CIAS Newsletter March 2015

What a great evening we had at Red Sky At Night ! The Facebook Page has a few photos – I'm still recovering from the paparazzi explosion of camera flashes as Miss Cayman made her appearance. So much for eyes adapting to night vision. We collected  CI 325 (and a used ticket for a curry) with the campaign “ $1 a look to see the Universe!” 

Moving on with our Outreach activities next week is the UCCI STEM Carib Conference entitled "the Next Big Thing" - running from Tuesday evening March 17th to Friday March 20th. The latest Conference “Schedule At a Glance” can be found here http://stem.ky/prog/schedule.shtml Tickets are CI 50 for the day or $125 for the whole conference   http://www.stem.ky/reg/fees.shtml.As one of the key Sponsors of the event (paid in blood and sweat and toil) the CIAS  has as in previous years a booth which needs to be manned at various times throughout  the conference. 

If you are a member and want to help out please let me know ASAP – if you can help out you will also be able to attend the events for that day. In particular I need help on the Tuesday evening session and on the Friday afternoon session when members of the general public are also invited to attend. I also could do with some help “sticking things up” prior to the event too- . Anyway/Anyone  please let me know if you can help. Phone 925 7657 - or email cpcooke@aol.com. I have a new phone so please be patient  There’s lots of Science and Astronomy as usual from International Speakers- http://stem.ky Lots of local talent too including from myself a  breakout session on Satellite Watching and one from Bill Hrudey  who will be giving a beginners guide to Celestial navigation too. So do come! It will be a great conference 

As next week progresses on Friday March the 20th we are  very close to the Spring Equinox iand is also a new Moon. Even more exciting  there's going to be a Solar Eclipse- though not visible here - it will been seen as a partial eclipse  throughout most of Western Europe. The line of totality bodes for the hardy type of solar eclipse chaser - passing through the Faroe Islands and also Svalbard in Norway (where the polar bears are not to be trusted!) Following the path further North as the Sun rises out of the long winter darkness at the North Pole - it will be also seen in Eclipse (wow! and followed by brrrr!)

For those most likely to be in the UK – here’s a map of the totality. Do take caution and remember even at 99 percent cover the sun can still damage your eyes https://www.facebook.com/TheInternationalAstronomyShow/photos/a.348503165249546.61524.278027365630460/629019430531250/?type=1&theater 

Much closer to home on the following evening of March 21st visible from Cayman  will be  a lovely sight of Venus - beneath which will be seen a thin crescent moon and Mars. More on this event here . http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/visible-planets-tonight-mars-jupiter-venus-saturn-mercury

 

 

Our next meeting is also due about 3 days after the new Moon  22nd or 23rd but as yet I'm undecided as to location and date. Earth Week starts the week after I do notice the National Trust are having an Earth Hour event on Saturday 28th March . Last year the National Trust came to us to support an evening of “Dark Sky Awareness” which also coincided with Earth Week .  Ive put some feelers out to see if they would like us to visit them this year in return at Camana Bay. So far the response is positive and I'm waiting for further details – so again if you think this might be fun and more importantly thinking of attending let me know as well. They have a great poster too

 

Clear Skies Everyone!

Chris Cooke
Cayman Islands Astronomical Soceity
925 -7657
cpcooke@aol.com