Meetings
General Meeting for February 12, 2016 @ 7:30pm
The Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) is a new and powerful radio telescope that has recently completed construction on a high plateau in northern Chile. The first science results from ALMA include a stunning array of images of astronomical sources ranging from very young stars that are still in the process of forming to galaxies at the limits of the visible universe. Professor Christine Wilson has been involved with ALMA in a variety of roles throughout its design and construction and will give an overview of the telescope itself as well as some of its most exciting science.
General Meeting for January 15, 2016 @ 7:30pm
As a reporter with CHCH-tv for many years, Karen Cumming was used to telling other people’s stories. Turns out she has a pretty interesting one of her own to tell now. In February of last year, Karen was chosen as one of 100 people from around the world who are moving on to the final round of astronaut selection in the Mars One Mission. They’re known as “The Mars 100”. Their goal?
To colonize Mars. Oh, and did we mention? It’s a one way trip. To say the whole experience has been surreal would be an understatement. Join Karen on January 15th as she tells us about her own unique space story.
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General Meeting for December 11, 2015 @ 7:30pm
Imagine if you will… you have been enjoying a crisp clear night with all of nature’s glory before you for a couple hours. Orion’s nebula semmingly coming alive in the night sky. That comet is glowing brighter than advertised, it seems that indeed the universe is unfolding as it should. You feel a chill as the breeze gains a little character, you go to get your sweater out of the car and… it’s LOCKED and the key is in the ignition! Now you are 10 miles from anywhere and it is suddenly colder…
Testing Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity (Gravity)
Peter Sutherland began his 37-year career at Mac in 1976 when the Physics Department was given permission to hire two astronomers/astrophysicists. He was hired along with Bill Harris, an observational astronomer and world expert on globular clusters. Peter is a theoretical astrophysicist, and much of his research has been concerned with neutron stars, pulsars, supernovae, and X-ray binary systems. Peter retired in 2013 but still teaches the occasional course in physics. While he enjoyed teaching and research, he was also happy to serve in a wide range of administrative capacities – Chair, Dean, and (twice) President of the McMaster University Faculty Association. He has diverse musical and reading tastes. An avid cyclist and outdoors-man, he takes regular canoe trips with his wife and also with his best friend. In May this year he was part of a small group that went trekking in Nepal, around Annapurna. He is especially proud of his three children, the youngest of whom is currently an MA student at Mac and a water polo player.
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The Astronomical Experience
From the earliest days of the first hominids and through the epochs into the 21st century, mankind has held a deep fascination with the night sky. In today’s technological society, massive mountaintop observatories and high-tech space telescopes are at the forefront of astronomical research, but an ever-growing group of individuals continue to peer up from dark fields, secluded parks and their own backyards in the quest to explore and understand the universe. From varied backgrounds, cultures and professions, amateur astronomers are united in their curiosity and desire to wonder at the beauty of the heavens above, and to find our true place in the cosmos.
Capturing the Stars
Kerry-Ann will be talking about her journey in the intense hobby of astrophotography from 2007 up to 2015 and sharing some of the stories behind the many objects that were captured along with her more recent projects and goals.
New Horizons; Space Exploration Today
There was a time when young men and women stood on a shore and looked out to the horizon, imaging what new lives a ship might transport them to. They imagined new sights, new wonders and in their minds they imagined new worlds.
This summer, after travelling a decade through the dark and quiet of space, a small craft that bears a name that recalls these brave people, will truly see a new world. The New Horizons spacecraft will give us our first look at Pluto as just one of the many amazing sights that are in store for us in this golden age of space exploration.
This richly illustrated talk is suitable for all ages and takes us from Earth to Mars, the asteroids, Pluto and beyond as we look through the mechanical eyes of these far flung probes and are witness to these new sights, new wonders and new worlds.
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Please note that John Gauvreau’s talk originally scheduled for March 13th has been postponed until April 10th. Don Pullen will instead be talking about unmanned space missions.
Space Science – The Journey Continues
Manned space missions have been confined to low-Earth orbit (LEO) for more than 40 years, a big disappointment to many. However, our exploration of space beyond LEO continues to grow with many exciting robotic missions. From the Great Observatories (Hubble, Compton, Chandra, Spitzer) to contributions by Europe, India and other countries, we continue to find new ways to explore the unknown and find answers to some of the most important questions to mankind. In this talk, Don will review a few of the amazing current and upcoming missions and explore some of the science that has been revealed (and several of the questions that remain).
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Astronomical Observations for the Unaided Eye
In a world of ever larger and more expensive telescopes, amateur astronomers often pass over the wonder above them that can only be seen with the most complex yet readily available optical instrument of them all – the unaided eye. From comets to crepuscular rays and from the northern lights to noctilucent clouds, there is an entire universe waiting, both literally and figuratively before your eyes.
The Life and Times of Betelgeuse
This is a adaptation of a successful planetarium show I ran while at McMaster. The show focuses on a ‘recap’ of the life of Betelgeuse as it inches closer towards supernova and explores star formation, evolution and death. I’ll also talk about how planet formation is an intrinsic process in star formation as well. I’ll modify the talk to include more observational details and current images.