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Welcome to the AASFounded in 1923 and now with over 600 members, the Auckland Astronomical Society is one of New Zealand's largest We are based at the Auckland Observatory and provide for all levels of interest and expertise in astronomy. We are committed to educating our members in the science of astronomy and to keeping them up-to-date with current astronomical developments and discoveries. The Society members provide voluntary support for the Stardome Observatory public programs.
2019 NZ Astrophotography Competition
Calling all Astrophotographers, it's that time of year again, time to get your entries in for the 2019 New Zealand Astrophotography competition, this year we are super lucky to have the "Bad Astronomer" Phil Plait revise his role as judge for the competition, Phil is an is an American astronomer, skeptic, writer and popular science blogger. Phil is best known for debunking misconceptions in Astronomy but is also a well known Astrophotography enthusiast, he received his PHD in Astronomy at the University of Virginia in 1994, during the 1990s, Plait worked with the COBE satellite and later was part of the Hubble Space Telescope team at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, working largely on the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph. In 1995, he published observations of a ring of circumstellar material around a supernova (SN 1987A), which led to further study of explosion mechanisms in core-collapse supernovae. As in previous years we are lucky to have Australian Sky & Telescope on board as sponsors of both the Deep Sky category and the Nightscape / Artistic category, the winners of these categories will receive a one year subscription to the magazine as well as having their images printed in the magazine. We are also lucky to have Astronz sponsor the Solar System category with a $300 Astronz gift voucher, Astronz is easily New Zealand's best known and most trusted supplier of Astronomical equipment. The Auckland Astronomical Society will also provide a cash prize for each category winner. We are also lucky to have Stardome Observatory and Planetarium print a selection of the entrants images for an astrophotography exhibition that will be displayed at Stardome after the competition awards are announced, the exhibition will then tour around New Zealand at various events and galleries. The competition cutoff date is the 30th of September and the competition awards will be announced at the annual Burbidge dinner which is the Auckland Astronomical Society's premier annual event, keep an eye out on the society website for details on the forthcoming Burbidge dinner. Looking forward to seeing all your images and wishing you all clear skies. Competition Rules https://www.astronomy.org.nz/Documents/Journal/2019%20nz%20astrophoto%20comp%20conditions%20of%20entry.doc.pdfEntry Form https://www.astronomy.org.nz/Documents/Journal/2019%20%20hw%20astrophoto%20competition%20entry%20form.doc.pdf
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Upcoming Events
Burbidge Dinner 2019
Friday 22 Nov, 2019
at 18:30Hrs
Venue: Ellerslie Events Center
Speaker/Host:
Professor Joss Bland-Hawthorn
Burbidge Dinner 2019
Friday 22 Nov, 2019
at 18:30Hrs
Venue: Ellerslie Events Center
After Dinner Lecture:
"The Galactic Centre - a Window into the Future"
Professor Joss Bland-Hawthorn, (Director, Sydney Institute of Astronomy, University of Sydney)
The centre of our Galaxy harbours a massive black hole Sgr A* that is likely to be the oldest component of the Galaxy
along with the invisible dark matter around it. How this amazing object came into existence and evolved over 13 billion
years is intimately linked to the nature of the first stars, the chemical elements today and the evolution of dark matter
and gas. Sgr A* is one of the fastest developing fields in astrophysics where discoveries are made every year.
For example, the most energetic particles ever detected by IceCube in Antarctica, and by telescopes in Namibia
and Argentina, are thought to have been created at the Galactic Centre. Our x-ray and infrared satellites pick up flaring
activity near the black hole each day. The speaker discovered that Sgr A* triggered a huge explosion about 2 million
years ago, when cave people walked the Earth; this was recently confirmed by NASA’s Fermi gamma-ray satellite.
The new ESO Gravity instrument tracks the motion of the closest stars to Sgr A* and detects movement every single
day! One star even reaches 32,000 km/s at closest approach, 12% of the speed of light. Other stars have escaped the
Sgr A* region being ejected at speeds of 2000 km/s into the Galaxy. So what does the future hold and what can we
learn from these remarkable observations? We will explore these topics and some crazy ideas.
Joss Hawthorn is one of Australias leading astronomers with the rare distinction of having made important contributions to both astrophysics and technology. He was born in Kent, educated at an Oxford boarding school before going to university in Birmingham (BSc) and Sussex (PhD). In the period 1985-1993, Joss was an astrophysicist at the Institute for Astronomy in Hawaii and a professor of physics at Rice University Texas. In 1993, he moved to the Anglo-Australian Observatory, Sydney, eventually to become Head of the research and development team.
Today, he is the Laureate Fellow Professor of The University of Sydney’s School of Physics, and Director of the Sydney Institute for Astronomy, co-Director of the Institute of Photonics and Optical Science, and Principal Investigator for the Sydney Astrophotonic Instrumentation Labs. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science and the Optical Society of America, serves on the prestigious Annual Reviews of Astronomy & Astrophysics Board, has published over 700 research papers in astronomy, physics, optics and photonics, and has been recognized with many international awards (see below), most recently the Miller Professorship to Berkeley (2018).
Joss’s team are building advanced machines, some funded by NASA, that are being installed on the world’s largest telescopes. In April 2017, one of his creations was launched on an Atlas-V rocket from Cape Canaveral on its way to the International Space Station, the first Australian university to do so. Joss lives in Mosman by Sydney harbour with his wife Susan and boys Christian and Luke. He is a jogger, a sculls rower at the North Shore Rowing Club and plays soccer for Mosman O35.
As well as our guest speaker there will be the prize giving for the New Zealand Astrophotography Competition including the Harry Williams Trophy for the supreme winner, and the Beaumont Writing Prize. A spectacular venue, great meal, cash bar and ample free parking
Date: Friday, 22nd November 2019
Venue:Ellerslie Events Centre,
Pakuranga Hunt Room
Start Time: 7:00pm (doors open at 6:30pm)
Tickets: $65 pp, earlybird price of $60.00 is available until 31st October Includes a buffet dinner.
Tickets can be booked: -by email at events@astronomy.org.nz -by phone to Niven on 021 935 261 or Bill on 021 225 8175
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Film Night - November: Quantum Riddle - Quantum Entanglement
Monday 25 Nov, 2019
at 20:00Hrs
Venue: Stardome Observatory
Speaker/Host:
Gavin Logan
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This months film is a 2019 Documentary on ...more
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Film Night - November: Quantum Riddle - Quantum Entanglement
Monday 25 Nov, 2019
at 20:00Hrs
Venue: Stardome Observatory
This months film is a 2019 Documentary on Quantum Entanglement.
Einstein called it “spooky action at a distance,” but today quantum entanglement is poised to revolutionize technology from computers to cryptography. Physicists have gradually become convinced that the phenomenon—two subatomic particles that mirror changes in each other instantaneously over any distance—is real. But a few doubts remain. This documentary follows a ground-breaking experiment in the Canary Islands to use quasars at opposite ends of the universe to once and for all settle remaining questions.
This Film is 1 hour 10 minutes long and will be the only film shown at this Film Night.
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Introduction to Astronomy - December
Monday 02 Dec, 2019
at 20:00Hrs
Venue: Stardome Observatory
Speaker/Host:
Chris Benton
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Introduction to Astronomy Party Time! Its
...more
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Introduction to Astronomy - December
Monday 02 Dec, 2019
at 20:00Hrs
Venue: Stardome Observatory
Introduction to Astronomy Party Time! Its that time of year again when we reflect on the topics covered and do some revision in the form of a fun-filled quiz! The multiple choice questions will involve: The process of cratering on planetary surfaces The Apollo Moon landing Measuring stellar parameters Solar neutrinos and solar energy The Hertzsprung- Russell diagram The colour-magnitude diagram Large ground-based telescopes Space-based telescopes
Come along and have some fun recalling what you have learned this year and review the key points of each monthly session. The Quiz is designed for those who attended all, some or none of the talks during the year, so theres no excuse to miss out!
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Monthly Meeting - Dec
Monday 09 Dec, 2019
at 20:00Hrs
Venue: Stardome Observatory
Speaker/Host:
TBA
Monthly Meeting - Dec
Monday 09 Dec, 2019
at 20:00Hrs
Venue: Stardome Observatory
TBA
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Astrophotography Group - Dec
Monday 16 Dec, 2019
at 19:00Hrs
Venue: Stardome Observatory
Speaker/Host:
Shaun Fletcher
Astrophotography Group - Dec
Monday 16 Dec, 2019
at 19:00Hrs
Venue: Stardome Observatory
TBA
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Practical Astronomy - Dec
Monday 16 Dec, 2019
at 20:00Hrs
Venue: Stardome Observatory
Speaker/Host:
Carolle Varughese
Practical Astronomy - Dec
Monday 16 Dec, 2019
at 20:00Hrs
Venue: Stardome Observatory
TBA
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View Our Other Upcoming Events
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Astronz T-DOB08
Astronz 8" Premium Dobsonian Telescope
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Astronz M-STX
iOptron SkyTracker Pro Mount
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Astronz K-YB2020
2020 NZ Astronomical Yearbook
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Astronz T-SCTM90-08
8" Meade LX90-ACF Telescope
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