Laintal

NZA

2008-07-03T02:50:00.001-07:00

NZ Astro Chat reaches over 200+ Members!

Despite the negative comments of only two people, this group continues to grow and attract members. A large number have joined from successful Astronomical societies and want to receive a few e-mails/month on what's happing.
I personally like that idea a lot more than negative post after negative post.
Focusing on news, meetings, events and announcements people seem to be attracted to a friendly group with none of the nasty and personal attacks that seem to happen on another group.

I wonder if that Group Moderator who only seem to be leading everyone else with his latest example of Negativity has the guts to apologies on his group?
I'll be looking to find out.

Thanks to everyone's help and support this group has grown in size and importance offering News and events to Astronomers Around Wellington, NZ and the world. Thanks Edwin

Facebook News

With facebook being the number one place for Photos, Events, Groups, Friends, and everything else I haven't spent much time on this website.
New Photos of the Winter Solstice on Facebook and news and other photos.
You should be joining your friends on there soon.

Pirates of Silicon Valley

2008-05-17T23:09:00.000-07:00

Pirates of Silicon Valley

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirates_of_Silicon_Valley

I watched this really good movie today was really good another movie that made me think was On the Edge.

On The Edge
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Edge_%28film%29

New Zealand Almanac 2009 and the International Year of Astronomy

2008-04-14T00:59:00.000-07:00

New Zealand Almanac 2009 and the International Year of Astronomy

1, Message from Richard Hall Phoenix Society

Thanks Edwin

New Zealand Almanac 2009 and the International Year of Astronomy As you will know 2009 is the International Year of Astronomy and, as part of New Zealand's contribution to this, the Royal Society will be using 'Almanac 2009' as a leading publication. So Almanac 2009 will be a very special issue and probably larger than normal. It will include all of its current features plus the following:- 1) The calendar grid will notify all special events put on for the public by astronomical societies and institutions around the country. This will include all conventions, conferences, observatory open days, special observing programs, and special presentations put on for the public. 2) The Almanac will include a map of New Zealand identifying the location of every astronomical society or institution in the country along with a contact person/s and phone numbers. 3) The main calendar images (12) will be a selection of the visually best astronomical photographs taken in New Zealand past and present. 4) The side images (12) will be a selection of the best or most interesting New Zealand observatories and or telescopes (professional, society, or amateur). Because people add interest and scale to a photograph it would be good to have images which include the owner/operators. 5) Up to 4 additional feature pages on different astronomical topics – if you have a great idea let me know. 6) There will be space for adverts by societies, institutions and suppliers of astronomical equipment. There will be a charge for these. We and the Royal Society would like to see the Almanac 2009 distributed by all astronomical societies and institutions and that at least one copy ends up at every school around the country. How you can helpWe need to start gathering images (thumbnails at this stage) for selection and information that is to be included on the calendar grid.

The deadline for inclusion in the Almanac will be June 30th so the sooner we get the material the better. If you or members of your Society have images or information you would like to see in Almanac 2009 email me at: hamal@xtra.co.nz Richard Hall

Sicko

2007-11-03T14:06:00.000-07:00

Sicko

I have just watched the Film Sick from Mike More, was really shocking. Planning a trip to the USA it makes me worried about any health problems or if we have an accident there.

It’s a must see this one, and it make mw glad New Zealand didn’t privatize our health system in the 90s like America has.

Sicko
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sicko

Laintal

November Meetings

2007-11-01T18:28:00.001-07:00

Hi NZ Astronomers

Wellington and Wairarapa Astronomy Events for November 2007

New Members are always welcome along, including visitors from around NZ and overseas.

Please note the new dates of this Months Phoenix Meetings

Thanks Edwin

Wellington Phoenix Meeting
Thursday the 29th of November
7:20pm @ Science House (Royal Society Buildings), Turnbull Street
http://www.astronomynz.org.nz/society-meetings/society-meetings.html

Wairarapa Phoenix Meeting
Friday the 30th of November
7:20pm @ the Phoenix clubrooms, Ahiaruhe, Wairarapa
http://www.astronomynz.org.nz/society-meetings/society-meetings.html

MARTAIN CHRONICLES

Once every two years the Earth makes a close approach to the planet Mars. At these times Mars becomes a prominent bright reddish star in our night sky. A close approach to Mars will be occurring in December. This program is all about the planet Mars, its history, myths and the latest discoveries

Wellington WAS Meeting
Wednesday the 14th of November
7:25pm @ Science House (Royal Society Buildings), Turnbull Street
http://www.was.org.nz/ The speaker for the November WAS meeting at 7.30pm on Wednesday, November 14 is Tim Naish, who will talk on the Milankovitch cycles and climate. It is also the AGM

Phoenix Observing Evening
Saturday the 10th of November
Phoenix Observing Evening
With Master Observers Ian Cooper and Chris Picking
7:30pm @ the Phoenix clubrooms, Ahiaruhe, Wairarapa
Please book by contacting Chris Picking by email: picking@attglobal.net
http://www.astronomynz.org.nz/observing/observing.html

Wellington Spaceflight Meeting

Cancelled – Due to the redevelopment of Carter Observatory Spaceflight meetings will resume later in the Year.

http://www.nzspace.org.nz/meetings.htm

The Galactic Circle Kids Space and Astronomy Club

Galactic Circle: Wednesday the 19th September @ The Thomas King Observatory 4:30PM. The Thomas King Observatory is located next to Carter Observatory. The Galactic Circle is WAS's junior astronomy club and meets on the third Wednesday of each month.

For more details, contact
Marilyn Head at (04) 389 0882 (w), email marilyn@actrix.gen.nz or web www.galaxy.wellington.net.nz

Pauatahanui Star Party
TBA
Observing will start after dark. Contact John Field
john.field@paradise.net.nz
The Phone number at Pauatahanui is 021-102-6056.

Gifford Star Party
TBA
This Saturday Duncan Hall will open the Gifford Observatory behind Wellington College from 8 pm to 10 pm. The observatory has a fine 130mm Zeiss-Rumsey-Nankivell refractor and a flat area should you want to bring your own telescope or binoculars.

Contact telephone numbers are 474-5350 or PH 021-615-905
Contact Duncan Hall duncan.hall@ieee.org

November Astrophotography Targets from John Drummond

1. Lens - The Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC)

2. Telescope/Easy - NGC 362 in Tucana (an often overlooked globular cluster next to the SMC, not far from 47 Tucanae).

3. Telescope/Hard - NGC 1313 in Reticulum. Type: SBcd galaxy. RA: 03 18 16.0, declination: -66 29 45. Magnitude: 9.8. Major axis: 9.20 arcminutes, minor axis: 7.2

Carter Observatory e-Newsletter

The November edition of the Carter Observatory e-Newsletter can be found at :-

http://newsletter.carterobservatory.org/2007/Nov07/

Regards

Brian.

NZ Almanac 2008

The Almanac is a beautiful calendar with wonderful photographs taken by New Zealand astronomers. Every year the photographs seem to get better - and this coming years edition is no exception! The Almanac is also packed with information on various astronomical events occurring through out the year that is presented in an easily accessible calendar format. Almanacs make wonderful Christmas presents, so consider giving them as christmas stocking fillers.If you would like to be sure of receiving your Almanac in time for Christmas, then fill in the order form below and post back to us, with your cheque, as soon as possible.

Almanac Info
http://www.astronomynz.org.nz/almanac-2007/almanac-2007-2.html

Order Form
http://www.astronomynz.org.nz/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=57

Contact person
Kay Leather hellfa@xtra.co.nz

Stardate 2008

Stardate will be held at Tukituki, near Havelock North from the 10-14 January, 2008.

We have yet to confirm some of the costs, and details will be published in the newsletter as soon as possible.

http://www.astronomynz.org.nz/stardate/expression-of-interest.html

Astro Reminders put together by

Edwins News and Reminders page
http://tinyurl.com/jb6oj

Paul Moss
http://www.astronomy.net.nz/

Edwin Rod
http://laintal.screenrevolution.co.nz/

Halloween

2007-10-31T16:12:00.001-07:00

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween

On Halloween night in present-day Ireland, adults and children dress up as creatures from the underworld (e.g., ghosts, ghouls, zombies, witches and goblins), light bonfires, and enjoy spectacular fireworks displays, despite the fact that such displays are usually illegal. It is also common for fireworks to be set off for the entire month preceding Halloween, as well as a few days after. Halloween was perceived as the night during which the division between the world of the living and the otherworld was blurred so spirits of the dead and inhabitants from the underworld were able to walk free on the earth. It was believed necessary to dress as a spirit or otherworldly creature when venturing outdoors to blend in, and this is where dressing in such a manner for Halloween comes from. This gradually evolved into trick-or-treating because children would knock on their neighbours' doors, in order to gather fruit, nuts, and sweets for the Halloween festival. Salt was once sprinkled in the hair of the children to protect against evil spirits. The houses are frequently adorned with turnips carved into scary faces; lights or candles are sometimes placed inside the carvings to provide an eerie effect.

Anthony Scally

Beebo + My Space

2007-10-31T01:08:00.000-07:00

Yes I must confess to spending too much time on theses websites lately!

I have just signed up for them and have been browsing through.

Must be one of the last people to join up on these things.

Believe it, Its True!

2007-10-29T12:18:00.000-07:00

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person. When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend and they are. They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.

Some people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has come to share, grow or learn. They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it, it is real. But only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons, things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life. It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant .

October Moon Photos

2007-10-25T19:28:00.000-07:00

October Moon Photos

Taken Thursday night on Wellingtons South Coast.
Oct Moon

http://groups.google.co.nz/group/NZAstroChat/files
Please have a look at the photos at the above link

Thanks Edwin

The Great Cosmic Roller-Coaster Ride

2007-10-24T16:37:00.000-07:00

The Great Cosmic Roller-Coaster Ride
http://tinyurl.com/2zrhnq

You might not think that cosmologists could feel claustrophobic in a universe that is 46 billion light-years in radius and filled with sextillions of stars. But one of the emerging themes of 21st-century cosmology is that the known universe, the sum of all we can see, may just be a tiny region in the full extent of space. Various types of parallel universes that make up a grand "multiverse" often arise as side effects of cosmological theories. We have little hope of ever directly observing those other universes, though, because they are either too far away or somehow detached from our own universe.

Big Full Moon

2007-10-24T16:35:00.000-07:00

Space Weather News for Oct. 23, 2007
http://spaceweather.com

BIG FULL MOON: This week's full Moon (Oct. 25-26) is the biggest full Moon of 2007. It's no illusion. Some full Moons are genuinely larger than others and Thursdaynight's will be as much as 14% wider and 30% brighter than lesser full Moons we'veseen earlier this year. Check http://spaceweather.com for the reasons why.

SPACESHIP SIGHTINGS: Space shuttle Discovery launched this morning from NASA'sKennedy Space Center on a two-week mission to the International Space Station (ISS). This means sky watchers should be alert for spaceship flybys in the nights ahead. Both Discovery and ISS will make favorable passes over many US cities with thepossibility of double flybys later this week when the two spacecraft are about to dock.

Flight Details

2007-10-24T16:34:00.000-07:00

Hi there

Nicole and Myself have booked and confirmed our Airfares to the States this December. We Leave Wellington on Friday the 7th of December at 0640am and Arrive in New York on Friday the 7th of December 2115pm @ John F Kennedy Terminal 7 We leave back to Wellington on Saturday the 5th of January Arriving back on Tuesday the 8th of January 2320pm

Thanks Edwin

Date: 24 OCT 2007

Reference: M2HPRY / 0Z2RRY ---------------------------------------------------------------------------Travel Itinerary For: MR EDWIN ROD MISS NICOLE C --------------------------------------------------------------------------- FRIDAY UNITED AIRLINES INC FLIGHT UA9553 CONFIRMED * Flight operated by ZEAL 320 FOR AIR NEW ZEALAND07 DEC 07 - DEPART - WELLINGTON/WELLINGTON I 0640 NON-STOP07 DEC 07 - ARRIVE - SYDNEY/SYDNEY KINGSFORD 0820 03HRS 40MINS Terminal: TERMINAL 1 - AIRCRAFT - AIRBUS INDUSTRIE A320-100/200 - CLASS - STANDARD FRIDAY UNITED AIRLINES INC FLIGHT UA 870 CONFIRMED07 DEC 07 - DEPART - SYDNEY/SYDNEY KINGSFORD 1615 NON-STOP Terminal: TERMINAL 107 DEC 07 - ARRIVE - SAN FRANCISCO/SAN FRANC 1041 13HRS 26MINS Terminal: TERMINAL INTERNATIONAL - AIRCRAFT - BOEING 747-400 - CLASS - STANDARD FRIDAY UNITED AIRLINES INC FLIGHT UA 8 CONFIRMED07 DEC 07 - DEPART - SAN FRANCISCO/SAN FRANC 1245 NON-STOP Terminal: TERMINAL 307 DEC 07 - ARRIVE - NEW YORK/JOHN F KENNEDY 2115 05HRS 30MINS Terminal: TERMINAL 7 - AIRCRAFT - BOEING 757-200 - CLASS - STANDARD Return Flights SATURDAY UNITED AIRLINES INC FLIGHT UA 17 CONFIRMED05 JAN 08 - DEPART - NEW YORK/JOHN F KENNEDY 1730 NON-STOP Terminal: TERMINAL 705 JAN 08 - ARRIVE - SAN FRANCISCO/SAN FRANC 2113 06HRS 43MINS Terminal: TERMINAL 3 - AIRCRAFT - BOEING 757-200 - CLASS - STANDARD SATURDAY UNITED AIRLINES INC FLIGHT UA 863 CONFIRMED05 JAN 08 - DEPART - SAN FRANCISCO/SAN FRANC 2224 NON-STOP Terminal: TERMINAL INTERNATIONAL07 JAN 08 - ARRIVE - SYDNEY/SYDNEY KINGSFORD 0750 14HRS 26MINS Terminal: TERMINAL 1 - AIRCRAFT - BOEING 747-400 - CLASS - STANDARD TUESDAY UNITED AIRLINES INC FLIGHT UA9556 CONFIRMED * Flight operated by ZEAL 320 FOR AIR NEW ZEALAND08 JAN 08 - DEPART - SYDNEY/SYDNEY KINGSFORD 1810 NON-STOP Terminal: TERMINAL 108 JAN 08 - ARRIVE - WELLINGTON/WELLINGTON I 2320 03HRS 10MINS - AIRCRAFT - AIRBUS INDUSTRIE A320-100/200 - CLASS - STANDARD

Jersey Girl

2007-10-22T00:56:00.000-07:00

Jersey Girl
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jersey_Girl_(2004_film

Despite bad reviews I really enjoyed this movie. I hadn’t heard anything about it before as was really drawn into the story and plotline.

Really illustrated the conflicts between success at what you want and what really matters.

Get Shorty
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Get_Shorty_%28film%29

I also watched this one over the long weekend as well good fun.

Jersey Girl

2007-10-22T00:50:00.001-07:00

Jersey Girl
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jersey_Girl_(2004_film)

Despite bad reviews I really enjoyed this movie. I hadn’t heard anything about it before as was really drawn into the story and plotline.

Really illustrated the conflicts between success at what you want and what really matters.

Get Shorty
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Get_Shorty_%28film%29

I also watched this one over the long weekend as well good fun.

RASNZ E-Newsletter

2007-10-21T14:58:00.000-07:00

=================================================. Royal Astronomical Society of
New Zealand
Email Newsletter Number 86, 21 October 2007
=================================================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. From Galileo Galilei to Sustainable Lighting
2. RASNZ 2008 Conference at Lake Tekapo
3. The Solar System in November
4. Comet C/2007 F1 (LONEOS)
5. Stardate North Island 2008
6. Stardate South Island 2008
7. We're Black Hole Dust?
8. Massive Black Hole Upsets Big-Star Evolution Theory
9. Orion Nebula Comes Closer
10. Comet Encke Docked
11. Iapetus's Winking Explained
12. Dawn Spacecraft Successfully Launched
13. Mars Rovers Work Overtime
14. Monster Telescopes in the Works
15. Council Nominations Sought
16. 2007 AGM Minutes Available
17. NZ IYA Website - Biographies Still Needed
18. NAACA 2008
19. Optics for Sale
20. Losmandy GM8 Mount for Sale
21. AstroPhoto Insight October 2007
22. Kingdon-Tomlinson Fund
23. Gifford-Eiby Lecture Fund
24. How to Join the RASNZ
25. Your Stars in November

==============================================================1. From Galileo Galilei
to Sustainable Lighting
-----------------------------------------------
2009 has been declared the International Year of Astronomy (IYA) by UNESCO
and will be a global celebration of astronomy and its contributions to
society and culture, highlighted by the 400th anniversary of the first use
of an astronomical telescope by Galileo Galilei. (Reference 1, below.)

The New Yorker website (Ref. 2) recently published an informative article
in the New Yorker about the loss of the starry sky and the measures now
being taken to curb light pollution.

"In 1610, Galileo Galilei published a small book describing astronomical
observations that he had made of the skies above Padua. His homemade
telescopes had less magnifying and resolving power than most beginners'
telescopes sold today, yet with them he made astonishing discoveries: that
the moon has mountains and other topographical features; that Jupiter is
orbited by satellites, which he called planets; and that the Milky Way is
made up of individual stars. It may seem strange that this last
observation could have surprised anyone, but in Galileo's time people
assumed that the Milky Way must be some kind of continuous substance. It
truly resembled a streak of spilled liquid-our word "galaxy" comes from
the Greek for milk-and it was so bright that it cast shadows on the ground
(as did Jupiter and Venus). Today, by contrast, most Americans are unable
to see the Milky Way in the sky above the place where they live, and those
who can see it are sometimes baffled by its name.

The stars have not become dimmer; rather, the Earth has become vastly
brighter, so that celestial objects are harder to see. Air pollution has
made the atmosphere less transparent and more reflective, and high levels
of terrestrial illumination have washed out the stars overhead-a
phenomenon called "sky glow." Anyone who has flown across the country on a
clear night has seen the landscape ablaze with artificial lights,
especially in urban areas. Today, a person standing on the observation
deck of the Empire State Building on a cloudless night would be unable to
discern much more than the moon, the brighter planets, and a handful of
very bright stars-less than one per cent of what Galileo would have been
able to see without a telescope."

What has this to do with 'Clean Green New Zealand'?

87% of New Zealanders live in urban areas, unable to see the true majesty
of the night sky from their homes. Light pollution dims the universe from
view.

Prime Minister Helen Clark noted in June this year that public lighting is
the single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions from Local Councils,
accounting for between 30-50% of all Council greenhouse gas emissions.
She stated that poorly designed and implemented street-lighting was
wasteful and contributed not only to excessive energy consumption but also
to emissions, glare and light pollution.

The Prime Minister indicated that continued Government leadership in
sustainability would be forthcoming and that updated streetlighting
efficiency measures lay ahead, for introduction by 2009 (IYA).

The technology to reduce light pollution exists now; full cutoff fixtures
with energy efficient lamps directed downwards will significantly reduce
energy consumption, spill light and glare. What is required to reclaim the
night environment, is the determination to reduce light pollution, the
same determination that will reduce greenhouse gasses, climate
change, vision, human health and ecological impacts of over bright and
poorly directed lighting. (Ref. 3)

Twenty-eight New Zealand Local Government Authorities have signed up to
the Communities for Climate Protection (CCP) programme (Ref. 4). This
international programme includes the Local Government Association of South
Australia who in their South Australian Strategic Action Planning Guide
for Sustainable Public Lighting (Ref. 5) claim they can save from 60 to
65% of their energy bill for public lighting by changing to sustainable
lighting.

Sustainable lighting provides economic, social and environmental benefits.

-- Steve Butler, Convenor, RASNZ Dark Sky Group.

===========
References (note line-wrapping of some addresses)
1. http://www.astronomy2009.org.nz
2. http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/08/20/070820fa_fact_owen?
printable=true
3. http://www.urbanwildlands.org/ecanlbook.html
4. http://www.iclei.org/index.php?id=3920
5. http://www.iclei.org/fileadmin/user_upload/documents/ANZ/CCP/CCP-
AU/Projects/SPLAP/SASustainablePublicLightingGuide.pdf

==============================================================2. RASNZ 2008
Conference at Lake Tekapo
---------------------------------------
The hosts for next year's RASNZ Conference will be the Canterbury
Astronomical Society. The conference will be held at the Godley Resort
Hotel, Lake Tekapo from 23 to 25 May 2008. Please note the dates, which
are just one week before Queens Birthday weekend next year. Lake Tekapo
is ideally placed for great late Autumn holiday in the South Island so why
not plan to take a holiday in the week following the conference and
explore the region? The Godley Resort Hotel has reserved rooms those
attending the conference. For more information about the Godley Hotel see
the webpage http://www.tekapo.co.nz/.

Alternatively Lake Tekapo has a number of delightful holiday homes for
hire at very reasonable rates, just a short distance from the Conference
venue. See the holiday homes webpage ttp:// http://www.tekapoholidayhomes.co.nz/.

The Conference Organising Committee are working hard to ensure a great
RASNZ conference next year. The focus will be on the the work at Mount
John and the Dark Skies of the Mackenzie Basin. Conference presentations
are not limited to this theme and presentations on other aspects of
astronomy will also be welcome. If you would like to make a presentation
(either oral or poster papers welcome) at next years conference please
contact the Scientific Organising Committee at conference@rasnz.org.nz.

The Conference will be preceded by the full day workshop "Introduction to
CCD Photometry" run by Tom Richards. As numbers attending this workshop
will be strictly limited we suggest you pre-register your interest in
attending this workshop by emailing Pauline Loader at varstar@rasnz.org.nz
to ensure a place is reserved for you.

Further information about the Conference and workshop can be found on the
RASNZ website http://www.rasnz.org.nz/ and following the conference links.

-- Pauline Loader

==============================================================3. The Solar System in
November
-------------------------------
The usual notes on the visibility of the Planets for November 2007 have
been placed on the RASNZ web site:
http://www.rasnz.org.nz/SolarSys/Nov_07.htm. Notes for December 2007 will
be in place in a few days.

THE PLANETS IN NOVEMBER

The pre-dawn November sky will present a good display of planets for those
prepared to view at this time. Mars, Saturn, Venus and Mercury are all in
the morning sky, rising in that order. Only Jupiter remains an evening
object, but by the end of November it will set about 80 minutes after the
Sun, so by then the evening will be almost devoid of naked eye planets.

MARS is the first of the morning planets to rise throughout November. In
fact by the end of the month it will be rising before midnight, an hour or
so before in the north of New Zealand, but only just before in the far
south. During the month Mars brightens from magnitude - 0.6 to -1.3,
similar to Sirius which will be much higher in the sky.

Mars is in Gemini and will be stationary on November 15. As a result it
will be slow moving throughout the month, doing a U turn round the 3rd
magnitude star epsilon Geminorum.

SATURN moves further up into the morning sky and away from Venus during
November, (more correctly Venus moves away from Saturn). Saturn itself
moves less than 2 degrees through the stars during the month, slightly
increasing its distance from Regulus.

On the morning of November 4 Regulus, the Moon and Saturn will be in a
visually interesting line up, with our 32% lit satellite between the star
and planet.

By the end of November, the Saturn will rise just before 2am NZDT at
Auckland, but not until 2.30 at Invercargill.

VENUS rises about an hour and three quarters before the Sun throughout
November so will remain a brilliant but rather low object in the dawn sky.

The planet moves from Leo to Virgo on November 4, where there will be a
nice pairing with the 15% lit Moon two mornings later, with the Moon 2
degrees above the planet. At the same time, Venus will be about 40 arc-
minutes from the star beta Virginis, magnitude 3.6. Planet and star will
be slightly closer the following morning when Venus will have moved to the
opposite side of the star. At the end of November Venus will be 4 degrees
from Spica.

MERCURY rises only some 30 minutes before the Sun throughout the month, so
is very poorly placed for observation. The planet is in Virgo, 3 to 4
degrees from Spica at the beginning of November, it moves into Libra on
November 17 and is just over 1 degree from alpha Libræ on the morning of
November 21.

JUPITER will be visible in the early evening but especially by the end of
the month will be a low object following sunset.

The planet remains in Ophiuchus some 11 degrees from Antares. On November
12 a very thin crescent Moon, only 5% lit, will be between planet and
star.

OUTER PLANETS

Both Uranus and Neptune set after midnight throughout November and so are
well placed in the evening sky. Uranus is in Aquarius between phi and
lambda, slowly moving towards the latter. Neptune is in Capricornus,
just under 2 degrees from iota, magnitude 4.3

BRIGHTER ASTEROIDS:

(1) Ceres is at opposition on November 11 when it will be magnitude 7.2.
By the end of the month it will be visible all evening. The dwarf planet
is in Cetus and will be moving to the west more or less parallel with, and
2 degrees from, its border with Aries. Ceres pass lambda Ceti in the
middle of the month.

(4) Vesta is in Sagittarius in November 11 and will set about 3 hours
after the Sun at the end of the month. Thus it is an evening object.
It will pass about 1.5 Degrees from sigma Sagittarii, Nunki magnitude 2.1
mid month. At magnitude 7.9 Vesta will be fainter than Ceres.

(8) Flora is at opposition on November 20 when it will be at magnitude
8.0.

(29) Amphitrite is at opposition on November 16 with a magnitude 8.8. It
is in Aries most of November and well north of the equator. It will be
nearly 20 degrees below Flora.

-- Brian Loader

==============================================================4. Comet C/2007 F1
(LONEOS)
---------------------------
Comet C/2007 F1 (LONEOS) should be a binocular and small-telescope object
low in the south-western evening sky from the second week of November.
It passed perihelion, 0.4016 AU (60 million km) from the sun on October
28.6 TT. The following ephemeris is based on a download from the Minor
Planet Center. It gives he comet's position at 9h UT on the dates shown.
Example: Nov. 8 9h UT = November 8 at 10 pm NZDT.

2007 R.A. (2000) Dec. 2007 R.A. (2000) Dec.
9h U.T h m o ' m1 9h U.T h m o ' m1
Nov. 8 16 39.1 -33 44 6.7 Nov. 13 16 57.8 -41 02 7.7
9 16 43.4 -35 27 6.9 14 17 00.8 -42 09 7.9
10 16 47.5 -37 02 7.1 15 17 03.6 -43 12 8.1
11 16 51.2 -38 28 7.3 16 17 06.2 -44 10 8.3
12 16 54.6 -39 48 7.5 17 17 08.7 -45 07 8.5

m1 is the comet's total magnitude: A star of this magnitude, defocused to
the size of the comet's head, matches the comet's brightness. To be
obvious to the naked eye a comet needs to be total magnitude 3.

-- Alan Gilmore

==============================================================5. Stardate North
Island 2008
------------------------------
Stardate will be held at Tukituki, near Havelock North from Thursday
January 10 - Monday January 14 2008
For details see
http://www.astronomynz.org.nz/stardate/expression-of-interest.html

-- Edwin Rod in a note to the nzastronomers group

========================================================6. Stardate South Island
2008
------------------------------
Stardate South Island will be held at Staveley, inland from Christchurch
(a long way inland!), on Feb 15-17, Friday to Sunday. Stavely is a
dark-sky site with cabins, kitchen, lecture theatre and camping ground.

========================================================7. We're Black Hole Dust?
-------------------------
When the writer of Genesis said man was made of dust, he spoke true. And
not just man. The whole Earth was made from dust particles in orbit around
the primitive sun, as were all the other solid objects in the solar
system. But how did the dust itself come into existence?

That is a puzzle. Modern space dust blows off stars that formed about 10
billion years ago. These stars would have been too young to have shed much
of the stuff by the time that the solar system formed, 4.5 billion years
ago. The universe's primordial dust must therefore have come from
somewhere else-and a team of researchers led by Ciska Markwick-Kemper of
the University of Manchester think they know where. The answer is from
black holes.

The black holes in question are at the centres of quasars. These formed
shortly after the universe began and they came to the attention of
earthling astronomers because quasars are powerful radio sources. The
radio waves (and lots of other radiation) are the result of matter being
drawn into the black hole and releasing energy as it falls. But not all
this matter is swallowed. Some is baked, transformed and spat out again.
It was this transformation that interested Dr Markwick-Kemper.

Suspecting that it might be the source of primordial dust, she recruited a
space telescope called Spitzer to look at a quasar called PG 2112+059 in
more detail. Spitzer is tuned to pick up infra-red radiation-the sort of
radiation emitted by dust that has been heated. And the details of the
spectrum of infra-red radiation given off by a speck of dust will betray
its composition.

Dr Markwick-Kemper and her colleagues report their findings in a
forthcoming edition of Astrophysical Journal Letters. The dust around PG
2112+059 contains large quantities of rock-forming minerals, including
crystalline forms of silica (essentially, small sand grains), a form of
aluminium oxide called corundum (better known on Earth as the principal
ingredient of rubies and sapphires) and a form of magnesium oxide called
periclase (which is present in marble).

These minerals must have been produced by the quasar, Dr Markwick-Kemper
argues, because their crystal structures would not survive long in the
hostile conditions of outer space. Cosmic rays would zap them into an
amorphous, glass-like state. Moreover, corundum and periclase have not
been detected in space dust before. Their association with the quasar is
therefore strong evidence that this is the object that created them. A
human being may still be a handful of dust. But that dust has had an
exciting history.

-- copied from The Economist 11 Oct 2007, page 96.

==============================================================8. Massive Black Hole
Upsets Big-Star Evolution Theory
------------------------------------------------------
An exceptionally massive black hole has been found in orbit around a huge
companion star. This result has intriguing implications for the evolution
and ultimate fate of massive stars.

The black hole is part of a binary system in M33, a galaxy about three
million light years away. By combining data from NASA's Chandra X-ray
Observatory and the Gemini telescope on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, the mass of the
black hole, known as M33 X-7, was determined to be 15.7 times that of the
Sun. This makes M33 X-7 the most massive stellar black hole known. A
stellar black hole is formed from the collapse of the core of a massive
star at the end of its life. [Super-massive black holes found in the
centres of galaxies are million or billions of time heavier than the sun.]

The properties of the M33 X-7 binary system - a massive black hole in a
close orbit around a massive companion star - are difficult to explain
using conventional models for the evolution of massive stars. The
parent star for the black hole must have had a mass greater than the
existing companion in order to have formed a black hole before the
companion star.

Such a massive star would have had a radius larger than the present
separation between the stars, so the stars must have been brought closer
while sharing a common outer atmosphere. This process typically results
in a large amount of mass being lost from the system, so much that the
parent star should not have been able to form a 15.7 solar-mass black
hole.

The black hole's progenitor must have shed gas at a rate about 10 times
less than predicted by models before it exploded. If even more massive
stars also lose very little material, it could explain the incredibly
luminous supernova seen recently as SN 2006gy. The progenitor for SN
2006gy is thought to have been about 150 times the mass of the Sun when
it exploded.

Jerome Orosz of San Diego State University was the lead author of the
paper that appeared in the October 18th issue of Nature. Coauthor Wolfgang
Pietsch was also the lead author of an article in the Astrophysical
Journal that used Chandra observations to report that M33 X-7 is the first
black hole in a binary system observed to undergo eclipses. The eclipsing
nature enables unusually accurate estimates for the mass of the black hole
and its companion.

Additional information and images are available at:
http://chandra.harvard.edu
and http://chandra.nasa.gov

-- Adapted from a NASA Chandra press release forwarded by Karen Pollard.

==============================================================9. Orion Nebula Comes
Closer
----------------------------
A new measurement of the Orion Nebula's distance puts it at 1270 light-
years, compared with the best previous measurement of 1565 light-years.
The old measurement had an uncertainty of about 17 percent, while the new
VLBA measurement has an uncertainty of 6 percent.

The measurement was made with the U.S. National Science Foundation's Very
Long Baseline Array (VLBA), a system of 10 radio-telescope antennas
stretching from Hawaii to the Caribbean. The extraordinary resolving power
of the system allowed determination of the parallax a star in the nebula.

Because the newly-measured distance to the region is 20 percent closer
than the earlier measurement, the stars in the region are intrinsically
fainter by a factor of 1.5, making them nearly twice as old as previously
thought.

The results was obtained by a group of astronomers at the University of
California at Berkeley and published in the October 10 edition of the
Astrophysical Journal.

-- abridged from a U.S. National Radio Astronomy Observatory press release
forwarded by Karen Pollard.

==============================================================10. Comet Encke Docked

---------------------
Earlier this year, Comet Encke was passing a little too close to the Sun
when a coronal mass ejection (CME) hit the comet and ripped off its tail.
NASA's STEREO spacecraft was watching and recorded a must-see movie.
See it at
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2007/01oct_encke.htm?list778348

- Thanks to John Drummond for passing this note on.

========================================================11. Iapetus's Winking
Explained
-------------------------------
Iapetus, a mid-sized satellite of Saturn, is well-known for its remarkable
variation in brightness. The moon's discoverer, Jean-Dominique Cassini,
commented on it in 1671. He assumed that the moon was locked in its
rotation with one side always toward Saturn, as one side of our moon
always faces Earth. He then guessed that the side leading in Iapetus's
orbit was covered in dark material. Modern measures find the leading side
has an albedo (reflectivity) of 0.05; the trailing side 0.5.

Cassini's surmise has been confirmed by the spacecraft named after him.
The Cassini spacecraft's images show that on the moon's bright trailing
hemisphere, especially in the equatorial regions, dark material tends to
coat the equator-facing slopes of ridges and crater walls and also many
crater floors. This finding strongly suggests the warming action of the
Sun inremoving bright ice from these sunward-facing surfaces and leaving
behind the native dark material that is normally mixed with the ice.
Subsequent downslope motion is very likely responsible for collecting
much of the dark material in the floors of craters and other low lying
regions.

The fact that this process of thermal segregation is so clearly
operating on the bright face of Iapetus lends confidence to the idea that
the same thing happened in a more extreme form on the dark side. The
infall of a thin coating of dark material onto Iapetus' leading side long
ago initiated a runaway version of thermal segregation there. Dark
material scooped up by the moon in its orbit around Saturn coated all
surfaces on the leading hemisphere except at high latitudes. They then
became warm enough, regardless of the direction to the sun, to evaporate
the ice beneath.

The origin of this foreign material remains a mystery, but potential
candidates are the small moons at large distances from Saturn or a
previously existing outer moon that was broken apart long ago.

Observations of very small bright craters seen for the first time in the
recent Cassini images, point to impactors that punched through the dark
upper layer to the bright ice beneath and reveal the layer's thickness
at no more than a few meters.

Images from Cassini's close flyby of Iapetus can be found at
http://ciclops.org, http://www.nasa.gov/cassini and
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov

-- based on a NASA pres release forwarded by Karen Pollard.

==============================================================12. Dawn Spacecraft
Successfully Launched
-----------------------------------------
The Dawn spacecraft was successfully launched at the end of September. It
is scheduled to begin its exploration of Vesta in 2011 and Ceres in 2015.
These two icons of the asteroid belt are located in orbit between Mars and
Jupiter and have been witness to so much of our solar system's history.

By using the same set of instruments at two separate destinations,
scientists can more accurately formulate comparisons and contrasts. Dawn's
science instrument suite will measure shape, surface topography and
tectonic history, elemental and mineral composition as well as seek out
water-bearing minerals.

For the latest information about Dawn and its mission, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/dawn

-- from a NASA release forwarded by Karen Pollard

==============================================================13. Mars Rovers Work
Overtime
-----------------------------
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has descended the inner slope of
the 800-meter-wide Victoria crater. The rover is in position to examine a
selected slab of bright bedrock exposed partway down.

Opportunity drove 2.25 meters on September 25 to get the selected flat
rock within reach. That was the 1,305th Martian day of a mission
originally planned for 90 Martian days. By sampling the rock at several
different levels in the crater, NASA scientists are hoping to figure out
the processes that led to its formation and its very distinctive
appearance.

Meanwhile Spirit, the other rover, is exploring the top surface of a
plateau called "Home Plate," where rocks hold evidence about an explosive
combination of water and volcanism.

-- from A JPL press release forwarded by Karen Pollard.

==============================================================14. Monster Telescopes
in the Works
-----------------------------------
Since 1993 and 1996, the world's largest optical telescopes have been the
twin 10-meter Keck reflectors in Hawaii. Next year the Kecks will be
edged out by Spain's 10.4-meter GranTeCan in the Canary Islands. And the
Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) in Arizona, with its twin 8.4-meter
mirrors on a single mount, is coming online soon too. But much bigger
things are in the works.

There's the Caltech/University of California Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT),
scheduled for completion in 2016 if all goes well. Recently a consortium
of US universities and institutions announced that a site has been chosen
for the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT). This one will consist of seven
8.4-meter mirrors grouped in a rosette on a single mount, sending light to
a single focus. It'll have the light-collecting area of a 22-meter
aperture. The GMT will be built at Cerro Las Campanas in the Chilean
Andes, which is already a major observatory site with well-developed
infrastructure. The Carnegie's Institution has two 6.5-meter Magellan
Telescopes currently in operation there.

It was long thought that the 5-meter (200-inch) Hale Telescope on Palomar
Mountain in California - opened in 1948 - would be the largest ever built
on Earth's surface. This made sense when Earth's atmospheric seeing (the
shimmering and blurring of high-power telescopic images due to tiny, ever-
present heat waves) was an intractable problem. The breakthrough that made
monster apertures worth building came not just from modern optical
manufacturing methods, but from adaptive optics that cancel out
atmospheric distortion.

-- From a Sky & Telescope posting by Alan MacRobert, October 4, 2007

==============================================================15. Council Nominations
Sought
--------------------------------
At the Annual General Meeting in 2008, the term of the present council
comes to an end. It is therefore necessary to call upon members to
consider who they wish to nominate to Council for the next two years. We
need to elect the president, a vice-president (who will by custom be
nominated for president in two years' time), the secretary, the treasurer,
and five councillors. Two more councillors will be appointed by the
Affiliated Societies Committee, and the council may co-opt others if they
are needed.

Nominations in all categories must be made by two currently financial
members of the RASNZ, and must contain a signed statement by the nominee
that he/she is willing to be nominated. A short (200 words) biographical
note can also be included.

A nomination form is available at
http://www.rasnz.org.nz/Nomination08.rtf
Please use this as a guide if you wish, but it is also possible to send in
the nomination without using the form, as long as all the necessary
information is included. The form cannot be used online, as there must be
signatures from the nominee and the two nominators.

Nominations should be sent to the Executive Secretary, Pam Kilmartin,
P.O. Box 57, Lake Tekapo 7945, to be received before 24 February 2008.
An election may be held during April 2008.

-- Pam Kilmartin, Executive Secretary

Nominations for Newsletter Editor would also be welcomed. -Ed

==============================================================16. 2007 AGM Minutes
Available
------------------------------
Brian Loader advises that the minutes of the AGM held on 30 June 2007 at
Manukau are now available on the RASNZ website as a pdf
file at < http://www.rasnz.org.nz/Minutes/0706AGM.pdf>

==============================================17. NZ IYA Website - Biographies Still
Needed
----------------------------------------------
Marilyn Head, RASNZ Publicity officer, is still looking for notes of
upcoming events and for local biographies:

The NZ International Year of Astronomy (IYA) site is up and running thanks
to the sterling efforts of Roland Idacsyk at
http://www.astronomy2009.org.nz

To make it as useful as possible we'd like it to be comprehensive so
please let me know if you want any events - and that includes any from now
until the end of 2009 - to be posted.

A critical part is the section that deals with NZ astronomers - past,
present and overseas. We would like to include as many active astronomers
as we can - it should end up being the Who's Who of NZ astronomy. So we
would like all individuals and societies to send me (not Roland) names and
very short profiles with any relevant links to be posted. See last month's
Newsletter for an example biography. Marilyn's email address is on
http://www.writerfind.com/mhead.htm

==============================================================18. NAACA 2008
--------------
The 23rd National Australian Convention of Amateur Astronomers (NACAA)
will be held in Penrith, western Sydney, over the 2008 Easter weekend
(March 21-24). The NACAA committee invites everyone interested in the
"cutting-edge" of amateur astronomy to attend. We are working to ensure
that the programme will include an exciting mix of invited speakers,
technical sessions, group discussions, and hands-on workshops.

Full details about the conference can be found at our web site
http://www.nacaa.org.au. Registrations will commence later in 2007, but
in the meantime potential attendees are encouraged to pre-register their
interest. Anyone who would like to contribute to the conference's
content should download the Call for Presentations guidelines from the
web site.

-- Steve Russell

==============================================================19. Optics for Sale
--------------------
Bill Allen advises that he has two sets of professionally made optics for
sale:

30cm f15 Dall Kirkham Cassegrain optics made by Garry Nankivell, together
with a Serrurier truss tube and primary mirror cell. $3000. The optical
tube assembly can be viewed on http://www.observingwines.co.nz, under Vintage
Lane Observatory tab.

15cm f4 Maksutov camera optics made by David Sinden (ex Grubb Parsons),
mounted in a tube. $1500. The camera has a 15 cm clear aperture, a 20cm
primary mirror and a prime focus field flattening lens.

For more information contact Bill Allen at
Vintage Lane Observatory, 83 Vintage Lane, RD 3, Blenheim 7273.
Email: whallen@xtra.co.nz. Phone: 03 572 9275

========================================================20. Losmandy GM8 Mount for
Sale
-------------------------------
Very lightly used, has the standard motors and controller, plus one
Losmandy counterweight. Available with or without brand new G11 legs
(still in the box, NEVER used). GM8 owners often opt for the G11 tripod
and this makes this mount exceptionally stable. Mount head without G11
legs, $1500. With G11 legs, complete $2150. Both prices do not include
postage.
Enquiries to Gary Beale at g.beal@xnet.co.nz

========================================================21. AstroPhoto Insight
October 2007
----------------------------------
The October 2007 issue of AstroPhoto Insight(tm) is now available.
In this issue:
* No Dark Skies? No Filters? No Problem
- DSLR Imaging in Urban Skies by Robert Reeves
* High Resolution Lunar Imaging Part 1 by Bob Pilz
* Maintaining Star Colors with a One-Shot Color Camera by Alan Chen
* Curves II - Curve Confidence by Warren Keller
* Mapping Out You Light Pollution with Google Earth
* Readers' Image Gallery
You can download your copy of this issue here:
http://www.skyinsight.net/apv.php?h=e90051929b2a1352fe4a89b855e01ca5
Save or bookmark this link for direct access to future issues.

-- Al Degutis

========================================================22. 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.

Contact the RASNZ Executive Secretary, secretary@rasnz.org.nz
or, P.O. Box 57, Lake Tekapo 7945 for an application form.

===============================================================23. 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 from contact the Executive Secretary
secretary@rasnz.org.nz, P.O Box 57, Lake Tekapo 7945.

==============================================================24. 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.
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.

==============================================================25. Your Stars in
November
--------------------------
More of Madam X's 'horrorscopes' relayed by Lloyd Esler. Libra this
month. The sun is in Libra from November 1 - 15, about.

You know that when you wish on a falling star your wish comes true? In
this case it's one of last year's expired wishes that you should have
cancelled.
Nice to have a totally thief-proof car. Nicer still to have a spare
key.
Trapped in a bizarre time-warp, you spend a day in the stocks where a
medieval crowd pelts you with rotten eggs and shouts "That's for saying
the Earth goes around the sun."
When daylight saving starts, you don't get any more than you did
before.
The tooth fairy comes tonight. She's got the wrong address of course
but that's not going to stop her.
Your cat brings in a rabbit. You have it for dinner but let the rabbit
go.
Due to a remarkable set of co-incidences combining botanical and
physiological phenomena, you _will_ turn into a pumpkin if you're not in bed
by midnight tonight.

=============================================================Alan Gilmore
Phone: 03 680 6000
P.O. Box 57 alan.gilmore@canterbury.ac.nz
Lake Tekapo 7945
New Zealand
=========================

Phoenix Meetings + Almanacs

2007-10-20T20:08:00.000-07:00

Phoenix Meetings

Wellington Phoenix Meeting Tuesday the 23th of October 7:20pm @ Science House (Royal Society Buildings), Turnbull Street
http://www.astronomynz.org.nz/society-meetings/society-meetings.html

Wairarapa Phoenix Meeting Thursday the 25th of October 7:20pm @ the Phoenix clubrooms, Ahiaruhe, Wairarapa
http://www.astronomynz.org.nz/society-meetings/society-meetings.html

7:30pm Society News

7:40pm MAYAN MYSTERIES UNRAVELED A presentation by Kay Leather
The Maya is a Mesoamerican civilization, noted for the only fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, as well as its spectacular art, monumental architecture, and sophisticated mathematical and astronomical systems. In this presentation Kay will explore the remarkable astronomy of the Maya and discuss recent discoveries.

8:30pm Coffee Break

8:45pm DAWN OF THE MAYA A National Geographic Special (DVD) There is the great Maya civilization that we know and another that we are just discovering. Archealogists have recently discovered another Maya civilization that existed more than a thousand years before and, outshines the classical one that we know of. Its revelations are momentous: This civilization may have been one of the greatest that the world has ever known.

NZ Almanac
http://www.astronomynz.org.nz/almanac-2007/almanac-2007.html

The Almanac is a beautiful calendar with wonderful photographs taken by New Zealand astronomers. Every year the photographs seem to get better - and this coming years edition is no exception! The Almanac is also packed with information on various astronomical events occurring through out the year that is presented in an easily accessible calendar format. Almanacs make wonderful Christmas presents, so consider giving them as christmas stocking fillers.If you would like to be sure of receiving your Almanac in time for Christmas, then fill in the order form below and post back to us, with your cheque, as soon as possible.

-- Laintal on the WebHomepage
http://laintal.screenrevolution.co.nz/
NZ Astro Chat @ GoogleA Group for Everyone
http://groups.google.co.nz/group/NZAstroChat

Orionids Alert

2007-10-17T01:42:00.000-07:00

All,

Orionids Alert.Alert for Orionids peaking this weekend!! Do we watch Saturday morning down here?? Spaceweather alert today with pic.
Attachment.I posted a pic I took in Patutahi, looks like it could be two Taurids, can you spot the faint line in the Milky Way, similar angle and duration to the bright one. Pic is at www.astronomy.net.nz Gissy Gathering. Its my first ever meteor image, and of course now I’m hungry for more..

Make a segment for Warwicks Movie.This is a good opportunity to get out and shoot 3 hour segments of wide 30second shots back to back. Use multi shot mode and lock down the handpiece, its easy. If you want to help me collect frames, and need a handpiece, I’ll make one for you if it’s the 2.5mm mini jack style, that’s easy. I cant make the Canon fitting though, sorry. You don’t need fish eye, standard widest angle you got will do, and probably better, that’s what I’m going to use for clarity. (I got 18-55mm, equiv to 24-70 old school). He needs 360 frames of 1920 pixels width or greater, 800 or 1600 ISO, don’t worry about noise, I’ll send sae for cd/dvd if preferred. I could send USB stick if that’s even easier. So who is in??

Sci Fi.(My mate Module is talking about 100 usb memory sticks from Japan for $30, he says he’s going to do a lolly scramble at a show, with his new song in the stick!! Sci fi guys.. (Module is Jeramiah, his music is inspired by the sky, esp the night sky. http://www.myspace.com/modulelikesbeats )
Paul Moss.

http://www.spaceweather.com/ today: “ That streak of light is very likely a piece of Halley's Comet. Every year in October, Earth passes through a stream of Halley's dusty debris, giving rise to the Orionid meteor shower. This year, the display is expected to peak on Oct. 21st, but some of the meteors may be arriving early. "My camera captured three more Orionids on Oct. 13th," says Emfinger, while Doug Zubenel reports seeing at least ten Orionids from the 24th annual Okie-Tex Star

Party on Oct. 10th.
Do early Orionids bode well for peak-night? There's one way to find out: Watch the sky during the dark hours before sunrise on Sunday, Oct. 21st. If 2007 is like 2006, observers can expect 20 to 50 Orionids per hour: sky map.”

Earthlight on the New Moon

2007-10-16T15:38:00.000-07:00

Sky News from Paul

All,

Earthlight on the New Moon

I did a trial stack with the new moon tonight, a slight improvement on each frame, but now I know how to create a very good image given a day or two, by separating out each component and recombining downstream. I also attached a shot of the overall view, Scorpius, Antares and Jupiter, showing the light pollution on our house and TV antennae. The moon is useless at 10 seconds on a wide shot of course. Again a need arises for substituting the moon components, which I took at different exposures for later process. Those pics and their larger versions are on http://www.astronomy.net.nz/ now.

Red Rainbow in the sunset – Uenuku and Aniwaniwa
I cant show the really good pic that was sent to me today, as it’s a red rainbow. It’s a very special rainbow, shot in last nights sunset and sent 10 minutes later to me by Simon Baumfield, he was the diver that also took pics of the Whale (and the DNA samples) in Wellington Harbour yesterday. But you can see it on our site at http://www.sky.org.nz It is relatively rare, anyone else seen a red rainbow in NZ??

Monster of the Deep – A 12 Metre southern right whale at Te Rae Kai Hau Point
And the other pics I cant show you are 3 of the whale itself, sent to me tonight, not astronomic in some ways, but an intrinsic part of Maori Navigation so it has a valid connection in my view. I can say that the shots are awesome, and the best is being published with one of my sunsets in a new calendar to raise funds for STP (Save The Point Organisation), cool. So in another way, both those non-astro shots are also connected to astronomy, as saving the point will protect us from increased light pollution. It looks like we may have to go to the high court, the madness seems to persist. Story at http://www.stuff.co.nz/4237494a10.html

Shifting

2007-10-11T02:50:00.000-07:00

Shifting

Things have been real busy the last two weeks, 5 other flatmates and myself have moved from Mt Vic in Central Wellington to The Sourthern Suburbs Buckley Rd Southgate.

Amazing views I’ll have to post a few!

We have only now connected up our internet!

See You Laintal

Phoenix Meetings

2007-10-11T02:48:00.000-07:00

Wellington Phoenix Meeting
Tuesday the 23th of October
7:20pm @ Science House (Royal Society Buildings), Turnbull Street
http://www.astronomynz.org.nz/society-meetings/society-meetings.html

Wairarapa Phoenix Meeting
Thursday the 25th of October
7:20pm @ the Phoenix clubrooms, Ahiaruhe, Wairarapa
http://www.astronomynz.org.nz/society-meetings/society-meetings.html

7:30pm Society News

7:40pm MAYAN MYSTERIES UNRAVELED

A presentation by Kay Leather

The Maya is a Mesoamerican civilization, noted for the only fully
developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, as well as its
spectacular art, monumental architecture, and sophisticated mathematical
and astronomical systems. In this presentation Kay will explore the
remarkable astronomy of the Maya and discuss recent discoveries.

8:30pm Coffee Break

8:45pm DAWN OF THE MAYA
A National Geographic Special (DVD)
There is the great Maya civilization that we know and another that we
are just discovering. Archealogists have recently discovered another
Maya civilization that existed more than a thousand years before and,
outshines the classical one that we know of. Its revelations are
momentous: This civilization may have been one of the greatest that the
world has ever known.

NZ Almanac 2008

2007-10-02T00:00:00.000-07:00

NZ Almanac 2008

The Almanac is a beautiful calendar with wonderful photographs taken by New Zealand astronomers. Every year the photographs seem to get better - and this coming years edition is no exception! The Almanac is also packed with information on various astronomical events occurring through out the year that is presented in an easily accessible calendar format. Almanacs make wonderful Christmas presents, so consider giving them as christmas stocking fillers.If you would like to be sure of receiving your Almanac in time for Christmas, then fill in the order form below and post back to us, with your cheque, as soon as possible.

Almanac Info
http://www.astronomynz.org.nz/almanac-2007/almanac-2007-2.html

Order Form
http://www.astronomynz.org.nz/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=57

Contact person
Kay Leather hellfa@xtra.co.nz

October Astronomy Events

2007-10-01T22:51:00.000-07:00

Hi NZ Astronomers

Wellington and Wairarapa Astronomy Events for October 2007

New Members are always welcome along, including visitors from around NZ and overseas.

Please note the new dates of this Months Phoenix Meetings

Thanks Edwin

Wellington Phoenix Meeting
Tuesday the 23th of October
7:20pm @ Science House (Royal Society Buildings), Turnbull Street
http://www.astronomynz.org.nz/society-meetings/society-meetings.html

Wairarapa Phoenix Meeting
Friday the 26th of October
7:20pm @ the Phoenix clubrooms, Ahiaruhe, Wairarapa
http://www.astronomynz.org.nz/society-meetings/society-meetings.html

Wellington WAS Meeting
Joel Baker Meteorites
Wednesday the 10th of October
7:25pm @ Science House (Royal Society Buildings), Turnbull Street
http://www.was.org.nz/

The speaker for the October WAS meeting at 7.30pm on Wednesday, October 10 is Joel Baker who will be talking about meteorites. Meteorites that arrive at Earth from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter are our oldest samples of the Solar System and preserve a remarkable and unique record of the formation of the Sun and the planets ca. 4.567 billion years ago. Different meteorites contain a record of the processes of solid formation and planet building in the infant Solar System. I will describe how we use isotopic forensics at Victoria University of Wellington to study these meteorites, which has two main objectives. Firstly, we use isotopic clocks date meteorites in order to establish a high-resolution timescale for solid, planet and comet formation in the infant Solar System. We then measure the isotope ratios of selected elements in these meteorites to high precision. Because specific isotopes of certain elements are produced by certain nuclear reactions in different types of stars this allows us to build a picture of the environment in the vicinity of the proto-Solar System and constrain the astrophysical setting necessary for building stellar and planetary systems like our own.

Phoenix Observing Evening
To Be Announced
Phoenix Observing Evening
With Master Observers Ian Cooper and Chris Picking

6:30pm @ the Phoenix clubrooms, Ahiaruhe, Wairarapa
Please book by contacting Chris Picking by email: picking@attglobal.net
http://www.astronomynz.org.nz/observing/observing.html

Wellington Spaceflight Meeting

Cancelled – Due to the redevelopment of Carter Observatory Spaceflight meetings will resume later in the Year.

http://www.nzspace.org.nz/meetings.htm

The Galactic Circle Kids Space and Astronomy Club

Galactic Circle: Wednesday the 19th September @ The Thomas King Observatory 4:30PM. The Thomas King Observatory is located next to Carter Observatory. The Galactic Circle is WAS's junior astronomy club and meets on the third Wednesday of each month.

For more details, contact
Marilyn Head at (04) 389 0882 (w), email marilyn@actrix.gen.nz or web www.galaxy.wellington.net.nz

Pauatahanui Star Party
6th of October
Observing will start after dark. Contact John Field
john.field@paradise.net.nz
The Phone number at Pauatahanui is 021-102-6056.

Gifford Star Party
13th of October
This Saturday Duncan Hall will open the Gifford Observatory behind Wellington College from 8 pm to 10 pm. The observatory has a fine 130mm Zeiss-Rumsey-Nankivell refractor and a flat area should you want to bring your own telescope or binoculars.

Contact telephone numbers are 474-5350 or PH 021-615-905
Contact Duncan Hall duncan.hall@ieee.org

September Astrophotography Targets from John Drummond

1. Lens - M31 in Andromeda - a large mag 4 galaxy currently culminating about 1am. I know it's a smallish target but in 6 degree FOV frame it should look nice.

2. Telescope/Easy - NGC 55 in Sculptor. It's mag 8.4 and 31' x 6'. It culminates about 12:30am. RA: 00 15, Declination: -39 13.

3. Telescope/Hard - NGC 1365 in Fornax. Type: SBb galaxy. RA: 03 33, Declination: -36 08. Magnitude: 10.3. Major axis: 11.00 arcminutes, minor axis: 6.2 RISES about 7:35pm.

2007 RASNZAPS astrophotography camp

Hi all,

just a quickie to advise that the 2007 RASNZAPS astrophotography camp will be held near Gisborne in early October 2007 - as per the voting outcomes from earlier polls. It will be held on my small farm from Friday 5th - Sunday 7th October - although people are welcome to stay Thurs - Sun nights. Cost is $15 per person per night - this includes a BBQ each night.

For details see:
http://www.possumob servatory. co.nz/gissy_ gathering- 2007.htm
or
http://tinyurl. com/2udb3b

Cheers

John Drummond, RASNZAPS DirectorPossum Observatory (IAU Code: E94)Gisborne, New ZealandE 177° 53', S 38° 38'Email: john_drummond@ xtra.co.nzWebsite: http://www.possumob servatory. co.nzImages: http://www.possumob servatory. co.nz/latest_ images-all- continuing. htm

RASNZ Astrophotography Section: http://www.rasnzaps .co.nzRASNZ Comet and Meteor Section: http://www.cometeor .co.nz

Carter Observatory e-Newsletter

The October edition of the Carter Observatory e-Newsletter can be found at :-

http://newsletter.carterobservatory.org/2007/Oct07/

Regards

Brian.

Stardate 2008

Stardate will be held at Tukituki, near Havelock North from the 10-14 January, 2008.

We have yet to confirm some of the costs, and details will be published in the newsletter as soon as possible.

http://www.astronomynz.org.nz/stardate/expression-of-interest.html

Astro Reminders put together by

Edwins News and Reminders page
http://tinyurl.com/jb6oj

Paul Moss
http://www.astronomy.net.nz/

Edwin Rod
http://laintal.screenrevolution.co.nz/

Phoenix Meetings

2007-09-25T00:52:00.000-07:00

Phoenix Meetings

Wellington Phoenix Meeting
Thursday the 27th of September7pm @ Science House (Royal Society Buildings), Turnbull Street http://www.astronomynz.org.nz/society-meetings/society-meetings.html

Wairarapa Phoenix MeetingFriday the 28th of September7:20pm @ the Phoenix clubrooms, Ahiaruhe, Wairarapa
http://www.astronomynz.org.nz/society-meetings/society-meetings.html

For both the topic is "THE SKY AT NIGHT" and this one looks at thespring night sky. There will be a smörgåsbord of topics and speakers.The topics and speakers will not be the same at the two meetings. Among the subjects under discussion will be the Andomeda Galaxy, Galaxies inPhoenix, and the Geminid meteors.

Childrens Yoga

2007-09-25T00:51:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone!
I just wanted to mention to the parents who haven't enrolled the kids
in the Monday classes for the four to eight year old please do so.
People are calling and wanting to enroll but most may do it at the
last minute. I can only take up to eight.
I was going to send forms out but it would be great if I could trust
your word of enrolling and you can just pay and fill out the forms
before the class. If you are a Student at the studio you can fill
out the forms and Pay when you take class.
I have been asked by New Zealand national radio to be interviewed
about the kids yoga. They will want to interview the kids and
parents.
If you have been coming to the Saturday classes you are already
prepared, as well as your child. The parents will be interviewed.
after the kids take the class.
If you are planning to enroll for the Mondays you are welcome to
participate in the Saturday class when the program will be taped. It
sounds like fun!!!!!
If you have been doing Yoga yourself, this gives you the opportunity
to express your thoughts on the importance of yoga in your family.
I also want to add if you came to the first class and you were a
parent in the room, just to inform you the kids are doing great
without the parents, so maybe you want to give it another try. Being
it was my first class now that I am on my 6th week things are more
consistent.
I want to thank you all for coming consistently.
So far I am so happy to see the kids learning what they can from
something so hard to explain to a little one.
I have said to some of you this yoga for kids is unlike other
activities because the competitiveness and expectations are taken out
of the activity. When that happens another window in the brain opens
up.
If you have any questions please email me.
Warm regards,
Nicole Critelli
Young Yogis
Bikram Yoga Center
133-139 Tory Street
Wellington NZ
021 2122 144

RASNZ E-Newsletter

2007-09-22T21:31:00.000-07:00

RASNZ E-Newsletter

From Alan Gilmore RASNZ

Thanks Edwin

=================================================. Royal Astronomical Society of
New Zealand
Email Newsletter Number 85, 23 September 2007
=================================================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. Total Lunar Eclipse
2. 2008 RASNZ Conference
3. The Solar System in October
4. Stargazers Getaway Summary
5. Waharua Report
6. Harley Wood Winter School Report
7. Astrophotography Camp 2007
8. Council Nominations Sought
9. 2007 AGM Minutes Available
10. Stardate North Island 2008
11. Stardate South Island 2008
12. NZ IYA Website - Biographies Needed
13. Comet Gilmore P/2007 Q2
14. K-T Extinctions Due to Asteroid Collision Debris?
15. Giant Hole in the Universe
16. Nearest Neutron Star?
17. Stars v. Sand Recounted
18. How to Join the RASNZ
19. The Biggest Dob in the World

==============================================================1. Total Lunar Eclipse
----------------------
The total lunar eclipse was widely observed in New Zealand with numerous
pictures displayed to the nzastronomers group. The moon went as dark as
expected. In rural locations the reappearance of the Milky Way and faint
stars was dramatic.

The Editor, with thick eyeglasses removed, estimated the eclipsed moon's
total magnitude at around magnitude -1, a bit fainter than Jupiter. Thus
the eclipsed moon was around 1/30 000th of the full moon's brightness; an
estimate confirmed by Fraser Gunn from the ratios of photographic
exposures required.

==============================================================2. 2008 RASNZ
Conference
------------------------
The Conference Hosts, Canterbury Astronomical Society and the RASNZ
Standing Conference Committee are now planning for the 2008 RASNZ
Conference and we look forward to seeing many of you at Lake Tekapo next
year. If you have a 2008 Diary or Planner please note the dates now 23 -
25 May. This is a few weeks earlier in the year than recent conferences
and it will be necessary to book early. Registrations forms will be posted
on the RASNZ website http://www.rasnz.org.nz/ as soon as they are
available. The conference will be focussing on the dark skies of the
region and the proposal to form a Dark Sky Heritage Park of the Mackenzie
Basin.

Special conference workshop - CCD Photometry
--------------------------------------------
A special workshop will be held on Friday 23rd May 2008 for those
interested in CCD Photometry. This workshop introduces you to the
principles and practice of CCD photometry as applied to brightness
measurements of variable stars and asteroids. The technique to be studied
is unfiltered differential time-series photometry, the simplest of all CCD
photometric methods yet the one most widely used by amateurs. For further
details go to the RASNZ website http://www.rasnz.org.nz/ and follow the
2008Conference link. The workshop is strictly limited to 20 persons so
you are advised to pre-register your interested in this workshop by
sending an email to Pauline Loader at varstar@rasnz.org.nz to have a place
reserved for you.

Call for Papers
---------------
Now is the time to start thinking about your presentation at the RASNZ
Conference. We would particularly like to hear from you if you have
worked or observed at Mt John but presentations from others will also be
welcome. Conference paper submission forms are available on the RASNZ
website. Send your submission to Conferences@rasnz.org.nz

-- Pauline Loader

==============================================================3. The Solar System in
October
------------------------------
The usual notes on the visibility of the Planets for October 2007 have
been placed on the RASNZ web site:
http://www.rasnz.org.nz/SolarSys/Oct_07.htm. Notes for November 2007 will
be in place in a few days.

THE PLANETS IN OCTOBER

MERCURY will start the month readily visible as the sky darkens following
sunset. On October 1 the planet at magnitude 0.1 will be about 16 degrees
up and to the west, 45 minutes after sunset.

Mercury will be in Virgo moving towards Libra. On October 12 the planet
will be on the border of the constellation, but on the 12th it is also
stationary after which it will move back into Virgo and towards the Sun.
As a result it will rapidly get lower from night to night in the evening
sky and rapidly get fainter. On the 15th of October it will be about 10
degrees up 45 minutes after sunset at magnitude 1.3. 2 nights later the
corresponding figures are 7 degrees and magnitude 1.9 and by October 19,
1.5 degrees and magnitude 2.7

The Moon, a very thin crescent less than 4% lit, will be 2.8 degrees
directly above Mercury on October 13.

Mercury reaches inferior conjunction on October 24 after which it will
move into the morning sky.

JUPITER is the only other naked eye planet visible in the evening,
although by the end of the month it will set shortly before midnight
(NZDT). As a result the planet will be low later in the evening. Jupiter
remains in Ophiuchus in October. Its distance from Antares will slowly
increase during the month.

VENUS will be a brilliant but rather low object in the dawn sky throughout
October. It will rise a little under 2 hours before the Sun and be nearly
round to the northeast shortly before sunrise. It reaches its greatest
elongation east of the Sun on October 29.

The planet will be in Leo and move past the brightest star, Regulus. The
two are closest on October 8 and 9 when Venus will be less than 3degrees
above the star. The crescent waning Moon also joins them on the morning of
October 8, some 7 degrees to the left of Venus and Regulus. After passing
Regulus, Venus will move towards Saturn. The two are closest on the
morning of October 14, when Venus will be 3 degrees above Saturn.

Venus reaches its maximum elongation, 46 degrees west of the Sun on
October 29, NZDT.

MARS will continue to be a morning object throughout October, rising about
2.30 am NZDT at the beginning of the month, and just over an hour earlier
at the end. It will brighten a little from magnitude -0.1 to -0.6. Half an
hour before sunrise, Mars will be to the north and fairly low, with an
altitude ranging from about 30° at Auckland to 20°at Invercargill.
At the end of September Mars moved from Taurus into Gemini. Throughout
October it will be moving to the east through the latter constellation.
The Moon will pass Mars twice during the month. On the morning of October
3 the 58% lit Moon will be 6° below the planet. On October 31 the Moon,
73% lit, will be 4.5° below it.

SATURN will be a low object to the east and difficult to see in the dawn
sky early in the month. But finding the planet should be made easier as
Venus and Saturn close in on one another. On the morning of October 13
Venus will be just over 3° above Saturn with the star Regulus (magnitude
1.4) some 4° to the left of Venus. Over the next few mornings, Venus will
move to the right of Saturn and gradually get a little lower compared to
Saturn, until on the morning of October 22 will be about level and just
over 6° apart.

Earlier in the month, on the morning of October 8, the thin crescent Moon
will be only 1.5° to the right of Saturn, but the two will be very low
about half way between northeast and east 45 minutes before sunrise.
By the end of October, Saturn will rise more than 2 hours before the Sun,
so will become a little easier to find. It will be about 15° up 40 minutes
before sunrise.

OUTER PLANETS

Both Uranus and Neptune set well after midnight throughout October and so
are well placed in the evening sky. Uranus is in Aquarius between phi and
lambda, slowly moving towards the latter. Neptune is in Capricornus,
just under 2 degrees from iota, magnitude 4.3

BRIGHTER ASTEROIDS:

(1) Ceres will be a late evening object, rising about 11 pm NZDT on
October 1 and 8:40 pm on the 31st. During the month the asteroid
brightens from magnitude 8.0 to 7.4, so will become the brightest asteroid
visible during October. Ceres starts the month in Taurus and will be
less than half a degree south of omicron Tau, magnitude 3.6, on October
19. It moves on into Cetus on the 21st.

(4) Vesta starts October in Ophiuchus at magnitude 7.6, some 24' from the
magnitude 4.16 star 44 Oph. On October 4 it passes 1.24' north of the
4.80 star 51 Oph. This is so close the relative movement of Vesta should
be detectable within a few minutes. The asteroid moves on into
Sagittarius on October 11 and ends the month at magnitude 7.8. By then it
will set just after 1 am NZDT.

-- Brian Loader

==============================================================4. Stargazers Getaway
Summary
-----------------------------
Late afternoon, Friday 7th September saw the first arrivals at Camp Iona,
Herbert, a few kilometres south of Oamaru. Some set up telescopes on the
grassed areas before sunset, hoping that the remaining clouds would
disperse for a fine evening. After tea Phil Barker welcomed those present
and discussed the programme for the weekend. As by now the clouds had
completely dispersed most opted for a fine evening's viewing of the
magnificent dark skies, while a few not so hardy souls chatted round the
log file in the main hall.

Saturday morning after a late breakfast we gathered in the hall. Euan
Mason started the morning's talks by answering the question "Why do I have
so many eyepieces?" Euan discussed a number of different types of
eyepieces, their characteristics and features. The type of eyepiece to
use depends on many factors including not only the telescope and intended
target but factors such as eye relief, exit pupil, coatings and the size
of one's wallet all needing to be taken into account when choosing an
eyepiece.

Paul Rodmell then gave us an overview of his trip to Egypt, Turkey and
Europe last year. This included viewing the Solar Eclipse and also
visiting historic places in Turkey and Europe. As Paul had also visited
the USA he treated us to shots of the Viking Lander at the Kennedy Space
centre and Discovery being moved to the launching pad.

After lunch was free time. Some took the opportunity to visit the vintage
farm machinery at Maheno a few kilometres away while others visited
friends and relatives in Dunedin.

Saturday evening we again assembled in the hall. To start with we observed
a few moments of silence to pay our respects for George Patterson who died
a few months ago. A few people remembered how he had started running
Stardate South Island. He had been a familiar figure at the Herbert
weekends for a number of years.

A number of people took the opportunity of a "soapbox" session to give
brief talks on items of interest. Robert Rea demonstrated the Seeker
Software he had recently acquired as his Murray Geddes prize. Pauline
Loader mentioned the 2008 RASNZ conference to be held in Tekapo Village.
A CCD Photometry workshop will be held during the day prior to the start
of the conference. Marilyn Head spoke about the International Year of
Astronomy in 2009. She is collecting information about NZ astronomers,
past and present, amateur and professional to go on the New Zealand IYA
website. Malcolm Flain talked about what was up or down, left or
right. Star charts can be very confusing, particularly for beginners.

As, by now, the sky had cleared again about half those present opted to
make the most of the good conditions to put in some more stargazing. The
remainder stayed in the warm to hear Steve Butler's presentation on light
pollution. Steve has added various quotes from both our Prime Minister
and policy documents showing that some bodies are beginning to take into
account the need for appropriate lighting and consider the effects of
excessive artificial light on the environment.

On Sunday morning after another late breakfast we again gathered in the
hall, this time to hear Brian Loader present and demonstrate various
software programmes for the Occult. This was a follow up to the
Occultation Symposium following this year's RASNZ conference. Brian
demonstrated some of the capabilities of Dave Herald's "Occult"
program. He also showed LI Movie to analyse and produce graph of a minor
planet occultation from a video of the event. Finally he showed how
Hristo Pavlov's Occult Watcher can be used to ensure observers receive
updated information about forthcoming events and where intending observers
are located.

After all this technology Lyn Taylor gave us a talk about the work of
Jeremiah Horrocks, the father of British Astronomy. Horrocks lived on the
17th century and observed the Transit of Venus in 1639. While at Cambridge
he became familiar with the works of Kepler and Tycho Brahe. Using his own
observations of the Sun he was able to determine that the astronomical
table produce by Lansberg were not accurate and correctly predicted the
transit. Horrocks also determined that the Moon's orbit is elliptical and
suggested that the Sun as well as the earth influenced the moons orbit.

At the end of the morning thanks were given to the organisers, Phil Barker
and Ross Dickie for organising another very enjoyable weekend.

-- Pauline Loader

==============================================================5. Waharua Report
-----------------
Dave Brock reported briefly to nzastronomers on the gathering at
Auckland's dark sky site:

Well, the Waharau weekend [September 7-9] was not quite as good, weather-
wise, as the Herbert one it seems, but Friday night was clear for a few
hours and then the clouds came and went continuously until I finally
called it quits around 4 a.m. Saturday was overcast and with no obvious
signs of clearing a lot of people left late afternoon.

========================================================6. Harley Wood Winter School
Report
-----------------------------------
Robyn Woollands, University Canterbury astronomy MSc student, reports on
her attendance at the Harely Wood Winter School:

The Harley Wood Winter School (HWWS) and the Astronomical Society of
Australia (ASA) meeting were hosted by Sydney's Macquarie University, and
took place from 28th June to 5th July 2007. The HWWS is a series of
lectures for honours and postgraduate astronomy and astrophysics students,
which preceeds the annual ASA meeting. This year the HWWS was held at
Potters Hotel and Brewery in Cessnock, Hunter Valley. The theme was "Ideas
to Answers", and focussed on astronomical tools and techniques. 59
participants attended the two-day conference which consisted of several
interesting lectures and discussion sessions. Some of the social events
included a pre-conference trivia night and dinner, as well as an observing
session.

The ASA meeting was held on the Macquarie University campus and started
with a pre-conference drinks and registration on the Sunday evening which
gave the 155 participants a chance to get to know each other and discuss
ideas. Over the four days, 90 talks were presented and 63 posters were up
on display. The conference dinner and the presentation of prizes were held
on the Wednesday night at Curzon Hall. This is a magnificent 19th Century
Manor, set on three acres of manicured gardens.

Attending the HWWS and the ASA meeting was an excellent opportunity to
meet new people and learn more about the different fields of astronomy
research being done in Australia. Presenting a poster at the ASA meeting
also allowed people to see what type of work we are doing in New Zealand.
I am grateful for the funding I received from the Royal Astronomical
Society of New Zealand's, Kingdon-Tomlinson Grant, which contributed to
covering my travel expenses to this informative and interesting
conference.

========================================================7. Astrophotography Camp
2007
-----------------------------
Friday 5th - Sunday/Monday 7th/8th October 2007, Possum Observatory,
Gisborne.

A gathering of astrophotographers at a dark site near Gisborne

* The third annual RASNZ Astrophotography Section camp will be held at a
dark sky site about 11 km from Gisborne (NZ) from Friday 5th until Sunday
7th October 2007 (people are welcome to stay Thursday, Friday, Saturday,
Sunday nights if they wish though - it's the last weekend of the school
holidays).

* The focus of the weekend will be astrophotography - where we image at
night and discuss imaging and processing techniques during the day (but
people are more than welcome to just come and observe the celestial
splendours overhead - I have two 41cm scopes, a 20cm, etc).

* It will be held on a small farm near the little township of Patutahi.
The site offers a dark sky. The weather in Gisborne is often fine and so
we're hoping for a clear weekend.

* The weekend costs $15 per person, per night to cover power and water -
and a nightly BBQ. Accommodation is either tents, caravans (bring your
own), or sleeping communally in John's house (space is also available in a
8 x 6m shed ). If you want a fun observing weekend you're welcome to
come!!!

If you are keen on coming please contact John Drummond
(john_drummond@xtra.co.nz). My home number is (06) 8627 557, my mobile is
0275 609 287.
For more information go to:
http://www.possumobservatory.co.nz:80/gissy_gathering-2007.htm
Please note that directions and maps are on the webpage.

-- John Drummond, Director, RASNZ Astrophotography Section

==============================================================8. Council Nominations
Sought
--------------------------------
At the Annual General Meeting in 2008, the term of the present council
comes to an end. It is therefore necessary to call upon members to
consider who they wish to nominate to Council for the next two years. We
need to elect the president, a vice-president (who will by custom be
nominated for president in two years' time), the secretary, the treasurer,
and five councillors. Two more councillors will be appointed by the
Affiliated Societies Committee, and the council may co-opt others if they
are needed.

Nominations in all categories must be made by two currently financial
members of the RASNZ, and must contain a signed statement by the nominee
that he/she is willing to be nominated. A short (200 words) biographical
note can also be included.

A nomination form is available at
http://www.rasnz.org.nz/Nomination08.rtf
Please use this as a guide if you wish, but it is also possible to send in
the nomination without using the form, as long as all the necessary
information is included. The form cannot be used online, as there must be
signatures from the nominee and the two nominators.

Nominations should be sent to the Executive Secretary, Pam Kilmartin, P.O.
Box 57, Lake Tekapo 7945, to be received before 24 February 2008. An
election may be held during April 2008.

-- Pam Kilmartin, Executive Secretary

Nominations for Newsletter Editor would also be welcomed. -Ed

==============================================================9. 2007 AGM Minutes
Available
-----------------------------
Brian Loader advises that the minutes of the AGM held on 30 June 2007 at
Manukau are now available on the RASNZ website as a pdf
file at <http://www.rasnz.org.nz/Minutes/0706AGM.pdf>

==============================================================10. Stardate North
Island 2008
------------------------------
Stardate will be held at Tukituki, near Havelock North from Thursday
January 10 - Monday January 14 2008
For details see
http://www.astronomynz.org.nz/stardate/expression-of-interest.html

-- Edwin Rod in a note to the nzastronomers group

========================================================11. Stardate South Island
2008
------------------------------
Stardate South Island will be held at Staveley, inland from Christchurch
(a long way inland!), on Feb 15-17, Friday to Sunday. Stavely is a
dark-sky site with cabins, kitchen, lecture theatre and camping ground.
More details in the next Newsletter.

==============================================================12. NZ IYA Website -
Biographies Needed
----------------------------------------
Marilyn head, RASNZ Publicity officer, writes:

The NZ International Year of Astronomy (IYA) site is up and running thanks
to the sterling efforts of Roland Idacsyk at
http://www.astronomy2009.org.nz

To make it as useful as possible we'd like it to be comprehensive so
please let me know if you want any events - and that includes any from now
until the end of 2009 - to be posted.

A critical part is the section that deals with NZ astronomers - past,
present and overseas. We would like to include as many active astronomers
as we can - it should end up being the Who's Who of NZ astronomy. So we
would like all individuals and societies to send me (not Roland) names and
very short profiles with any relevant links to be posted. Hopefully this
will encourage societies to dig up some information about older members so
that it is an accurate historical record too. We'd also be very grateful
if you could pass this message on to people you know overseas to
contribute too. Don't be shy!!!! Do add any links to articles other sites
and references.

I've given an example below. You can write it in sentences, note form
however you like. There will just be a short paragraph for most people but
for the likes of Albert Jones, etc, more is fine. Photos are good. If you
have a website with all the info just the link will be fine.

Example:
Head, Marilyn. b 1953 - Wellington Astronomical Society; RASNZ, Publicity
officer; Coordinator Galactic Circle Kids Space and Astronomy Club;
Editor Galaxy- Te Korurangi astronomy magazine for kids downunder 1999
-2004; Restoration of Gifford Observatory.
http://www.gifford-observatory.wellington.net.nz/; Astronomy
columnist Dominion Post.
http://www.writerfind.com/mhead.htm

========================================================13. Comet Gilmore P/2007 Q2
---------------------------
The Editor discovered a very faint periodic comet in August. It orbits the
sun in 13 years, ranging from just outside the orbit of Mars, where
it is now, to near the orbit of Saturn.

The comet was first noticed on images taken with Mt John's one-metre
McLellan telescope on August 22, during follow-up work on near-Earth
asteroids. The comet was first thought to be an asteroid as it
appeared as a small star-like spot on CCD images. It was observed again
on the 24th. From these measurements the Minor Planet Center in Cambridge,
Massachusetts determined that it was in an orbit more usual for short-
period comets. Astronomers at Guangzhou in China and Siding Spring in
Australia saw a very tiny coma and short faint tail, confirming its
cometary nature. Though at its brightest now, the comet is very faint,
19th magnitude: around one-millionth the brightness of the faintest stars
visible to the naked eye. The comet is designated P/2007 Q2 Gilmore.

More details are in the upcoming issue of Southern Stars.

-- Alan Gilmore

========================================================14. K-T Extinctions Due to
Asteroid Collision Debris?
-----------------------------------------------------
That the collision of two asteroids 160 million years ago led to the
demise of the dinosaurs is a suggestion made in the September 6th issue of
Nature by William Bottke and his colleagues at the Southwest Research
Institute in Boulder, Colorado.

Asteroids or minor planets, most of which are located between the orbits
of Mars and Jupiter, often come in families. Members share both chemical
composition (which can be deduced from the spectrum of the light they
reflect) and orbital characteristics. The assumption is that such families
are the daughters of single, larger bodies that have been hit by other
asteroids and smashed into pieces. Dr Bottke thinks he has traced
one such family back to its original collision.

The largest member of the family in question is called Baptistina, and is
some 40km across. In addition to her, the team identified many more than
2,000 smaller objects as belonging to the same family. They were able to
do this by looking at those asteroids' orbits in detail.

The orbits of asteroids are slowly changed by sunlight due to the
Yarkovsky effect. Heat radiation from the hotter 'afternoon' side of an
asteroid provides a tiny push that gradually distorts the asteroid's
orbit. The smaller the asteroid in question, the faster that distortion
happens. The result is that the daughters of Baptistina have become
scattered farther and farther away from their mother. From the pattern of
this scattering, and from the sizes of the asteroids (which tells you how
fast they will scatter), it is possible to calculate the date of the
original collision. That turns out to be 160m years ago, give or take
about 20m years.

That the dinosaurs were killed off 65 million years ago by an asteroid
impact is now widely accepted. The impact ended the Cretaceous geological
era and began the Tertiary period: it produced the K-T boundary. Dr
Bottke's contention is that the deed was done by one of Baptistina's
daughters. His evidence is twofold. First, the surviving debris from the
devastating impact has the same composition as Baptistina and her
offspring. That is a necessary but not a sufficient condition, as the type
of rock involved, called carbonaceous chondrite, is found in other
asteroids, too.

The second line of evidence is the "case of the missing daughters".
The cluster of Baptistina's young has a gap in it. This corresponds to a
place where the gravitational pulls of Mars and Jupiter have conspired to
change the orbits of any asteroids much faster than the Yarkovsky effect
could manage alone. Such asteroids would rapidly have adopted orbits that
cut across those of the inner planets, including Earth. Many of the larger
ones would have started arriving about 100m years ago. Sooner or later,
collisions would have been inevitable.

Those collisions are why the asteroids that ought to be in the space are
missing. They are probably also the explanation for the fact that, over
the past 100m years or so, the number of asteroids that have hit the Earth
is about twice that which would have been expected. Taking into account
the circumstances that pertained 65m years ago, Dr Bottke reckons it more
than 90% probable that the dinosaur killer was one of Baptistina's
daughters.

The hole made by that collision, in what is now the Yucatan Peninsula in
southern Mexico, has long since been buried in thick layers of sediment
under the sea. But anyone with a pair of field glasses can see for
themselves what Baptistina's daughters are capable of.

The lunar crater Tycho, near the moon's south pole, is 85km across. It is
surrounded by rays of ejecta that stretch across much of the southern
lunar hemisphere, indicating the violence of the impact that formed it. It
is thought to be just over 100m years old (Apollo 17 brought back material
from the site, which allowed it to be dated), and it is reckoned by Dr
Bottke to be the result of the moon encountering one of the first
of Baptistina's progeny to arrive in the inner solar system. It is a
beautiful sight. But you would not have wanted to witness, at close
quarters, its creation.

-- abridged from The Economist, 2007 September 8, p. 85-6.
See the full story at
http://www.economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9762806

==============================================================15. Giant Hole in the
Universe
------------------------------
A void in space nearly a billion light-years across has been found by a
team of radio astronomers. The "hole" is located in the direction of
Eridanus. Previous sky surveys that have traced the large-scale structure
of the nearby Universe have long shown how the clustering of galaxies is
strung into vast filaments and sheets that are separated by great gaps.
But the void discovered by a University of Minnesota team is about 1,000
times the volume of what would be expected in typical cosmic gaps. The
void is roughly 6-10 billion light-years away and takes a sizeable chunk
out of the visible Universe in its direction.

The team used data from the US National Radio Astronomy Observatory's VLA
Sky Survey (NVSS) to make its discovery. The Very Large Array (VLA) is a
collection of 27 radio telescopes in New Mexico.

The finding is said to fit neatly with observations of the Universe's
"oldest light" - the famous Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation,
the study of which has earned several scientists the Nobel Prize.
This is the radiation that comes from just 380,000 years after the Big
Bang when the Universe had cooled to such a degree that hydrogen atoms
could exist. Before that time the Universe would have been so hot that
matter and light would have been "coupled" - the cosmos would have been
opaque.

Today, this light shines at microwave wavelengths at a frigid -270C; and
observations of the CMB made by NASA's Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy
Probe show a particular "cold spot" in the direction of the newly
identified void. The explanation for this may lie in the enigmatic "dark
energy" that scientists know so little about but which is said to be
accelerating the expansion of the Universe.

Light particles passing through the void would be expected to lose a
little more energy than those passing through space cluttered with matter
- if dark energy is stretching the Universe apart at a faster and faster
rate. Scientists refer to this as the Integrated Sachs-Wolfe Effect and a
corresponding "warm spot" in the CMB associated with an area of space
dominated by a supercluster of galaxies was identified some years ago.
"In essence, this latest study gives us a very elegant demonstration of
the existence of dark energy in a way which is very convincing," commented
Professor Carlos Frenk, the director of the Institute for Computational
Cosmology at Durham University, UK. "We keep getting evidence for dark
energy, this component of the Universe which is so dominant, and yet we
still have only a tiny glimmer of what it could be."

The reason the void exists is not known. "That's going to be a challenge
for people that work on the development of structure in the Universe. It's
a very hot topic in the cosmology right now," said Minnesota's Professor
Lawrence Rudnick, lead author of the Astrophysical Journal paper.

Abridged from a BBC News item:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/science/nature/6962185.stm

==============================================================16. Nearest Neutron
Star?
-------------------------
Using NASA's Swift satellite, McGill University and Penn State
University astronomers have identified an object that is likely one
of the closest neutron stars to Earth -- and possibly the closest.

The object was noted in a comparison of a catalogue of 18,000 X-ray
sources from the German-American ROSAT satellite, which operated from 1990
to 1999, with catalogues of objects that appear in visible light, infrared
light, and radio waves. The ROSAT source known as 1RXS J141256.0+792204
did not appear to have a counterpart at any other wavelength.

The group aimed Swift at the object in August 2006. Swift's X-ray
telescope showed that the source was still there, and emitting about
the same amount of X-ray energy as it had during the ROSAT era. Swift
enabled the group to pinpoint the object's position more accurately, and
confirmed that it was not associated with any known object.

Further observations with the 8.1-meter Gemini North Telescope in Hawaii,
and NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, showed that the object was not
visible down to a very faint magnitude. Chandra's sharper X-ray vision
sees the object as point-like, consistent with the neutron-star
interpretation.

According to Robert Rutledge of McGill University there are no widely
accepted alternative theories for objects that are bright in X-rays and
faint in visible light. Exactly which type of neutron star it is,
however, remains a mystery. It is either an unusual example of a known
type of neutron star, or it is some new type of neutron star, the first of
its kind.

In all likelihood, the neutron star is the remnant of a star that lived in
our galaxy's starry disk before exploding as a supernova. In order to
reach its current position, it had to wander some distance out of the
disk. But exactly how far? "The best guess is that it is still close to
its birthplace, and therefore close to Earth," says Rutledge. If this
interpretation is correct, the object is 250 to 1,000 light-years away.
This would make it one of the closest known neutron stars -- possibly the
closest. If so then it could represent the tip of the iceberg for isolated
neutron stars.

-- adapted from a Pennsylvania Stat University press release forwarded by
Karen Pollard.

==============================================================17. Stars v. Sand
Recounted
---------------------------
Last month's note about the number of grains of sand on all the world's
beaches versus the number of stars in the universe generated an
informative debate.

Lloyd Esler of Southland Museum begged to differ:
"Can I take issue with your stars versus grains of sand estimate?
10,000 grains in a handful is a gross underestimate. 10,000 grains
of sand will cling to a wet fingertip. The figure is more like 10
million. Here is the Esler Sand Grain Counting Technique - open for
refinement.
1) Measure a cubic centimetre of sand and put it in a jar.
2) Wind a length of sellotape, sticky side out, around a piece of
card and put it in the jar as well.
3) Shake the jar until no more sand clings to the sellotape.
4) Remove the sellotape and replace it and keep doing this until
there is no more sand.
5) Measure the length and area of the sellotape needed to hold the
sand.
6) Under a microscope, count the grains of sand in representative
1mm squares of sellotape."

Using this method with Oreti Beach sand Lloyd initially estimated 500
million grains per litre. The beach being 26km x 100m x say 60 metres
deep, so the number of grains is 78 sextillion, more than the number of
stars. [78 sextillion = 78 x 10^21.] Earth has 450,000 km of coastline,
perhaps a quarter of it sandy, so the sand grains win easily!

Further measurements gave 650 million grains per litre or 15,000 grains on
a wet fingertip for Oreti sand. A sample of coarser sand from Northland
had about half that number suggesting perhaps 250 million per litre but
this doesn't significantly alter the magnitude of the number.

To this Jay GaBany replied:
"Thanks for this feedback. Actually, before writing my introductory
essay, I did a lot of research. Following are links you can review or pass
along to Lloyd for his digestion:

Number of stars in the Universe:
http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/space/07/22/stars.survey/
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/star_count_030722.html

Number of sand grains on the Earth's beaches:
http://www.miamisci.org/tripod/whysand.html

The actual calculation for sand grains:
http://www.hawaii.edu/suremath/jsand.html

Other references:
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=539329
http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/gen06/gen06342.htm
http://home.att.net/~numericana/answer/sagan.htm

Significantly, at least for me, NASA supports the notion that there are
10 times the number of stars compared to sand grains on the Earth's
beaches:
http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article
&sid=938
I suppose all of this is debatable since both numbers are based on
estimates but, intuitively, I do not agree with the vast numbers Lloyd
is quoting for sand on a fingertip, much less held in a two litre milk
container."

==============================================================18. 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.
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.

==============================================================19. The Biggest Dob in
the World
--------------------------------
A minor typo in a note from Ashley to nzastronomers "... friend of mine
wants to buy a telescope, for terrestrial and night use. Wanting around
70-100m aperture, doesn't have to be top of range..."

Got a response from Rod "70-100m ????!! He's a bit optimistic isn't he?"

And a helpful suggestion from Bill "One of these for a backyard Dob
perhaps: http://www.eso.org/projects/owl/index_3.html";

Project OWL is a 100-m telescope. OWL = Overwhelmingly Large Telescope
=============================================================Alan Gilmore
Phone: 03 680 6000
P.O. Box 57 alan.gilmore@canterbury.ac.nz
Lake Tekapo 7945
New Zealand
=========================

Save the Point from Paul Moss

2007-09-22T17:25:00.000-07:00

All, Te Rae Kai Hau Point (between Lyall and Houghton Bays, Wellington South Coast) remains protected from development, for the moment.
To all the people who stood up for the basic 'rightness' against all odds, and $millions with positions of power. And still saved a precious piece of land, sea and sky, and created a lesson for others to follow globally. Be vigilant, think global, act locally.

Thanks for your kind comments, your support, everything. Save The Point , GADOT and a bunch of individuals, achieved the 'impossible dream'.

A very heady week, with a book launch for ASTRONOMY, (Robert Shaw) and images flying around the web to celibrate, the media had a fest, my 'STARS' visuals (Original Concept and Music by Warwick Blair) under consideration for a Biennale on the opposite side of the planet, and of course, the end to the madness at the Wellington South Coast. I believe that the impact of all these events this week will be much greater than any of us can calculate, and that the overall good for astronomy in our country and the world has increased somewhat.

A special thanks to Steve Butler who called me last night while I was at the Three 'Scapes that he named as such, and to Vicki Irons, who had the courage and foresight to lodge the resource consent form that gave us the hearing more than a year ago, and who I believe presented our astro evidence to the Environment Court in recent months. The decision is an 80 page document that I believe focuses on Landscape Values, and I am looking forward to 'mining' that document to provide support for any other objectors to development that threatens the health of all or any of the 'scapes that we need to protect, in order to improve the quality of the sky, and our experience of it.

Ive attached a couple of shots, you will find the larger versions and more at http://www.gadot.wellington.net.nz/sky/saved.htm I had instances of atmospheric phenomena at both media fests' this week, a parhelia on Monday at Aotea College (Porirua) and cloud irisation on Friday at Te Wananga Aotearoa. (University of New Zealand) Please Note the relationship between the stars in the waka and the stars in the sky, this is becoming exceedingly important to this country and us.

News report here: http://www.stuff.co.nz/4210355a11.html $20m Wellington aquarium scuttled

Book Launch + News Items

2007-09-19T17:13:00.000-07:00

Links of Events and News Items

1. Book Launch from Paul Moss Wellington
2. 5 Essential things to do in Space from Scientific American.Com
3. Cold probably didn’t end Neanderthals: study from World Science
4. New movie recorded by Japan's Hinode spacecraft From NASA

Thanks Edwin

Book Launch Astronomy Aotearoa by Robert Shaw
http://gadot.wellington.net.nz/darksky/astronomyaotearoa.htm

Launching students into space
The Hon Luamanuvao Winnie Laban launched a secondary school textbook on astronomy and space in the library at Aotea College on Monday 17 September.

The book, Astronomy Aotearoa, teaches the new curriculum in astronomy and space exploration for secondary school students.

5 Essential Things To Do In Space
http://tinyurl.com/39sqyr

Planetary scientists have articulated goals for exploring the solar system.

Cold probably didn’t end Neanderthals: study

Cold probably didn't end Neanderthals: studyScientists report new clues in the mystery of thedemise of Neanderthal people, around 28,000 yearsago in Europe.http://www.world-science.net/othernews/070912_neanderthal.htm

NASA Science News for September 18, 2007
Last week in Boulder, Colorado, scientists converged on the "Living With A Star" workshop to share the latest research in solar physics. At one point, nearly 200 participants sat slack-jawed as they watched a new movie recorded by Japan's Hinode spacecraft showing a sunspot emerging from the depths of the sun. The newborn spot resembled nothing less than a swimming planet-sized trilobite. See for yourself--and find out what it means--in today's Science@NASA story.
FULL STORY at
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2007/18sep_trilobite.htm?list22299
Check out our RSS feed at http://science.nasa.gov/rss.xml!

Tales of the Spring Equinox

2007-09-18T02:15:00.000-07:00

The southern spring equinox is on September 23. The Sun is on the celestial equator at about 10 pm, NZST

Tales of the Spring Equinox Sunday the 23rd of SeptemberDawn Ceremony of Ostara Te Koanga 5:45am at Stonehenge 90mins and cost is Adults$25 and Children$10

Ancient Lore of the Spring Equinox5pm at Stonehenge 90mins and cost is Adults$15 and Children$7.50

http://www.astronomynz.org.nz/

Oil hits record near $US81 on supply worries

2007-09-18T01:28:00.000-07:00

Oil hits record near $US81 on supply worries

Oil has soared to a record near $US81 ($NZ114) a barrel on worries that global energy supplies could shrink to critical levels this winter heating season due to strong demand growth.

http://stuff.co.nz/4206100a13.html

The International Year of Astronomy Site

2007-09-17T00:47:00.000-07:00

The International Year of Astronomy Site

1. IYA Site - from Marilyn Head Publicity Officer of the Royal Astronomical Society of NZ

Thanks Edwin

The International Year of Astronomy Site
http://www.astronomy2009.org.nz/

I haven't been overwhelmed with names, short bios and links to websites ofall kiwi astronomers yet! We;d really like the list to be comprehensiveand to include astronomers who have been important to your society in thepast.

Cheers,Marilyn Head
Science Writerwww.writerfind.com/mhead.htm105 Owen StreetNewtown
WellingtonAotearoa New Zealand
Ph: 64 4 389 0882Fax: 64 4 938 8144Mobile: 021 740 423

Chimp with a Limp

2007-09-16T01:09:00.000-07:00

Chimp with a Limp
http://www.chimpwithalimp.com/

I have been recently have a look at my workmates Chimp with a limp site, really
good to have a browse through. Posted a comment today, still been reading Valley of the Horses and might read the rest of tonight, was thinking of a movie to watch but wasn’t sure. Would be some thing I haven’t seen before.

Planet Earth is a really good Documentary Series and I wouldn’t mind seeing the rest only have 3 copies downloaded.

Wellington is really windy tonight!

Wellingtons Weather
http://www.metservice.co.nz/default/index.php?alias=wellington

Check out all my Links of Stuff I’m Interested in
http://laintal.screenrevolution.co.nz/edwin%20Links.htm

Planet Earth
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planet_Earth_%28TV_series%29

It also looks like more Ice is melting away in the Arctic!
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMYTC13J6F_index_0.html

Laintal

The Clan of the Cave Bear

2007-09-15T21:50:00.000-07:00

The Clan of the Cave Bear

I have recently finished the Book Clan of the Cave Bear I have long been interested in Anthropology and human evolution. This book is an amazing read and I would recommend it to anyone!

Currently been reading the next one in the series Valley of the Horses

The Clan of the Cave Bear
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Clan_of_the_Cave_Bear

The Neanderthal’s
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neanderthal

Laintal

NZ Astro Chat

2007-09-15T17:31:00.000-07:00

NZ Astro Chat

The new Google group for NZ Astronomers is going really well, with strong support from the Astronomical community this group is growing fast.

This group is great for Astrophotography, and a place to post your meetings and events.

Please add this group to your websites and homepages, with your support it will continue to Grow.

You can upload your Astro Photos to
http://groups.google.co.nz/group/NZAstroChat/files

To post a message
NZAstroChat@googlegroups.com

This group is great if you already have a G-Mail account if you would like to be added with a different address please send me an e-mail laintal@...

Thanks for everyone’s support and help.
Cheers Edwin
http://groups.google.co.nz/group/NZAstroChat/

Inland Empire

2007-09-15T17:30:00.000-07:00

Inland Empire

Just spent my Sunday morning watching the second half of this David Lynch movie defiantly something for the Film buffs and Arts people.

The Directing, Acting and Look of the file was great.

Hard to follow the plot or story line so just enjoyed the film for the atmosphere

Cheers Laintal

Inland Empirehttp://www.imdb.com/title/tt0460829/

September Astro Events

2007-09-03T01:21:00.000-07:00

Hi There

Tonight I have put together all the Monthly Astro reminders, updated my news page and Posted to the Astronomey groups im a member of.

Well off to watch Criminal Intent and read some More of Vally of the Horses It woudl be great to make it to the Gisborne again this year.

Thanks Laintal

Hi NZ Astronomers

Wellington and Wairarapa Astronomy Events for September 2007

New Members are always welcome along, including visitors from around NZ and overseas.

Please note the new dates of this Months Phoenix Meetings

Thanks Edwin

Wellington Phoenix Meeting
Thursday the 27th of September
7pm @ Science House (Royal Society Buildings), Turnbull Street
http://www.astronomynz.org.nz/society-meetings/society-meetings.html

Wairarapa Phoenix Meeting
Friday the 28th of September
7:20pm @ the Phoenix clubrooms, Ahiaruhe, Wairarapa
http://www.astronomynz.org.nz/society-meetings/society-meetings.html

Wellington WAS Meeting
Denis Sullivan on Astro Seismology
Wednesday the 12th of September
7:25pm @ Science House (Royal Society Buildings), Turnbull Street
http://www.was.org.nz/

The southern spring equinox is on September 23. The Sun is on the
celestial equator at about 10 pm, NZST

Phoenix Observing Evening
To Be Announced
Phoenix Observing Evening
With Master Observers Ian Cooper and Chris Picking

6:30pm @ the Phoenix clubrooms, Ahiaruhe, Wairarapa
Please book by contacting Chris Picking by email: picking@attglobal.net
http://www.astronomynz.org.nz/observing/observing.html

Tales of the Spring Equinox Sunday the 23rd of September

Dawn Ceremony of Ostara Te Koanga
5:45am at Stonehenge 90mins and cost is Adults$25 and Children$10

Ancient Lore of the Spring Equinox
5pm at Stonehenge 90mins and cost is Adults$15 and Children$7.50
http://www.astronomynz.org.nz/

Wellington Spaceflight Meeting

Cancelled – Due to the redevelopment of Carter Observatory Spaceflight meetings will resume later in the Year.

http://www.nzspace.org.nz/meetings.htm

The Galactic Circle Kids Space and Astronomy Club

Galactic Circle: Wednesday the 19th September @ The Thomas King Observatory 4:30PM. The Thomas King Observatory is located next to Carter Observatory. The Galactic Circle is WAS's junior astronomy club and meets on the third Wednesday of each month.

For more details, contact
Marilyn Head at (04) 389 0882 (w), email marilyn@actrix.gen.nz or web www.galaxy.wellington.net.nz

Pauatahanui Star Party
Saturday the 8th of September
Observing will start after dark. Contact John Field
john.field@paradise.net.nz
The Phone number at Pauatahanui is 021-102-6056.

Gifford Star Party
Saturday the 15th of September
This Saturday Duncan Hall will open the Gifford Observatory behind Wellington College from 8 pm to 10 pm. The observatory has a fine 130mm Zeiss-Rumsey-Nankivell refractor and a flat area should you want to bring your own telescope or binoculars.

Contact telephone numbers are 474-5350 or PH 021-615-905
Contact Duncan Hall duncan.hall@ieee.org

September Astrophotography Targets from John Drummond

1. Lens - The constellation of Sagitta - a rich past of the northern Milky Way that has the Dumbbell Nebulae less than 4 degrees from one of it's main stars. Culminates about 9:15pm.

2. Telescope/Easy - The Helix planetary nebulae in Aquarius (NGC 7293). RA 22h 30m, Dec +20° 50'. Culminates about midnight.

3. Telescope/Hard - Mag 11.4 galaxy NGC 7090 in Indus (7' x 1'). RA 21h 36m, Dec -54° 33'. Culminates about 11pm.

Cheers
John Drummond

2007 RASNZAPS astrophotography camp

Hi all,

just a quickie to advise that the 2007 RASNZAPS astrophotography camp will be held near Gisborne in early October 2007 - as per the voting outcomes from earlier polls. It will be held on my small farm from Friday 5th - Sunday 7th October - although people are welcome to stay Thurs - Sun nights. Cost is $15 per person per night - this includes a BBQ each night.

For details see:
http://www.possumob servatory. co.nz/gissy_ gathering- 2007.htm
or
http://tinyurl. com/2udb3b

Cheers

John Drummond, RASNZAPS DirectorPossum Observatory (IAU Code: E94)Gisborne, New ZealandE 177° 53', S 38° 38'Email: john_drummond@ xtra.co.nzWebsite: http://www.possumob servatory. co.nzImages: http://www.possumob servatory. co.nz/latest_ images-all- continuing. htm

RASNZ Astrophotography Section: http://www.rasnzaps .co.nzRASNZ Comet and Meteor Section: http://www.cometeor .co.nz

Carter Observatory e-Newsletter

The September edition of the Carter Observatory e-Newsletter can be found at :-

http://newsletter.carterobservatory.org/2007/Sep07/

Regards

Brian.

Stardate 2008

Stardate will be held at Tukituki, near Havelock North from the 10-14 January, 2008.

We have yet to confirm some of the costs, and details will be published in the newsletter as soon as possible.

http://www.astronomynz.org.nz/stardate/expression-of-interest.html

Astro Reminders put together by

Edwins News and Reminders page
http://tinyurl.com/jb6oj

Paul Moss
http://www.astronomy.net.nz/

Edwin Rod
http://laintal.screenrevolution.co.nz/

New Google Group and Website

2007-08-31T01:18:00.000-07:00

I have been very busy setting up my New Google Astronomy Group

Your all welcome to join

NZ Astro Chat
http://groups.google.co.nz/group/NZAstroChat/

I have also been doing a lot of work on my Webapage
http://laintal.screenrevolution.co.nz/

Hope you Enjoy

Things have been busy with the lunar Eclipse recenty.

See You Laintal