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X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Auckland Astronomical Society Inc
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DTSTART;TZID=Pacific/Auckland:20260713T200000
DTEND;TZID=Pacific/Auckland:20260713T210000
DTSTAMP:20260711T224959Z
CREATED:20260711T224959Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260711T224959Z
UID:3156-1783972800-1783976400@www.astronomy.org.nz
SUMMARY:Monthly Meeting July - Pluto Isn’t a Planet
DESCRIPTION:In 2006\, the International Astronomical Union adopted a definition of a planet that demoted Pluto to just one of what is likely hundreds of dwarf planets in our Solar System. Exploring the remote Kuiper Belt\, this lecture challenges us to think about what kinds of scientific questions are worth our attention\, what it means to name something – and why Pluto is worth caring about anyway. \nThis lecture was recorded by Chris Lintott on the 3rd of June 2026 \nProfessor Chris Lintott is a Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Oxford\, and a Research Fellow at New College. \nHaving been educated at Magdalene College\, Cambridge and University College London\, his research now ranges from understanding how galaxies form and evolve\, to using machine learning to find the most unusual things in the Universe\, to predicting the properties of visiting interstellar asteroids. He was the founder of the Zooniverse citizen science platform\, which provides opportunities for more than two million online volunteers to contribute to scientific research\, and which was the topic of his first book\, ‘The Crowd and the Cosmos’. His latest book is ‘Our Accidental Universe’. \nProfessor Lintott is best known for presenting the BBC’s long-running Sky at Night program\, and as an accomplished lecturer. Away from work\, he cooks\, suffers through being a fan of Torquay United and Somerset cricket\, and spends time with a rescued lurcher\, Mr Max. He can often be found at the helm of Oxford’s science comedy night\, ‘Huh\, That’s Funny’.
URL:https://www.astronomy.org.nz/event/monthly-meeting-july-pluto-isnt-a-planet/
LOCATION:Stardome Observatory & Planetarium\, 670 Manukau Road\, Epsom\, Auckland\, 1345
CATEGORIES:AAS Meetings,Monthly Meeting
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Pacific/Auckland:20260720T200000
DTEND;TZID=Pacific/Auckland:20260720T210000
DTSTAMP:20260718T112328Z
CREATED:20260718T112328Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260718T112328Z
UID:3158-1784577600-1784581200@www.astronomy.org.nz
SUMMARY:Practical Astronomy July - Equatorial Mounts: Why We Use Them and How They Work
DESCRIPTION:Why does a telescope need an equatorial mount\, and what makes it different from simpler fixed or altitude–azimuth designs? This beginner-friendly talk starts with the basic problem of following objects across the night sky\, then uses practical examples and simulations to explain tracking\, field rotation and the deceptively simple idea behind an equatorial mount. \nCurator of Instruments\, Steve Hennerley\, follows the development of telescope mounts from early transit instruments and seventeenth-century helioscopes through to modern computer-controlled equipment. He then moves into the practicalities of setting up an equatorial mount in the Southern Hemisphere\, including finding true south\, levelling the mount\, polar scopes\, drift alignment and electronic polar-alignment tools. \nNo previous knowledge is assumed\, making this an accessible introduction for visual observers and anyone beginning to explore astrophotography.
URL:https://www.astronomy.org.nz/event/practical-astronomy-july-equatorial-mounts-why-we-use-them-and-how-they-work/
LOCATION:Stardome Observatory & Planetarium\, 670 Manukau Road\, Epsom\, Auckland\, 1345
CATEGORIES:AAS Meetings,Practical Astronomy
ORGANIZER;CN="Steve Hennerley":MAILTO:steve.hennerley@gmail.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Pacific/Auckland:20260727T200000
DTEND;TZID=Pacific/Auckland:20260727T210000
DTSTAMP:20260725T094232Z
CREATED:20260725T094232Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260725T094232Z
UID:3167-1785182400-1785186000@www.astronomy.org.nz
SUMMARY:Film Night July - Harmony of the Worlds
DESCRIPTION:We continue our revisiting of The Cosmos Series. \n  \nEpisode 3: \nSubject: History of astronomy from astrology to Kepler’s laws; Ptolemy\, Copernicus\, Brahe\, Galileo; scientific method triumph. 45 Years Later: \nKepler Space Telescope (2009–2018) discovered thousands of exoplanets using transit method\, validating Kepler’s laws on a galactic scale.\nGaia mission (2013–) mapped precise positions and motions of >1 billion stars\, refining galactic structure.\nGeneral relativity tests passed with ever-higher precision (e.g.\, gravitational waves\, LIGO 2015).
URL:https://www.astronomy.org.nz/event/film-night-july-harmony-of-the-worlds/
LOCATION:Stardome Observatory & Planetarium\, 670 Manukau Road\, Epsom\, Auckland\, 1345
CATEGORIES:AAS Meetings,Film Night
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DTSTART;TZID=Pacific/Auckland:20260803T200000
DTEND;TZID=Pacific/Auckland:20260803T210000
DTSTAMP:20260705T064734Z
CREATED:20260705T064644Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260705T064734Z
UID:3152-1785787200-1785790800@www.astronomy.org.nz
SUMMARY:Introduction to Astronomy August 2026
DESCRIPTION:Titan: Earth’s Frozen Twin\nGuest speaker: Jonathan Park \nIn many ways\, Saturn’s moon Titan looks uncannily familiar: dunes like those in Earth’s deserts\, mountains\, branching river channels\, rain\, lakes\, and seas. But here\, methane takes the place of water\, and frozen water stands in for solid rock. Beneath Titan’s thick orange haze lies a world near minus 180 °C\, where chemistry\, climate\, and the possibility of life follow entirely different rules. This presentation explores how we get there\, what we find\, and what NASA’s Dragonfly mission hopes to discover when it arrives in the 2030s.
URL:https://www.astronomy.org.nz/event/introduction-to-astronomy-august-2026/
LOCATION:Stardome Observatory\, 670 Manukau Rd\, Epsom\, Auckland\, 1345\, New Zealand
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Pacific/Auckland:20260907T200000
DTEND;TZID=Pacific/Auckland:20260907T210000
DTSTAMP:20260723T015939Z
CREATED:20260723T015939Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260723T015939Z
UID:3165-1788811200-1788814800@www.astronomy.org.nz
SUMMARY:Introduction to Astronomy September 2026
DESCRIPTION:Large Scale Structure of the Universe\nThis evening\, Chris Benton will discuss how the Universe is structured on large scales. Starting with our location in the Milky Way\, we move out through the Local Group into the Virgo and Laniakea Superclusters of galaxies and beyond to reveal the large-scale structures of the Universe\, as shown in a video travelling through space made from Sloan Digital Sky Survey data on observed galaxy positions and distances. Come and learn about the most recently discovered structures involving observations of Gamma Ray Bursts and distant quasars\, and how they fit in with what we know about the cosmos on grand scales.
URL:https://www.astronomy.org.nz/event/introduction-to-astronomy-september-2026/
LOCATION:Stardome Observatory\, 670 Manukau Rd\, Epsom\, Auckland\, 1345\, New Zealand
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