aur ra astr soc o

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Issue 17.1
April 2004
Wait a minute:
what's that
moving in the
corner?
Beagle 2 is finally found, in the most unlikely of places...
The Magazine of
astr soc
The University of St. Andrews
Astronomy Society
IoP
Best
Student
Newsletter
Nexus
Awards
2003
contents...
3 from the president's pen...
Tom's final presidential letter for the current academic year.
4 news...
Including a review of Semester 2's Talks (and a preview of what's still
to come), news of the annual Astrosoc Ball and notice of the date for
this year's AGM.
6 meet the committee...
With the Annual General Meeting (AGM) coming up, Aurora gives a
run-down of the positions on the Astrosoc Committee and what each
job entails.
8 features...
Guess Who? by Amaury Triaud
Amaury continues his tour around the Constellations. In this issue,
he visits one of the less well-known characters in the Nights' Sky.
9
astrosoc news...
News of what's being going on in the Society.
10 world news...
A review of recent Astronomy news, with Thomas Robitaille.
11 wordsearch...
As a change from our regular crossword, we have a worsearch for
you to pit your wits against. Can you find the names of the planets in
our Solar System from amongst the letters in the grid?
12 keeping in touch...
Details of how to get in touch with the Astrosoc Committee.
12 the end credits...
The people who brought you this issue of Aurora.
page two
...from the president's pen
Dear Members,
Welcome to Aurora 17.1! You have in your hands the latest edition of an
award-winning newsletter: last January, Aurora was chosen by the Institute of
Physics as the Best Physics Society Newsletter!
The academic year so far has been rich in astronomical events, including:
aurorae last Autumn; the arrival of the two rovers on Mars and all the results
they have produced; the successful arrival and fantastic images of Mars
Express (and the unfortunate loss of Beagle 2); the launch of Rosetta; the
new Hubble Ultra-Deep Field; the gathering of all the planets visible to the
naked eye in the sky; and many more!
I hope you have enjoyed the events we have organised recently, especially
the recent Late Night Cinema Show,which turned out to be quite popular.
And even as this newsletter is being printed, the tickets for our
annual Astrosoc Ball are on sale! (more details on page 5). If you haven’t
bought one yet, it may not be too late!
Finally I would like to point out the upcoming AGM on 28th April. The
committee is essential for the society to continue to exist so if you would like
to be part of it just come along and stand for a position! You will find more
information about the various committee positions on pages 8 and 9.
Thank you to all those who have attended our talks, events, and the rare
observing sessions this year, and I hope to see you at future events!
Enjoy ;)
Tom
Thomas Robitaille
Astrosoc President
Don't Forget, You Can Get All the Latest Astrosoc News
by Visiting Astrosoc's Exciting Website at
www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~astrosoc
page three
news...
Sensational Second Semester Talks
Rowan Smith, Astrosoc's Secretary, reviews the Talks that
Astrosoc has received over the course of this Semester.
Once again this has been a wonderful session full of many interesting talks.
Dr. Alan Heavens was our first speaker of the semester and told us all about
gravitational lensing as well as giving some humorous insights into what
Einstein did in his holidays. Alan Cayless from Stirling Astronomy
Society gave a talk on the development of astronomy thanks to great
astronomers such as Galileo, Kepler, Brahe and Newton. A particular
highlight of this talk was when he taught the audience to measure the angular
size of any object in the sky using only a credit card! Also Dr. Moira Jardine
from our very own department gave a most entertaining talk entitled “Young
Suns and Planet Formation”. Surprisingly, this involved magnetic fields. On
the 24th March Dr. David Clarke did a talk on “The Universe through Polaroids”
- sadly, one of his demonstrations failed but it was interesting nonetheless.
Of course that’s not all Astrosoc has planned for you: on the 14th April
Dr Alan Walker from the University of Edinburgh will be talking about
“CP Violation: Life the Universe and Everything”... the answer will,
presumably, be 42.
To finish this session there will be the AGM on the 28th April, the
Wednesday after the Ball. Why not come along to this and stand for a
position on the fun loving committee? We don’t bite (honest) and it’s a great
way to get involved in the society and always looks good on the CV.
Alternatively you could help elect the new committee and find out who
everyone is.
EDITORIA L
NEWS IN BRIEF
With this being my final issue as
Editor, I want to thank all the
members - past and present - who
have contributed to Aurora over the
last three years. Thank you also to all
those people who have helped to fold,
staple and distribute the magazine to
members.
Congratulations to former Aurora
Editor Chris Leigh, who recently
passed his Ph.D. viva. Astrosoc
wishes Dr. Leigh all the best for the
future.
Peter Ranscombe, Aurora Editor
page four
Congratulations also to Professor
Keith Horne, who was recently
awarded the Herschel Medal by The
Royal Astronomical Soceity.
...news
Lock up your Daughters here comes the Astrosoc Ball!
The Astrosoc Ball - regarded by many students in St. Andrews
as one of the best night's out of the year - will take place on the
22nd April at The Score Hotel. The annual Ball combines a
three course meal with traditional Scottish dancing and a disco.
Tickets are on sale now in the foyer of the Physics and
Astronomy Building. The Dress Code is Smart and the night
begins at 7.00 for 7.30.
The Committee of
astr soc
The University of St. Andrews
Astronomy Society
do hereby announce that the
Annual General Meeting
for the Academic Session 2003-2004
will take place on
Wednesday 28th April 2004
at
4.30pm
in
Lecture Theatre C,
Physics & Astronomy Building
Committee positions will be contested at the meeting
and members are encouraged to stand for these positions.
Emails reminding members about the AGM will be sent in due course.
page five
meet the committee...
The Executive Committee
President
The Astrosoc President
is in overall charge of
the Society. They chair
the committee meetings,
provide leadership and
ensure the society runs
smoothly.
Vice-President
The Vice-President acts
as Minutes Secretary to
the Astrosoc Committee
and is in charge of
organising Astrosoc
events, including the
annual Ball.
Secretary
The Astrosoc Secretary
arranges for speakers to
give Talks to the Society.
They hold a copy of the
membership list and
advertise Talks and
Events with posters.
Treasurer
The Treasurer's duties
including managing the
finances of the Society,
keeping an accurate
record of cash available
and organising a float for
Society events.
The Executive Committee are the Office Bearers whose names are given
to the Students' Union upon affiliation. They are the most senior posts on
the Committee.
page six
...meet the committee
The Non-Executive Committee
Webmaster
Astrosoc has always had
an impressive website.
The Webmaster's job is
to maintain this high
standard, keeping it
up-to-date and creating
new material as needed.
Observing Director
The Observing Director
holds Astrosoc's key to
the Observatory. They
organise the Wednesday
Night observing sessions
and other observing
events during the year.
Aurora Editor
Aurora is published
semesterly, to keep
members informed and
entertained. The Editor
produces the magazine
on a Desktop Publishing
platform.
1st Year Representative
The 1st Year Rep.
attends Committee
meetings to represent
the views and interest of
members in their 1st year
and to pass on their
suggestions.
A further 2 or 3 people are elected to the committee as Ordinary
Members. The Ordinary Members help the officer bearers and represent the
views of other Astrosoc Members to the Committee.
page seven
features...
Who Am I...?
Amaury Triaud interviews another Constellation in the latest
report in his series.
Hello dear readers of Aurora,
You might not know me very well,
indeed, I am often seen decorating
the skies in the Southern
hemisphere. Nevertheless, I am on
the Zodiac (I am the secret 13th
Zodiacal sign) and you should, if you
are careful enough, see me in the
summer nights' sky. Vast, I am, but
only a few bright stars do I possess.
It is hard to find me, as, I am hidden
inside another constellation. In fact,
in old times, we were only one, but
we finally were split into two. I feel
that you are more and more
interested and I somehow like that,
after centuries looking down at the
Earth, it is pleasant to see that
people are still interested in me and
therefore, I will do my best to
lengthen that little pleasure of mine.
I was once famous, so famous
that Pluto and Hades were angry
against me and Zeux sent me where
I stand now with a lightning bolt.
What could have made Hades and
Pluto angry, I hear ask you. Not
fame, since often in history I have
been mistaken for either Heracles
(known to you as Hercules) or for
Carnabon, a king, who both had
killed a dragon and since I hold a
page eight
serpent in my hands it was easy to
confuse me with them. Not women,
as I was not really interested in them
and I would say that Pluto and Hades
were not very popular among them,
nor among anybody really. Not
richness although I took part in a
quest for a treasure. What then?
The place of my birth is
situated in Thessalie (if you can point
it out on the map then well done!),
this region was very famous for a
peculiar people - the centaurs who
lived there. After having been born
from Apollo and the nymph Coronis,
Chiron the centaur taught me
medicine. I did so well that I
surpassed my teacher and became
the best doctor in the world.
I went on board Argo, the boat
that went up to the Black Sea to look
for the Golden Fleece. It is during
that trip that my skills were revieled,
when I brought back to life numerous
Argonauts including Crete’s King
Minos’s son. My other famous
patient bore the name of Orion and
when I was trying to cure him from
Scorpio (see Aurora issue 16.0), Pluto
argued that if I was keeping on
saving people’s lives, Hades
and himself would be left
unemployed. He complained so f
...features
well that Zeux sent me into heaven
with the strike of a lightning bolt.
In my hand he added a
serpent Serpens, symbol of long,
heathly and renewed life, which has
become the modern medicine
symbol of the caduceus. It is why,
when you look at me up in the sky,
there is Serpens, and myslef cutting
the constellation in two parts. My
place on heaven has been close to
Scorpio, the one that is responsible
for me being here and also, so that
in case Scopio tries to bit Orion
again, I can cure him again. I am also
close to Hercules one of my first
patients.
astr soc news
Cinema Paradiso
Astrosoc's recent trip to the cinema
proved to be a huge success. 49
people attended the showing at the
New Picture House in St. Andrews.
Members of the society voted to
watch "The Fifth Element", instead
of "E.T. - the Extra-Terrestrial" and
"Galaxy Quest".
Aurora Awarded
As Tom mentioned in his
Presidential letter, Aurora won the
Best Student Newsletter category
at the Institute of Physics Nexus
Awards 2003. Our magazine beatoff competition from Physics
societies from around the UK.
Astrosoc's Vice-President, Jonty
Marshall, journeyed to London to
collect the award at Nexus' AGM.
Aurora Goes Online
Picture from: Legg Middle School Planetarium
My name is Asclepius, more well
known now as the Ophiuchus, the
Serpent holder.
I hold only a few interesting
objects, such as a handful of
Messiers, variable stars and the
speed demon Barnard’s star, a red
dwarf crossing the sky at the speed
of 10 arcsec per year and also one
of your closest neighbours.
Aurora is now available online. Visit
http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/
~astrosoc/new_site/aurora/
archive.html to view or download
.pdf versions of the last four issues
of the magazines. This new
service compliments the Aurora
archives, which are kept in the
Physics
and
Astronomy
departmental library and in the Main
Library, on North Street.
page nine
world news...
Thomas Robitaille takes a look at recent Astronomy news that
has hit the headlines around the world.
Hubble Continues to Probe the Universe
On 9th March 2004, astronomers at the Space Telescope Science Institute
released the deepest image of a patch of sky ever taken to this date - The
Hubble Ultra Deep Field. In 1995 and 1998, the HST had already provided
Hubble Deep Fields, but the new image shows fainter objects at a higher
resolution thanks to a new camera installed on the telescope in 2002.
The image was taken over 400 orbits and totals 11.3 days of continuous
viewing. It is actually a combination of an optical and a near-infrared image,
and contains around 10,000 galaxies, some of which are amongst the earliest
galaxies ever seen.
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New Member in the
Family?
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http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/
home/
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January saw the safe arrival of the
two Mars Rovers Spirit and
Opportunity. Spirit encountered
technical problems after two weeks,
which were succesfully solved after
a further two weeks. In the mean time
Opportunity managed a hole-in-one
by landing in a crater on the
opposite side of Mars, and sent back
amazing pictures of layered rock.
Both rovers have found strong
evidence for the presence of water
in the past on Mars, and combined,
the two rovers have sent back more
than 20,000 images.
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Missions to Mars
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http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/newsdesk/archive/releases/2004/07/
text/
In March, the discovery of the most
distant object orbiting the Sun was
announced. Sedna, named after the
Inuit Goddess of the Sea, is nearly a
big as Pluto and is approximately
twice as far away from the Sun. Many
astronomers are reluctant to call the
new object a planet, and some
maintain that Pluto itself should not
be called a planet.
So, are there 8 planets, 9, or
10 in the solar system? There is
bound to be a rethink as to what the
definition of a planet is. To add to the
fun, it has been found, but not yet confirmed, that Sedna may have a
moon...
...wordsearch
M
X
J
N
E
P
T
U
N
E
H
Y
P
L
U
T
O
S
D
U
C
T
T
R
O
P
P
V
Q
A
K
R
R
D
Y
U
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
Jupiter
M
N
I
S
E
D
N
A
I
S
H
C
S
A
T
U
R
N
E
N
P
Y
O
R
W
E
E
V
J
F
U
U
E
N
F
E
G
S
R
A
M
B
L
S
N
E
C
M
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Pluto
Sedna
We have a Wordsearch in this issue of Aurora, as a change from the usual
Crossword. Can you find the names of the nine planets (and Sedna!) in the
grid above? Words can run vertically, horizontally or diagonally and can be
written backwards or forwards. Good Luck!
page eleven
keeping in touch...
The best way to contact Astrosoc or a member of the Committee is to email
the Society using:
[email protected]
A vast wealth of information about the Society can be found by logging on to
our website at:
www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~astrosoc
If you would like to contact a member of the Committtee in person then a list
of Committee members' names and photographs has been posted on the
Astrosoc Noticeboard, which can be found in the Student Common Room
of the Physics and Astronomy Building, on the North Haugh. Forthcoming
Talks and other events are also advertised on this Noticeboard and around
the University. Members will be notified of Talks and other events via the
email address that they gave to the Society when they joined - if you find out
that you haven't received an email for a Talk or event then please contact
Astrosoc.
Don't Forget!
The Astrosoc Ball is on 22nd April
and the AGM is on 28th April.
the end credits...
Contributors
Thomas Robitaille, Rowan Smith and Amaury Triaud
Editor
Peter Ranscombe
© The Copyright of all material in Aurora remains with the individual contributors. Any unattributed
work is that of the Editor. The use, transmission or storage of material from this magazine is
prohibited without the prior written consent of its author(s).
Aurora was brought to you today by the letters λ, µ and the number π. So now, in true Star Trek
style, we entrust Aurora to a new crew, who will continue our journeys to strange new worlds, to seek
out new life and new civilisations, to bodly go where no man... where no one has gone before. Aurora
will return...
page twelve