Peter Nosworthy
Observing Friday 29th April is OFF
29 04 2011Due to continuing cloud and rain forecast for this evening, observing tonight (Friday 29th April) is OFF.
Hopefully the skies will clear for observing tomorrow (Saturday) at Linden.
Peter Nosworthy
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Categories : Observing
NAG for 26th April is CANCELLED
26 04 2011Due to the public holiday on 26th April, the New Astronomers Group for April has been cancelled.
The next NAG meeting will be held on Tuesday May 24th.
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Categories : NAG
Video : International Observe the Moon Night (2010)
22 04 2011This is a video from September last year but I thought it might be of interest.
It was International Observe the Moon Night so I observed the Moon while my neighbours had a loud party next door. Since making this video I have upgraded my scope to a goto so I no longer use the rather primitive alignment method shown in the video.
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Categories : Observing, Video
Meeting Report (19/4/2011) : Tour of the Dynamic Universe
20 04 2011The April General Meeting was held on the 19th and was well attended despite the school holidays.
Our guest speaker was Kitty Lo, a PhD candidate at Sydney University and CSIRO. Kitty spoke about the various events which characterise the ‘Dynamic Universe’. She spoke in particular about supernovae, gamma ray bursts, neutron stars, magnetars and black holes. She also described some of the next generation of radio telescopes which will be used to study these dynamic events in greater detail than ever before.
A lively question and answer session followed, with many questions relating to the huge data storage and processing requirements of the ASKAP telescope and the SKA when it is built.
Our president, Bob Fuller then presented Kitty with a gift from the society.
Kitty Lo with a slide from her talk
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Categories : General Meeting, Speakers
April General Meeting, Tuesday 18th
13 04 2011The NSAS April General Meeting will be next Tuesday the 18th at 7:30, at St. Ignatius. As usual, all members and any interested guests are welcome. Our speaker this month is Kitty Lo, who is a PhD candidate at USyd and CSIRO. Her abstract follows:
A whirlwind tour of the dynamic universe
In the ancient times, philosophers believed that the universe is an unchanging place. Most of the time, to the naked eyes, the night sky does indeed look constant. However, given enough time, or a powerful enough telescope, you will see that the universe is constantly evolving. In this talk, I will give a whirlwind tour of different types of explosive events – from Supernovae to Gamma Ray Bursts. I will also briefly describe the next generation telescopes which will greatly expand our knowledge of time-domain astronomy.
See you on Tuesday!
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Categories : Uncategorized
Mount Wilson viewing, April 30th
13 04 2011To all interested Observers, the following from John Walker, who has been attending a course at USyd by John O’Byrne, who sent the following:
To ‘friends’ of the University of Sydney’s CCE Astronomy and Physics courses:
Once again I am having one of my periodic expeditions up to Mt Wilson in the Blue Mountains on Saturday 30 April to look at stars. Everyone is welcome and please feel free to bring a friend (or a telescope!)
As usual, we meet at the Cathedral of Ferns camping ground at Mt Wilson, eat, then start viewing when it gets dark (after about 6:30). Some people will camp overnight but you may prefer to go home or stay somewhere in the mountains.
Come dressed for a cold night!
Maps and the usual details can be found at
http://sydney.edu.au/science/physics/~obyrne/cep/Mtwilson.html
http://sydney.edu.au/science/physics/~obyrne/cep/Mtwilson.html
For NSAS Observers, note that if it is a clear night, we might also be going to Linden Observatory, where we’ve been trying to have our inaugural observing with WSAAG.
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Categories : Events, Observing
Alex Filippenko to speak in Sydney
13 04 2011
| Alex Filippenko, Professor of Astronomy and Richard & Rhoda Goldman Distinguished Professor in the Physical Sciences, University of California, Berkeley Renowned supernova astronomer Alex Filippenko will give a public talk at Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum on Sunday 19 June from 3 pm. (The talk will run for about an hour, then time will be allowed for questions.) The title of his presentation is Dark Energy and the Runaway Universe. For more details, see www.aao.gov.au/press/filippenko/ . This is Professor Filippenko’s only scheduled public talk in Australia. Professor Filippenko is a member of the US National Academy of Sciences, has coauthored over 640 publications and is one of the world’s most highly cited astronomers. Winner of the top teaching awards at UC Berkeley, he was named the National Professor of the Year in 2006. He produced several astronomy video courses for The Teaching Company and appeared in numerous television documentaries. The talk is free after you have paid for entry to the Museum. Enquiries: Ali Gordon, Powerhouse Museum, tel 02 9217 0509, alig@phm.gov.au . In case you don’t know who this is, the Theory Group has been watching “Understanding the Universe”, by Alex Filippenko (Bob Fuller) |
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Categories : Events, Theory Group
Video: The NSAS Polarex 4″ Refractor
11 04 2011A few days ago I tried setting up the club’s refractor telescope which was recently returned from loan. The scope is a Polarex 4 inch f/15 refractor. It is quite old (perhaps 40 years) and includes a weight-driven clock drive and a glass plate astro-camera.
In the video below I just set up the scope on the equatorial mount. I didn’t attempt to connect the clock drive or to do a polar alignment. I found the scope to be a bit cumbersome to use compared to my dob, but the view of Saturn was quite good.
Peter Nosworthy
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Categories : Observing, Video
NAG Tonight Tue 5 Apr
5 04 2011The NAG which was delayed from March will be held tonight at 7:30 at St. Ignatius. The subject will be celestial coordinates.
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Categories : NAG
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