Auckland Astronomical Society Inc

Astrophotography Group
2021-04-19 19:00 - 20:00 (Pacific/Auckland) | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
Joe Nidd from Dunedin will be with us via teams. He will discuss his astro-photographjy setup, a bit of the background that got him to identifying the need for what he has built. He will then go through the build and use in a bit of detail and show us some of his resulting images.

Shaun

Monthly Meeting April
2021-04-12 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
With Rolf Wahl Olsen.
My talk will be about latest images and achievements in the last two years, including the first amateur image of light echoes of Supernova 1987A and a new collaboration with NASA on a multi-wavelength image of Centaurus A.
I have been interested in astronomy for as long as I can remember and have observed the night sky visually for decades with both binoculars and telescopes. In 1990 I got my first telescope, a 60mm alt-az refractor. A couple of years later I upgraded to a 100mm refractor on an equatorial mount and in 1995 I got a 10 inch f/5 Newtonian reflector. This telescope was used extensively for both planetary and deep sky observing and in 2003 I ventured into the world of astrophotography and began taking images with a long-exposure modified webcam. In 2011 I built a Serrurier truss 12.5 inch f/4 Newtonian and then upgraded the webcam to a highly sensitive QSI683wsg CCD camera which I now use to take all my images.
The modified webcam was a great opportunity to learn as it required me to really work on developing processing skills in order to achieve good results. It also forced me to think carefully about my choice of subjects, given the webcam’s limited resolution and low sensitivity. My later images taken with the CCD camera greatly benefited from these early lessons.
I enjoy photographing all astronomical subjects but perhaps my favourites are galaxies, especially peculiarly shaped ones or distant galaxy clusters, or those engaged in dramatic mergers such as the famous pair of Antennae galaxies. I enjoy taking images that are unusual, either being of a rarely imaged object, or perhaps a familiar object presented in a new way. Among my images you will find exotic objects like the circumstellar disc of Beta Pictoris, gravitational lenses, quasars, distant galaxy clusters and extragalactic globulars. I find that these obscure targets often have a very interesting story to tell.

Introduction to Astronomy April 2021
2021-04-05 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
What is Dark Matter?
The Evidence, the Candidates & the Search
If you are interested in how the Universe appears and behaves on large scales, you will enjoy this essential talk. Attendees will also receive a ten-page handout on dark matter covering the discussion and expanding on selected points.
85% of the matter in the Universe is elusive dark matter that we cannot directly observe, but presence is seen through its effects on the surrounding environment. Tonight, Chris Benton discusses compelling evidence for dark matter and its importance in the structure and evolution of the Universe. Following this, an outline of dark matter’s apparent properties leads into identifying the candidate particles and the experiments designed to detect them.
We look forward to seeing you all there.

March Film Night - Solar Superstorms
2021-03-22 20:00 - 21:30 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
This documentary is about the turbulent nature of solar activity, how superstorms (coronal mass ejection) that occur on the sun have impacted Earth in the past, and what threat they may pose to us in the future.
The main film is 50 minutes long and will be followed by the September 2020 Sky at Night Show about new discoveries in the atmosphere of Venus (30 minutes long).

Astro Photography Group March
2021-03-15 19:00 - 20:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
First images in NINA with a DSLR and ASCOM mount
Speaker/Host: Shaun Fletcher
For this months meeting I will first of all be awarding the prize for the best image of M42 posted by a group member this season. Very much looking forward to reviewing the images and handing over the excellent book.
After this I will present a quick tour of my experience getting to a first image sequence in NINA, replacing my previous capture tools. Using my Canon DSLR and EQ6 mount, I go through install and setup, and getting to a plate-solved image and a functional capture sequence.
Look forward to seeing you all again.
Shaun

Monthly Meeting - The Life and Death of Stars - the life cycle of stars in our galaxy
2021-03-08 20:00 - 21:00 | Online
With Associate Professor and Dean, Karen Pollard, Director of The University of Canterbury Mt John Observatory.
The Life and Death of Stars – the life cycle of stars in our galaxy
Stars are key components of galaxies: they are hosts for families of planets; they create the chemical elements deep in their interiors; they evolve and explode, providing the physical feedback mechanism to kickstart new generations of star formation.
In this talk I will take you on a journey to understand our place in the universe and how we came to be, concentrating on the crucial role stars play in the evolving universe.
Karen Pollard is an associate professor at the University of Canterbury and Director of the University of Canterbury Mt John Observatory. Her research areas are in stellar astrophysics, with specific interests in investigating the structure, formation and evolution of stars and planetary systems. Karen was born and raised in Christchurch, New Zealand, and did her BSc (Hons) and PhD degrees in Physics and Astronomy at UC. She has worked as an astrophysicist in South Africa, the US, Chile and New Zealand.
Watch online at 8pm Monday 8th March on the AAS youtube Channel

Astrophotography Group February
2021-02-15 19:00 - 20:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
Topics in Astrophotography

Introduction to Astronomy February 2021
2021-02-01 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
Dark Energy and the Acceleration of the Universe
by guest speaker Jonathan Park
Early in the 20th century, the consensus was that the Milky Way was the whole universe and that the universe was static (neither expanding nor contracting). By 1931, it had been established that the Milky Way was only one galaxy of many and that the universe was not static, but expanding. Then, in 1998, a remarkable discovery was made: the universe is not only expanding, but this expansion is speeding up! The best explanation for this is “dark energy” – a mysterious energy which has a repulsive gravity effect and currently makes up over two-thirds of the universe. In this introductory talk, Jonathan will discuss how we know the universe is accelerating, how we know how much dark energy there is in the universe, and what dark energy might be. The discussion will finish with two possible scenarios for the end of the universe.
This is a fascinating and hot topic of cosmology and one not to be missed. We look forward to seeing you all there.

Practical Astronomy November - Astrophotography - Getting started
2020-11-16 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
This month we will be discussing astrophotography for beginners. This will include an introduction to the different types of astrophotography, cameras, techniques, equipment and computer software.

Astrophotography Group November
2020-11-16 19:00 - 20:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
Tony Cooper will be giving a talk/demo on how to build a DIY Motorised Focuser for $25- Reasons for using a motorised focuser
– Parts list
– Stepper motors
– Timing belts
– Arduino programming
– ASCOM
– Three axis balancing of a German equatorial mount
– Demonstration of the focuser in action

Monthly Meeting November
2020-11-09 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
Music and Astronomy.

We will talk about mathematical and psycho-physical foundations of music; what makes it beautiful — tones, octaves, intervals, consonances, and cords; about types of musical instruments, temperaments, and the art of musical tuning. From this we will draw connection to the “sounds” and harmony of the Cosmos, discuss problems of resonances and stability of planetary systems, motions of moons and geometry of rings. Together we will try to discover the unique “melody” of our Solar system. I’ll use my violin to illustrate my talk.
Our speaker, Sergei Gulyaev, is Professor of Astronomy and Space Science and Director of the Institute for Radio Astronomy and Space Research at Auckland University of Technology.

Planetarium Review -The Spring Night Sky
2020-10-12 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
This event has been rescheduled from the September Practical Astronomy night. This will be a Planetarium session where we will review the Spring Night Sky.

Practical Astronomy/Asrophotography - Imaging Mars
2020-09-21 20:00 - 21:00 | Online
With Mars opposition coming up in mid October, Shaun Fletcher will explain his imaging and processing techniques for the planet Mars.
We have postponed the Planetarium Spring Night Sky review. This will hopefully be able to proceed for the October meeting.

AAS Youtube Channel – Live Monday 21 Sep 8pm

Introduction to Astronomy: Cosmic X-ray Astronomy – Historic Milestones 1960 to 1980
2020-09-07 20:00 - 21:00 | Online
Cosmic X-ray Astronomy – Historic Milestones 1960 to 1980

With Chris Benton
Observations of the universe in X-ray wavelengths with modern technologically advanced observatories is essential to understanding a diverse array of astrophysical objects and processes. Cosmic X-ray astronomy’s rich and early history from the 1960s and 1970s, however, is often neglected. This presentation identifies the pioneers, and principle observatories, technologies and discoveries over this period leading to the Chandra X-ray Observatory and XMM-Newton Observatory that still operate today.
Youtube Link: https://astronomy.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c73059aa79138e65ba47252c7&id=562188951c&e=465980bd9e

Film Night - August - Cancelled due to Covid19
2020-08-24 20:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
Cancelled.

Practical Astronomy - July
2020-07-27 20:00 - 22:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
TBA

Film Night - July - Large Hadron Collider
2020-07-20 20:00 - 22:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
In 2019 Ken Hulls organized a guided tour of the Large Hadron Collider and was joined on the visit by Alistair Emerson. The LHC is the most powerful particle accelerator on the planet and uses that power to reproduce energy levels and particle collisions just as they were in the universe seconds after time began. Film Night looks at: the why and how of the LHC doing that, what the LHC has enabled us to discover and just as importantly what are the big questions which remain and how they might be solved. These questions directly relate to our understanding of how the universe evolved and why it is the way it is.

Astrophotography Group July - ASCOM
2020-07-20 19:00 - 20:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
The Astrophotography Group discusses the practical aspects of astrophotography.
This session will focus on the vendor independent ASCOM software and how to use it to connect and control your astronomy related devices with a practical demonstration.

Film Night - September - Eye in the Sky
2020-07-19 20:00 - 22:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
Eye in the Sky is a documentary about the development of telescopes from the 17th century outlining the discoveries made and the development of specialised photographic techniques and radio astronomy.
