Links to the Enews for: September 2009 October 2009 Most recent issue
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. Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand
. Email Newsletter Number 109, 21 November 2009
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Affiliated Societies are welcome to reproduce any item in this email
newsletter or on the RASNZ website
in their own newsletters provided an acknowledgement of the source is
also included.
Contents
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1. Real Amateur Astronomers
2. The Solar System in December and January
3. RASNZ Conference 2010 May 28-30
4. Council and Executive Nominations, Please
5. RASNZ Web Site Manager Wanted
6. Mackenzie Country on List of World Heritage Starlight Reserves
7. Advice on Fighting Light Pollution
8. Anthropologist Analyses Amateur Astronomy
9. Laser Pointer Fact Sheet
10. Spacecraft Impact Confirms Lunar Water
11. Large Diffuse Ring Found Around Saturn
12. Radio Astronomy Enhances Wi-Fi
13. Galactic Centre Image Released
14. The Phoenix Astronomical Society Almanac
15. David Malin at Stardate South Island
16. Gravitational Microlensing Workshop January 18-20
17. Call for Presentations for NACAA XXIV
18. RASNZ in Wikipedia
19. Gifford-Eiby Lecture Fund
20. Kingdon-Tomlinson Fund
21. How to Join the RASNZ
22. Here and There
21. Next Newsletter - January
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1. Real Amateur Astronomers
---------------------------
In early August Albert Jones of Nelson saw that R71, a luminous blue variable
star in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), had quickly brightened to ninth
magnitude. That made it the brightest star in the LMC. Albert alerted
astronomers interested in such stars. Spectroscopic follow-up on August 26,
showed that the spectrum of R71 resembles that of an extreme early-F-type
hypergiant. This spectrum is significantly cooler than that previously seen at
the star's maximum state in 1970-1977, when the system reached an A1 Ieq
spectral type. The current outburst phase of R71 was first noted visually
by Australian amateur Peter Williams in March last year but has accelerated
recently. It was also picked up by T. Kato in April 2008 on the ASAS-3
photometric database (ASAS 050207-7120.2). Albert uses a 30 cm reflector
and ~88 year-old eyeball. Details from IAU Circular 9082, 15 October 2009.
Jennie McCormick of Auckland stumbled across a 'new' asteroid on September 16.
Jennie has long been an observer of variable stars and microlensing targets and
more recently a tracker of comets, but this was her first asteroid discovery. It
appeared as a 20th magnitude spot on CCD images taken with
her 35 cm telescope. Provisionally designated 2009 SA1 the object orbits at an
average distance of 2.3 AU or 350 million km from the sun in 3.5 years. The
orbit is moderately elliptical (e = 0.19) and inclined 7 degrees to the plane of
Earth's orbit. The object's "absolute magnitude" is 18.2 implying a diameter
in the range 400-1400 metres, depending on its reflectivity.
In the July Newsletter we noted that Stuart Parker of Oxford, Canterbury, had
discovered two supernovae in the previous month. Stu has continued this
productive run, reporting his sixth supernova on November 12, confirming images
he obtained the night before. Supernova 2009la in NGC 1572 was at
red magnitude 15.7 on unfiltered images taken with a 35-cm Celestron C14 f/6.3
Schmidt-Cassegrain reflector and ST8 CCD camera. It was a type-Ia supernova a
few days before maximum light. South African amateur L.A.G. Monard of Pretoria
also independently found 2009la. Details from IAU Central Bure
au Electronic Telegrams 2013 and 2017.
===============================================================
2. The Solar System in December and January
-------------------------------------------
The usual notes on the visibility of the Planets for December 2009 have been
placed on the RASNZ web site: http://www.rasnz.org.nz/SolarSys/Dec_09.htm.
Notes for January 2010 will be in place in a few days.
The southern summer solstice is on December 22 NZDT, with the Sun furthest south
just before 6 am. The Earth is at perihelion 2010 January 3 when it will be
0.9833 AU from the Sun.
A very slight partial eclipse of the moon, with no more than 7.5% of its
diameter in the Earth´s umbral shadow, occurs on December 31, January 1 in New
Zealand. An annular eclipse of the Sun takes place on January 15. No part of
either is visible from New Zealand.
The annular eclipse of the Sun starts in equatorial Africa and crosses the
Indian Ocean to brush the extreme southeast of India and northwest Sri Lanka,
with the centre line between the two. After crossing the Bay of Bengal, the
annular path moves over Burma and on into China, to end on the Shantu
Peninsula to the southeast of Beijing.
THE PLANETS IN DECEMBER and JANUARY - the evening sky
JUPITER remains easily visible in the evening sky throughout December, although
by the end of the month that planet will set about 2.5 hours after the Sun, a
little before midnight for all places in NZ except the far south, where it will
set just after midnight. The planet will then be getting low
by late evening. By the end of January, Jupiter will set only an hour after
the Sun and be virtually lost in the evening twilight.
Jupiter, now moving in the normal easterly direction, will again overtake
Neptune during the December. The two are closest on December 21 when the
planets will be just over half a degree apart. This is their third conjunction
for the year. On the same evening the crescent Moon, some 20% lit, will
be 4.5 degrees below the planets.
In the New Year, Jupiter will move away steadily from Neptune. It will cross
from Capricornus into Aquarius on January 6. On the 18th the crescent moon will
be 5 degrees from Jupiter. Both will be low in the evening twilight.
MERCURY will also be in the evening sky in December, visible for much of the
month in the evening twilight. Its magnitude is close to -0.5 for the first 3
weeks of December after which it fades fairly rapidly.
In the middle of the month Mercury will set about 90 minutes after the Sun,
times ranging from just after 10 pm in Auckland to just after 11 pm at
Invercargill.
The planet is at its greatest elongation, 20 degrees east of the Sun on December
18. After this its easterly motion through the stars slows until it reaches a
stationary point on December 26. By then it will set about 1 hour after the Sun
and be at magnitude 0.4. During the last few days of December Mercury
will rapidly close in on the Sun, so set sooner after sunset, and
also rapidly fade losing two magnitudes of brightness by December 31.
On the evening of December 18, a very thin crescent Moon, only 3% lit, will be 2
degrees to the lower right of Mercury.
In the New Year, Mercury is at inferior conjunction on January 4, following
which it becomes a morning object. It moves fairly rapidly up into the morning
sky, with the planet being stationary on January 16 and at greatest elongation,
25 degrees west of the Sun, on the 27th. By the last week of
January the planet will rise 2 hours before the Sun. 45 minutes before sunrise
it will be some 12 degrees above the horizon. With a magnitude close to zero it
should be visible in the dawn sky. Mercury will then be in Sagittarius close to
the handle of the "teapot". At 2 magnitudes brighter than Nunki,
the brightest star in the asterism, Mercury should be easily distinguishable.
The Morning Sky
Venus, Mars and Saturn remain as morning objects throughout December, although
by the end of the month, Mars will rise shortly before midnight except in the
far south of New Zealand. It reaches opposition at the end of January.
VENUS will be only 10 degrees from the Sun at the beginning of December and rise
less than half an hour before it. By the end of December the two will be only
2.5 degree apart, making observation impossible. It is at superior conjunction
on January 12, 8 days after Mercury is at inferior conjunction.
This will put Venus in the evening sky. But by the end of January it will be
only 5 degrees from the Sun and setting less than 20 minutes after the Sun.
MARS, in Leo, will brighten from magnitude -0.1 to -0.7 during December. It is
stationary on the night of December 21/22 following which it starts moving in a
retrograde sense. Its position will not change much during the month, with the
planet about 10 degrees from Regulus.
The 76% lit moon will be 6 degrees to the upper left of Mars on the morning of
December 7.
January will see Mars rising before midnight, after having been a morning object
throughout 2009. It reaches opposition on January 30 (NZDT) having been closest
to the Earth 2 days earlier. At opposition Mars will have a magnitude -1.3, and
an angular diameter of 14". This will make it a little
brighter than Sirius, some 50 degrees above Mars. It will be well north of the
equator, so a low object for New Zealand.
At opposition, Mars will be quite close to the full moon, the two being just
over 6 degrees apart on the evening of January 30.
SATURN will rise close to 3 am in the north of NZ at the beginning of December,
and about half an hour later in the south. By the end of December it will rise
two hours earlier and be readily visible an hour before sunrise to the northeast
at a moderate altitude. Its will be at magnitude 0.9
Saturn will remain in Virgo about 20 degrees from Spica throughout December. It
ends the month 1 degree from the 3.9 magnitude star eta Vir.
By mid to late January, Saturn will start to rise before midnight, but still
remain essentially a morning object. It is stationary on January 15, so will
show little change in position throughout the month.
Outer planets
URANUS is in Aquarius very close to its boundary with Pisces into which it moves
on January 16. During December Uranus will set after midnight, so remain
visible throughout the evening. By the end of January it will set about 10.30 pm.
NEPTUNE, in Capricornus, will set before midnight by the end of December, so
will be best placed for viewing as soon as the sky darkens. On December 21
Neptune will be just over half a degree from Jupiter making it reasonably easy
to locate the fainter planet. By the end of January, Neptune will
set only 40 minutes after the Sun.
BRIGHTER ASTEROIDS:
(1) Ceres is a morning object starting December in Libra only 18 degrees from
the Sun. It moves into Scorpius on Christmas Day and on into Ophiuchus 12 days
later. By the end of December it will rise two hours before the Sun and 4 hours
earlier at the end of January.
(2) Pallas is a magnitude 9.4 object in Virgo in December and most of January.
On the 24th it moves into Serpens and brightens slightly to magnitude 9.2 by
January 31. On the morning of January 30, NZDT, Pallas will cross the star
cluster M5.
(3) Juno, an evening object, starts December in Aquarius but moves into Cetus
after two days. During December it fades from magnitude 8.9 to 9.3 and to 9.5
by the end of January.
(4) Vesta is a morning object in Leo a few degrees east of Regulus. During
December it brightens from magnitude 7.8 to 7.2 and to 6.5 a month later. It is
stationary on January 7 some 8.6 degrees east of Regulus.
(18) Melpomene, in Cetus, fades from magnitude 9.1 to 9.8 during December.
-- Brian Loader
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3. RASNZ Conference 2010 May 28-30
----------------------------------
Just a further reminder about next year's Conference. Plans are coming
together nicely.
The Standing Conference Committee is now calling for papers. Anyone
wanting to present a paper, or poster paper can access the appropriate
form from the RASNZ webpage - www.rasnz.org.nz - and submit the paper
for consideration. We already have some papers, but at the moment there
is plenty of space available in the programme. As with recent
conferences it is proposed to go through till around 5pm Sunday with the
programme.
Registration forms will be available shortly. The paper form will be
sent to members in December, along with other promotional material, and
the on-line form will be available on the RASNZ webpage within a few
weeks. We encourage early registration, as this helps the local
organising committee with their planning.
We have made a departure from the normal type of programme on the
Friday. The local organising committee was keen to impart a local
flavour, and for those who would like to go, there will be Conference
trip on the Taieri Gorge Railway. A special conference price has been
negotiated, and you can book on the Conference registration form. The
train leaves at 12.30pm, and returns at 4.30pm.
Just a reminder that Dr Stuart Ryder is our guest. He is a southern guy
- completed his degree at Canterbury University, and is now the
Australian Gemini Scientist at the Australian Gemini Office, hosted by
the Anglo-Australian Observatory. We will have a formal title shortly,
but Stuart's feature paper will include discussion of supernovae he has
observed.
Bill Allen will be delivering the Fellows Lecture on the Friday evening.
We also recommend taking advantage of competitive airfares by booking
early. Air New Zealand and Pacific Blue fly to Dunedin.
The Conference is being held at the Otago Museum - an excellent venue.
And there is plenty of accommodation options within easy walking
distance of the Museum. The Local Organising Committee may include
information and recommendations with the material being distributed with
the registration form.
Early in the new year we will also have further announcement re both the
2011 and 2012 Conferences.
-- Dennis Goodman, Chair, RASNZ Standing Conference Committee
********************
Call for conference papers.
Submissions to present papers at the 2010 conference are now invited. The time
allocation for papers is normally 20 minutes. Further details of requirements
and closing dates, together with a submission form are on the RASNZ web site.
-- Brian Loader
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4. Council and Executive Nominations, Please
--------------------------------------------
1. Appointment of Vice-president
Members will remember that Duncan Hall was elected as incoming
vice-president at the Tekapo AGM in 2008. Since that time Duncan has been
appointed to a position with the SKA in Manchester, England, so has
resigned from Council.
Recently Council voted to co-opt Glen Rowe to Council as vice-president. Older
members may remember that Glen served as executive secretary for much of the
1980s.
--------------------------------------------
2. Call for nominations to Council.
Closing date for receipt: 26 February 2010
2010, being an even numbered year, is an election year for the RASNZ
Council. Nominations are requested for all officers and council positions.
The positions for which nominations are required are:
President
Incoming vice-president
Executive secretary
Treasurer
5 Council members.
In addition the fellows need to nominate and elect a fellows representative
Affiliated Societies will elect two representatives at the affiliated
societies' committee meeting held prior to the AGM.
The current president, Grant Christie, automatically becomes
vice-president. The rules do not allow the president to serve a second
consecutive term.
By the terms of rule 74, nominations need to be sent in writing to the
Executive Secretary by Friday 26 February 2010. The nomination must
specify the name of the candidate and the office sought. It must be signed by
the proposer and seconder and be accompanied by the written consent of the
nominee.
The address to which nominations should be sent is:
RASNZ Executive Secretary
14 Craigieburn Street
Darfield 7510
New Zealand
A postal ballot will be held in March 2010 for any position for which the
number of candidates exceeds the number of appointees required.
-- Brian Loader, Executive Secretary, 14 November 2009
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5. RASNZ Web Site Manager Wanted
--------------------------------
The RASNZ web site is widely used by the public,
both in NZ and overseas, as a source of astronomy information. In 2008
there were over 178 000 visits to the site with the number of hits in
excess of 1 million. Numbers for 2009 by the end of October were already
in excess of the total for 2008.
The present web site manager has been maintaining the site since its
inception over 10 years ago. It is now time for him to step aside and hand over
control to a younger person. This handover is envisaged to take place during 2010.
Applicants are invited. The applicant will need to have some skills at
preparing html files for a web site, and obtaining the material to go on the site.
Thus any would-be applicants for the job, completely unpaid of course,
should be aware that there are two sides to it. These are researching and
preparing the material for the monthly and other updates, and then
preparing the actual html files for uploading onto the site.
These do require several hours of work each month. In addition there are
less frequent updates required 3 or 4 times a year and a heavier number
required in preparation for each New Year. The present manager expects to
be preparing these latter over a time span of about two months towards the
end of the previous year.
In addition the web site is an outlet for keeping members informed about
the annual conference and other RASNZ functions. In the weeks leading up
to conference updates are needed on a regular basis, sometimes a few times
a week. The web site has also developed as a means of communication
between RASNZ and the affiliated societies. Thanks to Jennie for providing the
material needed for this.
The web site also results in the occasional query being received which
needs to be answered, although many of these are sent to the publicity
officer who handles them.
There would also seem to be a need for the development of the site, for
instance to make it more interactive.
Please send any offers to take on the role, with an indication of
experience to the RASNZ secretary, email secretary@rasnz.org.nz.
===============================================================
6. Mackenzie Country on List of World Heritage Starlight Reserves
-----------------------------------------------------------------
New Zealand has been nominated as one of five world heritage night sky reserve
sites for the UNESCO World Heritage meeting in Rio de Janeiro next year.
The Tekapo-Aoraki/Mt Cook night sky bid presented by former Cabinet minister
Margaret Austin was unanimously supported by the UNESCO meeting in Santa Cruz,
the Canaries, on November 11. "I´m just overwhelmed our NZ bid was approved
without exception here. We have got to the first hurdle and will be
ready to push our case further to the World Heritage Committee at its 34th
session in Rio next year. If we get through that, as we hope, we will then need
government commitment to proceed to the final stage."
Mrs Austin, who is chairman of the Tekapo-Aoraki/Mt cook bid also noted the need
to have the public on board so they can see the massive global benefits of being
recognised as a world night sky heritage park. She will be briefing ministers,
the Prime Minister and conservation heads on her return.
The other sites included in the Thematic Study for world heritage approval are
in Austria, La Palma, Chile and Hawaii. Mrs Austin said she was determined to
speed up the process for the NZ bid to be approved, possibly within two years.
She told the conference that Tekapo Aoraki/Mt Cook had exceptional unpolluted
skies with very low light pollution because of Mackenzie District Council
lighting ordinances which are now nearly 30 years old.
-- from a press release from Word of Mouth Media NZ
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7. Advice on Fighting Light Pollution
-------------------------------------
A discussion in the nzastronomers Yahoo group about organising a petition
protesting light pollution elicited this response from Steve Butler, RASNZ Dark
Skies Group:
One of the big issues in trying to fight light pollution in NZ is the
inertia present in most local councils in general regarding street lighting.
Because there are around 86 different territorial and regional authorities in
New Zealand there are a similar number of battles to be fought if you take on
each one. But there are changes happening in New Zealand with rega
rd to street lighting. The Electricity Commission, Lighting Council of New
Zealand and the Illumination Engineering Society of NZ are working towards
improving the efficiency of NZ Street Lighting.
Have a look at:
http://www.localgovernmentmag.co.nz/Portals/3/Street_lighting_09.pdf
to see what is happening in New Zealand local councils and street lighting.
Fighting Light Pollution is a many faced issue. It is about vision,
economics e.g. life cycle costs, ecology, human health, safety, amenity
values e.g. astronomy, heritage, energy consumption, CO2 emissions.
It is not surprising that there are so many issues. When you modify half of this
planet's environment by artificially lighting the darkness there are bound to be
impacts.
===============================================================
8. Anthropologist Analyses Amateur Astronomy
--------------------------------------------
Brian Howe has produced a thesis on amateur astronomy as an Anthropology project.
The abstract (with references removed) reads: "In this examination of amateur
astronomy in New Zealand, I suggest that astronomical science can be a medium
through which adherents attempt to enact social transformation. Contemporary
studies of leisure often emphasise the individualistic nature of l
eisure activity, with social interaction framed as a means to support the
intrinsic and extrinsic motivations of participants. However, while amateur
astronomers do engage in `serious leisure´, I suggest their extended roles as
educators and liaisons
for professional counterparts push their endeavour beyond mere participation and
into wider territories of public engagement and scientific discourse.
Following analysis by [several authors] I argue that the New Zealand
astronomical community´s proclivity for education operates as a forum for
constructing recursive and normative action, in which ideologies congruent with
scientific rationalism are disseminated through a form of moral regulation.
Commencing with a discussion of the structure of New Zealand´s astronomical
community, I examine how informants´ narratives and attitudes to contributive
participation manifest in demonstrative actions that
provide idealised templates for behaviour."
The complete pdf is at:
http://researcharchive.vuw.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/10063/1062/thesis.pdf?sequence=1
-- Thanks to Paul Moss for pointing this out and Stephen Hovell for adding more
background, both on the nzastronomers Yahoo group.
===============================================================
9. Laser Pointer Fact Sheet
---------------------------
John O'Byrne, Secretary, Astronomical Society of Australia (ASA), circulated the
following. The factsheet might be of interest.
Late last year we released an ASA Factsheet on laser pointers. It can be seen
at the Australian Astronomy site
http://www.astronomy.org.au/ngn/engine.php?SID=1000011&AID=1003110
It concentrates on legislation in NSW because that is where legislation and
regulation changes had recently been made.
We would like to update the information on this sheet, in particular
incorporating any information on legislative changes (or proposed changes -
Tasmania for example) in other states and territories. If you know anything
about such changes, I would appreciate the information. It would be particul
arly useful if you can point to specific web sites. Please just respond to this
email.
Any other comments on the factsheet are also welcome.
(Any reader who wants to respond to John's email can get his email address from
me. -Ed.)
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10. Spacecraft Impact Confirms Lunar Water
------------------------------------------
Preliminary data from NASAıs Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or
LCROSS, indicates the mission successfully uncovered water in a permanently
shadowed lunar crater. The discovery opens a new chapter in our understanding of
the Moon.
The LCROSS spacecraft and a companion rocket stage made twin impacts in the
Cabeus crater on October 9. The impacts created a plume of material from the
bottom of a crater that has not seen sunlight in billions of years. The plume
travelled at a high angle beyond the rim of Cabeus and into sunlight, while an
additional curtain of debris was ejected more laterally.
Scientists long have speculated about the source of significant
quantities of hydrogen that have been observed at the lunar poles. The
LCROSS findings are shedding new light on the question with the
discovery of water, which could be more widespread and in greater
quantity than previously suspected. If the water that was formed or
deposited is billions of years old, these polar cold traps could hold a key to
the history and evolution of the solar system, much as an ice core sample taken
on Earth reveals ancient data. In addition, water and other compounds represent
potential resources that could sustain future lunar exploration.
The team took the known near-infrared spectral signatures of water and other
materials and compared them to the impact spectra the LCROSS near infrared
spectrometer collected. No other reasonable combination of other compounds that
were tried matched the observations. The possibility of contamination from
the Centaur also was also ruled out.
Additional confirmation came from an emission in the ultraviolet spectrum that
was attributed to hydroxyl, one product from the break-up of water by sunlight.
Just after impact, the LCROSS ultraviolet visible spectrometer detected hydroxyl
signatures that are consistent with a water vapour cloud in sunlight.
Data from the other LCROSS instruments are being analyzed for additional clues
about the state and distribution of the material at the impact site. The LCROSS
science team and colleagues are poring over the data to understand the entire
impact event, from flash to crater. The goal is to understand
the distribution of all materials within the soil at the impact site.
For information about LCROSS, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/lcross
-- from a NASA press release forwarded by Karen Pollard.
===============================================================
11. Large Diffuse Ring Found Around Saturn
------------------------------------------
NASAıs Spitzer Space Telescope has discovered an enormous ring around Saturn.
The new belt lies at the far reaches of the Saturnian system, with an orbit
tilted 27 degrees from the main ring plane. The bulk of its material starts
about 6 million km away from the planet and extends outward roughly a
nother 12 million km. Seen from earth the outer extent is nearly a degree across
-- two full moon diameters. One of Saturnıs farthest moons, Phoebe, circles
within the newfound ring, and is likely the source of its material. The ring has
a vertical height about 20 times the diameter of the planet or 2.5 million km.
The ring itself is tenuous, made up of a thin cloud of ice and dust
particles. Spitzerıs infrared eyes were able to spot the glow of the
bandıs cool dust. The telescope, launched in 2003, is currently 107
million km from Earth in orbit around the Sun.
The discovery may help explain why Saturnıs moon Iapetus is bright on one side
and dark on the other. The dark side is now named Cassini Regio in honour of
Giovanni Cassini who first spotted Iapetus in 1671.
Saturnıs giant ring could explain how Cassini Regio came to be. The new ring is
circling in the same direction as Phoebe while Iapetus and the other rings and
most of Saturnıs moons are going the opposite way. Some of the dark and dusty
material from the outer ring moves inward toward Iapetus, slamming the
icy moon like bugs on a windshield.
The ring would be difficult to see with visible-light telescopes. Its
particles are diffuse and may even extend beyond the bulk of the ring
material all the way in to Saturn and all the way out to
interplanetary space. The relatively small numbers of particles in the
ring wouldn't reflect much visible light, especially out at Saturn
where sunlight is weak. Spitzer was able to sense the glow of the cool dust,
which is only about 80 Kelvin (-190 C). Cool objects shine with infrared, or
thermal radiation. Even a cup of ice cream is blazing with infrared light. These
observations were made before Spitzer ran out of coolant in May
and began its "warm" mission.
For additional images relating to the ring discovery and more
information about Spitzer, visit
http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/spitzer and http://www.nasa.gov/spitzer.
-- from a NASA JPL press release forwarded by Karen Pollard.
===============================================================
12. Radio Astronomy Enhances Wi-Fi
----------------------------------
Inside almost every Wi-Fi device in the world is a little bit of the Australian
sky: patented technology that makes Wi-Fi fast and reliable. This invention was
recognised last Wednesday with the Australian Prime Minister´s $300,000 Prize
for Science being presented to radio astronomy engineer John O´Sullivan.
It´s one of the most significant discoveries in the history of Australian
science and a classic example of how blue sky research can have unexpected
outcomes. The story has been largely untold until this week due to a long and
complex commercialisation process that led earlier this year to 14 technology
companies agreeing to pay CSIRO for their use of the patent. The terms of
each settlement are confidential but CSIRO has announced that $150 million of
the royalties earned by the invention will fund future blue sky research through
an endowment fund.
Nearly a billion people use John O´Sullivan´s invention every day. When you use
a Wi-Fi network -- at home, in the office or at the airport -- you are using
patented technology born of the work of John and his CSIRO colleagues. They
created a technology that made the wireless LAN fast and robust.
In 1977 John O´Sullivan co-wrote a paper about the use of a set of mathematical
equations known as Fourier transforms to sharpen optical telescope images
distorted by the atmosphere. The paper is short and, like O´Sullivan, somewhat
humble. It builds on first principles of physics, but brings together
a broad view joining radio and optics. And the paper is seminal. It explains
the techniques known as adaptive optics and proves why they work.
Amongst John´s many research interests was the search for radio waves from
exploding black holes -- predicted in 1974 by Stephen Hawking. John didn´t find
them, but the techniques he and his collaborators developed to clean up
intergalactic radio wave distortion eventually found expression as the
technology in the wireless LAN.
Fourier transforms were the key to his work. They were essential for the new
Australia Telescope at Narrabri. To simplify and speed up the transform task he
worked with Austek Microsystems to create a computer chip to do the processing
for him.
By 1990 CSIRO was looking for ways to commercialise its capability in radio
physics. "We realised that our skills with antennas, signal processing, and
radio design might allow us to cut the network cable that linked every office
computer," John says. "From the beginning we set out to match the speed
of the best wired networks of the time."
But reflections got in the way. In the confines of buildings and rooms, radio
waves bounce off many surfaces, so that a transmission arrives at a receiver
followed by a series of echoes. This leads to a fuzzy, ambiguous signal, akin to
`ghosting´ on a television.
Using the same techniques he´d applied to astronomy, John and his team realised
they could send the information over many different frequencies and recombine
the signal at the receiver. Within a year, in 1992, CSIRO applied for an
Australian patent and the long process of prototyping, trialling, and
then commercialising and defending the technology and the patent, began.
The US patent came in 1996. The solution was so successful, that IEEE, the
global standards body, wrote it into one of its standards for wireless
networking, 802.11a. It is now part of two subsequent standards, 802.11g and n.
But it took until April 2009 to agree on licensing terms with the makers
of wireless computers.
Meanwhile the wireless LAN technology continues to change the world. It´s built
into the next generation of mobile phones and is set to transform how we
interact with our cars and homes.
Full story:
http://www.scienceinpublic.com/blog/prime-ministers-prize/2009-science
-- abridged from a SKA press release forwarded by Marilyn Head.
===============================================================
13. Galactic Centre Image Released
----------------------------------
A never-before-seen view of the turbulent heart of our Milky Way
galaxy were unveiled by NASA on Nov. 10. This event commemorated the 400 years
since Galileo first turned his telescope to the heavens in 1609.
The composite image shows the bustling hub of our galaxy that combines a near-
infrared view from the Hubble Space Telescope, an infrared view from the Spitzer
Space Telescope, and an X-ray view from the Chandra X-ray Observatory into one
multiwavelength picture. This composite image provides one of
the most detailed views ever of our galaxy's mysterious core.
See it at http://hubblesite.org/news/2009/28
-- from a NASA press release forwarded by Karen Pollard.
===============================================================
14. The Phoenix Astronomical Society Almanac
--------------------------------------------
Kay Leather writes: "More than just a calendar, each monthly grid includes the
phases of the moon, the rise and set times of the Sun and Moon, plantary
phenomena, meteor activity, solstices and equinoxes, public and school holidays,
religious festivals, historical astronomical events, a Maori calendar and
ancient star lore pertaining to each month.
The almanac contains 24 spectacular full colour images of celestial
objects or events with explanations.
In addition there are 6 full colour charts and 4 feature pages. These
include star and constellation charts for each season, a map of the
Moon, and a chart showing the rise and set times of the Sun and planets.
An information page explains how to use the Almanac and charts"
The price of the Almanac at $20 retail & p.p To order contact Kay Leather at
Hellfa(at)xtra(dot)co(dot)nz or write to Almanac, P.O. Box 156, Carterton 5743.
===============================================================
15. David Malin at Stardate South Island
----------------------------------------
Stardate South Island will be held on 15-18 January 2010, at the usual
venue - the Presbyterian Church camp at Staveley, inland mid-Canterbury.
The dates coincide with the new moon for January 2010 so there will be ample
dark skies for everyone to get in some great deep sky observing.
David Malin, world famous astronomer and astro-imaging pioneer will be a
special guest at Stardate SI. David will provide a range of talks,
provisionally including one about Galileo, one about the Southern Cross,
and one about his personal journey from microscopes to telescopes.
The charges are $10 per person per night. There is bunk accommodation for around
72 persons. There are also a few free power sites for caravans and campervans.
There is also plenty of room to erect tents. The total number of people we can
have on-site is 96, so book soon. No refunds can be made after 5 January 2010.
The weekend is a self-catering event; bring your own food. Contributions to the
pot-luck dinner on Saturday will be by alphabetical order of surname: see last
month's Newsletter Item 8. The kitchen is well equipped, and there is plenty of
chiller space. Tea and coffee will be supplied.
On-line registrations, and all other information, are available at the Stardate
South Island website: http://www.forestry.ac.nz/euan/stardate/
-- from notes by Euan Mason and Dennis Goodman.
===============================================================
16. Gravitational Microlensing Workshop January 18-20
-----------------------------------------------------
The 14th workshop on gravitational microlensing will be held in Auckland, New
Zealand on January 18, 19, & 20 in 2010.
Gravitational microlensing has emerged as an effective tool in modern
astrophysics and is rapidly advancing. Microlensing is continuing to produce new
results on extrasolar planets, stellar structure, and cosmology (to name just a
few). The field is poised to enter a new era with advances in data
sharing technologies, robotic telescopes, and new generation microlensing
projects. This workshop will bring together researchers in microlensing as well
as those involved in related theoretical and observational fields. The workshop
will be a forum to review the latest observational results on microlensing
and to address their theoretical implications. The aim of this workshop
is to then assess future directions of microlensing for new approved and
proposed microlensing projects.
For registration and other details see http://microlens2010.massey.ac.nz
===============================================================
17. Call for Presentations for NACAA XXIV
-----------------------------------------
The 24th National Australian Convention of Amateur Astronomers (NACAA XXIV) will
be held over Easter 2010 (2nd-5th April) in Canberra. This is a reminder that
the closing date for submissions is Friday, 27th November, 2009.
Our theme for this convention is "Astronomy in the On-line Age". We plan
to have a full weekend, Friday to Monday, of various types of
presentations covering a great width of astronomical work including
observing, instrumentation, astroimaging, education, outreach, research,
history, and other topics.
The core of the convention is of course its presentations, and we are
asking you to consider making a contribution, by yourself or in a group.
We are primarily looking for posters, oral presentations, round-table
meetings, and workshops, but are happy to hear suggestions of other
activities. So please consider contributing, and if you wish, talk it over with
the Programme Committee.
Please go to the NACAA website (http://www.nacaa.org.au/2010/programme)
for more information on the types of presentations and our requirements
for submissions.
-- Margaret Streamer, Programme Committee Chair, NACAA Inc.
===============================================================
18. RASNZ in Wikipedia
----------------------
Peter Jaquiery writes that he has started an RASNZ entry on Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Astronomical_Society_of_New_Zealand
Peter invites anyone who can fill in some of the details (especially the
history) to do so.
================================================================
19. Gifford-Eiby Lecture Fund
-----------------------------
The RASNZ administers the Gifford-Eiby Memorial Lectureship Fund to
assist Affiliated Societies with travel costs of getting a lecturer
or instructor to their meetings. Details are in RASNZ By-Laws Section H.
For an application form contact the Executive Secretary
secretary@rasnz.org.nz, 14 Craigieburn Street, Darfield 7510.
=========================================================
20. Kingdon-Tomlinson Fund
--------------------------
The RASNZ is responsible for recommending to the trustees of the Kingdon
Tomlinson Fund that grants be made for astronomical projects. The grants
may be to any person or persons, or organisations, requiring funding for
any projects or ventures that promote the progress of astronomy in New
Zealand. Full details are set down in the RASNZ By-Laws, Section J.
For an application form contact the RASNZ Executive Secretary,
secretary@rasnz.org.nz, 14 Craigieburn Street, Darfield 7510.
===============================================================
21. How to Join the RASNZ
-------------------------
A membership application form and details can be found on the RASNZ
website http://www.rasnz.org.nz/InfoForm/membform.htm.
Please note that the weblink to membership forms is case sensitive.
Alternatively please send an email to the membership secretary
members@rasnz.org.nz for further information.
The annual subscription rate is $75. For overseas rates please check with
the membership secretary, member@rasnz.org.nz.
===============================================================
22. Here and There
------------------
AND AN ECLIPSE TOO
The Moon crosses the celestial equator at 16.44 BST on [September] 22nd, and
this point thus marks the autumnal equinox. -- The Times, September 1 [2008?]
JUST AN ARM AND A LEG
Only 0.003% of the 9000 university science graduates in Australia were of
Aboriginal origin. -- Astronomy & Geophysics, vol. 49, 3.37, 2008.
PIN-POINT ACCURACY
The most important object in Andromeda is M33, the Pinwheel galaxy. -- The
Daily Telegraph, October [2008?] Night Sky.
--from The Observatory, Vol. 129, p.180.
===============================================================
23. Next Newsletter - January
-----------------------------
The next Newsletter will be published around January 20.
Seasons greetings to all our readers.
=============================================================
Alan Gilmore Phone: 03 680 6000
P.O. Box 57 alan.gilmore@canterbury.ac.nz
Lake Tekapo 7945
New Zealand
==========================
Return to RASNZ home page.