The Age of the Universe and Lord Kelvin

/ Stephen Mackintosh / Leave a comment

Our 2023/2024 season of astronomy outreach at Abriachan Forest ended on a high note this Saturday with a visit from Martin Hendry, Professor of Gravitational Astrophysics and Cosmology. Since 2022 Martin has been acting vice principle at the University of Glasgow and was formerly head of the school of Physics and Astronomy.

Martin’s packed talk was broadly about the age of the universe, but touched on the age of stars, stellar classification, cepheid variables, rates of cosmic expansion, and the important work undertaken by female astronomers like Henrietta Leavitt, Annie Jump Cannon and Williamina Fleming, who were instrumental in helping us calculate the distances to star clusters and galaxies. A special tribute was also paid to Lord Kelvin on the 2024 bicentenary of his birth.

Alas, we were not graced with clear skies for open air stargazing, so following Martin’s talk we both hosted a virtual planetarium tour instead, referencing many of the clusters, galaxies and some stars mentioned in the main talk.

Thanks to Suzann for the Kelvin and Constellation witches fingers which captivated some of the younger audience members, and my wife Judith for the excellent home bakes. I look forward to announcing our new new 2024/2025 program in October. Stay tuned for details.

Calculations of the age of the universe using a variety of datasets and methodologies, including galactic red shifts and globular clusters have broadly placed the age of the universe at about 14 billion years old.

Essential Reading on Black Holes

/ Stephen Mackintosh / Leave a comment

I rarely recommend popular science books but feel I need to make an exception with Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw’s excellent ‘Black Holes – The Key To Understanding The Universe’ published by William Collins.

For me this book surpasses A Brief History of Time, and joins a tiny population of science books that aren’t afraid to delve into some actual mathematics, adding richness and depth to the analogy laden exposition of most popular science books.

Within the pages you’ll find real equations and Penrose diagrams explaining the basics of special and general relativity. These sections will certainly challenge many readers but also equip them for the chapters that follow, when Cox and Forshaw dive into the wonderful abstract world of event horizons, singularities, worm holes, rotating black holes, multiverses and other weird and exotic by products of general relativity and quantum theory.

The material here feels very up to date and references many recent discoveries and theoretical papers. The style is sharp, understandable and with just the right hint of dry humour to keep things light hearted and entertaining.

I accessed the very affordably Kindle version but have enjoyed it so much I’ll be treating myself to a hardback copy – not least because many of the excellent diagrams are in full colour – something my ebook reader can’t reproduce.

Stargazing Event Date Changes

/ Stephen Mackintosh / Leave a comment

Due to heavy snow this winter my Tales of the Moon event (with Steve Owens) has moved to February 17th and our scheduled event with Professor Martin Hendry is now March 9th. The former event has sold out but the Eventbrite links for March have just gone live. Please see details below if you wish to book:

Join us up at Abriachan Forest (a Dark Sky Discovery site) for an evening of stargazing with guest astronomer Martin Hendry, professor of Gravitational Astrophysics and Cosmology at the University of Glasgow.

Event format is weather proofed so please book with confidence. As well as our indoor guest speaker talk from Martin on the Age of the Universe (and Lord Kelvin) we’ll have outdoor (or indoor) night sky guiding with astronomer Stephen Mackintosh, possible telescopic views of Juipter and more family focused activities with the Abriachan team.

Refreshments and home bakes available. Due to site and classroom capacity, booking via Eventbrite is essential. Admission is free for under 16s with accompanying adults but please inform Abriachan of any large booking requests.

Ticket links HERE

Abriachan Star Stories Guest Speaker Events

/ Stephen Mackintosh / Leave a comment

I’m delighted to announce the return of three excellent astronomers and guest speakers to Abriachan Forest this season.

On December 9th – Maarten De Vries (talking about Meteor Showers)

On January 20th – Steve Owens (joins me to Explore the Moon)

On February 10th – Martin Hendry (discusses Lord Kelvin and the Age of the Universe)

All guest speaker talks will be followed (or proceeded) by naked eye and binocular stargazing led by myself, or a backup indoor sky tour on planetarium software if clouds roll in. Plus storytelling and other activities led by the Abriachan team. Refreshments and home bakes provided.

Ticket links will go live roughly four weeks prior to each event so please stay tuned to my Facebook page for details as they do sell out very quickly.

Galileo Museum, Florence

/ Stephen Mackintosh / 1 Comment

I thoroughly enjoyed a tour of the Galileo Museum in Florence, Italy this October. If you’re ever travelling in Florence it’s well worth a visit.

Spread over three floors you’ll find perfectly preserved refracting telescopes from the 1600s, dozens of Geocentric and Heliocentric orreries (models) of the solar system (many in enormous scale), some of Galileo’s original experimental apparatus including gravity ramps and pendulums and original copies of Galileo’s Sidereus Nuncius and The Dialogue.

The museum overlooks the majestic Arno river and crucially is within easy reach of several decent cafes and bars. Saluti!

Abriachan Stargazing 2023/2024

/ Stephen Mackintosh / Leave a comment

I’m happy to announce the first event of the new 2023/2024 stargazing and astronomy program at Abriachan forest will take place on Friday 10th November under Moonless skies.

Fingers crossed for a clear run this year after last years frustrating snow disruptions.

Expect the usual blend of astronomy, storytelling, stargazing, outdoor activities and home baking. A complete program plus guest speakers will be announced in October along with ticket links for the first November date.

2023 Perseids Meteor Shower Guide

/ Stephen Mackintosh / Leave a comment

The peak of the Perseids meteor shower will occur in the small hours of August 13th. With the Moon is a slender waning crescent phase, this year will potentially preset ideal conditions for observing one of the most active shooting star displays on the celestial calendar.

Officially the shower is active now so do head out under clear skies any night you can, however peak activity will occur between 11th – 14th August, with the early morning of the 13th predicted to produce absolute peak rates.

Please do not get carried along by the hype from some sectors of the media promising displays of 90 meteors per hour. These rates are under the best possible conditions of darkness, seeing and elevation. If you catch a few zipping shooting stars and some brighter fireballs during your vigil you’ll have had a great night. Go in with low expectations and just enjoy being out under a canopy of distant stars. As you wait the Pleiades star cluster and Jupiter will be on display in the rough direction of the radiant.

Ideally you’ll want it get away from bright city lights and head out somewhere dark with good views of the sky and horizon. After midnight on peak nights should mean the radiant of the shower in the constellation Perseus is suitably elevated in the sky but you don’t need to stare at the radiant as shooting stars will appear to come from random directions.

No special optical aids are needed to enjoy a meteor shower, just your own eyes and some patience.

Good luck and clear skies.