30 October 2012
A. Wood (NTU) introduced visitors to the concept of Space weather and how our Sun can affect our everyday life on Earth. He
illustrated this through current research and a travel report to the most northerly town in Europe.
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21 September 2012
D. Brown (NTU) talked about the Mars exploration carried out by rovers and especially the new curiosity rover.
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31 July 2012
A. Minnetti (NTU) and D. Brown (NTU) presented a special on the topic of the Olympics, illustrating how runners helped estimating
the size of Earth in ancient Greece.
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30 April 2012
A. Southwell (DDAS) and J. Hardstaff (Derby Museum and Art Gallery) presented their exhibition on “The Beauty of a Thousand
Stars” that included the amazing stellar atlas by the first astronomer royal, J. Flamsteed.
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30 March 2012
Aidan Shingler, the driving artist behind a new monument at Stoney Wood, Wirksworth, Derbyshire, talked about the inspiration
behind the creation of this 21st century stone circle and celestial amphitheatre called the StarDisc.
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28 February 2012
The Dark Sky representative of the Peak District National Park Authority J Tanner presented the citizen science project: Orion
Star Count. Visitors were introduced into how easy it can be to measure light pollution. He also presented last year's result
for the wider Peak District.
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31 January 2012
Visitors were able to hear about how much astronomers have progressed in their hunt for another Earth like planet from Dr
D Brown (NTU). He also spoke about how we search for planets and why we are so keen on finding another Earth.
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30 November 2011
This month our visitor Dr P James (Liverpool JMU) explained how you can get a Nobel Prize by analysing stars that go bang
and how that helps us understand more about the Universe.
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31 October 2011
Open dome visitors were given an introduction to the spooky electric blue noctilucent clouds at the outer edges of our atmosphere
by 'Count' Compton (NTU). This included possible theories for their creation and impressive images.
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28 September 2011
Dr D Brown (NTU) took this month's visitors into the past to experience ancient ideas and perceptions of astronomy. He also
presented recent findings of a 4,000 year old standing stone at Gardom's Edge that shows seasonal illumination effects.
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21 July 2011
Professor S Forsythe (NTU) shed light upon the debate around life forms based on Arsenic and the big NASA announcement upon
finding life as we didn't know it.
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27 June 2011
Students from The Long Eaton School together with their teacher H Flood introduced our visitors to the Hubble Space Telescope.
This included the history, engineering and science behind Hubble including how coloured images are created.
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25 May 2011
Open Dome visitors were able to explore the effects of light scattering on Earth and in space with the help of several table
top experiments and a talk by Dr D Fairhurst (NTU). The presentation elaborated on the physical background to these everyday
phenomena.
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15 April 2011
Dr D Brown (NTU) introduced this month's visitors to the Orion Nebula and the evidence of its variability throughout history.
They also heard about what makes this region glow in space.
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24 March 2011
This month visitors discovered how astronomers gain new insights into the Universe using innovative new telescopes such as
the Liverpool Telescope presented by Dr A Newsam (Liverpool JMU).
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28 February 2011
This month visitors explored the concept of Dark Matter and Dark Energy in a thought provoking talk by Dr H Liang (NTU). Participants
heard about how we managed to observe something that we can not really see and how this influences our Universe.
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28 January 2011
Dr Paul Roche (director of the Faulkes telescope at Cardiff) introduced the Faulkes telescopes as an easy way to observe remotely
from home. He also brought along real asteroids for our visitors, so we could get our hands on some real space rock.
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13 - 15 December 2010
Our Family Christmas Event welcomed NTU staff and their children to the observatory dome. The event looked at how: distant
objects appear smaller, our Sun is just another star, and most importantly to size up Santa's bag of presents.
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24 November 2010
John Tanner (Peak District - National Park Authority) talked about the outstanding night skies the Peak District has to offer
and how the National Park Authority is now looking to pursue Dark Sky Reserve status for these areas.
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21 October 2010
Dr Robin Turner (SST) presented a talk titled Black Holes and Revelations. His talk separated black hole theory from science
fiction, considered observational evidence and general relativity.
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28 September 2010
Dr Quentin Hanley (SST) presented a talk on Apollo 8: The Triumph of the Squares that described the background and development
of the Apollo mission. Given his father's involvement this talk gave our visitors a very personal insight into manned space
flight in the past, its future, and potential.
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9 August and 11 August 2010
Families of staff members explored the full Moon with its many dark and bright patches. They enjoyed some interactive story
telling, created their own Moon stories, and face mask to take home.
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16 July 2010
Hayley Flood, secondary school teacher at the Long Eaton School, presented a talk on The Truth about Antimatter in which she
covered its nature. The talk also addressed some interesting questions regarding Antimatter as the ultimate weapon or provider
of energy.
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24 June 2010
Students of the Astronomy and Physics Society set off in search of Northern Lights on a trip they described as one of the
greatest experiences of their lives. In the talk they shared their experience in Norway. Giving an overview of the aims, the
visit to Tromsø university and their photos from the Northern lights. They also talked about myths and creation of the Northern
lights.
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25 May 2010
We featured a talk titled: Astrophysics for Dummies presented by Dr Gary Wells (SST), an introduction to some of the concepts
used in physics to measure and quantify our universe. This talk was followed by a brief mention of Jupiter's missing band
and an upcoming comet visible to the naked eye.
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29 April 2010
This event looked at dust on many planets and moons in our solar system. Dr Neil Shirtcliffe (SST) introduced us to what awaits
us on our Moon and on Mars, with a talk; Dusty Solar System - Granular Material in Space. The talk targeted dust creation
and properties. The observable effects of dust and its influence on its surrounding were also featured.
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25 March 2010
This event was a collaboration with Nottingham Contemporary and their Star City exhibition. Associate Professor Rolf Hellebust
of the University of Nottingham gave an illustrated lecture on the history of Soviet space exploration as a symbol of utopian
desire. Starting from the pre-revolutionary period of communist cosmic utopianism, it covers proletarian poetry and science
fiction and the triumphs of the Soviet cosmonauts, together with the deconstruction of official mythology as the Soviet state
toppled.
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22 February 2010
February's Open Dome Event introduced the new legal field of Space Law and described the first real-life legal dispute concerning
a parking ticket for NASA. As usual, the event was concluded with a tour of the observatory, during which visitors had the
opportunity to observe the night sky using the NTU telescopes.
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25 January 2010
This event introduced the Hubble relation, a law used to measure distances to other galaxies, and the man who discovered it.
Following this was a tour of the optical observatory and opportunities to observe the night sky.
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14 December 2009
This Christmas Event welcomed NTU staff and their children (from the ages of 8 to 13 years) to the observatory dome. The event
looked at the possibility of life on other planets and encouraged the audience to create their own aliens whilst learning
about our Solar System.
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27 November 2009
2009 saw the 150th anniversary of Darwin's ground breaking book The Origin of Species, which was highly controversial at the
time. November's Open Dome Event demonstrated how astronomy could be used to support Darwin's theory. As usual, this event
was concluded by a tour of the optical observatory and opportunities to observe the night sky.
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22 October 2009
This event began with some interesting facts and fascinating tales of the Moon. Our guest speakers discussed Viking myths
and religions, lunar myths and the importance of the Moon to animals living in tidal situations.
The evening concluded with a tour of the NTU observatory.
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30 September 2009
September's Open Dome Event introduced Sirius, the dog star. The event began with a talk by Dr Daniel Brown entitled The Riddle of the Red Dog Star - Sirius, which looked at why this star is linked with summer and how ancient astronomers mistook it for a red star. Visitors also
attended the observatory dome and had opportunities to make observations using the NTU telescope.
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14 August 2009
This Holiday Open Dome Event introduced the 'Perseid Meteor Shower' and welcomed NTU staff and their children to take part
in a shooting star activity. Visitors were taken on a tour of the observatory, where they had opportunities to make some observations
using the NTU telescope.
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30 July 2009
This event focused on how the Sun influences the Earth's climate. Guests were invited to the optical observatory where they
had opportunities to safely view the Sun. Christophe Trabi then discussed the Sun's composition and cycle of activity, which
he compared to the low solar activity seen during the mini-ice age encountered by Western Europe at the end of the 17th century.
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30 June 2009
June's Open Dome Event began with a tour of the optical observatory, where guests had the opportunity to observe using the
solar scope. Following this was presentation delivered by Brian Heath, from Sherwood Observatory, who discussed meteors, meteoroids
and meteorites.
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28 May 2009
May's event welcomed our guest speaker, Tahir Ahmed from the Workers' Educational Association. Tahir presented a lecture on
Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity, using some simple real-life examples. The talk explored speed and time and considered
how, for objects moving at speeds close to the speed of light, time can slow down and speed up.
This event included a tour of the NTU observatory, where guests were given the opportunity to observe using the 20 inch telescope.
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28 April 2009
Mrs Tina Sherwood and four Year 7 students from Meden School and Technology College presented some initial work towards their
Astronomy Summer School. This presentation was delivered at JENAM 2009, which is a national astronomy meeting for the UK.
The event included a tour of the night sky from the NTU observatory.
This event was covered by a Newsround Press Pack report and interview. Further information about the European Week of Astronomy and Space Science can also be found at Astronomy Now.
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23 March 2009
This event began with a presentation that discussed celestial mechanics, including the figure 8 path that the midday Sun performs
in the sky, called 'anallema'. Talks were followed by a brief introduction to interesting objects visible in the night sky.
Following this, the audience were invited on a tour of the optical observatory where visitors had the chance to observe the
sky using the observatory's 20 inch telescope, small telescopes, and binoculars.
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24 February 2009
February's event focussed on the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). The CMB is used to investigate how our Universe may have
been created. The presentation was followed by a brief introduction of what was visible in the night sky.
Members of the audience were invited to the NTU observatory where they were able to observe interesting objects in the mid-winter
sky using the 20 inch telescope, small telescopes, and binoculars.
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30 January 2009
This event began with a discussion about the chances of life elsewhere in the Universe. Presentations focused on exo-planets
and whether they are astrophysically capable of supporting life. Following this, there was a look at the biological requirements
for life and how it can be searched for in the Universe. Talks were followed by a brief introduction to the mid-winter night
sky, during which visitors had the chance to use the observatory's 20 inch telescope, small telescopes, and binoculars.
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17 December 2008
This session provided an opportunity for members of staff to bring their children along to the NTU observatory. There were
introductions to stellar constellations and the stories associated with them. Youngsters were able to create their own stellar
constellations and meteor craters, which they compared to real craters on the Moon.
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27 November 2008
The focus of November's event was the Cassini mission, an exciting space mission to Saturn.
The evening began with a talk by Prof. Carl Murray, entitled 'The View from Saturn: Images from the Cassini Spacecraft'. The
presentation reviewed some scientific highlights from the Cassini imaging experiment, with particular emphasis on Saturn's
ring system.
Following this, the audience were invited on a tour of the observatory and were able to use the 20 inch telescope, small telescopes
and binoculars, to view interesting objects in the night sky.
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31 October 2008
This event focused on the amazing way that many animals, including harbour seals, are able to embark long journeys by using
the stars to navigate. Presentations explained how their survival is often dependant upon innate navigational skills and looked
at some of the mechanisms used.
This was followed with a tour of the observatory, during which, guests had the opportunity to view interesting objects in
the night sky with the observatory's 20 inch telescope, small telescopes, and binoculars.
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30 September 2008
With the return of the darker nights, members of the public were again able to explore the night sky from the NTU observatory.
The event began with a talk presented by Dr. Daniel Brown entitled, 'Observatories without Telescopes - The Horizon Observatory and Giant Sundial on the Halde Hoheward, Germany'. During the first part of this event, visitors were introduced to the development of a state-of-the-art science park, including
an 8 metre giant sundial and a 90 metre diameter horizon observatory. This was followed with a tour of the observatory, during
which, guests had the opportunity to view interesting objects in the night sky with the observatory's 20 inch telescope, small
telescopes, and binoculars.
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1 September 2008
This event saw the last opportunity this year to view the Sun from the NTU observatory. The event began with a talk given
by Dr. Daniel Brown entitled 'Our Sun, the peaceful star', which introduced our closest stellar neighbour and explained how active our Sun can be. The talk was followed by a brief
description of interesting objects visible in the darkening summer night sky. The event was concluded with a tour of the observatory
with opportunities to observe the Sun using the solar scope and small telescopes.
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1 August 2008
July's Open Dome Event was postponed to coincide with the partial solar eclipse that was visible from the UK. The event began
with a tour of the observatory where interested visitors were able to follow the eclipse using small telescopes and the solar
scope. Following the eclipse, members of the audience were able to watch a live feed observing the total solar eclipse that
was seen in China. This event also included presentations given by Dr. Dan Brown and Dr. Haida Liang that explained solar
eclipses in more detail and how these are experienced in different cultures around the world.
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30 June 2008
The Open Dome Event held in June observed the 100th anniversary of the Tunguska event, - the largest and most recent meteor
impact on Earth. The audience were invited to attend a talk delivered by our ex Pro-Vice Chancellor Prof. Emeritus T. Palmer,
entitled ‘Tunguska 100: the NEO threat'. Following this, the audience were taken on a tour of the observatory and were able to observe the Sun using the solar scope.
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28 May 2008
The Open Dome Event held in May, offered members of the audience the opportunity to view the Sun using the solar scope. This
was followed by a talk entitled 'Carrots, your eyes and seeing in the dark', and a description of interesting objects visible in the sky at the moment.
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30 April 2008
April's Open Dome Event commenced with a talk, delivered by Dr. Dan Brown's, on our current knowledge of the planet Mercury
and explained some results from the recent space probe, Mercury Messenger. It was followed by a brief description of interesting
objects visible, maybe even with the telescope, at the time. This was followed by a tour of the observatory.
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27 March 2008
In March, the tour of the observatory was preceded by a talk given by Dr. Haida Liang, entitled 'A Short History of Gravitational Lensing'. This introduction explained the effects gravitation has on the light we see from distant objects such as galaxies at the
‘edge' of our universe. Following this was a brief description of interesting objects visible at the time.
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20 February 2008
The Open Dome Event in February focused on the current lunar eclipse. The event began with an introduction explaining the
science behind a lunar eclipse and other moon related topics. Following this was a tour of the observatory and the night sky
using the 20 inch telescope.
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