AstrotalkUK - Amateur astronomy in the UK

Everyone who comes across the Antikythera mechanism goes through a phase initially of disbelief and then the awe inspiring realisation that something almost from another world actually exists in ours.

Imagine William Shakespeare writing Hamlet using a laptop. Surely a ridiculous proposition he was about 300 years too early for that. He didn’t but today’s topic is just as incredible but thanks to the presence of physical evidence- true.

The bronze department of the Museum in Athens has a small device slightly bigger than a pocket dictionary which has spent 2000 years under the Mediterranean Sea. Its is a hand made hand operated mechanical mechanism which may have looked like a multi handed clock. This remarkably compact device can display the calendar, predict eclipses, illustrate the phase of the moon, indicate the position of most of the planets and even takes account of the precession of the lunar orbit. The mechanism is driven by a collection of precision gear wheels made in Greece about 100 BC and nothing like it would be made again for at least another 1000 years.

My thanks to members of the Manchester Astronomical Society who arranged this visit for Tony Freeth to come and talk to them, and Conway Mothobi of the Manchester Metropolitan University hosting the event where this recording was made. My thanks of course to Tony Freeth for making the time on the day.

Videos on Youtube

• Michael Wrights’ working model
• Nature Video: Antikythera Mechanism Part 1
• Nature Video: Antikythera Mechanism Part 2
• X-Ray images of the Antikythera

 

 antikythera Mechanism [25:37m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Tony Freeth: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Science is the product of human intellect, creativity and imagination. It helps answers the profoundest of all questions. Where did life come from? How old is the Earth? What is the structure of the universe? How did humans come to be? As the history of science shows, as it progresses so does the nature, accuracy and reliability the answers to such questions. The scientific picture of the physical world is a provisional and an ever changing one.

Science is not the only way to understand the world and our place within it.  Majority of the time humans have existed most of them have been equally content and secure with different answers to the same fundamental questions. For them ancient holly texts provide unambiguous solutions. Science is not needed because it is not required.

The debate between science and religion is as intriguing and contentious today in the 21st century as it has always been. Science progresses by actively challenging its core tenants through the rational exercise of reason. On the other hand religious beliefs have divine origins, don’t require changing and are thus inherently stronger.

There are surprising large number of high profile scientist who are also committed to a particular faith. Perhaps they can shed some light on how they reconcile this apparent contradiction.

Dr Allan Chapman who is not a scientist but a historian of science and a practising Christian with a particular interest in the history of astronomy talks about science and religion.  He is the author of several books including biographies on Mary Summerville and Robert Hook. Perhaps he is better known  for  “Gods in the Sky”  and as the presenter the  of the three part series of the same name on channel4.

 

 Science and religion [32:01m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

You will have noticed that I’m not quite on schedule right now. Indeed have not been so for a few weeks. As a one man band I expect that to happen from time to time. Last week however was special. For the very first time, I became a dad. Both my wife Regine and my daughter – Amrita Christine May-Singh are well and healthy.

I have some projects underway for Astrotalkuk and will resume a more regular pattern in the coming weeks and months.

Chris Lord  of Blackpool & District Astronomical Society continues the story of the telescope leading up to its use by Galileo for astronomical observations.

Ibn Sahl and Ibn al-Haythem were two scholars who during the 10th and 11th century developed the fundemental mathematical principles of refraction, reflection and dispersion and kick started the science of optics. Chris concludes this 2nd part at that point in history which marks the beginning of the telescope - Galileo’s profound astronomical discoveries in 1609.

 

 episode24 [24:22m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Hans Lipperhey’s patent application in the Netherlands for a telescope was formally denied on 2nd October 1608. Nonetheless, it is that individual, that place and that date which history associates with the invention of the telescope. Most of us are aware of the fundamental astronomical discoveries Galileo went on to make with it in the following year but could they have been made earlier?

Three thousand years ago, in what today is  Iraq , the  Nimrud lens now in the British Museum is clearly recognised as a lens. It probably could not have been used as part of an astronomical telescope but it is evidence that strongly indicates that lenses were in use long before Lipperhey and Galileo. The Pharos lighthouse in Alexandria is another illlustration of the advance understanding of optics in ancient times.

Chris Lord is an accomplished amateur astronomer and member of Blackpool & District Astronomical Society. He has recently completed a major piece of research in telescopes and optics to mark the International Year of Astronomy in 2009.

In this Episode, Chris talks about at the theory of vision, optics and the making and use of lenses during the almost two centuries from Euclid to Galileo.

 

 episode23 [16:58m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Just over a week ago, Wordpress 2.6 was released. I updated and everything was working fine. I have run in to a problem when I attempted to upload episode 23. It turns out that the plugin I use for this - called Podpress, is not compatible with Worpress 2.6. For existing episodes its fine but I cannot upload anything new.

An updated version of the plugin should be available early next week. Rather than regress to Wordpress version 2.51 I will wait a few days. So middle of next week if not before, it should be back to “normal”.

Something different.

If you are even only a tiny bit of a techie, you will be aware of the huge impact of Wordpress - the open source blogging platform, is having in the online community worldwide. Indeed, AstrotalkUK runs on Wordpress.

From time to time,  the Wordpress community gets together for a day or two to talk, mingle, learn and socialise with other wordpress bloggers, designers, developers or just about anyone who is interested in or connected to Wordpress. They call these events  “Wordcamp”.  They have taken place around the globe and on the weekend of July 19th and 20th, the UK contingent will have one of our own in Birmingham. I’ll be there. Its 35 quid for the two days of talks, presentations,  social events. Interested? More here.

As episode 21 indicated, the power of science fiction to motivate the imagination is perhaps as strong as science itself.

1957 is known for the launch of Sputnik but it was also the year that the scientist Fred Hoyle published a science fiction novel called The Black Cloud. One of its readers in Italy would be inspired by it to  become an astronomer and embark on a career which involves the scientific study such clouds.

Professor Paola Caselli was that reader and since the autumn of 2007 has been the professor of Astronomy at the University of Leeds where Fred Hoyle had been a student. Her area of interest is the study of those regions of space of dust and gas (“dark clouds”) from which stars and planet eventually form.

Dust comes in many forms – cosmic, cometery and interplanetary dust which is responsible for the zodiacal dust we can see from Earth. Professor Caselli investigates cosmic dust grains (atoms or molecules of Silicon, Magnesium, Carbon and others) which act like magnets and help suck out the volatiles from a dust cloud in the early stages of star formation. Some of these process are probably taking place right now in the recently announced discovery of HL Tau and its associated proto planet HL Tau b.

She will be speaking on “From Interstellar Clouds to Planets: the Universal Factory“at the now famous, Leeds Astromeet on Saturday 15th November at the University of Leeds.

 

 Episode22 [33:01m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Professor Mark Brake from the University of Glamorgan has an eclectic interest. An academic, broadcaster and author of science and popular science books, he is the organising chair for the the third conference of the Astrobiology Society of Britain: ASB3: The Living Universe, will take place in Cardiff between July 1-4, 2008. We spoke about the relationship between science & science fiction and astrobiology.

 

 episode21 [19:11m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

As the European city of Culture, Liverpool has more than its fair share of activities this year. Many have an astronomy connection. In today’s episode Andy Newsam from Liverpool John Moores University, Joanne Coleman from the British Association for the Advancement of Science talks about the Science Festival between 6th and 11th of September and Gary Evans from the sciencephoto library on a unique exhibition of astronomical images called Earth to the Universe which is already underway.

All of these take place in Liverpool as it celebrates its role as the 2008 European City of Culture. Infact, if you do see this in time and are close enough to Liverpool there is in interesting lecture this Thursday 17th June 18:30, Chadwick Lecture Theatre, University of Liverpool. Robert Fosbury, is talking about How Astronomers Image the Sky.

 

 Episdoe20:European City of Culture - Astronomy in Liverpool [33:06m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download