Auckland Astronomical Society Inc

Film Night May
2023-05-22 20:00 - 21:15 (Pacific/Auckland) | 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 | Auckland
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 | Auckland
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.

Film Night February
2024-02-26 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory & Planetarium, 670 Manukau Road, Epsom, Auckland, 1345
We are running two films tonight
We look forwards to seeing you there.
Space Race to the Moon

The US space agency has announced the Artemis III mission to land four astronauts September 2026. What was involved in the first moon landing. We are playing part one of a two part documentary on the Moon-landing project conducted by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration in the 1960s and ’70s

The Deepest We Have Ever Seen Into the Sun

How viewing the Sun in ultraviolet can uncover its secrets, and much more. This short film has stunning images.

Monthly Meeting March - Island Universes: Discovering Galaxies Beyond the Milky Way
2024-03-11 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
Continuing with this months theme of the scale of the Universe, Professor Chris Lintott presents a Greshan College video lecture.
Island Universes: Discovering Galaxies Beyond the Milky Way
The discovery that we live in an ordinary galaxy, one of several hundred billion in the observable Universe, instigated a profound change in thinking about our place in the Universe.
This lecture covers the Great Debate of the early twentieth century as new telescopes and new ways of observing the cosmos put our Milky Way in its place; and looks at how subsequent observations helped us understand how galaxies like our own formed and evolved.
This lecture was recorded by Professor Chris Lintott on 13 September 2023 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 meeting will be followed by supper.

Astrophotography Group March - What we do in the Shadows
2024-03-18 19:00 - 20:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
Tony Copper will present tonight’s astrophotography talk
How astrophotography differs from daytime photography
What makes a good astro photo
How photons behave in your lens and camera
What is noise and what is the biggest source of it
What is dynamic range and why is it important
Myths and facts – what things people get wrong
What ISO and exposures to use
What about f-ratio

Practical Astronomy March - The Autumn Night Sky
2024-03-18 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 Autumn Night Sky.

Monthly Meeting April - The Images That Will Change Your View of Our Moon Forever
2024-04-08 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) is a NASA robotic spacecraft currently orbiting the Moon in an eccentric polar mapping orbit. Data collected by LRO have been described as essential for planning NASA’s future human and robotic missions to the Moon. Its detailed mapping program is identifying safe landing sites, locating potential resources on the Moon, characterizing the radiation environment, and demonstrating new technologies. This film gives an overview of many of the remarkable findings of the mission.
Explore the Moon yourself: https://quickmap.lroc.asu.edu
The meeting will be followed by supper.

Astrophotography Group April
2024-04-15 19:00 - 20:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
What we do in the Shadows – Part 2
This talk starts by reviewing what we talked about in Part 1:
1 What makes a good astrophoto – SNR
2 Signal (the photon funnel)
3 Noise (the square root of the signal)
4a, b Myths (f-ratio and ISO / Gain)
In Part 2 we will talk about:
4c Dynamic Range (the relationship to SNR)
5 Subexposure
6 Fun With Mathematics

Practical Astronomy April - Visual Observing
2024-04-15 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
In the this talk we will discuss tips and techniques for visual observing with a telescope.

Film Night April - Exploring our Mind-Blowing Universe | BBC Earth Science
2024-04-22 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory & Planetarium, 670 Manukau Road, Epsom, Auckland, 1345
We are running one full length film tonight
We look forwards to seeing you there.
Exploring our Mind-Blowing Universe | BBC Earth Science

Embark on a fascinating journey through the wonders of our universe in this mind-expanding exploration of celestial marvels and cosmic mysteries.

Introduction to Astronomy May 2024
2024-05-06 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory & Planetarium, 670 Manukau Road, Epsom, Auckland, 1345
Establishing a US Moon Base: Timing and Challenges
NASA has set the goal of returning to the Moon, but this time for good to mine precious resources and set up a lunar base for a sustainable long-term human presence by 2030. Chris Benton will discuss why and where on the Moon NASA intends to explore, how they intend to do it, and the challenges to be faced and overcome within the incredible timeline for its Artemis Programme. Come along and hear whether this is achievable and what options NASA has.

Monthly Meeting May - The Marvels of the Solar System
2024-05-13 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
Our exploration of the Solar System has revealed a remarkable diversity of landscapes, from the frozen deserts of Mars, which billions of years ago ran with water, to the hellish surface of Venus and the strange hydrocarbon seas of Saturn’s largest moon, Titan. In our voyages to these places we have discovered what may be the most common home for life in the Universe – the ice-covered oceans found in many of Jupiter and Saturn’s moons.
This lecture was recorded by Chris Lintott on 25 October 2023 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.
