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A Day of Stargazing at Queen's
Friday March 20, 2015
From 8:15 - 10:45 the Astrophysics Research Centre will set up solar telescopes in front of the Whitla Hall to allow the general public to safely observe the Solar Eclipse.
From 19:00 - 22:00 Telescopes will be set up near the War Memorial for Jupiter Watch. This is an exciting opportunity to look through a telescope and see the largest planet in our solar system.
Both events are dependent on the weather.
Solar Eclipse
8:15 - 10:45 (Weather Permitting)
Location: In front of the Whitla Hall
WARNING: NEVER LOOK AT THE SUN DIRECTLY WITHOUT SPECIAL EYE PROTECTION
Astronomers from the Astrophysics Research Centre together with the Irish Astronomical Association will set up telescopes equipped with special solar filter to allow safe viewing of the Solar Eclipse.
During the eclipse the moon will move between the Earth and the Sun and block out part of the Sun's light. From Belfast it will block 93%. The eclipse starts at 8:26 and the maximum is reached at 9:31. The eclipse ends at 10:39.
More details on the solar eclipse, and how to safely observe it can be found in this booklet by the Royal Astronomical Society.
Safely viewing the eclipse
The radiation from the Sun can damage the eyes, and care should be taken to always use special protection when any part of the solar disk is visible!
- The safest way to observe the eclipse is to use a pinhole to project the image of the disk of the Sun on a white piece of paper.
- Always use specially designed glasses that are safe for solar viewing to look at the Sun
- Never use regular Sun glasses, CDs, smoked glass or any other items not designed for solar observing.
- Never use eclipse glasses with any optical equipment, including cameras, binoculars and telescopes.
- Only use specially designed telescopes and filters when using a camera, telescope or binoculars.
- Never observe the Sun with a telescope or binoculars without a special solar filter.
A leaflet on how to safely observe the sun can be found here
Jupiter Watch
19:00 - 22:00 (Weather Permitting)
Location: Next to the War Memorial in front of the Lanyon Building
As in previous years, the Astrophysics Research Centre together with the Irish Astronomical Association will set up telescopes at night for Jupiter Watch. During the event the telescopes will be pointed at the largest planet in our solar system. This is an exciting opportunity to look through a telescope and to see Jupiter! Astronomers will be at hand to answer questions about Jupiter, the solar system and astronomy in general.