| Friday 23 July 2010 - 8:00pm | |
| Topic: | How to form the Most Massive Galaxies in the Universe |
| Speaker: | Assistant Professor Kim-Vy Tran, Texas A&M University |
| Venue: | Epping Creative Centre - 26 Stanley Road, Epping |
| Abstract: | Our own Milky Way galaxy is filled with billions of stars, but there are galaxies that have enough stars to make a hundred Milky Way galaxies. How do we "weigh'' these massive galaxies? Can we explain how they formed? I will describe how these giants differ from their smaller cousins and how astronomers can use them to better understand how all galaxies form. |
| Biography: | Kim-Vy Tran has a PhD in Astronomy & Astrophysics in 2002 from the University of California at Santa Cruz, and currently has a joint appointment as:
"I have always been fascinated by galaxies, not only by their inherent beauty but also with understanding how they form and evolve. My research focuses on how galaxies assemble, in particular how they form their stars as a function of environment. My current research program utilizes multi-wavelength observations from both ground (e.g. Magellan & Very Large Telescope) and space (e.g. Hubble, Spitzer, & Chandra) telescopes to study galaxies in the rich environments of groups and clusters." |
| Wednesday 28 July 2010 - 7:30pm | |
| Topic: | ASNSW Astro Imaging Meeting |
| Chair: | Mike Berthon-Jones, ASNSW Astro Imaging Section Leader |
| Venue: | Epping Creative Centre - 26 Stanley Road, Epping |
| Abstract: | Meeting of the ASNSW's Astro Imaging Section – All Welcome |
| Friday 30 July 2010 - 8:00pm | |
| Topic: | Streaming the Sky |
| Speaker: | Professor Andrew Connolly, University of Washington |
| Venue: | Epping Creative Centre - 26 Stanley Road, Epping |
| Abstract: | Over the next decade astronomers will map the night sky in unprecedented detail, covering wavelengths from x-rays through to the radio spectrum. One of the largest of these surveys will be the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST). This 8-meter telescope with a 3.2 billion pixel camera will image the Southern sky every three nights for a period of 10 years; generating 30 terabytes of images and detecting a 100 million sources every night. In this talk I will discuss the opportunities and challenges that the LSST provides for professional and amateur astronomers, including how we will detect, in real-time, supernovae and other transient event, how we can track moving sources such as Earth-crossing asteroids, and how we can combine these data to use gravitational lensing to constrain the nature of dark energy. |
| Biography: | Andy Connolly has a PhD in Physics and Astronomy from the University of London. Since then his life has taken him progressively westward until arriving in Seattle where he is an Associate Professor of Astronomy at the University of Washington. His work focuses on cosmology from large astronomical surveys such as the LSST (where he leads the simulation program). In 2006, while on sabbatical at Google, he led the Google Sky project and continues work on how to make astronomical data accessible to a broad audience. |
| Wednesday 18 August 2010 - 7:30pm | |
| Topic: | ASNSW Committee Meeting |
| Quorum: | ASNSW Committee |
| Venue: | Epping Creative Centre - 26 Stanley Road, Epping |
| Friday 20 August 2010 - 8:00pm | |
| Topic: | ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING |
| Speaker: | Richard Jaworski, ASNSW Public Officer |
| Venue: | Epping Creative Centre - 26 Stanley Road, Epping |
| Wednesday 25 August 2010 - 7:30pm | |
| Topic: | ASNSW Astro Imaging Meeting |
| Chair: | Mike Berthon-Jones, ASNSW Astro Imaging Section Leader |
| Venue: | Epping Creative Centre - 26 Stanley Road, Epping |
| Abstract: | Meeting of the ASNSW's Astro Imaging Section – All Welcome |
| Friday 27 August 2010 - 8:00pm | |
| Topic: | Life in the Universe |
| Speaker: | Maria Cunningham, Department of Astrophysics and Optics in the School of Physics at the University of NSW |
| Venue: | Epping Creative Centre - 26 Stanley Road, Epping |
| Abstract: | The question "Are We Alone?" continues to fascinate human beings. In this talk I will discuss what we know of the likelihood of life having arisen other than on Planet Earth, and how current research is working to towards identifying the conditions and environments under which life may have arisen. I will talk about my own research, which involves searching for complex organic molecules in the interstellar medium, and briefly cover other relevant topics such what we know about extrasolar planets. |
| Wednesday 15 September 2010 - 7:30pm | |
| Topic: | ASNSW Committee Meeting |
| Quorum: | ASNSW Committee |
| Venue: | Epping Creative Centre - 26 Stanley Road, Epping |
| Friday 17 September 2010 - 8:00pm | |
| Topic: | Antarctica - What does it offer the Astronomer? |
| Speaker: | Professor John Storey, UNSW |
| Venue: | Epping Creative Centre - 26 Stanley Road, Epping |
| Abstract: | Interest in Antarctic astronomy has blossomed over the past few years, particularly with the opening of Concordia Station in 2005 by France and Italy, the construction of Kunlun Station by China, and the decision by Japan to re-open Dome Fuji. These new stations, all on the high Antarctic plateau, join the US Amundsen-Scott station as potentially outstanding sites for astronomical research.
The Antarctic plateau is of course intensely cold and extremely dry, characteristics that are good for infrared and submillimetre astronomy but not so good for humans. In this talk I will describe recent successes in Antarctica, and the ambitious plans for future facilities. |
| Biography: | John Storey is a Professor of Physics at the University of New South Wales in Sydney. He received a BSc (hons) in Physics from La Trobe University in 1972, and a PhD in chemistry from Monash University in 1976. From 1976 until 1981 he was a postdoc in the Physics Department at the University of California, Berkeley, where his main interests were in far-infrared astronomy with the Kuiper Airborne Observatory - a C 141 Starlifter transport jet fitted with a 90 cm telescope.
During this time he also worked in infrared heterodyne interferometry and radio astronomy. On returning to Australia in 1981 he worked at the Anglo-Australian Observatory before taking up a position at the University of New South Wales in 1982. There, his research interests have included not only radio, optical and infrared astronomy, but also solar-powered vehicles, efficient power generation, and infrared detector technology. Storey won the Pawsey medal in 1987, and was awarded a von Humboldt fellowship in 1989 to allow him to spend a total of two years at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Garching, near Munich. During the past decade Storey and his research group have been characterising the high Antarctic plateau as a potential site for future astronomical telescopes. |
| Wednesday 22 September 2010 - 7:30pm | |
| Topic: | ASNSW Astro Imaging Meeting |
| Chair: | Mike Berthon-Jones, ASNSW Astro Imaging Section Leader |
| Venue: | Epping Creative Centre - 26 Stanley Road, Epping |
| Abstract: | Meeting of the ASNSW's Astro Imaging Section – All Welcome |
| Friday 24 September 2010 - 8:00pm **GORDON PATSTON LECTURE ** | |
| Topic: | Cosmic Dawn: The Quest for the First Galaxies |
| Speaker: | Dr Richard Ellis, Steele Professor of Astronomy, CalTech |
| Venue: | Epping Creative Centre - 26 Stanley Road, Epping |
| Abstract: | (TBA) |
| Biography: | Professor Richard Ellis CBE is currently Steele Professor of Astronomy at Caltech. Richard was awarded a B.Sc in Astronomy from University College London and a PhD in Astrophysics from Oxford in the early 1970s. He held positions at Durham University, UK and the Institute of Astronomy at Cambridge where he was Plumian Professor of Astronomy from 1993 to 1999. He moved to Caltech in 1999 where held positions as Professor of Astronomy, Deputy Director and subsequently Director of Palomar Observatories, Director of Caltech Optical Observatories and is currently Steele Professor of Astronomy.
Richard was awarded a CBE for services to astronomical science in 2008 and is the recipient of numerous awards including the Royal Astronomical Society group award shared with members of the 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey. He is the author of over 480 scientific articles and 3 edited books. He is visiting Australia as a Distinguished Visitor at the AAO during September 2010. Richard is working primarily in observational cosmology addressing issues related to the nature of the world model, the origin and evolution of galaxies, the growth of large scale structure and the nature and distribution of dark matter. He is enthusiastic about the use of new instruments and observational opportunities when they further the progress that can be made in these areas. In particular he is deeply involved in promoting and managing the science partnership for the Thirty Meter Telescope. |
| Wednesday 13 October 2010 - 7:30pm | |
| Topic: | ASNSW Committee Meeting |
| Quorum: | ASNSW Committee |
| Venue: | Epping Creative Centre - 26 Stanley Road, Epping |
| Friday 15 October 2010 - 8:00pm | |
| Topic: | Adventures with Exo-Planets |
| Speaker: | Paul Hatchman, ASNSW |
| Venue: | Epping Creative Centre - 26 Stanley Road, Epping |
| Abstract: | The last few years have been boom times for exo-planet astronomy. Satellite observatories such as Kepler may offer us the opportunity to glimpse of Earth-sized planets outside our solar system for the first time. Exo-planet science is also an area where amateurs can still make a valuable contribution. This talk will cover some of the recent advances in the field of exo-planet hunting as well as how amateurs are helping to complement the efforts of the professionals. I'll even show you how you might discover a new exo-planet from the comfort of your own lounge-chair. |
| Wednesday 20 October 2010 - 7:30pm | |
| Topic: | ASNSW Astro Imaging Meeting |
| Chair: | Mike Berthon-Jones, ASNSW Astro Imaging Section Leader |
| Venue: | Epping Creative Centre - 26 Stanley Road, Epping |
| Abstract: | Meeting of the ASNSW's Astro Imaging Section – All Welcome |
| Friday 22 October 2010 - 8:00pm | |
| Topic: | TBA |
| Speaker: | TBA |
| Venue: | Epping Creative Centre - 26 Stanley Road, Epping |
| Abstract: | (TBA) |
| Biography: | (TBA) |
| Friday 12 November 2010 - 8:00pm | |
| Topic: | TBA |
| Speaker: | TBA |
| Venue: | Epping Creative Centre - 26 Stanley Road, Epping |
| Abstract: | (TBA) |
| Biography: | (TBA) |
| Wednesday 17 November 2010 - 7:30pm | |
| Topic: | ASNSW Committee Meeting |
| Quorum: | ASNSW Committee |
| Venue: | Epping Creative Centre - 26 Stanley Road, Epping |
| Wednesday 24 November 2010 - 7:30pm | |
| Topic: | ASNSW Astro Imaging Meeting |
| Chair: | Mike Berthon-Jones, ASNSW Astro Imaging Section Leader |
| Venue: | Epping Creative Centre - 26 Stanley Road, Epping |
| Abstract: | Meeting of the ASNSW's Astro Imaging Section – All Welcome |
| Wednesday 15 December 2010 - 7:30pm | |
| Topic: | ASNSW Astro Imaging Meeting |
| Chair: | Mike Berthon-Jones, ASNSW Astro Imaging Section Leader |
| Venue: | Epping Creative Centre - 26 Stanley Road, Epping |
| Abstract: | Meeting of the ASNSW's Astro Imaging Section – All Welcome |