1. Astronomy

Category Archives: Astronomy

Astronomy group puts the focus on Saturn for visitors

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Topics: saturn, scenic rim astronomy association

TONIGHT'S the night to get up close and personal with the most recognisable planet in our solar system.

The Scenic Rim Astronomy Association is hosting Saturn Night - appropriately tonight - in Ivor Marsden Park in Leichhardt.

Saturn was the Roman name for Cronus, the lord of the titans in Greek mythology, and is the root of the English word Saturday.

Made up mostly of hydrogen and helium, Saturn is the second largest planet, behind Jupiter, and big enough to hold more than 760 Earths.

Although Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune also have rings, those of Saturn are the most extraordinary.

Galileo was the first to see Saturn's rings in 1610. They are made of particles, mostly dirty ice, from small grains to big boulders, believed to be debris left over from comets, asteroids or shattered moons.

Saturn is the farthest planet from Earth visible to the naked human eye so it is a great wonder to study with a telescope.

Tonight, Scenic Rim Astronomy Association members will provide a range of telescopes, looking at a variety of night sky wonders.

Children and adults are welcome. It's a no light night; it will be dark when you arrive so look for red lights and members will direct you from the gate.

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Astronomy group puts the focus on Saturn for visitors

French Muslims turn to modern astronomy to determine start of Ramadan

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PARIS - France's Muslim leaders have agreed to end almost 1,400 years of Islamic tradition and use modern astronomy to determine the start of the holy month of Ramadan and other Islamic holidays.

The French Muslim Council (CFCM) voted on Thursday to start using astronomical calculations to set the date rather than relying on the naked eye to sight the new crescent moon.

Ramadan traditionally begins the morning after the sighting, which has in the past been delayed by a day or even two by weather.

Council President Mohammad Moussaoui said the old method played havoc with French Muslims' schedules for work, school and festivities. France's five million Muslims are the largest Islamic minority in Europe.

"Now all this will be simplified," he said, and promptly announced the Ramadan fast would begin on July 9 this year.

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French Muslims turn to modern astronomy to determine start of Ramadan

Astronomy Enthusiasts Invited to Meet with Professional Counterparts

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The Indy 500 happens twice this year: once in late May, when the world's elite auto racers converge on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and again a week later, when more than 500 professional astronomers, educators, journalists, and guests converge on downtown Indianapolis for the 222nd meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS), 2-6 June 2013, at the Indiana Convention Center, 100 S. Capitol Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46225. Meeting website: http://aas.org/meetings/aas-222nd-meeting

For the first time ever, the AAS is opening its meeting toamateur astronomers and other interested members of the public, who may take advantage of a special one-day registration rate of $50 per day on Monday, 3 June, or Tuesday, 4 June, or both days (in which case the cost will be $100). Conference hours are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. EDT.

Registration includes access to all scientific sessions, including invited and prize talks, oral and poster presentations, and public-policy "Town Hall" meetings with representatives from the National Science Foundation (Monday) and NASA Headquarters (Tuesday). Your badge also gets you in to the exhibit hall, where you can meet scientists working on major ground- and space-based telescopes, check out some of the newest astronomy books and products, and even immerse yourself in a digital planetarium experience. In addition to the regularly scheduled science talks, there will be numerous presentations and an evening "star party" designed especially to appeal to amateur astronomers and the public. More information: http://aas.org/aas-222nd-meeting/one-day-program-amateur-astronomers-public.

Attendance at the 222nd AAS meeting in Indianapolis offers an unprecedented opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the world's leading astronomers and to hear the latest cosmic news from the newsmakers themselves. If you're interested, please complete our special One-Day Registration form: http://aas.org/content/aas-222nd-meeting-public-registration

The AAS offers complimentary press registration to qualified local media representatives who wish to cover the meeting: http://aas.org/aas-222nd-meeting/press-information

The AAS, established in 1899 and based in Washington, DC, is the major organization of professional astronomers and planetary scientists in North America. Its membership of about 7,000 also includes physicists, mathematicians, geologists, engineers, and others whose research interests lie within the broad spectrum of subjects now comprising contemporary astronomy. The mission of the AAS is to enhance and share humanity's scientific understanding of the universe.

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Astronomy Enthusiasts Invited to Meet with Professional Counterparts

SkyLog and NeoWs – Drawing people to astronomy and delivering astronomy to people – Video

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SkyLog and NeoWs - Drawing people to astronomy and delivering astronomy to people
Please vote for SkyLog and NeoWs via Twitter! http://tiny.cc/skylog The SpaceRocks development team is working on a mobile app to help highlight the scientif...

By: Arzu Sarvestani

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SkyLog and NeoWs - Drawing people to astronomy and delivering astronomy to people - Video


  1. Astronomy