Phoenix Astronomical Society meetings - March 2011

[The Phoenix Astronomical Society]

Phoenix Astronomical March 2011 meetings

The Violent Sun - Solar Flares.
Jibu Stephen, Industrial Research Limited and Victoria University of
Wellington

Although the Sun looks quiet and benign, it gets violent every now and
then. The surface of the Sun can sometimes explode, releasing enormous
amounts of energy. These tremendous eruptions on the surface of the
Sun are known as solar flares. In a matter of just a few minutes they
heat material to many millions of degrees and release as much energy
as tens of millions of atom bombs going off at the same time. Severe
solar flare events can cripple satellites and pose a risk to
astronauts in orbit, and also have the potential to knock out power
grids on Earth. Studies have revealed that the complex magnetic field
of the solar atmosphere is a key ingredient in triggering solar
flares.

Documentary
How the Universe Works: Episode 3 – Alien Galaxies
Galaxies -- home to stars, planets and us -- come in all shapes and
sizes. Witnesses the evolution of galaxies; from clouds of cold gas
floating in the voids of space 13 billion years ago, to the
magnificent spirals that fill our night sky.

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Wellington Society Meeting
Thursday March 24th 7:30pm, Carter Observatory, Wellington

7:30 pm Society News
7:45 pm The Violent Sun - Solar Flares
8:30 pm Upcoming Astrophotography Workshop
8:45 pm Supper and social time
9:00 pm Documentary: Alien Galaxies

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Wairarapa Society Meeting
Friday March 25th at 7:30pm, Phoenix Clubrooms, Ahiaruhi, Wairarapa

7:30 pm Society News
7:45 pm The Violent Sun - Solar Flares
8:30 pm Upcoming Astrophotography Workshop
8:45 pm Supper and social time
9:00 pm Documentary: Alien Galaxies
Observing will follow the meeting if it is clear.


Star Party Saturday March 26th from 6pm (Rain or Shine):
This year the lunar cycle allows us to once again place the monthly
star party the Saturday directly after Wairarapa meeting. This means
we get two shots at a clear, dark sky each month without interruption
from the moon. Reminders and any cancellations go out on the Phoenix
Announcements emailing list, if you‘re not receiving these then please
join up here: http://groups.google.com/group/phoenix-astro-announcement?lnk=srg.

We‘ll kick off at 6pm with the traditional BBQ. While we wait for the
sky to get dark we‘ll go for a tour through the constellations of
Monoceros and Gemini – which will also be the target of the
telescopes, as we try to track down all the objects to the right of
Orion, as faint as we can find them. In case the weather is inclement
(no stars) then we‘ll fall back a presentation from Stardate just
been: Binocular Summer Deep Sky.
We‘ll be playing a late night movie from 10pm to keep entertained
those people too tired or cold to observe. If the weather‘s rubbish
we‘ll start it a bit earlier.

6:00 pm BBQ and Get-together
8:00 pm Summer Night Sky AV
8:30 pm Tour through Monoceros and Gemini (live planetarium)
9:00 pm Observing: Monoceros and Gemini OR Binocular Summer Deep Sky
10:00 pm Movie – The Martian Chronicles Part 2

Astrophotography
Don‘t forget that we have a working astrograph in the Nankivell
Observatory. You‘ll need a ball mount for your camera and matching
bolt to secure it to the mounting plate - which simply has four holes
spaced out along it for bolts to run through. The maximum realistic
focal length that can be mounted this way is about 300mm, which should
be plenty to get some great images. For information about getting
started contact Terry Galuszka Ter...@astronomypix.com.