EVENTS & MEETINGS
UPCOMING EVENT
HORIZON SCALE TESTS OF QUANTUM
GRAVITY USING THE EVENT HORIZON
BLACK HOLES ARE THE MOST GRAVITATIONAL EXTREME OBJECTS IN NATURE WHERE NOT EVEN LIGHT CAN ESCAPE GRAVITY’S GRIP. UNDERSTANDING THE PROPERTIES OF SPACETIME IN THE STRONG GRAVITY REGIME MAY UNLOCK THE MYSTERIES OF QUANTUM GRAVITY
AND REVEAL THE NATURE OF SPACE-TIME ITSELF.
USING VERY LONG BASELINE INTERFEROMETRY IT IS POSSIBLE TO OBTAIN THE LENSED RADIO IMAGE OF THE Super Massive Black Hole HORIZON.
Stuart Marongwe presentation –
Dr. Rhodri Evans – “Seeing the black hole at the centre of our Galaxy with the Africa Millimetre Telescope”
25th August 2022 – 6:30 PM (CAT) on Zoom.
Watch the recording here –
Using very long baseline interferometry, astronomers are able to link together telescopes in different parts of the world to obtain incredible angular resolution of millionths of an arc second.
The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) is such a network, and this collaboration has recently published the first-ever images of the supermassive blackholes at the centre of Messier 87 and our own Milky Way.
The Africa Millimetre Telescope (AMT) will be the first millimetre-wave telescope on the African continent, and will be an important addition to the EHT network.
The AMT will improve the EHT’s resolution, thus enabling us to better understand these strange but important objects.
The AMT will be located in Namibia, and will see first-light in early 2024.
“Analogues for planetary Exploration – From Botswana to Mars…” – Fulvio Franchi from BIUST – 28 July 2022 at 6:30 PM (CAT) over zoom
Bill Tomlinson was born and raised in Kalamazoo, Michigan in the U.S.A. After receiving a telescope
for his 12th birthday, his childhood interest
in astronomy became more serious. William left his hometown of Kalamazoo to attend university at MIT in Cambridge Massachusetts, in the fall of 1975, to study mechanical engineering.
Although Bill never pursued astronomy on an academic level, his interest
in telescopes and amateur astronomy continued to grow.
Bill Tomlinson is the Director and resident astronomer for Diamonds in the Sky (Pty) Ltd., a 100%
citizen owned Botswana company formed in 2016, with his wife, Patricia Tomlinson, as the sole shareholder. It has been involved in hosting outdoor astronomy events at schools, parks, lodges, and other outdoor event venues for the purposes of entertainment, education, and the promotion of astronomy based tourism in Botswana.
Bill is a member of the Astronomical Society of Botswana where he has been a contributing member for the past three years.
DARK SKIES & ASTROTOURISM IN BOTSWANA
Bill Tomlinson’s presentation is a discussion about dark skies, telescopes and other
equipment used in amateur astronomy and astrotourism. The effort
required to actually start, develop, and grow an industry based on astronomy
as a vehicle for the expansion of the overall tourism sector in Botswana.
Astronomy in Thailand: Experiences of a Batswana student
ZOOM PRESENTATION – 28 APRIL 2022 AT 6:30 PM (CAT)
With the envisioned development and the construction of a new radio telescope in Botswana as part of the multi-national Square Kilometer Array (SKA) project, Botswana requires a significant increase in human capital in the field of science and engineering. On the quest of realizing Botswana’s involvement in the said project, Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST), which is the host institution of the SKA project in Botswana, has partnered with the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (NARIT) to facilitate research in astronomy and engineering disciplines as well as training of some of the selected students and staff. In 2019, BIUST, sent two of their master’s students (Galefang Mapunda and Abraham) to Chiang Mai, to be placed as Research Assistants for a period of two years with NARIT. The students were to be trained in various astronomical activities and technologies including telescope installation, operations, design, and astronomical observations for both radio and optical telescopes. The first part of the training involved the operations and engineering aspects of the various astronomical instruments available at NARIT including the 2.4 m optical telescope at the Thai National Observatory (TNO) and the ongoing construction & installation of the 40 m Thai National Radio Telescope (TNRO). The second and last part involved astronomical communication and processing of both optical and radio sources & objects. In this talk, Galefang will share both professional and personal experience of living and working in Thailand.
Legacy of the Hubble Space Telescope
Presentation by Dr. Steve Barrett, Department of Physics,
University of Liverpool, UK.
31st March 2022 at 6:30 PM (CAT)
”STORIES IN THE STARS”
Title: Astronomy in the Blink of an Eye: Searching for the Fastest Events in the Universe
Speaker: Dr Emily Petroff from University of Amsterdam/McGill University
Date: THURSDAY, 9 December 2021
Time: 18:30 (CAT)
Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89189395673?pwd=d2k0NCtyUFNTTVlicjN5M0VxWXY2UT09
Meeting ID: 891 8939 5673
Passcode: 891007
Contact person: Dr Jacobus Diener dienerj@biust.ac.bw
Abstract: Most things in the universe happen over millions or even billions of years but some things change on the timescales of human life and can be seen to change in a matter of months, days, or even seconds. These are some of the most extreme events in the universe, things like the collapse of a dying star, or a collision of two massive objects. Humans have been observing astronomical transients for centuries, from supernovae to gamma ray bursts and, most recently, gravitational waves. In 2007, we discovered a brand-new type of transient called fast radio bursts, bright radio pulses that last only a few milliseconds. Their origin is one of the newest unsolved mysteries of astronomy. I will tell the story of their discovery and some of the most exciting new breakthroughs.
Bio: Dr Emily Petroff is an astrophysicist jointly appointed as a Veni Fellow at the University of Amsterdam Anton Pannekoek Institute in the Netherlands and as a manager of the CHIME/FRB Collaboration based at McGill University in Canada. She obtained her bachelor’s degree from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota and obtained her PhD from Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia in 2016. Previously she has worked in the Netherlands as a postdoctoral researcher first at ASTRON, the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy. Her research has made her a leader in the study of fast radio bursts, mysterious distant radio sources that we are just beginning to understand.
See above: photo of Dr Petroff
As astronomy became increasingly data driven over the twentieth century and we are entering theera of ‘big’ observational astronomy, automated morphological classifications using machinelearning were introduced. In these large surveys, simply curating the data volume becomes asignificant challenge and interesting scientific question in its own right. Machine learning isbecoming an important statistical tool for astronomers seeking to efficiently analyse and derivemeaning from massive data sets, with ‘unsupervised’ methods in particular showing promise invarious applications, particularly in automatic classification.In this work we contribute to the effort of seeking more efficient means of automatically classifying and mining large imaging data sets in the radio using ‘Haralick’ features, which provide a compact representation of image texture.
THURSDAY 23rd SEPTEMBER 2021 AT 6:30 PM (CAT) OVER ZOOM
Title: “Astro-Ecology”: using Astrophysics research techniques to help tackle challenges facing the planet
By: Professor Steve Longmore, Astrophysics Research Institute, Liverpool John Moores University, UK
ABSTRACT & BIO HERE Steve Longmore Talk Sept 23 2021
Abstract:
He will describe how his group are using Astrophysics research techniques to help Ecologists protect the ecosystems, save critically endangered animal species, and stop peat forest fires that are a major contributor to climate change.
Building on technological and software innovations in Astronomy, their “Astro-Ecology” team have developed a drone plus thermal infrared imaging systems and an associated automated detection and identification pipeline that provides a cost-effective and efficient way to automatically detect animals and peat fires. He will describe the current status of the system and their efforts to enable local communities to run routine monitoring and management of animal populations and peat fires over large and inhospitable areas, and thereby tackle global biodiversity loss and climate change.
Astronomy and Astrotourism
for development: the Namibian
Example
TIME: 6.30PM- 7.30 PM, Botswana Time
Watch the Presentation BELOW
ABSTRACT
Astronomy for development is making
great strides in Namibia. Forged by a
collaboration between the Universities of
Oxford and Namibia, together we are using
astronomy as a means for capacitybuilding and to benefit Namibia
socioeconomically. Namibia is already recognised as a world
leader in sustainable tourism; astronomy
offers great potential to expand and
diversify the market with minimal
environmental impact. With access to
some of the darkest and driest skies on the
planet – a completely free resource –
astrotourism is a relatively easy way for
tour guides to complement their earnings.
It also presents an opportunity to preserve
the indigenous stories about the stars,
which are already being lost. With H.E.S.S. already in place and the Africa
Millimetre Telescope on the horizon,
astronomy education provides further
opportunities for sustainable
socioeconomic growth. Led by Radboud
University, we are developing a Social
Impact Plan in the hope to inspire future
generations of Namibian scientists and
engineers.
Bio:
Dr Hannah Dalgleish is a researcher and
communicator, working at the intersection between
astronomy and society. An astrophysicist by training,
she now spends her time focused on capacitybuilding projects, and on furthering our
understanding of how astronomy affects the lives of
people around the world.
Hannah is currently working between the University
of Oxford (UK) and the University of Namibia. She is
a postdoctoral researcher in astronomy for
development, and is involved in numerous projects
related to dark sky tourism and light pollution,
astronomy education, science communication, and
more.
Andrew Newsam, Professor of Astronomy Education and Engagement at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) and Head of the UK National Schools' Observatory (NSO) and its Astronomy education accessible to all student in UK & Globally- on 29th April 2021 at 6:30 pm (CAT).
ASB Presentations are held the last Thursday of every month, over Zoom from 6:30 pm until 7:30 pm (unless otherwise stated). These Presentations are open to all society members and their guests and the public at no cost.
Following these Presentations, the ASB committee meets monthly.
Geraldine & Harold Hester’s Talk 25 March 2021 – an excellent, informative event; see the Abstract & Bio below…and view and listen to the whole Zoom presentation on this link…
Dr. Saran Poshyachinda – the national astronomical research institute of thailand (narit) – 25 february 2021 at 3:30 pm
View the Abstract & Biography of Dr. Suran Poshyachinda’s presentation here. You can view the complete PRESENTATION here.
anatomy of black holes live Presentation – 26 November 2020
MARS- Mokolodi Astronomers Reaching for the Stars – 24 july 2020
On the 24th of July, ASB committee members gathered at Mokolodi Nature Reserve to officially open the new astronomical viewing platform (named MARS – Mokolodi Astronomers Reaching for the Stars), a joint project funded by ASB and Mokolodi, and to unveil a commemorative plaque in honour of the Barrow family of Scotland and the Southport Astronomical Society of the U.K. for their donation of a Celestron 127 SLT Maksutov Cassegrain telescope to the Society. The plaque was donated by Mr. and Mrs. Harold Hester, and Professor Mike Bode, both members of the ASB
Meteorite Landing in Botswana -24 july 2020
On the 24th of July, at 18:30, at the request of the Astronomical Society of Botswana, Dr. Fulvio Franchi from BUIST, gave a presentation via ZOOM about the tracking of a meteorite that landed in Botswana in 2018, and how they eventually recovered several pieces of it in the CKGR after many expeditions looking for it. The fragments are still being tested.
NEUTRON STARS LIVE PRESENTATION – 27 AUGUST 2020
Link To : Dr Jacobus Diener Brief Biography (PDF) :
Link To: Dr Jacobus Diener Presentation (PDF)
GEOLOGY OF MARS LIVE PRESENTATION – 24 SEPTEMBER 2020
Time: 6pm – 7.30pm
.
Link To : Prof Motsoptse Modisi Brief Biography (PDF) :
SKA WEBINAR-BUILDING AN OBSERVATORY TO STUDY THE DAWN OF TIME AND THE ORIGINS OF LIFE – 8 OCTOBER 2020
Time: 5.00pm – 6.30pm
Link to PDF: Abstract & Programme
.
Legacy of the Hubble Space Telescope – presentation by Dr. Steve Barrett
