Video transcript of meeting
- Intro – Marjie Welchframe
- Centre of the Universe Volunteer Coordinator – Aimee Rossen (info@centreoftheuniverse.org)
- Volunteer waivers – need to have everyone sign the form after viewing the safety video
- Volunteer list – access to Observatory Hill
- Volunteers should arrive before 7pm on Saturday night to avoid congestion at the access gate
- ORCASat – Prof. Justin Albert
- This microsat was built at UVic and launched six months ago to the ISS, where it was deployed – ORCASat — Launch
- ORCASat should burn up next month after six months of operation in low Earth orbit
- Background
- Modern cosmology started in 1929 Edwin Hubble’s assertion that the Universe is expanding
- Cepheid variable stars tell us the absolute magnitude, hence the distance away from Earth. Henrietta Swan-Leavitt’s research enabled this process.
- Observing past 10*7 Parsecs means using Type 1A SuperNova (White Dwarf), since Cepheids are no longer bright enough to use as a standard candle.
- Limitations of our Knowledge of Dark Energy 73% of Universe’s mass
- Calibration of brightness measurements are needed – flux as a function of colour
- Dark Matter 23% of Universe’s mass
- Atoms 3% of Universe’s mass
- The Dark Side of the Universe
- Supernovae are one of the powerful probes for understanding the eventual fate of the Universe
- ORCASat is in an ISS-like orbit
- Needs good coverage above ground observatories, so they can observe Orcasat
- Photometric calibration – Orcasat’s absolute brightness is compared with standard stars
- ALTAIR – Airborne Laser for Telescopes Atmospheric Interference Reduction
- Photometric Calibration using a high altitude balloon
- A laser photometric ratio star (LPRS) – exciting the Sodium layer
- I Need More Space-Time – review of a science fair project by Nathan Hellner-Mestleman
- Predict when our Universe will end
- Used Wiseman Observatory data for Type 1 SN
- Spectral lines: Hydrogen epsilon, Hydrogen delta
- Examined Supernovae 30 million LY to 40 billion LY
- Found the Hubble Constant to vary from 20 km/sec/Parsec to much bigger
- Using Slooh data didn’t work out, since Supernovae data levels are too low
- Project tried to infer how long the Universe will last from changes in brightness of Supernovae
- Consensus from WMAPS
- Q&A for both Justin and Nathan
- Is the Universe finite or infinite? We don’t know, and possibly will never know.
- Hot, dense start to the Universe – ratio of Hydrogen and Helium verifies this process, as does Nucleosynthesis with Quarks and Gluons (DOE Explains…Quarks and Gluons | Department of Energy).
- LIGO and other Gravitational Wave observatories should verify how the Universe started (inflation).
- Events
- RASC General Assembly – Lauri Roche
- Friday – shared Victoria’s Observatory Hill with delegates across Canada
- Thanks to members who attended
- RASC GA 2023 – CONNECT with the cosmos & community
- Beaveree at Camp Barnard – May 27th (9am-2pm) – Bill Weir
- Need volunteers for outreach – email Bill
- Island Star Party – Aug 11-13 – Dave Payne
- Permit for park use is in place
- More details at next week’s Astro Cafe
- RASC General Assembly – Lauri Roche
Astronomy Cafe – May 8, 2023