Auckland Astronomical Society

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Welcome to the AAS

Founded 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.

The New Zealand Astrophotography Competition

2018 NZ Astrophotography Competition Entry Form

2018 NZ Astrophotography Competition Conditions of Entry

Calling all Astrophotographers! The 2018 New Zealand Astrophotography competition is now underway, this year we have changed things up a bit, the first thing you will notice is the new name of the competition, this is to reflect that the competition has now been officially recognized and endorsed by the Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand, of course contestants will still compete for the highly coveted Harry Williams Trophy which goes to the overall winner of the competition.

This year we are honoured to have Michael A Covington as our judge, Michael is a pioneer of DSLR Astrophotography and is also the author of the text book "Digital SLR Astrophotography" which for a lot of people was the first text book that helped get them started in DSLR Astrophotography, the book was released in 2007 by the Cambridge University Press and the 2nd edition of this book is slated for a 2018 release in November which will contain many updates and revisions, for more information please check out Michael's website here ... http://www.covingtoninnovations.com/dslr/index.html

This year there has been some rule changes so please read over the competition rules carefully.

For this years competition, we are happy to have Optolong Astronomical Filters sponsor the overall winner again with one of their wonderful filters offered as a prize ( filter type yet to be determined ), we are also happy to announce that Astronz will also be sponsoring the competition again with a $300 Astronz gift voucher offered for the winner of the Solar System category, Australian Sky & Telescope have also generously offered to sponsor the competition again with two one year subscriptions to their prestigious magazine for both the Deep Sky and Artistc / Nightscape categories, the Auckland Astronomical Society is also giving each category winner a $200 cash prize, with hopefully more sponsors and prizes to be announced later on, so keep an eye out for updates.

The competition cutoff date is the 25th of August, 2018 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.

Upcoming Events

Film Night April - War In Space - The Next Battlefield
Monday 23 Apr, 2018 at 20:00Hrs
Venue: Stardome Observatory
Speaker/Host: Gavin Logan

This is a 2016 documentary about Americas research and preparation for war involving space. Some of it is quite disturbing and contains information that most people would not be aware of or think about. This is not Star Wars type stuff, but what military things are being done at present or would be done if another very major war broke out between major powers.

This is a very enlightening film is 42 minutes long and will be followed by the latest Sky at Night show (30 minutes long).

Annual General Meeting 2018
Monday 30 Apr, 2018 at 20:10Hrs
Venue: Stardome Observatory
Speaker/Host: Bill Thomas

AGM
...more

Annual General Meeting 2018
Monday 30 Apr, 2018 at 20:10Hrs
Venue: Stardome Observatory

AGM

Special General Meeting
Monday 30 Apr, 2018 at 20:00Hrs
Venue: Stardome Observatory
Speaker/Host: Bill Thomas

SGM
...more

Special General Meeting
Monday 30 Apr, 2018 at 20:00Hrs
Venue: Stardome Observatory

SGM

Young Astronomers - May
Friday 04 May, 2018 at 19:00Hrs
Venue: Stardome Observatory - Matariki Room
Speaker/Host: Margaret Arthur

Young Astronomers is our group aimed for 7-13 year olds.
The session covers a range of current astronomy topics with plenty of Q&A and includes some telescope viewing (weather permitting). ...more

Young Astronomers - May
Friday 04 May, 2018 at 19:00Hrs
Venue: Stardome Observatory - Matariki Room

Young Astronomers is our group aimed for 7-13 year olds.
The session covers a range of current astronomy topics with plenty of Q&A and includes some telescope viewing (weather permitting).

Intro to Astronomy - May
Monday 07 May, 2018 at 20:00Hrs
Venue: Stardome Observatory
Speaker/Host: Chris Benton

A tutorial series covering many aspects of astronomy. This months topic is:

...more

Intro to Astronomy - May
Monday 07 May, 2018 at 20:00Hrs
Venue: Stardome Observatory

A tutorial series covering many aspects of astronomy. This months topic is:

The Hazards of Long-Duration Human Spaceflight.

Both NASA and private companies are now working on the human and engineering challenges of getting people to Mars in the next 15 to 20 years.

A family member or close friend might be one of the interplanetary pioneers!

Given the opportunity, and should your life circumstances allow you, would you be willing to go to Mars? Come along to Mays Introduction to Astronomy meeting, enjoy the discussion on the hazards of long-duration spaceflight, and then rethink your decision.

Medicine is my day job, and I am excited to be able to lead the discussion focusing on the challenges that lie ahead for the future astronauts.

These challenges include:

· Physical stresses and unforgiving environment of space

· Prolonged weightlessness

· Radiation exposure

· Psychological effects of unnatural and unfamiliar routines and environment

· No immediate access to comprehensive medical and surgical facilities

Learn about current protocol countermeasures implemented on the International Space Station, and ongoing research to allow such prolonged journeys safe for the astronauts.

I will also cover the science behind how Earth protects us against these biological hazards, such as how gravity works on the body, why astronauts are weightless when in Earths orbit despite being so close to it,and what creates Earths magnetosphere that protects us from harmful radiation and cosmic rays.

I look forward to seeing you there for a fun-filled and informative session.

Should you want a PDF copy of my fully referenced article on this topic, please send me an email at cbenton@xtra.co.nz

Best regards

Dr Chris Benton

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