The latest news from Sunderland Astronomical Society
What sort of rockets or spaceships could we use to go to the distant stars. We will explore some of the crazier designs that have been proposed over the years, most of which have some possibility of working. The future may be nearer than we think!
Despite the fact that massive stars don’t live for a very long time, their impact on their natal environment is profound. Besides being responsible for stopping (but sometimes also triggering!) the formation of new generations of stars, they also regulate how galaxies evolve. However, many mysteries about massive stars remain: How and where do they…
SAS Starbeque event at Derwent Reservoir Car Park. Date: Saturday 23rd September 2023 Time: From 3 pm until very late, observing afterwards if weather is favorable. Venue: Will take place at at Derwent Reservoir located at our Millshield dark sky site. This is our traditional celebration of the return of darker nights and, as this season’s…
In this talk Vicky will be returning to talk to SAS in-person to discuss monster black holes and quasars : how we find them, what a “supermassive black hole” is, and the first ever images of a black hole. Vicky will also present my own research area, “active galaxies”, which are incredibly bright galaxies powered…
Astronomy today is in an exciting and challenging era with the fast-increasing amount of data from large-scale sky surveys and future facilities. For example, the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) founded in 2000 has observed ~50 million galaxies, the Dark Energy Survey has found over 300 million galaxies since starting its observation in 2013, and…
Due to the late cancellation of the original speaker due to a family emergency, and back by popular demand our very own Mr David Ettie has offered to present “Is Anybody There?” What a complete Star and all-round good egg. David Ettie will give an overview of the prospects for life elsewhere in the Universe…
The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust have a birdwatching event on Thursday 18th May so the centre will not be available for our usual meeting that day. We have therefore decided to have a trip to Wynyard Planetarium and Observatory (http://www.wynyard-planetarium.net/) instead. Places are limited to 40, and members will need to make their own way…
Breaking News An ultramassive black hole over 33 billion times the mass of the sun has been discovered by UK astronomers. Scientists from Durham University said the gargantuan black hole is one of the biggest ever found! The team, led by Durham University, UK, used gravitational lensing – where a foreground galaxy bends the light…
Please Note: This talk is postponed until a later date TBD (due to last minute unforeseen work commitments). Dr Jurgen Schmoll has kindly agreed to step in and give one of his wonderful talks this evening. Eyepieces – the interface between technical and human optics. Instrument scientist – working behind the scenes of astronomical research…
Black holes sometimes sound more like science fiction than science fact, but the recent breakthrough results on gravitational waves and the amazing image of the shadow of an event horizon show the reality behind the equations. Professor Christine Done will introduce black holes, and guide us through the science and research behind the images, and…