Neptunes twisting magnetic field Royal Astronomical Society 2024-10-15 | Neptunes twisting magnetic field
RAS Awards 2025: How to nominate Royal Astronomical Society 2024-07-01 | RAS Fellow Dr Jasmine Sandhu explains everything you need to know to submit a nomination for the Royal Astronomical Society's 2025 Awards.
A Planetary Scientists Unexpected (Animated) Journey at 6pm Royal Astronomical Society 2024-05-22 | RAS May Public Talk - Dr James O'Donoghue at 6pmA Planetary Scientist's Unexpected (Animated) JourneyThe rings of Saturn are falling into the planet at an alarming rate. They may be a mere faint ring of their former selves in a few hundred million years, which sounds like a lot, but it's less than 10% of the age of the solar system. This finding was the result of a study I led which would be published on Monday 17th December 2018. However, I had an unshakable picture in my mind about what Saturn would like in 300 million years, on the Friday beforehand, and a burning desire to show it to others, somehow. After a lot of fast work, I had managed to create an animation showing Saturn's dying rings, it was the first I'd ever made, and ended up at the top of an article in the NY Times about our work on the following Monday. Animation revealed the hidden visual in my head for this mechanism and its consequences, it is a powerful and fast way to show people the world as you see it. This talk is about how I got my start in animated science communication, how it has been useful for explaining our Giant Planet work, and how it all blew up on social media. About our speakerDr James O’Donoghue is a planetary astronomer and STFC Ernest Rutherford Fellow at the University of Reading. Prior to this, he was an International Top Young Fellow at the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in Japan and a Postdoctoral Fellow at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. His research involves the astronomy of Giant Planets Jupiter, Saturn and exoplanets, with recent astronomical discoveries making global news: for example Saturn’s rings aren’t going to last forever — they are falling into the upper atmosphere, and Jupiter’s aurora heats the entire planet. James has a passion for educating people about the wonders of space; he creates space science-themed animations which are used in schools, planetariums, universities and museums globally. These videos have over 250 million views across Youtube, Twitter and other platforms, and have led to hundreds of news articles. In 2021, in recognition of these efforts, he was awarded the Europlanet Society Prize for Public Engagement with Planetary Sciences, and a finalist in the American Association for the Advancement of Science's (AAAS) Early Career Award for Public Engagement with Science.You can check-out Dr O'Donoghue's animations on his YouTube channel @Interplanetary
A Planetary Scientists Unexpected (Animated) Journey at 1pm Royal Astronomical Society 2024-05-22 | RAS May Public Talk - Dr James O'Donoghue at 1pmA Planetary Scientist's Unexpected (Animated) JourneyThe rings of Saturn are falling into the planet at an alarming rate. They may be a mere faint ring of their former selves in a few hundred million years, which sounds like a lot, but it's less than 10% of the age of the solar system. This finding was the result of a study I led which would be published on Monday 17th December 2018. However, I had an unshakable picture in my mind about what Saturn would like in 300 million years, on the Friday beforehand, and a burning desire to show it to others, somehow. After a lot of fast work, I had managed to create an animation showing Saturn's dying rings, it was the first I'd ever made, and ended up at the top of an article in the NY Times about our work on the following Monday. Animation revealed the hidden visual in my head for this mechanism and its consequences, it is a powerful and fast way to show people the world as you see it. This talk is about how I got my start in animated science communication, how it has been useful for explaining our Giant Planet work, and how it all blew up on social media. About our speakerDr James O’Donoghue is a planetary astronomer and STFC Ernest Rutherford Fellow at the University of Reading. Prior to this, he was an International Top Young Fellow at the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in Japan and a Postdoctoral Fellow at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. His research involves the astronomy of Giant Planets Jupiter, Saturn and exoplanets, with recent astronomical discoveries making global news: for example Saturn’s rings aren’t going to last forever — they are falling into the upper atmosphere, and Jupiter’s aurora heats the entire planet. James has a passion for educating people about the wonders of space; he creates space science-themed animations which are used in schools, planetariums, universities and museums globally. These videos have over 250 million views across Youtube, Twitter and other platforms, and have led to hundreds of news articles. In 2021, in recognition of these efforts, he was awarded the Europlanet Society Prize for Public Engagement with Planetary Sciences, and a finalist in the American Association for the Advancement of Science's (AAAS) Early Career Award for Public Engagement with Science.You can check-out Dr O'Donoghue's animations on his YouTube channel @Interplanetary
Subject: Astronomy. Teaching and learning about the oldest science. Royal Astronomical Society 2024-04-17 | RAS April Public Talk - Prof Kevin Walsh at 6pmSubject: Astronomy. Teaching and learning about the oldest science.Curiosity about the cosmos is one of the things that makes us human. People of all ages and all cultures engage with the subject naturally but much of this engagement lies well beyond any formal educational curriculum. In the UK, and throughout the world, the opportunities for developing interest in the subject are manifold and increasingly so given current advances in educational technology. Formal UK qualifications in the subject have existed for some time, spanning the age range. How, in the 21st century, is the understanding of Astronomy being acquired and shared and, as educational practice evolves, how might this be changing? About our speakerProf. Kevin Walsh is the Astronomer-in-Residence at Westminster School, UK and professor of Physics Education at Shaanxi Normal University in Xi’An, PRC. He is a Fellow of the RAS and the IoP and the editor of the Bulletin of the Society for the History of Astronomy. He is also the Co-teacher for the RAS GCSE Astronomy two-year course and an inspiration to many, to look up.
Subject: Astronomy. Teaching and learning about the oldest science. Royal Astronomical Society 2024-04-17 | RAS April Public Talk - Prof Kevin Walsh at 1pmSubject: Astronomy. Teaching and learning about the oldest science.Curiosity about the cosmos is one of the things that makes us human. People of all ages and all cultures engage with the subject naturally but much of this engagement lies well beyond any formal educational curriculum. In the UK, and throughout the world, the opportunities for developing interest in the subject are manifold and increasingly so given current advances in educational technology. Formal UK qualifications in the subject have existed for some time, spanning the age range. How, in the 21st century, is the understanding of Astronomy being acquired and shared and, as educational practice evolves, how might this be changing? About our speakerProf. Kevin Walsh is the Astronomer-in-Residence at Westminster School, UK and professor of Physics Education at Shaanxi Normal University in Xi’An, PRC. He is a Fellow of the RAS and the IoP and the editor of the Bulletin of the Society for the History of Astronomy. He is also the Co-teacher for the RAS GCSE Astronomy two-year course and an inspiration to many, to look up.
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Dying stars seeding the universe Royal Astronomical Society 2024-03-20 | RAS March Public Talk - Dr Marie Van de Sande at 6pmDying stars seeding the universeAstrochemistry is a vibrant and interdisciplinary field that brings together astronomy, physics, and chemistry. While there is an enormous effort in understanding the chemistry of stellar birth and youth, the chemistry of stellar death is as important: the death throes of sun-like stars enrich the galaxy with fresh material to form the next generation of stars and planets by losing their outer layers by means of a gentle outflow. The presence of a companion star or planet is thought to produce intricate structures within the outflow, giving rise to the beautiful shapes of planetary nebulae, the later stage in the star’s life and an important part of Caroline Herschel’s surveys. This opens up the question of the fate of our own Solar System. To understand exactly how stars like our Sun die and how they are recycled into the next generation of stars and planets, a multidisciplinary approach is necessary, with astrochemistry playing a leading role. About our speakerDr Marie Van de Sande is an Oort Fellow at Leiden Observatory at Leiden University, the Netherlands. She studies the chemistry around dying sun-like stars by developing novel chemical models and comparing their results to observations. Marie obtained her PhD in 2018 from KU Leuven (Belgium), where she stayed on as a fellow of the Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO). She moved to the University of Leeds as a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellow in 2021 and relocated to Leiden in September 2023.
Dying stars seeding the universe Royal Astronomical Society 2024-03-20 | RAS March Public Talk - Dr Marie Van de Sande at 1pmDying stars seeding the universeAstrochemistry is a vibrant and interdisciplinary field that brings together astronomy, physics, and chemistry. While there is an enormous effort in understanding the chemistry of stellar birth and youth, the chemistry of stellar death is as important: the death throes of sun-like stars enrich the galaxy with fresh material to form the next generation of stars and planets by losing their outer layers by means of a gentle outflow. The presence of a companion star or planet is thought to produce intricate structures within the outflow, giving rise to the beautiful shapes of planetary nebulae, the later stage in the star’s life and an important part of Caroline Herschel’s surveys. This opens up the question of the fate of our own Solar System. To understand exactly how stars like our Sun die and how they are recycled into the next generation of stars and planets, a multidisciplinary approach is necessary, with astrochemistry playing a leading role.About our speakerDr Marie Van de Sande is an Oort Fellow at Leiden Observatory at Leiden University, the Netherlands. She studies the chemistry around dying sun-like stars by developing novel chemical models and comparing their results to observations. Marie obtained her PhD in 2018 from KU Leuven (Belgium), where she stayed on as a fellow of the Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO). She moved to the University of Leeds as a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellow in 2021 and relocated to Leiden in September 2023.
Eyes on Mars - Increasing Awareness of UK Mars Exploration Royal Astronomical Society 2024-02-21 | RAS February Public Talk - Catherine Regan at 6pmEyes on Mars - Increasing Awareness of UK Mars ExplorationEyes on Mars is a public engagement project funding by the Royal Astronomical Society and Science and Technology Facilities Council. It is inspired by PanCam - the Panoramic Camera on top of the Rosalind Franklin rover, due to launch in 2028. The camera was designed, tested, built and is led by scientists and engineers at the Mullard Space Science Laboratory. Eyes on Mars provides free resources to schools and youth groups across the UK where students can create their own filter wheel, just like the two inside PanCam. The project aims to raise awareness about the different types of science and engineering involved in the camera, highlighting the different career paths available in the space sector, especially in the UK. The project has reached over 3000 young people, and has been awarded the Centre for Planetary Science's Project Award in 2023.About our speakerCatherine Regan is a final-year PhD student at the Mullard Space Science Laboratory (MSSL) - University College London. She researches how global scale dust storms at Mars influence the induced magnetosphere using data from ESA's Mars Express and NASA's MAVEN satellites. Alongside her work, she is heavily involved in outreach and science communication - she was the first chair of MSSL's Outreach Working Group, and is Vice-Chair of the Science and Technology Facilities Council's Public Engagement for Early Career's Forum. Coming from a non-traditional background to study space she is passionate about encouraging young people to pursue STEM subjects. Catherine has won multiple awards for her outreach work, including one for her project Eyes on Mars.
Eyes on Mars - Increasing Awareness of UK Mars Exploration Royal Astronomical Society 2024-02-21 | RAS February Public Talk - Catherine Regan at 1pmEyes on Mars - Increasing Awareness of UK Mars ExplorationEyes on Mars is a public engagement project funding by the Royal Astronomical Society and Science and Technology Facilities Council. It is inspired by PanCam - the Panoramic Camera on top of the Rosalind Franklin rover, due to launch in 2028. The camera was designed, tested, built and is led by scientists and engineers at the Mullard Space Science Laboratory. Eyes on Mars provides free resources to schools and youth groups across the UK where students can create their own filter wheel, just like the two inside PanCam. The project aims to raise awareness about the different types of science and engineering involved in the camera, highlighting the different career paths available in the space sector, especially in the UK. The project has reached over 3000 young people, and has been awarded the Centre for Planetary Science's Project Award in 2023.About our speakerCatherine Regan is a final-year PhD student at the Mullard Space Science Laboratory (MSSL) - University College London. She researches how global scale dust storms at Mars influence the induced magnetosphere using data from ESA's Mars Express and NASA's MAVEN satellites. Alongside her work, she is heavily involved in outreach and science communication - she was the first chair of MSSL's Outreach Working Group, and is Vice-Chair of the Science and Technology Facilities Council's Public Engagement for Early Career's Forum. Coming from a non-traditional background to study space she is passionate about encouraging young people to pursue STEM subjects. Catherine has won multiple awards for her outreach work, including one for her project Eyes on Mars.
Science communication through poetry - from dissemination to participation Royal Astronomical Society 2024-01-24 | RAS January Public Talk - online only - Dr Sam IllingworthScience communication through poetry - from dissemination to participation6pmIn this talk I will explore the unique role of poetry in enhancing science communication across various disciplines, reflecting on how poetry can serve as a powerful medium to convey scientific concepts and discoveries to a diverse audience. Moving beyond conventional methods, I emphasise the potential of poetry to bridge the gap between complex scientific ideas and public understanding. My focus will be on demonstrating how poetic narratives can illuminate subjects ranging from the microcosm of molecular biology to the vastness of astrophysics, making science more accessible and engaging. I will share examples from my own experiences where poetry has helped to distill and communicate scientific concepts in a more relatable and emotive manner. The aim is to provide insights and strategies for incorporating poetic elements into communicating science, fostering a deeper connection between science and society. This talk is an invitation to consider poetry not just as an artistic expression, but as an innovative tool for effective science communication.About our speakerDr Sam Illingworth is an Associate Professor at Edinburgh Napier University, poet, and award-winning science communicator. His work and research involve using poetry to help develop dialogue between scientists and other publics to help diversify and democratise science. He is also Chief Executive Editor of Geoscience Communication, and the founder of Consilience, the world's first science and poetry peer-reviewed journal. You can find out more about his work via his website www.samillingworth.com.
Our Solar System from JWST: The first two years at 6pm Royal Astronomical Society 2023-12-13 | RAS April Public Talk - Dr Naomi Rowe-GurneyOur Solar System from JWST: The first two years6pmJWST, the largest space telescope ever made, was successfully launched on Christmas Day of 2021. Almost two years later, it has completed its commissioning phase and started sending back ground-breaking science, not just from distant stars and galaxies but also from our own Solar System. This includes investigation into the potential of ocean worlds, climate monitoring of the giant planets, and exploration of the full menagerie of asteroids and comets. In this talk, I will introduce the JWST, its capabilities for the Solar System and take you on a tour of the ground-breaking science that this huge observatory has already done. About our speakerDr. Naomi Rowe-Gurney (she/her) is an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) support officer at the Royal Astronomical Society helping with a number of projects in the astronomy sector. She is also a Research Development Manager for the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology. She just completed a contract as a planetary scientist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, working on the JWST. She was a research coordinator for the JWST Solar System Team and her own research focused on the atmospheres of the ice giants, Uranus and Neptune. Naomi also led a Hubble Space Telescope program designed to support ice giant JWST observations. She obtained her PhD in 2021 from the University of Leicester. Throughout her PhD and postdoc, Naomi has used her past experience as a teacher to partake in significant science communication work and considerable equity, diversity and inclusion work promoting science to underrepresented groups.
Our Solar System from JWST: The first two years at 1pm Royal Astronomical Society 2023-12-13 | RAS April Public Talk - Dr Naomi Rowe-GurneyOur Solar System from JWST: The first two years1pmJWST, the largest space telescope ever made, was successfully launched on Christmas Day of 2021. Almost two years later, it has completed its commissioning phase and started sending back ground-breaking science, not just from distant stars and galaxies but also from our own Solar System. This includes investigation into the potential of ocean worlds, climate monitoring of the giant planets, and exploration of the full menagerie of asteroids and comets. In this talk, I will introduce the JWST, its capabilities for the Solar System and take you on a tour of the ground-breaking science that this huge observatory has already done. About our speakerDr. Naomi Rowe-Gurney (she/her) is an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) support officer at the Royal Astronomical Society helping with a number of projects in the astronomy sector. She is also a Research Development Manager for the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology. She just completed a contract as a planetary scientist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, working on the JWST. She was a research coordinator for the JWST Solar System Team and her own research focused on the atmospheres of the ice giants, Uranus and Neptune. Naomi also led a Hubble Space Telescope program designed to support ice giant JWST observations. She obtained her PhD in 2021 from the University of Leicester. Throughout her PhD and postdoc, Naomi has used her past experience as a teacher to partake in significant science communication work and considerable equity, diversity and inclusion work promoting science to underrepresented groups.
Ashes to Ashes, dust to dust: a search for the stolen starlight at 6pm Royal Astronomical Society 2023-11-22 | RAS April Public Talk - Prof Haley GomezAshes to Ashes, dust to dust: a search for the stolen starlight6pmCosmic dust grains are usually a nuisance to astronomers because they block out star light, but dust is also the raw material out of which new stars and planets are born, and ultimately life itself. It is an important part of the Universe but astronomers are still not sure where all this dust is created. Using telescopes in space and on Earth in the last few years, we investigated whether titanic stellar explosions could be responsible for all the dusty mess in galaxies. It turns out that exploding stars can be efficient dust factories and could even be responsible for the very first cosmic dust in the universe. In this talk, I will show how the latest space technology is revealing a whole new dusty world.About our speakerHaley Gomez (née Morgan) MBE, FRAS, FLSW is a Professor of Astrophysics at Cardiff University. She studies the formation and evolution of cosmic dust using space telescopes including the Herschel Space Observatory and James Webb Space Telescope. She has recently been appointed as the Head of the School of Physics and Astronomy in Cardiff. She was awarded an Order of the British Empire in the 2018 Queen’s Birthday Honour’s. She gives regular public lectures and has been featured at the Royal Albert Hall and National Museum of Wales, as well as in the Sky at Night Magazine and Astronomy Now. She has worked with charities, the media and appeared on science podcasts including BBC's The Life Scientific with Jim Al-Khalili. She was a speaker at the 2015 TEDxCardiff, where she discussed the origins of life.
Ashes to Ashes, dust to dust: a search for the stolen starlight at 1pm Royal Astronomical Society 2023-11-22 | RAS April Public Talk - Prof Haley GomezAshes to Ashes, dust to dust: a search for the stolen starlight1pmCosmic dust grains are usually a nuisance to astronomers because they block out star light, but dust is also the raw material out of which new stars and planets are born, and ultimately life itself. It is an important part of the Universe but astronomers are still not sure where all this dust is created. Using telescopes in space and on Earth in the last few years, we investigated whether titanic stellar explosions could be responsible for all the dusty mess in galaxies. It turns out that exploding stars can be efficient dust factories and could even be responsible for the very first cosmic dust in the universe. In this talk, I will show how the latest space technology is revealing a whole new dusty world.About our speakerHaley Gomez (née Morgan) MBE, FRAS, FLSW is a Professor of Astrophysics at Cardiff University. She studies the formation and evolution of cosmic dust using space telescopes including the Herschel Space Observatory and James Webb Space Telescope. She has recently been appointed as the Head of the School of Physics and Astronomy in Cardiff. She was awarded an Order of the British Empire in the 2018 Queen’s Birthday Honour’s. She gives regular public lectures and has been featured at the Royal Albert Hall and National Museum of Wales, as well as in the Sky at Night Magazine and Astronomy Now. She has worked with charities, the media and appeared on science podcasts including BBC's The Life Scientific with Jim Al-Khalili. She was a speaker at the 2015 TEDxCardiff, where she discussed the origins of life.
Using eclipses to calculate the transparency of Saturns rings Royal Astronomical Society 2023-11-16 | Video of the Cassini spacecraft moving through the plane of Saturn’s ring system, created by George Xystouris using NASA Eyes. Credit: NASA/JPL
Venus: cloudy with a chance of earthquakes at 6pm Royal Astronomical Society 2023-10-18 | RAS April Public Talk - Dr Iris van ZelstVenus: cloudy with a chance of earthquakes6pmVenus is Earth’s sister planet due to their similarity in size and mass. Apart from that, however, the two planets are wildly different, with surface temperatures on Venus that easily melt lead and a surface pressure like the bottom of Earth’s ocean. Additionally, Venus is completely covered in clouds; obscuring its surface and shrouding the entire planet in mystery. What is its interior structure? Is there some form of plate tectonics? Is Venus currently volcanically active? Are there earthquakes - or indeed: venusquakes? In the coming decades we can start answering these questions with data from the multiple missions that will fly to Venus. In this talk, Iris will convince you that Venus is one of the most interesting planets in our Solar System and she will present many ways in which we explore this fascinating planet.About our speaker:Dr. Iris van Zelst is a postdoctoral research fellow at the German Aerospace Center and the Technical University of Berlin in Germany. She studies the geophysics of Earth and Venus and is particularly fascinated by the geodynamics and seismology of those planets. Previously, Iris worked as a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Leeds. She obtained her PhD from ETH Zürich in Switzerland in 2020 on her research on tsunamigenic earthquakes after a BSc and MSc in Earth Sciences and Geophysics from Utrecht University in the Netherlands. Besides research, Iris is also currently developing the educational game QUARTETnary about the geological time scale.Link for the educational game QUARTETnary: quartetnary.com Our speaker also has a YouTube page where you can find videos on what it is like to be a postdoc and just released season 2 of Science Sisters: youtube.com/@irisvanzelst
Venus: cloudy with a chance of earthquakes at 1pm Royal Astronomical Society 2023-10-18 | RAS April Public Talk - Dr Iris van ZelstVenus: cloudy with a chance of earthquakesVenus is Earth’s sister planet due to their similarity in size and mass. Apart from that, however, the two planets are wildly different, with surface temperatures on Venus that easily melt lead and a surface pressure like the bottom of Earth’s ocean. Additionally, Venus is completely covered in clouds; obscuring its surface and shrouding the entire planet in mystery. What is its interior structure? Is there some form of plate tectonics? Is Venus currently volcanically active? Are there earthquakes - or indeed: venusquakes? In the coming decades we can start answering these questions with data from the multiple missions that will fly to Venus. In this talk, Iris will convince you that Venus is one of the most interesting planets in our Solar System and she will present many ways in which we explore this fascinating planet.About our speaker:Dr. Iris van Zelst is a postdoctoral research fellow at the German Aerospace Center and the Technical University of Berlin in Germany. She studies the geophysics of Earth and Venus and is particularly fascinated by the geodynamics and seismology of those planets. Previously, Iris worked as a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Leeds. She obtained her PhD from ETH Zürich in Switzerland in 2020 on her research on tsunamigenic earthquakes after a BSc and MSc in Earth Sciences and Geophysics from Utrecht University in the Netherlands. Besides research, Iris is also currently developing the educational game QUARTETnary about the geological time scale.Link for the educational game QUARTETnary: quartetnary.com Our speaker also has a YouTube page where you can find videos on what it is like to be a postdoc and just released season 2 of Science Sisters: youtube.com/@UCAt07nmDuyGqT6bd0fpJG7Q
Eyeing the Ionosphere II: new JWST imagery Royal Astronomical Society 2023-09-12 | This Royal Astronomical Society event is free and open to the public and will take place online only in collaboration with the Department of Mathematics, Physics, and Electrical Engineering at Northumbria University Newcastle.To register to attend this free, public, all-ages online event on Zoom, please register here: https://EyeingtheIonosphereII.eventbrite.co.ukRegister via Evenbrite if you would like to join us on Zoom and want a first-hand connection to asking the scientists questions. Otherwise, we will be live-streaming on YouTube here.Please join us for an additional observation day on Monday, 11 September from 12-3pm for further observation of Jupiter via NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) in Maunakea, Hawaii and to have an early view of newly released JWST images. Prof. Tom Stallard and Dr Henrik Melin will have new JWST data to share with us:via a recently awarded James Webb Space Telescope anti-clockwise scan of the entire limb of Jupiter, mapping the vertical profile of the ionosphere around the entire disk of the planet – an unprecedented 22-hour observation of Jupiter – the only JWST observation of a solar system planet for the cycle 2 year and one of only 16 solar system observations. You can learn more about this JWST award here. This three-hour event will feature Prof Tom Stallard and Dr Henrik Melin with RAS host Dr Robert Massey plus a special guest. We hope you will join us for a look at these new images of Jupiter from JWST. For more information, go to: ras.ac.uk/EyeingtheionosphereIIIf you have any questions about this event, please contact Education, Outreach, and Events Officer Lucinda Offer at loffer@ras.ac.uk.
Eyeing the Ionosphere: Juno, JWST, and Jupiter Royal Astronomical Society 2023-09-07 | Eyeing the ionosphere: Juno, JWST, and JupiterThis Royal Astronomical Society event is free and open to the public and will take place online in collaboration with the Department of Mathematics, Physics, and Electrical Engineering at Northumbria University Newcastle.To register to attend this free, public, all-ages online event, please register here: https://EyeingtheIonosphere.eventbrite.co.ukRegister via Evenbrite if you would like to join us on Zoom and want a first-hand connection to asking the scientists questions. Otherwise, we will be live-streaming on YouTube here.On the 7th of September of this year, Prof Tom Stallard of Northumbria University Newcastle will be sharing their time observing Jupiter with our Royal Astronomical Society's audience. The two observations we will be undertaking during the 6-hour event will be:Juno will make a couple of occultations of the atmosphere of Jupiter, measuring the radio signal from Earth to understand how that radio signal is attenuated by the atmosphere and ionosphere.On the same day, we also hope to start our recently awarded James Webb Space Telescope anti-clockwise scan of the entire limb of Jupiter, mapping the vertical profile of the ionosphere around the entire disk of the planet – an unprecedented 22-hour observation of Jupiter – the only JWST observation of a solar system planet for the cycle 2 year and one of only 16 solar system observations. You can learn more about this JWST award here. We expect to also have a month of observations of Jupiter in the run-up to the JWST night and hopefully will have some interesting observations to show from before the night. Katie Knowles, Prof Stallard's PhD student from Northumbria University Newcastle, is the principal investigator for these observations. We hope she, along with Dr James O'Donoghue from JAXA, will be joining us from Japan. Hosts and guests:Prof Tom Stallard (Northumbria)Katie Knowles (Northumbria)Dr Henrik Melin (JWST)Dr Will Dunn (ORBYTS)Dr James O’Donoghue (JAXA)RAS Hosts:Lucinda OfferDr Sheila KananiMore information about this event can be found here: ras.ac.uk/EyeingtheionosphereIf you have any questions about this event, please contact Education, Outreach, and Events Officer Lucinda Offer at loffer@ras.ac.uk.
RAS Ordinary Meeting - April 2023 Royal Astronomical Society 2023-05-09 | Overview of the NASA Astrophysics ProgramDr. Mark Clampin (Director Astrophysics Division, Science Mission Directorate, NASA)In NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD), the Astrophysics Division (APD) studies the universe. It has been an amazing year for NASA Astrophysics, with JWST approaching its first year anniversary of science operations. I will highlight some early results from JWST, and discuss the overall performance of the observatory as we look towards future opportunities. The highest priority for APD is currently the Roman Space Telescope, which will conduct wide-field near-IR surveys to study dark energy and dark matter. I will review recent progress in developing Roman and its instruments. APD operates a broad portfolio of missions, ranging from Hubble and Chandra, Explorer missions such as TESS, and small satellites such as Pandora. International collaborations represent a significant component of APD’s portfolio and include JWST, and Hubble. Missions in development include partnerships with the European Space Agency for a gravitational wave observatory, the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), and Athena a X-Ray Observatory. APD’s current priorities are set by the 2020 National Academies Decadal Survey. I will review these recommendations, and discuss APD’s response to the recommendation for a future great observatory, the Habitable Worlds Observatory.Dr. Mark Clampin is the Astrophysics Division Director in the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. Until August 2022, he was the Director of the Sciences and Exploration Directorate (SED) at the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) leading the Astrophysics, Solar System, Heliophysics and Earth Science Divisions, together with the high performance computing office. Linking intra-plate volcanism to underlying mantle dynamicsProf Rhodri Davies (Australian National University)Harold Jeffreys Lectureship Most of Earth's volcanism occurs at tectonic plate boundaries, where plates move away from one another to create mid-ocean ridges, or where one plate slides beneath another to form a subduction zone. However, an important and widespread class of volcanism occurs within plates, or across plate boundaries. These so-called intra-plate volcanic provinces, which include the most rapid and voluminous volcanic episodes recorded in Earth’s history, are often associated with mantle plumes, hot buoyant columns that rise from Earth’s core-mantle-boundary to its surface.It is becoming increasingly evident, however, that several of these provinces cannot be explained by the mantle plume hypothesis and are likely driven by alternative mechanisms that involve the interplay between mantle flow and the base of Earth’s rigid outermost shell - the lithosphere. The applicability and relative importance of these mechanisms, however, remains unclear, and likely varies from one geological setting to the next. In this talk, I will showcase recent efforts to reveal the dynamical mechanisms underpinning Earth’s intra-plate volcanic provinces, through observational geodynamics, where observational constraints from across the geosciences are fused and integrated with fundamental physical laws encoded in multi-resolution geodynamical models. Particular attention will be paid to those provinces that lie within, or adjacent to, Earth’s continents. Professor Rhodri Davies is a computational and observational geodynamicist based at the Australian National University’s (ANU) Research School of Earth Sciences (RSES). To see complete biographies of our speakers, please go to: ras.ac.uk/events-and-meetings/ras-meetings/ras-ordinary-meeting-april-2023
A cluttered and noisy sky Royal Astronomical Society 2023-04-19 | RAS April Public Talk - Dr Robert MasseyA cluttered and noisy sky65 years ago the Soviet Union placed the first satellite in space. There are now around 5,000 satellites in low-Earth orbit (LEO), the region up to 2,000 km above the ground, and their deployment is accelerating. 2019 saw the launch of Starlink, a satellite constellation built and launched by SpaceX, a system that on its own could soon have more than 30,000 spacecraft deployed. With other operators we could soon see up to 300,000 satellites in LEO by the end of this decade.This is nothing less than a step change in our use of space. And like most paradigm shifts, it will have significant consequences. A key example is how it will affect the science of astronomy and our view of the sky. Some estimates suggest that as many as 1 in 10 'stars' visible could be satellites, and professional and amateur astronomers alike now face significant challenges to our work. As a result our community has mobilised, working at a national, international and global level to tackle a complex problem, and to try to find a balance between the positive results of boosting communications and the impact on the space environment.Robert will set out the problem, what it means for scientists and the wider public, and what we can do about it.Dr Robert Massey is Deputy Executive Director of the Royal Astronomical Society. Before joining the RAS, his career took him from PhD research in Manchester to teaching in Brighton, and local politics in London alongside a stint as Public Astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich. In his spare time he enjoys running, cycling, hiking and cooking, and generally making the most of life in his new family home in Sussex. With a lifelong private and public passion for astronomy, he very much wants to avoid a world where satellites ruin our shared heritage of an unsullied night sky.
Harvesting spectroscopic and time series data with machine learning and artificial intelligence Royal Astronomical Society 2023-04-04 | March 2023 SDMHarvesting spectroscopic and time series data with machine learning and artificial intelligenceOne dimensional data are commonplace in astronomy; spectroscopic data contain abundant physical and chemical information about the target being studied, while time series data are crucial for event detection and characterisation. It has now become critical to efficiently harvest the information contained in one dimensional data given the exponential growth of astronomical datasets in current large-scale surveys and future facilities such as JWST, Euclid, Rubin Observatory LSST, 4MOST, DESI, and WEAVE. It is therefore of great importance to increase the community’s attention and capability to cope with the plethora of upcoming one dimensional data.As a tool, machine learning (ML) can improve both the quantity (how many we can analyse) and quality (how much we can harvest) of spectroscopic and time series datasets. With the growth of interests in ML algorithms applied to a variety of analyses of one dimensional data, we aim to bring together researchers in the community to share their research and insight.Emille Ishida, Research Engineer, French National Centre for Scientific ResearchEmille Ishida is a Research Engineer at the French National Centre for Scientific Research and is based at the Laboratoire de Physique de Clermont Ferrand, France. She is an expert in the development of recommendation systems for astronomical data. Emille is the founder and manager of three interdisciplinary and international research networks (the Cosmostatistics Initiative - COIN, the SNAD collaboration and the Fink broker), where she conducts experiments related to machine learning applications to astronomy as well as investigates the role of astronomy as a trigger for innovation in academia. Her research interests include adaptive machine learning, optimum experiment design, science of team science and studies on the future of the academic research environment. Yuan-Sen Ting, Associate Professor, Australian National UniversityYuan-Sen is an Associate Professor at ANU, jointly affiliated with the astronomy and computer science departments. Yuan-Sen's research applies machine learning to advance statistical inferences using large astronomical survey data. He grew up in Malaysia and received his PhD in astronomy and astrophysics from Harvard University in 2017. After graduating, Yuan Sen was awarded a joint postdoctoral fellowship from Princeton University, Carnegie Institute for Sciences, NASA Hubble and the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton before moving to Australia. He also serves as the co-chair of the NASA Cosmic Programs Stars Science Interest Group and leads multiple future spectroscopic surveys as the science group leader. He is an author of more than 150 journal articles, many of them on topics at the frontier of astrophysics and machine learning. Organisers:Ting-Yun Cheng (Durham)Ryan Cooke (Durham)Annagrazia Puglisi (Durham)More event details, e.g. timetable, slack channel, please see here: tycheng-sunny.github.io/ras-ml-to-1d
Towards a consistent and coherent strategy for RAS Outreach, Engagement and Education activities Royal Astronomical Society 2023-03-30 | Towards a consistent and coherent strategy for RAS Outreach, Engagement and Education activities (Double meeting)10 Feb 2023Astronomy and geophysics are fields of scientific endeavour that are truly inspirational and engaging for our fellow citizens, giving the Royal Astronomical Society has an excellent platform to embed understanding and appreciation of science in wider society. The public fascination with our sciences also provides opportunities to increase our reach in disadvantaged and underserved communities, and to share the many, exciting discoveries with the public upon whose funding we rely.The long-established RAS Education and Outreach (E&O) programs run by our Staff and Fellows, and overseen by the E&O Committee was augmented by the very successful, RAS200 “Sky and Earth” programme to celebrate our 200th anniversary year. Looking forward to our next century, the RAS is developing a Strategic Plan. As part of our activities, the E&O Working Group is hosting a SDM to discuss and gain insight from current activities, to explore how to to optimize our programs across in-person, online and social media platforms, and to encourage and empower our Fellows – young and old alike – to get involved with public astronomy and geophysics activities. The meeting will include invited speakers discussing a range of E&O experiences, training, tracking impact, and invites contributed talks to learn from your experiences.
Unveiling the Dark Universe with the Dark Energy Survey Royal Astronomical Society 2023-03-21 | RAS March Public Talk - Dr Alexandra AmonUnveiling the Dark Universe with the Dark Energy SurveyIn her Caroline Herschel Prize Lecture entitled “Unveiling the Dark Universe with the Dark Energy Survey”, Dr Amon will describe some of the mind-blowing historical moments leading to the paradigm-change, the challenges in the field, the Dark Energy Survey and its results, including the experimental process - from nights at the remote telescope to hurdles in the data analysis. The conclusions will guide the audience to appreciate current mysteries and future directions.About our speakerDr Amon is an expert in cosmology. She is a Senior Kavli Fellow at the Institute for Cosmology and a Senior Postdoctoral Researcher at Trinity College at the University of Cambridge. Before this, she was a Fellow at Stanford University and the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. She obtained her Masters degree and PhD at the University of Edinburgh in 2018 and has numerous awards, such as the Michael Penston Thesis Prize/Fermilab Tollestrup Award. Dr Amon is co-coordinator of the Weak Lensing group of the worldwide collaboration “The Dark Energy Survey”, including over 100 members.Dr Amon uses observational data for over 100 million galaxies and a technique called ‘gravitational lensing’ in order to test the Standard Cosmological Model. The intriguing results she and her collaborators find hint at cracks in the currently accepted model for our Universe, which is mostly dark, with over 95 percent of it in the form of dark energy and dark matter, whose natures are the biggest mysteries in modern physics. Dr. Amon was the Caroline Herschel Prize Lectureship Winner in 2022The Caroline Herschel Prize Lectureship was established in 2018 by what is now the Herschel Society, in association with the Royal Astronomical Society, to celebrate Caroline’s memory by supporting promising women astronomers early in their careers. Caroline, William’s younger sister, started out as his assistant, but in time became recognised as an important astronomer in her own right, was the first to be paid as such, and was awarded the RAS Gold Medal in 1828. The Caroline Herschel Prize Lecture is hosted by University of Bath in November in cooperation with the Society as part of the University’s public lecture series.
RAS Ordinary Meeting - March 2023 Royal Astronomical Society 2023-03-16 | From High-Redshift Precursors to Present-Day Galaxies: A New Frontier in Astronomy with Graph Neural NetworksDr Yuan-Sen Ting (Associate Professor at the Australian National University.)One of the fundamental inquiries in contemporary astronomy concerns the origins and evolution of galaxies. To this end, astronomers have developed various models, often based on human heuristics, to analyze the history of galaxy mergers and gain insight into their properties. However, these traditional methods tend to oversimplify the problems, such as the intricate relationship between galaxies and dark matter haloes. Fortunately, advances in machine learning, especially in graph neural networks, have revealed new avenues of exploration. A graph is a visual representation of the connections between objects, making it a natural tool for analyzing the precursor systems that lead to the formation of galaxies. By utilizing generative graph neural networks, we can probabilistically relate these high-redshift progenitor systems to current-day observations. This innovative approach also holds the potential to identify anomalies in galaxy formation and uncover subtle correlations between precusor features. Through these developments, we aspire to come one step closer to comprehending the rich history and evolution of galaxies.Yuan-Sen is an Associate Professor at the Australian National University, jointly affiliated with the astronomy and computer science departments. His research endeavors revolve around the utilization of machine learning in advancing statistical inferences, specifically utilizing vast astronomical survey data. Hailing from Malaysia, Yuan-Sen was awarded a PhD in astronomy and astrophysics from Harvard University in 2017, and was subsequently granted a four-way fellowship from Princeton University, Carnegie Institute for Sciences, NASA Hubble, and the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton. In recognition of his pioneering work in AI x Science, he was acknowledged as a Future Leader by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, in addition to being honored as a NASA Earth and Space Science Fellow. Recently, Yuan-Sen received the ARC DECRA fellowship following his induction to ANU.In parallel to his academic pursuits, Yuan-Sen assumes the role of co-chair for the NASA Cosmic Programs Stars Science Interest Group, spearheading multiple future spectroscopic surveys as a science group leader. Beyond academia, Yuan-Sen is fervent about public outreach and has authored monthly columns in the largest Chinese newspaper in Malaysia, as well as producing two TED education videos with over 4 million views. Moreover, he has served as a chief science officer developing tools using machine learning to detect art forgery in paintings. Yuan-Sen's past endeavors include semi-professional gaming, where he was once recognized as a top Night-Elf player in Warcraft 3 in Malaysia. The Grand Challenge Questions of Solar Wind Physics Dr Nicholeen Viall (Research Astrophysicist at NASA/GSFC)The solar atmosphere is heated to millions of Kelvin, which is several orders of magnitude hotter than the visible solar surface below. This hot atmosphere is a plasma, and flows outwards, forming a super Alfvénic solar wind that defines the heliosphere. The solar wind is comprised of structures across a range of scales, with complexity among the structures due to a competition between those structures that are imposed and injected directly from the solar atmosphere, and dynamical evolution as the solar wind flows outwards. There have been remote observations of the solar corona for centuries, and in situ measurements of the solar wind for almost 60 years. Computer simulation capabilities have commenced, and simulation techniques of the cross-scale and cross-regional coupling continue to advance. Yet there are longstanding, major unsolved pieces of this puzzle, involving universal physical processes such as magnetic reconnection, turbulence, and waves. In this talk, we discuss these grand challenge questions and discuss progress and future prospects with recent result from Parker Solar Probe, and Solar Orbiter, as well as the expected results from the upcoming Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere mission. Dr. Nicholeen Viall is a Research Astrophysicist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, with expertise in solar coronal and solar wind physics. She is a winner of the 2018 NASA Early Career Achievement Medal, and was the 2018 recipient of the Karen Harvey Prize, awarded by the Solar Physics Division of the American Astronomical Society (SPD/AAS). She currently serves as the SPD/AAS vice Chair and is the Mission Scientist for NASA’s Polarimeter to UNify the Corona and Heliosphere (PUNCH) mission.
RAS Ordinary Meeting - February 2023 Royal Astronomical Society 2023-03-16 | Prof Eleri Pryce (Aberystwyth UniversityExtending Astronomy Outreach through Eisteddfodau in WalesWales has a very long and established heritage in music, poetry and the arts, with recognition for excellence in the National Eisteddfod of Wales and the Urdd National Eisteddfod. The two eisteddfodau are well-established major cultural festivals, with the National Eisteddfod for all ages and the Urdd targeting 8-25 year olds. Science has not historically featured prominently at the eisteddfodau, although its profile has increased since its introduction some 50 years ago. The RAS 200 Eisteddfodau project has played an important role in recent years, reaching out to audiences beyond that of traditional science outreach.The well-established networks of the Eisteddfodau along with their enthusiasm for collaborating have been central to the success of the project to extend the reach of astronomy and geophysics in Wales. Through an inclusive series of activities, the project has aimed to inspire interest in astronomy and geophysics in the general community. Activities were led by experts in the arts who are familiar with communicating with diverse audiences, with information on the science given by A&G Fellows and others with expertise in the science. The role of professional communicators to engage the general audience was central. Examples of project activities are presented with their impact and potential legacy discussed. Prof Andy Newsam (LJMU)Access to the Universe for allIt is well-known that astronomy creates a sense of excitement and wonder in most students. The Schools’ Observatory (www.schoolsobservatory.org) taps into that interest to explore science, mathematics and technology. The Observatory was originally set up to provide a way for UK and Irish school pupils to take their own observations with the world’s largest fully-robotic telescope – the Liverpool Telescope in the Canary Islands - and for more than a decade it has been doing exactly that with over 200,000 observations requested by students of all ages. Now expanding to involve learners of all kinds internationally, the Schools' Observatory is opening up access to the universe for all.Andy Newsam is Professor of Astronomy Education and Engagement at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU). After studying cosmology at Glasgow University, and working as an observational astronomer at the University of Southampton, he joined LJMU in 1998 to help set up the educational arm of the Liverpool Telescope, which later became the National Schools' Observatory, one of the largest astronomy education projects in the world. As well as astronomical research and education he is a keen science communicator, giving talks to many thousands of schoolchildren, amateur astronomers and the general public throughout the UK and beyond, as well as working with artists of all kinds on new ways - from show gardens to street theatre - to bring the delights of astronomy to as many people as possible. Dr Ashley King, UK Fireball Alliance, Natural History MuseumThe Fall, Recovery, and Analysis of the WinchcombeIn 2021, the Winchcombe meteorite became the first “rock from another world” to be recovered in the UK for 30 years. Guided by videos from the UK’s meteor and fireball camera networks, the main mass was discovered on a driveway in Gloucestershire only 12 hours after landing. Over 500 g of the Winchcombe meteorite are now being curated at the Natural History Museum (NHM), London, and it is both scientifically and culturally priceless; as a fresh carbonaceous chondrite fall it holds vital clues about our origins, while its rapid recovery and analysis is a shining example of international collaboration between scientists, citizen-science projects, and local communities.Ashley King is a UKRI Future Leaders Fellow at the Natural History Museum, where he investigates the origins of the solar system and formation of planets through the laboratory analysis of meteorites and samples returned by space missions. Ashley is also the current lead of the UK Fireball Alliance (UKFAll), a collaboration between meteor camera networks that aims to recover freshly-fallen meteorites in the UK.
RAS Ordinary Meeting - January 2023 Royal Astronomical Society 2023-03-14 | Cosmological simulations of galaxy formation - Prof. Joop Schaye (Leiden University)Group A AwardCosmological hydrodynamical simulations have become a key tool to understand the physics of galaxy formation, the evolution of galaxy populations, and the effects of baryons on observational cosmology. I will discuss which types of results are effectively built into the models and which ones are emerging predictions. Finally, I will present some of the first results of the new large-volume FLAMINGO simulations.Joop Schaye after obtaining his PhD from Cambridge University, spent 4 years at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton as a long-term member before taking up a faculty position at Leiden University in 2005. He still works at Leiden, since 2011 as a full professor. Schaye works on simulations and observations of galaxies, the intergalactic medium, and large-scale structure. He has led influential, international simulation projects, including OWLS and EAGLE. In addition, he has developed analytic theories and has led observational campaigns to study the connection between galaxies and the gas around them. Small Body Impacts across the Galaxy - Alan Fitzsimmons (Queen’s University Belfast)George Darwin LectureshipAlthough we have now started hitting comets and asteroids ourselves, most small body collisions are of the natural kind. We have now observed many asteroid or comet impacts in our Solar system. Not only do these studies fuel our Planetary Defence programmes, they give us insight into the collisional and accretion processes that go into shaping planetary systems. Further afield, small body collisions give rise to debris disks around young stars and polluted white dwarf photospheres. Finally, the discovery of the first interstellar objects has brought alive the possibility of cross-contamination between planetary systems in the Milky Way. This talk will briefly cover some of these advances in the past few decades, and highlight the ubiquitous effects of collisions in planetary systems.Alan Fitzsimmons is a Professor of Astronomy in the Astrophysics Research Centre at Queen's University Belfast, UK. He performs observations studies comets and asteroids mostly in our Solar system, and is an author on over 160 scientific papers. Highlights of his career include studies of the collision of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 with Jupiter, 2008 TC3 as the first asteroid predicted to impact Earth , and the first Interstellar Objects discovered. Currently he is an active member of the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS), and the NASA DART and ESA Hera planetary defence missions. He would like to point out that neither asteroid (4985) Fitzsimmons nor Comet C/2018 X2 (Fitzsimmons) are expected to hit the Earth in the next few millennia.
Rebooting and Hacking Space Ageing in exploration using the “Space Age Pathways” Royal Astronomical Society 2023-02-21 | About this eventThe increase in life expectancy has brought with it serious health and financial challenges on Earth. Space exploration, the effects of microgravity, free radicals, cosmic ray damage to DNA and space laboratories have already offered significant intelligence about the ageing process and how to ‘hack’ and ‘wrangle’ it. However, as with all technologies, whether it be SARS-CoV-2, malaria or HIV vaccines or the immortality of cancer cells, it requires focus upon the issue and significant financial backing to “get the job done”. If it is truly the intention to colonise Mars, to perfect the Gateway project and to physically tour in space rather than to manifest these outcomes only robotically or virtually, the associated ageing problems need to be addressed. In this lecture we explore the effect of space exploration on the human body: the work already underway, the future challenges of “space ageing" and the impact of this and the parallel research on Earth as a significant alliance to be harnessed in confronting these dual terrestrial and extraterrestrial objectives.About our speaker:Jennifer G.A. DonohueJennifer is a lawyer, archaeologist and mathematician. As a lawyer at Keystone Law she specialises in longevity risk to secure better outcomes for pension funds in severe deficit. She is recognised as a global expert on Longevity Risk. Jennifer is a Director and Founder of QuILT: a regenerative medicine fund seeking to manage ageing as a disease and invest in medical technologies, research and pathways to slow down or intervene in the ageing trajectory. She is a Director and Co-founder of Algorithm and Extremal Consulting a mathematics company specialising in the application of combinatorics and network connectivity theory to complex issues such as spread of infection, decommissioning of fossil fuels, the issues of ageing and calculation of life expectancy and management of fund assets. Jennifer worked for many years for the United Kingdom Government both in the United Nations and Brussels negotiating a variety of Treaties. One of her roles was implementing into United Kingdom law the “United Nations Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies”. She has also advised on the risk and effect of multiple satellite launches and regulation of air space above the Troposphere. She has given advice on regulatory elements of the Lunar Gateway project. During SARS-CoV-2 she advised on various risks associated with the procurement and rollout of the global vaccine programme. Jennifer is part of the team advising the U.K. Government on the implementing of their policy “to provide five more years of longer healthier life”. She also advises U.K Government Select Committees on ageing and pensions. Recent work has included the effects of space travel on ageing and the opportunity to use space exploration as a significant path-finding opportunity not just of “space ageing” but for research into medical intervention and improvement of terrestrial ageing. Jennifer is an accomplished global lecturer and has published numerous books, articles and academic papers.
December 2022 OM - Diary Talk Royal Astronomical Society 2023-02-02 | HERSCHEL 2022: A DOUBLE ANNIVERSARY - Dr Patricia FaraRAS ‘Diary’ talk William Herschel is most famous for discovering the planet Uranus, but he also collaborated with his sister Caroline on other astronomical projects. 2022 is their double anniversary: after arriving in England exactly 250 years ago, Caroline Herschel worked with her brother until his death in 1822, when she went back to Germany. Until recently, her contributions have been overlooked because science’s past is traditionally told as a history of momentous achievements by great male geniuses. But then as now, astronomy relies on teamwork.Caroline played a crucial role in constructing giant telescopes, recording new observational data and compiling influential star catalogues. Celebrated at the time for independently detecting several comets, she was the first woman to receive a royal stipend for her research. This illustrated talk describes the intertwined careers of an enterprising brother-sister couple who studied the heavens together.Dr Patricia Fara is an Emeritus Fellow of Clare College, where she was Senior Tutor for ten years. She originally read physics at Oxford, but is now in the History and Philosophy of Science department at Cambridge. In addition to her academic teaching, she writes popular books and articles, and was awarded the 2022 Abraham Pais prize by the American Physical Society. Her main speciality is the Enlightenment period, with a particular emphasis on scientific imagery and women in science; her books include A Lab of One’s Own: Science and Suffrage in The First World War as well as Science: A Four Thousand Year History (which has been translated into nine languages), Pandora’s Breeches: Women, Science and Power in the Enlightenment and, most recently, Life after Gravity: Isaac Newton’s London Career.More information on the December 2022 Ordinary Meeting: ras.ac.uk/events-and-meetings/ras-meetings/ras-ordinary-meeting-december-2022
Education and disruption: outreach, telescopes, tinkering and gumption Royal Astronomical Society 2023-01-17 | About this eventOutreach, telescopes, tinkering and gumptionScience outreach should create a sense of enthusiasm, inclusivity, and empowerment for its participants. At the end of a career in disruptive digital technologies, the presenter draws on his own life experiences to suggest better ways of engagement aided by tinkering and making.At public outreach events, we are often too concerned about demonstrations with a ‘wow’ factor. Attention-grabbing activities should be just the opener if we want to influence in the long term. We need to consider participants from a wide diversity of thinking styles. Many have a learned bias away from ‘academic’ subjects and prefer activities that are hands-on or require different thinking strategies. During the last 10 years the presenter has become aware of an explosion in ‘making’ activities. Much of this involves technologies such as 3D printing, laser cutting, Raspberry Pi computers and other low-cost programable devices. Over the same period, the he has been developing outreach activities in physics. It has become clear that including a maker activity in outreach events gives better and longer lasting engagement. The PiKon telescope is a significant project which has evolved over this period: a 3D printed astrocam which uses a Raspberry Pi computer and camera to capture images. It was originally intended as a demonstrator for a talk at Sheffield University’s ‘Festival of the Mind’ and has progressed through crowd funding to become an off-the-shelf kit of parts to support makers with an interest in astronomy. Over 450 kits have been shipped worldwide. The users have improved the design, made additions and shared astronomical images on social media platforms. This presentation will take a structured view of the benefits of making, how it influences issues of cognitive diversity and overcomes learned bias – and, ultimately, how making can lead to independent learning, problem solving and innovation. Something the presenter likes to call ‘gumption’.About our speaker:Mark WrigleyIf asked, I identify myself as a physicist. It is a philosophy and methodology that has served me well for a career in fast moving technology companies. I was a child of the space age, and my enthusiasm for the Apollo space programme, intense curiosity and rebellious nature led me to study physics at the University of Leeds in the early 1970s. My career started out measuring blade temperatures in gas turbine engines using analogue optical and infrared techniques. It continued in aviation data acquisition and saw the introduction of digital methods. My involvement in disruptive digital technology continued in the 1980s when I joined a company specialising in digital mobile communications. I was part of the team that delivered the first digital (2nd generation) mobile phone to market. The subsequent roll out of mobile phone infrastructure saw a move to overseas appointments in China, the USA and Japan before becoming a product manager for mobile network software.In retirement, I decided to return to my roots and became a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and the Institute of Physics. I have led outreach activities for the last 10 years with the aim of inspiring the next generation of scientists and technologists. In 2016 I was awarded the Institute of Physics, Nations and Branches Prize for ‘Excellence in Outreach’.I am particularly interested in addressing diversity in outreach, both culturally – influenced by my overseas appointments and family links to Mexico and India and cognitively – from my experiences leading innovation teams and managing technological disruption.
RAS Ordinary Meeting - December 2022 Royal Astronomical Society 2022-12-21 | Investigating the isotopic composition of the atmosphere of Mars with the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter - Dr Juan Alday ParejoKeith Runcorn Thesis prizeIsotopic ratios in planetary atmospheres provide important constraints on the planetary evolution. On Mars, a relative enrichment of the heavy isotopes in different species with respect to Earth is thought to be in part due to the result of atmospheric escape, a process which is believed to have played a critical role in driving climate evolution over the last four billion years. However, isotopic ratios not only provide constraints from the long-term perspective, but also are shaped by present-day atmospheric processes.The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) has been sounding the atmosphere of Mars for four years, providing unprecedented measurements of its composition and vertical structure. Using observations from the Atmospheric Chemistry Suite (ACS) on the TGO, we have measured the isotopic composition of O, H and C in several species, including H2O, CO2 and CO. These measurements provide important constraints on how the present-day photochemistry and cloud-formation processes fractionate the isotopic ratios in different species, which in turn has strong implications for understanding the long-term evolution of Mars’ climate. The Growth of Supermassive Black Holes - Dr Rebecca SmethurstWinton A AwardThe strong correlations that are found between supermassive black hole (SMBH) mass and velocity dispersion, stellar mass and bulge mass have long been interpreted as co-evolution of galaxies and their SMBHs through galaxy mergers. However, a flurry of new results, both observational and theoretical, have suggested that galaxy mergers may not be the dominant mechanism powering this co-evolution. I shall review these findings and present results showing that merger-free galaxies have SMBHs up to a billion solar masses and have substantial energetic outflows powered by the active galactic nuclei (AGN). In addition I will present work in collaboration with the Horizon-AGN simulation team showing that merger-free evolutionary processes also lead to co-evolution of galaxies and their SMBHs. This has interesting implications: if both galaxy-merger-driven and galaxy-merger-free SMBH growth leads to co-evolution, this suggests that co-evolution is regulated by AGN feedback in both scenarios. AGN feedback is thought to be a key regulator of co-evolution and considered necessary in cosmological volume simulations employing ΛCDM, yet the role of AGN feedback in the absence of mergers is currently unknown. I will therefore discuss the future observations needed to understand the role of this understudied merger-free co-evolution pathway. **Please note the Herschel talk will be added in January 2023 due to permissions issues. Thank you for your patience. HERSCHEL 2022: A DOUBLE ANNIVERSARY - Dr Patricia FaraRAS ‘Diary’ talkWilliam Herschel is most famous for discovering the planet Uranus, but he also collaborated with his sister Caroline on other astronomical projects. 2022 is their double anniversary: after arriving in England exactly 250 years ago, Caroline Herschel worked with her brother until his death in 1822, when she went back to Germany. Until recently, her contributions have been overlooked because science’s past is traditionally told as a history of momentous achievements by great male geniuses. But then as now, astronomy relies on teamwork.Caroline played a crucial role in constructing giant telescopes, recording new observational data and compiling influential star catalogues. Celebrated at the time for independently detecting several comets, she was the first woman to receive a royal stipend for her research. This illustrated talk describes the intertwined careers of an enterprising brother-sister couple who studied the heavens together.Please go to ras.ac.uk/events-and-meetings/ras-meetings/ras-ordinary-meeting-december-2022 to see the speakers' biographies.
New Eyes on The Universe: The James Webb Space Telescope Royal Astronomical Society 2022-12-08 | About this eventThe James Webb Space Telescope successfully launched on Christmas Day 2021, after spending over two decades in development. This observatory is a collaboration between the American, European, and Canadian space agencies, and represents the very latest, and greatest, astrophysical asset. The enormous gold-planted mirror collects infrared light, a wavelength region that is largely inaccessible from Earth. JWST was designed to explore the earliest galaxies and stars, the formation and composition of planets orbiting around other stars, and even objects within our own solar system. The science observations began in the spring of this year, and the images and spectra beamed back down to Earth have been nothing short of spectacular, offering a completely new view of our universe. Here, I will explore some of the early results produced by the observatory, and how I will be using it to study the giant planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.About our speaker:Dr Henrik Melin is a STFC James Webb Fellow at the University of Leicester. He studies the giant planets in our solar system, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, and in particular how the aurora, or northern and southern lights, inject energy to the upper atmosphere. He has previously worked on the Cassini mission to Saturn, another hugely successful international mission.
Mars Opposition - December 2022 Royal Astronomical Society 2022-12-01 | RAS Deputy Executive Director Dr Robert Massey talks about Mars opposition in the month of December.
RAS Ordinary Meeting - November 2022 Royal Astronomical Society 2022-11-23 | Early science from JWST - Dr Olivia JonesFrom JWST SD meeting2022 is an exciting year for astronomy, with the science operations for the highly anticipated James Webb Space Telescope (Webb) starting this summer! Webb is observing the universe in at high-resolution in the infrared, with its complement of infrared instrumentation offering an unparalleled combination of sensitivity and diffraction limited performance, will open a new window on the universe. Webb is set to transform our understanding of the first bright objects in the universe, how stars and planets form, and will search for the chemical signatures of life on distant planets. In this talk I will give both an overview of the revolutionary engineering and science that has and will be achieved by Webb, including a discussion on commissioning this flagship telescope, the first light data and the science am doing with Webb.Dr Olivia Jones is a STFC Webb Fellow, based at the UK Astronomy Centre at the Royal Observatory Edinburgh. She received her PhD from the Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics in 2013, and then worked at the Space Telescope Science Institute (the home to Hubble and Webb mission operations) prior to moving to Scotland. She is an expert in infrared astronomy and researches the beginnings and ends of stellar evolution in nearby galaxies with Webb and Hubble. She is currently a member of the Webb instrument team and was involved in supporting its launch, commissioning and first observations earlier this year. Neither here nor there: The coupling between giant planets and their surroundings - Dr Licia RayJames Dungey LectureshipJupiter, the king of the planets, is visible to the naked eye in the night sky as a small dot. Yet its vast magnetosphere, if visible to the naked eye, would be larger than the Sun. The behaviour of this behemoth in our local neighbourhood is dictated by the interaction between the rapidly rotating planet, plasma generated from material ejected by the Galilean moon Io, and the planetary magnetic field that threads through both regions. I will discuss how Jupiter is coupled to its local surroundings and what roles the atmosphere, magnetospheric plasma, and the region in-between each play in the interaction. We’ll touch upon how recent results from Juno have changed our understanding of the system and where to go next.Licia Ray is a senior Lecturer in Space & Planetary Physics at Lancaster University. Her research explores on the coupling of planetary atmosphere to their surroundings. In particular, she is interested in the structure of the high-latitude regions of the magnetosphere and how the planetary atmospheres exert control over Magnetosphere-Ionosphere-Thermosphere coupling.
Solid-Liquid Interactions in Deep Planetary Interiors Royal Astronomical Society 2022-11-18 | Interactions between solids and liquids deep in the interior of terrestrial planets shape their evolution and dynamics, defining the crystallisation sequence of primordial magma oceans, the exchanges of mass and energy between the core and mantle, and the power supply that sustains global magnetic fields.Recent work has suggested that deep solid-liquid regions may be widespread, arising at the top and bottom of Earth’s core and in the cores of Mars, Mercury, the Moon and Ganymede, and has also identified the importance of non-equilibrium thermodynamic processes that are often ignored in models of core-mantle evolution.This specialist discussion will consider observational, experimental, theoretical and computational investigations of deep planetary interiors, with a focus on the causes and consequences of solid-liquid interactions. Submissions for contributed talks (abstract required) or posters (title only required) on any related topic are welcomed, including (but not limited to) seismology, geodynamics, mineral physics, geochemistry and geo/paleomagnetism. Organisers:Chris Davies (Leeds) Andrew Walker (Oxford),Fred Wilson (Leeds)Dario Alfe (UCL)
RAS Ordinary Meeting - October 2022 Royal Astronomical Society 2022-11-16 | Probing the evolving Universe with confidence: All-sky radiative transfer and characterisation for cosmic structures - Jennifer Y. H. ChanMichael Penston Thesis Prize 2020Correct understanding of the Universe relies on an accurate understanding of the information encoded into the cosmic messengers we receive. In this talk, I will present a solid theoretical foundation of radiative transfer in an expanding and evolving Universe and discuss the associated methodology underpinning two key sciences, cosmic magnetism and cosmological reionisation, of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), the most powerful radio telescope in the next decade for studying the fundamental aspects of astrophysics and cosmology. I will discuss some current knowledge gaps, followed by presenting a solution to each of the following research questions.(1) How to reliably predict the polarised radio emissions associated with magnetic fields that co-evolve with cosmic structure formation and evolution? (2) How to properly calculate the 21-cm line signals associated with cosmological reionisation (as the first luminous objects ushered the Universe's major transition from a neutral phase into an ionised phase)? (3) How to efficiently extract and characterise structural information encoded in data living on a sphere, e.g., all-sky observational survey data? I will conclude by summarising the key findings from the above research, which contribute to our understanding of how the Universe that we live in came into its being today. Jennifer Y. H. Chan is a joint Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics (CITA) and University of Toronto (UofT) Arts & Science postdoctoral fellow. She received her PhD (Mullard Space Science Laboratory) and MSc in Astrophysics (Department of Physics and Astronomy) from the University College London (UCL) before moving to Canada and joining CITA and the Dunlap Institute of Astronomy & Astrophysics at UofT. She completed her Bachelor's (Hons.) degree in Physics from the University of Oxford with a full scholarship by the Benenden School Hong Kong Trust. Chan's research focuses on understanding the large-scale magnetism and gas reionisation of the Universe and studying the information about cosmic structure formation and evolution that is encoded in the radiation we receive (cosmological radiative transfer). She develops formulations, models, methodologies and techniques that allow meaningful physical interpretation of observations. She is also interested in astroinformatics (e.g., all-sky analysis methods, curvelets on the sphere) and the study of patterns in nature. Cosmic Ignorance - Professor Pedro G. FerreiraGerald Whitrow LectureshipObservations of the large scale structure of the Universe have allowed us to validate a powerful mathematical model of the Universe. We can now measure with remarkable precision, a number of properties such as its geometry, its matter content and the morphology of the initial conditions.This model is firmly rooted in physics that we know yet also reliant on speculative assumptions: inflation, dark matter and dark energy. As our understanding of the cosmological model has developed, and with ever improving data, we have been confronted with anomalies and inconsistencies. There is hope that, with new observations, more powerful simulations and the new developments in machine learning and data science, we will be able to fully resolve any inconsistencies. But there is a real risk that, if we don't start to think differently, we will never completely understand our mathematical model. Ultimately we may never know how our Universe really works.Professor Pedro G. Ferreira is Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Oxford and Director of the Beecroft Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology. He studied and worked at Imperial College in London, at the University of California at Berkeley and at CERN in Geneva. He has been the recipient of a Royal Society University Research Fellowship, a Leverhulme fellowship and an ERC Advanced Grant.His area of expertise is cosmology where he has pioneered research in the relic radiation left over from the Big Bang, the nature of the dark Universe (such as dark matter and dark energy) and has led the way in studying alternatives to Einstein’s theory of General Relativity. More recently he has worked on gravitational waves and the use of black holes as probes of fundamental physics.Pedro G. Ferreira has written extensively outside academia. His most recent book, “The Perfect Theory: A Century of Geniuses and the Battle over General Relativity” has been published in over 20 countries and was shortlisted for the 2014 Royal Society Winton Science Book Prize.
A conversation with the editors of The Sky is for Everyone: Women Astronomers in Their Own Words Royal Astronomical Society 2022-11-15 | About this eventVirginia Trimble and David Weintraub will discuss their book The Sky Is for Everyone, which is a collection of autobiographical essays by women from twenty different countries who broke down barriers and changed the face of modern astronomy. Before 1900, a woman who wanted to study the stars had to have a father, brother, or husband to provide entry. Well into the 20th century, the intellectual skills of women astronomers were often still not enough to enable them to pry open the doors of opportunity. Today, women are closer to "holding up half the sky" than ever before, though probably with some territory still to be claimed. Trimble and Weintraub will describe their work in bringing together these stories and mention some of the highlights readers can look for in the book.VIRGINIA TRIMBLE, now Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of California, Irvine, is interested in the structure and evolution of stars, galaxies, and the Universe and of the communities of scientists who study them. She is the only person to have been president of two IAU Divisions (Galaxies and the Universe, and Union-Wide Activities). She is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Physical Society, a Legacy Fellow of the American Astronomical Society, an inaugural Fellow of Sigma Xi, and an Honorary Fellow of the RAS. She was awarded the J. Murray Luck Prize by the National Academy of Sciences in 1986, the Klopsteg Lectureship by the American Association of Physics Teachers in 2001, the George van Biesbroeck prize in 2010 and Patron status in 2018 by the American Astronomical Society,, the Wm. T. Olcott Distinguished Service Award by the AAVSO in 2018, the Andrew Gemant Award by the American Institute of Physics in 2019, and honorary membership in Sigma Pi Sigma. Her asteroid is 9271 Trimble.DAVID WEINTRAUB is a Professor of Astronomy, of History, and of the Communication of Science and Technology at Vanderbilt University where he founded and directs the Communication of Science and Technology program and does research on the formation of stars and planets. He was awarded the Klopsteg Lectureship by the American Association of Physics Teachers in 2015. His previous books include Life on Mars: What to Know Before We Go (2018), Religions and Extraterrestrial Life: How Will We Deal With It? (2014), How Old is the Universe? (2010), and Is Pluto a Planet? (2006). He also created and edits the Who Me? series of scientific biographies for middle-school readers, including Who Me? I’m a Bioarchaeologist Now!, Who Me? I’m an Astronomer Now!, and Who Me? I’m a Biomedical Informatics Expert Now!
Meanwhile Back On Earth...In Conversation With Oliver Jeffers Royal Astronomical Society 2022-10-24 | A very special educational event, where science and art collide, with world-renowned artist and author Oliver Jeffers!Teachers and educators were invited to take part in this virtual conversation, hosted by the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) in partnership with HarperCollins Children’s Books and CLPE.World-renowned artist Oliver Jeffers talks to Planetary Scientist Sheila Kanani about his new picture book "Meanwhile Back on Earth" and how it was inspired by Our Place in Space, an epic scale model of our Solar System.
Animation of extinction caused by dust looking out from Earth towards the galactic centre Royal Astronomical Society 2022-07-15 | The animation shows the cumulative build-up of dust looking from Earth’s local neighbourhood to 13,000 light years towards the galactic centre – around 10% of the overall distance across our home galaxy, the Milky Way. Close by, dust swirls all around but, further out, the concentration of dust along the galactic plane becomes clear. Two ‘windows’, one above and one below the galactic plane, are also revealed.
Editor in Chief of RASTI, Jonathan Tennyson Royal Astronomical Society 2022-07-14 | At NAM 2022, Warwick University.
NAM 2022: JWST Online Event - Wed, 13 July 2022 Royal Astronomical Society 2022-07-13 | Join a panel of speakers to discuss the early release images from the James Webb Space Telescope (Webb) at the National Astronomy Meeting at Warwick University.Thank you to our panelists:Dr Olivia JonesDr Olivia Jones is an STFC Webb Fellow at the UK Astronomy Technology Centre at the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, and a member of the JWST MIRI instrument team. Her research interests include dust production and processing by evolved stars and supernovae, the evolution of dust in galaxies, and the effect of metallicity on resolved stellar populations and star-formation in Local Group galaxies.Rebecca SmethurstChrist Church College, University of OxfordEva-Maria AhrerUniversity of WarwickPiyal Samara-RatnaUniversity of LeicesterStephen WilkinsUniversity of Sussex / University of MaltaMike EdmundsRAS President
National Astronomy Meeting 2022: first media announcement Royal Astronomical Society 2022-07-12 | JWST First Images Panel discussion - 12 July 2022 at 4pm. NAM2022 at the University of Warwick. Thank you to the panelists who joined us:Dr Hannah WakefordUniversity of BristolDr Stephen WilkinsUniversity of SussexEva-Maria AhrerUniversity of WarwickDr Nathan AdamsUniversity of ManchesterDr Aayush SaxenaUniversity College LondonModerated by Dr Robert MasseyRoyal Astronomical SocietyWe are delighted to announce that the UK’s largest regular gathering of professional astronomers and space scientists will once again be an in person event, with hundreds of delegates on site, and a similar number also expected to join online.NAM 2022 will see leading scientists from the UK and around the world present the latest cutting-edge research in astronomy and space science. 44 parallel sessions over the five days of the conference will cover topics as diverse as space weather, solar physics, the atmospheres of planets around other stars, dark matter, the formation of the first stars and galaxies in the early universe, the third data release from the Gaia satellite, prospects for the Square Kilometer Array and Vera Rubin Observatory, gravitational waves, gamma ray bursts, using machine learning on astronomical data, and ensuring the sustainable use of space.Meeting arrangements and a full and up to date schedule of the scientific programme can be found on the official website and via the conference Twitter account.Details of media releases and registration information are on our dedicated conference media page at nam2022.org/press-releasesPress room facilities will be available for the duration of the conference – from 09:00 BST on Monday 11 July to 15:00 BST on Friday 15 July. A series of releases, issued under embargo, will cover key scientific results presented at the meeting.Media contactsDr Robert MasseyRoyal Astronomical SocietyTel: +44 (0)20 7292 3979Mob: +44 (0)7802 877 699nam-press@ras.ac.ukMs Gurjeet KahlonRoyal Astronomical SocietyMob: +44 (0)7802 877700nam-press@ras.ac.ukNotes for editorsThe NAM 2022 conference is principally sponsored by the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) and the University of Warwick.About the Royal Astronomical SocietyThe Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), founded in 1820, encourages and promotes the study of astronomy, solar-system science, geophysics and closely related branches of science. The RAS organises scientific meetings, publishes international research and review journals, recognises outstanding achievements by the award of medals and prizes, maintains an extensive library, supports education through grants and outreach activities and represents UK astronomy nationally and internationally. Its more than 4,000 members (Fellows), a third based overseas, include scientific researchers in universities, observatories and laboratories as well as historians of astronomy and others.Follow the RAS on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.About the Science and Technology Facilities CouncilThe Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) is part of UK Research and Innovation – the UK body which works in partnership with universities, research organisations, businesses, charities, and government to create the best possible environment for research and innovation to flourish. STFC funds and supports research in particle and nuclear physics, astronomy, gravitational research and astrophysics, and space science and also operates a network of five national laboratories, including the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and the Daresbury Laboratory, as well as supporting UK research at a number of international research facilities including CERN, FERMILAB, the ESO telescopes in Chile and many more.STFC's Astronomy and Space Science programme provides support for a wide range of facilities, research groups and individuals in order to investigate some of the highest priority questions in astrophysics, cosmology and solar system science. STFC's astronomy and space science programme is delivered through grant funding for research activities, and also through support of technical activities at STFC's UK Astronomy Technology Centre and RAL Space at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. STFC also supports UK astronomy through the international European Southern Observatory and the Square Kilometre Array Organisation.Visit stfc.ukri.org for more information.Follow STFC on Twitter: @STFC_MattersAbout the University of WarwickThe University of Warwick is one of the world’s leading research institutions, ranked in the UK’s top 10 and world top 80 universities. Since its foundation in 1965 Warwick has established a reputation of scientific excellence, through the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine (which includes WMG and the Warwick Medical School).
Ordinary Meeting, 22 April 2022 Royal Astronomical Society 2022-06-29 | Ordinary Meeting, 22 April 2022
Gaia Data Release 3: UK Information Day Royal Astronomical Society 2022-06-13 | The Gaia satellite is a major European Space Agency project (https://sci.esa.int/web/gaia), launched in December 2013, providing a survey of fundamental stellar parameters such as parallaxes (distances), proper motions, spectral properties, radial velocities and uniquely accurate, full-sky, astrometry and photometry. The current survey covers just under 2 billion objects. The Gaia data releases have made a very broad and deep impact on astrophysics over the past few years, touching nearly every aspect of astronomy, and especially in helping us in understanding the complex process involved in the formation of our own Galaxy. Gaia is now amongst the most scientifically productive space science missions ever. Monday June 13 2022 marks the release of the next major catalogue from the Gaia mission: Gaia DR3. The team in the UK, who have a leading role in the processing of the mission data, will be presenting the new release, highlighting how the range of new data (for instance full astrophysical characterisation of many of the sources in the catalogue) will enable fundamental new understanding of the cosmos in the coming years. The presentations will include pointers to the science that can be expected, illustrated with a range of exciting new visualisations.Event website:gaia.ac.uk/gaia-dr3-uk-eventhttps://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/gaia/dr3-events#UKEvent scientific organiser: Dr Nicholas Walton naw@ast.cam.ac.ukRAS: Dr Robert Massey rmassey@ras.ac.ukGoonhilly: Ms Olivia Smedley olivia.smedley@goonhilly.orgImage credit:ESA/Gaia/DPAC; CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO. Acknowledgement: A. Brown, S. Jordan, T. Roegiers, X. Luri, E. Masana, T. Prusti and A. Moitinho.
Ordinary Meeting - 8 April 2022 Royal Astronomical Society 2022-05-17 | Revealing the hidden corona with infraredRichard Morton University of NorthumbriaFowler Award (G)The Sun’s corona is over 1 million degrees Kelvin and, as such, is comprised of a highly ionised plasma. Understanding how the corona is heated to such temperatures is a longstanding goal for solar physics, in part confounded by significant challenges involved in measuring the coronal magnetic field. Alfvénic waves, perturbations of the magnetic field, have long been considered as a key player in powering the Sun’s atmosphere. They provided a mechanism for the transfer of energy from the convective motions that characterise the photosphere, out in the corona and heliosphere (where additional energy and momentum is also required to heat and accelerate the solar wind to speeds in excess of a million miles per hour). Many past satellite missions to investigate the corona have been focused on of EUV and soft X-ray emission lines to probe the coronal dynamics, both imaging and spectroscopic observations. However, their hunt for Alfvénic waves in the Sun’s atmosphere had only found tantalising but ambiguous evidence. It was a small, unassuming, ground-based instrument known as CoMP, that focused on infrared emission, which made one of the major breakthroughs in solar physics in the last 2 decades. The CoMP instrument, initially designed to measure the coronal magnetic field through polarimetry, unexpectedly revealed that the corona was full of Alfvénic fluctuations and reinvigorated interest in wave-based energy transfer. The instrument has gone on to facilitate many exciting insights into coronal Alfvénic waves, even providing the first global estimates for the coronal magnetic field (although not through polarimetry). In this talk, I will discuss coronal observations in the infrared and the pioneering role of CoMP, and how my research of coronal Alfvénic waves has become interwoven into the story. Tidal disruptions of stars by supermassive black holesDr Matt Nicholl, University of BirminghamFowler (A) 2022 and RAS FellowshipWhen a star wanders too close to the supermassive black hole in the centre of its host galaxy, tidal forces tear the star apart, and the messy debris it leaves behind leads to fascinating observational consequences. Modern optical sky surveys now find a luminous flare from one of these destructions about once per month, enabling rapid follow-up to understand the details of the disruption. In this talk, I will show the latest observations of these tidal disruption events, how they can be used to measure the properties of otherwise dormant supermassive black holes, and look ahead to the prospects for discovery with new multi-messenger searches and the Vera Rubin Observatory. A chemical survey of planets in our galaxyProfessor Giovanna Tinetti (UCL)‘RAS Eddington Lecture’The Earth is special to us: it’s our home. But is it really special as a planet? Every star we can see in the night sky is likely to be orbited by planets, so that there probably are a thousand billion planets in our galaxy alone. Since the discovery of the first “exoplanet” about thirty years ago, about 5000 exoplanets have been discovered in distant solar systems, with many surprising planets and planetary systems, often very different from our own. A suite of ground-based and space telescopes are currently in operation or will be launched within this decade to discover more exciting planets and unveil their nature: what are they made of? How did they form? What’s the weather like there? Are they habitable?The Ariel space telescope, to be launched in 2029 as part of the ESA Science Programme, is the first mission dedicated to the determination of the chemical composition of hundreds of exoplanets, enabling planetary science far beyond the boundaries of the Solar System. Finding out why are these new worlds as they are and what is the Earth’s place in our galaxy and –ultimately– in the universe, is one of the key challenges of modern astrophysics. The Ariel mission will bring a fundamental contribution to addressing this challenge, as I will illustrate in my talk.For speaker bios, please visit ras.ac.uk: ras.ac.uk/events-and-meetings/ras-meetings/ordinary-meeting-april-2022
Space exploration and the search for extraterrestrial life with humans and with robots Royal Astronomical Society 2022-05-17 | About this eventAs robots get more capable, the practical case for human spaceflight gets weaker. So will robots eventually spread through the Solar System and beyond? And will they find life out there already?Martin Rees (Lord Rees of Ludlow, OM, FRS) is the UK's Astronomer Royal. He is based at Cambridge University where he is a Fellow (and Former Master) of Trinity College. He is a former President of the Royal Society and a member of many foreign academies. His research interests include space exploration, high energy astrophysics, and cosmology. In addition to his research publications he has written many general articles and ten books, including, most recently ‘On the Future: Prospects for Humanity’ (paperback version published in October 2021) and [with Don Goldsmith] 'The End of Astronauts' [publication April 2022].
How to build a habitable planet - Prof Elizabeth Tasker Royal Astronomical Society 2022-04-26 | About this eventWe’ve discovered many planets orbiting other stars with sizes similar to our own Earth. But size alone does not birth a home world. How did the Earth become habitable, and what does this mean for finding another planet capable of hosting life? In this talk, we will take a look at our own past and how we might unpick the beginnings of life from missions such as Japan's Hayabusa2, before zooming away from our Solar System to what we have discovered about planets around other Suns and how we might determine if any of them could be a home for our neighbours. Prof Elizabeth Tasker is an astrophysicist and science communicator at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Her research focusses on computer simulations of star and planet formation, and she is part of the global public outreach team on JAXA missions such as Hayabusa2 and MMX. Tasker's popular science book, ’The Planet Factory’, was published by Bloomsbury Publishing House in 2017, and she is a writer for the NASA NExSS ‘Many Worlds’ blog.
