January 2022 News and research items
Research_News_20_01_2022
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/EdwinRodham
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Research papers
Analysis of Mission Opportunities to Sedna in 2029-2034
https://arxiv.org/abs/2112.13017
Hydrothermal activities on C-complex asteroids induced by radioactivity
https://arxiv.org/abs/2201.00996
In situ detection of water on the Moon by the Chang’E-5 lander
https://www.science.org/doi/epdf/10.1126/sciadv.abl9174
A bimodal distribution of haze in Pluto's atmosphere
https://arxiv.org/abs/2201.04392
Could dynamic topography avert a waterworld
https://arxiv.org/abs/2201.05636
Technosignature Search of Transiting TESS Targets of Interest
https://arxiv.org/abs/2201.00918
Mapping the Surface of Partially Cloudy Exoplanets is Hard
https://arxiv.org/abs/2201.00825
A rich population of free-floating planets in the Upper Scorpius young stellar association
https://arxiv.org/abs/2112.11999
An Energy Balance Model for Rapidly and Synchronously Rotating Terrestrial Planets
https://arxiv.org/abs/2201.02685
Machine Learning for Exploratory Data Analysis
https://arxiv.org/abs/2201.02696
Terrestrial planet formation from lost inner solar system material
https://arxiv.org/abs/2201.08092
Gaia as Solaris An Alternative Default Evolutionary Trajectory
https://arxiv.org/abs/2201.04956
A Material-based Panspermia Hypothesis
https://arxiv.org/abs/2201.06732
Photochemical Runaway in Exoplanet Atmospheres
https://arxiv.org/abs/2201.08359
An Exomoon Survey of 70 Cool Giant Exoplanets
https://arxiv.org/abs/2201.04643
Visibility Predictions for Near-future Satellite Megaconstellations
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-3881/ac341b
Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 exhibits an increased resilience to the antiviral type I interferon response
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.01.20.476754v1
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Interesting News items
The Summer Stardate is on 4 & 5 February 2022 at Stonehenge Aotearoa. We anticipate excellent night skies for observation. The key activity this Stardate is a celebration with the "beaker people", hearing their anecdotes, retelling of the experiences and an opportunity to engage in conversation with them about the journey that gave rise to Stonehenge Aotearoa. Alongside this activity will be a focus on home observation, hearing from practitioners on their experiences and learnings. Full details are within the program. Tis a grand occasion to enjoy mixing with fellow enthusiasts on a simple basis. Camping onsite available
Additionally the Society has copies of the RASNZ Calendar for 2022 available for members; an excellent calendar. $15 delivered by hand, $20 delivered by post, courier. Contact Geoff (the sender of this missive).
Remain safe!!!!
Venus Life Finder Mission Study
https://venuscloudlife.com/venus-life-finder-mission-study
Another look at Venus here
http://astrobiology.com/2022/01/life-could-be-thriving-in-the-clouds-of-venus.html
An interesting look at the formation of the solar system
http://spaceref.com/earth/earth-isnt-super-because-the-sun-had-rings-before-planets.html
One enhanced stunning image here
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/pia25028-enhanced-ganymede-enhanced-image
North Island
https://twitter.com/ISSAboveYou/status/1478448666457243648
A very good report and overview here
https://www.npr.org/2022/01/18/1073800454/nasa-scientists-estimate-tonga-blast-at-10-megatons
Tonga Eruption
http://spaceref.com/earth/orbital-view-of-the-atmospheric-plume-from-the-tonga-eruption.html
---------------------------------------------------------------
Updates from Andrew B,
Latest on so called 'hut' on the far side of the Moon.
Pathetic nonsense was circulating on the internet back in December about a supposed artificial structure discovered by the CNSA / China National Space Agency / Chang'e 4, Yutu 2 rover on the floor of the Von Kármán Crater.
As expected, as Yutu 2 drew close, it was a small boulder.
China National Space Agency's Chang'e 4 landing site.177.61° East. 45.47° South. Von Kármán Crater.
The 180 KM / 112 mile wide, 8,000 metre / 26,250 foot deep Von Kármán Crater. which in turn is within the 2,500 KM / 1,553 mile wide & 13,000 metre / 42,650 foot deep South Pole–Aitken Basin in the southern hemisphere on the Moon's farside, the side that never faces Earth.
Von Kármán Crater offers a real window into the geology of the Moon, being well inside the deepest part of the South Pole–Aitken Basin. Von Kármán Crater has lava flows, lava flooded floor which may well contain material from the moon's mantle erupted from under the crust. The finding and analysis of this is a key mission objective of the Yutu 2 rover carried to the surface by the Chang'e 4 lander.
Text: Andrew R Brown.
CNSA / China National Space Agency. Chang'e 4.
---------------------------------------------------------------
RASNZ
==================================================
Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand
Email Newsletter Number 253, 20 January 2022
==================================================
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
--------
1. JWST Going Well
2. 2022 RASNZ Annual Conference - Whangarei - June 3-5
3. Bright Planets and Stars in February
4. RASNZ Deadlines
5. 'The Kiwi Astronomers’ Podcasts
6. Forthcoming Star Parties
7. Mollie Hussey
8. Variable Star Notes
9. BHT Lecture Tour
10. Royal Society Te Aparangi -- Award Nominations Sought
11. ALPO 75th Anniversary
12. IAU Pro-Am Engagement Survey
13. Aotearoa Astrotourism Academy - Martinborough, 25-27 March.
14. Why Comets Glow Green
15. Ion Beam to Conjure Rare Nuclei
16. Bevy of Landers Heads for Moon
17. 'Local Bubble' Explained?
18. How to Join the RASNZ
19. Kingdon-Tomlinson Fund
20. Quotes
===========================================================
1. JWST Going Well
------------------
After a very precise launch just before Christmas, the James Webb Space Telescope has successfully unfurled its multi-layer tennis-court sized sun shield and unfolded its 16 hexagonal mirrors. It is now nearing the L2 point, 1.5 million km from Earth. The mirrors have to be precisely aligned, a task that will take several weeks.
Progress can be followed at
https://webb.nasa.gov/content/webbLaunch/whereIsWebb.html?units=metric
===========================================================
2. 2022 RASNZ Annual Conference - Whangarei - June 3-5
------------------------------------------------------
From RASNZ President Steve Butler:
Start planning for next year’s AGM and Conference which will be hosted by the Northland Astronomical Society in Whangarei over Queens Birthday weekend, Fri 3 – Sun 5 June 2022. Mon 6th is a workshop. If anyone has ideas for a workshop topic, please email Peter Felhofer at felhofernz@gmail.com . More details will soon appear on https://rasnzconference.org.nz/ .
-- From Keeping in Touch #49, 6th December 2021.
===========================================================
3. Bright Planets and Stars in February
---------------------------------------
At the beginning of the month Jupiter might be seen near the western horizon soon after sunset. It looks like a bright golden star. It sets a little earlier each night so fades into the twilight by mid-month. On the 2nd the very thin crescent Moon will be left of Jupiter.
The brightest 'real' stars are nearly overhead. Sirius, the brightest star, is north of the zenith. Canopus, the second brightest star, is south of the zenith. Below and left of Sirius are Orion's bright stars: bluish Rigel and reddish Betelgeuse. Between them is the line of three stars making Orion's Belt. The Belt line points left and down to orange Aldebaran, one eye of Taurus the Bull. Continuing the same line finds a tight bunch of fainter stars making the Pleiades/ Matariki star cluster.
Sirius, 'the Dog Star', marks the head of Canis Major the big dog. A group of stars above and right of it make the dog's hindquarters and tail. Procyon, in the northeast below Sirius, marks the smaller of the two dogs that follow Orion the hunter across the sky. The three stars of Orion's belt make the bottom of 'the pot' or 'the saucepan'. The handle of the pot is the faint line of stars above the bright three. At its centre is the Orion Nebula: a glowing gas cloud easily seen in binoculars.
Crux, the Southern Cross, is upside down in the southeast. Below it are Beta and Alpha Centauri, often called 'The Pointers'. The Milky Way is brightest in the southeast toward Crux. It can be traced up the sky, fading where it is nearly overhead. The Clouds of Magellan are high in the south sky, looking like misty clouds, easily seen on a dark moonless night. They are two small galaxies, nearby as galaxies go.
For early-risers, Mercury, Venus and Mars are all in the dawn sky. Brilliant Venus is the beacon for the region. It rises around 4:20 a.m. at the beginning of the month and 3:30 by the end. Mars looks like a medium-brightness red star above Venus at first. Venus catches up on Mars so the two are nearly level by the end of February. Mercury is below and right of Venus and similar in brightness to Mars at the beginning of the month. It slowly brightens. The Moon will be near Mars and Venus on the 28th and above Mercury on March 1st.
See https://www.rasnz.org.nz/ for evening sky star charts and much else.
================================================================
4. RASNZ Deadlines
------------------
The following RASNZ deadlines are approaching –
2022 RASNZ Subscriptions - The 2022 RASNZ subscriptions are due on the 1st of January 2022. See - https://www.rasnz.org.nz/rasnz/payments-and-donations .
RASNZ Section and Group Reports - Could the RASNZ Section and Group leaders please send their 2021 report to the Executive Secretary (kiwiastronomer@gmail.com ) by 15 February 2022. These reports will be published in the March 2022 issue of Southern Stars. RASNZ By-Law F14 states, 'Each year...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.'
A Call for 2022 AGM Notices of Motion - If anyone has notices of motion for either the 2022 Annual General Meeting or the 2022 Affiliated Societies’ meeting, please send them to me, the Executive Secretary, by Friday 15th April 2022. Rule 71 – ‘Notice of all motions for any General Meeting of Members and Affiliated Society representatives other than motions emanating from the Council must be given in writing to the Executive Secretary at least six weeks before the date of that meeting’. The AGM is planned for Saturday 4th June 2022, at the Whangarei conference.
Murray Geddes Memorial Prize Nominations - The Murray Geddes Memorial Prize is awarded by the RASNZ to a person or persons for contributions to astronomy in New Zealand. This award is named after the prolific New Zealand observer of aurorae, variable stars, meteors, sunspots, comet discoverer, and inaugural director of Carter Observatory, Murray Geddes, who passed away during WW2 when on active service. The award is usually made annually. The recipient of the prize must be a New Zealand resident but need not be a member of the Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand. Normally a person may only receive the award once. The deadline is 3rd April 2022.
The Dark Sky Project Bright Star Award shall be awarded to a person or persons at intervals of not more than five years nor less than one year, for contributions in New Zealand in promoting astronomy to the public, or in astronomical education, or in promoting dark skies to allow astro-tourism to flourish. The deadline is 3rd April 2022.
RASNZ Fellows Nomination. Rule 14 ‘Fellowship of the Society shall be a distinction conferred upon members who have made notable contributions to either amateur or professional astronomy, or who have performed special services to the science or to the Society.’ See RASNZ Rules 14 – 23. Rule 19 ‘Nominations and supporting documents must be received by the Secretary at least 3 months prior to the next Annual General Meeting’, so by 3rd March 2022.
-- From Keeping in Touch #49, 6th December 2021.
================================================================
5. 'The Kiwi Astronomers’ Podcasts
----------------------------------
See ‘The Kiwi Astronomers’ podcasts by Gareth Davies, John Drummond, Alan Gilmore and John Hearnshaw on a variety of astronomical topics at
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz71UT575Hp26LxYyNqKXuA
===============================================================
6. Forthcoming Star Parties
---------------------------
STARDATE – SOUTH ISLAND. February 4-7, Friday-Monday Waitangi Weekend). At Staveley (112km from Christchurch, inland from Ashburton). Awesome daytime speakers, three nights of viewing under a beautifully dark sky, and a potluck dinner on Saturday night. There's accommodation on site with bunkrooms, campervan sites, and tent sites. See http://www.treesandstars.com/stardate/ .
STARDATE. February 4-5, Friday-Saturday (Waitangi Weekend), at Stonehenge. Phoenix Astronomical Society. Contact
secretary@astronomynz.org.nz . The Phoenix Astronomical Society is holding its Stardate at Stonehenge Aotearoa, Carterton, in the Wairarapa. A particular aspect of the weekend will be celebration of the henge itself. Details will be continually updated on: http://www.astronomynz.org/meetings-and-events.html
THE DARK SKIES RETREAT. June 23-26, Thursday-Sunday. Supported by ASTRONZ. A weekend getaway of astronomical proportions! Astronomy, astrophotography, night sky education, outreach, with a big focus on dark skies. Held over the first Matariki Public Holiday in June, under the dark skies of Camp Iona, Herbert Forrest, Herbert (20-minutes south of Oamaru). Contact Damien McNamara, solaur.science@gmail.com
-- From 'Keeping 8n Touch' #50, January 8th.
===============================================================
7. Mollie Hussey
----------------
Stardate South Island regulars will be sad to learn of the death of Mollie Hussey, wife of Lionel, on December 29. For many years Mollie and Lionel were among the hard-working 'behind the scenes' persons on whom the smooth functioning of gatherings such as Stardates depend.
===============================================================
8. Variable Star Notes
----------------------
Variable Stars South Annual Report.
Variable Stars South (VSS) observers and analysts who want their work recorded in the 2021 Variable Stars South Annual Report should submit the report to Mark Blackford by the end of January. The RASNZ Section Reports are published in the March issue of the Southern Stars journal.
Proposed Variable Star Symposium
The 30th NACAA will run over Easter 2022, April 15-18. It will be hosted in central Melbourne by the Astronomical Society of Victoria, who will be celebrating their Centenary.
Mark Blackford has proposed that VSS hold a symposium in conjunction with this event and would like feedback from observers and analysts to gauge the level of enthusiasm. Please post comments on the VSS Google discussion group or email Mark Blackford directly. It is envisaged that both in person presentations and online participation will be provided for.
In the last AAVSO Webinar of 2021 Dr.Arne Henden discussed conducting observations with the AAVSOnet Faint Star Monitors For information on the AAVSOnet automated set-ups go to https://www.aavso.org/planning-aavsos-future . The Bright Star Monitoring (BSM) facilities monitor stars in the range visual magnitude 4 to 13. This webinar was about the Faint Star monitoring program. The "Faint Star Monitors (FSMs)" are time-shared with their host institutions; these telescopes are often in pristine locations with large CCD/CMOS cameras. As with all of the AAVSOnet telescopes, observing time on the FSMs is freely available to members through a simple proposal form. The talk briefly described the telescopes and sites, and then gave some broad ideas as to the kinds of observations
that can be made with these systems (From the AAVSO Abstract https://www.aavso.org/2021-webinars-abstracts\).
Dr.Stella Kafka (Director of AAVSO) has accepted a position as the Executive Director at the American Meteorological Society and she has resigned from the AAVSO effective January 2, 2022. David E.Cowall, M.D (President AAVSO) commented “On behalf of the entire AAVSO community, we thank Dr Kafka for her service and wish her success in her new endeavour.” From AAVSO Communication, December 2021.The AASO Board is actively seeking a new Director.
-- Alan Baldwin
===============================================================
9. BHT Lecture Tour
-------------------
The Beatrice Hill Tinsley Lecture tour of 2021 had to be postponed to 2022. The lecturer is Dr Heloise Stevence of the University of Auckland.
Dr Stevence is an energetic, enthusiastic, educational and entertaining speaker well able to reach out to audiences of all ages and levels.
Heloise gave the following brief biographical background:
"Originally born and raised in France, I moved to the UK to study Physics and Astronomy at the University of Sheffield. After working as a support astronomer at the Isaac Newton Group in La Palma for a year, I obtained my Masters of Physics in 2015. I subsequently started a PhD studying the 3D shape of Core Collapse Supernovae, and earned my title in Spring 2019. In July of that year, I joined the University of Auckland as a Research Fellow to research the evolution of massive stars to better understand how they die and produce Supernovae and Kilonovae.
I also started my public outreach work during my doctorate studies, in early 2016, and I have not stopped since."
-------------------
BHT Lecture in Fairlie - February 14
------------------------------------
This is the only one publically announced so far:
Where: Fairlie Community Centre
When: Monday 14 February, 7pm
How much: Adults $10, Teens $5, Family $25, (at door).
A deadly dance: When black holes and neutron stars collide.
What happens when the densest objects in the universe collide at half the speed of light? It starts with a stretch or a wobble in the fabric of spacetime, and sometimes ends in cosmic explosions that create some of the rarest and shiniest elements in the Universe. Together we'll learn how some of the most massive stars in the cosmos live and die with bang, to create the black hole and neutron star mergers we can "hear" colliding a hundred million light years away. This 45 minute "lecture" will combine cutting edge science and wacky humour to make the mysteries of merging black holes and neutron stars accessible to all ages and backgrounds.
---------
This Fairlie Lecture is hosted by the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve.
-----------
For BHT updates look at
https://www.rasnz.org.nz/rasnz/beatrice-hill-tinsley-lectures .
===============================================================
10. Royal Society Te Aparangi -- Award Nominations Sought
---------------------------------------------------------
The Royal Society of New Zealand Te Aparangi is seeking nominations for its various medals and awards. See the range at https://www.royalsociety.org.nz/what-we-do/medals-and-awards/
The Academy Executive Committee notes that it is focused on increasing the diversity of nominations from under-represented groups, particularly with respect to gender, ethnicity and employment context, from Crown Research Institutes and Independent Research organisations.
The call for nominations for medals and awards for the 2022 round is now open. The Closing date is 31 March 2022.
===============================================================
11. ALPO 75th Anniversary
-------------------------
The RASNZ recently received a request for Greetings to the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers (ALPO) for their 75th Anniversary. Maurice Collins has provide a wonderful message on behalf of RASNZ and as a member of the ALPO. This message will be published in an Anniversary issue of their Journal.
From the ALPO: "For three quarters of a century ALPO has encouraged and supported amateur observers. Before the term was coined, we - like your organization - were advancing Citizen Science by collecting and publishing structured observations. We believe that "The sky is big enough for everyone" and that the ecosystem of amateur organizations enriches the entire amateur community. ALPO counts among its ranks members who also belong to other amateur organizations, and also serve as professional astronomers in universities, NASA, and public outreach organizations. In this spirit, we sincerely hope that you will send us a note that we can publish on the occasion of this ALPO milestone anniversary.
In March, 1947, ALPO founder Walter H. Haas published the following appeal in a newsletter he called "The Strolling Astronomer". It said in part:
"There exist amateur astronomers; there exist the telescopes they have built; there exist the moon and the planets. This leaflet is an attempt to persuade the party of the first part to use the party of the second part to increase knowledge of the party of the third part...
It is our hope also to call his attention to current happenings of special interest. We urge John Q. Amateur to submit to us the lunar and planetary observations which he makes and shall undertake to study them and to report our findings through published papers...
And now, friends, our fate is in your hands. Whether this embryonic leaflet is to be permitted to develop into a lusty infant depends entirely on your response... If our plan appears worthy of your support to that degree, we thank you as friends of lunar and planetary science. How about it? "
Today ALPO receives observations from around the globe, contributes observations to NASA and its European and Japanese counterparts, and has
established a library of resources for Solar System observers. As the ALPO 75th anniversary approaches we look forward to hearing from you and wish your organization continued success and clear skies."
ALPO: https://alpo-astronomy.org/ [Click on Home to get it started]
ALPO Gallery: https://www.alpo-astronomy.org/gallery3/
-- Steve Butler, President, RASNZ.
==============================================================
12. IAU Pro-Am Engagement Survey
--------------------------------
Calling all amateur astronomers world-wide
The IAU is reaching out to engage with amateur astronomers
The International Astronomical Union, as part of its Strategic Plan 2020-30, is reaching out to engage with amateur astronomers around the world. The IAU is the body of professional astronomers, with some 12,000 members in 90 countries and with its headquarters in Paris.
For the first century of its existence, the IAU has had very few formal contacts with the much larger body of amateurs around the world. This changed in 2019 with a successful one-day workshop for amateurs in Brussels, followed by the formation of a new Working Group in April 2021 for professional-amateur relations in astronomy.
At the present time, no-one has a clear idea of how many amateurs there are in the world, but it is likely to be of the order of a million individuals, some two orders of magnitude greater than the number of active professionals in the IAU. The new pro-am WG wants to reach out to the amateur community, with the aim of promoting research collaborations with some of the most active amateurs. Further workshops are also envisaged, following on from Brussels 2019, and the IAU program ‘Meet the Astronomer’, in which professionals give talks to amateur societies, will be further promoted.
As a first step, the IAU has collected a database of the principal amateur societies, associations and groups in different countries, and from mid-December 2021 to February 2022 a survey will be carried out, asking both these societies and their members to respond with their views on how best amateurs can engage with the IAU professional community. The WG wants as many amateurs as possible to complete the survey, so that a statistical analysis of the interests of amateurs can be undertaken, and the level of amateur research being done. Professional astronomers with an interest in pro-am relations are also encouraged to complete the survey, and some professionals may wish to join the new WG. The survey is a prelude to encouraging future professional-amateur research collaborations.
LINK to Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/IAU_ProAm
Feedback from the survey will be very helpful as we consider how best to move forward. Any questions should be directed to the IAU Pro-Am Working Group Secretary Yuko Kakazu at kakazu@naoj.org.
It is hoped to receive survey replies by the end of January in the first instance.
See last month's Newsletter for the list of members of the IAU Pro-Am Working Group
- John Hearnshaw, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand – Co-Chairperson
==============================================================
13. Aotearoa Astrotourism Academy - Martinborough, 25-27 March
--------------------------------------------------------------
The Aotearoa Astrotourism Academy is pleased to announce that the next course will be offered in Martinborough, 25-27 March 2022.
The course will run from the afternoon of Friday March 25 to the early evening of Sunday March 27. The venue will be the Wellington Conference Room in the Martinborough Hotel, Memorial Square, Martinborough.
The course is designed for current or prospective astrotourism night-sky guides or for anyone interested in navigating the night sky and understanding more about astronomy. Places at the course are limited to 30.
The AAA school will include:
• an immersive programme of lectures, talks, workshops and night-time observing (weather permitting),
• an optional visit to John Whitby’s Star Field Observatory on the Friday afternoon
• an evening reception on Friday 25 March
• practical workshops on astrophotography and establishing an astro-tourism business
• morning and afternoon teas and lunch on both Saturday and Sunday.
More details of the programme, the AAA instructors and of how to register are to be found on the AAA website at https://aaanz.org. Registration for the course can be made on-line at the AAA website.
Please email John Hearnshaw ( john.b.hearnshaw@gmail.com ) or Nalayini Davies ( nbrito@vinstar.co.nz ) if you have any queries.
We have chosen the Wairarapa for our third AAA course in recognition of the strong local support for protecting dark skies from the Wairarapa Dark Sky Association and also to support the growing astrotourism industry in this region of Aotearoa.
===========================================================
14. Why Comets Glow Green
-------------------------
When Comet Lovejoy streaked past Earth in 2014, it sported a hazy green aura — a phenomenon also seen with other comets. Now, through first-of-their-kind lab measurements, researchers have figured out the odd chemistry behind this colourful glow.
Scientists have long suspected the green glow around some comets comes from the breakdown of a reactive molecule called dicarbon (C2). To verify this in the lab, researchers used an ultraviolet laser to strip away the chlorine atoms from molecules of carbon chloride (C2Cl4) and then bombarded the remaining C2 molecule with high-intensity light. The details of the chemical reactions they observed were somewhat surprising.
Rather than absorbing a single photon of light and then emitting a green one as the molecule breaks down, the reaction required the molecule to absorb two photons. One of those photons excites the C2 molecule to a semistable state, and the second one is needed to bump it up to an even more energy-rich and unstable configuration. From there, the molecule decays and radiates a characteristic green photon, the researchers report online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
During the process, C2 undergoes two transitions that chemists typically consider “forbidden.” (These transitions aren’t absolutely forbidden by the laws of physics, the researchers explain; they’re merely rarely seen in the lab because molecules are closely spaced and interact in other ways first. In deep space near comets, however, molecules are widely spaced and rarely interact with other molecules or atoms.)
Data gathered during the team’s experiments suggest that, at Earth’s distance from the Sun, the lifetime of the C2 molecule is a little less than 2 days. That helps explain why the green glow associated with the breakdown of the molecule only appears around the head of the comet and never in its tail, the researchers say.
-- See Sid Perkins original article at
https://www.science.org/content/article/why-do-some-comets-glow-green?
===============================================================
15. Ion Beam to Conjure Rare Nuclei
-----------------------------------
The fleeting atomic nuclei normally forged only in stellar explosions will find a home on Earth after the $730 million Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) fires up at Michigan State University. The world’s most powerful ion source, the linear accelerator can fire any nucleus—from hydrogen’s single proton to uranium atoms’ massive core—into targets to produce new, unstable nuclei. It aims to yield 80% of all theoretically possible isotopes, including more than 1000 that have never been observed. With the FRIB, physicists hope to bolster their understanding of the structure of nuclei, decipher how stellar explosions produce heavy elements, and search for new forces of nature.
From https://www.science.org/content/article/more-virus-science-s-areas-watch-2022
===============================================================
16. Bevy of Landers Heads for Moon
----------------------------------
Fifty years after humans last set foot on the Moon, robotic missions are returning en masse — and reviving dreams of human exploration. Following successful Chinese rover landings, three NASA-funded robotic landers, developed by small startups, will launch in 2022, and they could be joined by probes from Russia, Japan, and India. NASA’s program has two purposes: to conduct research, especially on the extent and availability of the Moon’s trace water, and to pave the way for human exploration by cheaply delivering payloads to the dusty surface. The coming year will also mark the first orbital launches for two mammoth rockets capable of taking astronauts and heavy payloads to the Moon and beyond: NASA’s overdue and costly Space Launch System and SpaceX’s Starship.
From https://www.science.org/content/article/more-virus-science-s-areas-watch-2022
===============================================================
17. 'Local Bubble' Explained?
-----------------------------
Beginning some 14 million years ago, more than a dozen stars near the Sun have ended their lives as spectacular supernovae. These ongoing blasts have driven a shock wave that has swept up intervening dust and gas, which in turn has created nurseries for stellar newborns along the edges of the expanding, 1,000-light-year-wide shell. The Sun, which was about 1,000 light-years away from the supernovae when all this began, entered the shell 5 million years ago and now sits near its centre.
This is the picture Catherine Zucker (Harvard University and Space Telescope Science Institute) and colleagues have painted in a study appearing January 12th in Nature.
They’re expanding on a well-studied explanation for the Local Bubble, a cavity of sparse, hot gas around the Sun. For the past four decades, astronomers have been making the case that supernovae blew out this bubble. Now, Zucker’s team has used data from the European Space Agency’s Gaia satellite to explore the exact positions, shapes, and motions of gas and stars within 650 light-years of the Sun.
When they plugged all of that data into visualization software during a team Zoom one day, their reactions ranged from elated to astonished: They had found that almost all the stellar nurseries near the Sun — the Ophiuchus, Lupus, Pipe, Chameleon, and Musca star-forming regions, the Corona Australis region, and the Taurus Molecular Cloud — lie on the hilly surface of the Local Bubble. There are older stars within the bubble, but essentially zero stars that are younger than 50 million years, Zucker says.
That’s because the shock wave that the supernovae powered would have compressed gas as it swept it up, igniting new waves of star formation along the bubble’s edges. Based on measurements of the dust on the shell’s surface today, the astronomers estimate that the shock wave has gathered more than a million Suns’ worth of dust.
“The data and their interpretation give strong support to the idea of triggered star formation in the Local Bubble shell,” says Dieter Breitschwerdt (Berlin Institute of Technology), who was not involved in this study.
Massive stars live fast and die young, going supernova after just a few tens of millions of years at most. But they’re born with smaller siblings that live much longer. So whatever clusters bore those massive stars are still around.
By tracking the 3D motions of star clusters on the shell of the Local Bubble, Zucker and colleagues could trace their motions backward in time to determine the Local Bubble’s origin in time and space. They identify two clusters, Upper Centaurus Lupus and Lower Centaurus Crux, as the likely source of the initial supernovae, which occurred between 13.6 million and 15.1 million years ago, confirming previous findings.
The clusters themselves were born 15 to 16 million years ago about 50 light-years apart. Based on all the stars they have now, they could have had enough massive stars between the two of them to host between 14 and
20 supernovae. That’s roughly consistent with the number of stellar blasts needed to blow out the Local Bubble.
While the first supernovae began 14 million years ago, though, the explosions are ongoing, with some occurring as recently as a couple million years ago, Zucker explained. The age is remarkably consistent with the abundance of an iron isotope found on ocean floors, says Breitschwerdt, who has studied this deep-sea record. The isotope, iron-60, decays with a half-life of 2.6 million years, and sediments in the oceanic crust record a history of iron-60’s fluctuations over millions of years. Breitschwerdt and colleagues pinned an iron-60 spike that occurred about 2 million years ago on two supernovae, both roughly 300 light-years away when they occurred.
But other bumps in the iron-60 record, including activity between 7 million and 9 million years ago, are harder to understand. “In particular if the solar system entered the Local Bubble only 5 million years ago, as it is argued in this paper, the earlier peak [7–9 million years ago] cannot be explained,” he notes. Speaking at an American Astronomical Society press conference, Zucker agreed that the Local Bubble can’t explain the entire iron-60 record. But the fact that the Sun happens to sit near the centre of a bubble probably means these structures are everywhere, with thousands of them littering the Milky Way.
The bubbles might even be bumping into each other. The only young-star grouping that the team found inside the Local Bubble — the Perseus molecular cloud — seems to sit on the edge of a different bubble, the Perseus-Taurus Shell recently discovered by the same team. “It’s possible that the Sun and Earth were passing through multiple super-bubbles in the galaxy,” Zucker says. “We think there are probably other potential supernovae, or just super-bubbles that we’ve been passing through that are also in play.” “Now the sun just sits by chance in the centre of the bubble,” she adds, “and we get this front-row seat to star formation happening all around us.”
------
For an animation see
https://sites.google.com/cfa.harvard.edu/local-bubble-star-formation/visuals?authuser=0
-----------
-- From a Sky and Telescope summary of the Nature 12 January article: Death begets life in the space between stars.
Forwarded by Karen Pollard.
===========================================================
18. 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 2022 year starts at $40 for an ordinary
member, which includes an electronic subscription to our journal
'Southern Stars'.
================================================================
19. 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 2021. 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
================================================================
20. Quotes
----------
"We read your article on how bright satellite constellations are blocking the view of the cosmos for astronomers ("Goodbye darkness my old friend", November 27). In America the Federal Communications Commission has already approved licences for thousands of satellites and associated Earth stations. In doing so, it has failed to meet its legal responsibilities under the National Environmental Policy Act, which requires agencies to analyse environmental effects with public input before taking such actions. In virtually all instances, the FCC authorises satellites without any substantive environmental review.
Real and potential environmental harm from proposed satellite mega-constellations go beyond interfering with astronomy. Light pollution can affect migrating birds, sea turtles and pollinating insects. It also degrades celestial views sacred to many throughout history. The satellites will add significant debris and chemicals to the atmosphere, including one that depletes ozone. But the FCC continues to authorise these satellites, fundamentally changing the night sky for everyone.
(Signed) Ruskin Hartley, Executive Director, International Dark-Sky Association, Tucson, Arizona.
Erica Rosenberg, Former attorney at the Federal Communications Commission, Washington, DC.
-- The Economist, December 18 2021, Letters, p.14.
"If you still won't wear a mask because you believe it will block the oxygen to your brain - don't worry, that ship has already sailed."
================================================================
Alan Gilmore Phone: 03 680 6817
P.O. Box 57 alan.gilmore@canterbury.ac.nz
Lake Tekapo 7945
New Zealand
==========================
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
December Celestial Calendar by Dave Mitsky
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Minor Planet Occultation Updates:
---------------------------------------------------------------
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/EdwinRodham
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
---------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Comments