2021 Burbidge Lecture and New Zealand Astrophotography Competition Results
2021-11-08 20:00 - 21:00 (Pacific/Auckland) | Online
Burbidge Lecture: Diving through exoplanet atmospheres 8:00pm The study of exoplanets, planets that orbit stars other than the Sun, is fascinating new field of research. The question “how do stars and planetary systems form and evolve?”” is one of the biggest in Astronomy, and is at the root of one of the most important questions in science today: “How did we get here?”. I will take us on a journey to explore how we measure and understand the nature these strange new worlds beyond our Solar System. We will dive into the atmospheres of alien planets to discover the truly wild nature of planets in the universe from chains of rocky worlds around ultra-cool stars, to exotic clouds of molten rock in the atmosphere of ultra-hot gas giants.
Hannah Wakeford is a lecturer in Astrophysics at the University of Bristol, UK where she leads a group researching the atmospheres of exoplanets using observations from space telescopes. Hannah’s work focuses on the exotic clouds of giant hot Jupiters, down to chains of small rocky worlds around ultra-cool stars. She studied for a Masters in Planetary and Space Physics at Aberystwyth University with field studies in Svalbard to measure the aurora, and completed her PhD thesis on exoplanets at the University of Exeter before heading to the USA to work at NASA and STScI. Alongside her research she runs the monthly podcast Exocast all about exoplanet science and hosts the #ExoCup twitter competition for the public to crown the champion exoplanet of the year. New Zealand Astrophotography Competition Results We will be announcing the winners of the individual categories and well as the overall winner who receives the Harry Williams Trophy
https://www.youtube.com/c/AucklandAstronomicalSociety

Practical Astronomy November - Visual Observing
2021-11-15 20:00 - 21:00 | Online
This month we will be discussing visual observing, including the way the human eye works, optics and eyepieces, sky conditions, ambient light and observing targets, from the Sun to galaxies.

Astrophotography Group November
2021-11-29 20:00 - 21:00
Astrophotography Group
Monday 29th November at 8:00pm, Online
DC Power for Astrophotography – the observatory and the field
(everything I wish I knew at the start)
Speaker/Host: Tony Cooper
Topics
DC calculations – energy, power, voltage drop
DC voltages and converters (19V, 12V, 7.2V, 5V)
DC connectors – cigarette, Anderson, DC plugs, Waygo
Batteries – types and advantages
Battery charging (excluding solar)
Measuring and monitoring current
Undervolt protection – battery and camera
Laptop settings to conserve energy
Mistakes I made
The talk will be streamed live on the AAS youtube channel at 8pm Monday 29th November
https://www.youtube.com/c/AucklandAstronomicalSociety

Introduction to Astronomy December - Copernican Astronomy
2021-12-06 20:00 - 21:00 | Online
This month we will be discussing how the modern scientific view of Astronomy came about. We will delve in to the cosmological views of past Neolithic cultures and follow the broad sweep of progress from bronze age Sumer to the 21st century.

Monthly Meeting December - Backyard Observing with Jennie McCormick
2021-12-13 20:00 - 21:00 | Online
How does observing from your garden turn into serious astronomical research?
We all know that astronomy is a diverse and exciting science, that is probably what got us into it in the first place. However, it also offers numerous opportunities for amateur astronomers to be part of important research discoveries and at times, can produce some unexpected surprises.
This presentation is a pictorial look at how backyard observing turned into serious research observing from a suburban backyard in Farm Cove, Auckland.

Jennie is an amateur astronomer who conducts astronomical research from her observatory in Farm Cove, Auckland. She has been involved in the collaborative discovery of more than 20 distant planets, including a new solar system and Binary Star Solar System.She takes regular data on Cataclysmic Variable stars for the Center for Backyard Astrophysics and measures the positions of comets and asteroids for the Minor Planet Center.
In September 2009, Jennie discovered her first asteroid and officially named it, New Zealand!
In the late 1980’s she joined the Auckland Astronomical Society and for 15 years, worked as an educator at Auckland Observatory.Jennie is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand (RASNZ) and sits on the RASNZ Council as the Fellows Representative.
In 2008/2009 she coordinated the International Year of Astronomy 2009’s, 100 Hours of Astronomy event. This became the largest global science outreach event held to date and gave millions of people the chance to look through a telescope for the very first time while highlighting the wonders of astronomy to an extensive global audience.
When not observing, Jennie manages a community House in East Auckland, can be found growing vegetables, caring for native birds, photographing sunrise and sunsets from her Farm Cove garden and spending as much time as possible with her three young grandchildren.

Practical Astronomy December - End of Year Quiz and the Summer Night Sky
2021-12-20 20:00 - 21:00 | Online
This is the final meeting for 2021. We resume meetings on the first Monday of February and hope to be back at our normal venue, the Auckland Stardome Observatory and Planetarium. We will also be hosting a lecture from the postponed Beatrice Hill-Tinsley Lecture Series. This will be held on the evening of Monday 28th February, we will publish further details in the February journal.
The meeting will be in two parts. AAS council member Carolle Varughese will start the meeting with the end of year quiz. A fun quiz to test your astronomical knowledge. This will be followed by a review of the Summer Night Sky presented by AAS member and Stardome presenter Melanie Bruges.
This will be lived streamed on the AAS Youtube Channel.
https://www.youtube.com/c/AucklandAstronomicalSociety

Introduction to Astronomy February 2022
2022-02-07 20:00 - 21:00 | Online
Annual Fun Quiz Night!
by Chris Benton
It’s time we reflect on popular topics covered last year and do some revision in the form of a fun-filled quiz.
Join us online and have loads of fun recalling what you learned during the year and review the main points of each monthly session. The Quiz is designed for those who attended all, some or none of the talks during the year, so there’s no excuse to miss out!
The multiple-choice questions, each designed to lead into a teaching discussion, will include the topics: Dark Matter, Special Relativity, The Sun, The Night Sky, Star Clusters and Water on Mars.
We look forward to seeing you all on our YouTube website to view this online using the below link.
https://www.youtube.com/c/AucklandAstronomicalSociety

Monthly Meeting February - Kumeu Observatory - Note the change to Tuesday evening.
2022-02-15 20:00 - 21:00 | Online
The Society operate the Kumeu Observatory, which over recent times, has been upgraded with a GSO 400mm Ritchey–Chrétien telescope and full frame cooled CMOS camera (QHY 600M) fitted with a filter wheel. The Society purchased these using funds from the Trixie and Barry Menzies bequest. Society member Tony Cooper will be bringing us up to date with the progress at the observatory, including resolution of issues with the dome, the equipment, software and the correct setup and calibration of the new camera. He will also report on the first scientific results from the new setup.

Astrophotography Group February
2022-02-21 19:00 - 20:00 | Online
Tintop Observatory

Tonight I will give a short talk about my home imaging observatory, the concept, build details and experiences.
Hope you can all make it and find it interesting.

Shaun Fletcher

Practical Astronomy February
2022-02-21 20:00 - 21:00 | Online
Sky mapping applications and learning the night sky.

Beatrice Hill-Tinsley Lecture
2022-02-28 19:00 - 20:00 | AUT WG403, 55 Wellesley Street East, Auckland, 1010, New Zealand
Note – This was rescheduled from last year. Venue: AUT Lecture theatre WA220
Vaccine Passport and mask wearing will be required for in person attendance. This is a free event but as we are limited to a maximum of 100 attendees for social distancing, you will need to register. Please register via the link below:
https://www.eventbrite.co.nz/e/beatrice-hill-tinsley-lecture-tickets-271889959187
The Lecture will also be streamed via the AAS youtube channel
https://www.youtube.com/c/AucklandAstronomicalSociety

Beatrice Hill Tinsley Lecture tour.
The Beatrice Hill Tinsley Lecturer this year is Dr Heloise Stevence
A Deadly Dance: When black holes and neutron stars collide
The RASNZ Lecture Trust are delighted and excited to have Heloise as this years BHT lecturer. She is an energetic, enthusiastic, educational and entertaining speaker well able to reach out to audiences of all ages and levels. Heloise gave excellent presentations at the RASNZ Conference earlier this year and was an obvious choice to swoop in and save the day when Covid-19 scuppered Professor Harvey-Smith’s tour. Dr Heloise Stevence enthusiastically accepted the invitation to give the 2021 tour.

Dr Stevence gave the following brief biographical background:
Originally born and raised in France, I moved to the UK to study Physics and Astronomy at the University of Sheffield. After working as a support astronomer at the Isaac Newton Group in La Palma for a year, I obtained my Masters of Physics in 2015. I subsequently started a PhD studying the 3D shape of Core Collapse Supernovae, and earned my title in Spring 2019. In July of that year, I joined the University of Auckland as a Research Fellow to research the evolution of massive stars to better understand how they die and produce Supernovae and Kilonovae.
I also started my public outreach work during my doctorate studies, in early 2016, and I have not stopped since.

Practical Astronomy March - The Autumn Night Sky
2022-03-14 20:00 - 21:00 | Online
Note the change from the normal date (the third Monday of the Month to the second Monday).
This will be an online review of the Autumn Night Sky. We will review the constellations and deep sky objects, best placed for observation over the coming season. This is a great way to start learning your way around the sky.
The talk will be streamed live to the AAS youtube channel.
https://www.youtube.com/c/AucklandAstronomicalSociety

Monthly Meeting March - Te Awamutu Space Centre
2022-03-21 20:00 - 21:00 | Online
Dave Owen (AKA “Space Dave”) is the owner/manager of Te Awamutu SpaceCentre, an interactive museum that features space memorabilia,astronomy displays and activities. Customers include the generalpublic as well as schools, businesses, health organisations andspecial interest groups. Over the years Dave has developed a range ofreal-world and virtual resources to help promote astronomy and generalscience education. In his presentation, he’ll talk about his work andsome of these resources.
https://www.youtube.com/c/AucklandAstronomicalSociety

Astrophotography Group March
2022-03-28 19:00 - 20:00
TBA

Astrophotography Group March
2022-03-28 20:00 - 21:00
Otto Gruebl will talk about Imaging of the Sun in CaK with an emphasis on ISS transits in CaK. he has found recent new and improved Processing techniques with Photoshop CC 2022
The talk will be streaming live via the AAS Youtube Channel.
https://www.youtube.com/c/AucklandAstronomicalSociety

Practical Astronomy - Telescopes - what you need to know.
2022-04-11 20:00 - 21:00
In this meeting we will be discussing telescopes. We will talk about how they work and the different types commonly used by amateur astronomers. Along with some information on care and maintenance.
The talk will be in person at the Stardome. We have limited numbers with the social distancing requirements, namely 45 attendees in the Space room and up to 20 in the Matariki room for any overflow. The talk will also be streamed online via the AAS youtube channel.
https://www.youtube.com/c/AucklandAstronomicalSociety

Astrophotography Group April
2022-04-18 19:00 - 20:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
The Astrophotography group will be holding a general catchup meeting on the first return to the Stardome for several months. There will be discussion on imaging ideas for the winter season.

Monthy Meeting May - Cosmobiology: Recent Progress in Cosmology, Exoplanets, and the Prerequisites for Life in the Universe
2022-05-09 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
In this talk, astrobiologist Dr Charles Lineweaver discusses the history of life on Earth and what we can deduce from our understanding of the universe about the existence and history of life elsewhere. He recounts the ongoing discovery of large numbers of exoplanets — planets orbiting other stars — and what we can learn from the varieties of planets that are being found. He challenges us to think about what parts in the development of intelligent life on Earth would necessarily happen elsewhere and what parts might be unique to our planet.
The venue will be the Auckland Stardone Obersvatory
This is a rebroadcast of one of the recent Silicon Valley Astronomy Lectures.

Astrophotography Group May - The EV Scope
2022-05-16 19:00 - 20:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
Gareth Davies will demonstrate the astrophotography capabilities of the Unistellar eVscope eQuinox Digital Telescope.

Practical Astronomy May - Beginner Astrophotography
2022-05-16 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 May 23
2022-05-23 20:00 - 21:30 | Stardome Observatory & Planetarium, 670 Manukau Road, Epsom, Auckland, 1345
Space Exploration – The Age of Hubble
&
BBC The Sky at Night – The Pillars of Creation.
We welcome you back to our first movie night for some time, with a fantastic film.
From how Stars are made to chemical reactions in space and much much more, these two films are highly recommended.
We look forwards to watching this with you, in person, at Stardome Observatory & Planetarium

Practical Astronomy - The Winter Night Sky
2022-05-30 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
The Winter Night Sky review is normally held in June but this year, the Stardome will be holding Matariki events all nights of that week to mark the inaugural public holiday. Therefore we are making use of the fifth Monday of May. There will be no AAS events on Monday 20th June.
The Winter Night Sky review is held in the Planetarium. We will review the constellations and deep sky objects of the Winter Night Sky.

Monthly Meeting June
2022-06-13 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
Precision Metrology of the Sky: Advances and Problems of VLBI Astrometry
The use of Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) technique revolutionizes modern astrometry. It surpasses Gaia’s positional accuracy and allows conducting distance (parallax) measurements in the galactic plane far beyond the reach of optical telescopes. In this talk I will describe the method and report on some recent developments at the Warkworth Radio Astronomical Observatory in the field of radio (VLBI) astrometry. We will discuss problems of positional measurements in radio astronomy, talk about effects of radio source structure on determination of its precise position on the sky, about the perspectives of mapping spiral arms beyond the Galactic Centre with the use of methanol maser emission sources, learn about the “Gaia Sausage” as well as of a new class of pulsars based on rotating white dwarfs (rather than neutron stars).
Professor Sergei Gulyaev is the founder and director of AUT’s Institute for Radio Astronomy and Space Research (IRASR). Under his direction, the institute has built an observatory at Warkworth, north of Auckland, equipped with a 12-metre and a 30-metre radio telescope.
A hallmark of Professor Gulyaev’s research is his collaborative approach with the IRASR forging working relationships with radio astronomy and national aeronautical organisations around the world, including NASA, SpaceX, ESA (European Space Agency) and JAXA (Japanese Space Agency).
In one of many collaborative projects Professor Gulyaev and his team have used a technique known as Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) to link the Warkworth radio telescope with observatories across Australia, including ASKAP (Australian SKA Pathfinder). Acting as one virtual radio telescope they were able to get greater resolution or sharper cosmic images from their observations.

Film Night June 27
2022-06-27 20:00 - 21:15 | Stardome Observatory & Planetarium, 670 Manukau Road, Epsom, Auckland, 1345
We are running two films tonight:
Search For the Edge of Space
The universe has long captivated us with its immense scales of distance and time. Many astronomers today have come to believe that what we can see represents only a small fraction of all there is. They are pioneering bold new theories that describe a cosmic landscape that extends far beyond the limits of our vision. What lies beyond the streams of galaxies that extend as far as our telescopes can see? Where does it all end? How do we fit within it?
BBC The Sky at Night Destination Moon 2022
2022 marks the fiftieth year since an astronaut last set foot on the moon. The Sky at Night team looks back at the legacy of the Apollo programme and forward to the future of lunar exploration.

Introduction to Astronomy July 2022
2022-07-04 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
Life In The Solar System – Part 1
Guest Speaker – Jonathan Park
Could life exist elsewhere in the Solar System? Could it even get started anywhere else? People often wonder about the possibility of life on other worlds. Even if we eventually find only microbial life elsewhere in our Solar System, this will show life has arisen more than once around a single star in a galaxy of billions. Such a discovery would open the door for possibilities of life throughout the universe.
Tonight, in Part 1 of a two-part series, Jonathan will explore the potential for life elsewhere in our Solar System. We will ask the question “what is life?”, look at the building blocks of life, how life might get started, and Earth’s extremophiles – organisms which love extreme conditions. Next, we visit Saturn’s tiny icy moon Enceladus, to see what conditions are like there.

Monthly Meeting July
2022-07-11 18:00 - 19:00 | AUT WG403, 55 Wellesley Street East, Auckland, 1010, New Zealand
Dr Steve Goldman
Observatory Scientist, SOFIA/USRA
Monday 11 July, 6.00 pm
WG403, Sir Paul Reeves Building, AUT City Campus
Abstract
Where did the material that makes us up come from? It boils down to understanding how stars affect their surroundings, and vice-versa. We think that a lot of Earth’s Carbon and Oxygen originally formed during the final stages of ancient sun-sized stars called Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars, but exactly how much remains unclear. These stars pass this material on to the Universe in the form of dust. The dust in the interstellar medium is then pulled together by its own gravity to create stars and planets like the Sun and Earth. Understanding the origin of dust may allow us to better-understand the formation of our Solar System, and how Earth-like planets may form across the Universe. During this talk, I will discuss recent results targeting dusty evolved stars in nearby galaxies with the Spitzer and Hubble Space Telescopes, as well as the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). I will also discuss the status and recent achievements of SOFIA, currently on deployment in New Zealand.
Bio
Dr Steve Goldman did his PhD at Keele University (Staffordshire UK), followed by a Postdoc position at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STSI, Baltimore, MD USA). Currently, Steve works as a SOFIA Observatory Scientist at the NASA Universities Space Research Association (USRA, Mountain View, CA US).

Astrophotography Group July
2022-07-18 19:00 - 20:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
High Resolution lunar imaging with a planetary camera and telescope with Shaun Fletcher.

I will use he videos and images from my most recent session as examples, and give lots of hints and tips from my experience of these type of images.

Special July Presentation - Polynesian navigation and ocean-going waka
2022-07-18 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
Speaker Stan Conrad

I started my Voyaging in 1985 on the double-hull Voyaging Waka Hokule’a from Hawaii. Then in the year 1992 I captained the Voyaging Waka, Te Aurere, that Sir Hector Busby built, on its maiden voyage to Rarotonga. In 1993, I was the skipper of Te Aurere on its circumnavigation of the North Island and in 1995 I captained Te Aurere from Tahiti to Hawaii, Te Aurere being the first Maori Voyaging Waka to cross the equator in centuries.

In 2012 I sailed Te Aurere, accompanied by Nga Hiraka Mai Tawhiti, Sir Hector Busby’s second Voyaging Waka, to Rapa Nui (Easter Island).

I’m so grateful to have the knowledge of Voyaging, Traditional Navigation and Waka building taught to me by Mau Piailug, Nainoa Thompson and Sir Hector Busby. Today I pass the knowledge to the next generation.

Film Night July
2022-07-25 20:00 - 21:15 | Stardome Observatory & Planetarium, 670 Manukau Road, Epsom, Auckland, 1345
A Journey to Our Nearest Stars – Part 1
The universe is full of all kinds of stars – from tiny red dwarves to majestic blue giants. Some of them dimly twinkle for billions of years while others burn up almost instantly by space standards.
Today we are travelling to some of the most exciting ones, with every new star we come across further and further away from our home planet. This journey of thousands of light years will start near our closest star – the Sun. Together with the Parker probe we will brush its scorching corona and take a peek in its fiery depths. After that we will leave our home system to go around Alpha Centauri and check out some exoplanets located closest to the Earth.
A Journey to Our Nearest Stars – Part 2
We continue our journey visiting Betelgeuse and then onto WR102 which is believed to be the hottest star in the known universe. So hot that it turns all objects in its vicinity into ash.
We look forwards to viewing this exciting and informative film with you

Introduction to Astronomy August 2022
2022-08-01 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
Life in the Solar System – Part 2
Guest Speaker: Jonathan Park
Last month, in part 1 of “Life in the Solar System”, Jonathan explored the potential for life elsewhere in our Solar System. We looked at the building blocks of life, how life might get started, and Earth’s extremophiles. This was followed by a visit to Enceladus to see what it might have to offer in the way of habitability.
In Part 2, we first visit Europa and Titan, and have a look to see whether conditions on either of these moons might be suitable for any kind of life. Next, we head to Mars, where we examine evidence of rivers, lakes, and an ocean. We will see that life had just as much chance of getting started on Mars as it did on Earth, but if it did manage to get started on Mars, would there be any way it could have survived up to the present? Following this, we very briefly touch on some upcoming missions to Titan and the icy moons of Jupiter, finishing with a look at other possible oceans in our Solar System, which could number up to 14!
We look forward to seeing you all there.
