Anandian Astronomical Association

Thank you !!

2010-01-18T07:52:00.001-08:00

It is with great pleasure that we inform you that Star Party 2009 | The
Largest IYA 2009 project of Sri Lanka concluded successfully, on the 26th
of September 2009.  The 12-hour event was attended by as many as 600
attendees together with the students.

We also featured the live streaming with ustream.tv and we had following
statistics for the full show.

First Start Time: 10:01am on Sep 24, 2009
Last End Time: 7:07pm on Sep 25, 2009
Total Broadcast Time: 12 hours, 56 minutes
Viewer Hours: 52 hours, 18 minutes
Unique Viewers: 88
Total Viewers: 225
Average Number of Viewers: 4

Although Sri Lanka is a small island we believe in the fact that we could
contribute to the general theme “The Universe, Yours to
Discover” with the
success of Star Party 2009, in terms of national contribution.
Here are the final results of Star Party 2009
Champions: De Mazenod College, Kandana
Runners-up: Sangamitta College, Galle

Special Awards

Award for Theoretical Round & Spot Test : Dharmaraja College, Kandy
Award for Solar & Observation Astronomy : Royal College, Colombo
Award for Constellation & Deep Sky Observation: Sangamitta College, Galle
Award for  Moon Mapping : De Mazenod College, Kandana
Award for Planetary Observation : De Mazenod College, Kandana

We would like to thank you for your support rendered in getting necessary
publicity over the internet and other appropriate sources.  If it had not
been your corporation we would probably not have received such an exposure
and a viewership like this. Thus the organizers for of the Star Party 2009
Anandian Astronomical Association, of Ananda College and Astronomical
Society of Mahamaya Girls’ College, Kandy would be obliged for all the
support granted.

Thanking You,
Sincerely,

J D Prasanna Deshapriya
(International Co-ordination)
Star Party 2009 Team

Additional resources are available at:

http://www.starparty2009.com/
http://iya2009sl.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=124941&id=597140918&page=8
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/2225545
http://www.skylk.com/index.php?option=com_phocagallery&view=category&id=11%3Astarparty2009&Itemid=36〈=en

Interschool Observation Competition & Workshop 2009 | Largest IYA 2009 Project of Sri Lanka by AAA & ASMGC

2010-01-18T07:49:00.000-08:00

A grand celebration, phenomenal sidereal endeavor, 12-hour premium experience of all time….

Since the early footprints of civilization, astronomy proved to be the blueprint of all the sciences.
The prime etiquette of stargazing was the passion that our ancestry shared. Driven by the curiosity and evolving mind, our forefathers were path-finding through the unknown access towards the beauty of dark sky, which is considered a noble virtue today.

Thus all those things resulted in 2009 being named the international year of astronomy. A new era of astronomy is now surely in progress with the IYA 2009 coming into the effect with the approval of the global community as well. Therefore many countries have contributed to the IYA 2009 by numerous means with both collective and individual efforts. We are glad to step into the arena with Sri Lankan identity, featuring STAR PARTY 2009. In fact this Observation Competition will be the major focus of IYA 2009 endeavors of Sri Lanka. On the 25th of September 2009, STAR PARTY 2009 is scheduled to take place at the grounds of University of Peradeniya.

The elite passion of stargazing will continue on the very day from 6.00 pm onwards, lasting for almost 12 hours. Students from different parts of the island will have a scope on Observation Astronomy and will compete to be crowned as champions depending on how they utilize the talent they possess. Star Party 2009 will also be a resource center for the amateurs seeking the quencher for their taste on Astronomy. The workshop conducted in affiliation with the Observation Competition, will share the knowledge and will be delivered by accredited professionals.

Furthermore it’s worth referring to the Anandian Astronomical Association, of Ananda College and Astronomical Society of Mahamaya Girls’ College, Kandy for the commitment and innovativeness; they have taken up when it comes to organizing such a massive event. This will be the 6th occasion they organize Star Party, starting from initial appearance in 2004, where the latter was the primordial Observation Competition held in South Asia. Hence, there will be lot of cherished memories to recall, while marching towards the 6th successive milestone.

Be there, to eye-witness STAR PARTY 2009 The Rendezvous of Celestial Surveillance

Sir A C Clarke @ Anandian Astronomical Association

2009-04-02T21:58:00.001-07:00

Here are some unpublished images that are revealed, portraying images of SF writer, Scientist, Sri Lankan citizen Late Sir Arthur C Clarke. He graced the Sir Arthur C Clarke Challenge Trophy - An Interschool Astronomy Quiz Competition, Organized by us in previous years.

Sir Clarke entering the Olcott Library of Ananda College, as the chief guest to "Sir Arthur C Clarke Challenge Trophy" Interschool Astronomy Quiz Competition.
Sir Clarke lights the traditional oil-lamp to mark the official beginning of the quiz. The deputy principals od Ananda College, late Mr.Rohana Ponnamperuma and Mr.Dhammika Ranathungage, the MAster incharge of AAA are also present here.

Invitation

2009-04-01T22:39:00.000-07:00

Anandian Astronomical Association,
Ananda College,
Colombo 10.
06. 12. 2006

The Principal,
……………………………………,
……………………………………,

Dear Sir / Madam,

STAR PARTY 2007 - OBSERVATION COMPETITION

The Anandian Astronomical Association is one of the leading school based Astronomy society in Sri Lanka. We have been organizing the SIR ARTHUR C. CLARKE CHALLENGE TROPHY for six consecutive years, which has gained its reputation as the best school based astronomy quiz competition in Sri Lanka. Through this event our ambition of making Astronomy a more popular science in Sri Lanka has become a reality in the last few years.
Another main objective of our club is to make observational astronomy more popular among students. As a mile stone of our quest we have been organizing the “Star Party” the FIRST and ONLY observation competition in SOUTH ASIA as a combine effort with MAHAMAYA Girls College Kandy.
This prestigious event will be organized for the fourth time on the 9th February from 6.00 pm to 6.00 am next morning at the PERADENIYE UNIVERSITY GROUND with the participation of many leading school astronomy societies.
We cordially invite ……………………………………………………… to be a part of this event.
Thank you,
Yours sincerely,

……………… ………………
President Secretary

………………
Teacher in charge

………………
Principal
(Mr. B.A. Abeyrathna)

DETAILED PROGRAMME OF STAR PARTY 2007

2009-04-01T22:32:00.000-07:00

1600 h	Primary checking by: Jayan, Ruwanga and Kshithijaya Verify the auditorium, gym, ground and decorations. Sounds, projector & screen readied @ auditorium. Report to concerned.
1645 h	Secondary and final checking by: Jayan, Ruwanga and Kshithijaya Verify auditorium and fully scrutinized, Stage finalized. Announcers readied, blazers readied Registration desk documented. Educated ushers / usherettes dressed smart and sent off. Souvenir, file, archives readied.
1700 h	Registration begins Arrival of the chief guest.
1800 h	Opening ceremony kicks off. Lighting oil lamp. School anthems lined up. Graphics in order.
1805 h	School anthems played. Principals informed.
1810 h	Addresses by Principals
1817 h	Main Graphic CG informed
1820 h	Chief guest’s address Teachers informed
1830 h	Speeches of teachers-in-charge
1840 h	Speeches of Presidents Welcome drink served
1845 h	Introduction to the competition by Chief judge/Quizmaster Souvenir, file, archives distributed by Jayan and Ruwanga. Closing of opening ceremony.
1855 h	Summoning teams, allocation of telescopes and Directing teams towards observation premises (Ground) Separating those arrived for workshop.
1920 h	Lunar Observation & workshop begins. AAA members in scrutiny. Organizers transferring the stuff to gym. Auditorium cleared, laborer satisfied.
2045 h	Collection of observation reports, gym readied. checking by: Jayan, Ruwanga and Kshithijaya End of the first round, call a halt to Workshop.
2100 h	Dinner @ gymnasium (interval), sponsor clip lined up and played. AAA members in charge of telescopes : headed by Eranga Presentation of sponsors and stalls in progress. Chief guest, invitees, judging panel and quizmasters given supper.
2200 h	Both workshop and competition participants back to grounds. Deep sky 1 Saturn observation ( Nescafé & cups readied and arranged ) AAA members in scrutiny & workshop in progress. ( Nescafé 1^st session served by Mahamayians )
2315 h	Deep sky 2 Jupiter observation AAA members in scrutiny & workshop in progress. Gym readied, projectors and screens readied, sounds readied, stereo quality mikes readied, judges’ room readied, announcers readied, checking by: Jayan, Ruwanga and Kshithijaya Report to concerned. Singing equipments readied. Romesh & others informed.
24^th Feb 2007 0015 h	Everybody back to gym with telescopes and entertainments begin. ( judges @ evaluation ) Mahamaya song played. Romesh clip lined up.
0030 h	Romesh items played. Audience applauded.
0100 h	Next Mahamaya song played.
0115 h	Invited school demonstration, if any. ( Nescafé 2^nd session served by Mahamayians inside the gym premises ) Lecture slides lined up, film exacts lined up, projectors, screens, Lecture notes readied, double-checked by Hashan and Asela Reported to concerned
0130 h	An interactive lecture delivered on Observation by an invitee. Audience involvement guaranteed. Ground readied for workshop checked by Miyuru, Ruwanga and Eranga. Quiz documents & archives readied, quizmasters consulted by Jayan, Kshithijaya and Asela.
0230 h	Workshop continues outside the gym, Chief quizmaster educates the quiz teams. Quiz begins
0345 h	Quiz finished and off to the ground with telescopes Deep sky 3 Starry skies Inform the schools about star chat thing & get nominees. Sounds, music checked by Ruwanga, Kshithijaya and Asela & report concerned.
0515 h	Competition officially concluded workshop ended. Gathering back @ gym with telescopes. ( Nescafé 3^rd session served by Mahamayians) Jayan, Ruwanga, Kshithijaya, Hashan assisting judges in evaluation. Certificates written as marks by Jayan, Ruwanga, Kshithijaya, Hashan Supervision by Osura ayya.
0530 h	Star chat : interviewing presidents and volunteers Discuss on common interest. Jayan/Sumudu informed of vote of thanks
0600 h	Awarding ceremony & certification Read out of the marks by chief judge. Vote of thanks by Jayan/Sumudu Trophy presented to champions with gift vouchers.(national anthem lined up)
0630 h	Conclusion : national anthem
BATH OVER	BATH OVER

Co-sponsorship

2009-04-01T22:30:00.000-07:00

In accordance with fulfilling monetary requirements of “STAR PARTY 2007”,
the organizing committee has decided to seek the assistance and cooperation of a co-sponsor. The co-sponsorship will be Rs.25, 000/=. Therefore we would be extremely grateful if your establishment or authority could grant us the relevant co-sponsorship, enabling us to accompany “STAR PARTY 2007” to its climax. As the co-sponsor you are entitled to following benefits.

• Displaying banners at P. W. Vithanage Lecture theater of Department of Geology of University of Peradeniya, University grounds and Gymnasium premises.

• Screening digital, video, stereo, and moving advertisements at P. W. Vithanage Lecture theater of Department of Geology of University of Peradeniya, University grounds and Gymnasium premises.

• Distribution of leaflets, and brochures to all the participants and beholders.

• Displaying your firm’s products/services in a stall, arranged beside to the Gymnasium.

We would be obliged if your immediate priority could be applied on this matter.
Meanwhile we wish your esteemed establishment all the success and anticipate that you will be joining us on improving and enlightening Sri Lankan astronomy in the long run as well.

ANANDIAN ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION
ANANDA COLLEGE
COLOMBO 10
SRI LANKA

Principal Sponsorship

2009-04-01T22:29:00.000-07:00

In accordance with fulfilling monetary requirements of “STAR PARTY 2007”,
the organizing committee has decided to seek the assistance and cooperation of a principal sponsor. The principal sponsorship will be Rs.50, 000/=. Therefore we would be extremely grateful if your establishment or authority could grant us the relevant principal sponsorship, enabling us to accompany “STAR PARTY 2007” to its climax. As the principal sponsor you are entitled to following benefits.

• Screening digital, video, stereo, and moving advertisements and displaying banners at P. W. Vithanage Lecture theater of Department of Geology of University of Peradeniya , University grounds and Gymnasium premises

• Distribution of CDs/DVDs, leaflets, files and brochures to all the participants and beholders.

• Displaying your firm’s products/services in a stall, arranged beside to the Gymnasium.

• Printing your logo/trademark on quizzical archives and documents.

• Conductibility of commercial awareness programmes regarding your firm during the interval (dinner break) upon a pre-negotiated scenario.

We would be obliged if your immediate priority could be applied on this matter.
Meanwhile we wish your esteemed establishment all the success and anticipate that you will be joining us on improving and enlightening Sri Lankan astronomy in the long run as well.

ANANDIAN ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION
ANANDA COLLEGE
COLOMBO 10
SRI LANKA

FUTURE AMBITIONS

2009-04-01T22:27:00.000-07:00

• To be internationally recognized as an association for the enhancement of Astronomy. Generally implementing projects in SOUTH ASIAN region.

• To launch a magazine for the betterment and improvement of Astronomical awareness.

• Implementation of affiliated projects along with NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), ESA (European Space Agency) JAXA (Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency) and Planetary Society.

• Carrying out “STAR PARTY” inter-school observation camp as an integral and annual event of the Astronomy Calendar.

• Continuing “SIR ARTHUR C. CLARKE CHALLENGE TROPHY” inter-school astronomy quiz competition, annually.

• Weekly conduction of lectures series for the members.

• Organizing occasional night camps to cover the prevailing celestial and extraterrestrial objects.

ANANDIAN ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION
ANANDA COLLEGE
COLOMBO 10
SRI LANKA

Rules and Regulations of STAR PARTY 2007

2009-04-01T22:25:00.000-07:00

• All the participants should be currently attending school.

• All the participants should be present at the Peradeniya university ground on or before 5.00 pm 23rd February 2007 and should bring clothes for warming and a red light.

• Every participating team should contain a maximum of 5 participants and two teams can only represent a school.

• Every group participating should have a telescope with minimum aperture of 2 inches maximum aperture of 8 inches.

• If you do not have a telescope, still you have a chance to participate. Please be kind enough to inform us before 15th of February 2007.

• If you have more than one telescope we would be pleased if you give it to a brother or a sister school during the competition. If so, please be kind enough to inform us since there are many schools without telescopes.

• The aperture of your telescope does not affect the final result of this competition, since the judging panel judges your skill and the quality of your work according to the telescope aperture you use, not on the size or the prize of equipments or apparatus you use.

• We will have a session of moon mapping and we will proceed under the assumption, that you are aware of all the standard methods of moon mapping and how to make an observation report.

• In this competition we will evaluate your ability of Practical Astronomy, Observational Skills, Deep-sky Observation, Constellation Observation, Lunar Observation and Planetary Observation.

• On all issues regarding the observation competition, the unanimous opinion of the judging panel, inclusive of accredited astronomical personnel, will be the ultimate decision.

• In the event of security, each participating school should be accompanied by a teacher, plus a parent with each girl school.

• AAA will take entire responsibility regarding your personal security and your equipment as long as you obey the rules and regulations, imposed for STAR PARTY 2007.

• For furthermore information please contact

Prasanna Deshapriya 011-2606275
071-6202262
Jayan Karunarathna 011-2572940
077-5036650

WHAT STAR PARTY IS

2009-04-01T22:23:00.000-07:00

As the name hints Star Party is a starry celebration or a stellar night.
It’s an event every stargazer is willing forward to participate at. Organized by Anandian Astronomical Association of ANANDA COLLEGE, COLOMBO along with Astronomical Association of MAHAMAYA COLLEGE, KANDY as an affiliated project, Star Party generally focuses on Observational Astronomy, rather than other equivalents of the field.

When taken as a whole, there are sessions of deep-sky observation, lunar observation plus a quizzical experience for anyone participating in. Of course dinner and snacks are supplied and arrangements can be made to have an entertainment, when necessary. Therefore Star Party can be employed as an assembly and alliance filled with intellectual comprehension and spiritual enjoyment.

How to take part is like this, each school can submit two teams, each inclusive of not more than five members, upon the approval of teacher-in-charge or chargé d’affaires, before the deadline, notified to each school.

Telescopes, Binoculars and other related equipments are supplied by the past members of the Anandian Astronomical Association and accredited personnel, who are always guiding us towards the right path.

Be there to eyewitness “STAR PARTY 2007” observation competition under the theme “Enigma Continues, Scrutinizing Purified Cosmos”. For the forth consecutive year this extravagant event will be held on 23rd February, 2007 from 6.00 pm to 6.00 am next morning at the PERADENIYA UNIVERSITY GROUNDS with the participation of many students of leading schools and accredited professionals of Sri Lanka.

ANANDIAN ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION
ANANDA COLLEGE
COLOMBO 10
SRI LANKA

OUR ACHIEVEMENTS

2009-04-01T22:21:00.000-07:00

From the day our association was officially launched, we have been achieving many victories. Our deserved triumphs portray the potential and expertise, we are equipped with, to grant to the enhancement and pacification of Sri Lankan astronomy.

• All-island inter-school astronomy quiz competition organized by Nalanda College.

2000 – 1st place
2001 – 1st place
2005 – 3rd place

• All-island inter-school astronomy quiz competition organized by Dharmaraja College.

2004 – 1st place
2005 – 1st place
2006 - 2nd place

• All-island inter-school astronomy quiz competition organized by Visakha Vidyalaya.

2002 – 1st place
2003 – 3rd place
2006 - 2nd place

• All-island inter-school astronomy quiz competition organized by Maliyadeva boy’s school, Kurunegala.

2004 – 1st place
2005 - 1st place

• All-island inter-school astronomy quiz competition organized by Isipathana College.

2001 – 1st place
2002 – 2nd place

• All-island inter-school astronomy quiz competition organized by Thakshila Vidyalaya, Horana.

2004 – 2nd place
2005 – 2nd place

• All-island inter-school astronomy quiz competition organized by Mahamaya Girl’s School, Kandy.

2002 – 1st place
2003 – 3rd place

• All-island inter-school astronomy quiz competition organized by
St. Paul’s Girls school Milagiriya.

2001 – 1st place
2002 – 2nd place

• All-island inter-school astronomy quiz competition organized by Sangamitta College, Galle.

2004 – 2nd place
2006 – 3rd place

• All-island inter-school astronomy quiz competition organized by Ananda Balika Vidyalaya.

2004 – 3rd place
2005 – 3rd place
2006 – 3rd place

• All-island inter-school astronomy quiz competition organized by De Mazanod College, Kandana.

2005 – 1st place

• All-island inter-school astronomy quiz competition organized by Mahanama College.

2006 – 1st place

• All-island inter-school astronomy quiz competition organized by Southland Girl School, Galle.

2005 – 1st place

• All-island inter-school astronomy quiz competition organized by Wesley College.

2005 – 2nd place

• All-island inter-school astronomy quiz competition organized by St. Peter’s College.

2005 – 2nd place

Therefore, we don’t hesitate to proclaim that our association has become one of the leading astronomical associations of Sri Lanka.

ANANDIAN ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION
ANANDA COLLEGE
COLOMBO 10
SRI LANKA

WHAT ANANDIAN ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION IS

2009-04-01T22:20:00.000-07:00

Since its official launch in 1998, our association has successfully contributed many events, and has rendered many great endeavors not only to Alma Mater of Ananda, but also to the whole nation, making the field of Astronomy more and more popular in Sri Lanka. Thus from its inception, Anandian Astronomical Association has become one of the few leading Astronomical Associations in Sri Lanka.

We are proud to mention that we were the pioneers at school-based astronomy by organizing the “SIR ARTHUR C. CLARKE CHALLENGE TROPHY” Interschool Astronomy Quiz Competition, initiating in year 2001. Thus we have been continuing this episode integrally and annually in order to promote and enlighten Sri Lankan Astronomy. In year 2006, when we marked the 6th anniversary of the quiz on 27th of November under the theme “Astronomical Expropriation of Exquisite Explication”, we were capable of expanding our aura beyond possible limits. Hence our attempt to etch Interschool Astronomy Quiz Competition a major event in the astronomy calendar of Sri Lanka has been feasible along with the participation of a great many school students and accredited personnel.

Therefore, we deserve being proud as a school astronomical association for, we are regularly and weekly continuing a series of lectures for improvement of astronomical intellectual of our members as well.

Anandian Astronomical Association is famous for organizing OBSERVATION CAMPS which many schools have been reluctant to implement because of the outstanding organizing ability needed. We are proud to note that we have organized two camps named OBSERVATION CAMP 2003 and THE MARS APPROACHES OBSERVATION CAMP, which were memorable nights to all the amateur participants and veterans as well. We are glad to highlight that THE MARS APPROACHES OBSERVATION CAMP was able to capture a lifetime experience, Martian approach, occurring once a 40,000 years, thus being extremely productive to all the stargazers, took part.

And it is with great gratification that we recall the memories of “STAR PARTY” to be internationally recognized as the school-based pioneers of Observational Competition in South Asia as embarked in 2004. STAR PARTY observation competition has become another event in our calendar with a difference, as it is an affiliated project with The Astronomy Club of Mahamaya Girls School Kandy. Last year this was held on the 02nd of March at Peradeniya University Grounds with a large amount of circulation of schools, island-wide and was a grand success. The venue was same ever since the 2004 unveiling, providing the ideal surrounding and evident nature.

This is more than enough to show our perfection of the ANANDIAN ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION. Our Association, which created its reputation, its own path, and its own destiny as genuine Anandians do, has always been outstanding and excelling. Both our superiority and excellence has never been challenged nor matched.

Our next step is “STAR PARTY 2007” observation competition under the theme “Enigma Continues, Scrutinizing Purified Cosmos”. For the forth consecutive year this extravagant event will be held on 23rd February, 2007 from 6.00 pm to 6.00 am next morning at the PERADENIYA UNIVERSITY GROUNDS with the participation of many students of leading schools and accredited professionals of Sri Lanka.

ANANDIAN ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION,
ANANDA COLLEGE,
COLOMBO 10,
SRI LANKA.

Sponsorship of Planetary Society

2009-04-01T22:18:00.000-07:00

The Head,
Monetary Allocations,
PLANETARY SOCIETY

J.D.Prasanna Deshapriya,
The President,
Anandian Astronomical Association (AAA),
Ananda College,
Colombo 10,
SRI LANKA.
24th January 24, 2007

Dear Sir / Madam,

SPONSORSHIP FOR STAR PARTY 2007 - OBSERVATION COMPETITION

The Anandian Astronomical Association is one of the leading school based Astronomy society in Sri Lanka. We have been organizing the SIR ARTHUR C. CLARKE CHALLENGE TROPHY for six consecutive years, which has gained its reputation as the best school based astronomy quiz competition in Sri Lanka. Through this event our ambition of making Astronomy a more popular science in Sri Lanka has become a reality in the last few years.

Another main objective of our club is to make observational astronomy more popular among students. As a mile stone of our quest we have been organizing the “Star Party” the FIRST and ONLY observation competition in SOUTH ASIA as a combine effort with MAHAMAYA Girls College Kandy since 2004 for three succeeded years.

This prestigious event will be organized as an affiliated project with Astronomical Association of Mahamaya Girls’ School, KANDY for the fourth time on the 23rd February from 6.00 pm to 6.00 am next morning at the PERADENIYA UNIVERSITY GROUND, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, SRILANKA with the participation of many leading school astronomy societies of SRILANKA and accredited personnel.

Therefore we’d be glad if you could contribute to our monetary requirements to make this glorious event a grand success. In accordance with this the Organizing Committee of STAR PARTY 2007 has decided to seek the assistance of sponsors at the event. The corresponding sponsorships are negotiable and we envisage that your generous cooperation will be granted to us.

We shall be obliged if you could grant paramount interest on this matter.

Wishing your esteemed establishment all the success,
Yours sincerely,

J.D.Prasanna Deshapriya
THE PRESIDENT,
Anandian Astronomical Association (AAA),

Sponsorship of JAXA

2009-04-01T22:17:00.001-07:00

The Head,
Monetary Allocations,
Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

J.D.Prasanna Deshapriya,
The President,
Anandian Astronomical Association (AAA),
Ananda College,
Colombo 10,
SRI LANKA.
24th January 24, 2007

Dear Sir / Madam,

SPONSORSHIP FOR STAR PARTY 2007 - OBSERVATION COMPETITION

The Anandian Astronomical Association is one of the leading school based Astronomy society in Sri Lanka. We have been organizing the SIR ARTHUR C. CLARKE CHALLENGE TROPHY for six consecutive years, which has gained its reputation as the best school based astronomy quiz competition in Sri Lanka. Through this event our ambition of making Astronomy a more popular science in Sri Lanka has become a reality in the last few years.

Another main objective of our club is to make observational astronomy more popular among students. As a mile stone of our quest we have been organizing the “Star Party” the FIRST and ONLY observation competition in SOUTH ASIA as a combine effort with MAHAMAYA Girls College Kandy since 2004 for three succeeded years.

This prestigious event will be organized as an affiliated project with Astronomical Association of Mahamaya Girls’ School, KANDY for the fourth time on the 23rd February from 6.00 pm to 6.00 am next morning at the PERADENIYA UNIVERSITY GROUND, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, SRILANKA with the participation of many leading school astronomy societies of SRILANKA and accredited personnel.

Therefore we’d be glad if you could contribute to our monetary requirements to make this glorious event a grand success. In accordance with this the Organizing Committee of STAR PARTY 2007 has decided to seek the assistance of sponsors at the event. The corresponding sponsorships are negotiable and we envisage that your generous cooperation will be granted to us.

We shall be obliged if you could grant paramount interest on this matter.

Wishing your esteemed establishment all the success,
Yours sincerely,

J.D.Prasanna Deshapriya
THE PRESIDENT,
Anandian Astronomical Association (AAA),

Sponsorship of NASA

2009-04-01T22:14:00.000-07:00

The Head,
Monetary Allocations,
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

J.D.Prasanna Deshapriya,
The President,
Anandian Astronomical Association (AAA),
Ananda College,
Colombo 10,
SRI LANKA.
24th January 24, 2007

Dear Sir / Madam,

SPONSORSHIP FOR STAR PARTY 2007 - OBSERVATION COMPETITION

The Anandian Astronomical Association is one of the leading school based Astronomy society in Sri Lanka. We have been organizing the SIR ARTHUR C. CLARKE CHALLENGE TROPHY for six consecutive years, which has gained its reputation as the best school based astronomy quiz competition in Sri Lanka. Through this event our ambition of making Astronomy a more popular science in Sri Lanka has become a reality in the last few years.

Another main objective of our club is to make observational astronomy more popular among students. As a mile stone of our quest we have been organizing the “Star Party” the FIRST and ONLY observation competition in SOUTH ASIA as a combine effort with MAHAMAYA Girls College Kandy since 2004 for three succeeded years.

This prestigious event will be organized as an affiliated project with Astronomical Association of Mahamaya Girls’ School, KANDY for the fourth time on the 23rd February from 6.00 pm to 6.00 am next morning at the PERADENIYA UNIVERSITY GROUND, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, SRILANKA with the participation of many leading school astronomy societies of SRILANKA and accredited personnel.

Therefore we’d be glad if you could contribute to our monetary requirements to make this glorious event a grand success. In accordance with this the Organizing Committee of STAR PARTY 2007 has decided to seek the assistance of sponsors at the event. The corresponding sponsorships are negotiable and we envisage that your generous cooperation will be granted to us.

We shall be obliged if you could grant paramount interest on this matter.

Wishing your esteemed establishment all the success,
Yours sincerely,

J.D.Prasanna Deshapriya
THE PRESIDENT,
Anandian Astronomical Association (AAA),

Star Party: Archives Unveiled 1

2009-04-01T22:10:00.000-07:00

The Head,
Monetary Allocations,
European Space Agency (ESA)

J.D.Prasanna Deshapriya,
The President,
Anandian Astronomical Association (AAA),
Ananda College,
Colombo 10,
SRI LANKA.
24th January 24, 2007

Dear Sir / Madam,

SPONSORSHIP FOR STAR PARTY 2007 - OBSERVATION COMPETITION

The Anandian Astronomical Association is one of the leading school based Astronomy society in Sri Lanka. We have been organizing the SIR ARTHUR C. CLARKE CHALLENGE TROPHY for six consecutive years, which has gained its reputation as the best school based astronomy quiz competition in Sri Lanka. Through this event our ambition of making Astronomy a more popular science in Sri Lanka has become a reality in the last few years.

Another main objective of our club is to make observational astronomy more popular among students. As a mile stone of our quest we have been organizing the “Star Party” the FIRST and ONLY observation competition in SOUTH ASIA as a combine effort with MAHAMAYA Girls College Kandy since 2004 for three succeeded years.

This prestigious event will be organized as an affiliated project with Astronomical Association of Mahamaya Girls’ School, KANDY for the fourth time on the 23rd February from 6.00 pm to 6.00 am next morning at the PERADENIYA UNIVERSITY GROUND, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, SRILANKA with the participation of many leading school astronomy societies of SRILANKA and accredited personnel.

Therefore we’d be glad if you could contribute to our monetary requirements to make this glorious event a grand success. In accordance with this the Organizing Committee of STAR PARTY 2007 has decided to seek the assistance of sponsors at the event. The corresponding sponsorships are negotiable and we envisage that your generous cooperation will be granted to us.

We shall be obliged if you could grant paramount interest on this matter.

Wishing your esteemed establishment all the success,
Yours sincerely,

J.D.Prasanna Deshapriya
THE PRESIDENT,
Anandian Astronomical Association (AAA),

Solar Eclipse 2009

2008-12-20T17:12:00.000-08:00

Partial Solar Eclipse of 2009 January 26 in Sri Lanka
From 2:03 PM to 4:12 PM in Colombo

http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/OH/OH2009.html#2009Jan26A

Annular Solar Eclipse of January 26

The first solar eclipse of 2009 occurs at the Moon's ascending node
in western Capricornus. An annular eclipse will be visible from a
wide track that traverses the Indian Ocean and western Indonesia. A
partial eclipse will be seen within the much larger path of the
Moon's penumbral shadow, which includes the southern third of
Africa, Madagascar, Australia except Tasmania, southeast India,
Southeast Asia and Indonesia.

http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/OH/OHfigures/OH2009-Fig01.pdf
The annular path begins in the South Atlantic at 06:06 UT when the
Moon's antumbral shadow meets Earth and forms a 363 kilometre wide
corridor. Traveling eastward, the shadow quickly sweeps south of the
African continent, missing it by approximately 900 kilometres.
Slowly curving to the northeast the path crosses the southern Indian
Ocean. Greatest eclipse takes place at 07:58:39 UT when the eclipse
magnitude will reach 0.9282. At this instant, the annular duration
is 7 minutes 54 seconds, the path width is 280 kilometres and the
Sun is 73° above the flat horizon formed by the open ocean. The
central track continues northeast where it finally encounters land
in the form of the Cocos Islands and onward to southern Sumatra and
western Java. At 09:40 UT, the central line duration is 6 minutes 18
seconds and the Sun's altitude at 25°. In its final minutes, the
antumbral shadow cuts across central Borneo and clips the
northwestern edge of Celebes before ending just short of Mindanao,
Philippines at 09:52 UT. During a 3 hour 46 minute trajectory across
our planet, the Moon's antumbra travels approximately 14,500
kilometres and covers 0.9% of Earth's surface area.

Partial phases of the eclipse are visible primarily from southern
Africa, Australia, Southeast Asia and Indonesia. Local circumstances
for a number of cities are listed in Table 2. All times are given in
Universal Time. The Sun's altitude and azimuth, the eclipse
magnitude and obscuration are all given at the instant of maximum
eclipse.

This is the 50th eclipse of Saros 131. The family began with an
unusually long series of 22 partial eclipses starting on 1125 Aug
01. The first central eclipse was total in the Northern Hemisphere
on 1522 Mar 27. It was followed by 5 more total eclipses before the
series produce 5 hybrid eclipses from 1630 to 1702. The first
annular eclipse of Saros 131 occurred on 1720 Aug 04. The series
will produce 29 more annular eclipses the last of which is 2243 Jun
18. Saros 131 terminates on 2369 Sep 02 after a string of 7 partial
eclipses. Complete details for 70 eclipses in the series may be
found at:

http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEsaros/SEsaros131.html

------------------------------

----------------------------

http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/OH/OHtables/OH2009-Tab02.pdf

Table 2 - Local Circumstances for the Partial Solar Eclipse
of 2009 January 26 in Sri Lanka
Eclipse Max. Eclipse Sun Sun Eclip. Eclip. Annular
Location Begins Eclipse Ends Alt Azm Mag. Obs. Duration
UT h m h m h m °

Colombo 08:33 09:42 10:42 41 238 0.285 0.171

Local 14:03 15:12 16:12
Time+5:30

Tribute : Waiting for the Ultimate Call

2008-12-16T17:36:00.000-08:00

By Nalaka Gunawardene⋅November, 2008 ⋅

Sir arthur c clarke: A true believer all his life. He ardently wished for a sign. That had nothing to do with religion...it concerned life elsewhere in the cosmos

By Nalaka Gunawardene

SIR ARTHUR C CLARKE, whose 91st birth anniversary falls on December 16, was a true believer all his life. He ardently wished for a sign from the heavens which, alas, he never received up to his death on March 19. No, this had nothing to do with religion, a notion Clarke publicly dismissed as a dangerous ‘mind virus’. Rather, it concerned life elsewhere in the cosmos — an idea that always fascinated him, and on which he wrote many stimulating stories and essays.

It wasn’t surprising, then, that this topped the three ‘last wishes’ Clarke mentioned in a short video released in December 2007, on the eve of his 90th birthday.

“I would like to see some evidence of extra-terrestrial life,” Clarke said wistfully in what turned out to be his farewell message to the world. “I have always believed that we are not alone in the universe. But we are still waiting for ETs to call us – or give us some kind of a sign.”

He added: “We have no way of guessing when this might happen –- I hope sooner rather than later!”

That ultimate ‘call’ never arrived in time for Clarke. And we have no way of telling which of his wishes would materialise first (the other two being adopting clean energy sources worldwide, and achieving peace in Sri Lanka, where he lived for over half a century).

When it came to ETs, or extra-terrestrials, Clarke had a good idea of the probabilities of a positive result in his own lifetime. He knew how it had eluded at least four generations of seekers, including the inventor of radio telegraph itself.

Accepting the Marconi Prize and Fellowship in 1982, Clarke recalled how Guglielmo Marconi had been interested in this prospect. He quoted from a letter he (Clarke) had written to the editor of the BBC’s weekly magazine, The Listener, in February 1939: “…On other planets of other stars there must be consciousness; on them there must be beings with minds…some far more developed than our own. Wireless messages from such remote conscious beings must be possible.”

The letter ended as follows: “The only time I met Marconi, he told me of his search for such messages. So far, we have failed to find them.”

Absence of evidence

After a century of radio and 60 years since its inventor’s death, such proof has yet to be found. However, as Carl Sagan –- possibly the best known proponent of the subject — was fond of saying, the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.

Clarke himself was widely attributed as saying: “Sometimes I think we’re alone in the universe, and sometimes I think we’re not. In either case the idea is quite staggering.”

Clarke not only wrote and talked passionately about the subject for decades, but also supported — in cash and kind — various groups engaged in the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence, or SETI.

In 1993, when the US Congress abruptly terminated government funding for NASA’s SETI programme (a scientific bargain at US$ 12 million per year), Clarke joined three dozen top astronomers and science fiction writers from all over the world who urged President Bill Clinton to restore it. Sadly, that call went unheeded –- raising once again a question Clarke had often asked: is there any intelligent life in Washington?

Determined astronomers sustained SETI as a private scientific enterprise sustained by private and philanthropic donations. Clarke lent his name and credentials to these efforts, while also donating personal funds to some groups.

Clarke himself was widely attributed as saying: “Sometimes I think we’re alone in the universe, and sometimes I think we’re not. In either case the idea is quite staggering.”

“SETI is the most important quest of our time, and it amazes me that governments and corporations are not supporting it sufficiently,” he once said in a letter supporting public donations to the SETI@Home project at the University of California, Berkeley.

When Steven Spielberg, director of ET: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), donated US$ 100,000 for SETI efforts, Clarke applauded it saying, “It seems only appropriate that Steven… should put his money where his mouth is”.

He welcomed ET’s box office success, as it departed from the Hollywood tradition of depicting aliens as malevolent. By showing a highly intelligent being as both benign and vulnerable, the movie stretched the public’s imagination to consider other possibilities. Not all aliens would arrive here to take over our world – or to serve humanity, medium rare…

But Clarke realised how the vastness of space would make interstellar travel difficult and infrequent. It was more likely that signals (not spaceships) from advanced alien civilisations would roam the universe at the speed of light.

Clarke completely poohpoohed popular claims that assorted space ships of odd sizes and shapes were regularly visiting our planet (the so-called UFOs). His stock answer to all such reports was: “They tell us absolutely nothing about intelligence elsewhere in the universe, but they do prove how rare it is on Earth.”

But he did not rule out the possibility that such alien visits might have happened during our planet’s long history. Indeed, that was the premise of his 1948 short story ‘The Sentinel’, about a cosmic ‘fire alarm’ buried on the Moon by advanced beings who came this way a million years ago. That concept was later expanded into the movie, 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Where do we fit in?

In that iconic movie and elsewhere, Clarke always explored the philosophical implications of SETI –- and its eventual success. It should be the concern of every thinking person, he said, “because it deals with one of the most fundamental questions that can possibly be asked: what is the status of Homo sapiens in the cosmic pecking order?”

Clarke believed the detection of intelligent life beyond the Earth would forever change our outlook on the Universe. “At the very least, it would prove that intelligence does have some survival value –- a reassurance that is well worth having after a session with the late night news.”

Clarke speculated that ETs may be continuously broadcasting an easily decoded “Encyclopaedia Galactica” for the benefit of their less advanced neighbours. “It may contain answers to almost all the questions our philosophers and scientists have been asking for centuries, and solutions to many of the practical problems that beset mankind.”

He was sometimes ambivalent about the value of such an influx of new knowledge, noting that even the most well intentioned contacts between cultures at different levels of development can have disastrous results – especially for the less advanced ones. He recalled how a tribal chief once remarked, when confronted with the marvels of modern technology: ‘You have stolen our dreams’.

But Arthur C Clarke, the perennial optimist continued: “I believe that the promise of SETI is far greater than its perils. It represents the highest possible form of exploration. And when we cease to explore, we’ll cease to be human.”

Clarke’s interest in ETs remained undiminished to the very end. The topic featured even in his last media interview, given from his hospital bed to IEEE Spectrum online magazine in January 2008. Responding to a question he’d been asked hundreds of times before, he said: “I’m sure the ETs are all over the place. I’m surprised and disappointed they haven’t come here already… Maybe they are waiting for the right moment to come.”

He then added, with a chuckle: “And I hope they are not hungry!”

Archimedes Rejuvanates

2008-12-13T17:52:00.000-08:00

Archimedes and the 2000-year-old computer"Antikythera mechanism"

MARCELLUS and his men blockaded Syracuse, in Sicily, for two years. The Roman general expected to conquer the Greek city state easily, but the ingenious siege towers and catapults designed by Archimedes helped to keep his troops at bay.

Then, in 212 BC, the Syracusans neglected their defences during a festival to the goddess Artemis, and the Romans finally breached the city walls. Marcellus wanted Archimedes alive, but it wasn't to be. According to ancient historians, Archimedes was killed in the chaos; by one account a soldier ran him through with a sword as he was in the middle of a mathematical proof.

One of Archimedes's creations was saved, though. The general took back to Rome a mechanical bronze sphere that showed the motions of the sun, moon and planets as seen from Earth.

The sphere stayed in Marcellus's family for generations, until the Roman author Cicero saw it in the first century BC. "The invention of Archimedes deserves special admiration because he had thought out a way to represent accurately by a single device for turning the globe those various and divergent movements with their different rates of speed," he wrote. "The moon was always as many revolutions behind the sun on the bronze contrivance as would agree with the number of days it was behind it in the sky."

Until recently, historians paid scant attention to this story: the description suggests a sophisticated mechanical device, beyond anything the ancient Greeks were thought to have been capable of. Furthermore, Cicero had no technical training, and did not explain how the device worked. He could have made the story up for effect.

Now, however, research on the battered remains of a mysterious ancient device suggests that Cicero was telling the truth. While the Antikythera mechanism is not the same one seen by Cicero - it was not made until a century later - it proves that clockwork mechanisms like the one he described really did exist, and that ancient Greek technology was far more advanced than thought. Freshly deciphered inscriptions on its dials also hint at the origins of this technology.

The device was discovered more than a century ago by sponge divers from the Aegean island of Symi. In 1900, after a gale blew them off course, they took shelter by a barren islet called Antikythera. When the storm abated, they went diving. Instead of sponges, the divers found a large heap of bronze and marble statues. They had happened upon an ancient shipwreck.

The Greek government immediately hired the men to salvage the wreck. It was dangerous work: during the 10-month expedition one of the men died and two were paralysed as a result of the bends. But they brought back incredible treasures: bronze and marble statues, jewellery, glassware and furniture, including an ornate bronze throne.

In all the excitement, nobody noticed a corroded lump of rock dumped in a crate in the courtyard of the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. That changed a few months later when it cracked open, revealing traces of gearwheels, precisely marked circular scales and inscriptions in ancient Greek.

The lump cracked open, revealing traces of gearwheels

The battered artefact became known as the "Antikythera mechanism", and it caused excitement and consternation. Until then, not one gearwheel, pointer or scale had been found from antiquity. Nor have any been found since; the Antikythera mechanism remains unique.

Some scholars thought it was a hoax, others that it had come from a modern ship that sank on the ancient wreck site by chance. The only clues to its purpose were a reference to the signs of the zodiac - used for astronomy as well as astrology - and the word "Pachon", which was a month name used by the ancient Greeks. As the years passed, the mechanism sank into obscurity. With no answers, historians of technology tended to mention it as an afterthought, if at all.

In recent decades, however, a series of researchers have dedicated large parts of their lives to studying the mechanism. From their combined efforts, including X-raying its internal workings, we at last have a fairly complete picture of what the Antikythera mechanism did. It turns out that it was a hand-wound clockwork device used to calculate the motions of the sun, moon and planets as seen from Earth, as well as to predict solar and lunar eclipses (see "How it worked").

The complexity of the design, and the fact that it incorporated state-of-the-art astronomical knowledge, suggest that the maker cared a great deal about the accuracy of the mechanism. So where did it come from, and what was it used for?

Long-lost loot

Studies of the Antikythera wreck and the cargo it carried suggest the ship set sail in around 65 BC, heading west from Asia Minor. It was a Roman ship, carrying looted Greek treasures back to Rome. At this time, the fearless young general Pompey was sweeping his way through Asia Minor, so the ship could have belonged to him.

The presence of supply jars from Rhodes suggests the vessel stopped off at the island shortly before sinking. The astronomer Hipparchus, whose theories are embodied in the mechanism's gearwork, worked on Rhodes just a few decades before, leading some scholars to suggest that the Antikythera mechanism was made on the island.

Cicero also visited Rhodes around this time. In fact, he wrote about a second bronze model of the heavens "recently constructed by our friend Posidonius, which at each revolution reproduces the same motions of the sun, the moon and the five planets that take place in the heavens each day and night". Posidonius was a philosopher with a school on Rhodes in the first century BC, just at the time the Antikythera ship sailed.

General Pompey admired the teachings of Posidonius, and several times stopped off to see him. Perhaps Posidonius gave the mechanism to Pompey as a gift.

But there is a twist in the tale. Researchers including Alexander Jones of the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World in New York and John Steele of Durham University, UK, are still deciphering the mechanism's inscriptions. They recently discovered that the month names used on the Antikythera mechanism are from a local calendar used only in western Greece (Nature, vol 454, p 614).

One of the main contenders for the origin of the calendar is the powerful city state of Syracuse, founded by Greek settlers, hinting that the mechanism was made by - or for - someone there. This is puzzling because the ship was sailing west towards Sicily on its way to Rome before it sank (see map). It is possible that the mechanism was made on Rhodes for a wealthy owner in Syracuse. However, the inscriptions on the device date it to around 150 to 100 BC, suggesting that it was already a few decades old when the ship sank. It now seems more likely that it was originally made in Syracuse then taken east - to show off to the scholars on Rhodes, perhaps, or simply because its owner moved there. Later, the Romans put it on a ship heading back west.

The most intriguing thing about the latest finding, however, is that Syracuse was Archimedes's home city. He lived a century before the Antikythera mechanism was made, so he could not have created this particular device. But the link to Syracuse, plus Cicero's description of Archimedes's model, hint that he could have been the original inventor of this type of gadget, with the Antikythera mechanism part of a technological tradition that he started.

We know from ancient texts that Archimedes pioneered the use of gearwheels to achieve different force ratios - to lift weights, for example. And one of the few biographical details we know about him is that his father was an astronomer. So it wouldn't be completely unexpected if he had the idea of using his gearwheels to model the motions of the heavens. Tantalisingly, one of his lost treatises was entitled "On sphere-making".

The theory of epicycles was very new when Archimedes lived, if it existed at all, and astronomers had no way to model the elliptical orbits of the moon and sun. So his original design might have been relatively simple, perhaps a schematic model showing the sun, moon and planets rotating around the Earth at various but constant speeds. Later, other craftsmen could have built on this, coming up with more sophisticated gearwork to incorporate the latest astronomical knowledge - including that of Hipparchus - as it became available, with the designs being shipped across the Greek world. Hipparchus is chiefly known for his insistence on what now seems obvious to us: that astronomical theories should accurately match observations. Perhaps he or his work influenced a switch from a schematic spherical model to a mathematical calculator that displayed the precise timing of celestial events on flat dials.

Modelling the heavens with geared devices ran alongside a parallel tradition of modelling living creatures such as people, animals and birds. These did not use gearwheels, but were instead powered by steam, hot air and water. This seems to have started with the engineer Ctesibius in Alexandria in the third century BC, who specialised in water clocks incorporating automated figures. Archimedes worked with Ctesibius in Alexandria before he moved to Syracuse, so perhaps the seeds of both traditions - modelling planets and living creatures - were sown there.

The engineer Hero, working in the first century AD, continued their work. He built many automated figures, as well as inventing a steam engine, a vending machine that dispensed holy water, a wind-operated organ and a geared device for lifting heavy weights.

Historians have often scoffed at the Greeks for wasting their technology on toys rather than doing anything useful with it. If they had the steam engine, why not use it to do work? If they had clockwork, why not build clocks? Many centuries later, such technology led to the industrial revolution in Europe, ushering in our automated modern world. Why did it not do the same for the Greeks?

The answer has a lot to do with what the Greeks would have regarded as useful. Models of people and animals, like those of the cosmos, affirmed their idea of a divine order. Gadgets like Hero's were also used to demonstrate basic physical laws in pneumatics and hydraulics.

It has been suggested, for example, that Hero built his steam engine, in which steam escaping from nozzles in a metal sphere caused the sphere to spin, to disprove Aristotle's argument that movement could only be generated by pushing on something "unmoved and resisting" - the Prime Mover. Despite Hero's demonstration, Christians later adapted Aristotle's argument as proof that their God exists.

Rather than being toys, devices like the Antikythera mechanism were seen as a route to understanding and demonstrating the nature of the universe - a way to get closer to the true meaning of things. To what better use could technology be put?

For more information, visit Decoding the Heavens

The players...

CTESIBIUS OF ALEXANDRIA
c. 285 - 222 BCGreek inventor and mathematician. His water clocks showed the movements of the sun and were adorned with whistling birds, moving puppets and ringing bells.
ARCHIMEDES OF SYRACUSE
287 - 212 BCEngineer and mathematical genius. He built war machines and invented calculus, but probably did not run about naked shouting "Eureka!" after a bath-time brainwave.
MARCUS CLAUDIUS MARCELLUS
c. 268 - 208 BCRoman general and conqueror of Syracuse. Was very upset that his men had killed Archimedes, and he ensured that the mathematician was buried in a suitably grand tomb.
HIPPARCHUS OF RHODES
c. 190 - 120 BCA leading astronomer of the ancient world. He compiled the first star catalogue, developed trigonometry and discovered the precession of the constellations through the sky.
POSIDONIUS OF RHODES
135 - 51 BCOne of the most revered philosophers of ancient Greece, and Rhodes's ambassador to Rome. He subscribed to the Stoic view that the cosmos is a single organism.
MARCUS TULLIUS CICERO
106 - 43 BCA high-flying Roman lawyer, politician and author, who loved Greek philosophy. He clashed with Pompey and Julius Caesar, and was killed by Mark Anthony's men.
GNAEUS POMPEIUS MAGNUS (POMPEY)
106 - 48 BCBold general and rival of Julius Caesar, Pompey was one of the most important men of the Roman Republic. In the 60s BC his armies swept through Asia Minor.
HERO OF ALEXANDRIA
c. 10 - 75 ADGreek geometer and inventor. He invented many devices including a steam engine. He specialised in automated figures driven by air, steam and water.

How it worked

The Antikythera mechanism was enclosed in a wooden box and driven by a handle on the side. As the user turned the handle, they could wind backwards or forwards in time to see the positions of heavenly bodies at any chosen moment.On the front of the box was a large bronze dial on which revolving pointers showed the relative position in the sky of the sun, moon and probably the five known planets, along with the date. A rotating black-and-white ball displayed the phase of the moon. Around the dial were inscriptions detailing the risings and settings of the stars at different times of the year.On the back (see diagram) were two spiral dials, each with an extendable pointer। Once the pointer reached the end of a spiral, it could be lifted by hand and reset to the beginning - a bit like the stylus on a record player. The top dial showed a repeating 19-year calendar used to track the motions of the sun and moon. This timescale was chosen because 235 lunar months fit almost exactly into 19 solar years. The bottom dial was used to predict eclipses, and showed the 223 months of an 18-year cycle over which eclipse patterns repeat. Inscriptions marked the months in which to expect a lunar or solar eclipse, as well as its exact time and duration.Incredibly, all of this was achieved by intermeshing bronze gearwheels, which multiplied the speed of rotation by precise mathematical ratios depending on the number of teeth on each wheel. Turning the handle drove a "mean sun", or date pointer, which revolved around the sky once per year. Three pairs of gearwheels then multiplied that speed of rotation by 235/19, to calculate the mean motion of the moon.Beyond that, things got more complicated. For example, the moon's speed as seen from Earth is not constant. The moon has an elliptical orbit, so it is sometimes closer to us (when it moves faster) and sometimes further away (when it slows down). The alignment of this ellipse rotates around Earth about once every 9 years. The idea of an ellipse would have been blasphemy to the ancient Greeks - they were convinced that celestial orbits, which they saw as divine, involved only perfect circles.Wheels within WheelsInstead, in the second century BC the astronomer Hipparchus came up with a theory to account for the moon's varying speed by superimposing one circular motion onto another with a different centre. The gears inside the Antikythera mechanism precisely model this theory. One gearwheel sits on top of another, but on a slightly different axis. A pin sticks up from the bottom wheel into a slot in the wheel above. As the bottom wheel turns it drives the top wheel round, but because the two wheels have different centres, the pin slides back and forth in the slot. This causes the speed of the top wheel to vary, even though the speed of the bottom wheel is constant.This pin-and-slot mechanism was carried around on a much larger turntable, with one rotation equalling 9 years, to model the shifting axis of the moon's orbit. This combined motion was then superimposed onto the mean speed of the lunar pointer, so that it matched the speed of the actual moon.The gearing for the sun and planets is lost, but the Antikythera mechanism almost certainly modelled these too. The planets' motions appear particularly erratic to us because they orbit the sun and not Earth. The Greeks accounted for this by superimposing small epicycles onto larger circular orbits. There is evidence that the Antikythera mechanism calculated these using what is still known today as epicyclic (or "planetary") gearing - small wheels riding around on bigger wheels.

http://brightcove.newscientist.com/services/link/bcpid1873822884/bctid4455141001

Vote of thanks

2008-12-09T10:32:00.000-08:00

Thank you very much for your support in participation of lectures and do contribute in future events of the IYA 2009 as well

Emeritus Professor J.V. Narlikar's itenerary on SL

2008-11-30T19:35:00.000-08:00

SRI LANKA ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE
Committee For Popularization Of Science

Public Lecture

FACTS AND SPECULATIONS IN COSMOLOGY

Emeritus Professor J.V. Narlikar

Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics
Ganeshkhind, Post Bag 4, Pune - 411 007, INDIA

Date : Wednesday 3rd December 2008

Time : 4.00 p.m. onwards

Venue : Prof.V.K. Samaranayake Auditorium
University of Colombo School of Computing (UCSC)

All Are Welcome

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

**********************************
POSTGRADUATE INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE (PGIS)
University of Peradeniya

LECTURE/discussion

Facts and Speculations in Cosmology

Professor Jayant Narlikar

Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics
Ganeshkhind, Pune, INDIA

Friday, 5th December 2008 2.00 p.m.

PGIS AUDITORIUM (opposite the university cricket grounds)

ALL ARE WELCOME
****************************************************************

Facts and Speculations in Cosmology

This talk will discuss the present state of cosmology, the subject
dealing with the studies of the origin, evolution and end of the
universe in the large. In ancient times the thinkers had detailed
and complex notions about the cosmos but those were speculations
with no basis in real facts. With the progress of observational
astronomy, our understanding about larger and larger parts of the
universe grew and speculations gave place to more facts and science
based ideas. Modern cosmology is around a century old and it took
shape around Einstein's general relativity and the data on galaxies
from Edwin Hubble and his coworkers. Thus the concept of the
expanding universe was born. We will describe the successes of this
concept which have led cosmologists in modern times to be bolder and
apply their equations to find what the universe was like soon after
the big bang. It will be argued that despite the claimed results of
this approach, it is highly speculative and in many respects
unscientific.

----------------------------------------------------------
University of Moratuwa

LECTURE/discussion

WHY STUDY ASTRONOMY?

Professor Jayant Narlikar

Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics
Ganeshkhind, Pune, INDIA

Thursdy, 4th December 2008 11.00 a.m.

Electronic & Telecomunication Engineering
Seminar Hall 1 ENTC-1

ALL ARE WELCOME

WHY STUDY ASTRONOMY?

It is often argued that astronomy deals with remote and esoteric
objects like stars and galaxies very very far away and so its
studies are irrelevant to mankind. In this lecture it is shown that
this is not the case. For example, the present day achievements of
communications technology are largely based on satellite
communication, which is based on Newton's law of gravitation. Newton
could derive his law because he had Kepler's laws of planetary
motion as the base data. Kepler obtained these laws by observing
planets over many years and analysing their motions. In short it was
astronomy that really started the revolution that we today identify
with IT. Other examples are given and finally it is shown that it
is astronomical survey of all solar system objects like meteors,
asteroids, etc. being carried out today that will alert us to any
possible collisions of such objects with the Earth.

NAM 08 concluded a success

2008-11-29T07:11:00.000-08:00

National Astronomical Meeting 2008 concluded successfully at 6.00 pm on 29th of November 2008 at the auditorium of SLAAS. The followings were proposed to be carried out as the Sri Lankan equivalent of IYA 2009 worldwide activities.

A virtual network of School-based Astronomical Associations

Launch of a website for the functionality of IYA-09 based SL activities

Implementing a 100 hour observation session throughout the island from 02nd to 5th April 2009 in accordance with its international counterpart

Special workshop for school teachers in March

An advanced observation campaign, focusing the partial solar eclipse

Robortification of a telescope, enabling it to be remote-controlled via internet

Rocket launching competition

Subtitling Carl Sagen's "Cosmos" series to Sinhalese to be telecast in National TV in 2009

Below-mentioned school Astonomical Associations were represented by their repective school students at the NAM 08. Names of the Schools are as follows.

1. Ananda College, Colombo 10
2. Royal College, Colombo 07
3. Visaka Vidyalaya, Colombo 07
4. Isipathana College, Colombo 07
5. Southlands Girls College, Galle
6. De Mazanod College, Kandana
7. Girls High School, Mt. Lavinia

Present Invitees

Prof. Kavan Ratnatunga         AALK/IAU

Mr. Thilina heenatigala        AALK

Fr Mervyn Fernando             Subodhi Institute

Mr. Tharaka Gamage             Journalist - Rivira

Mr. Yohan Ferreira             AALK

Prof. Michael Snowden          IAU

The professional New Zealand astronomer Prof. Michael Snowden delivered a special lecture on "Observational Astronomy" as well.

A A A

2008-11-26T22:16:00.001-08:00

WELCOME TO
ANANDIAN ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION

NAM 2008

2008-11-26T22:12:00.000-08:00

International Year of As 2009 and School based Astronomy”

Introduction

The National Astronomy Meeting 2008 is being hosted and organized by Sri Lanka Astronomical Association.

We look forward to welcoming the astronomy, space science and planetary science communities to NAM2008 at the auditorium of Sri Lanka Association of Advancement of Science. The NAM08 will focus on “Sri Lanka’s views on International Year of Astronomy 2009 and school based astronomy education”.

Date: 29th Saturday, November 2008

Time: 2:00pm – 6:00pm

Venue: Auditorium of Sri Lanka Association of Advancement of Science, Colombo

Program

What is IYA2009/Sri Lanka involvement in IYA 2009

Planned programs for IYA2009

Network of school astronomical societies

Discussion: School involvement

Lecture - by Prof. Michael Snowden (Professional Astronomer)

Press

SRI LANKA ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION PRESS INFORMATION NOTE
Date: 20 November 2008 For Immediate Release
Ref.: 2008-01

Issued by:

Sri Lanka Astronomical Association

Mr. Thilina Heenatigala.
Mob: +94 (0) 716 245 545
thilina_atn(AT)yahoo(DOT)com

website

NATIONAL ASTRONOMY MEETING 2008
DATE: 29th November, 2008
VENUE: Auditorium of Sri Lanka Association for Advancement of Science (SLAAS)
TIME: 02:00pm onwards

1ST MEDIA ANNOUNCEMENT

Nearly 100 students with few professional scientists and astronomers will gather for the first National Astronomy Meeting (NAM 2008), which is hosted and organized by Sri Lanka Astronomical Association, on 29th November at 2:00pm onwards.

The NAM 2008 “International Year of Astronomy 2009 and School based Astronomy” will focus on International Year of Astronomy (IYA) 2009 which is a global celebration of astronomy and its contributions to society and culture, highlighted by the 400th anniversary of the first use of an astronomical telescope by Galileo Galilei. The aim of the Year is to stimulate worldwide interest, especially among young people, in astronomy and science under the central theme "The Universe, Yours to Discover".

The NAM 2008 will brief the Sri Lanka involvement in IYA2009, scheduled programs for 2009, possible program and will discuss school based astronomy.

One of the highlights of the NAM08 is the launch of the “Network of School Astronomical Societies” which is a virtual network where all the school astronomical societies will gather together to enhance the interaction between schools.

The NAM 2008 will follow by lecture from a professional astronomer.

A full and up to date schedule of these and other events can be found on the official website at NAM 2008

Media representatives are cordially invited to attend the meeting.

FURTHER INFORMATION
NAM 2008
Sri Lanka Astronomical Association
International Year of Astronomy2009 - Sri Lanka
International Year of Astronomy2009

NOTES FOR EDITORS

The Ceylon Astronomical Association which was founded in June 1959, (later known as Sri Lanka Astronomical Association) and now revived as the Astronomical Association of Lanka (AALK) is a not-for-profit association founded by Sir Arthur C. Clarke and late Herschel Gunawardene.

It is for the purpose of pursuing the study of astronomy and promoting the education of astronomy and related sciences. The revived Association’s goals would include usage of internet to carry research on astronomy and related sciences among university students and others.

Contacts

For general enquiries please contact:

Mr. Thilina Heenatigala.

Mobile: +94 (0) 716 245 455

Email:thilina_atn(AT)yahoo(DOT)com

Links

Sri Lanka Astronomical Association
International Year of Astronomy2009 - Sri Lanka
International Year of Astronomy 2009
National Astronomy Meeting 2008
International Astronomical Union
International Year of Astronomy2009

Buying & Purchasing a Telescope

2008-11-06T18:23:00.000-08:00


Nikon 3-9x40 ProStaff w/BDC Reticle Riflescope $159.95 For 2006 Nikon has announced a new reticle designed to be used in conjunction with its popular laser rangefinders to provide hunters with an easy-to-use system for determining proper long-range shot placement on animals.	Gerber Rivermate with Sheath $22.00 When you need a knife quickly, you need it to have some traction. The new Rivermate� is compact, lightweight and has an improved non-slip grip, even when wet. A formed sheath secures knife to your PFD in both directions, right or left handed. The titanium coated blade is rust resistant and has a full tang construction for extra strength.	Coronado Instruments SolarMax 90 Telescope w/BF30 $6,999.00 The SolarMax 90 is the largest H-A telescope ever to be mass-produced and is in use around the world from private observatories to professional research facilities. Noted for incredibly sharp, �contrasty� H-Alpha views, and stunning detail. Even when viewing with a single eyepiece the sun appears fully animated revealing hints of curvature, this effect is enhanced when used with bino-viewers.	Alpen 12x50 Apex Binoculars $337.00 ALPEN Apex binoculars define the best in optics quality, featuring superb workmanship and the latest optics technology. Including fully multi-coated BAK4 glass, PXA� phase coating and HR� metallic coating, Apex binoculars allow clearer viewing in bright and dim light and in the wettest conditions.


ScopeGuard Case for Takahashi TOA-130 $399.00 ScopeGuard cases are designed with the safety of your telescope in mind. Our cases are built for telescope users, by telescope users. ScopeGuard cases are constructed from the best available materials and to the highest standards.	Bushnell 2.5-16x42 Elite 6500 Fine Multi-X Matte Riflescope $595.00 The Elite 6500 Series contains the world's most versatile riflescope, featuring a 6.5x magnification range, the widest in the industry.	Nikon 12X32 Team REALTREE StabilEyes VR Stabilized Binoculars $849.95 Nikon's StabilEyes 12X32 is an image-stabilizing, roof-prism binocular designed specifically to give hunters, outdoor enthusiasts and law enforcement personnel an ultra-steady view, no matter what the conditions.	Bogen 700RC2, 190MFV View Kit w/Carbon Fiber Tripod $328.00 New supports from Bogen for bird watching and sport optics! The family of tripods, called VIEW, are designed to withstand the most extreme environments and provide years of trouble-free support.


Astro-Physics 15x70 Premium Astronomical Binoculars $385.00 These binoculars feature high-tech multi-coatings on all lens and prism surfaces for highest possible light transmission and image contrast.	Vixen R130Sf Newtonian OTA $249.00 This lightweight 5" reflector is a favorite of many new astronomers because it features remarkable light gathering with sharp images for its price and size.	Borg 1.25" Nosepiece for Nikon Fieldscope Eyepieces $43.00 Borg 1.25" nosepiece adapter for Nikon Fieldscope eyepieces.	Vixen VC200L Catadioptric $1,699.00 The VC 200L is an 8" f/9.0 highly corrected, highly specialized telescope for astro imaging. With its elaborate aspherical optical design it achieves an excellent image correction throughout the large illuminated field.

Phoenix perishes

2008-11-06T18:19:00.000-08:00

NASA's Phoenix continues to weaken

The lander is slowly running out of power.

Provided by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory

This illustration shows NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander on the Red Planet. NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona [View Larger Image]

November 5, 2008

Information received during the weekend indicates NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander is running out of power each afternoon or evening but reawakening after its solar arrays catch morning sunlight. Since October 30, Phoenix communicated with controllers daily through relays to Mars orbiters.

The fraction of Sun above the horizon is declining every day at the martian arctic landing site. Plus, dust raised by a storm last week continues to block some of the sunshine.

"This is exactly the scenario we expected for the mission's final phase, though the dust storm brought it a couple weeks sooner than we had hoped," said Phoenix Project Manager Barry Goldstein of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, California. "We will be trying to gain some additional science during however many days we have left. Any day could be our last."

Mission engineers at JPL and at Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, are attempting this week to upload commands to be stored in the lander's flash memory for science activities to be conducted when the lander wakes up each day.

"Weather observations are our top priority now," said Phoenix Principal Investigator Peter Smith. "If there's enough energy, we will try to get readings from the conductivity probe that has been inserted into the soil, and possibly some images to assess frost buildup."

Phoenix landed on Mars May 25. It accomplished its main science goals during the 3 months originally planned as its prime mission, then continued operating, now in its sixth month.

NASA Space Settlement Contest

2008-11-05T09:21:00.000-08:00

NASA Space Settlement Contest.

Contest prizes and certificates:

All participants will receive a certificate. All submissions must be received by March 31, 2009.
The best submission wins the grand prize, consisting of the space colony submission being placed on the NASA Ames World Wide Web site.
All contest participants are invited to attend the NSS 28th annual International Space Development Conference in Orlando, Florida, May 7-10, 2009. Special activities for contestants are planned, including:
- A reception for contestants, teachers, parents, etc.
- A tour of Kennedy Space Flight Center.
- All contestants who attend will be invited to display a poster of their work.
- The highest ranking winners attending will be invited to give an oral presentation.
- The highest scoring attending winner(s) will receive the NSS Student Space Settlement of the Year Award
These activities are not yet finalized and may change. Nonetheless, this is a tremendous opportunity to present your work, meet some of the most important people in space development as well as your fellow contestants, and have a great time. If you plan to attend the conference, please contact nss-students@comcast.net. This is the contact for poster space instructions, oral presentation times, and all other contest-related conference issues. Note: Contestants are responsible for all travel and conference expenses, including any fees associated with the reception and tour.
Contest categories are individual 6-9 grade, small group 6-9 grade, large group 6-9 grade, individual 10-12 grade, small group 10-12 grade, and large group 10-12 grade. An additional category based on artistic and literary merit is also included in the contest.
There will be a special Life Support category this year. Entries with strength in life support and/or describe biology laboratories and experiments that take advantage of variable psuedo-gravity levels and the radiation environment inside space colonies will be considered for this category.
Contestants give NASA the right to publish their submissions without restriction as a condition for entering the contest.

Here are some of the grand prize entries from previous years:

DACIA'S 2008 [PDF file 8 MB]
APIS 2007 (tie)
EVA Project 2007 (tie)
PINTA 2007 (tie)
Vademecum (2006)
Temis (2005)
LEDA (2004)
Teba 1 (2003)
Æther (2002)
Avalon (2001) tie
The Centurion Space Settlement (2001)
DaedalusaL4 (2000)
ClC1 (1999)
The Babylon Project (1998)
SCORE: Self Contained Off-world Residential Environment (1997)
Tango III : A Space Settlement Design (1996)
Well, you start with a Rock ... (1995 technical merit)
Princess Ishtar (1995 artistic merit)

Student Art Gallery

Rules

The submission must be the student's own work. Plagiarism is forbidden. You may quote short passages, but material copied from a source must be surrounded in double quotes (") and the source indicated. For example: "This material copied from somewhere," My Favorite Space Book. Copied materials should rarely be more than a few lines, and never longer than a few paragraphs. Quoting long passages is forbidden. Entries caught plagiarizing will be rejected and disposed of. In 2007, twelve entries were caught copying materials from the web. They were eliminated from the competition.
Instructors, mentors or parents may assist the student in presenting relevant resources, discussing core concepts and editing, but the work itself, must be entirely student driven.
Submissions must relate to orbital colonies. Colonies may not be on a planet or moon. Colonies must be permanent, relatively self-sufficient homes, not temporary work camps.
If your entry is longer that 10-20 pages, consider including a one page executive summary on the best features of your entry. Be sure to include original ideas, major focus, and any parts particularly well done in the executive summary. This will help the judges find the best parts of your entry.
Avoid including technical material not directly related to your space settlement. This is a space settlement contest and marginally related material will make it difficult for the judges. If they can't find your space settlement elements easily you won't score well.
If you have a large, extensive entry, include a one-page summary of the highlights of your work. This will help the judges.
Submissions must be made in hard copy. No electronic submissions are accepted under any circumstances. This includes Power Point presentations, discs, CD's, DVD, videos or anything but paper.
An entry form with the appropriate information must be included with the submission. Fill out all fields unless you are not part of a school class. In this case, leave out the teacher and school information.
Designs, essays, stories, models, artwork and any other orbital space settlement materials will be considered.
Always include a bibliography.

Resources and Tips

Refer to the NASA Ames Space Settlement Page
Refer to the NSS Space Settlement Library
Use the space colony designer's corner.
Use the space settlement teacher's page.
Refer to the NSS Library.
Generic Earth Orbiting Space Settlement Requirements by Anita Gale.
Models are hard to handle and expensive to ship. Consider sending pictures of your model. If you must send the whole model, make it strong. Fragile models are frequently demolished during shipping or transport. Submissions are not returned. NASA is not responsible for the loss or damage to any submission.
Do your best to get the science right.
Make your design as quantitative as possible.
Include a bibliography. We want to know where you got your ideas and materials.
Be creative. Surprise the judges. Put something of your own personality into your work.
Consider designing a colony that you would really like to live in.
Consider alternate possibilities and clearly describe why you made the choices you did.
Present your material clearly and neatly.
When you discuss someone else's ideas or work, even if you don't copy their wording, reference it. We recommend a reference format along the lines of "[author year]." For example, you might write:
Small children will be required not to be allowed in the center of the cylinder since radiation levels are minimized near the hull [Horia 2005].
Then in the References section at the end of your paper put:
[Horia 2005] Horia Mihail Teodorescu and Al Globus, "Radiation Passive Shield Analysis and Design for Space Applications, "SAE 2005 Transactions Journal of Aerospace.
Use the entry form, if we don't know who you are we won't be able to send you your prizes and certificates. Be sure to attach a copy of the entry form to each part of your submission. For example, if you have a report and artwork, attach an entry form to each so that if they get separated during handling, we will be able to put them back together.
Submissions must be received by March 31, 2009.
Have fun.

NASA Mars Exploration Opportunity Rover Update

2008-11-05T09:13:00.000-08:00

NASA Mars Exploration Opportunity Rover Update: October 3-7, 2008

OPPORTUNITY UPDATE: Preparing for the Road Trip of a Lifetime - sol 1669-1673, October 03-07, 2008:

Like a motorist preparing for a road trip, NASA's Opportunity rover is studying a "road atlas" of Mars, using details provided by a powerful camera in orbit above the red planet. Opportunity's road crew is poring over every detail of the landscape in images from the High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Team members will use the data to select a route to "Endeavour Crater" 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) away.

Meanwhile, Opportunity continues traveling south around the rim of "Victoria Crater," stopping for photo shoots at selected locations along the way. During the past week, Opportunity drove a distance of 143 meters -- more than twice the wingspan of two Boeing 747's parked side by side. The rover acquired images of a promontory inside the crater known as "Cape Pillar" and began driving to another vantage point for taking images of a promontory known as "Cape Victory." Opportunity also studied the atmosphere, searched for Martian clouds, and scanned the rover's external dust-collection magnets.

Opportunity is healthy, with all subsystems performing as expected as of Martian day, or sol, 1673 (Oct. 7, 2008). Power has been superb, averaging 652 watt-hours during the past week (100 watt-hours is the amount of energy needed to light a 100-watt bulb for one hour.)

Sol-by-sol summary:

Besides measuring daily, dust-related changes in atmospheric clarity with the panoramic camera, Opportunity completed the following activities:

Sol 1669 (Oct. 3, 2008): Opportunity surveyed the sky at high Sun and worked on a systematic survey of the rover's surroundings using all 13 filters of the panoramic camera. The rover acquired a six-frame, time-lapse movie in search of clouds with the navigation camera. Before relaying data to NASA's Odyssey orbiter for transmission to Earth, Opportunity measured atmospheric dust with both the panoramic and navigation cameras.

Sol 1670: Opportunity searched for morning clouds by acquiring a six-frame, time-lapse movie with the navigation camera. The rover took thumbnail images of the morning sky for calibration purposes with the panoramic camera. Before starting the day's drive, Opportunity acquired a 4-by-1 panel of images with the panoramic camera. After the drive, the rover acquired a 2-by-1 and a 3-by-1 panel of images with the navigation camera.

Sol 1671: In the morning, Opportunity acquired a 6-by-1 tier of images of the terrain, overlapping the frames to compensate for dust on the lens of the panoramic camera. Using all 13 colour filters of the panoramic camera, the rover conducted a systematic survey and acquired images of particles on the external magnets. After sending data to Odyssey, Opportunity measured atmospheric argon with the alpha- particle X-ray spectrometer.

Sol 1672: Opportunity acquired thumbnail images of the sky for calibration purposes with the panoramic camera and searched for morning clouds by acquiring six, time-lapse movie frames with the navigation camera. Opportunity surveyed the sky at high Sun with the panoramic camera, made another six-frame movie in search of clouds with the panoramic camera, and took more thumbnail images of the sky with the panoramic camera.

Sol 1673 (Oct. 7, 2008): Opportunity took thumbnail images of the morning sky for calibration purposes with the panoramic camera and produced a six-frame movie in search of clouds with the navigation camera. Opportunity continued driving south and completed a "get fine attitude" procedure to determine the rover's exact position relative to the Sun. After the drive and before sending data to Odyssey, Opportunity took a 2-by-1 and 5-by-1 panel of forward-looking images with the navigation camera, a 4-by-1 panel of images with the panoramic camera, and a rearward-looking, 5-by-1 mosaic of images with the navigation camera. Opportunity acquired a 3-by-1 and a 7-by-1 post-drive tier of images with the navigation camera as well as a 4-by-1 panel of images with the panoramic camera. Plans for the following day called for the rover to take thumbnail images of the sky with the panoramic camera and look for clouds with the navigation camera.

Odometry:

As of sol 1673 (Oct. 7, 2008), Opportunity's total odometry was 12,292.15 meters (7.64 miles).

ESA NEWS - Future

2008-11-04T19:58:00.001-08:00

Future activities of the European Space Agency

A number of future programmes are underway to build on current successes. This page provides an entry point to the various Future programme pages in each of ESA's Directorates.

	Advanced Concepts Team
	Aurora - the European Programme for the Exploration of the Solar System
	Future launchers
	Galileo - Europe's future global navigation system
	General Studies Programme
	ESA's Living Planet programme - the future of Earth Observation
	ESA Science - advanced concepts
	Technology research and development
	ESA's Telecommunications programme - the Future

NASA NEWS - Phoenix

2008-11-04T19:53:00.000-08:00

NASA Spacecraft Confirms Martian Water, Mission Extended

This partial view of a full-circle panorama shows NASA's Mars Phoenix Lander and the polygonal patterning of the ground at the landing area. The image is in approximately true color. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University Arizona/Texas A&M University
Full image and caption
Go to related audio clips
Latest images and 3D images
Animations and videos

TUCSON, Ariz. -- Laboratory tests aboard NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander have identified water in a soil sample. The lander's robotic arm delivered the sample Wednesday to an instrument that identifies vapors produced by the heating of samples.

"We have water," said William Boynton of the University of Arizona, lead scientist for the Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer, or TEGA. "We've seen evidence for this water ice before in observations by the Mars Odyssey orbiter and in disappearing chunks observed by Phoenix last month, but this is the first time Martian water has been touched and tasted."

With enticing results so far and the spacecraft in good shape, NASA also announced operational funding for the mission will extend through Sept. 30. The original prime mission of three months ends in late August. The mission extension adds five weeks to the 90 days of the prime mission.

"Phoenix is healthy and the projections for solar power look good, so we want to take full advantage of having this resource in one of the most interesting locations on Mars," said Michael Meyer, chief scientist for the Mars Exploration Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

The soil sample came from a trench approximately 2 inches deep. When the robotic arm first reached that depth, it hit a hard layer of frozen soil. Two attempts to deliver samples of icy soil on days when fresh material was exposed were foiled when the samples became stuck inside the scoop. Most of the material in Wednesday's sample had been exposed to the air for two days, letting some of the water in the sample vaporize away and making the soil easier to handle.

"Mars is giving us some surprises," said Phoenix principal investigator Peter Smith of the University of Arizona. "We're excited because surprises are where discoveries come from. One surprise is how the soil is behaving. The ice-rich layers stick to the scoop when poised in the sun above the deck, different from what we expected from all the Mars simulation testing we've done. That has presented challenges for delivering samples, but we're finding ways to work with it and we're gathering lots of information to help us understand this soil."

Since landing on May 25, Phoenix has been studying soil with a chemistry lab, TEGA, a microscope, a conductivity probe and cameras. Besides confirming the 2002 finding from orbit of water ice near the surface and deciphering the newly observed stickiness, the science team is trying to determine whether the water ice ever thaws enough to be available for biology and if carbon-containing chemicals and other raw materials for life are present.

The mission is examining the sky as well as the ground. A Canadian instrument is using a laser beam to study dust and clouds overhead.

"It's a 30-watt light bulb giving us a laser show on Mars," said Victoria Hipkin of the Canadian Space Agency.

A full-circle, color panorama of Phoenix's surroundings also has been completed by the spacecraft.

"The details and patterns we see in the ground show an ice-dominated terrain as far as the eye can see," said Mark Lemmon of Texas A&M University, lead scientist for Phoenix's Surface Stereo Imager camera. "They help us plan measurements we're making within reach of the robotic arm and interpret those measurements on a wider scale."

The Phoenix mission is led by Smith at the University of Arizona with project management at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., and development partnership at Lockheed Martin in Denver. International contributions come from the Canadian Space Agency; the University of Neuchatel, Switzerland; the universities of Copenhagen and Aarhus in Denmark; the Max Planck Institute in Germany; and the Finnish Meteorological Institute.

For more about Phoenix, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/phoenix

Cassini updates

2008-11-04T19:33:00.000-08:00

Distance from Saturn:
1.3 billion kilometers
(800 million miles)

This set of images (taken over three consecutive days) makes for some fun detective work and provides another great example of how scientists fuse together data from different sources to develop a greater understanding of cause and effect. For two reasons, the images have an odd quality about them. First, they combine ultraviolet (shown as white wisps surrounding Saturn’s south pole) with visible wavelength images of Saturn and its rings. The wisps show auroras that result when charged particles interact with the planet’s magnetic field. Just like the aurora borealis (or northern lights) that we occasionally see here on Earth, Saturn produces spectacular auroras in its south polar region when the solar wind slams into the magnetic field that surrounds the giant planet.

Secondly, the date and resolution of the images hint at something unusual. Note the date on which they were taken. Cassini had already been placed into orbit around Saturn where it continues to deliver much more detailed images of the rings and atmosphere. Instead, these images show a distant Saturn with little definition of the rings other than the familiar Cassini division. The reason? The distant images were actually taken by the Hubble Space Telescope which remains in a low Earth orbit.

Look closely and you’ll notice that the aurora brightened after the first day. Combining the Hubble imagery with data collected by Cassini let scientists measure the solar wind approaching Saturn and the radio emissions given off from the planet. Using the Hubble imagery with the Cassini measurements, they confirmed that the strong brightening of the aurora on January 26th corresponded with the recent arrival of a large disturbance in the solar wind.

For more details about the mission, please visit the NASA website.

Cassini fun facts

Cassini has several instruments that help scientists understand the magnetic fields, charged particles and radiation emitted from Saturn. Unlike clouds, rings and moons, these attributes of Saturn are invisible to the human senses and must be measured directly.

		The Cassini Plasma Spectrometer (CAPS) measures the energy and electrical charge of particles such as electrons and protons that the instrument encounters as well as the solar wind within Saturn's magnetosphere.

		The Magnetospheric Imaging Instrument (MIMI) also produces images and other data about the particles trapped in Saturn's magnetic field including radiation emitted by the planet.

		The Radio and Plasma Wave Science instrument (RPWS) measures the radio signals coming from Saturn, including the radio waves given off by the interaction of the solar wind with Saturn and Titan.

For more information on the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn, see the NASA website.

International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009)

2008-11-04T19:21:00.000-08:00

IYA2009 General

The International Year of Astronomy 2009 is a global effort initiated by the International Astronomical Union and UNESCO to help the citizens of the world rediscover their place in the Universe through the day- and night-time sky, and thereby engage a personal sense of wonder and discovery.

Vision

Everyone should realise the impact of astronomy and other fundamental sciences on our daily lives, and understand how scientific knowledge can contribute to a more equitable and peaceful society. IYA2009 activities will take place locally, nationally, regionally and internationally. National Nodes have been formed in each country to prepare activities for 2009. These nodes will establish collaborations between professional and amateur astronomers, science centres and science communicators to prepare activities for 2009. Already now, 129 countries are involved and well over 140 are expected to participate eventually.

To help coordinate this huge global programme and to provide an important resource for the participating countries, the IAU has established a central Secretariat and an IYA2009 website (www.astronomy2009.org) as the principal IYA2009 resource for public, professionals and media alike.

Orion; in his awesome quality -a latest update

2008-11-04T19:13:00.000-08:00

Chandrayaan Updates

2008-11-03T18:12:00.000-08:00

The Indian lunar orbiter Chandrayaan-1 is still on the long loop of its latest orbit, but scientists on the mission aren't wasting any time; they've turned one of its cameras toward its erstwhile home, Earth. I love it when -- there's just something about using the eyes meant to study strange worlds to study our own that produces a fresh perspective on our home planet. Here's the image:

Enlarge >

Earth from Chandrayaan-1
Chandrayaan-1 took this photo of Earth from Earth orbit on October 29, 2008 at 07:00 UTC. Near the center of the disk is the northwestern coast of Australia; the Sun glints off the Indian Ocean adjacent to that coast. This image has been flipped horizontally from its originally published version to match the proper orientation. Credit: ISRO

If you've seen this image posted on other websites and blogs, you may have noticed that this one is in a different orientation. For some reason, the version initially posted on the Chandrayaan-1 website was flipped horizontally (as though the image were held up to a mirror). What's most funny about that is that it's not the first time this mistake has been made with an image of Earth; the Rosetta crew had done the same thing during their November 15, 2007 flyby.

I figured it out because I could not for the life of me make the visible coastline of Australia match up with a map of Australia. I thought we might be seeing Earth from an unusual perspective -- maybe from a high latitude or something -- and that's why I couldn't figure it out. So I decided to go check out what one of our geostationary weather satellites saw at the same time, because those satellites are parked over the equator, and thus have a perspective that's easy to recognize; I figured I could match the cloud patterns in the weather satellite photo with the ones in the Chandrayaan-1 photo to help me orient myself. Here's the image I found, taken by the Japanese satellite Himawari-6 (also known as MTSAT-1R), about an hour before the Chandrayaan-1 photo:

Enlarge >

Image of Earth taken near the same time as the Chandrayaan-1 photo by Himawari-6
Himawari-6, also known as MTSAT-1R, is a geostationary weather satellite parked in an orbit over Australasia. This photo was taken at 06:00 UTC on October 29, about an hour before a Chandrayaan-1 photo of Earth. Credit: Japan Meteorological Agency / courtesy EUMETSAT / NERC Satellite Receiving Station, University of Dundee

There's a nice sinusoidal sweep of clouds on the southwestern side of Australia that was easy to match up to the clouds in the Chandrayaan-1 image, and guess what? It was backwards in the Chandrayaan-1 image. You can see that in the original Chandrayaan-1 image:

Enlarge >

Data doesn't come down from spacecraft in familiar formats like JPEG or TIFF; it's a stream of ones and zeroes, with a format unique to the science instrument, and scientists and engineers write their own software for translating that into raw image data. There are varying conventions for whether bits are written right or left, and if you take that raw image data and open it up in a piece of off-the-shelf image processing software, the image might be backwards. (I have this problem when I try to open up Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter CTX images.)

If you're in a hurry, and you don't yet have a lot of experience working with your spacecraft's data -- as is certainly the case for a newly launched spacecraft that you're trying to ballyhoo to your taxpayers with quick press releases and status reports -- it'd be easy to make that mistake. It's actually much more understandable for ISRO to have made this mistake with a spacecraft launched only a week before, and whose camera was being tested for the first time, than it was for ESA to make the mistake with Rosetta, a spacecraft that had been launched more than three years prior, whose camera had been used during two previous flybys.

The error is not really important. Kudos to the Chandayaan-1 team; the image is absolutely gorgeous in its detail, and bodes well for the spacecraft's images of the Moon, which will be taken from a much closer distance.

Chandrayaan - 1- An Indian Space Odyssey

2008-11-03T18:06:00.000-08:00

Future Ambitions

2008-11-02T21:22:00.000-08:00

To be internationally recognized as an association for the enhancement of Astronomy. Generally implementing projects in SOUTH ASIAN region.

· To launch a magazine for the betterment and improvement of Astronomical awareness.

· Implementation of affiliated projects along with NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), ESA (European Space Agency) JAXA (Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency) and Planetary Society.

· Carrying out “STAR PARTY” inter-school observation camp as an integral and annual event of the Astronomy Calendar.

· Continuing “SIR ARTHUR C. CLARKE CHALLENGE TROPHY” inter-school astronomy quiz competition, annually.

· Weekly conduction of lectures series for the members.

· Organizing occasional night camps to cover the prevailing celestial and extraterrestrial objects.

Astronomy Calender

2008-11-02T21:19:00.000-08:00

Annual Quiz of Ananda Balika College on 17th Oct.- Won by Nalanda College

Annual Quiz of Nalanda College on 24th Oct.-Won by Ananda College

Annual Quiz of Kingswood College on 21st Nov.

National Astronomy Worlshop @ SLAAS on 29th November 2008

Astronomy School coming up in next December at Astronomy & Space Study Center (ASSC)

Lot of islandwide projects to commemorate 1st International Astronomy Year 2009

STAR PARTY

2008-11-02T21:05:00.000-08:00

WHAT STAR PARTY IS

Just as its name states STAR PARTY is not merely a function of night sky observation, but an aesthetic introduction to the field of Astronomy, an enigmatic experience for an apprentice, unforgotten night for everybody participating in. In Sri Lanka Star Party is the dream of every stargazer, not only to witness but to get involved. When we embarked upon Star Party in 2004, with the Astronomical Society of Mahamaya Girls’ College, Kandy, being the pioneers of Observation Competitions in South Asia region, it was visible that a gleaming future of Sri Lankan astronomy was lying ahead. Consequently this turned out to be an official launch of a mammoth event of astronomy calendar.

Even though stargazing assemblages are found frequent in foreign countries, it’s rarely seen in Asian continent, despite Star Party competition. Due to the inadequate allocations and investments in Astronomy field, still a slowly development is in progress. What is more amazing is that both amateurs and veterans are allowed to employ their practicability of astronomy, enabling their wisdom to pacify the physical and chemical taste. Also inculcating young astronomers to be accredited professionals is also one of our goals. Now you shall find it easy to understand our definition of Star party.

Let’s take a brief look at the format of Star Party. In the beginning according to their schools, all the participating school students are divided into teams, each having 5 members. And then there are observation sessions to compete at, inclusive of lunar observation, constellation observation, deep-sky observation plus a quizzical evaluation. Ultimately the most outstanding team, which has highest overall marks, will be awarded champions.

PROFILE

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Foundation - 1998

Initiation of "Sir Arthur C Clarke Challenge Trophy" Inter-school Astronomy Quiz Competition in 2001. ( Integral & annual episode since 2001)

"Observation Camp 2003" - A unique observation-related experience for all amateur young astronomers of Ananda College.

"Mars Approaches" - A celestial night camp for Anandians to eye-witness the Martian encounter, taking place once a 40,000 years.

Inception of "STAR PARTY" Inter-school Observation Camp, in 2004, as an joint effort with the Astronomical Society of Mahamaya Girls' College, Kandy, to be recognized as the primordial Observation Camp, organized by school students in South Asia. ( Integral & annual episode since 2004)

Eranga Thilina Jayashantha, a member of AAA qualified for the International Astrophysics Olympiad 2008

Anandian Astronomical Association

Thank you !!

Interschool Observation Competition & Workshop 2009 | Largest IYA 2009 Project of Sri Lanka by AAA & ASMGC

Sir A C Clarke @ Anandian Astronomical Association

Invitation

DETAILED PROGRAMME OF STAR PARTY 2007

Co-sponsorship

Principal Sponsorship

FUTURE AMBITIONS

Rules and Regulations of STAR PARTY 2007

WHAT STAR PARTY IS

OUR ACHIEVEMENTS

WHAT ANANDIAN ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION IS

Sponsorship of Planetary Society

Sponsorship of JAXA

Sponsorship of NASA

Star Party: Archives Unveiled 1

Solar Eclipse 2009

Tribute : Waiting for the Ultimate Call

Archimedes Rejuvanates

Long-lost loot

The players...

How it worked

Vote of thanks

Emeritus Professor J.V. Narlikar's itenerary on SL

NAM 08 concluded a success

A A A

NAM 2008

International Year of As 2009 and School based Astronomy”

Introduction

The National Astronomy Meeting 2008 is being hosted and organized by Sri Lanka Astronomical Association.

Date: 29th Saturday, November 2008Time: 2:00pm – 6:00pmVenue: Auditorium of Sri Lanka Association of Advancement of Science, Colombo

Program

Press

Contacts

Links

Buying & Purchasing a Telescope

Phoenix perishes

NASA Space Settlement Contest

NASA Space Settlement Contest.

Contest prizes and certificates:

Rules

Resources and Tips

NASA Mars Exploration Opportunity Rover Update

ESA NEWS - Future

NASA NEWS - Phoenix

Cassini updates

International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009)

IYA2009 General

Vision

Orion; in his awesome quality -a latest update

Chandrayaan Updates

Chandrayaan - 1- An Indian Space Odyssey

Future Ambitions

Astronomy Calender

STAR PARTY

PROFILE

Date: 29th Saturday, November 2008

Time: 2:00pm – 6:00pm

Venue: Auditorium of Sri Lanka Association of Advancement of Science, Colombo