A new development in recent years is the launch of thousands of low earth orbit satellites, with Elon Musk’s company Space X being the leader in the field. Frances McCarthy, Education officer at Blackrock Castle Observatory (part of Munster Technical University) will describe how this cascade of satellites has become increasingly unwelcome to astronomers both amateur and professional as they attempt to make observations of the night sky.
Frances, photo above next to a wide field image of the night sky showing satellite tracks, is a favourite speaker with Cork Astronomy Club members. She will introduce Satellite Detectives, a scheme developed by Blackrock Castle Observatory, and will encourage anyone interested in the night sky to help to catalogue and quantify the appearance of the satellite constellations.
Is this a legitimate concern? Are satellites more important than astronomy? What can be done to mitigate the effect on the night sky? Frances will address these questions and a lively discusson is likely to ensue.
Where and when
The venue is University College Cork’s Civil Engineering building. Directions here.
Start time is 8 pm prompt, so please arrive 10 minutes early.
This lecture is open to all. There will also be club announcements and a sky this month presentation, and if you are new to our Club you will get a feel for our activities.
When we finish at 9.45, you can stay and chat for a few minutes after the end of the formal meeting, with tea and coffee served.
Lecture will be live streamed over Zoom. To get the link, email info@corkastronomyclub.com before 5pm on day of lecture. Better still, sign up for our monthly guest bulletin .
