Star Gazing Season

It’s Star Gazing season again with the BBC, so why not join in with yourself and your students? See the BBC website for full details about their programming.

For school and college groups, we have star parties available throughout the winter – see our calendar for available dates!

We will also be helping out with the East Sussex Astronomical Society at the De La Warr pavilion in Bexhill-on-Sea on Friday 20th January – more details are available at this website.

And we will also be star gazing at the Moulsecoomb Forest Garden on Sunday 29th January – more details of that event are available online!

IOP Schools Talk: 22nd November 2011

The 2011 Institute of Physics Schools Lecture will be given at the University of Sussex on the 22^nd November.

The lecture, by Dr Michael Wilson of Birmingham University, will tell the amazing story of how physicists have developed sophisticated techniques to allow doctors to see inside the body without the need for surgery, by using x-rays, radioactive molecules and magnetic fields.

This inspiring lecture will be held throughout the day at 1.30pm, 4pm (for schools and colleges) and 7pm (for everyone!). To book a place for your school or college students, please email physicsoutreach@sussex.ac.uk

Click on the image to download a PDF poster for the event, which you can use to advertise the event as you wish.

Upcoming Institute of Physics talks at Sussex

We have some fantastic talks lined up for you for this season's Institute of Physics talk hosted here at the University of Sussex. They are...

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Why string theory and why not:
Can we construct a theory of everything?

Prof David Bailin, University of Sussex

Tuesday October 18^th, 2011

Chichester I Lecture Theatre, University of Sussex

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From x-rays to antimatter
The science of seeing inside your body

Dr Michael Wilson, Birmingham University

Tuesday November 22^nd, 2011

Chichester I Lecture Theatre, University of Sussex

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Click on the following images to bring up a PDF poster. Please feel free to circulate and advert as you wish!

Space Station and Shuttle following each other

As I write this, the Space Shuttle Discovery and the International Space Station have just closed the door between each other, as the Shuttle crew prepare to return to Earth. The two vehicles will separate at noon GMT tomorrow (7th March, 2011), and so on the evening of Monday the 7th March we will get the rare (and last?) opportunity to see the two spacecraft following each other in the night sky over the UK.

We will have two attempts to see them fly over the UK together on Monday...

The first past will be very difficult to spot, since the Sun is not setting until 17:50 - but you may just get a glimpse of the pair as they disappear in the East (it is sometimes possible to see the space station in daylight!)

• Rising just North of West at 17:46 GMT
• Reaching 72° high in the South at 17:50
• Setting at 17:53 in the East

The pair fly over the UK again 96 minutes later, but by then they only get 19 degrees above the horizon...

• Rising in the West at 19:23 GMT
• Reaching 19° high in the South-West at 19:25
• Setting at 19:27 in the South

You will get another chance to see the Shuttle and Station on Tuesday 8th March, as they fly over the UK from 18:13 GMT in the west, peaking at 18:16 GMT in the South some 36° high, and disappearing at 18:19 GMT - but who knows how far apart the Shuttle and Station will be by then?

For more details, including live footage from NASA TV, see SpaceFlightNow.com.