| No 1 March 2007 | No 2 June 2007 | No 3 September 2007 | No 4 December 2007 |
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| Southern Stars: Vol 46 Contents. | Index for other years | RASNZ Home Page | |
Southern Stars: Volume 46, number 1. March 2007. Pp 1 - 20. |
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Active Region 10918/923/930.
Harry Roberts.
Towards the end of 2006 the author monitored the Sun for an active Region that lasted possibly three solar rotations. The flaring that it underwent was remarkable for the fact that it occurred near Solar Minimum when the Sun is expected to be quiescent. Observing in Hydrogen-alpha light, a number of features associated with the region were seen to interact.
Volume 46, number 1. March 2007. Pp 3 - 6
New Detectable Eccentricities of Southern Binary Star Systems.
Siramas Komonjinda, John B. Hearnshaw, David J. Ramm
The theory of tidal circulation and synchronization of binary star systems was investigated by many authors. This theory has been tested using the observed radial velocities of binary stars systems using few-kilometres-per-second-resolution spectrographs. Using the HERCULES spectrograph at Mt John University Observatory one can measure the radial velocities of celestial objects at a precision on the order of ten meters per second. In this research, more than 20 southern binary star systems that have circular or nearly circular orbits were selected. The preliminary analysis of 13 single-lined spectroscopic binaries shows that using the HERCULES spectrograph we can not only gain better results for the systems' orbits but also detect the small eccentricity of four systems which were assumed to be circular by prior works.
Volume 46, number 1. March 2007. Pp 7-8
Comet McNaught 2006 P1 - the Comet that Blew our Socks off.
John Drummond
"look over in the south-west there, it looks like that hill has turned into a volcano with lave and smoke billowing out a giant plume of gas! Wait, that's no volcano, that's a comet!" Such is the impression that I and many others had at Stardate 2007 when we saw the brightest comet in forty years put on an absolutely mind-blowing celestial fireworks display. C/2006P1 (McNaught) became the most breath-taking "hairy star" since Comet Ikeya-Seki in 1965.
Volume 46, number 1. March 2007. Pp 9-14
History of the Gifford-Eiby Lecture Fund.
Pauline Loader
Initially the Gifford-Eiby Lecture Fund was known as the Gifford Lecture Fund and it was set up to enable local Societies affiliated to the RASNZ to exchange lecturers on suitable topics. This article traces the history of the scheme from an initial suggestion made by the Auckland Astronomical Society in 1969 to the present day.
Volume 46, number 1. March 2007. Pp 16-18
Book Review - "Bright Star: Beatrice Tinsley, Astronomer." by Christine Cole Catley,
reviewed by William Tobin.
Volume 46, number 1. March 2007. Page 15
Southern Stars: Volume 46, number 2. June 2007. Pp 1 - 40. |
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Quaoar Appulse.
Dave Gault.
Earlier this year an attempt was made to observe an occultation of the trans-Neptunian object
Quaoar. No occultation occurred but an appulse was observed by several stations showing that an
occultation, should it occur, can be detected.
Volume 46, number 2. June 2007. Page 3
AR953: "Strange days, indeed!"
Harry Roberts.
Active Region 10953 on the Sun was yet again another example of the Sun's continuing unexpected
activity near Solar Minimum.
Volume 46, number 2. June 2007. Page 4
SKA Simulation Modeling: Phased Approach to SKA Construction.
Sergei Gulyaev and Stuart Weston.
The concept of phased approach to the SKA development is discussed, which allows the maximum use
of resolution for the SKA in the early stages of its construction. Mathematical simulation for
two possible scenarios was conducted. The case study for the proposed Australasian location of
the SKA is considered.
Volume 46, number 2. June 2007. Pp 5-10
Hydrogen alpha observing.
Andy Dodson and John Drummond.
Volume 46, number 2. June 2007. Pp 10-11
Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand - Annual Report for 2006.
Including President's remarks, financial report, membership report and section reports.
Volume 46, number 2. June 2007. Pp 13-24
"Southern Skies" NZ Post Stamp Issue.
Volume 46, number 2. June 2007. Pp 26 and back cover
Book Review - "Empire of the Stars." by Arthur I Miller,
reviewed by Marilyn Head.
Volume 46, number 2. June 2007. Page 12
Book Review - "Sirius: Brightest Diamond in the Night Sky." by Jay Holberg,
reviewed by William Tobin.
Volume 46, number 2. June 2007. Page 25
Total Lunar Eclipse - 2007 August 28.
Deborah Hambley.
Most parts of New Zealand were blessed with clear skies for at least much of the eclipse. Here are a few eclipse tales.
Volume 46, number 3. September 2007. Pp 3-5
Comet Gilmore P/2007 Q2
Alan Gilmore.
These days the regular near-earth object (NEO) search programmes find most comets when they are faint and far from the sun, leaving few to be found by traditional search methods. Thus the author was lucky to stumble across a faint new comet while doing NEO follow-up work at Mt John.
Volume 46, number 3. June 2007. Pp 5-6
Mt John Spectroscopic Observations of the d Scuti binary star RS Cha.
Robyn Woollands, Karen Pollard, Duncan Wright, David Ramm, Torsten Bohm.
The RS Cha system is an eclipsing double-lined spectroscopic binary star which has both components identified as being d Scuti stars. We have obtained spectroscopic observations of RS Cha from Mt John University Observatory using the 1.0-m McLellan telescope and HERCULES in order to look at the orbit and stellar rotation of the system, and the pulsations of both components of the binary. We present evidence which suggests the existence of a third component in this system. This results in a complicated and interesting system for further study.
Volume 46, number 3. September 2007. Pp 7-11
Statement of Financial Performance for the year ended 31 December 2006 - correction..
Volume 46, number 3. September 2007. Pp 12-13
The IAU Meteor Stream Archiving Project.
Jack Baggaley.
The International Astronomical Union has a project for the establishment of a definitive working list of named meteor streams. The necessity has arisen from not only the regular discovery of more complex structure in the Solar System Dust cloud but problems such as the re-discovery and multiple naming of streams.
Volume 46, number 3. September 2007. Pp 14-16
Asteroidal Occultation Results.
David Herald et al.
The predictions of occultation paths has become much more reliable from a combination of the high-accuracy star catalogues Hipparcos, Tycho2, and UCAC, together with improvements of orbital elements using the latest data available from the USNO FASTT program and other programs. More than 1000 occultations of stars by asteroids have been observed since the first one reported in 1958. Many of these involved observations from more than one location, allowing for the determination of the size and shape of the asteroid. This paper presents the determination of the size and shape of asteroids from about 80 occultations, as well as details of several double stars detected during occultations.
Volume 46, number 3. September 2007. Pp 17-26
Semi-Automated Loading of Occultation Results Using Excel Macros.
John Talbot (NZ), Brad Timerson (USA)
Templates have been developed using either Text based or Excel based recording forms that can be loaded to Win-Occult OBS format in batches using Excel VBA macros. The .OBS file needs to be loaded to Win-Occult to complete the operation and to check the results, but there is a significant saving of time for the Recorder/Reducer compared to manual data entry. The Excel template enables some checking of data to be performed before it is sent by the observer. The method is now in common use in USA and we would like feedback from local observers to see if they would like to use the new templates in this region. This paper was presented to the First Trans-Tasman Occultation Symposium July 2007.
Volume 46, number 3. September 2007. Pp 27-28
2007 Murray Geddes Prize.
The Murray Geddes Prize for 2007 was awarded to Robert Rea of Nelson
Volume 46, number 3. September 2007. Page 28
Ephemeral Solar Active Regions 2007 July
Harry Roberts.
The writer's first experience of a solar minimum is proving to be both exciting and challenging. The excitement comes from searching for and often finding small sunspot groups (Active Regions, AR) on a solar disc that at first looks blank. The detail visible in such small AR is very seeing dependant, and mapping the details is a challenge. As spots now seem to disappear as quickly as they arise, another challenge is to establish their positions before they vanish.
Volume 46, number 3. September 2007. Page 29
Software Review - "Google Mars"
Reviewed by R W Evans
In 2006 March, the search engine company Google released its Google Mars product. This is a great resource for anyone wanting to learn more about Mars, particularly the planet's surface features.
Volume 46, number 2. September 2007. Page 25
Carter Observatory Refurbished.
Frank Andrews.
As many will already know, Carter Observatory is undergoing a major remodeling of its interior. Old walls are vanishing and new ones appearing in unexpected places.
Volume 46, number 4. December 2007. Page 3
Astro Holiday in Ontario.
Deborah Hambley.
After the RASNZ conference I flew to Canada to see relatives and have a 'summer' holiday. I was keen to visit a childhood astronomy icon and take in as many other astronomical activities as possible.
Volume 46, number 4. December 2007. Page 4
Meteor Streams - their optimum Designation.
Jack Baggaley.
Many meteor streams have been mapped and their designations catalogued over the years. With the advent of greater sensitivity of instrumentation many more are being added to the present list (containing some 230) of identified streams: New Zealand's AMOR radar facility is part of an international project to probe the Solar System dust cloud. With the significant increase in the total number of identified streams the problem arises as to the most useful nomenclature to follow in describing such individual streams in the multiplicity of Solar System entities. A new descriptor to specify stream parameters is suggested which might be used to augment the traditional stellar constellation method used in specifying the apparent shower radiant.
Volume 46, number 4. December 2007. Pp 5-7
Astronomy at the University of Canterbury Department of Physics and Astronomy and Mt John University Observatory.
John Hearnshaw.
Annual Report for 2006.
Volume 46, number 4. December 2007. Pp 8-17
North Polar Filaments: Signs of Solar Cycle 24 Activity?
Harry Roberts.
Over 2007 May to August the occurrence of prominences in high northern latitudes as seen by the author through his Hydrogen-alpha (Ha) telescope prompted him to search for the associated filaments, since prominences are filaments seen side on at the limb.
Volume 46, number 4. December 2007. Pp 18-20
The Big Bang and Black Holes.
Frank Andrews.
The term "Big Bang" was originally given to the instant of creation by Sir Fred Hoyle. This was intended as a term of derision, when defending his steady-state theory of "Continuous Creation" against what he saw as a bad theory. This opposing big-bang theory claimed that the Universe came into existence at a precise instant from what was referred to as the "Primeval Atom".
Hoyle's steady-state theory has long since been consigned to the pages of cosmological history, but his name for the "big bang" theory, which currently purports to explain the origin of the Universe, has become part of the every day language of Astronomy. In this paper some challenging ideas about the nature of the Big Bang and Black Holes are discussed.
Volume 46, number 4. December 2007. Pp 21-22
Weak Gravitational Lensing .
Warwick Kissling.
Weak gravitational lensing can be used to map the distribution of dark matter in the universe. This is an extended version of a talk presented to the 2007 RASNZ Conference in Auckland, with some mathematical background and references.
Volume 46, number 4. December 2007. Pp 23-26