Peter Household
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The last public lecture of the season is by tradition Members Night and in a first, and this year we had music. Colm Philpott (main photo) sang his own compositions about Titan, Mars, Europa, and the Pinwheel Galaxy. The evening also featured two short talks from members “Looking Up – the amazing achievements of the Grubb, Parsons and Holland Families… “read more”
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On 20th May our Club welcomed William O’Mullane (small photo), all the way from Chile’s Rubin Observatory, who talked to us about this new observatory. The opportunities it presents for citizen science were explored over a Zoom hook-up with a colleague from Chile. This was a Cork Astronomy Club public lecture. A recent article in the Guardian says this state-of-the-art… “read more”
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May 13, the final lecture for the season is designated Members Night. We shall have two short presentations and some songs. “Looking Up – the amazing achievements of the Grubb, Parsons and Holland Families of the 19th and 20th Centuries” (John Burgess) and “The James Webb Space Telescope and Supernova Encore” (Pat O’Sullivan). And in a first, we shall have… “read more”
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Main image is a light pollution map of Counties Cork and Kerry and part of Waterford and Tipperary. More light pollution maps available here. The link enables one to select various maps, including the satellite observations (called VIIRS in the overlay ─ see menu at top right hand corner). Prof Brian Espey (photo) cautions that these should be taken with… “read more”
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Club members Paul and Simone were in Dallas Texas on Monday 8th April to witness the total solar eclipse when for a few minutes the Moon hid the Sun. Messages going back and forth on the Club’s WhatsApp group. At 8.30pm last night Irish time, 2.30pm CDT for Dallas, Paul posted in WhatsApp “Thank you all for the support. I… “read more”
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Image credeit: Przemyslaw “Blueshade” Idzkiewicz The diagramme shows Earth at an equinox. The terminator (twilight zone dividing the daylit and night sides of a planetary body) runs through the two poles. What it is ─ The March (or vernal) equinox marks the Sun’s crossing above the Earth’s equator, moving from south to north. It marks the beginning of spring in the… “read more”
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Try viewing the Moon just after First Quarter, from 18th March, and see if you can find Plato Crater to the north of Mare Imbrium (small image, marked in red). This crater has an astonishingly smooth, dark floor within an even and circular crater ring. At 109 kilometres across, you’ll be able to spot this one with binoculars as well… “read more”
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A nova named T Coronae Borealis lit up the night about 80 years ago, and astronomers expect it to put on another show this year. If you keep a close eye on the night sky in the coming weeks and months, you may spot a new star. It will shine as bright as Polaris, the North Star, for up to… “read more”
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“Fighting to improve Ireland’s night skies” is the title of our next public lecture and the speaker will be Brian Espey, Associate Professor of Physics, Trinity College Dublin. It’s on Monday 15th April at 8 pm in UCC’s Ashley Cummins building. If you’re not already a member, this will be a good place to weigh us up, and to join… “read more”
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A Planisphere is a star chart in the form of two adjustable plastic or card disks which can display the visible stars for any time and date. Build your own with Andrea Lane in Midleton Library on 9th March 2024, at 3 p.m. This event is for young stargazers aged 12-17. To book a place, phone 021 4613929 and ask… “read more”