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This is very interesting reading on the proposed Planet 9
Edwin Rod
Why astronomers now doubt there is an undiscovered 9th planet in our solar system
Further links and discussion can be found at the groups/links below Astronomy in New Zealand - Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/5889909863/
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May 2020 News skycharts and research papers
Edwin Rod
Hi everyone
Another busy month and here in New Zealand things seem to be getting back to life as normal and were looking at moving down to level 1 next month. Lots of interesting research this month, from a looking at the outer solar system small objects to research on the proposed “Planet 9”. Again there is some interesting ones looking at exo planets and solar system dynamics. Anyway I’ll leave you all to read the ones that interest you most Cheers Edwin Research papers Tidal evolution of exoplanetary systems hosting Potentially Habitable Exoplanets https://arxiv.org/abs/2005.10318 The Effect of Seafloor Weathering on Planetary Habitability https://arxiv.org/abs/2005.09092 The large Trans-Neptunian Object 2002 TC302 https://arxiv.org/abs/2005.08881 instantaneous incoherent speckle grid for high-precision astrometry and photometry https://arxiv.org/abs/2005.08751 Stellar Variability in a Forming Massive Star Cluster https://arxiv.org/abs/2005.08198 The Discovery of the Long-Period, Eccentric Planet Kepler-88 d https://arxiv.org/abs/1909.02427 Constraining the final merger of contact binary(486958) Arrokoth https://arxiv.org/abs/2005.06525 Two examples of how to use observations of terrestrial planets https://arxiv.org/abs/2005.06512 Earths in Other Solar Systems N-body simulations https://arxiv.org/abs/2005.04233 World ships Feasibility and Rationale https://arxiv.org/abs/2005.04100 Further constraining the Planet Nine hypothesis with numerical simulations https://arxiv.org/abs/2005.05326 Dark Energy Survey's extreme trans-Neptunian objects https://arxiv.org/abs/2003.08901 The Brute-Force Search for Planet Nine https://arxiv.org/abs/2004.14980 Biosignature Surveys to Exoplanet Yields and Beyond https://arxiv.org/abs/2005.04005 Snow-lines can be thermally unstable https://arxiv.org/abs/2005.03665 Wide band, tunable gamma-ray lenses https://arxiv.org/abs/2005.03894 The occurrence rate of exoplanets orbiting ultracool dwarfs as probed by K2 https://arxiv.org/abs/2005.01440 Testing Earth-like atmospheric evolution on exo-Earths https://arxiv.org/abs/2005.01587 Laboratory studies on the viability of life in H2-dominated exoplanet atmospheres https://arxiv.org/abs/2005.01668 Thermodynamic and Energetic Limits on Continental Silicate Weathering https://arxiv.org/abs/2004.14058 Switching LPS to LED Streetlight May Dramatically Reduce Activity and Foraging of Bats https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/12/4/165 Dynamical effects on the habitable zone for Earth-like exomoons https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article/432/4/2994/1001104 constraints-on-the-habitability-of-extrasolar-moons https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/proceedings-of-the-international-astronomical-union/article/constraints-on-the-habitability-of-extrasolar-moons/09A95F86FB2CEBD7074F52FD45EF7B96 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Interesting News items On Inspiration, Astrobiology, and the Origins of Life in the Universe: An Interview with Haritina Mogosanu https://www.buzzsprout.com/678467/3721901 Dock at the ISS https://iss-sim.spacex.com/ An Alternative to Planet 9: Maybe There Is Nothing Special https://aasnova.org/2020/05/05/an-alternative-to-planet-9-maybe-there-is-nothing-special/ Zealandia https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ourchangingworld/audio/2018745356/probing-the-hidden-continent-of-zealandia Zealandia: Earth’s Hidden Continent https://www.geosociety.org/gsatoday/archive/27/3/article/GSATG321A.1.htm Further links and discussion can be found at the groups/links below Astronomy in New Zealand - Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/5889909863/
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Strangest of All Anthology of Astrobiological SF
Edwin Rod
Hi All This Sci Fi E-book caught my attention today and looks very interesting IntroductionJulie NovákováIs anyone out there?This is an age-old question we are yet to answer.Speculation on alien life is nothing new. The Greekatomists considered the plurality of worlds and “otherearths inhabited by different tribes of men and breeds ofbeasts”1; 16th century Italian priest and occultist GiordanoBruno speculated about “infinite multitude of worlds”2; thefamous philosopher Immanuel Kant wrote in his Critique ofPure Reason that he would bet everything that at least someof the known planets were inhabited.Nor is science fiction working with the idea of lifeelsewhere or not quite as-we-know-it anything new. One ofthe first such works was penned by the great JohannesKepler himself and published posthumously. The novelSomnium tells a story of a boy, who’d studied astronomywith Tycho Brahe, and the boy’s witch mother, who hadlearned from a demon that the Moon (“Levania”) isinhabited. They both undertake the shocking journey to visitit, and there is an abundance of description of both thecreatures of the Moon and – in this case quite accurately, inaccord with science of that time – the Earth seen from there.The 17th and 18th century saw an increase of stories oflife elsewhere in space, and after the birth of modern science Cheers Edwin Further links and discussion can be found at the groups/links below Astronomy in New Zealand - Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/5889909863/
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A few photos of the Supermoonrise
Edwin Rod
Snow on Mt Alpha 1363M in the southern Tararua range. The one cold snap brought snow down to around 1000m in altitude here, Nikon CoolPix P900 CMOS Sensor 13_05_2020 Target - Subject Mt Alpha Location Johnsonville, Wellington NZ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnsonville,_New_Zealand Altitude 220M Lens Nikkor 83X Wide Optical Zoom File Name SuperMoon_P900_13_05_2020 Moonrise A stunning Moonrise over the Rimutaka ranges Nikon CoolPix P900 CMOS Sensor 07_05_2020 Target - Subject Moon rise Location Johnsonville, Wellington NZ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnsonville,_New_Zealand Lens Nikkor 83X Wide Optical Zoom File Name SuperMoon_P900_13_05_2020 Further links and discussion can be found at the groups/links below Astronomy in New Zealand - Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/5889909863/
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The Dark Side of Light Published by Damien McNamara
Edwin Rod
The Dark Side of Light Published by Damien McNamara Hi everyone here is a interesting book Damien has written and offered to share with us to read. Being a similar age to Damien, I too can remember seeing Halley's comet and following the Voyager missions as a kid during the 80s, then Shomaker hitting Jupiter while I was a high school/College in the 90s. It looks like a lot of work and an interesting read. Cheers Edwin Further links and discussion can be found at the groups/links below Astronomy in New Zealand - Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/5889909863/
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Aprils newsletters and Star Charts
Edwin Rod
Hi everyone
Please find all the usual newsletters and star charts attached, lots to have a look at this month and the new Kepler planet is one to watch as an interesting discovery. Again here is no shortage of interesting research this month too.
Last month’s email sure feels a long time ago, and how life along with the economy has changed, NZ is moving to alert level 3 from tomorrow (28/04/2020), after 33 Days in complete lockdown, we are slightly easing restrictions. It has been a tough time and the news last night of losing one of my long time astronomy friends was hard too, It was health related and not due to Covid-19. Take care everyone Research papers An interstellar origin for high-inclination Centaurs https://arxiv.org/abs/2004.10510 The multi-planet system TOI-421 A warm Neptune https://arxiv.org/abs/2004.10095 Searching for the near infrared counterpart of Proxima c https://arxiv.org/abs/2004.06685 Strong Near-Infrared Spectral Variability of the Young Cloudy L Dwarf Companion VHS J1256-1257 b https://arxiv.org/abs/2004.05170 Habitability is a continuous property of nature https://arxiv.org/abs/2004.06470 The Astrobiological Copernican Weak and Strong Limits for Extraterrestrial Intelligent Life https://arxiv.org/abs/2004.03968 Radar evidence of subglacial liquid water on Mars https://arxiv.org/abs/2004.04587 Detectability of Life Using Oxygen on Pelagic Planets and Water Worlds https://arxiv.org/abs/2004.03631 Global Mapping of the Surface Composition on an Exo-Earth using Color Variability https://arxiv.org/abs/2004.03931 an astrometric calibration field for high-contrast imagers in Baade's Window https://arxiv.org/abs/2004.02923 Atmospheric convection plays a key role in the climate of tidally-locked terrestrial exoplanets https://arxiv.org/abs/2004.03007 The effect of high nitrogen pressures on the habitable zone and an appraisal of greenhouse states https://arxiv.org/abs/2004.00229 Outstanding Challenges of Exoplanet Atmospheric Retrievals https://arxiv.org/abs/2003.14311 Focal Plane Wavefront Sensing with the FAST TGV Coronagraph https://arxiv.org/abs/2003.13692 Salty Oceans in Low Mass Habitable Planets and Global Climate Evolution https://arxiv.org/abs/2003.13107 Stellar Driven Evolution of Hydrogen-Dominated Atmospheres https://arxiv.org/abs/2003.13412 A kinematically hot population of young stars in the solar neighbourhood https://arxiv.org/abs/2003.13369 The Habitability of Large Elliptical Galaxies https://arxiv.org/abs/2003.13643 Uranian Satellite Formation by Evolution of a Water Vapor Disk https://arxiv.org/abs/2003.13582 From Super-Earths to Mini-Neptunes https://arxiv.org/abs/2003.13348 Earth-size planet formation in the habitable zone of circumbinary stars https://arxiv.org/abs/2003.11682 Habitability of polar regions in tidally locked extrasolar planet near the M-Dwarf stars https://arxiv.org/abs/2003.11732 Explaining the Cold Temperatures Retrieved from Transmission Spectra of Exoplanet Atmospheres https://arxiv.org/abs/2003.11548 Atmospheric evolution from noble gas and Nitrogen on Earth Mars & Venus https://arxiv.org/abs/2003.11431 An information theoretic framework for classifying exoplanetary system architectures https://arxiv.org/abs/2003.11098 Delivery of water and volatiles to the terrestrial planets and the Moon https://arxiv.org/abs/2003.09982 Human wealth evolution trends and fluctuations https://arxiv.org/abs/2003.11502 Further links and discussion can be found at the groups/links below Astronomy in New Zealand - Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/5889909863/
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March Newsletters and Starcharts
Edwin Rod
Hi Everyone
Please find this month’s newsletters and Starcharts
attached. There is some interesting papers looking at Icy moons, and even Mercury.
Current events this week have been moving fast, and have taken away from doing any more of a detailed write up. I have added in a few links and papers about Covid-19 along with the usual astronomy research and news items. New Zealand is an hour away from a Covid-19 lockdown for 4 weeks maybe longer? Were ready to self isolate here and take care everyone.
Cheers Edwin Research papers The subsurface habitability of small icy exomoons https://arxiv.org/abs/2003.09231 Repeated Impact-Driven Plume Formation On Enceladus Over Myr Timescales https://arxiv.org/abs/2003.07866 The pivot energy of Solar Energetic Particles Affecting the Martian surface radiation environment https://arxiv.org/abs/2003.06603 Europa's Hemispheric Color Dichotomy as a Constraint on Non-synchronous Rotation https://arxiv.org/abs/2003.06680 The Low Earth Orbit Satellite Population and Impacts of the SpaceX Starlink Constellation https://arxiv.org/abs/2003.07446 The chaotic terrains of Mercury https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-59885-5 https://www.centauri-dreams.org/2020/03/17/an-unusual-look-at-mercury/ Earths polar night boundary layer as an analogue https://arxiv.org/abs/2003.06306 Evolutionary history, potential intermediate animal host, andcross-species analyses of SARS-CoV-2 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jmv.25731 No credible evidence supporting claims of the laboratory engineering of SARS-CoV-2 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/22221751.2020.1733440 Venusian Habitable Climate Scenarios https://arxiv.org/abs/2003.05704 Atmospheric compositions and observability of nitrogen dominated ultra-short period super-Earths https://arxiv.org/abs/2003.05354 A probabilistic analysis of the Fermi paradox in terms of the Drake formula https://arxiv.org/abs/2003.04802 TRAPPIST-1 Habitable Atmosphere Intercomparison https://arxiv.org/abs/2002.10950 The interior and atmosphere of the habitable-zone exoplanet K2-18b https://arxiv.org/abs/2002.11115 Observational Constraints on the Great Filter https://arxiv.org/abs/2002.08776 Indexing Exoplanets with Physical Conditions Potentially Suitable for Rock-Dependent Extremophiles https://arxiv.org/abs/2002.12650 Dust depleted inner disks in a large sample of transition disks through long-baseline ALMA observations https://arxiv.org/abs/2003.00079 a Meteoritic Protein containing Iron and Lithium https://arxiv.org/abs/2002.11688 The UV surface habitability of Proxima b https://arxiv.org/abs/2003.00984 Two planets on the opposite sides of the radius gap transiting the nearby M dwarf LP 729-54 https://arxiv.org/abs/2003.01140 Disentangling Atmospheric Compositions of K2-18 b https://arxiv.org/abs/2003.01486 Will recent advances in AI result in a paradigm shift in Astrobiology and SETI https://arxiv.org/abs/1910.03944 An education & outreach tool for exploring the diversity of planets like our own https://arxiv.org/abs/2001.01438 http://earthlike.world/ Proxima Centauri b A Strong Case for including Cosmic-Ray-induced Chemistry https://arxiv.org/abs/2003.02036 The Atmospheres of Rocky Exoplanets https://arxiv.org/abs/2003.03628 Further links and discussion can be found at the groups/links below Astronomy in New Zealand - Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/5889909863/
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Astronomy_News_20_02_2020
Edwin Rod
Hi Everyone
The usual starcharts and newsletters are attached for the month, along with two interesting papers on Anthropology one takes a look at Easter Island and another the DNA of people outside of Africa. There is an interesting look at Zealanada our small continent mostly submerged. There is also a look at why many Sub Neptune planets are the size they are, and perhaps the distant proposed Ice Giant could fit into this category of planet too.
Again there is no shortage of interesting research out this month but if I had to pick out a personal highlight it was the paper looking at the search for an outer ice giant in our solar system. If you’re interested in exo planets, Seti and Red dwarfs there will be lots to keep you occupied!
Research papers Transiting Planet Detection Limits for Nearby Late Red Dwarfs Chemical Diversity of Super-Earths As a Consequence of Formation https://arxiv.org/abs/2002.09042 The Design of a Space-based Observation and Tracking System for Interstellar Objects https://arxiv.org/abs/2002.00984 Maximal Gravity at the Surface of an Asteroid https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0312029 Concerns about ground based astronomical observations https://arxiv.org/abs/2001.10952 The TRAPPIST-1 JWST Community Initiative https://arxiv.org/abs/2002.04798 A Census Of Coronal Mass Ejections On Solar-like Stars https://arxiv.org/abs/2002.04430 Three planets transiting the evolved star EPIC 249893012 https://arxiv.org/abs/2002.01755 Numerical study of the evaporation valley and transition from super-Earths to sub-Neptunes https://arxiv.org/abs/2002.02455 The Impact of Planetary Rotation Rate on the Reflectance of Terrestrial Exoplanets https://arxiv.org/abs/2002.02549 Atmospheric Erosion by Giant Impacts onto Terrestrial Planets https://arxiv.org/abs/2002.02977 Habitable zones around almost extremely spinning black holes https://arxiv.org/abs/2001.10991 The Orbit of Planet Nine Derived from Engineering Physics https://arxiv.org/abs/2001.09150 Using Data Imputation for Signal Separation in High Contrast Imaging https://arxiv.org/abs/2001.00563 Effect of vegetation on the temperatures of Trappist-1 planets https://arxiv.org/abs/2001.08946 Evidence for Spin-orbit Alignment in the TRAPPIST-1 System https://arxiv.org/abs/2002.05892 Characterizing deposits emplaced by cryovolcanic plumes on Europa https://arxiv.org/abs/2001.10981 Physical Reality and the Unobservables of Physical Nature https://arxiv.org/abs/2001.10009 The K Dwarf Advantage for Biosignatures on Directly Imaged Exoplanets https://arxiv.org/abs/2001.10458 Planet formation around M dwarfs via disc instability https://arxiv.org/abs/2001.10062 Interstellar comet 2I/Borisov as seen by MUSE https://arxiv.org/abs/2001.11605 Dynamical characterization of the multiple planet system GJ 1148 https://arxiv.org/abs/2002.00906 Water delivery to dry protoplanets by hit-and-run collisions https://arxiv.org/abs/2002.00231 Magnified X-Ray Binaries as Passive Beacons in SETI https://arxiv.org/abs/2002.00128 A Framework for Optimizing Exoplanet Target Selection for the James Webb Space Telescope https://arxiv.org/abs/2002.01495 On the impact of tides on the transit-timing fits to the TRAPPIST-1 system https://arxiv.org/abs/2002.02015 Potential Backup Targets for Comet Interceptor https://arxiv.org/abs/2002.01744 Further links and discussion can be found at the groups/links below Astronomy in New Zealand - Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/5889909863/
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This months news and Starcharts
Edwin Rod
Hi Everyone Please enjoy this months news and star charts, along with lots of interesting news and discovery's. Research papers Spin dynamics of close-in planets exhibiting large TTVs https://arxiv.org/abs/1705.04460 Simulations of Water Vapor and Clouds on Rapidly Rotating and Tidally Locked Planets https://arxiv.org/abs/1912.11329 Transition from eyeball to snowball driven by sea-ice drift on tidally locked terrestrial planets https://arxiv.org/abs/1912.11377 Emergence of life in an inflationary universe https://arxiv.org/abs/1911.08092 Transfer of Life by Earth-Grazing Objects to Exoplanetary Systems https://arxiv.org/abs/2001.02235 How planetary surfaces can shape the climate of habitable exoplanets https://arxiv.org/abs/2001.00085 Creation and Evolution of Impact-generated Reduced Atmospheres of Early Earth https://arxiv.org/abs/2001.00095 Detectability of Molecular Signatures on TRAPPIST-1e https://arxiv.org/abs/2001.01338 The 3.4 µm absorption of the Titan's stratosphere https://arxiv.org/abs/2001.02791 MCMCI a code to fully characterize an exoplanetary system https://arxiv.org/abs/1912.12632 The Thermal Evolution Of The Early Moon https://arxiv.org/abs/2001.07123 Long-term Periodicities in North-South Asymmetry of Solar Activity https://arxiv.org/abs/2001.05879 3D maps of the Magellanic Clouds using Classical Cepheids https://arxiv.org/abs/2001.05899 Fundamental limits from chaos on instability time predictions in compact planetary systems https://arxiv.org/abs/2001.04606 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Interesting News items Kiwi astronomers among those worried by Elon Musk's plan to launch thousands of satellites https://www.stuff.co.nz/science/117762106/kiwi-astronomers-among-those-worried-by-elon-musks-plan-to-launch-thousands-of-satellites Alone in a Crowded Milky Way https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/alone-in-a-crowded-milky-way/ New Technique May Give Webb Space Telescope a Way to Quickly Identify Planets with Oxygen http://astrobiology.com/2020/01/new-technique-may-give-webb-space-telescope-a-way-to-quickly-identify-planets-with-oxygen.html Summer weather https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/118856594/weather-system-blocking-warmer-temperatures-reaching-wellington Earth-Size Planet in a Habitable Zone https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7569 https://theconversation.com/an-earth-sized-planet-found-in-the-habitable-zone-of-a-nearby-star-129290 Further links and discussion can be found at the groups/links below Astronomy in New Zealand - Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/5889909863/
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Smoke and haze over Wellington, New Zealand.
Edwin Rod
Smoke and haze over Wellington, New Zealand. The hills and harbor had a distinct haze this morning here in Wellington, I hope things are better for our friends in Australia. BOM weather forecast for NSW, Vic, SA and ACT grim https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-01/more-heat-bound-for-firegrounds-but-cool-change-to-follow/11835036 Bushfire smoke moves over North Island, creating an eerie sky https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/118554806/bushfire-smoke-moves-over-north-island-creating-an-eerie-sky Nikon CoolPix P900 CMOS Sensor 02_01_2020 Target - Subject Hazey and smokey skys from around home. Location Johnsonville, Wellington NZ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnsonville,_New_Zealand Altitude 220M Lens Nikkor 83X Wide Optical Zoom File Name Smokehaze_P900_02_01_2020 Further links and discussion can be found at the groups/links below Astronomy in New Zealand - Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/5889909863/
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This months news and star charts - Dec 2019
Edwin Rod
Hi everyone
Please find this month’s research and news items attached below, along with the star charts too.
It’s almost the summer solstice, but far from it here in Wellington tonight! https://www.weatherwatch.co.nz/content/temperatures-tonight-and-tomorrow We had a week of hot weather that was very humid and now cool south-westerly! Forget seeing the stars for a while here!
If you happen to be in Nelson over the holiday break this sounds great.
Rocket Lab is building a second launch pad. https://spacenews.com/rocket-lab-to-build-second-launch-pad-in-new-zealand The Benefits of a dark sky reserve in the Wairarapa
I’m interesting to read the one on Exo moons tonight, and as always there is a range of interesting things to catch up on. A look at the evolution of the solar system, and again some interesting papers on exo planets and Red Dwarfs, along with a look at quantum mechanics. Andrew also has a few updates I have included as well looking at Mars and other subjects. I hope you all have a great holiday and Christmas break Cheers Edwin This months research Hidden Planets Implications from Oumuamua and DSHARP https://arxiv.org/abs/1909.06387 The Search for Living Worlds and the Connection to Our Cosmic Origins https://arxiv.org/abs/1908.05951 HERITAGE a Monte Carlo code to evaluate the viability of interstellar travels using a multi-generational crew https://arxiv.org/abs/1708.08649 Revisiting the cosmic-ray induced Venusian radiation dose in the context of habitability https://arxiv.org/abs/1911.12788 The Transits of Extrasolar Planets with Moons https://arxiv.org/abs/1105.3189 Photometry of an unusual small distant object 2016 ND21 https://arxiv.org/abs/1912.02533 Distribution and Energy Balance of Pluto's Nitrogen Ice, as seen by New Horizons in 2015 https://arxiv.org/abs/1912.02333 Atmospheres for Potentially Habitable Environments on TRAPPIST-1 Planets https://arxiv.org/abs/1912.02313 retrieving exoplanet atmospheric winds from high-resolution spectroscopy https://arxiv.org/abs/1912.02787 Simulated Direct Imaging Detection of Water Vapor For Exo-Earths https://arxiv.org/abs/1912.02228 Future stellar flybys of the Voyager and Pioneer spacecraft https://arxiv.org/abs/1912.03503 Habitable Age Instead of Location for Terrestrial Worlds https://arxiv.org/abs/1912.02862 Climate bistability of Earth-like exoplanets https://arxiv.org/abs/1912.05392 Do the TRAPPIST-1 Planets Have Hydrogen-rich Atmospheres? https://arxiv.org/abs/1912.05749 Detection of a wide orbit planetary mass companion to a solar-type Sco-Cen member https://arxiv.org/abs/1912.04284 Why Are We Obsessed with "Understanding" Quantum Mechanics? https://arxiv.org/abs/1912.08090 Can close-in giant exoplanets preserve detectable moons https://arxiv.org/abs/1912.08049 A record of the final phase of giant planet migration https://arxiv.org/abs/1912.02833 "Identifying Candidate Atmospheres on Rocky M Dwarf Planets via Eclipse Photometry," Daniel D. B. Koll et al., 2019, Astrophysical Journal [http://apj.aas.org, preprint: https://arxiv.org/abs/1907.13138]. * "Identifying Atmospheres on Rocky Exoplanets Through Inferred High Albedo," Megan Mansfield et al., 2019, Astrophysical Journal [http://apj.aas.org, preprint: https://arxiv.org/abs/1907.13150]. * "Analyzing Atmospheric Temperature Profiles and Spectra of M Dwarf Rocky Planets," Matej Malik et al., 2019, Astrophysical Journal [http://apj.aas.org, preprint: https://arxiv.org/abs/1907.13135]. * "A Scaling Theory for Atmospheric Heat Redistribution on Rocky Exoplanets," Daniel D. B. Koll, 2019, Astrophysical Journal [http://apj.aas.org, preprint: https://arxiv.org/abs/1907.13145]. Further links and discussion can be found at the groups/links below Astronomy in New Zealand - Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/5889909863/
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Stars align for economic boost
Edwin Rod
Further links and discussion can be found at the groups/links below Astronomy in New Zealand - Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/5889909863/
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RASNZ - Keeping in Touch
Edwin Rod
Hi Everyone Please find the latest RASNZ keeping in touch newsletter from John D. I have also attached some interesting news and research too, that I have been looking at on my laptop. If you haven't already please feel free to check out Astronomy in New Zealand at groups.io Cheers Edwin Further links and discussion can be found at the groups/links below Astronomy in New Zealand - Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/5889909863/
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A few highlights from the Astrophotography weekend
Edwin Rod
Hi everyone It was another stunning weekend away just the Saturday night for myself, however everyone else had a great Friday night with clear skys. It was nice to get the scopes and DSLR out. New Zealand Astrophotography Weekend 2019 http://www.horoastronomy.org.nz/upcoming-events/astrophotography-weekendNikon CoolPix P900 CMOS Sensor 30_11_2019 Target - Subject Telescopes, Sunset, and the event. Location Foxton Beach https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foxton_Beach Lens Nikkor 83X Wide Optical Zoom File Name Foxton_Astrocamp_P900_30_11_2019 Further links and discussion can be found at the groups/links below Astronomy in New Zealand - Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/5889909863/
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Transit of Mercury - A few photos of the transit and trip
Edwin Rod
Here are a few highlights of the trip north from Wellington to enjoy the Transit and tomorrow I'm heading up for one night for the NZ astro photography weekend Transit of Mercury https://sciblogs.co.nz/out-of-space/2019/11/10/how-nz-was-put-on-world-maps-using-a-transit-of-mercuryOn 9 November 1769, Cook landed on the shores of the bay to observe a Transit of Mercury. In 1919, an area of land around Shakespeare Cliff was set aside, and a small memorial was constructed, based on the erroneous notion that it was the location of Cook's observations. But the actual site of Cook's landing and observation was the eastern end of Cook's Beach, near the Purangi estuary. Mercury Bay https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_Bay Coromandel https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coromandel_Peninsula CMOS Sensor 12_11_2019 Target - Subject Scenery of the North Island Location Cooks Beach Lens Nikkor 83X Wide Optical Zoom File Name Coromandel_P900_10_11_2019 Further links and discussion can be found at the groups/links below Astronomy in New Zealand - Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/5889909863/
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Astronomy_News_20_11_2019
Edwin Rod
Hi everyone
Please find all the regular newsletters attached, along with starcharts and a look at Titan. Wellington finally had a Summers day today! There have been a lot of cold South westerly winds over September and October this year, The air has bene very hazy today and we need to thank our friends over the Tasman for their dust and smoke, I’ve attached a satellite photo to show Its not just my imagination. Well it sure has been a busy month this one. We were lucky enough to do a week’s trip away to aptly named Mercury bay to watch this month’s Transit of the Planet, I have managed to place a few cellphone photos up from the trip, however this month has been rather busy on the personal front so I have not yet had a chance to look at the Nikon P900 or do a full write up on the Transit and send out photos so watch your inbox for another email on that subject. We have two interesting updates from Andrew B, UK Kent this month to share. He takes a look at Asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3), an interesting mission I have been following. KBO 486958 Arrokoth now has a name and this is an interesting object, Andrew again brings us up to speed.
There was no shortage of interesting stories this month and research out. The hunt continues for an outer Ice giant world, and this month the team found a pair of Brown Dwarfs around 70Ly away an interesting discovery if like myself you’re interested in these objects. Panspermia again has a look in with research at exporting life out of the solar system. If you’re interested in exo moons, Red Dwarfs and life on other planets then there are a range of links this month to follow up on. Anyway its get late here so I better let you read through what interested you from this month. Cheers Edwin This months research A very low mass, wide co-moving brown dwarf system discovered through the citizen science project https://arxiv.org/abs/1911.04600 Electric sails are potentially more effective than light sails near most stars https://arxiv.org/abs/1911.02765 Exporting Terrestrial Life Out of the Solar System https://arxiv.org/abs/1910.06414 Orbits and resonances of the regular moons of Neptune https://arxiv.org/abs/1910.13612 The first observed stellar occultations by the irregular satellite (Saturn IX) Phoebe https://arxiv.org/abs/1910.12188 Thermal evolution of Uranus and Neptune https://arxiv.org/abs/1911.00447 Impact bombardment chronology of the terrestrial planets https://arxiv.org/abs/1910.11282 Susceptibility of planetary atmospheres to mass loss and growth by planetesimal impacts https://arxiv.org/abs/1910.10731 A Centaur in the Gateway to the Jupiter-Family Comets https://arxiv.org/abs/1908.04185 Morphology and Activity of Interstellar comet 2I/Borisov https://arxiv.org/abs/1910.14004 A textbook on the universal processes behind planetary habitability https://arxiv.org/abs/1910.14022 Quantifying the Influence of Jupiter on the Earth's Orbital Cycles https://arxiv.org/abs/1910.14250 Layered Uncertainty in Planetary Thermal History Models https://arxiv.org/abs/1910.13654 Red Dwarfs - Exo planets Revised mass-radius relationships for water-rich terrestrial planets beyond the runaway greenhouse limit https://arxiv.org/abs/1911.08878 JWST Transmission Spectra of Habitable Zone Planets in the TRAPPIST-1 System https://arxiv.org/abs/1911.08596 An extremely low-density and temperate giant exoplanet https://arxiv.org/abs/1911.07355 Constraining the magnitude of climate extremes https://arxiv.org/abs/1911.05577 Habitability and Spectroscopic Observability of Warm M-dwarf Exoplanets https://arxiv.org/abs/1907.10048 Red Dwarf Planets and Habitability https://www.centauri-dreams.org/2019/11/13/red-dwarf-planets-and-habitability/ Identify Exo-Earth Candidates in Direct Imaging Data https://arxiv.org/abs/1910.13440 Exomoons in the habitable zones of M dwarfs https://arxiv.org/abs/1910.12054 Connecting planet formation and astrochemistry https://arxiv.org/abs/1910.13171 Evidence for an Earth-like geochemistry of exoplanets https://arxiv.org/abs/1910.12989 SETI - And the search for life A Return to Venus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrzY-r2fi4Y Further links and discussion can be found at the groups/links below Astronomy in New Zealand - Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/5889909863/
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All night Starparty looking cloudy for Transit
Edwin Rod
The all night Star Party looking very overcast With Ian Griffin and Steve Butler Cooks Beach https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_Bay
The trip has been amazing thanks to our hosts. Its overcast now for the star party, and not sure for the Transit in the morning. Further links and discussion can be found at the groups/links below Astronomy in New Zealand - Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/5889909863/
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Evolution tells us we might be the only intelligent life in the universe
Edwin Rod
This article was excellent to read and I hope you enjoy it too very interesting Cheers Edwin Further links and discussion can be found at the groups/links below Astronomy in New Zealand - Groups.io
Astronomy in New Zealand - Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/5889909863/Blogger Posts
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Welcome test
Laintal
Hi all Just testing Im signed up to the group Cheers Laintal --
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October 2019 Newsletters and Starcharts
Edwin Rod
Hi everyone
All the usual Star charts and news items are attached for this month. I have also attached two bit of interesting research. The first looks at Ceres and how its domes are formed, these are fascinating features that hint at an active geology and there are similarities with Earth here too. Gale crater also gets a look at with the history of salty water in the basin and past environmental conditions. Two stories I have been following with interest are comet Borisov the latest interstellar visitor and also the work to get the Mole working on insight. Thanks to Andrew B we have some very good updates and details that he has written up on the subjects, these can be found in the attached newsletter txt.file. Having Red dwarfs as one of my favourite subjects at the moment it was interesting reading about the star system this comet originated from.
Social Media I have been thinking about how and where I contribute here, with the recent demise of Google Plus and now Yahoo Groups, places I found to be very positive and friendly platforms have disappeared. The overall feeling from these platforms from a range of people in different groups is a strong dislike of facebook in fact many refuse to use it at all. I have been spending time at Groups.io over the past few weeks and I personally like the look and feel of the place, so if you haven’t already take a look and join my astronomy group there if you like. Astronomy in New Zealand https://groups.io/g/AstronomyNZ
Thanks Edwin
This month’s research
What if Planet 9 is a Primordial Black Hole? https://arxiv.org/abs/1909.11090
Nomads of the Galaxy https://arxiv.org/abs/1201.2687
The Snowball Stratosphere https://arxiv.org/abs/1909.12717
Developing Linear Dark-Field Control for Exoplanet Direct Imaging https://arxiv.org/abs/1909.11664
Detection of CN gas in Interstellar Object 2I/Borisov https://arxiv.org/abs/1909.12144
Observing a wormhole https://arxiv.org/abs/1910.00429
The Habitable Zone Around Supermassive Black Holes https://arxiv.org/abs/1910.00940
A three-phase approach to grain surface chemistry in protoplanetary disks https://arxiv.org/abs/1910.01097
Measuring the atomic composition of planetary building blocks https://arxiv.org/abs/1910.07345
The Effect of Land Fraction and Host Star Spectral Energy Distribution on the Planetary Albedo of Terrestrial Worlds https://arxiv.org/abs/1910.05439
Resilient habitability of nearby exoplanet systems https://arxiv.org/abs/1910.07573
Plutos Far Side https://arxiv.org/abs/1910.08833
Red Dwarfs - Exo planets
Planet formation and migration near the silicate sublimation front in protoplanetary disks https://arxiv.org/abs/1910.03901
A new take on the low-mass brown dwarf companions on wide-orbits in Upper-Scorpius https://arxiv.org/abs/1910.00347
The Precision of Mass Measurements Required for Robust Atmospheric Characterization of Transiting Exoplanets https://arxiv.org/abs/1910.00076
Stability of Nitrogen in Planetary Atmospheres in Contact with Liquid Water https://arxiv.org/abs/1910.04111
No Snowball on Habitable Tidally Locked Planets with a Dynamic Ocean https://arxiv.org/abs/1910.06285
Exporting Terrestrial Life Out of the Solar System with Gravitational Slingshots of Earthgrazing Bodies https://arxiv.org/abs/1910.06414
How do Planetary Radius and Gravity Influence the Surface Climate of Earth-like Planets https://arxiv.org/abs/1910.06479
SETI - And the search for life
A very good update on Borisov
Detection of CN gas in Interstellar Object 2I/Borisov https://arxiv.org/abs/1909.12144
Interstellar Interloper Borisov Looks Like a Regular Comet, for Now https://eos.org/articles/interstellar-interloper-borisov-looks-like-a-regular-comet-for-now Further links and discussion can be found at the groups/links below Astronomy in New Zealand - Groups.io Astronomy in New Zealand - Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/5889909863/Blogger Posts
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