Whirlpool Star Party (Article 108)
Another very successful Star Party was organised by Shannonside Astronomy Club in Birr from 5-7 Oct. Club patron, the 7th Earl of Rosse, opened the 22nd annual WSP with speakers from Ireland, UK and USA and many overseas visitors, some here for their 18th year. Good weather made possible two enjoyable observing sessions in the grounds of Birr Castle Demesne, right beside the historical Leviathan telescope.
The U.N. designated 2007 the International Heliophysical Year, so Dr Peter Gallagher of Trinity College focused on our Sun, the mechanisms that bathe us in heat and light, and its weather. The sun’s weather? The advance of expensive and sensitive technology means it is very important to be able to predict when Earth will be hit by coronal mass ejections or increased electromagnetic radiation because communication, navigation, power and satellite systems can be adversely affected. Ireland plays a part in publishing daily weather reports for the sun.
Dr John Mason recounted the different classes of Supernova and analysed the 6 that occurred in our own galaxy in the last 1000 years. All occurred before the invention of the telescope so it was interesting to learn about the astronomers of the time and how they recorded the event. From those records it is possible to determine the supernova remnants today and retrospectively classify the supernova type. Our own sun will not have such a spectacular end but it will begin to heat up and expand about 5 billion years from now, signalling the beginning of the end of the inner planets including the Earth.
Dr Chris Lintott (BBC Sky at Night) took us through the life cycle of the universe from the current understanding of its origins to its probable end. After the Big Bang, a supernova is probably the next most spectacular event. Keep an eye on Betelgeuse in the constellation of Orion as it is likely to go supernova any time from now to next few thousand years. Although relatively close, Betelgeuse is too far, at over 400 light years, to cause any collateral damage to the Earth. Kevin Nolan of the Institute of Technology Tallaght, looked at past, present and future exploration of Mars. There is huge interest in Mars exploration at present.
Limerick’s own Dr Caitriona Jackman updated us on her continuing work with the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn. Caitriona is a graduate of UL and her specialist area is analysing data from Cassini’s magnetometer.
Sue French, who is a contributing editor for Sky and Telescope magazine took us closer to home with a talk on Rosse’s Nebulae. Both Sue and Chris Lintott contributed enormously to the enjoyment of the observing sessions. Dr Asher of the Armagh Planetarium looked at comets, meteors and asteroids and highlighted the work being done at Armagh.
Dave McDonald, now living in Kildare, provided the first confirmation image from Ireland of supernova 2005ep. Dave underlined the important role that amateur astronomers can play in contributing to our understanding of our universe. Dr Chris Lintott also stressed that there are not enough data coming from small telescopes.
20-10-2007 Whirlpool Star Party (Article 108)
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