IYA 2009 Astronomy Sri Lanka

My visit to Iceland on lookout for Northern Lights aka Aurora Borealis

noreply@blogger.com (Desh) — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 06:05:00 +0000

I'm creating this blog post to share some of the reflections of my visit to Iceland last month (February 2013). In fact the main reason behind my visit to Iceland was to see the northern lights, aka aurora borealis. Ever since I'd heard of them and seen them in pictures and internet with breathtaking time lapses, I developed an utter desire to see them in reality.

Beyond doubt Scandinavia is the place to be, but you have to make sure you're within a decent latitude to see this magical phenomenon. Far north in Norway or Sweden , Finnish Lapland or distant Iceland would be potential candidates for your location if you're close to Europe. As for me I bailed out Norway and Sweden merely because I'd been there before, although it was not the far north where I was before, during my first trip in Europe. This latest being the second, I chose Iceland as my target, inspired by many facts about amazing nature, sagas, old Norse, Eyjafjallajökull, the best horses and Reykjavik night life in addition to the mere ambition of spotting the northern lights. Additionally the Icelandic forecast for this winter was quite promising too.

During my arrival in Reykjavik it was not the best time to see northern lights from there whereas the very northern-most capital of the world is located in Southwest of the giant island, not the best at least per meteorological reports available at http://en.vedur.is/weather/forecasts/aurora/. However owing to random circumstances with spontaneous occurrences I managed to get in touch with a Finnish couple, rent a jeep and drive to Akureyri, a town located in Iceland with more hopes for those irresistible natural flashes over the skies.

The first night in Akureyri had to be given-up due to the thick cloud cover and even the people who'd been taken out by those expensive tour operators had no luck the entire midnight. As for the next day I had already checked Vedur.is site and we in Akureyri had an activity of 1 in the aurora forecast whose activity is given in the range of 0 through 9. Thus with desperate hopes with minimal chances of aurora borealis we found ourselves chatting in a bar with some Erasmus students and locals, later that evening. For them who had been witnessing this ongoing extravaganza for many many times, just another show of northern lights was nothing that could get them out of their chairs. Actually they'd got bored seeing them too many times that it was nothing special for them.

However a while later we were coming out of the bar to head back to our hostel, when we began to realize that the magic is happening. Voila !! YES, it was northern lights. Gleaming beams of greenly and yellowish lights were all over the skies, they were drifting across the skies like fast-moving torrents. Some lasted for a longer duration and some disappeared quickly leaving no traces whatsoever about their being. But above all, that was a stunning and a spectacular show of northern lights. One of the amazing days of my life that I would never forget. I was really happy that the mother nature had favored us and we could see the northern lights.

Meantime we hurried to our jeep and went a bit up towards mountains to avoid the pollution-lit town to get a better view and some pictures of course. We didn't have a tripod and pictures were taken with my friend Tuomas's camera. The lack of the tripod is clearly reflected in the pictures, but nevertheless I wanted to share them and I hope you will enjoy them ! Let me know what you think.

Most importantly don't miss a chance to visit this amazing volcanic island with its unparalleled natural aestheticism !!

Sri Lanka to Get Space Academy with Chinese Support

noreply@blogger.com (Desh) — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 04:37:00 +0000

Seeing the stars from earth is one thing but it is the dream of every young astronomer to one day be able to travel into space and gaze at them from beyond the sky. There is now a possibility that this dream will become a reality for some lucky Sri Lankans, as the country’s first space academy is planned for launch next year. It will be aided by the Chinese as part of a joint venture between the Great Wall Industry Corporation of China and Supreme Satellite Private Ltd Colombo and aims to inspire young people and increase their interest in space. The academy is planned for construction in Kandy and promises to make the city synonymous with space-related knowledge and technology. ‘It will use Chinese world-class expertise in space science to further boost the size and quality of Sri Lanka’s science and engineering pool,’ Supreme Satellite Private LTD Colombo managing director R.M. Manivannan told the Business Times when asked about the project.

Training for Young People

The plans for the academy have received a favourable response and generated widespread excitement, with the Sunday Observer pointing out that the world would have previously laughed at the Sri Lankan government if it had announced that Sri Lankans were going to build a plane, never mind develop a space academy. This project has been touted as a step that will help the country to shed its image as technologically lacking and hopefully cause it to emerge as a nation that is regarded as being comparatively advanced. The academy will be used to provide training for young people to handle satellite communication operations. Satellites are a valuable tool in wireless business communications, amongst other things, and are an asset that most countries in the region do not possess. The only other nearby countries that have their own satellites are Pakistan and India. Plans are also underway to train Sri Lankans as astronauts and use them for future space missions.

The Academy

The proposed academy will include a state-of-the-art satellite ground station that will provide vocational training for Sri Lankans to control the satellites. This venture will see Sri Lankans uploading material to satellites for the first time in the country’s history. The signing of the agreement for the construction of the satellite to commence will take place next October and will see sixty million US dollars being injected into Kandy, which will be the largest foreign-funded private investment that Central Province has ever seen. It will also be the first Chinese investment to be made in Central Province.

Sri Lanka as a Knowledge Hub

The president has stated that he believes that this move will transform Sri Lanka into a ‘knowledge hub’, which is a sentiment that is being echoed across the country. It is likely to significantly increase the level of interest that the public displays in space and astronomy and capture the imagination of the nation. R.M. Manivannan has expressed the viewpoint that the academy will not only put Kandy on the world satellite map but also take Sri Lanka one step closer towards being the ‘wonder of Asia’. Deputy managing director of the Great Wall Industry Corporation of China Wang Zhongmin has promised that work will start on the construction of the satellite in January. People’s Republic of China vice minister of industries and information technology Chen Qiufa flew all the way from China to witness the plans for the academy being finalized and says that the space industry is important for the growth of the country’s industry. The Sunday Observer claims that it could trigger and promote growth in other areas and significantly benefit the Sri Lankan economy.

Final Thoughts

The plans for the space academy are exciting for both astronomers and Sri Lankans in general. They offer the possibility for space enthusiasts to one day become astronauts and explore the realm that they have spent so many nights gazing at through telescopes. The proposed project is also likely to create a surge in interest in all things space-related, which will get more young people involved in astronomy and increase the country’s knowledge of the stars, involving them in a rewarding pastime that will help to further their understanding of the universe.

Live Streaming/ Webcast of Total Solar Eclipse from Cairns, November 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Desh) — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 15:51:00 +0000

Yet one more solar eclipse! Well, this time it's gonna be a total solar eclipse. Maybe you're already in Cairns or almost there, or somewhere in the South Pacific, which are the places to be, to be able to witness this amazing celestial phenomena. As I blog this post from Sri Lanka, there are few more hours left until the start of this total solar eclipse. So we're just about there. As for me, and those who couldn't manage to be in the right places, there is this wonderful tool, Internet facilitating us to watch the eclipse online, as numerous groups bring out their own live streams of the eclipse, and updates. Believe it or not there's gonna be even a hot-air balloon offering a live webcast of the eclipse.

Thanks to Thilina Heenatigala of AWB now we can have a list of web-streams of the total solar eclipse.

The totality of 2 minutes will take place at 20:38 UT on 13th November. (06:38 AEST on 14th of November). In Sri Lankan local time, it would be 02:08 am in the morning of 14th.

Don't miss out !!

Cairns Solar Eclipse, 2012
http://www.eclipse2012.org.au
The official destination website for the total solar Eclipse over Cairns and Great Barrier Reef will feature Terry Cuttle from the Astronomical Association of Queensland as the host. He will be joined by Kate Russo (eclipse chaser and author), Ben Southall (winner of the 'Best Job in the World' promotion and tourism ambassador), Richard Fitzpatrick (an underwater cameraman, will be live from under water) and Alan Hale (from Hale-Bopp comet who is studying comets close to the Sun which can only be seen during an eclipse).

2012 Eclipse live from a Cairns Hot Air Balloon
http://www.hotair.com.au
Up to a dozen hot air balloons floating west of Cairns, Queensland Australia, with visitors from 20 different countries will be part of a live webcast of the 2012 total solar eclipse.

SLOOH
http://events.slooh.com
SLOOH will broadcast a free, real-time feed of the stunning total solar eclipse live from Cairns, Australia. The broadcast team includes Patrick Paolucci, Bob Berman, Lucie Green, Matt Francis and Paul Cox.

Cairns City Eclipse 2012 webcam
http://www.eclipsecairns.com
Can't make it to Cairns to see the Eclipse? No problem! Just check back on 14 November before 6:39am AEST (GMT+10) to see it live on our webcam.

GLORIA Project
http://live.gloria-project.eu
Videos and pictures of the eclipse will be broadcast live on the internet starting at 20:30 UT. Additionally meteorological data will be collected to allow students to perform an interactive experiment. During the broadcast there will be live commentary in Spanish and English.

Live Web Camera from Port Douglas Australia 2012
http://www.zincportdouglas.com/solar_eclipse_port_douglas.html

Revival Event of ASSC ends a Success !

noreply@blogger.com (Desh) — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 07:29:00 +0000

The evening of the Saturday 03rd November saw a great success for the revival event of ASSC held at Subodhi premises. There was an encouraging attendance of both school students, teachers as well as members themselves of ASSC outnumbering the expected. Founder-Director of Subodhi institute Rev. Father Mervyn Fernando, Rev. Father Anthony, Dr. G T F De Silva from University of Moratuwa, astrophysicist Professor Kavan Ratnatunga, Mr Nishantha Dilruk, one of the senior members of ASSC and Mr. Tharaka Gamage from Rivira Newspaper were among the guests. The event comprised of few informative talks and an out-door astronomy activity of making a sundial and the proceedings of the ASSC regular activities will resume from next Saturday onward at the Subodhi premises.

Rev. Father Mervyn Fernando, in his address, expressed his ideas on the importance of continuing the regular activities and keep offering the astronomy knowledge to those who are in need. Further he went on to mention that an astronomy course will be offered from the beginning of 2013.

Dr. G.T.F. De Silva during his lecture

Mr. Tharaka Gamage, while he was addressing the gathering during his presentation

Mr. Nishantha Dilruk putting into words his experience during the initial stages of ASSC, and describing how they worked in numerous projects, such as to build telescopes from scratch with raw materials.

Rev. Father Anthony addressing the gathering

Professor Kavan Ratnatunga, during his video presentation

Then, there are some snaps taken during the outdoor activity of making a sundial. This activity was conducted under the supervision of the members of ASSC.

Here is a list of the schools that were represented at the revival event of ASSC.

1. Sri Sumangala College, Panadura
2. Central College, Piliyandala
3. Science College
4. St. Joseph's College, Nugegoda
5. Isipathana College
6. Defense College
7. Buddhist Girl's College
8. Prince of Wales College, Moratuwa
9. Kothalawalapura Maha Vidyalaya
10. De Mazenod College, Kandana

Thus the upcoming events of ASSC look promising, as the next program is due on 10th of November 2012 from 1:30 pm onward at the Subodhi premises. If you're not a member, you too can take part and make sure to be there in time, next Saturday joining the noble endeavor of exploring the universe.

Internship opportunity at IAU Office of Astronomy for Development

noreply@blogger.com (Desh) — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 06:37:00 +0000

I've come across this internsting internship offered by IAU Office of Astronomy for Development and here is information regarding that in case you're interested. You can aslo find the same in PDF at ftp://ftp.saao.ac.za/outgoing/kg/astro4dev/OAD-InternshipOpportunity-13-03-2012.pdf

IAU Office of Astronomy for Development: Internship Opportunity

The International Astronomical Union (IAU), in partnership with the South African National Research Foundation (NRF), has established the global Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD) at the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) in Cape Town, South Africa. The OAD began its work on 1st March 2011 and ambitiously sets out to use astronomy as a tool for global development. This office is to be the centre of development activities worldwide in the areas of (i) astronomy for children and schools; (ii) astronomy for universities and research; and (iii) astronomy for the public. The OAD is the first step in the implementation of the IAU decadal strategy entitled “Astronomy for the developing world” (www.iau.org). It will coordinate three task forces in the areas mentioned above and several regional nodes across the world.

As the OAD gains momentum it seeks assistance in many different forms. The internship position
should be filled by an energetic person with strong computing and excellent communication skills. Not only will this be an opportunity for the person to contribute meaningfully to this global development project but it will also provide them with unique international experience in using astronomy for development. The position could be part time or full time depending on the applicant’s current study commitments. It will be based at the OAD in Cape Town and the intern will report directly to the Director of the OAD. He/she will be responsible for all or some of the specific tasks listed below.

Communicate regularly with international stakeholders and manage email lists
Coordinate translation/interpretation services as required
Oversee maintenance of website, databases, new media (twitter, facebook, etc)
Source information as needed for OAD operations (this may entail literature searches, research into regional strengths and weaknesses, surveys, etc.)
Assist with administration of small grants
Provide assistance to Director wherever needed (e.g. in preparing international funding proposals, coordination of volunteers across the world, collecting resources, etc.)

Requirements:

University degree in astronomy or related field
Demonstrated experience relevant to the tasks above
Good communication skills (both written and verbal)
Good computer skills and knowledge of social networking
Highly organised and a quick learner
Project management and financial experience will be advantageous

Interested candidates should send a cover letter containing a motivation, and full CV, including 2
letters of reference, to the SAAO Human Resources Manager, Linda Tobin (Address: P O Box 9,
Observatory, 7935, phone: 021-4470025; fax: 021-4473639; email: linda@saao.ac.za, web:
www.astronomyfordevelopment.org, www.saao.ac.za. For further information please refer to the
Director of the OAD, Kevin Govender (kg@astro4dev.org)

Total Solar Eclipse 13/14 November 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Desh) — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 16:51:00 +0000

Briefing

The next total solar eclipse is not that far away, We're about 2 weeks away from it. On 13th and 14th of November 2012 (UT) those who are located in Cairns, Australia and southern Pacific Ocean will have the chance of observing this. This time the greatest totality will last around 4 minutes of time with a magnitude of 1.05 Generally a solar eclipse will take place when the Moon passes in between Sun and the Earth, shading the solar view partially or fully relative to an observer based on Earth. The solar eclipse is said to be a total solar eclipse when the Moon's apparent diameter is larger than that of Sun, completely obscuring the view of Sun and the corresponding areas of Earth will experience darkness during such an event. Thus the totality will be visible to observers located in a narrow traverse across the Earth's surface whilst a partial solar eclipse will be experienced in a broader region.

Where to be

If you could happen to be in Cairns, in northeastern Australia which is where most of the eclipse-chasers are going to rendezvous, you would be likely to observe a totality of 2 minutes at 20:38 UT (06:38 AEST on 14th of November) on 13th November. Thus it would be just after the daybreak with sun at an altitude of 14° in local time on 14th. Further islanders of Norfolk Island, east of Australia will encounter a partial solar eclipse with 98% of Sun covered at 09:37 NFT. Additionally, Auckland & Christchurch in New Zealand, and Los Ríos & Los Lagos regions of Chile will be other land masses that will undergo a partial solar eclipse. However if you don't want to miss the maximum totality, you have to be located somewhere in south Pacific Ocean, on east of the International Date Line on November 13, approximately 2000 km east of New Zealand, and 9600 km west of Chile. That is 4 minutes and 2 seconds to be exact.

How to view SAFE

It is really important to be savvy how to SAFELY observe a solar eclipse, for what you're playing with is sun and hence there shan't be any mistakes at all, for they would lead to irreversible damage to your eye. You should never directly look at the sun with the naked eye or with some optical devices such as telescopes binoculars. During a total solar eclipse, there are 3 phases which are the phase of totality and the ones before and after totality. However it is safe to view the solar eclipse without any filters, ONLY when there is the short phase of totality. It is imperative that safely precautions must be adhered to during the other 2 phases. One common solution is using the welder's goggles/ glasses with the rating 14 or higher, as they screen out the harmfulness.One of the safest methods on the other hand is the indirect projection. The image of the sun is projected onto a white piece of paper using binoculars (with one side covered), a telescope or another piece of cardboard which has been made into a pinhole camera (by making a small 1mm hole in it).

Live streaming of total solar eclipse 2012

It is true that most of us can't travel to Cairns or to be in a cruise in South Pacific Ocean during the time of the eclipse. Therefore there will be live webcast/ streaming via internet as the total eclipse will take place. A Google search will take you where you want. However nothing beats the exciting adventure of traveling to the eclipse site and observing it physically and only reminds me the eclipse chase tour to Jaffna, Sri Lanka in January 2010 for the annular solar eclipse.

Here are some useful websites especially dedicated to bringing you updates and news from Cairns.

www.eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov
http://eclipse2012.org.au/
http://www.eclipse2012.com/

Revival of Astronomy & Space Study Center - ASSC | Subodhi

noreply@blogger.com (Desh) — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 11:12:00 +0000

We're not far from achieving a much anticipated goal, the revival of Astronomy & Space Study Center or ASSC or even more colloquially known Subodhi. During last couple of months and especially the last few weeks the preparatory activities of the ASSC had kept us busy and despite the sacrifices we've all made, I'm sure this would be a rendezvous for many astronomy enthusiasts, students and many more like-minded people. Equally it would be reunion of many of us, who'd found ourselves scattered apart, after the long pause we've been having since 2006. Thus I really feel excited to be a apart of this revival effort as we get closer to the very date, that is the 03rd of November, 2012.

Astronomy & Space Study Center, affiliated to Subodhi Institute of Integral Education based in Wewala, Piliyandala has been a center of astronomy knowledge and resources for students and astronomy enthusiasts in Sri Lanka for about 24 years. Astronomy & Space Study Center has thus far rendered a great many astronomy professionals working at both national and international arena. Having been once, the most active astronomy society in Sri Lanka, the center has been instrumental in organizing astronomy lectures, activities and observational camps during its regular Saturday programs. Since the society has been inactive for about last 6 years, now a revival attempt has been made to get things back on track.

I could still recall the last day program we had on 31st of December 2006, almost 6 years ago and gathering from what was following never did I think that it would cost 6 whole years of absence for ASSC to be activated again. The pause was presumed to be for about 6 months or at most one year, but things happened in such a way that it got dragged up to 6 years. The Saturday program that we had each weekend was missing big time and one of the resources that was active providing astronomy knowledge to the country had gone missing. However what has happened has happened, and only those inspired can change the happening.

Letters of invitation

Dileepa at work !

Fr. Mervyn Fernando will patronize the ASSC as usual with the revival of ASSC due next Saturday and the regular Saturday program will be effective each Saturday with an interesting blend of astronomy content and activities. We've already sent out invitations for about 60 schools throughout the island to take part in the event of revival, commencing at 1.30 pm at the Subodhi premises. I sincerely think this would be a great chance to meet old friends, and make new friendships and of course to learn about astronomy. Feel free to comment here if you have some thought to share or anything to clarify or even if you're interested in being a part of this endeavor. Looking forward to meeting many astro-enthusiasts !

Invitations, off they go !!

Facebook event : https://www.facebook.com/events/360137447413015/

An unknown static blinking red dot close to zenith tonight

noreply@blogger.com (Desh) — Sun, 09 Sep 2012 16:54:00 +0000

I'm publishing this post to know if there are more people who have seen the same as I did, just a while ago. I was going to my rooftop just to catch some fresh air and suddenly something brighter in sky took my attention. It was located about 20 degrees northeast wards from my zenith (I was located in Piliyandal, Sri Lanka), Local time read 20:00h. (09th Spetember 2012). Please note that Sri Lanka is GMT+5:30h

My co-ordinates in Piliyandala

Latitude: +6.801778
Longitude: +79.940354

There was a bright red dot noticeably visible to where I was and I was observing it for almost an hour before it disappeared. However I noticed that the background stars were moving relative to this strange red dot and the dot was frequently varying its color. During this course I assume the dot remained static in its celestial location/ co-ordinates. Thus I noticed a fast variation of its brightness. Unforgettably I didn't have advanced equipment for recording this, but I informed some of my friends located in the same vicinity and few of them could observe the strange red dot.

Just few minutes before it was gone, I noticed the dot becoming even redder and I had no clue what it was, I ruled out that it was a satellite as it was a static object as per my observations.

Finally what I could figure out was that this might be some explosion very far far away from our solar system. Could it be something in the range of what Tycho Brahe observed to be a supernova explosion for months, located from Europe during the 16th century, whereas the duration of this as 1 hour more or less ?

Looking forward to your comments and maybe similar reports..

Clear skies !!

We're back on Mars - Curiosity Touchdown Story

noreply@blogger.com (Desh) — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 06:54:00 +0000

Yes, we've just made it to the Mars once again, a few minutes ago Curiosity Rover safe-landed on Mars and started to send back the signals. I was just glued to my chair during the last 2 hours of flight of the Curiosity capsule, listening to various media news and NASA TV and finally as it was successful, I was sunken in a lot of feelings. What an effort made by the crew to have this sophisticated robot landed on our neighboring planet, the dedication and sacrifices they've put forward in bringing this up to a reality. So hats off to all those who are behind this great project, well done guys !!!

Plus what kind of discoveries can be made with this rover's expertise. By far Curiosity is the largest rover to have landed on Mars as we know and what we all just have to do is let the science begin, Already there are torrents of photos and data being sent to Earth and you all can see the pictures in NASA website. Quite interestingly it was seen that the NASA web-servers crashed at the high traffic naturally triggered for the Curiosity's news of safe landing. Anyway stay tuned in for NASA for latest news about the Curiosity.

Practice of the tradition of munching peanuts before the entry of the rover

Just before the first entry point, it was seen the usual tradition of munching of peanuts was practiced and now we all know that Curiosity has made it to Mars safely. The crews at JPL were exhilarating as they made the achievement when the pictures of the Martian surface appeared on the screen. It was truly a moment of joy and celebration, as their untiring efforts paid off.

JPL Crew reactions at the touchdown of Curiosity Rover

If you have time just try to find and have a look at the animation depicting the entry and landing, the technique of parachute and rocket boosters is novel and interesting. They have built the largest ever parachute for this endeavor, I heard. Looking forward to more updates from Curiosity !

Pictures courtesy : NASA TV
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html

Pictures from Venus Transit 5/6 June 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Desh) — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 04:14:00 +0000

Well, it didn't turn out to be so good in turn of the weather, and we had an irritating blockage of clouds over the Easter horizon from Trincomalee, Sri Lanka. We arrived in the observation site around 4.45 am in the morning and were eagerly waiting for the sun rise, Alas !! What we had for our welcome !!!! It was nothing more than a white layer of clouds... And the clouds had the sun imprisoned for almost 2 hours after the dawn and finally it came out of the layer of the clouds but still with a less brightness,

However the Venus transit is still in progress for us in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka and it will last for almost 1 hour more or less. Here I'm posting some pictures of this final Venus transit of the century, taken by me and also some other photos of the outreach campaign we conducted for the school students and people in the areas, It would be great to hear what you guys had been through during the same time, so let's share !!

Above was taken around 7.40 am local time from Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, just above the eastern horizon.

The above was also taken around 8.00 am local time from Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, just above the eastern horizon.

The above was also taken around 8.10 am local time from Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, just above the eastern horizon.

Some outreach activity photos of Venus Transit 5/6 June 2012

Please note that prior written permission should be obtained prior to using the images/ pictures given here as they're matter of copyright.

Trânsito de Vênus, 5/6 de Junho de 2012, ao vivo de Trincomalee 2012''

noreply@blogger.com (Desh) — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 20:31:00 +0000

Olá Pessoal,

Pena que eu não tive tempo antes para trazer esta notícia antes, sobre o fenômeno histórico, onde pela última vez neste século, assim como em quase todo o nosso tempo de vida. Vênus passará diante do Sol, visto da Terra, ocultando uma pequena parte do disco solar. Eu viajei para Trincomalee na costa leste da ilha (Sri Lnka) só para observar isso alguns segundos mais cedo do que os meus vizinhos em Colombo (Capital do Sri Lanka). Nós (membros do MAS ) estamos trazendo um webcast ao vivo, via streaming de Trincomalee. Vamos, naturalmente, perder os 2 primeiros pontos de contato devido à nossa localização geográfica, porém, poderemos assistir a partir do nascer do sol no horizonte oriental e os pontos 3 e 4 do evento. Estou colocando o link, onde teremos o streaming do trânsito de Vênus . Você tem também a chance de conferir ao vivo, com o streaming abaixo.

Aproveite para compartilhar, desejo-lhe tudo de bom, e um bom clima!

Translation Credit: Hermerio Júnior

Venus Transit 6th June 2012 Live Webcast/ Streaming from Trincomalee, Sri Lanka

noreply@blogger.com (Desh) — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 13:14:00 +0000

Hello Folks,

Too bad I didn't have time earlier to bring you some early news about this historical phenomenon, where for the last time in this century, as well as in almost all of our life time, Venus makes a transit across solar disk, as seen from the Earth. I've traveled to Trincomalee in the East coast of the island just to observe this a few seconds earlier than my neighbors in Colombo. We (members of MAS) are bringing a live webcast/ streaming from Trincomalee as the event takes place. We will of course miss the first 2 contacts due to our geographical location this time, however we will take it from the sun rise from the eastern horizon to be followed by 3rd and 4th contacts.

Here I'm giving the online link where we will have our Venus transit webpage and you have also the chance of viewing it live from this blog right now.

Enjoy and share and I wish you all good weather !!

Venus Transit 05/06 June 2012, Historical Event of this Century - Don't miss out

noreply@blogger.com (Desh) — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 11:40:00 +0000

What is a transit of Venus?

When Venus passes directly between earth and the sun, we see the distant planet as a small dot gliding slowly across the face of the sun. Historically, this rare alignment is how we measured the size of our solar system.

When is it?

The next transit of Venus occurs June 5 or 6, 2012, depending on your location. Observers in North America see it the evening of June 5. This will be the last transit of Venus to occur in your lifetime.

Where to Be

Whether and when you can see the 2012 transit of Venus depends on your location. Key highlights include the four "contacts" near the beginning and end of the transit when Venus appears to touch the edge of the sun. Most of North America sees the beginning of the transit in the afternoon and evening (find a clear western horizon!) on June 5, whereas much of Eurasia sees the end of the transit in the morning (find a clear eastern horizon!) on June 6.

For Sri Lanka

Source : http://uocmas.info/venus-transit/

Golden Moments -5th International Meeting on Astronomy and Astronautics

noreply@blogger.com (Desh) — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 22:08:00 +0000

It's always been a pleasant experience cherishing past memories with great happenings. Even now, just a month and a week later, I can be happy going though my own flashback of 5th International Meeting on Astronomy and Astronautics held in Brazil. Blogging requires to be specific sometimes and in this post I will recall about some interesting happenings took place during the 3 days from 19th to 22nd of April 2012. You can always check about the pre-events that preceded the 5th International Meeting on Astronomy and Astronautics and also the event schedule/ program.

I had the pleasure of participating in the 5th International Meeting on Astronomy and Astronautics as an invited speaker as the president of the Mathematical & Astronomical Society of University of Colombo. Having arrived in Brazil for the first time, and being though my first 2 days in Brazil I was slowly having my lessons and learning about the culture and the people, who proved to be very dynamic, spontaneous and friendly as I was progressing with rest of the stay. The hospitality I received was amazing, Professor Marcelo was always making sure I was doing fine and helped me in whatever possible way he could have had, and later as I was traveling in some parts of the Brazil, it proved to be no exception, as the Brazilian hospitality I received was at its best.

My Visa for 5th International Meeting on Astronomy and Astronautics

Well, Let's get straight into the context, 5th International Meeting on Astronomy and Astronautics started on the 19th morning inside the cinema hall of the Shopping Boulevard in Campos dos Goytacazes. Saying something about the hosting city, which is usually referred to as Campos, it is located almost in the middle between the cities of Vitória and Rio de Janeiro, which are the metropolitan capitals of Brazilian states of Espirito Santos and Rio de Janeiro respectively. I think you would get to Campos in a 3-hour driver from Rio. In Brazilian Portuguese, Campos means fields and they say Gaytacazes is an Indian tribe that used to live in the area and hence the name Campos dos Goytacazes.


During the Opening Ceremony of 5th International Meeting on Astronomy and Astronautics at Shopping Boulvard, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brazil - People pictured from right to left are, Professor Marcelo Souza from Campos dos Gaytacazes, Brazil, Tamas Ladanyi from Hungary, Johannes Stübler from Austria, Andrea Sanchez-Saldias from Uruguay, Prasanna Deshapriya from Sri Lanka, Dirk Ross from Japan, Dimitri Gadotti from ESO, Douglas -A representative of Shopping Boulevard, 2 other personnel from Campos dos Goytacazes city.

The audience at the same time: The audience consisted of students, teachers, and citizens of Campos dos Goytacazes

Professor Marcelo Souza, speaking at the opening ceremony

Here you can see the happy face of Professor Marcelo Souza, who is the chief organizer of 5th International Meeting on Astronomy and Astronautics. Also pictured is the Hungarian astro-photographer Tamas Ladanyi from the TWAN- The World At Night project.

Just before the start !

You may see here how crowded the cinema hall was getting just before the start of the opening ceremony. Here you can see Professor Marcelo and some of the members of the Luis Cruls astronomy club as well. I must mention that these guys did an awesome job behind the scenes with so much untiring efforts towards the success of the 5th International Meeting on Astronomy and Astronautics. Thus it is with great gratitude I mention them here for despite their young age they delivered really serious and tough work. I'm really happy to have enjoyed their company throughout my stay in Campos, not only during the meeting, but also prior and post to the event.

Tamas Ladanyi from Hungary - TWAN (The World At Night)

Here you see the first speaker of the 5th International Meeting on Astronomy and Astronautics, Tamas Ladanyi, an astrophotographer from Hungary who also works for the TWAN, specialized in the landscape photography. During his session he showcased his experience with astrophotography, which was vivid with a lot of fine combinations of skies and landscapes. One of the interesting pieces of his work was the photograph titled in Spanish "Mira mira Mira" (Mira olha Mira em Português) where his daughter Mira, is looking at the red-giant star Mira (a star in the constellation Cetus).

Professor Marcelo performing the interpretation task during the astrophotography workshop of Tamas Ladanyi

During the evening of the second day he also conducted a workshop on using equipment/ gear for astrophotography, touching down many technical specs as well. Then he led an expedition into a darker and distant area of the city with Professor Marcelo to flee from the lights of the city to get involved with more hands-on activity, where he demonstrated exactly the very steps that one needs to follow in taking a decent photo of some celestial object with the inclusion of a landscape as well. I was able to join this expedition and get more insights into my understanding of this beautiful branch of astronomy. Below you will see a picture that Tamas made at the end of the observation session at this remote location, along with all the participants.
Have a thorough look at the southern skies !!


Southern skies and the participants of the Tamas Ladanyi's workshop - Tamas himself, Professor Marcelo Souza and Johannes Stübler from Austria are also presented in the picture. (Photo Credit : Tamas Ladanyi)

Me and Tamas Ladanyi

The second speaker José Carlos Diniz, a Brazilian astronomer from Rio de Janeiro spoke about the difficulties that one must undergo when doing astronomy in Brazil as well as about some determined individuals who have proved themselves exceptional, still to continue practicing astronomy in Brazil despite the various issues. The humorous sense he developed whilst presenting himself added more vibe to his presentation bringing about the ideology of his talk "Astrophotography in Brazil, the victory of passion".

One of the funny slides of José Carlos Diniz (Photo Credit : Johannes Stübler)

It was really inspirational as José went on to particularly mention how difficult it was for him and his colleagues to find dark areas for observations in Brasilia, the capital of Brazil and how they finally managed to find better areas in the end in the same vicinity with adventures mixed with huge passion, and love for the astronomy.

The next was the presentation of Johannes Stübler, the National Co-ordinator of AWB (Astronomers without Borders) from Austria. Johannes gave an account about his ambassador role in "Living the Idea", traveling from Linz, his home city in Austria across Jordan, Syria and Turkey, promoting the astronomy and trying to get more people, met on the road to look at the skies and get interested. I was convinced that it is a great coincidence that Johannes Stübler also comes from the same city that Johannes Kepler was once living, as I was gathering more information.

Astronomy Outreach - from Orient to Occident (Photo Credit : Johannes Stübler)

As I had the chance of having the company of Johannes during the meeting, we were sometimes sharing our ideas and experiences and it was fascinating to hear about the AWB Beer they had in Austria for the GAM (Global Astronomy Month) and I think it shows the innovation and creativity, blended with popularizing astronomy among people.


A souvenir I received from Johannes Stübler

Me and Johannes Stübler, he presented me the gift of the raffle draw :)

Here is another picture taken during the first day of the meeting. Pictured are José Carlos Diniz, Patrick - the Portuguese<>English interpreter throughout the meeting, Norma Reis from Brasilia, Brazil and Oscar Matsuura from São Paulo, Brazil. Look at the variety of people that astronomy could bring together !


Another picture, you add the caption for this !

Dimitri Gadotti, a Brazilian working at ESO in Chile, during his presentation

The talk about the life and work at ESO telescopes in Chile with a focus on E-ELT, ESO's newest challenge, by Dimitri Gadotti was interesting, and curious as I was wondering how they make such great missions possible. It was also my Why for ESO's preference on southern skies, as they produce a lot of sophisticated cutting-edge accessories and equipment in Europe and transport those all the way across Atlantic Ocean and further to Chilean deserts.

“Jorge Marcgrave in Dutch Brazil: his founder role in Astronomy of Brazil and of the New World” - This sounded different for me in the beginning, Dutch Brazil ? Well, as I was through the presentation of Oscar Matsuura, who is a veteran researcher based in São Paulo, Brazil, I managed to figure out answers to my puzzle. He spoke about the pioneering role of Jorge Marcgrave in astronomy in Dutch Brazil or Brasil holandês as it is said in Brazilian Portuguese and about the influence he had on the people of northern parts of Brazil when they were Dutch colonies. Although I've included the Wikipedia link about Jorge Marcgrave here, I'm more than sure the presentation of Oscar was more resourceful.

Oscar Matsuura, and me outside the Shopping Boulevard, Campos

Attendees for the 5th International Meeting on Astronomy and Astronautics waiting inside the Shopping Boulevard, You can also see the telescopes, multimedia, mobile planetarium, belonging to the Louis Cruls Astronomy Club.

Astronomy + Chess : I've always stumbled upon this game whenever I was out of Sri Lanka. I really don't know how I always find a connection with Chess and end up playing it, as the time permits. With me here is Laura from Louis Cruls Astronomy Club with a keen interest in astronomy.

The second day of 5th International Meeting on Astronomy and Astronautics continued at Campus Guarus do Instituto Federal Fluminense, a new location also close to the city center.

Dr. Robert Zubrin from United States during his presentation

First presentation in the morning was that of Dr. Robert Zubrin from Mars Society, US about the project "Mars Direct" which is an attempt to get the man to the red planet in no more than a decade. Dr. Zubrin particularly expressed his idea on why this should be done within a time frame of 10 years and no more. He was quite certain about the potential about the project and I think it wouldn't be too far away the day where there would be Mars colonies, probably within our lifetime provided all works out fine.

Professor Marcelo & Dr. Zubrin with Monique, Ana, Lucas & Hermerio - First Brazilian Crew in Mars Desert Research Station

Then followed the report of the first Brazilian crew in Mars Desert Research Station, a facility located in the US. The report was about the experiences of Lucas, Ana, Monique & Hermerio, 4 students of Louis Cruls Astronomy Club who had the chance of visiting Mars Desert Research Station and spending few days there under the crucial conditions, similar to those, to be faced in real exploration activities in Mars. The students were supposed to be crew members, who had different areas to undertake like, geologist, communicator, etc whilst during the stay at this facility. For example Ana, who was in charge of communications had to wait long hours for the feedback from Earth, taking into account the distance between the two planets after she has sent any message/ signal. I believe it was truly an inspiration to all the participants as the students shared their individual experiences. Professor Marcelo also thanked Dr. Zubrin for his involvement in this project and I reckon there would be more chances for the Brazilian students in the future.

One of the other interesting as well as curious sessions to follow was the presentation of meteorite hunter Dirk Ross from Yamaguchi University, Japan and AWB with the topic "Meteor/Meteorite Soup"

Here is Dirk Ross, as he presents on "Meteor/Meteorite Soup"

One of the facts that Dirk mentioned in his talk still echoes in my mind; he went on to say that there had been only few meteorites found in the Brazilian territories and provided the large size of the country, there could be many more meteorites to discover. Later I got to know that Dirk, himself led some expeditions on lookout for possible meteorites along with some other students, and the results were not positive though. Nevertheless I hope they enjoyed the expeditions.


Dirk is confronted by curious students after his talk !

Dirk Ross at his meteorite hunting workshop, Look at the meteorites on the table !

I don't know how to relate what happened the following evening, We received the NEWS from locals that there had been a meteor crash close to Campos and someone had recorded it as well and had put the video up on Facebook. We were with Professor Marcelo and he was receiving a lot of calls, reporting about this so-called meteor crash. In a different sense it was funny that Dirk Ross had just delivered his presentation about meteorites during the day and he had just had conducted the workshop in the evening on how to look for and identify them, and few hours later we're receiving a lot of reports on meteorite sighting.

Professor Marcelo, Dirk, Andrea and me as we were receiving the HOT news !, Believe me, this kept us sleepless and awake till the early morning.

However later taking into account the information and all the possibilities, Dirk concluded it to be space junk, seen being burnt as it was entering the atmosphere. However it triggered some fuss and suddenly a lot of interest and attention was paid to what Dirk was trying to explain in his talks.

The Souvenir from Dirk Ross

Still on the second day there were many other sessions and activities too with the inclusion of variety of events both indoors and outdoors.

The areas discussed in the meeting were vivid, here you see Eugênio Reis talking about Sun and its life cycle


Eugênio Reis with students at his outdoor session on solar observation.

Norma Reis from Brasilia, talking about her work with scientific communication, her topic was “Teacher’s MEC Portal exemplified by the site “Astronomy, Astronautics and Space Science at the School”

Here you see Oswaldo Barbosa during his workshop session, he's specialized about rocket propulsion and is from ACRUX Aerospace Technologies based in São Paulo, Brazil.

Outdoor adventure with Oswaldo Barbosa

Whenever there was a break between the sessions I always tried to talk to fellow speakers and students and learn more about what they do, for I was naturally driven with the curiosity. These times proved to be hard sometimes when I stumbled upon some students who hardly spoke any English. However the universal expression of smile was commonly shared despite the language barrier. Below is one such a situation.

Dirk Ross and me with some students

This is Gennady Saenko from ROSCOSMOS talking about "Russia in Space - Vision and Challenges"

Andrea Sanchez-Saldias from Universidad de La Republica – Uruguay, during her presentation of “Educational experiences in Uruguay (formal and non-formal)”

This is me with Adriano Leonês, who talked about “School in the Stars – Experiences and Reports of three years teaching astronomy”


This is me with Andrea and Claudio, I should mention the latter is a polyglot, believe me he spoke Greek as well, and was one of the interesting characters I got to know during the meeting. I'm putting this picture up because of this amazing guy although I look pretty terrible in the picture, don't look at me !

During my presentation, which was the last on the agenda.

I spoke about the outreach activities of astronomy in Sri Lanka, generally what we do here to popularize astronomy. In addition I also talked a bit about my astronomy career and how IYA2009 boosted my involvement with astronomy outreach. In the picture above, in the slide, I'm seen presenting the annual astronomy magazine "Sigma" of Mathematical & Astronomical Society to the staff adviser Professor Chandana Jayarathne at the 'Star Quest 2011' inter-school astronomy quiz competition held in May 2011. In fact this was a great milestone of my astronomy career as I was the editor of that publication.

The amazing and promising team of Louis Cruls astronomy club, who were behind the organizing of the 5th International Meeting on Astronomy and Astronautics and bringing it to such a success. Kudos to all of them it was a great event !

It is with great gratitude I mention here Professor Marcelo Souza and his beloved wife Eponine. Professor Marcelo is a wonderful person with a great personality. His hospitality and friendliness is irresistible. Muito obrigado Marcelo por tudo. I humbly feel privileged to have known him.

Pre-events of 5th International Meeting of Astronomy and Astronautics

noreply@blogger.com (Desh) — Sun, 27 May 2012 08:17:00 +0000

As I've mentioned in my previous post I managed to arrive in Campos 16th of April and I was lucky enough to have a glance at the series of events arranged prior to the 5th International Meeting of Astronomy and Astronautics, raising more awareness among the locals and getting more people interested. Through this post I will try to put into words some of the experiences I've been through until the start of 5th International Meeting of Astronomy and Astronautics on 19th of April.

During the most of these 2 days I was with Professor Marcelo from morning to the evening, and therefore it was possible for me to easily connect with the students of the Louis Cruls Astronomy Club and other individuals who were a part of this endeavor, for I almost spoke no Portuguese back then. Professor Marcelo always helped me with everything, and introduced me to his colleagues and friends, making my stay more welcoming and easier.

The series of pre-event activities organized in connection with the 5th International Meeting of Astronomy and Astronautics were already in progress from 16th through 18th of April and were held in the Shopping Boulevard of the host city of Campos dos Goytacazes located in a nice neighborhood with interesting architecture.

Professor Marcelo and Carlos, busy at work with inflatable mobile planetarium

Brazilian students with their lovely smiles !

An inflatable Mobile Planetarium had been set-up inside the Shopping Boulevard and there were repetitive sessions at regular intervals about night-sky observation and stars. The sessions were free for anyone and were conducted by Marcelo himself or the members of Louis Cruls Astronomy Club and were held from morning to the late evening.

Inside the mobile planetarium

Further there were different telescopes on display for attendees to check out and for me it was really interesting to see a lot of young school students attending this pre-event. I tried to talk to them, which was really hard with my handful of Portuguese words and however ended up sharing a smile and a picture with them sometimes. I was told that it was this occasion that some of these students were making their first visit to the Shopping Boulevard thanks to the social project, run by the municipality of Campos dos Goytacazes.

Additionally there were video guides about astronomy in general and a daily cinema aired in Portuguese about the life of astronauts in the International Space Station (ISS). I was enjoying the visual appearance and the aesthetic Brazilian Portuguese accent, trying to improve my linguistics at the same time.

Extending queues of students for the pre-events of 5th International Meeting of Astronomy and Astronautics at the Shopping Boulevard : Picture courtesy : http://calc.zip.net/

One of the snaps I took inside the cinema

Inside the Shopping Boulevard in Campos with Marcelo and his colleagues.

Making new friends at the same time !

I also could visit the University where the observatory of Louis Cruls Astronomy Club is located and Professor Marcelo was kind enough to show me around. The dome reminded me of the Molesworth Telescope that our astronomical society, Mathematical & Astronomical Society (MAS) possesses.

Me, at the observatory of Louis Cruls Astronomy Club

The next day on the 18th, I met meteorite hunter Dirk Ross, who was one of the fellow invited speakers. He is an American born scientist living in Japan and I had the pleasure of having his interesting company throughout the rest of my stay in Campos. With Professor Marcelo, we went for a TV station and there was a talk on air. The TV program discussed about the oncoming 5th International Meeting of Astronomy and Astronautics and meteorites.

Professor Marcelo Souza, me, Dirk Ross along with the presenters at the local TV station in Campos
Picture courtesy : Professor Marcelo Souza

Me and Dirk Ross with students, trying to speak some Portuguese to communicate

Thus the set of pre-events of 5th International Meeting of Astronomy and Astronautics was a great success and I was really happy to have been a part of the activities, with a bunch of new experiences in a new country. Muito Obrigado por todos !!

Blogging from Brazil !!

noreply@blogger.com (Desh) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 10:42:00 +0000

Finally, I made it to Campos, RJ, Brazil last Monday and now we're the beginning of the 5th Meeting on Astronomy and Astronautics. Actually it;s supposed to get started in a few hours time and I will remind you the schedule for today.

Day 1 - April 19th - Dia 19 de abril

Shopping Boulevard - Campos

9:00h – Opening Ceremony - Abertura

10:00h - My astrophotography work in "The World At Night" – Meu trabalho de Astrofotografia no “The World at Night” - Tamas Ladanyi (TWAN project)

11:00h - “Astrophotography in Brazil, the victory of passion” - “Astrofotografia no Brasil, a vitória da paixão” - José Carlos Diniz (NGC 51 and CANF)

12:00h - Lunch - Almoço

14:00h - “Living the Idea“ – “Vivendo a ideia” - Johannes Stübler (AWB – Austria)

15:0h - “Living in the desert and the E-ELT, ESO's newest challenge” – “Vivendo no deserto e o E-ELT, o mais novo desafio do ESO” - Dimitri Gadotti (ESO)

16:00h – Coffee Break - Intervalo

16:15h – “Jorge Marcgrave in Dutch Brazil: his founder role in Astronomy of Brazil and of the New World” - "Jorge Marcgrave no Brasil holandês: seu papel fundador na astronomia do Brasil e do Novo Mundo" - Oscar Matsuura (IAG/USP retired researcher, associate researcher of MAST/MCT and HCTE/UFRJ)

19:00h – Sky Observation and Cultural Activities

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The location of the first day "Shopping Boulevard" is the largest shopping mall in the Campos and it looks really modern and an interesting place, Last 2 days we've had astronomy exhibition there and many youth from around the schools in Capmos took part in it. The set if events comprised of the mobile planetarium session and the movie "Space Station" aired in Portuguese in the cinema of the Shopping Boulevard.

So far I've tried to learn some Portuguese with the help of Marcelo, the members of the astronomical society - Louis Cruls Astronomy Club and other locals. Hope there will be some improvement kudos to them !

Stay tuned for more news.

Abraços!!!!

Program Launched - 5th Meeting on Astronomy and Astronautics

noreply@blogger.com (Desh) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 05:40:00 +0000

Olá !!!

More news from Brazil !! The program of the 5th meeting on astronomy and astronautics has just been launched.

Here it goes !!!

Day 1 - April 19th - Dia 19 de abril

Shopping Boulevard - Campos

9:00h – Opening Ceremony - Abertura

10:00h - My astrophotography work in "The World At Night" – Meu trabalho de Astrofotografia no “The World at Night” - Tamas Ladanyi (TWAN project)

11:00h - “Astrophotography in Brazil, the victory of passion” - “Astrofotografia no Brasil, a vitória da paixão” - José Carlos Diniz (NGC 51 and CANF)

12:00h - Lunch - Almoço

14:00h - “Living the Idea“ – “Vivendo a ideia” - Johannes Stübler (AWB – Austria)

15:0h - “Living in the desert and the E-ELT, ESO's newest challenge” – “Vivendo no deserto e o E-ELT, o mais novo desafio do ESO” - Dimitri Gadotti (ESO)

16:00h – Coffee Break - Intervalo

16:15h – “Jorge Marcgrave in Dutch Brazil: his founder role in Astronomy of Brazil and of the New World” -   "Jorge Marcgrave no Brasil holandês: seu papel fundador na astronomia do Brasil e do Novo Mundo" - Oscar Matsuura (IAG/USP retired researcher, associate researcher of MAST/MCT and HCTE/UFRJ)

19:00h – Sky Observation and Cultural Activities

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Day 2 - April 20th - 20 de abril

Campus Guarus do Instituto Federal Fluminense

9:30h – “Mars Direct: Humans to the Red Planet within a Decade” – “Direto para Marte: Seres Humanos em Marte dentro de uma década” -   Robert Zubrin (Mars Society)

10:30h – Report of the First Brazilian Crew in Mars Desert Research Station – Relato da Primeira Tripulação Brasileira na Estação de Pesquisa no Deserto sobre Marte

10:45h – “Meteor/Meteorite Soup” – “Sopa de Meteoro/Meteorito” - Dirk Ross (Yamaguchi University and AWB)

12:00h – Lunch - Almoço

14:00h – “Sun – Past, Present and Future” – “Sol – Passado, Presente e Futuro” - Eugênio Reis Neto (MAST/MCTI)

15:00h – “Variable Stars Project during CUREA programa at Mount Wilson Observatory” - Projeto Estrelas Variáveis durante o programa CUREA do Observatório Monte Wilson – Jônatas Chagas Ramos (CALC/IFF)

15:15h – “Teacher’s MEC Portal exemplified by the site “Astronomy, Astronautics and Space Science at the School” - Portal do Professor do MEC exemplificado pelo site temático “Astronomia, Astronáutica e Ciências Espaciais na Escola” - Norma Teresinha Oliveira Reis (MEC)

16:00h – Coffee Break – Intervalo - Posters Presentation – Apresentação de Painéis

16:15h – Workshops

- Meteors, Meteorites and Fireballs – Meteoros, Meteoritos e Fireballs – Dirk Ross (Yamaguchi University and AWB)

- Practical advices for astronomical landscape imaging - Conselhos práticos para imagens astronômicas (de paisagem) – Tamas Ladanyi (TWAN project)

- Is it possible to inhabit other planets outside our solar system? - Es posible habitar otros planetas fuera del Sistema Solar? - Andrea Sanchez-Saldias (Departamento de Astronomia-Facultad de Ciencias – Universidad de La Republica – Uruguay)

- “Workshop about the Sun” - “Oficina sobre o Sol” - Eugênio Reis (MAST/MCTI)

- Projeto para Construção e Lançamento de Foguete a Água – Oswaldo Barbosa Loureda (ACRUX Aerospace Technologies)

19:00h – Sky Observation and Cultural Activities

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Day 3- April 21th - Dia 21 de Abril

Campus Guarus do Instituto Federal Fluminense

9:00h – Short Communications - Trabalhos Orais

- “Radioweb Creative Science: New Technological resources for teaching and popularization of Physics and Astronomy for the visually impaired” - “Radioweb Ciência Criativa: Novos recursos tecnológicos para o ensino e divulgação de fisica e astronomia para deficientes visuais” - Luís Fernando Sodré Gomes (UENF and CALC/IFF), David Willian da Silva Batista (UENF and CALC/IFF),, Hélio Dutra (IFF), Carlos Cruz (CALC/IFF) and Marcelo de Oliveira Souza (UENF and CALC/IFF).

– “Parallel between Cosmogony and Cosmology trying to explain the Origin of the Universe” – “Um paralelo entre Cosmogonia e Cosmologia buscando explicar a Origem do Universo” - Bruno Leonardo do Nascimento Dias (UFRJ), Mário Novello (CBPF) e Érico Goulart (CBPF)

– “Parallel between Cosmogony and Cosmology trying to explain the Origin of the Universe” – “Um paralelo entre Cosmogonia e Cosmologia buscando explicar a Origem do Universo” - Bruno Leonardo do Nascimento Dias (UFRJ), Mário Novello (CBPF) e Érico Goulart (CBPF)

- “Project "Looking to the sky in the southern Rio" a contribution to initial and continuing teacher training” - “Projeto “Olhando para o céu no sul fluminense" uma contribuição a formação inicial e continuada de professores” - Marco Aurélio do Espírito Santo (IFRJ) e Fernanda Cópio Esteves (IFRJ)

- “School in the Stars – Experiences and Reports of three years teaching astronomy” – “Escola nas Estrelas - Experiências e Relatos de 3 anos Ensinando Astronomia” - Adriano da Silva Leonês(UnB), Paulo Eduardo de Brito (FUP/UnB) and Eliane Mendes Guimarães (FUP/UnB)

-“Mutual phenomena between the

Galilean Moons of Jupiter” - Fenômenos Mútuos entre os Satélites Galileanos de Júpiter – Alex Dias (Observatório Nacional)

- “Light Pollution in Campos dos Goytacazes” - “Poluição Luminosa em Campos dos Goytacazes” – Nicolle Cabral Coutinho (UENF) and Marcelo de Oliveira Souza (UENF and CALC/IFF)

10:20h – Coffee Break - Intervalo

10:30h – “Russia in Space - Vision and Challenges” – “A Rússia no espaço – Visão e Desafios” - Gennady Saenko (ROSCOSMOS)

11:15h – “The Popularization of AStronomy in non-formal Education Spaces” - A divulgação da Astronomia em Espaços não Formais de Educação – Douglas Falcão (MAST/MCTI)

12:00h – Lunch - Almoço

14:00h – “Educational experiences in Uruguay (formal and non-formal)” - Experiencias educativas en Uruguay (formal y de divulgacion) - Andrea Sanchez-Saldias (Departamento de Astronomia-Facultad de Ciencias – Universidad de La Republica – Uruguay)

15:00h – “New trends in Rocket Technologies” - “As Novas Tendências em Tecnologias de Foguetes” – Oswaldo Barbosa Loureda (ACRUX Aerospace Technologies)

15:45h – “Let us look to the Sky” - “Venha, vamos olhar para o Céu” - Valdir Boesel (Clube de Astronomia Nós e os Astros – Hamburgo – Rio Grande do Sul)

16:00h – Coffee Break – Intervalo - Posters Presentation – Apresentação de Painéis

16:15h – “Outreach of astronomy in Sri Lanka” – “Atividades de popularização da Astronomia no Sri Lanka” - Prasanna Deshapriya (Mathematical & Astronomical Society of University of Colombo, Sri Lanka)

16:45h – “End of World in 2012” – “O fim do Mundo em 2012” – Marcelo de Oliveira Souza (UENF and CALC/IFF)

17:15h – Closure - Encerramento

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Well, this looks really interesting and covers a broad range of topics in astronomy. There are speakers/ presenters from many countries and I'm sure the event will be educational as well as very effective and productive to anyone. It looks like the whole event will be held in 2 venues, and this time there is gonna be someone from Sri Lanka taking part as an invited speaker :)

See you soon in Brazil !! - Tchau !!!

Before finishing the post I will also mention the 2 committees behind the 5th Meeting on Astronomy and Astronautics with many thanks.

Scientific Committee

Mike Simmons (USA)
Babak Tafreshi (Iran)
Andrea Sanchez (Uruguay)
Manoj Pai (India)
Azhy Hasan (Iraq)
Marcelo de Oliveira Souza (Brasil)
Ronaldo Rogerio de Freitas Mourao (Brasil)
Martin Makler (Brasil)
Rosa Doran (Portugal)
Julio Vanini (Nicarágua)

Local Committee

Marcelo de Oliveira Souza (CALC))
Eponine Wagner B. B. Souza ( CALC)
Joao Batista Lannes (CALC)
Otávio Jardim (CALC)
Luís Fernado Sodré Gomes (CALC)
Carlos Augusto Cruz (CALC)

Information source : http://meeting.passeiopeloceu.org/programa-encontro5.html

5th International Meeting of Astronomy and Astronautics

noreply@blogger.com (Desh) — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 07:44:00 +0000

This is great news for astronomy enthusiasts, the 5th International Meeting of Astronomy and Astronautics is just around the corner. It will take place in the city of Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from 19th to 21st of this month.

Louis Cruls Astronomy Club of Brazil has yet again taken the initiative of organizing the 5th International Meeting of Astronomy and Astronautics and this time it's gonna be an amazing set of interesting events, packed with this rendezvous. According to the latest news from Brazil, a special opening event will take place on April 19, at 9:00h, at the the Trianon Theater located in Campos dos Goytacazes. Further the meeting will include exhibitions, Digital Mobile Planetarium sessions, astronomy clubs exhibits, International Competitions, Star Party and many more.This sounds really interesting and I guess anyone wouldn't mind gathering such a variety of experiences in one of the most beautiful cities in the world together with both local and international astronomy folk.

All the presentations, workshops and exhibits will be held in IFF (Instituto Federal Fluminense - http://www.iff.edu.br) on April 20 and 21 in the same city. It is reported that the program "Um Passeio pelo Céu"(http://www.tvlitoral.com.br) will make a complete coverage of the event, which sounds great because you can have access to the happenings of event, even if you do end up missing the chance of taking part, in the worst case scenario.

There have been free registrations until the 07th of April 2012 and am not sure about the availability of that any longer. But you can obtain more information at http://meeting.passeiopeloceu.org/index-meeting5.html

Additionally you can visit Louis Cruls Astronomy Club blog: http://calc.zip.net The event is being organized by Louis Cruls Astronomy Club and have the support of Instituto Fedreal Fluminense , Astronomers Without Borders, UNAWE, UNESCO office in Brazil, Diário da Rússia http://www.diariodarussia.com.br ,the program StarPeace and Global Teacher Training Program .
The UNAWE program in Brazil from December 2010 has the support ofthe UNESCO office in Brazil.

Finally not forgetting the great guy behind all this, the president of the organizing committee of the 5th International Meeting of Astronomy and Astronautics, Mr. Marcelo de Oliveira Souza !

A warm round of applause for him.

Abraços do Sri Lanka !

Lecture and Sun-Spot Observation at University of Colombo by MAS

noreply@blogger.com (Desh) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 18:24:00 +0000

It was a kick-start for the year 2012 for the astro-enthusiasts of University of Colombo as Mathematical and Astronomical Society of the university put together a lecture and an observation session focused on sun spots last week. 06th of January 2012 saw the astro folks gathering at the Department of Physics for a lecture conducted by Dr Chandana Jayaratne followed by a session of sun spot observation a bit later on afterward the lecture.

One of the advantages, living somewhere closer to equator, I think would be to have the sun light whole year, allowing yourself to play with the sun, and you have to make sure this is a very careful game. However although the telescope available was not that powerful, many were able to observe the sun and identify some sun spots on solar surface.

The lecture and observation session were well-attended highlighting the interest that the students had, although not everybody had their courses to do with physics.

Caution : Always use filters or similar competent equipment when observing the sun as it can cause irreversible damage to the eye.

Dr Gayandhi De Silva is back in Sri Lanka

noreply@blogger.com (Desh) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 08:58:00 +0000

Dr Gayandhi De Silva, a Sri Lankan astronomer working at Australian Astronomical Observatory (AAO) has returned home and is currently in Sri Lanka, Thus I had the pleasure of meeting her physically, although we've been known to each other since some time following some astronomy project I was involved back then. I was a fan of her blog when she was writing for Cosmic Diary during IYA 2009. I think I was late to hear this news as I just got back to Sri Lanka last week after a period of 2 months in Europe, but I am glad that I was not too late.

Apparently Dr Gayandhi delivered a lecture on Galactic Archaeology last Thursday 12th January 2012 at University of Moratuwa premises. I wanted to attend the lecture and not to miss the chance of meeting her there and was also curious about the topic as well. But I also had an obligatory test to sit for at University during the same time, which prevented me from attending the lecture, However later that day I had the chance of meeting her at Dr. Kavan's place for lunch, I also met other astronomy friends there which was nice, and shared a lot of busy chats as I've been out of contact with them during last 2 months when I was away.

From what I heard Dr Gayandhi is presently being involved with some key project at AAO, where she leads a team in building some scientific equipment to get some information through spectroscopes. I wish all the best for her work and bon voyage when she flies back home..

"How do we Study the Atmospheres of Planets"-Dr Tilak Hewagama

noreply@blogger.com (Desh) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 15:51:00 +0000

There will be a visiting astronomer lecture on the topic of "How do we Study the Atmospheres of Planets" by Dr Tilak Hewagama - NASA/GSFC University of Maryland. The lecture will be delivered tomorrow (Thursday the 03rd November 2011) at 11.00 am University of Moratuwa, and it will be hosted by IEEE Student branch of University of Moratuwa.

Abstract

Humans have relied on their keen sense of sight in exploring their environment. The basic properties of light, color and intensity, convey a wealth of information about the source and intervening media, and remains at the core of modern astronomy. We will discuss how visible and infrared radiation, most relevant in the exploration of planets, are used in understanding their diverse atmospheres. Each atmosphere has a plethora of molecules that impart distinct signatures in their glow, and the interpretation of such observations can be complex. Nevertheless, it is an interesting enterprise spanning a range of science disciplines. What processes give rise to these signatures and how are they measured? How is the information disentangled? These questions form an interesting detective story! Recent examples of exciting science results from ground- and spacecraft-based observations of planets will be discussed in this context.

Further Reading:

http://sundaytimes.lk/110213/Plus/plus_16.html

If you're attending please your name and NIC # to chamika @ ieee [dot] org to be included in Visitor list at security gate.

About Lecturer : http://epoxi.umd.edu/1mission/bios/hewagama_t.shtml

Star Party 2011, Kandy- Sri Lanka

noreply@blogger.com (Desh) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 10:59:00 +0000

Star Party 2011 will be held from 6.00 p.m. onwards on 21st of October 2011, at the University of Peradeniya, Kandy ,Sri Lanka and this will go for 12 hours, including different sessions of night sky observation.

Basically there will be 2 segments themed as competition and workshop where the amateur students can both evaluate their talent and improve their know-how on practical astronomy. The competition is expected to be the focus of many students, as everybody will try their best to grab the champions trophy and claim for the honor of 'Best Astronomy Team' of the country. Moreover there will be an online quiz as well allowing just anybody in the planet to take part and of course win prizes depending on their performance. This will be the 2nd time, we're launching the online quiz, taking the possibility of participation into virtual realms. You can easily take part in this online version of the quiz even now as the it's already in progress till the event finishes.More information regarding this is available here http://starparty.lk/online-quiz-2/

Additionally there will be a comprehensive webcast featuring Star Party at http://Live.StarParty.LK/

Star Party is aimed at improving and evaluating the observation astronomy skills of school students and amateur astronomers. You can browse more information from the official website http://StarParty.LK/
More information can be obtained from starpartysl@gmail.com

This event is organized for the 8th consecutive year by Anandian Astronomical Association together with Astronomical Society of Mahamaya Girls College.

Back to blogging and now it's the time for some Draconids

noreply@blogger.com (Desh) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 13:05:00 +0000

Yeah, I'm back into blogging after ages, and I think I'd fancy blogging in this new platform which I'm using for the first time. This is a moment I achieved despite quite a many stuff that came across my way during recent months. Finally I'm done with my University exams and although it's already been few weeks since the end of the exams, it's just now I'm starting to scribble something, which was mostly due to my new-found passion of traveling. Chances were more that I had found myself engaged in some kind of work, either in University or outside, for my constant involvements with AIESEC and occasional rendezvous with Chess team and astronomical society of course. Although it was blogging where I made my absence I still managed to be on lookout for what's happening around in the arena of astronomy.

(I just selected this photo to feature this post, to showcase my latest passion :) although it has no relevance to this post)

Many great things of which I could have done interesting piece of blogging had already passed by and it's the time to resolve what we've got to come by. I remember I almost planned doing a blog post on the latest lecture I delivered for the astronomical society but it's too sad I couldn't end up doing it. Then I remember someone was trying to 'end' the world in late September and it was surprising that once of my close friends inquired about it asking for some clarification. Next I heard some experiments at CERN that led for weird results and still the media was exaggerating the hype and it was so awkward to notice in Facebook that some thing that has been envisioned true a great many years ago, being joked about just with the unveiling of some unverified conclusions. I remember I managed to meet Prof. Kavan during the following week and was talking with him about this issue, although AALK couldn't manage to make it to any physical colloquim recently. Soon afterward the iPhone 4S was launched and the next morning I was on Google homepage only to find an obituary notice of the very guy, who was the brainchild of Apple's range of hi-tech products. Thus many thing have followed since my last blog-post which was published on May, and I wouldn't too much bother following those up, as you might already have been through the monotonous flow of news.

Well, this is about Draconids, that I'm bringing you as a news for you ! Kudos to my friend Rex, for drawing my attention towards this and hence I'm able to tell you about this meteor shower. Draconids will take place on 8th October, (tomorrow for me) and if you're lucky (being able to be on the right spot at right time) you would witness as many as 1000 meteors per hour but however it could be that you may not be able to see any at all perhaps, which becomes possible in the event of Earth completely missing the torrent of these dust-particles originated from Comet 21 P (Giacobini-Zinner). Chances are more that you will see maybe few meteors at least, provided you're based in somewhere in Africa or Europe. You can check the following link for more details about the Draconids meteor shower and ideal timings for you depending on where you're based.

Draconids Meteor Shower on 8 October 2011 - http://www.imo.net/draconids2011

Hope you will keep this noted and at least get out and try to catch some glimpses of Draconids, Please do share if you do end up observing, no matter you observations were positive or negative, which later will encourage many to look up !

Keep looking up !!!

Star Quest 2011 Organized by Mathematical & Astronomical Society, University of Colombo

noreply@blogger.com (Desh) — Fri, 06 May 2011 01:06:00 +0000

Astronomy has been nourishing since as early as Babylonian, Egyptian and Greek civilizations and today it has yielded a great portion of intellect enabling the humans to reach beyond their own horizons far beyond what anybody could possibly imagine. In presence it’s a foreseen attempt that all the countries trying to make their way ahead in the space science, whereas there’s no exception in Sri Lanka as well. In such a context, the Mathematical & Astronomical Society based in University of Colombo can be introduced as an alliance of such likeminded students, bonded together in the ties of science.

The eminent Sri Lankan astronomers Professor Chandra Wickramasinghe and Professor V K Samaranayake took the initiative in founding this society back in 1959, playing the roles of very first president and the secretary. This move can be referred to as the first scientific collaboration towards astronomy in Sri Lanka. Further, Professor L S R Wijewardena & Professor Valentine Joseph were prominent members of the society and today senior lecturer Dr. Chandana Jayaratne serves as the senior adviser.

The society conducts occasional observation camps, regular series of lectures and other astronomy activities both for university undergraduates as well as school students upon request. Moreover the official website http://uocmas.info is kept updated on recent news plus educational material so that visitors are equipped with some knowhow on astronomy. Mathematical & Astronomical Society also has in its possession the Molesworth telescope which is a telescope with 32 cm, thought to be the largest telescope in Sri Lanka during time of its owner major P B Molesworth. Currently the scope is housed in the small observatory / dome near the university grounds.

It is our firm conviction that the school students should be made aware of knowledge for a concurrent progress of astronomy in Sri Lanka, which is the very fact behind many of the outreach projects organized by us. We contribute to school level astronomy by offering both material and immaterial resources for ‘Astronomy Days’ and ‘Science Days’. Additionally we’ve been continuing an interschool astronomy quiz competition and a workshop consecutively for last 4 years and it’s famous among students as ‘Star Quest’. In last year’s program Sirimavo Bandaranaike Balika Vidyalaya and Ananda College, Colombo emerged as winners and runners-up respectively.

It is with great pleasure we inform you that arrangements have been made for a similar attempt in this year as well under the name ‘Star Quest 2011’ to be held on 07th of May 2011 at the university premises. Mathematical & Astronomical Society extends an open invitation to all the school-based astronomy clubs, whereby interested clubs/ societies may apply with as teams representing their entity. More information can be obtained from www.starquest.uocmas.info and through following contacts.

Chethya Vidanapathirana – 0718135177
Muditha Bandara – 0712371914

Astronomy Camp - March 2011 at University of Colombo

noreply@blogger.com (Desh) — Tue, 03 May 2011 14:54:00 +0000

I'm now gonna blog about an event that we had in our University almost 2 months back. I'm really sorry guys for dragging this such longer due to the busy schedule I've been undergoing last few months due to various reasons. Hope you don't mind me sharing in so late. Anyway here it is..

This is the annual astronomy camp that we organize for undergraduates in the University itself, This is generally aimed at getting amateurs more interested in astronomy by working along with a practical observation related path while recruiting enthusiasts as members for the society at the same time. Of course just anyone in the University can take part here in various sessions of activities and talks. The astronomy camp 2011 was held on 11th of March 2011 from evening onwards at the University premises. I was in particular happy that a lot of my batch-mates took part here and enjoyed themselves all the way through to the end.

The participants waiting for the start of the program

It's true that we were surrounded by a great many light sources lit in the Colombo city. There were always flashes anywhere you looked, leaving us to skip more than 60 degrees of altitude from the horizon. Favorably it didn't rain and clouds were a less concern.

As an interesting talk was in progress....

There were talks by our senior members such as Mrs. Monika Madhavi as well as an interesting presentation about so-called "2012" by Dr. Chandana Jayaratne, our staff advisor.

There were observations sessions, where the participants got the chance to observe Moon- I'd say that the Moon was very clear that evening; and Jupiter and Saturn, as well as some other constellations plus Orion nebula. I wish we had repaired the Molesworth telescope somehow, as we would then have managed to do extensive observation with better optics.We've been having it in our possession for quite a time and I think we need to make it back functional.

Having fun with telescopes :)

It's the time for hands-on activity

Inside the dome with Molesworth Telescope

Dr. Jayaratne giving introductory remarks on the telescope.

Moreover there were interesting games, which were aimed at broadening the basic astronomy knowledge in various formats such as puzzles, etc. I must also mention that everybody got a change to visit the small dome where Molesworth telescope is currently housed. I've recorded a video of that segment and I will try to youtube it and post it here.

The video features Dr. Jayaratne giving a brief introduction about the scope to the attendees whilst inside the dome.

The puzzling game..

Enthusiasm + activity = Learning

and Done !

As I recall, I find this astronomy camp as a one where I more or less played the roles of both a participant and an organizer. It was a nice experience and excitement was there right from the start to the end of this
12-hour astronomy scenario. A big thanks should go out to our president Mrs. Chethya Vidanapathirana and other 3rd year students for putting together their efforts for such a successful astronomy camp as well as to contributors and participants alike.

Here is a group photograph of the participants posing in front of the dome housing Molesworth telescope.