February 2021 News and Research
Astronomy_News_20_02_2021
This months research Papers 20_02_2021
RASNZ_20_02_2021
Further links and discussion can be found at the groups/links below
Astronomy in New Zealand - Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/groups/5889909863/
Astronomy in New Zealand - Groups.io
https://groups.io/g/AstronomyNZ
Google Group
https://groups.google.com/g/nzastrochat
Astronomy in Wellington
https://www.facebook.com/groups/11451597655/
Blogger Posts
http://laintal.blogspot.com/
Reddit
https://www.reddit.com/user/Edwin_Rod_NZ
Quaroa
https://www.quora.com/q/astronomyinnewzealand
Twitter
https://twitter.com/Laintal
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Research papers
Size and structures of disks around very low mass stars
https://arxiv.org/abs/2012.02225
Influence of Biomass Emissions upon Habitability
https://arxiv.org/abs/2102.00220
Revisiting the Planet Mass and Stellar Metallicity Relation for Low-Mass Exoplanets Orbiting GKM Class Stars
https://arxiv.org/abs/2102.01125
A Search for Optical Laser Emission from Proxima Centauri
https://arxiv.org/abs/2102.01910
3-D climate simulations for the detectability of Proxima Centauri b
https://arxiv.org/abs/2102.03255
Imaging low-mass planets within the habitable zone of a Centauri
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-21176-6
Relative occurrence rates of terrestrial planets orbiting FGK stars
https://arxiv.org/abs/2102.05808
The Field Substellar Mass Function Based on the Full-sky 20-pc Census of 525 L, T, and Y Dwarfs
https://arxiv.org/abs/2011.11616
Resolving the History of Life on Earth by Seeking Life As We Know It on Mars
https://arxiv.org/abs/2102.02362
Formation conditions of Titan and Enceladus
https://arxiv.org/abs/2102.03230
Detecting Atmospheric Molecules of Temperate Terrestrial Exoplanets
https://arxiv.org/abs/2102.03194
Impact of photochemical hazes and gases on exoplanet atmospheric thermal structure
https://arxiv.org/abs/2102.05763
Formation of Venus, Earth and Mars
https://arxiv.org/abs/2102.06173
Persephone: A Pluto-System Orbiter and Kuiper Belt Explorer
https://arxiv.org/abs/2102.08282
Primordial Radius Gap and Potentially Broad Core Mass Distributions of Super-Earths and Sub-Neptunes
https://arxiv.org/abs/2008.01105
Exoplanets Prediction in Multiplanetary Systems
https://arxiv.org/abs/2102.08066
A Readily Implemented Atmosphere Sustainability Constraint for Terrestrial Exoplanets Orbiting Magnetically Active Stars
https://arxiv.org/abs/2102.07837
No Evidence for Orbital Clustering in the Extreme Trans-Neptunian Objects
https://arxiv.org/abs/2102.05601
On the Capture of Interstellar Objects by our Solar System
https://arxiv.org/abs/2102.08488
Titan Earth-like on the Outside, Ocean World on the Inside
https://arxiv.org/abs/2102.08472
Introducing Physical Warp Drives
[2102.06824]
https://arxiv.org/abs/2102.06824
The Physics of Falling Raindrops in Diverse Planetary Atmospheres
https://arxiv.org/abs/2102.09570
The rotational and divergent components of atmospheric circulation on tidally locked planets
https://arxiv.org/abs/2102.11760
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Interesting News items
Darrel Ramsey
https://www.martinboroughstar.co.nz/lifetime-astronomer-honoured/#more-9359
Study Reveals That Mercury Is the Not-So-Shrunken Planet
http://spaceref.com/mercury/study-reveals-that-mercury-is-the-not-so-shrunken-planet.html
Graham Palmer - Dark Sky Project
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/local-focus-the-dark-sky-project-of-maraekakaho/G67NGY2KKAVJ3KX4TNSST5AXRM
New study warns that sea levels will rise faster than expected
https://news.mongabay.com/2021/02/new-study-warns-that-sea-levels-will-rise-faster-than-expected
One cool small sat
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/a-pioneering-nasa-mini-weather-satellite-ends-its-mission
Mars
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/where-should-future-astronauts-land-on-mars-follow-the-water
Breakthrough Watch Enables Nearby Habitable-zone Exoplanets to be Directly Imaged
http://astrobiology.com/2021/02/breakthrough-watch-enables-nearby-habitable-zone-exoplanets-to-be-directly-imaged.html
Alpha Centauri
https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/have-astronomers-finally-found-a-planet-around-alpha-centauri-maaaaaaaaaybe
Citizen scientists discover dozens of ‘failed stars’ near Earth
https://astronomy.com/news/2021/02/citizen-scientists-discover-dozens-of-failed-stars-near-earth
Cable Bacteria
http://astrobiology.com/2021/02/electric-cable-bacteria-breathe-oxygen-with-unheard-efficiency.html
Mars
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/searching-for-life-in-nasas-perseverance-mars-samples
No Evidence for Orbital Clustering in the Extreme Trans-Neptunian Objects
https://arxiv.org/abs/2102.05601
Claim for giant ‘Planet Nine’ at Solar System’s edge takes a hit
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2021/02/claim-giant-planet-nine-solar-systems-edge-takes-hit
New analysis weakens — but doesn't kill — the case for Planet Nine (UPDATED)
https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/new-analysis-weakens-but-doesnt-kill-the-case-for-planet-nine
Elon Musk's broadband service Starlink open for New Zealand pre-orders
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/124302357/elon-musks-broadband-service-starlink-open-for-new-zealand-preorders
An interesting look at Starlink in Canada
https://www.itworldcanada.com/article/starlink-internet-in-canada-a-remote-workers-experience-so-far/442741
A good graphic here of de orbit times
https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2021/02/Falling_to_Earth_takes_a_long_time
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Updates from Andrew B,
Mars.
Imaged: Friday 5th February 2021.
First image of Mars obtained by the approaching China National Space Administration Tianwen-1 spacecraft. Tainwen-1 was about 2.2 million KM / 1.36 million miles away from the Fourth Rock from the Sun when the test monochrome image was obtained using the powerful Telephoto camera.
this test image shows that the camera is working extremely well, perfectly focussed, great image depth, astonishing detail from that distance. I hope that the moons Phobos and Deimos will also be imaged.
The labled illustration in Chinese is numbered as follows.
1). Acidalia Planitia.
2). Chryse Planitia.
3). Meridiani Planum.
4). Schiaparelli Crater.
5). Valles Marineris.
Tianwen-1 is to brake into Aerocentric (Mars Centred) orbit on: Wednesday 10th February 2021. The Lander with rover may be detached and land in April or May after the landing site has been thoroughly imaged from orbit.
Tianwen-1, mandarin for Questions to Heaven, the first rover to be sent by China to Mars launched successfully from the Wenchang Spaceport on Hainan Island, China on Wednesday 22nd July 2020 at 12:40 local time / 04:40 GMT on board a Long March 5, Y4 booster.
The spacecraft is a joint surface rover with lander and an orbiter, which will act as a data relay and will also carry out it's own scientific mission.
The exact landing site of the Tianwen-1 lander / rover pair remains unknown, but it has been revealed the most likely is a landing within Utopia Planitia (No where Plain) in the northern hemisphere on Mars, to the south of where the hugely successful NASA / JPL, Viking 2 lander landed way back on: Friday 3rd September 1976 & continued operating until: Saturday 12th April 1980 or 1,280 sols (martian days) or 1,316 days. The cynic in me thinks that the chinese may try and land close enough to the Viking 2 lander to attempt to drive over and examine the lander to check it out after 45 years on Mars. If so, it would be fascinating.
Utopia Planitia is a huge lava flooded impact basin, one of the largest if not the largest known impact crater in the solar system. It is about 3,300 KM / 2,051 miles wide and parts of it are within the Casius, Amenthes, and Cebrenia quadrangles in the northern hemisphere of Mars.
Text: Andrew R Brown.
CNSA / China National Space Administration. Tianwen-1 spacecraft.
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RASNZ
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. Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand
. Email Newsletter Number 242, 20 February 2021
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Affiliated Societies are welcome to reproduce any item in this email
newsletter or on the RASNZ website http://www.rasnz.org.nz/
in their own newsletters provided an acknowledgement of the source is
also included.
Contents
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1. Darrell Ramsey Honoured
2. Reminders for Members
3. The Solar System in March
4. Northern Star Party – Waharau - April 9-11
5. International Dark Sky Week - April 5-12
6. IAU Astrophotography contest - Close April 15
7. Variable Stars News
8. Townsend Teece Telescope Progress
9. Hubble Space Telescope's History
10. Arecibo's Next Generation
11. Five Space missions for 2021
12. Perseverance Lands on Mars
13. Remote 'Scope in Chile for Sale
14. How to Join the RASNZ
15. Gifford-Eiby Lecture Fund
16. Kingdon-Tomlinson Fund
17. Quotes
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1. Darrell Ramsey Honoured
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A lifetime of amateur astronomy stretching from the late 1950s for Wairarapa Astronomical Society president Darrell Ramsey has been honoured by fellow astronomers in a ceremony dedicating a viewing observatory in his name. About 20 astronomers from Wairarapa, Wellington and surrounding areas have attended an event at “Star Field” near Martinborough to celebrate and mark Ramsey’s contribution to local and regional amateur astronomy.
“Star Field” owner John Whitby used to occasion to dedicate the Darrell Ramsey roll-off roof observatory when guests of the Wellington Astronomical Society joined members for their regular Astrophotography/ Dark Sky “observing evening” at Star Field.
“The Darrell Ramsey roll-off roof observatory - part of the observatory
complex at Star Field - is dedicated to Darrell Ramsey for his cosmic
contribution to astronomy,” Whitby told the Martinborough Star. One of four observatories, the Ramsey structure is a roll-off roof observatory, housing one 18-inch computerized telescope and two 12-inch computerized telescopes for visual observations.
Ramsey began his work in amateur astronomy while studying for a BSc in Physics at Auckland University, where he became a committee member and Journal Editor of the Auckland Astronomical Society till 1966. He remains a member. He is also a member of Wellington Astronomical Society and currently is President of the Wairarapa Astronomical Society.
“I met Darrell around 20 years ago when he asked to come and see a computerised 12-inch telescope I had set up in my gardens,” Whitby said, adding that “many amateur astronomers and budding enthusiasts have benefited from his generosity over many years. Darrell had a keen interest in helping people into astronomy and would supply equipment through his online business ‘Starscopes,’” he said. “He has been my visual observation mentor for many years. As a young man Darrell designed and built telescopes and he would often discuss in detail, the science of optical systems,” Whitby added.
Wellington Astronomical Society president Antony Gomez, who met Ramsey 20 years ago, noted his support for and influence on budding astronomers.
“I was a newbie and Darrell was my mentor who helped me learn about the night sky and about telescopes,” he said. Darrell also set up the Wairarapa Astronomical Society primarily to bring together those interested observing the night sky,” Gomez said. “For as long as I have known Darrell, being able to observe and share the night sky is what he has been most passionate about. He has made a huge contribution to the astronomical endeavours here in the Wairarapa, and it was fitting that we gathered together to name the observatory after Darrell as a way of recognising and thanking him for all he has done for us and for astronomy,” he said.
See the original article with pictures at https://www.martinboroughstar.co.nz/lifetime-astronomer-honoured/#more-9359
-- Thanks to John Whitby for passing along the article link.
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2. Reminders for Members
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2021 RASNZ Conference in Wellington
The 2021 RASNZ conference is planned to be held in Wellington from Friday 9th until Sunday 11th July 2021. Come along for this special 100th anniversary conference! A Dark Skies workshop is also planned. Keep an eye on the RASNZ webpage for details as they evolve, https://www.rasnz.org.nz/ .
RASNZ 2021 Subscriptions Due
The 2021 RASNZ subscriptions are due on the 1st of January 2021. See - https://www.rasnz.org.nz/rasnz/payments-and-donations .
For bank transfer payments the details are
ASB Bank - Riccarton Branch
Account name RASNZ
Account number 12-3147-0384735-00
If the payment covers more than membership then please note that.
Subscription rates were not correctly shown on the payments page of the
RASNZ Website following the non-publication of Astronomy Year Book for
2021. This has meant some people will have overpaid if they ordered a
copy with their subscription. If so please email: treasurer@rasnz.org.nz
with details of the payment and your bank details.
RASNZ Section and Group Reports for 2020 are due in Early March –
Could the RASNZ Section and Group leaders please send their 2020 report to the Executive Secretary (kiwiastronomer@gmail.com) at least two months before the AGM, thus, by 10th March 2021. Note, thanks to COVID-19, the 2021 AGM date is yet to be determined. It may be a Zoom AGM in May (to meet the Charities Commission requirements) or it may be physically held at the actual July 2021 conference in Wellington. We will know more soon, however, it is best to set the deadline for the 10th March 2021.
These reports will be published in Southern Stars. RASNZ By-Law F14 states, 'Each year, not less than eight weeks before the date of the Annual General Meeting, each Section shall provide Council with a report of its activities during the previous calendar year and where the section holds a bank account in the Society’s name, a financial statement.'
Southern Stars
Got an interesting astronomical story, area of astronomical research or article to share? Southern Stars editor Bob Evans would love to hear from you! He’s always keen to see more articles in Southern Stars. Southern Stars is the journal of the RASNZ and an excellent forum to publish within. Write to bevans@xtra.co.nz
-- Mostly from Keeping in Touch #41, 28th December 2020.
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3. The Solar System in March
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Dates and times shown are NZDT (UT + 13 hours). Rise and Set times are for Wellington. They will vary by a few minutes elsewhere in NZ. Data is adapted from that shown by GUIDE 9.1.
The Southern Autumnal equinox is on March 20, with the Sun crossing the celestial equator at about 10pm.
THE SUN and PLANETS in MARCH, Rise & Set, Magnitude & Constellation
Mar 1 NZDT Mar 31 NZDT
Mag Cons Rise Set Mag Cons Rise Set
SUN -26.7 Aqr 6.59am 8.06pm -26.7 Psc 7.32am 7.16pm
Merc 0.1 Cap 4.45am 6.53pm -0.4 Aqr 6.04am 6.46pm
Venus -3.9 Aqr 6.25am 7.56pm -4.0 Psc 7.37am 7.24pm
Mars 0.9 Tau 1.40pm 11.12pm 1.3 Tau 1.10pm 10.17pm
Jup -2.0 Cap 4.54am 7.03pm -2.1 Cap 3.29am 5.22pm
Sat 0.7 Cap 4.12am 6.38pm 0.8 Cap 2.28am 4.49pm
Uran 5.8 Ari 11.50am 10.21pm 5.9 Ari 9.59am 8.26pm
Nep 8.0 Aqr 7.49am 8.31pm 8.0 Aqr 5.53am 6.32pm
Pluto 14.6 Sgr 3.05am 6.03pm 14.6 Sgr 1.10am 4.07pm
March 1 NZDT March 31 NZDT
Twilights morning evening morning evening
Civil: start 6.33am, end 8.32pm start 7.07am, end 7.42pm
Nautical: start 6.00am, end 9.06pm start 6.35am, end 8.14pm
Astro: start 5.24am, end 9.41pm start 6.03am, end 8.46pm
FEB PHASES OF THE MOON, times NZDT & UT
Last quarter: Mar 6 at 2.30pm (01:30 UT)
New Moon: Mar 13 at 11.21pm (10:21 UT)
First quarter: Mar 22 at 3.40am (Mar 21, 14:40 UT)
Full Moon: Far 29 at 7.48am (Mar 28, 18:48 UT)
THE PLANETS in MARCH 2021
MERCURY is in the morning sky. It passes Jupiter early in March. The two are closest on the morning of the 5th, at 6am they will be half a degree apart with Mercury, magnitude 0.1, to the left of Jupiter. At 6am the two planets will be 12.5° above the horizon 10° to the south of east.
Two mornings later Mercury will be at its greatest elongation, 27° west of the Sun and rising 2 hours and 20 minutes earlier.
By the end of March Mercury will still be rising 90 minutes before the Sun.
VENUS is at superior conjunction on March 26 when the planet will be just over a degree from the Sun. After conjunction the planet becomes an evening object setting very shortly after the Sun by the 31st. With Venus rising only half an hour before the Sun on the 1st, the planet will be virtually unobservable throughout March.
MARS passes the Matariki (Pleiades) star cluster early in the month, with the planet some 2.5° from the brightest star on the evenings of the 4th and 5th.
Later in the month, on the evenings of the 19th and 20th, Mars will be 7° from Aldebaran, at magnitude 0.99 the brightest star in Taurus. Also on the 19th the crescent moon just over 5° to the left of Mars, the following evening it will be 6° to the right of the planet.
JUPITER and SATURN are morning sky objects, their separation increases during March from just over 8° to 12°. The slower moving Saturn falls behind Jupiter, which results in Saturn rising first and being higher in the sky.
The moon passes Saturn during daylight hours on the 10th, but is 3.6° to the right of Jupiter the following morning.
PLUTO, also is a morning object still in Sagittarius, rises even earlier than Saturn.
URANUS is moving towards conjunction with the Sun. It will set 90 minutes after the Sun on the 31st.
NEPTUNE is at conjunction with the Sun on the 11th, so is unobservable during March.
POSSIBLE BINOCULAR ASTEROIDS in March
MAR 1 NZDT MAR 31 NZDT
Mag Cons transit Mag Cons transit
(1) Ceres 9.2 Psc 3.08pm 9.0 Cet 1.53pm
(4) Vesta 6.1 Leo 2.15am 6.5 Leo 11.41pm
(29) Amphitrite 9.3 Leo 1.04am 10.0 Leo 10.45pm
CERES sets early evening, about 90 minutes after the Sun on the 1st. By the end of March the asteroid will be only 6° from the Sun.
VESTA is at opposition to the Sun on the 7th, with a magnitude 6.0. It rises at 8.57 pm on the 1st and 6.45pm on the 31st.
AMPHITRITE is in Leo about 15° from Vesta. It fades during the month following its opposition towards the end of February. Mid-March will find Amphitrite, at magnitude 9.6, less than 3° from Regulus, mag 1.4.
-- Brian Loader
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4. Northern Star Party – Waharau - April 9-11
---------------------------------------------
The Auckland Astronomical Society's Northern Star Party (Dark Sky Weekend) will be at Waharau Regional Park. April 9th to 11th 2021.
It is also open to non-members to attend. It’s a great fun weekend.
The Auckland Astronomical Society’s Waharau Dark Sky Weekend (2021 Northern Star Party – Dark Sky Weekend) is held at Waharau Regional Park 1748 East Coast Rd, Orere Point, Whakatiwai 2473 (about 1 hour's drive from central Auckland), starting on Friday 9th April at 5pm and ending Sunday 11th November at 11am.
It will be a weekend of practical astronomy and dark sky observing. It is great opportunity to spend a weekend viewing the sky from a dark site on Moonless nights through a range of different telescopes. Bring your telescope or binoculars, but if you don’t have any, there will be plenty there for you to look through. The society has telescopes available for hire. Contact Steve Hennerley on 027 245 6441 or Darren Woodley 021 776 481 or email: rental@astronomy.org.nz to get these. Book now to avoid disappointment!
During the day on Saturday there will be a full programme of practical astronomy – how to use equipment and various types of telescopes, new equipment demonstrations and an astrophotography workshop. Films will be shown in the early evening on Friday and if appropriate on Saturday.
Price:
AAS Member earlybird $20.00.
AAS Member standard $30.00
Non-member earlybird $40.00.
Non-member standard $50.00
Earlybird applies for payments received by Friday 26th March.
This price includes bunk bed type accommodation. To book please pay the amounts as set out above into the Auckland Astronomical Society Inc ASB bank account: 12-3061-0321397-00 with the notation “Waharau” and your name. Then email Gavin Logan: gavinlgn@gmail.com giving the names of the people attending.
There is an event limit of 65. The last Waharau Star Party sold out. Booking will be confirmed once payment has been made.
-- From the Auckland Astronomical Society's Journal, February 2021.
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5. International Dark Sky Week - April 5-12
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Steve Butler passed along this email from the International Dark Sky Association (IDA).
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Artificial light at night has revolutionized how we live and work
outdoors, but it has come at a price. When used indiscriminately,
outdoor lighting can disrupt wildlife, impact human health, waste money
and energy, contribute to climate change, and block our view of the
universe.
Recognizing the continued challenges posed by the global COVID-19
pandemic, the International Dark-Sky Association has organized
International Dark Sky Week (IDSW) 2021, April 5-12, to
#DiscoverTheNight. During International Dark Sky Week, IDA aims to
connect an international audience with the dark sky movement, discover
the night wherever they may live, and promote win-win solutions that
allow people to appreciate dark, star-filled skies.
To create an engaging event inclusive of geography and representative of
the IDSP and advocacy communities’ diverse work, we at IDA are asking
for your support. While all known events happening for IDSW 2021 are to
be shared, IDA wants to specifically highlight your unique story regarding how you’ve celebrated and protected the night sky as a benefit to all living things. Please fill out the linked form
<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSevIDElxL0Kr4vS7SGdch37WIjWACT_4jrYw8cYFXHtAdcIKA/viewform> to provide an overview of your efforts. Your response will be used to create an interactive map on idsw.darksky.org <http://idsw.darksky.org>.
Optionally, if you have any videos which show your efforts as an IDSP,
please send videos or video links directly to the IDSW point of contact:
Lauren Scorzafava <mailto:lauren@darksky.org>at lauren@darksky.org
<mailto:lauren@darksky.org>.
Additionally, if you are planning to create a Facebook Event for your
event and would like IDA to co-host, please set IDA as a co-host when
creating your event and email Lauren (lauren@darksky.org
<mailto:lauren@darksky.org>) with the name of the event and a link so
that we can be sure to accept the request in order to amplify your event.
We, at IDA, hope you can join us this International Dark Sky Week 2021
to learn more about and support the movement while discovering the night
where you live. Thank you for your continued commitment, and if you have
any questions about being a highlighted site or IDSW generally, please
contact IDA’s Communications Associate and IDSW point of contact: Lauren
Scorzafava <mailto:lauren@darksky.org>at lauren@darksky.org
<mailto:lauren@darksky.org>.
Best,
Adam M. Dalton
IDSP Program Manager
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6. IAU Astrophotography contest - Close April 15
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Are you an astrophotographer – and keen on supporting astronomy education? Then this contest is for you: The IAU's Office of Astronomy for Education (OAE) is running an astrophotography contest until April 15 2021. Besides receiving cash prizes, the winning images will be made available as Open Educational Resources for teachers and learners world-wide.
Astronomy education is a powerful tool to teach students about the place of our planet, and ourselves, in the universe – and a gateway science to the STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, mathematics). One of the OAE's goals is to provide astronomy educators worldwide with a basic collection of high quality educational resources. While many useful images are already available for public use, we have identified a number of astronomy-related themes where we think educators could use support.
Participants can submit images in the following categories: star trails, meteor showers, comets, total lunar eclipses, light pollution, aurorae (still images and time-lapses), wide star fields, Sun/Moon haloes, and time-lapses of Galilean moons orbiting around Jupiter. Submissions will be evaluated by an international panel of astrophotographers and astronomy educators. Apart from aesthetic and technical criteria, the jury will carefully consider the educational value of each entry in the context of primary and secondary school teaching.
There will be three winning entries for each category, which will be awarded with cash prizes of 750, 500 and 250 Euros for the first, second, and third prizes, respectively. All winning entries are published in the OAE's astronomy education resources collection under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 International Licence (note that the authors will still retain the copyright to their images). See
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Before submitting your entries, please read carefully the competition rules, which you can find at https://www.haus-der-astronomie.de/3984845/oae_astrophotography_contest_rules.pdf
You can submit your entries at
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfR9Wnm6li5dveq5Xq1VZ0pqf_nAUs60iAdNfp6c491hSEdBQ/viewform
For any queries regarding the competition, please contact oae-astrophoto (at) astro4edu.org.
-- From https://www.haus-der-astronomie.de/oae/collaborate/astrophotography-contest
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7. Variable Star News
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There has been a major upgrade of the AAVSO website recently to improve performance and security. The look and layout of the home page has changed considerably but navigating to all your favourite areas is fairly intuitive. A short video explaining the major points is available on their YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71y9Q3ei_3M) .
The latest Variable Stars South Newsletter is available for download from their website (https://www.variablestarssouth.org/ ). Mati Morel presents a comprehensive catalogue of all reported nova outbursts in the Magellanic Clouds from 1897 to the end of 2020. Mark Blackford reports that the variable CX Scl, formerly thought to be an eclipsing binary with a pulsating component, is in fact a quadruple system containing two eclipsing binaries. David Moriarty writes about the damage caused to his observatory by an extremely violent dust devil. Stan Walker calls for observers to participate in a project to record the upcoming eclipse of V0777 Sgr. Phil Evans describes how the free “Bulk Rename Utility” software can be used to facilitate sorting of images in order of filter type. And finally, the Publication Watch section lists several recent papers co-authored by VSS members.
-- Mark Blackford
In 2021 AAVSO is continuing its free webinar series which it commenced in 2020 to replace physical meetings. These are being streamed (Zoom) in the USA on some Saturdays at 19:00h UT (NZ Sunday 8:00 am Daylight Saving Time). During the year they will cover a range of variable star types and research programmes; refer to the web-site to select topics of interest to you. You need to register to receive the link.
The first Saturday of the month is allocated to “How to Hours” aimed at folk relatively new to studying variable stars. The presentations consist of about a 30-40 minutes lecture followed by chat room question time, which may extend beyond the 1.0h schedule. The next session on NZ 6 March 2001 is on “How to do DSLR photometry” which is being given by Dr Barbara Harris.
I watched the first HtH this year (7th February) ”Introduction to variable stars and why we observe them”, presented by Blake Crosby. This covered topics such as types of variable stars, phase diagrams and resources available on the AAVSO website. The lecture was attended by people representative of countries around the world. The presentation was clear and I think the material would be of considerable benefit to people starting out in astronomy/variable star observing and data analysis. It could also be useful to those giving astronomy courses or guiding new observers. This first presentation was a summary of topics taught in an AAVSO CHOICE course.
The “How to Hour” seminar has been recorded and will be available in due course on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsAmXgodtwToO-pY9A6NpMQ/videos
-- Alan Baldwin
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8. Townsend Teece Telescope Progress
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By no means a small feat, the fully restored Observatory Tower spiral staircase was successfully lowered back into place at the Christchurch Arts Centre Te Matatiki Toi Ora last week.
Built in 1897, the Observatory Tower was badly damaged during the September 2010 earthquake. However, it was the February 2011 earthquake that saw approximately two-thirds of the tower tumble to the ground. Since then, this building has been publicly inaccessible. Deconstruction work began on the tower around August 2019, as part of The Arts Centre’s stage two, heritage restoration project.
The Observatory Tower is on track to open in mid-2022, where it will become the entrance to a boutique central city hotel and once again house the Townsend Teece Telescope. At approximately 14.5 metres tall from the foundation to the top of the corbels, there will be another 4 metres added to the top of the tower when the observatory dome is secured in place. We are so thrilled to share this major milestone with all of you—thank you for your continued support! ?#whatsonchch #mychristchurch #christchurchnz #explorechch #backyourbackyardnz
-- From a Facebook posting by Carol McAlavey
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9. Hubble Space Telescope's History
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William Tobin writes:
NASA has published a 450-page book on the history of the Hubble
Space Telescope, which can be downloaded for free in PDF, ePUB or Kindle
format from: https://www.nasa.gov/connect/ebooks/not-yet-imagined.html
William notes that there are many other interesting e-books at www.nasa.gov/ebooks .
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10. Arecibo's Next Generation
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Following its catastrophic collapse last year, plans are afoot for the next generation Arecibo radio/radar telescope. For background see
http://www.naic.edu/ao/ngat
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11. Five Space missions for 2021
--------------------------------
After 2020, anyone would be forgiven for wanting to escape Earth, and Mars, the moon and the asteroid belt beckon. The five major space missions planned, or achieved, for 2021 are:
James Webb space telescope
This Nasa telescope, which is to replace the Hubble, has been subject to many delays – its first planned launch was in 2007. A March 2020 takeoff was delayed due to Covid, while its initial $500m budget has spiralled to more than US$10bn. It is a more sensitive telescope than the Hubble and once operational it will be able to observe the formation of some of the first galaxies. It will be launched on a European Ariane 5 rocket on 31 October.
Mars missions
Three missions that have already launched will have a Martian encounter in 2021. On 9 February, the United Arab Emirates Hope probe arrived and began orbiting the planet in order to study its atmosphere and weather. A few days later, China’s Tianwen-1 orbiter arrived to look for a potential landing site before depositing a lander on the surface a couple of months later. Also in February, Nasa’s Mars 2020 joined the party and released its Perseverance rover on 19 February, to search for signs of microbial life and drill for rocks that could be returned to Earth by a future mission.
Artemis 1
Last year, Nasa announced plans to take astronauts back to the moon in 2024. The first stage in this programme – to send an unmanned craft to orbit the moon – is due to launch in November. However, further delays are likely and the cost of the programme will be scrutinised by the incoming Biden administration.
Chinese space station
The first module of this long-planned project is due to be launched in the first half of the year. The construction should take around two years and 18 taikonauts have been selected to crew the craft once it is in orbit about 380km above Earth.
Dart mission
In July, Nasa will kick off its Double Asteroid Redirection Test. A probe will be fired into space with the aim of visiting the asteroid Didymos in 2022; it will then strike the asteroid’s moonlet, Dimorphos. Two European craft will monitor the impact and its effect on the rock’s orbit.
-- Slightly updated from Ian Tucker's article at
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/jan/10/the-five-space-missions-for-2021
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12. Perseverance Lands on Mars
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Nasa’s science rover Perseverance, the most advanced astrobiology laboratory ever sent to another world, streaked through the Martian atmosphere yesterday and landed safely on the floor of a vast crater, its first stop on a search for traces of ancient microbial life on the Red Planet.
Mission managers at Nasa’s jet propulsion laboratory near Los Angeles burst into applause and cheers as radio signals confirmed that the six-wheeled rover had survived its perilous descent and arrived within its target zone inside Jezero crater, site of a long-vanished Martian lake bed.
The robotic vehicle sailed through space for nearly seven months, covering 472m km before piercing the Martian atmosphere at 19,000km/h to begin its approach to touchdown on the planet’s surface. The spacecraft’s self-guided descent and landing during a complex series of manoeuvres that Nasa dubbed “the seven minutes of terror” stands as the most elaborate and challenging feat in the annals of robotic spaceflight.
“Touchdown confirmed! Perseverance safely on the surface of Mars, ready to begin seeking signs of past life,” flight controller Swati Mohan announced at mission control to back-slapping, fist-bumping colleagues wearing masks against the coronavirus. A second round of cheers and applause erupted in the control room as the images of the surface arrived minutes after touchdown. Partially obscured by a dust cover, the first picture was a view from one of the Perseverance’s hazard cameras. It showed the flat, rocky surface of the Jezero crater.
A second image taken by a camera on board the spacecraft showed a view from behind the rover of the Jezero crater. The rover appeared to have touched down about 32 metres from the nearest rocks.
Perseverance approached Mars at around 19,000km/h, although when it hit the top of the atmosphere, a heatshield slowed it down to about a tenth of this speed. Then a supersonic parachute popped out of the rover to reduce its speed to a few hundred km/h. At that point, descending under the parachute, Perseverance was still travelling far too fast to land safely. So it cut itself loose from the parachute and used rocket thrusters to slow down further. The thrusters allowed it to hover roughly 20 metres above the surface, before the rover was lowered by cables to the surface using a rocket platform called a sky crane.
The descent and landing systems had “performed flawlessly”, said Matt Wallace, the deputy project manager for the rover, adding: “The good news is the spacecraft, I think, is in great shape.”
The landing represented the riskiest part of two-year, $2.7bn endeavor whose primary aim is to search for possible fossilized signs of microbes that may have flourished on Mars about 3bn years ago, when the fourth planet from the sun was warmer, wetter and potentially hospitable to life.
Scientists hope to find biosignatures embedded in samples of ancient sediments that Perseverance is designed to extract from Martian rock for future analysis back on Earth – the first such specimens ever collected by humankind from another planet. Two subsequent Mars missions are planned to retrieve the samples and return them to Nasa in the next decade.
The emergence of life on Earth is an extraordinary event that is not fully understood, and ancient Mars had a much more benign climate than it has now, with many of the same raw materials that were available on Earth, said Colin Wilson, a physicist at Oxford University. “Of all the steps needed to develop life, how many occurred on Mars? This [mission] tells us not only about whether we’re alone in the solar system but also about how likely we are to find life in the thousands of other planets being discovered around other suns – so [it] has truly cosmic implications,” he said.
Apart from new instruments and an upgraded autopilot system, engineers have given Perseverance the ability to deploy a diminutive helicopter. Called Ingenuity, the 1.8kg drone-like rotorcraft is the first flying machine ever sent to another planet, and could serve as a “pathfinder” to discover inaccessible areas or as a scout for future rovers.
The landing site was chosen for its promise for preserving signs of life: it was once home to an ancient lake and river delta that may have collected and buried microbes and locked them within rocks.
Apart from Nasa, missions from the UAE and China to Mars also kicked off last year. In 2023 the European Space Agency is expected to land on Mars its Rosalind Franklin rover, which will carry a drill capable of reaching metres below the surface, where biomolecules may survive protected from the harsh conditions above.
-- From https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/feb/18/nasa-perseverance-rover-mars-lands-life
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13. Remote 'Scope in Chile for Sale
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From Phil Evans: "I am upgrading my remote scope at El Sauce in Chile so my CDK14 and MI500/750F fork mount (with Renishaw encoders) is for sale already on a pier in Chile. Buyer will need to provide their own imaging train
including focuser. This scope is still in use daily for exoplanet work. If you are seriously interested then please send an email to Phil (at) astrofizz.com."
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14. How to Join the RASNZ
--------------------------
RASNZ membership is open to all individuals with an interest in
astronomy in New Zealand. Information about the society and its
objects can be found at
http://rasnz.org.nz/rasnz/membership-benefits
A membership form can be either obtained from treasurer@rasnz.co.nz or
by completing the online application form found at
http://rasnz.org.nz/rasnz/membership-application
Basic membership for the 2021 year starts at $40 for an ordinary
member, which includes an electronic subscription to our journal
'Southern Stars'.
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15. Gifford-Eiby Lecture Fund
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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 and at http://rasnz.org.nz/rasnz/ge-fund
The application form is at
http://rasnz.org.nz/Downloadable/RASNZ/GE_Application2019.pdf
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16. 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. The deadline for this round of the Kingdon-Tomlinson Grants is 1st May 2020. Full details are set down in the RASNZ By-Laws, Section J. Information on the K-T Fund is at
http://rasnz.org.nz/rasnz/kt-fund
Send applications to the RASNZ Executive Secretary at rasnz.secretary@gmail.com.
The application form at
http://rasnz.org.nz/Downloadable/RASNZ/KT_Application2019.pdf
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17. Quotes
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"To see what is in front of one's nose needs a constant struggle." -- George Orwell.
================================================================
Alan Gilmore Phone: 03 680 6817
P.O. Box 57 alan.gilmore@canterbury.ac.nz
Lake Tekapo 7945
New Zealand
==========================
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December Celestial Calendar by Dave Mitsky
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Minor Planet Occultation Updates:
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Further links and discussion can be found at the groups/links below
Astronomy in New Zealand - Groups.io
https://groups.io/g/AstronomyNZ
Astronomy in New Zealand - Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/groups/5889909863/
Google Group
https://groups.google.com/g/nzastrochat
Astronomy in Wellington
https://www.facebook.com/groups/11451597655/
Blogger Posts
http://laintal.blogspot.com/
Twitter
https://twitter.com/Laintal
Reddit
https://www.reddit.com/user/Edwin_Rod_NZ
Quaroa
https://www.quora.com/q/astronomyinnewzealand
Groups.io
Astronomy in New Zealand
https://groups.io/g/AstronomyNZ
AstronomyNZ@groups.io
Wellington Astronomers
https://groups.io/g/WellingtonAstronomers
WellingtonAstronomers@groups.io
AucklandAstronomers
https://groups.io/g/AucklandAstronomers
AucklandAstronomers@groups.io
North Island Astronomers
https://groups.io/g/NorthIslandAstronomers
NorthIslandAstronomers@groups.io
South Island Astronomers
https://groups.io/g/SouthIslandAstronomers
SouthIslandAstronomers@groups.io
NZAstrochat
https://groups.io/g/NZAstrochat
NZAstrochat@groups.io
NZ Photographers And Observers
https://groups.io/g/NZPhotographers
NZPhotographers@groups.io
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Please note:
My standard caveat that these are the views of a learned amateur, not a professional in the sector, applies as always.
The above post/email/update represents my own words, views, research and opinions, unless stated otherwise the above work
represents my own writing. I’ll give credit or thanks if I have used or represented other people’s words and/or opinions.
The links and references listed below represent the work and research of the respective author’s.
Questions and constructive criticism are always welcome, however I don’t believe anything written here by myself is any reason for impolite behaviour.
Thanks for your time and I hope you have enjoyed reading.
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