Recap: March 9

Stu Dack lead our discussion this week.  We spoke of the (non)detection of life on meteorites, the messenger insertion coming up, the discovery landing, Cassini Time lapse, and a cool video from Marshall

http://www.flickr.com/photos/josefranciscosalgado/4135738280/

AJC: Reading Week Edition

Purpose of Posters:

-ambience - we should represent ourselves as a group of astronomers

-to educate - to the informed layperson let's give them the 5 big questions

-marshall asks paul/minions to propose hardward needed for a screen to hang outside PSE 321

-dr. john offers videos from pheonix mission

Recap: 16 Feb 2011

Laura was our host for today's journal club.  Thanks to her for doing so!  Things we talked about were:

Data at risk.  Is all astronomical data at risk.  There is an international call for preserving that data.

Brasil is joining ESO, the first non-European member!  Read up on it here.

Talked a bit about TMT, worrying about money!  And there has been some discussion through Victoria/HIA about converting CFHT into a 10m class dedicated spectroscopic telescope.  A great idea....but is there money for that?

IceCube Neutrino observatory has begun operations! Check out their website!

thanks for hosting Laura!
Reading Week next week

Recap: Feb 9 2011

What to do with the 3rd floor hallway?
-5 posters educational posters/4 spots for research - 9 spots total
-each prof/grad team take ownership of one educational

Big Questions to address: (with possible leading prof)
Exoplanets - paul
Cosmology - Dark Matter - Dark Energy - Big Bang - pat
end points of stellar evolution - norbert
large scale structure - marshall
active galactic nuclei/black holes - michael
life in the universe?...takers?
instrumentation?
why is the sky blue?
why is the sunset red?

-should include our OWN research in this.  not necessarily have textbook images.  include a York University credit in each poster i.e. graphics/images/stuff WE do

GOAL: have done for september 2011

Michael Bientenhotz still has the canadian images from IYA - to keep in mind - 1st floor maybe

-podcasts for different topics here - michael/paul worked on this

-can include youtube in this

-itunes for podcasting

Other Journal Club Topics: Led by Bahman


Largest black hole ever measured in M87.

E-merlin (radio telescope in UK) should increase resolution.  Here's an example of what it will be doing.

Most distant galaxy cluster measured using Spitzer, Chandra, HST, and Subaru.  z~5.3.

see you all next week!

Recap: Jan 19

Marshall McCall and Paul Delaney covered the news for this week, here is a list of the talking points:

Marshall told us about the latest plank press releases.  Check out the website for all that.

John Moores told us about his new paper on northern latitude Mars fog. doi: 10.1029/2010GL046315

On the possibility that life could have been seeded by asteroids.

NASA is still hoping for Spirit to answer back as the Martian winter lifts.  Let's cross our fingers!

Astronaut set to lead the space walks on mission STS-133 to the space station has broken his hip while on a Bicycle.  NASA appoints new lead.

The lunar interior appears to be more complicated than previously thought.  Perhaps there's a liquid core after all.

Thanks to all who came.  Lianne and Paul will be leading next week's discussion!

Recap: Nov 24 and Dec 1

hello all.  A double post today to catch up the last couple of weeks!

On Nov. 24 Laura was kind enough to host journal club.  here is a list of things we talked about!

Penrose claims to have glimpsed the universe before the big bang.  you know you want to read more.

the first methane dwarf obriting a dead star.

Europe maintains its presence on frontier

Astronomers confirm the first exo-planet that originated OUTSIDE the milky way.  really cool article.

York's Scott Menary and his team at CERN trap anti-hydrogen for the first time!


On Dec 1 both Lianne and Jesse brought some cool stories to talk about:

Astronomers at UPenn have found a way to test for higher spatial dimensions in space.  By observing the lensing effects of a black hole.

More from Cassini: Rhea has an oxygen atmosphere.....that is 5 trillion times less dense than Earth's.
More from Cassini: Enceladus (see Dr. John for pronunciation) has warm cracks that seem to change frequently.

Jupiter's belt is on its way back!  exciting....

NASA to hold press conference on some astro-biology.

thanks everyone!

Recap: Nov. 17th

thanks to Jesse for bringing some stories.  here is a list of talking points

Eris has performed a stellar occultation, find that it's actually smaller than pluto.

A cosmologists wish list: here.

Supernova 1979C may have been the birth of a new black hole!

Has a nearby quasar just turned off?

Allan Sandage has passed away.  He was a prolific astronomer, and contributed much to the community.  He will be missed.

Gemini South has refurbished their mirror.