Auckland Astronomical Society Inc

2021 Annual General Meeting of the Auckland Astronomical Society
2021-04-26 20:00 - 21:30 (Pacific/Auckland) | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
Notice of Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting of the Auckland Astronomical Society Inc. will be held at the Stardome Observatory, One Tree Hill Domain, on Monday 26th April 2021 starting at 8pm.
All Society members are encouraged to attend and help with the future of the Society. The agenda and a copy of the reports will be posted prior to the meeting. Printed copies will also be distributed at the meeting. Nominations are open for all council positions; President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Librarian, Curator of Instruments, Editor and three to five council members and also the position of the AAS representative on the Auckland Observatory and Planetarium Trust Board Selection Committee. Nominations must be received by the Secretary by Monday 12th April 2021 and must be made using the form below.Note nominees, nominators and seconders must be current financial members. Any questions or enquires can be directed to Bill Thomas (President) by email to president@astronomy.org.nz or phone 09478 4874.
Nomination form: Notice with Nomination Form

Special General Meeting of the Auckland Astronomical Society
2021-04-26 19:45 - 20:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
Notice of Special General Meeting
The Auckland Astronomical Society Council have called for a Special General
Meeting to be held at 19:45 on Monday 26 th April at the Stardome Observatory
and Planetarium. This is immediately prior to the 2021 Annual General Meeting.
Special General Meeting Agenda
1. AAS Rule change approval.
The current rule 25 is as follows:
“25. The Council may invest and re-invest the whole or any part of the funds of
the Society which are not required for immediate business in interest-bearing
government or trading bank investments registered with the Reserve Bank of
New Zealand.”
The AAS Council propose replacing this rule as follows:
“25. The Council may invest the funds of the Society which are not required for
immediate business in Government stock or debentures, a community founda-
tion, or trading bank interest-bearing investments, managed investment
schemes, portfolio investment entities, or investments of similar nature, as the
Council may from time to time think fit.”
The reason for this proposal is the low level of return of interest bearing invest-
ments. The society funds can be invested for better returns without incurring
undue risk.
The current AAS rules are available at the link below:
https://cloud.astronomy.org.nz/index.php/s/p3WZNz3mZPqExAP
2. The AAS Assent to the Proposed Auckland Observatory and Plane-
tarium Trust Deed Changes as specified below.
The current Trust Deed specifies that the Auckland Astronomical Society Presi-
dent and Treasurer are ex-officio Trustees of the Auckland Observatory and
Planetarium Trust. The AAS Council requested the AOPTB to prepare an alter-
ation to the Trust Deed granting the Society the power to appoint an alterna-
tive Trustee instead of the AAS Treasurer. The Trust board agreed to this and
have also taken the opportunity to propose some other minor alterations to the
Deed prepared by the law firm Simspon Grierson.
The proposed changes:
The key update implemented by these documents is to clause 3 of the sched-
ule to the Trust Deed – designed to permit AAS to appoint any individual (as op-
posed to the treasurer) as a trustee.
Although SG has not reviewed all of the other details of the schedule, we have
suggested some further changes to the schedule as follows:
1.
Updates to clause 8 of the schedule to refer to current legislation
relating to ineligibility to hold office as a trustee of a trust and to act as an offi-
cer of a registered charity.
2.
Affirming the replacement of clauses 16 and 17 of the schedule,
which were purportedly replaced pursuant to an amendment dated 30 June
2009 filed with the Companies Office (but not filed on the Charities Register).
The purported amendment in 2009 changed the Trust’s balance date to 30
June (which we have put in clause 17) and provided for Trust Board annual
meetings to be held in September each year (see clause 16).
3.
Expanding clause 16 of the schedule to expressly provide for Trust
Board meetings to be held by means of audio or audio and visual communica-
tion. This type of provision is typically included in modern trust deeds to pro-
vide flexibility.
4.
Expanding clause 19 to deal, not only with the use of the Trust
Board’s seal, but also the wider issue of executing deeds and signing/assenting
to contracts etc. The clause is intended to reflect related provisions in s19 of
the Charitable Trusts Act 1957 and the s13 of the Property Law Act 2007, and
should also assist with the issue that we have come across regarding the full
Trust Board not having to sign off/approve the Trust Board’s receipt of dona-
tions.
The proposed wording of clause 3:
(a) the President of the Society for the time being, who shall be a trustee by
virtue of their office in the said Society and shall upon ceasing to hold such of-
fice cease to be a Trustee and shall be succeeded as a Trustee by their succes-
sor.
(b) an individual appointed as a Trustee by the Society (acting in accordance
with the rules of the Society) and notified in writing by the Society to the Trust
Board (and any such Trustee may be removed by the Society in the same man-
ner).
The full proposed Deed of variation is available below:
https://cloud.astronomy.org.nz/index.php/s/J2FraEGZcJNTqDD

Practical Astronomy April
2021-04-19 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
Telescopes and Accessories.
Along with a short introduction on how telescopes work, this meeting will discuss some of the common types of telescopes used by amateur astronomers. We will then look at accessories combined with telescopes for visual observing.

Astrophotography Group
2021-04-19 19:00 - 20:00 | 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.

Young Astronomers April
2021-04-12 19:00 - 20:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
The Young Astronomers Group for Junior members discusses current topics in space exploration and astronomy.

Northern Star Party - Waharau Regional Park - Event Sold Out!
2021-04-09 17:00 - 2021-04-11 11:00 | Waharau Regional Park, 1748 East Coast Rd, Orere Point, Whakatiwai, 2473
Sorry, this event is now sold out- can put people on waitlist to replace any cancellations.
Northern Star Party (Dark Sky Weekend) at Waharau Regional Park. – April 9th to 11th 2021. Put this in your calendar!
It is also open to non – Astronomical Society to attend. It’s a great fun weekend.
The Auckland Astronomical Society’s Waharau Dark Sky Weekend (2021 Northern Star Party – Dark Sky Weekend) is held at Waharau Regional Park 1748 East Coast Rd, Orere Point, Whakatiwai 2473 (about 1 hours drive from central Auckland) starting on Friday 9th April at 5pm and ending Sunday 11th April at 11am.
It will be a weekend of practical astronomy and dark sky observing. It is great opportunity to spend a weekend viewing the sky from a dark site on Moonless nights thought a range of different telescopes. Bring your telescope or binoculars, but if you don’t have any there will be plenty there for you to look through. Also the society has telescopes available for hire. Contact Steve Hennerley (027) 245 6441 or Darren Woodley 021776481 email: rental@astronomy.org.nz to get these. Book now as these can become booked out!
During the day on Saturday there will be a full programme of practical astronomy – how to use equipment and various types of telescopes, new equipment demonstrations and an astrophotography workshop.
Films will be shown in the early evening on Friday and if appropriate on Saturday.
Price:
AAS Member earlybird $20.00. Payment received by Friday 26th March.
AAS Member standard $30.00
Non-member earlybird $40.00. Payment received by Friday 26th March.
Non-member standard $50.00
This price includes bunk bed type accommodation.
To book please pay the amounts as set out above into the Auckland Astronomical Society Inc ASB bank account: Account number: 12-3061-0321397-00 with the notation “Waharau” and your name and then email Gavin Logan: gavinlgn@gmail.com giving the names of the people attending.
There is an event limit of 65. The last Waharau Star Party sold out. Booking will be confirmed once payment has been made.

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).

Practical Astronomy
2021-03-15 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
The Autumn Night Sky.
With the return to level 1, we resume meetings at the Stardome. This will be one of our seasonal Night Sky reviews in the Planetarium. If the weather is clear we will follow the Planetarium session with Telescope viewing using the EWB Zeiss telescope.

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

Introduction to Astronomy March 2021
2021-03-01 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
What is Dark Matter?
The Evidence, the Candidates and 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 along with your family and friends.

Practical Astronomy - Names and Catalogues
2021-02-15 20:00 - 21:00 | Online
This talk will discuss Astronomical nomenclature, the common catalogues of stars and deep sky objects used by amateur astronomers and the information to be found in them.
If the sky is clear, the talk will be followed by telescope viewing using the EWB Zeiss telescope.

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

Monthly Meeting February - Planet Nine from Outer Space
2021-02-08 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
Dr. Michael Brown (Caltech)
Nov. 11, 2020
Dr. Brown discusses the history of planetary discovery (and demotion), why we think a new, larger Planet 9 is on the verge of being found, and the techniques that we are using to try to find this very faint body lurking in the far reaches of our planetary system.
This is a rebroadcast of a recent Silicon Valley Astronomy Lecture.
The meeting will be followed by supper.

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 - The Summer Night Sky
2020-12-21 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
This will be one of our planetarium sessions where we will review the Summer night sky. If the weather is clear we will follow up with observing the great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn and other objects. Otherwise we will screen a short planetarium show to finish up the programme for 2020.

Astrophotography Group December
2020-12-21 19:00 - 20:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
TBA

Monthly Meeting December -
2020-12-14 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
This month two University of Auckland PHD students will tell us about their research,
Observing Transients in Simulated Universes with Max Briel and Gravitational Waves with Petra Tang
Observing Transients in Simulated Universes
Transients are short, on an astronomical timescale, duration events compared to the evolution of galaxies and
stars. Two main types are gravitational wave (GW) events and supernovae. Supernovae, explosion at the end of a
stars life, have been measured for centuries, but gravitational waves from the merger of two compact objects,
were only measured for the first time in 2015. The rate of both of these events relate to the amount of stars being
formed over the history of the Universe and the evolution of binary star systems. Using stellar population synthesis
and cosmological simulation of the Universe, we predict the number of transients taking place in our Universe.
Born and raised in the Netherlands, Max Briel studied physics, maths, and computer science as part of his Liberal
Arts and Sciences Bachelor, which he was awarded with highest honours in 2013. As part of the neutrino detection
collaboration, he finished his Masters at the University of Amsterdam in Physics and Astronomy with a research
project on muonic event reconstruction in the KM3NeT detector. Since 2020 he’s a PhD student at the University of
Auckland. There, he works on the properties of gravitational wave and supernovae’s host galaxies.
Gravitational Waves
Gravitational waves propagate through space and carry information about the history of our Universe, helping us
understand the unknown part of the Universe. The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) is a gravitational
wave observatory in space, and it is used to detect the milihertz band of the GW signals. In her research Petra re-
constructs the spectral density of the stochastic gravitational wave background of mock LISA signals, hoping to
identify LISA’s detection capability. In this talk she introduces LISA’s unique setup, explains the method she uses to
construct the spectrum profile, presents some of her results and explains the next step for her PhD
Petra Tang is a current PhD student studying gravitational waves. She did her Masters at the University of Auckland
supervised by AP Jan Eldridge. Prior to that she taught Maths in a secondary school for 6 years. She loves science
and education, and loves sharing her knowledge of the stars with others.

Introduction to Astronomy December 2020 Quiz
2020-12-07 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
Auckland Astronomical Society Fun Christmas Quiz Night!

It’s that time when we reflect on the topics covered over the past year and do some revision in the form of a fun-filled quiz. Most importantly, there are loads of chocolates to win!
Come along and have loads of fun recalling what you have learned this 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 ten multiple-choice questions, each designed to lead into a teaching discussion, will include the topics: Space Telescopes, Red Dwarfs, Supernovae, Stellar Corpses, Nucleosynthesis, Gravity, The Andromeda Galaxy and The History of X-Ray Astronomy.
We look forward to seeing you all there ready for chocolate!

Film Night November - Mars Habitat
2020-11-23 20:00 - 21:30 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
Mars Habitat – a series of shorter films about the latest developments and ideas about manned travel to Mars.

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

Northern Star Party 2020 - Instructions and Programme- Sold Out
2020-11-13 16:00 - 2020-11-15 11:00 | Waharau Regional Park, 1748 East Coast Rd, Orere Point, Whakatiwai, 2473
Dark Sky Weekend _ Northern Star Party – Instructions for attendees and Programme. This event is Sold Out.
Waharau Outdoor Education Centre
Waharau Regional Park
1748 E Coast Rd, Orere Point, Whakatiwa 2473.
November 13th to 15th 2020
What you must bring:

Your own food. There is a kitchen and walk in fridge and the AAS will provide morning and afternoon tea and milk but otherwise it is BYO for food and drink. With over 50 people in attendance, keeping it simple will be the best way to ensure there’s not a mad rush in the kitchen at meal times.
Bedding, sleeping bag, pillow, toiletries, towel etc. The dormitories have bunk beds and

mattresses.

Your telescope, binoculars etc or just your eyes and, if required, power supply, preferably

battery powered. There will be telescopes available for viewing for those who don’t have a telescope.

Warm clothes for evenings in keeping with the weather forecast!!!
Red torch or red headlamp. Once it’s dark, white lights need to be eliminated as much as

possible (Red torches can be purchased from most supermarkets for about $20 if you want to buy one).

Please bring a tea towel!!!!
A cooperative attitude and willingness to lend a hand to keep the venue clean and tidy.
Parking – If you are not staying on the site or plan on leaving early please do not park near the telescope viewing area, but near the exit road.

Please note: Dogs and other pets are prohibited from the Park.
What will be provided:

The AAS will provide morning and afternoon tea and milk.
Cooking utensils, pots and pans, crockery and cutlery.
Cleaning equipment, toilet paper and rubbish bags.
First Aid equipment.
Hand sanitizer and some masks.

When leaving on Sunday please clean your cabin and ensure that it is left clean and tidy. Your co-operation in this will be greatly appreciated. Volunteers are needed for the final inspection clean up at 11 am Sunday – all help would be gratefully received.

Programme
Friday 13th November. Open from 4pm.
6.30pm One hour science documentary film.
Telescope viewing once dark. Another Film will be shown if cloudy.
Saturday 14h November
12 noon. Carolle Varughese speaking on what can be seen in the November Night Sky.
12.40 Chris Benton – Deep Sky objects.
1.25 Break.
1.45pm to 2.45 to Basic Astrophotography panel discussion with Robert Patterson, Gavin Logan and George Ionas.
3.00pm to 4.30 pm ASTRONZ equipment presentation during which they will display and explain how to use various telescopes and accessories.
4.35 pm. Group Photo
4.45 Telescope trail – a chance to look at telescopes that have been brought to Waharau. Saturday
Evening: once its dark Telescope viewing.
Astronomy Films will be shown should the sky become cloudy.
Sunday 15th November
11am – final clean up and inspection – volunteers needed to help with final clean up.

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.

Burbidge Dinner 2020
2020-11-07 18:30 - 22:00 | Ellerslie Events Center
Our guest speaker this year is University of Auckland Associate Professor JJ Eldridge, who will give a presentation on Margaret and Geoffrey Burbidge and their contribution to the understanding of the origin of the chemical elements by stellar nucleosynthesis.
We will also announce the results of the New Zealand Astrophotography Competition for the Harry Williams Trophy and the Beaumont prize for the best member submitted article to the AAS Journal.
The Venue is the : Ellerslie Events Centre, Pakuranga Hunt Room
Start time: 7:00pm (doors open 6:30pm)
Tickets: $65 pp, earlybird price of $60.00 is available until October 31. Includes a buffet dinner.

Tickets can be booked: -by e-mail at events@astronomy.org.nz-by phone to Niven on 021 935 261 or Bill on 021 225 8175

Introduction to Astronomy - Gravity
2020-11-02 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
Gravity is the natural phenomenon of a perceived attractive force experienced between bodies of mass. We take it for granted, while it holds us to the Earth, keeps the Moon in orbit around the Earth, and the planets around the Sun. Tonight Chris Benton will outline the valuable insights and descriptions of gravity given by Galileo, Newton and Einstein used to explain what gravity is and how it works.
Galileo dropped balls from the Tower of Pisa and ramps concluding gravity accelerates objects of different mass by the same amount, known as the Equivalence Principle. Newton had the insight to realise the force of gravity that makes things fall to the ground on Earth is the same force responsible for the orbital motion of the planets and moons in the Solar System leading to his Universal Law of Gravitation. Einstein expanded on the Equivalence Principle to develop his General Theory of Relativity involving mass warping spacetime to explain gravity. It successfully predicts black holes, the bending of light and slowing of clocks in the presence of matter, and other phenomena.
We look forward to you all coming along to an easy to understand, in-depth explanation of these concepts before hearing John Wishart speak, who has an interest in quantum gravity. John will describe how, at microscopic levels, General Relativity breaks down, leading to new exciting theories involving quantum mechanics. You should not miss this presentation, which has something for everyone!

Film Night October - The Quasar Enigma
2020-10-26 20:00 - 21:30 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
The Quasar Enigma is a documentary about how Quasars are formed and their effect on star formation.
The main film is 50 minutes long and will be followed by the July 2020 Sky at Night show – “Stars, a matter of life and death” (30 minutes long).

Practical Astronomy October - Telescopes and Accessories
2020-10-19 20:00 - 21:00 | Stardome Observatory, 670 Manukau Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1345, New Zealand
This talk will cover Telescopes and Accessories along with their care and maintenance. Will include basic optical collimation and cleaning of optics.
Weather permitting we will follow the Practical Astronomy session with EWB telescope viewing.
