Film Night February
2023-02-27 20:00 - 21:15 (Pacific/Auckland) | Fickling Convention Centre, 546 Mt Albert Rd, Three Kings, Auckland, 1042
We have two exciting films tonight:
Can Nuclear Propulsion Take Us to Mars?
There are different propulsion systems available for space flight however each has advantages and limitations. This film will help us understand the differences.
The Cosmic Clock
The cosmic clock effects everything, from the far reaches of the universe to right here on Earth, from the beginning of our universe to now. Witness the steady ticking of the universe’s clock through the eyes of creatures on Earth. Narrated by Morgan Freeman.

Monthly Meeting March - Breakthrough-Listen Search for Intelligent Life
2023-03-13 20:00 - 21:00 | Fickling Convention Centre, 546 Mt Albert Rd, Three Kings, Auckland, 1042
For centuries, humans have gazed at the night sky and wondered if any intelligent life forms like us might be out there. In 2015, the Breakthrough Foundation gave a $100 million grant to the University of California at Berkeley to undertake the most comprehensive search for signals from an extra-terrestrial civilization. Dr. Croft describes the project, introduces the many radio telescopes around the world it is using in the search, and explains how modern technology, including AI, is being used to include more stars, more frequencies (channels) and more ways a signal might be sent.
This is a rebroadcast of a recent Silicon Valley Lecture Series Lecture presented by Dr. Steve Croft (University of California, Berkeley).

Practical Astronomy - The Autumn Night Sky
2023-03-20 20:00 - 21:00 | Fickling Convention Centre, 546 Mt Albert Rd, Three Kings, Auckland, 1042
This meeting will be one of our seasonal Night Sky reviews. As the planetarium is unavailable until the Stardome reopens, we will review the Autumn Night Sky using desktop open source planetarium software. We will also investigate some of the features of the software that you can use for your own observation planning and learning the Night Sky.

Film Night
2023-03-27 20:00 - 21:30 | Fickling Convention Centre, 546 Mt Albert Rd, Three Kings, Auckland, 1042
We have two great films running tonight. We look forwards to seeing you there.
How Earth Moves
This is a well worth watching documentary, explaining the movement of the Earth in an easy to understand format.
It gives an easy to understand explanation on the Solstice also clarifying Sidereal time, Julian time and why we use Gregorian time. All relative to “How Earth Moves”

Eight Wonders Of Our Solar System | The Planets | BBC Earth Lab
Discover the most memorable events in the history of our solar system. Travel to the surface of these dynamic worlds to witness the moments of high drama that uniquely shaped each one

Introduction to Astronomy April 2023
2023-04-10 20:00 - 21:00 | Fickling Convention Centre, 546 Mt Albert Rd, Three Kings, Auckland, 1042
A Modern Perspective of the Solar System
What’s there and why
The Solar System comprises a central star, eight planets of varying sizes and composition, and three regions of small bodies. Chris Benton will outline a modern perspective of the Solar System structure, then discuss how and why it formed and evolved as it did, explaining what we see today.
Come along and learn why we see four small rocky inner planets, four giant gaseous outer planets, plus collections of asteroids and comets. Furthermore, discover why astronomers demoted Pluto from its status as a planet.
All attendees will receive a comprehensive handout on the topic, changing your view on the Solar System. We look forward to seeing you all there.

Practical Astronomy April - Getting Started with Astrophotography
2023-04-17 20:00 - 21:00 | Fickling Convention Centre, 546 Mt Albert Rd, Three Kings, Auckland, 1042
In this meeting, Eric Chiu will explain how to get started with Astrophotography.

Film Night April
2023-04-24 20:00 - 21:30 | Fickling Convention Centre, 546 Mt Albert Rd, Three Kings, Auckland, 1042
We have two great films running tonight, we look forwards to seeing you there.

Are We Alone in the Universe | By Professor Charlie Lineweaver
Charley will present the results of a worldwide survey asking people “Are We Alone?”. He will try to figure out if this question makes any sense…and discuss what the words “we” and “alone” mean.
Charley is one of the guest speakers at this years RSANZ Conference, hosted by the AAS at Waipuna Lodge Conference Centre.

The Search for Alien Life | BBC The Sky at Night 2023
The Sky at Night team investigate the latest science in the hunt for extraterrestrial life.
Presented by Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock and Professor Chris Lintott.
Professor Chris Lintott is also a guest speaker at this years RSANZ Conference.
Please visit https://www.astronomy.org.nz/2023-rasnz-conference for further information about the conference. Note that as a Society member, you are entitled to a discount off the full price of the event.

Introduction to Astronomy May 2023
2023-05-01 20:00 - 21:00 | Fickling Convention Centre, 546 Mt Albert Rd, Three Kings, Auckland, 1042
The Building Blocks of the Universe
(and how they relate to astronomy)
Guest speaker – Jonathan Park MSc (Astronomy)
This is a fun, basic introduction to how the universe works at the smallest scales. In this talk, we start by describing the structure and size of the atom for anyone new to the topic. You will then be equipped to join the journey down the rabbit hole to the smallest, weirdest particles. After hearing about these intriguing objects, we learn how the building blocks of the universe apply in astronomy. What are cosmic rays? How does the Sun really turn hydrogen into helium to provide sunlight? There are trillions of (harmless) particles from space travelling through you right now – what are they? Whether your knowledge of this topic is limited or if you know all about the tiny particles of the universe, you will be fascinated by this talk.

Monthly Meeting May - Join the Universe: We want YOU to become a Citizen Scientist
2023-05-08 20:00 - 21:00 | Fickling Convention Centre, 546 Mt Albert Rd, Three Kings, Auckland, 1042
Join the Universe: We want YOU to become a Citizen Scientist

I’ll share my journey from a very amateur astronomer to a Citizen Scientist active in the various Unistellar/eVscope network Citizen Science programmes, and to my own asteroid occultation observations. Citizen Science is real science, and my observations have ended up in scientific databases and been included in papers in Nature, the Minor Planet Bulletin and others. Along the way I’ll share some observation highlights from the year, including the DART mission, and I will introduce some of the many facets of Citizen Science astronomy.
There is a whole Universe waiting to be discovered from your sofa or back yard – anyone, with or without equipment, can be a Citizen Scientist.

Michael Camilleri has had a long a varied career in Science and Technology and Data and Analytics. Originally studying Astrophysics (MSc) he switched to Atmospheric Physics (PhD) and built a research career in Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, before leaving the scientific work for the business world of Data and Analytics. After a lifelong casual interest in Astronomy that went no further than binoculars (Astrophysics didn’t require a telescope), I started observing with a small visual telescope during Covid, moved into Electronically Assisted Astronomy (EEA) and ended up with an eVscope which opened up the Citizen Science Universe to me.

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Practical Astronomy May - Variable Stars
2023-05-15 20:00 - 21:00 | Fickling Convention Centre, 546 Mt Albert Rd, Three Kings, Auckland, 1042
Observation of variable stars has a long history with amateur astronomy. We will discuss the types of variable stars and how to observe them to obtain scientifically useful data. This is still a valuable activity even with the large survey telescopes, as amateurs can obtain data for stars that are too bright for the large telescopes, or for certain types of variable stars where changes are happening rapidly, the survey scopes cannot be dedicated for short cadence observing of a single star.

Film Night May
2023-05-22 20:00 - 21:15 | Fickling Convention Centre, 546 Mt Albert Rd, Three Kings, Auckland, 1042
We have two great films running tonight, we look forwards to seeing you there.

Inside Gods Observatory Special | BBC The Sky at Night
The team have been granted rare access to the Vatican and its observatory, the Specola Vaticana, where they explore its rich history and contemporary cutting-edge science.
Presented by Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock and Professor Chris Lintott.
Professor Chris Lintott is also a guest speaker at this years RSANZ Conference.
Please visit https://www.astronomy.org.nz/2023-rasnz-conference for further information about the conference. Note that as a Society member, you are entitled to a discount off the full price of the event.

Why Is Everything Made Of Atoms? | History of the Universe
Building on recent topics covered at our meetings, we are running this easy to follow, and highly entertaining, documentary on atoms.

Monthly Meeting June - The Last Star Gazers
2023-06-12 20:00 - 21:00 | Fickling Convention Centre, 546 Mt Albert Rd, Three Kings, Auckland, 1042
A bird that mimicked a black hole. The astronomer that discovered microwave ovens. A telescope that can fly. The science of astronomy is filled with true stories (and tall tales) of the adventures and misadventures that accompany our exploration of the universe. Join Dr. Emily Levesque, author of the critically-acclaimed popular science book The Last Stargazers, to take a behind-the-scenes tour of life as a professional astronomer. We’ll learn about some of the most powerful telescopes in the world, meet the people who run them, and explore the crucial role of human curiosity in the past, present, and future of scientific discovery.
Emily Levesque is an astronomy professor at the University of Washington in Seattle. Her work explores how the most massive stars in the universe evolve and die. She has observed for upwards of fifty nights on many of the planet’s largest telescopes and flown over the Antarctic stratosphere in an experimental aircraft for her research. She is currently a 2022-2023 Fulbright U.S. Scholar at the University of Auckland and her book, The Last Stargazers, was shortlisted for the 2021 Royal Society Science Book prize. She earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from MIT and a PhD in astronomy from the University of Hawaii.

Welcome back to the Stardome
2023-06-26 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
For this meeting we return to the Stardome Observatory and Planetarium. Stardome CEO, Victoria Travers will talk about the new displays and work done on the building. This will be followed by a new Stardome produced Planetarium show on Matariki and the Maori lunar calendar.

Practical Astronomy July - Sky Charting Software
2023-07-17 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
This month we will review some of the available Sky Charting programs and explore how they can be used for planning observations, learning the night sky and for general astronomical education.

2023 Beatrice Hill-Tinsley Lecture - Cosmic Cataclysms, a Dynamic and Changing Universe
2023-07-24 19:00 - 20:00
The RASNZ Lecture Trust is pleased to announce that the 2023 BHT lecturer is Dr Ryan Ridden.
Ryan is an astrophysicist at the University of Canterbury. He studies some of the largest explosions in the Universe that are caused by exploding stars, colliding stars, and hungry black holes. To study these extreme objects, he uses space telescopes like TESS, and the Hubble Space Telescope, as well as some of the largest telescopes on Earth.
Ryan grew up in Christchurch and got his start in astronomy during secondary school, helping the Canterbury Astronomical Society with their public nights. After completing an Honours degree in Mathematical Physics at the University of Canterbury in 2015, he obtained a PhD in astronomy and astrophysics at the Australian National University. During his PhD, he discovered several new cataclysmic variable stars. In 2019, he began a postdoc at the Space Telescope Science Institute, where he built data analysis tools for space telescopes. In 2021 Ryan returned to the University Canterbury and is now leading a research group with the support of a Marsden Fast Start Grant, and a Rutherford Postdoctoral Fellowship. Alongside his research Ryan has given numerous public talks, helped build the Young Stars outreach programme, and produced educational videos on YouTube.
Attendance is free but you need to book tickets via https://ryanridden.eventbrite.co.nz

Film Night July
2023-07-31 20:00 - 21:15 | Stardome Observatory & Planetarium, 670 Manukau Road, Epsom, Auckland, 1345
We have one film running tonight. The film will run for the full hour. We look forwards to seeing you there.

Guides to the Stars | BBC The Sky at Night
The Sky at night team tell us about the stars including excerpts from their series run over the last 50 years. This is a informative and entertaining film, and it comes highly recommended.

Monthly Meeting August - Building on the shoulders of giantesses
2023-08-14 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
An often used quote by Isaac Newton is that “If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants”. In this talk I’ll discuss how the current work on understanding the sources of gravitational wave transients made when black-hole and neutron stars merger is built on the shoulders of giantesses. These women astronomers, Annie Jump Cannon, Henrietta Leavitt, Antonia Maury, Cecilia Payne, Erika Böhm-Vitense and Beatrice Tinsley made vital contributions to our understandings of stars that are key to unlocking the secrets of the Universe.

Professor Jan Eldridge, Head of Department of Physics University of Auckland.
I obtained my MA and MSci degrees from the University of Cambridge in 2001. I stayed at the University to study for my PhD in astrophysics at the Institute of Astronomy, graduating in 2005. After this I undertook postdoctoral research at the Institut d’Astrophysics de Paris, Queen’s University Belfast and the Institute of Astronomy. In 2011 I was appointed as a Lecturer of Astrophysics at The University of Auckland.
My research is focused upon the lives and deaths of stars. Most of my work involves the suite of computer codes I have created, the Binary Population and Spectral Synthesis code (BPASS, bpass.auckland.ac.nz). Using BPASS I study stars, supernovae and gravitational wave sources in our own Galaxy out to the edge of the observable Universe.

Practical Astronomy August - Care and Maintenance of Telescopes and Accessories
2023-08-21 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
This month we will discussing the care and maintenance of telescopes and accessories. We will start with an explanation of eyepieces and barlow lenses and then demonstrate how to safely clean the optical surfaces of lenses and mirrors. We will also explain and demonstrate the collimation of the optics of reflector and catadioptric telescopes.

Monthly Meeting September - Astronomical Displays
2023-09-11 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
My mission is to engage people with the science that is going on in the world around them. I develop activities and hands-on physical displays that spark curiosity and creativity. You will have seen some of my interactive works in Stardome’s amazing new exhibition gallery that explores space and connects visitors to the night sky. I will talk you through my creative journey and you will see how my aim of displaying patterns and cycles has resulted in these interactives that often reveal some unexpected connections. I’ll talk about some of the Stardome interactives: The Tellurion; The Moon Phases over Maungakiekie; The Tohu monthly star markers; and Pacific navigation.
Plus I’ll have some slightly crazy prototypes for you to play with, a chaotic glow in the dark pendulum, a clock that shows the phase of the moon driven by the tide and an Aotearoa-centric armillary sphere.
Doug Makinson

Practical Astronomy September - The Spring Night Sky
2023-09-18 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
This will be one of our seasonal Planetarium sessions. We will use the Planetarium to explore the Spring Night Sky. This is a great way to improve your knowledge of the Spring constellations and learn about some of the deep sky objects to be found in them.

Monthly Meeting October - The Birth and Death of Worlds.
2023-10-09 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
We now know that our solar system is but one of countless others. Where did all these planets come from? What are their fates, and ours? Dr. Chiang describes the life cycle of planets, how they are born and die, and how they are born again. The story combines the latest observations from a wide range of telescopes with our evolving theoretical understanding of the role planets play in the development of the cosmos.
with Dr. Eugene Chiang (University of California, Berkeley)
This is a rebroadcast of a recent lecture from the Silicon Valley Astronomy Lecture Series.

Practical Astronomy October - Astronomical Nomenclature
2023-10-16 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
We will be discussing the various Astronomical Catalogues commonly encountered by amateur astronomers and the IAU naming schemes for Astronomical Objects. Wel will start the talk with a short review of the sky this month.

Monthly Meeting November - Dark Skies Down Under – Australian astronomy in the 2020s
2023-11-13 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
Dark Skies Down Under – Australian astronomy in the 2020s

Australia’s vantage point on the Universe gives its astronomers several advantages in the pursuit of their science. One of the most radio-quiet locations on the planet is within our shores, and optical (visible light) astronomers currently have access to world-leading facilities both at home and overseas. But a new generation of telescopes is now being built, and this fully illustrated talk explains Australia’s involvement in these exciting projects, and the kinds of discoveries that might follow.
Professor Fred Watson AM has been the Australian Government’s Astronomer-at-Large since 2018. He is a graduate of the universities of St Andrews and Edinburgh, and worked at both of Britain’s Royal Observatories before joining the Australian Astronomical Observatory as Astronomer-in-Charge in 1995. Recognised internationally for pioneering the use of fibre optics in astronomy during the 1980s, Fred is best known today for his radio and TV broadcasts, books, music, dark-sky advocacy and co-hosting the Space Nuts podcast. A unique claim to fame is that he is the only Australian astronomer to have received an APRA classical music award. Fred is an adjunct professor in several Australian universities, and was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2010 for service to astronomy. He has been a Questacon Mind-in-Residence since 2020, and, in 2022, received an honorary D.Sc. from Macquarie University. He also has an asteroid named after him (5691 Fredwatson), but says that if it hits the Earth, it won’t be his fault.
The meeting will be followed with supper.

Practical Astronomy November - Getting Started with Astrophotography
2023-11-20 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
This month will be a basic introduction of the various types of astrophotography, the equipment used and associated issues. We will be discussing, telescopes, lenses, mounts, cameras and a brief introduction to some of the software used for acquiring and processing images.

Film Night November
2023-11-27 08:00 - 17:00
We are running two films tonight
We look forwards to seeing you there.

NASA’s Stunning Discoveries on Jupiter’s Largest Moons Our Solar System’s Moons
A deep dive into the four Galilean moons of Jupiter: Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto

Voyager 1 Has Made “Impossible” Discovery after 45 Years in Space
Even after 45 years, this remarkable spacecraft along with Voyager 2, continues to provide scientists with updated insights about space.

Monthly Meeting December - The Peril and Profit of Near-Earth Objects
2023-12-11 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
This Month we will be screening a recent Silicon Valley Astronomy Lecture
Dr. Robert Jedicke (U of Hawaii)
Near-Earth objects present both an existential threat to human civilization and an extraordinary opportunity to help our exploration and expansion across the solar system. Dr. Jedicke explains that the risk of a sudden, civilization-altering collision with an asteroid or comet has markedly diminished in recent decades — due to diligent astronomical surveys — but a significant level of danger persists. At the same time, remarkable strides have been made in advancing technologies that pave the way for a new vision of space exploration – one that involves missions and outposts within the inner solar system fueled by resources extracted from near-Earth asteroids. These objects contain exploitable extraterrestrial resources delivered free to the inner solar system, and they have been naturally preprocessed into objects the ideal size for industrial operations.
Robert Jedicke obtained his Ph.D. in experimental particle physics from the University of Toronto and held post-doctoral positions at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and at the University of Arizona’s Lunar & Planetary Laboratory. At the University of Hawai`i’s Institute for Astronomy for the last 20 years, he managed the development of the Moving Object Processing System for the Pan-STARRS telescope on Maui.

The AAS has resumed holding supper after the monthly Society Meeting! Join us for snacks and beverages in the Stardome exhibit room following the lecture. It’s a great opportunity to connect with other Society members.

Practical Astronomy December -The Summer Night Sky
2023-12-18 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
This month will be a planetarium session where we will review the constellations and deep sky objects of the Summer Night Sky.
This meeting will be the final AAS meeting of 2023. We will resume with Introduction to Astronomy on the first Monday of February 2024

Monthly Meeting February - 'Oumuamua: Our first interstellar visitor
2024-02-12 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory & Planetarium, 670 Manukau Road, Epsom, Auckland, 1345
This month we will be screening a Gresham College video lecture presented by AAS Honorary Member Professor Chris Lintott.
In 2017, the Solar System was visited by an object named ‘Oumuamua, which came from another star system. The unusual properties of this first interstellar visitor led some to suggest it may be an alien spacecraft – but the truth is that its oddness is already teaching us lessons about how solar systems form. This lecture also considers the prospects of discovering more unusual objects in the Solar System and what we might do about asteroids that threaten the Earth. This lecture was recorded by Professor Chris Lintott on 24th January 2024 at Barnard’s Inn Hall, London. Chris is Gresham Professor of Astronomy. He is also a Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Oxford and a Research Fellow at New College. The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/o…
The video lecture will be followed by supper.

Astrophotography Group - Restart
2024-02-19 19:00 - 20:00 | Stardome Observatory & Planetarium, 670 Manukau Road, Epsom, Auckland, 1345
The Initial theme for 2024 will be Astrophotography without tracking.

Guided vs Unguided astrophotography
The modern CMOS Sensor – Hubble in your hand
What you will need – a Smartphone, and a mount of some sort

Settings – ISO and Exposure
Mounting in terms of tripod
Practicing in daylight

Youtube video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mdwldZNexc
The DSLR in 2024

Mount & Tripod
DSLR
Technique

Youtube video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtPNyk76Stg
Summary

Practical Astronomy February - Telescopes and Mounts
2024-02-19 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
To start the year for Practical Astronomy, we will be discussing the basics of telescopes and mounts. We will cover the common types of telescopes encountered by amateur astronomers and how they work. We will also discuss the basics of mounting systems for telescopes.
