AstrotalkUK – Amateur astronomy in the UK

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