Monmouth Astronomical Research Society(M.A.R.S.)
MARS
Our next MARS meeting will be in the form of a MARS Bar – an informal meeting in Monmouth to eke out the long hot days of summer. We will meet on what would have been our normal meeting night - next Tuesday 10th August 8pm in Wetherspoons (on grounds of cost you understand), Monmouth. Some items from around the astronomical community:
• GEOMAGNETIC STORM--MORE TO COME? The solar storm of August 1st sent two Coronal Mass Ejections toward Earth. The first one arrived yesterday, August 3rd, sparking mild but beautiful Northern Lights over Europe and North America (see below). The second CME is still en route. NOAA forecasters estimate a 35% chance of major geomagnetic storms when the cloud arrives on August 4th or 5th. High-latitude sky watchers should remain alert for auroras - see http://www.spaceweather.com/.
• PLANETS AT SUNSET. Mars, Saturn, and brilliant Venus continue their square dance in the western sky at sunset. Never far from each other, or from the brighter stars of Leo and Virgo, these three planets show you the dynamic solar system in action. They gather to within 5 degrees of each other on August 8 (see attached map), then spread out a bit by August 12 when they’re joined by a slender crescent Moon. This will be a great opportunity to take a simple snapshot of the Moon and three planets.
• PERSEID METEOR SHOWER. The highlight of the month is the fine Perseid meteor shower. This annual event peaks on the nights of August 11-12 say from 11pm onwards, when the Earth passes through a stream of particles left over from Comet Swift-Tuttle. In dark sky, you can see many dozens of meteors each hour, especially after midnight as the Earth turns into the stream. And this year, the sky will be dark since the Moon will set long before midnight.
• ASTEROID MIGHT HIT THE EARTH. This past week the obscure Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology posted a story about a research paper co-authored by Spanish scientist Maria Eugenia Sansaturio (University of Valladolid). The work involved the numbered-but-unnamed asteroid 101955, which was initially designated 1999 RQ36 when discovered by the LINEAR survey telescope. This asteroid's cumulative risk of striking Earth, the report announced, is about 1 in 1000 (0.1%) between now and the year 2200 — with the most likely target date coming in 2182. Given that it's a third of a mile (0.56 km) across, this object would surely do global harm if it hit. To see more, and get the real inside story goto http://www.skyandtelescope.com/community/skyblog/newsblog/99648984.html
• Our next normal meeting is on Tuesday 14th September 7:30pm in Monmouth Boys School – Dr Hayley Gomez from University of Wales, Cardiff on the Herschel Telescope Mission
Look forward to seeing you next Tuesday August 10th. Colin Harris 01600 775656