This was the title of the lecture I gave on Friday 26 afternoon in the Faculty of Valladolid, as part of programming in Syrma Astronomical Society and the University Group are Astronomy developed in this first part of the season.
Actually, the talk is included in the Course of Introduction to Astronomical Observation traditionally provided by these dates. Here you have the poster anunciador, aprovechando para felicitar al responsable de su edición: me encantó tener como fondo el telescopio de Herschel.
La planificación de la jornada pretendía hacer un repaso por todos aquellos instrumentos que el astrónomo aficionado que se inicia tiene a su disposición: telescopios, monturas, oculares, etc. Para ello, además de una presentación multimedia, montamos en el aula varios tipos de telescopios con la intención de que los asistentes se hicieran una mejor idea de lo que se estaba hablando. En definitiva, a sort of lecture-lecture-workshop-class.
I think the thing was animated and entertaining. At least so it seemed from my position on this side of the dais. In particular, I was struck by the fact that among the attendees, there was a wide range of ages, showing that astronomy is primarily generational. And union nexus and good people. Here.
Tonight I arrived home with a special taste with a pleasant feeling, but difficult to explain, happy, come on. It was seven thirty in the afternoon when Ines Rodriguez was the starting gun by opening the last session of the Lecture Series Carlos Sanchez Magro 2010. In the auditorium of the Museum of Science could not be a pin, public assistance has been massive bet that record. Following the intervention of Agnes, my mate Fernando Cabrerizo officially presented to the speaker. And he did it for two reasons: first, by being an active part in organizing this lecture series, and second, as a matter of cultivated and mature friendship with the guest speaker. Pablo Santos Sanz studied physics at Valladolid University and then moved to Tenerife for his undergraduate thesis at the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias on the comet Hale-Bopp. He was then the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia (IAA) of the CSIC, in Granada, where he did his doctoral thesis on trans-Neptunian objects and Centaurs and where currently working as an astrophysicist (these days is aimed at the Observatoire de Paris-Meudon, to complete a period of two years). Specialist Solar System minor bodies, has participated in many international conferences on the topic and published many articles in international journals. Has conducted various outreach activities and science communication in the form of lectures, conferences, articles in magazines and newspapers, book collaborations, interventions in radio, television, etc. Not forgetting their cooperation in this wonderful program, the podcast astrophysicist Through Universe, which for four seasons was the delight of hearing innumerable worldwide. In this connection, I said that when traveling abroad to attend conferences or the like, many people come to greet you because they remember from when I did the program.
During his student days in Valladolid, Pablo Santos was a member of the Astronomical Society Syrma and with Fernando Cabrerizo and other members and veterans and still active, actively participated in the activities was then developed. For example, was the editor and in charge of the section Ephemeris the Astronomical Journal Bessel published by the Association every two months. Hard work no doubt, if we note that the layout was typed and the final run of each issue was made to blow photocopy. What time! Look.
Paul
is an astronomer at birth. Okay, okay, now is professional and has the opportunity to work full time on his passion. But he has never forgotten his roots or his fellow adventurers enjoying astronomical and recalling anecdotes from those early observations. You need only hear him talk to realize that it is an inveterate lover of the sky and I know that after their daily work, full of data and CCD images, look at the sky every night for the sheer pleasure of it, for that irremediable ancestral attraction that surrounds him. And you'll note a special sensitivity, is an astrophysicist of different stuff. An example: After the conference, a gathering that we had, he told me he would like visit my observatory. It will not be sick of seeing observatories! No, I meant it, and with enviable enthusiasm. When you want Paul. Personally, I met Paul Saints in the Pro-Am Congress Cordoba last year. Rather, I knew it to me: "Let's see who among you is the pucelano of double stars?".
If I asked for a title that define today's conference would be this: mainly didactic. And this description there has been nothing that has begun to talk about who brought prepared: the ends solar system.
A moment of conferecnia. So the shirt looked Pablo Santos was astronomical. In particular, a kind of obituary about Pluto, the dethroned.
With a thread that has been listing hooked it easy and fun each and every one of the objects that populate the solar system. Planets, asteroids (main belt, Trojans, Centaurs), comets, meteoroids ... So up to the border: Neptune. What lies beyond? And we have been heavily involved in the current area work, trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs). Myriads of small bodies far away located at 30 times the Earth-Sun distance, 30 astronomical units, and therefore move very slowly, dark and cold (about 220 degrees below zero) inhabit the outer regions of the district, solar Kuiper belt and beyond the Oort Cloud. "All these bodies are like the debris of a work" the remnants of the solar system's formation. And it is so important their characterization: the original and uncontaminated material that formed the planets by accretion processes. Over billions of years have been in the fridge in a place so remote that solar radiation reaches them so weak they can hardly alter the physicochemical properties of their surfaces. The first confirmation of the existence of these bodies occurred in 1992 when Jewwitt and Luu discovered the first CCDs, 1992QB1. Since then there cataloged more than a thousand and there are precise orbits for a hundred.
One easily can imagine Pablo Santos with a pickaxe carefully excavating an archaeological site in huge quantities and the oldest of all: in his words, "My job is how to make archeology own solar system. " The research suggests that these bodies are composed primarily of water ice, but due to their low brightness is difficult to detect, except larger. also the largest methane, CO2, CO and rocks. They are very dark bodies that reflect a fraction of sunlight. It appears that such low reflectivity (albedo) is caused by cosmic ray bombardment (irradiation) on certain carbon-based compounds that cover its surface. To study these properties are used several complementary ways. Sometimes, these objects have their own satellites. This allows us to know fairly accurately their mass and density. In this sense, the observations indicate that bodies are fragile and easily deformed by the effect of its own rotation. They may even cause fractures in the crust and result in cold volcanoes (cryovolcanism). On the other hand, one can observe occultations of stars by these bodies and by the light curves of eclipses can deduct their diameters, discover and detect any satellite atmospheres. I do not deny that it is not exciting work.
Indeed, we commented that tonight the object Eris could hide a star in the Southern Hemisphere and rubbed his hands thinking the results of those observations.
Typical Structure of TNO.
Today
Pablo Santos uses data from the Herschel Space Observatory, ESA's , noting the cold universe, ie in the far infrared. Within a few years, in 2015 the New Horizons probe reach Pluto, the "object maladjusted" , and in situ reveal new avenues of research important.
This is the type of infrared images you work with Pablo Santos. In the center the object Orcus.
When Paul finished his speech given by a roar of thunderous applause (and durable) to flooded the auditorium space. Simply put, people who have attended today has been delighted and this was his way of thanking spontaneous visiting lecturer who has served his city to approach-a giant step that part of the Solar System so inhospitable and unknown to majority. And that has made it easy, "as if I told it to his own mother" . Thanks Paul. Then the usual question time, also very entertaining and greetings, congratulations and photos of rigor. Finally, an afternoon round.
family photo with a few of his former colleagues Syrma.
I would end up leaving the suggestive and last slide of the conference and the final reflection of Pablo Santos. Luckily I found on the Web something he said in an interview with him at the University Carlos III of Madrid, which is essentially what he wanted to convey to end today. Invites reflection. Enjoy it. Here.
"I always like looking at the sky to think that necessarily makes us better people, in the sense that learning about the cosmos, we put in place that actually deal in the universe. Inhabit a speck of dust orbiting a star yellow dwarf star we call Sun That star turn is located on the outskirts of a galaxy we call the Milky Way galaxy that contains within it thousands of millions of stars, a galaxy which is one among thousands of galaxies. Look at the sky necessarily gives us a lesson in humility. It is still incredible, wonderful, that being who we are and be where we are, we glimpse and perhaps come to understand a little of that immensity that surrounds us, that immensity which we call the universe. "
Pablo Santos Sanz.
Updated 09/11/2010:
Pablo Santos sends the premise that eventually the TNO Eris hid a star of magnitude 16. The phenomenon was observed from Atacama with a 40 cm robotic telescope of the Astrophysical Institute of Andalusia. Contributors: José Luis Ortiz, Nicolas Morales, Audrey Thirouin, Rene Duffard and Pablo Santos himself. Here you have the video of the occultation. Thanks Paul, and that this success culminates in major results.
Yesterday evening we enjoyed the second conference of the cycle. As rapporteur, we have the presence of one of the leading English astrophysicists. The curriculum Battaner Eduardo López , Burgos-blooded, it is impressive in every way. Although he describes himself as a "born teacher" , truth is that it emphasizes-much-as a popularizer and researcher. He is currently Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Granada. But not to stay all the ink, I would urge you to visit his personal web page , where he tells us all the details of his career in a fun and easy.
It so happens that Edward Battaner was a personal friend of Carlos Sanchez Magro, so its presence in Valladolid to give a lecture in honor of his colleague, was charged with emotion.
As usual, Inés Rodríguez Hidalgo , director of the Museum of Science, opened the session with another of his brilliant performances. Again, public assistance was a resounding success, demonstrating that this type of calls is very attractive and far outweighs the energy spent in its organization and coordination.
Ines Rodriguez presented to Professor Battaner .
Battaner brought a conference entitled History of Cosmology , history undoubtedly exciting. His presentation focused on modern cosmology, that is, bounded from the publication of General Theory of Relativity Einstein to today. The presentation used teaching resources (anecdotes, curiosities) that served to make more bearable the concepts explained, sometimes, the depth of these inherently intractable or unintuitive, and always using a language close and accessible.
The start of the conference.
In his talk, Dr. Battaner made a thorough review of all cosmological theories, under general relativity, appeared for most twentieth century. The diverse sample of these cosmological models fruition, as we know, in theory universally accepted, and today that best explains the observations: the Big Bang model. As with everything, there are always detractors and Battaner recalled at this point a quotation from St. Augustine, saying "heretics are needed" , meaning "in my opinion-that is always beneficial to any for the sector disagree rest of the scientific community does not rest on its laurels. Sequentially, in chronological order, the teacher told us about the Static Universe and the Cosmological Principle, the primeval atom Hypothesis, Steady State Model, primordial nucleosynthesis, the prediction of the microwave background radiation and subsequent detection, Cosmic Inflation and the accelerating expansion of the universe (dark energy). But is that theories are made by men, scientists, and they, with their shortcomings or their touches of genius, step by step, falling and rising again, make it possible to reduce the observed in nature to language that, if On success, being considered as a physical law. Thus, the conference recalled the characters that put the building blocks of current physical cosmology, from a relativistic point of view: Einstein, de Sitter, Curtis, Shapley, Friedmann, Hubble, Lemaître, Humason, Zwicky, Bondi, Gold, Hoyle, Gamow, Alpher, Penzias, Wilson, Guth. Some, predominantly theoretical, others bitter observers, but always complementary and aimed towards a common goal: understanding the large scale structure and dynamics of the universe, its origin, evolution and destiny. As Einstein said, "the most incomprehensible of the universe is that it is comprehensible" .
An expressive time of the conference.
A In my view, one issue that caught the attention of the audience was that of dark energy. It seems that the universe is expanding faster and faster and this effect is well explained by introducing dark energy as a repulsive gravitational force that accelerates the expansion. Thus, the "biggest mistake" Einstein-his cosmological constant, appears to be the end of the day a crazy idea. As said Battaner, "Einstein was right even when you make a mistake."
listening very concentrated Battaner one of the questions from the audience.
Syrma The librarian Battaner took several books for us to sign.
Portrait of family with some friends.
The turn to questions, was very lively, as the subject goes a long way and try many concerns and is appealing to the audience: How will the Universe end?, "Will expand forever?, Does our , is part of a larger multiverse? ... In short, we live an exciting time and I am sure that each of us went to our corner of the universe urbanite forcing our brains to these cosmological issues. In my case, I thought late last night in my universe, and that too in my time-space location, at six in the morning, inevitably, the alarm compressed air with its usual buzz. I'm here.
