Announcement: Univ of Hawaii, Astronomy Presents: "Lunar Geology: The Moon in a Whole New Light"

 

 By Guy Jette
Friday, Feb 17th at 8:30pm PST
Institute for Astronomy - U. Hawaii Astronomy Amphitheater:

And on the web: http://tinyurl.com/ifamaui

Lunar Geology:  The Moon in a Whole New Light Join us as we visit our Moon and delve into its Geology or more accurately its Selenology.  We will look at the formation and mineral composition of our closest neighbor.  How are the Moon's rocks similar to the Earth's and how are they different?  We will examine the geological ages of the moon using time scales and fascinating topographical maps.  How are these ages related to various meteorite/asteroid craters?  What have past lunar missions taught us about our neighbor and what future missions are planned?

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/CUH%20Alliance/64/178/2

 

Announcement: "Are We Alone in the Cosmos?" by University of Hawaii

Univ of Hawaii, Astronomy Presents: "Are We Alone in the Cosmos?"

By Bernie Taylor
Friday, June 21th at 9:30 PM PDT
Institute for Astronomy - U. Hawaii Astronomy Amphitheater: 
And on the web: http://tinyurl.com/ifamaui

Naturalist and author Bernie Taylor returns to explore how animals time themselves via solar-lunar cues and the knowledge of this behavior by coastal/inland hunter-gatherers. Taylor will delve into these practices, their relationship to the unique biologically timed characteristics of humans and pose if the Drake Equation can determine the probability of other earth-like and intelligent life in the cosmos.


http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/CUH%20Alliance/49/206/4002

Announcement: UoH "The Telescope in Astronomy: Historical Perspectives"

Univ of Hawaii, Astronomy Presents: "The Telescope in Astronomy: Historical Perspectives"

By Jim Mayo
Thursday, Sept 13th at 9:30 PM PDT
Institute for Astronomy - U. Hawaii Astronomy Amphitheater: 

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/CUH%20Alliance/49/206/4002

And on the web: http://tinyurl.com/ifamaui

In “The Telescope in Astronomy: Historical Perspectives,"  Jim Mayo discusses the emergence of astronomy as one of the most ancient of all sciences going back to the world’s earliest civilizations. Starting with “Astronomy of the Ancients” to include Egypt, Babylonia, China and Phoenicia, the focus moves to Greece and Rome, and then to Arabic and early European astronomy.  The critical telescope precursors of the 16th Century are covered leading to the explosion of the telescope onto the scene in 1608. Mayo covers the development and early astronomical use of refractors and reflectors, the emergence of the achromatic object glass in the 1750s, the large refractors of the late 19th Century, and the great reflectors of the 20th Century.

Announcement: Univ of Hawaii, Astronomy Presents: "The Interest in our Stars II"

By Lucas Lavin, Jordan Vaughn, Zain Jabbar
Friday, Mar 16th at 9:30 PM PDT
Institute for Astronomy - U. Hawaii Astronomy Amphitheater: 

And on the web: http://tinyurl.com/ifamaui

Maui is one of the best places in the world to study the stars. Several local students, who identify as "minions," have started journeys to understand the Universe. Four of these students will share their interest in our stars. Lucas Lavin will look at when star's don't quite collide. Jordan Vaughn will talk about the search for a new home; is there another Earth out there? Zain Jabbar talks about holes in the atmosphere of our sun. Finally, Celeste Jongeneelen will talk about using the Gaia satellite to look for the fastest stars in the galaxy.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/CUH%20Alliance/63/168/4002

Announcement: Univ of Hawaii, Astronomy Presents: "Astronomy's Limitless Journey"

By Dr. Gunther Hasinger
Friday, Jan 26th at 8:30 PM PST
Institute for Astronomy - U. Hawaii Astronomy Amphitheater: 

Alliance, Chaminade University (49, 205, 4002)

And on the web: http://tinyurl.com/ifamaui

Astrophysicist Günther Hasinger takes the reader on a journey to the far reaches of the universe—an exciting time travel that begins with the incredibly hot fireball of the Big Bang roughly 13.8 billion years ago and ends in distant eons with its cold, dark demise.

This is a special event as this is the 100th public talk we have given and it's Dr. Hasinger's last one as head of the Institute for Astronomy.

Announcement: Univ of Hawaii, Astronomy Presents: "Seven Seas for Seven Brothers"

Friday, April 28th at 9:30 PM PDT
Institute for Astronomy - U. Hawaii Astronomy Amphitheater: 

And on the web: http://tinyurl.com/ifamaui

Trappist-1, a red dwarf star 40 light years from us, was known to host three planets. Last year, four more were discovered, making a total of seven planets for this little star. All seven are possibly habitable with water oceans. This sci-fi-like system, so different from ours, suggests an exotic yet pleasant place for people to live ... but is it?

Alliance, Chaminade University (49, 205, 4002)

By Dr Mark Willman

Press Release: "A Grain of Sand - From Maui to the Moon in 3D"

Univ of Hawaii, Astronomy Presents: "A Grain of Sand: From Maui to the Moon in 3D"

By Gary Greenberg, PhD
Friday, Oct 28th at 9:30 PM PDT
Institute for Astronomy - U. Hawaii Astronomy Amphitheater: 

And on the web: http://tinyurl.com/ifamaui

Sand in continually created throughout the Universe from the collisions of heavenly bodies and the explosions of stars. The moon is covered in sand, and outer space is filled with dust and sand from the actions of our dynamic Universe. We see these tiny outer-space travelers as falling stars when they enter our atmosphere at speeds that make the air around them glow bright white. On Earth, sand is produced more slowly, from the erosion of rock into tiny grains of mineral. Dr. Greenberg will take us on a visually stunning tour of sand. Although it is one of the most ubiquitous objects in nature, each grain of sand is unique. Greenberg will illustrate the beauty of these tiny objects as seen through his high definition 3D light microscope. Red/cyan 3D glasses will be provided to the audience. If you are viewing online, attempt to locate a pair of 3D glasses to appreciate the stereo images at the end of the presentation.

Chaminade University CUH Alliance (49, 205, 4002)

Announcement: "UoH - Exoplanets: Discovering New Worlds"

University of Hawaii, Institute for Astronomy Presents:
"Exoplanets: Discovering New Worlds"

By: Dr. J.D. Armstrong
Friday, Sept 16th at 9:30 PM PDT
Institute for Astronomy - U. Hawaii Astronomy Amphitheater: 

Alliance, Chaminade University (49, 205, 4002)
http://slurl.com/secondlife/CUH%20Alliance/49/205/4002

And on the web: http://tinyurl.com/ifamaui

Scientists have discovered thousands of “exoplanets” - planets orbiting other stars. These new worlds could harbor new life and new civilizations. But when we look at stars with even the most powerful telescopes we see only a point of light. Somewhere in that point of light is the planets that scientists claim to detect. How can we tell from just a point of light that there are planets, their size and mass? If these planets exist, what does it tell us about the possibility of any cosmic neighbors?

Announcement: University of Hawaii, Institute for Astronomy Presents: "Challenges and Approaches to Star Flight"

University of Hawaii, Institute for Astronomy Presents:
"Challenges and Approaches to Star Flight"

By: Marc Millis
Friday, May 13th at 9:30 PM PDT
Institute for Astronomy - U. Hawaii Astronomy Amphitheater: 

And on the web: http://ps1puka.ps1.ifa.hawaii.edu/liveVideo.php

Comprehending star-flight – reaching other worlds across interstellar space – is mind boggling.  Distances are beyond familiarity and ideas for getting there are difficult to sort from science fiction. This talk introduces the reality of potential destinations, how to get there, and the lessons learned in the attempt. An unexpected lesson is that human behavior is a much larger factor than technological progress. The energy levels required for interstellar flight are so enormous that errant use could extinguish humanity – meaning that humanity must mature to where it responsibly wields such powers for the common good rather than against each other. Designing 'world ships’ (isolated, multi-generation colonies on a journey to new worlds) must address sustainable living both physically and socially. The far-future nature of this goal offers a more academic context to fully digest the facts and unknowns of human behavior to create a sustainable peaceful society with meaningful lives for all.

Alliance, Chaminade University (49, 205, 4002)

http://slurl.com/secondlife/CUH%20Alliance/49/205/4002

Announcement: UH Astronomy: "New Discoveries in the Solar System"

Our ancestors could see Solar system objects with their naked eyes. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn were the planets known in ancient times. In 1609 Galileo Galilei made the first recorded astronomical observations with a telescope. One year later he was the first person to observe Saturn’s rings. Uranus was discovery in 1781 and in 1977 Keck telescope in Hawaii observed rings around Uranus. Neptune was discovered in 1846 and in 1977 a telescope in Chile discovered that Neptune also has rings. Voyager 1 spacecraft found rings around Jupiter in 1979. Voyager 2 discovered more rings around Uranus and Neptune in the 80’s. In this talk we will talk about general proprieties of solar system objects including planets, comets and moons and a technique called stellar occultation that led the discovery for the first time of rings around an asteroid by a group of scientists that includes the speaker.

By: Dr. Marcelo Emilio

Friday, March 4th at 8:30 PM PST

Alliance, CUH Alliance (49, 205, 4002)

Announcement: "The Universe in 2016: A House of Cards?"

By:  Dr. Yuan M. Unson
Friday, Feb 5th at 8:30 PM PST
Institute for Astronomy - U. Hawaii Astronomy Amphitheater

The "Big Bang" model is a good description of the Universe.  In 2016, we know the value of the key parameters although we do not know what constitutes the majority of the matter and energy content of the Universe.

Measurements of the cosmic microwave background radiation as well as of type Ia supernova explosions indicate that the dynamics of the Universe is determined by some kind of "dark energy" which causes the expansion of the Universe to accelerate.

There are significant challenges to our understanding:  we do not know the nature of key components and there appears to be insufficient time for the evolution of the stars, galaxies and structures that we see.  While these might be just details to be worked out, it is instructive to remember that in 1900 Physics was considered a "complete and finished" science just before the Quantum revolution pulled out the rug from under the "Classical" description.

Alliance, Chaminade University, CUH Alliance (49, 205, 4002)

Press Release: "The Art & History of the Microscope"

University of Hawaii, Institute for Astronomy Presents:
"The Art and History of the Microscope"

By Gary Greenberg
Friday, June 26th at 9:30 PM PDT
Institute for Astronomy - U. Hawaii Astronomy Amphitheater: 

Web: http://ps1puka.ps1.ifa.hawaii.edu

In the year 1600, the existence of a microscopic world was utterly unimaginable.  A few years later, Robert Hooke published his famous book, "Micrographia: Or Some Physiological Descriptions of Minute Bodies made by Magnifying Glasses with Observations and Inquires Thereupon". This was the world’s first best seller, and it revealed for the first time the hidden world that exists beyond our everyday perception. Since its invention, visionaries have used microscopes to save lives and reduce human suffering. Today, microscopes can image individual molecules and atoms, and have spawned the burgeoning field of nanotechnology.

Alliance, Chaminade University (49, 205, 4002)

Press Release: University of Hawaii, Institute for Astronomy Presents: "Laser Ranging at Haleakala"

By Dan O'Gara
Friday, May 29th at 9:30 PM PDT
Institute for Astronomy - U. Hawaii Astronomy Amphitheater

The use of lasers (laser ranging, or LR) to make precise measurements to natural and artificial Earth satellites is of immense value to geodesy. Information on the movement of Earth's tectonic plates, its gravity field, and its orientation in its orbit can all be accomplished with high accuracy via LR. More recently, LR is being used to produce precise orbits of Earth-sensing satellites that monitor changes in Earth's climate. This talk is about the history and future of LR at Haleakalā Observatories, how LR measurements are used by scientists, and the instrumentation used to make the measurements.

Alliance, CUH Alliance (49, 205, 4002)

Press Release: "Life Around Our Active Star" by the University of Hawaii

University of Hawaii, Institute for Astronomy Presents:
"Life Around Our Active Star"

By Dr. Tom Schad
Friday, April 24th at 9:30 PM PDT
Institute for Astronomy - U. Hawaii Astronomy Amphitheater: 

Over the centuries, humanity has tuned its existence to Earth's seasons, created by our yearly travel around the Sun.  At the dawn of the Machine Age, however, the seasons of the Sun itself proved influential to our progressing world.  In this talk, we will explore the cycles of solar activity, and study the impact of these cycles throughout the heliosphere and on our modern society.  We will learn of the interplay of new and old methods for the study of solar epochs, and anticipate the great advances of the Senator Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) currently being built on Haleakala.

Alliance, Chaminade University (49, 205, 4002)

Press Release: "Fractal Nature of the Universe" Talk at UH Astronomy

UH Astronomy: "Fractal Nature of the Universe"

By Dr. Paul Coleman
Friday, Feb 20th at 8:30 PM PST
Institute for Astronomy - U. Hawaii Astronomy Amphitheater:  (49, 205, 4002)
Alliance, Chaminade University: CUH Alliance (58/206/25)


This talk will explore the Universe through the mathematical framework of fractal geometry.  We will also discuss some of the resistance to these ideas that the author has encountered in modern cosmology.

University of Hawaii Astronomy Amphitheater Presents "The Properties of Asteroids"

By Dr. JD Armstrong
Friday, May 23th at 9:30 PDT (SL Time)
Institute for Astronomy

It has been two centuries since the first asteroid was discovered.  We now know of about half a million asteroids.  But what are they?  Where did they come from?  Where are they going?  How do we know?

Astronomy Amphitheater:   Chaminade University (56/204/21)

Press Release: "Mid-Century Life on Mars" Talk at University of Hawaii

Wondering what life might be like for Mars settlers?

Join in on a talk on "Mid-Century Life on Mars" by science fiction author and regular Space.com journalist, Doug Turnbull. Second Life audience members can ask questions. The event will be live streamed to/from the University of Hawaii.

When: Friday April 11th, 2014. 9:30 PM PDT
Where: Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii
http://slurl.com/secondlife/UH Aquaculture Program/48/85/26

 
About the Talk:

Since the late 1800s, and the discovery of "canals" on Mars by astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli, science fiction and science fact have come together in a productive, though hotly debated, symbiotic relationship driving both curiosity and progress toward our understanding the Red Planet. Most recently, a similar fact versus fiction debate emerged in the news surrounding the lack of space science realism in the hit movie 'Gravity.' As a writer of 'hard science fiction,' Doug Turnbull has successfully balanced elements of astronomical fact and fiction in his novels, novellas, short fiction and science publications. During his interview by Alan Boyle, NBC News Science Editor, Boyle noted that science fact and science fiction are an "interesting intersection." Boyle compared Turnbull's more realistic approach to "the John Carter on Mars stories that Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote," saying that given the plentiful information provided to us by orbiters and survey robots like Spirit, Opportunity, and Curiosity, that "fanciful views of Mars...seem so old fashioned nowadays" as readers count on science facts to ensure the believeability of science fiction.

Doug's talk, 'Mid-Century Life on Mars' will be based on his Space.com Op Ed article that had over 40,000 readers and became the subject of great debate, with more than 230 specialist comments on LinkedIn groups like 'NASA,' 'National Space Society,' and 'Science, Technology & Innovation Policy.' His discussion will present a variety of real efforts currently underway designed to reach Mars, prepare astronauts for living on Mars, and speculate upon the challenges that will be faced by Mars astronauts. Throughout the talk he will explore--both fictionally through his characters and factually with completed and concurrent atmospheric, radiation, and geologic studies--the possibility of humans living on Mars by the mid-twenty-first century.

The Venus Transit Seen in Second Life

On Tuesday June 5th was a rare occurrence in space. For a brief time, Venus' orbit took it between the Earth and the Sun in what is called a Venus Transit. From Earth, it appeared to be a black spot against the Sun. For those whom couldn't see it in real life due to thick clouds or a lack of safe equipment, they could see live footage in some places in Second Life, such as the University of Hawaii.


For some hours, there was footage of the planet's shadow causing a black dot in the image from the sun. Not everyone saw it from screens inworld, as there were also websites with live footage that were shared through instant messages and group chats.

Interest in science was alive and well that night.

Astronomy Events at the University of Hawaii

"Searching for Earths" Univ Hawaii Astronomy Talk Series

"Seventeen years ago, astronomers wondered whether planets orbited other stars, perhaps inhabited by beings that were peering back at us. Now we know that exoplanets abound – but what are these other worlds like, and how does our own solar system stack up? Are there good prospects for finding habitable worlds?"

By: Dr. Debra Fischer
When: Monday, June 4 at 9:30 PM PDT
Where: UH Aquaculture Program (45, 83, 27)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Watch the Venus Transit Live (from Haleakala, Maui) June 5th, 2012, From 12 noon until 6:30 HST."
web: http://kopiko.ifa.hawaii.edu/videos/livestream.html
SecondLife: IFA Ampatheater, UH Aquaculture Program (45, 82, 25)