Stargazing at Sea
A series of up to six lectures by Ian Ridpath of the Royal Astronomical Society
Each lecture is accompanied by a highly illustrated presentation on Keynote
software
The lectures can be augmented with live stargazing on deck if required.
Stories of the stars
Constellations in myth, art and reality
Every night, a pageant of Greek mythology is enacted among the stars. Perseus
flies to the rescue of princess Andromeda, mighty Orion faces the charge of
Taurus the bull, the herdsman Boötes chases the Great Bear around the celestial pole, and the god Zeus flies
along the Milky Way in the guise of a swan. This talk will recount these famous
legends, illustrated by classic works of art, and identify the constellations
associated with them. Using images from the world’s most powerful telescopes, we will look in more detail at some of the fabulous
objects that modern astronomers have discovered in those same areas of sky,
from the birthplaces of stars to black holes and distant galaxies, which tell
real-life stories that are every bit as fantastic as the ancient myths.
Running time: 45 minutes.
The Moon is our nearest neighbour in space, and still the only body beyond Earth
on which humans have set foot. This talk will introduce the main features of
the Moon that can be seen with binoculars and small telescopes, from its
ancient plains of solidified lava to craters the size of cities blasted out by
meteorite impacts. We then trace the history of lunar exploration in the
context of the East–West political rivalry of the time, from the first space probes to the Apollo
landings. The talk summarizes the scientific findings from those missions and
describes why astronomers now think that the Moon was born when another body
hit the Earth billions of years ago. Finally we will look ahead to plans for
returning to the Moon.
Running time: 45 minutes.
The planets
Our neighbour worlds in space
Our neighbour worlds in space
Our home world, the Earth, is one of a family of eight major planets orbiting an
average star, the Sun, and is the only one known to harbour life. Copiously
illustrated with stunning pictures from space probes, this talk will outline
what we have discovered about our neighbour worlds. Starting with tiny Mercury
closest to the Sun, we will travel out via hothouse Venus to the red planet
Mars, then through the asteroid belt to the gaseous giants Jupiter, Saturn,
Uranus and Neptune, including their rings and multiple moons. The talk will
include the latest pictures from distant Pluto and will explain why it is no
longer considered a planet. The talk will end with a look at searches for
planets around other stars.
Running time: 45 minutes.
Ghostly wanderers in space
Comets appear in our skies from time to time like ghostly apparitions. In the
past they were regarded as omens of disease, death and destruction. Now we know
that countless billions of them exist in the form of dirty snowballs at the
edge of our Solar System, remnants from the formation of the Earth and other
planets. We see them only on the rare occasions when they approach the Sun and
heat up, releasing gas and dust to form a glowing head and tail. Recent space
probe missions to comets, including the European Space Agency's Rosetta probe,
have given us astounding close-up pictures and first-hand information on their
composition and structure. This talk will explain scientists’ efforts to understand where comets come from, what they are made of, how they
were formed and their role in the origin and development of life on Earth.
Running time: 45 minutes.
Eclipses of the Sun and Moon
Eclipses of the Sun and Moon are among the most awe-inspiring natural phenomena.
Most spectacular of all are total solar eclipses, when the Sun’s brilliant disk is completely obscured for a few minutes, turning daytime into
darkness and bringing into view its faint outer halo of gas, the corona. At
lunar eclipses, the Moon turns blood red at night for an hour or more as it
passes through the Earth’s shadow. Find out what causes these rare events, what you can expect to see,
and why enthusiasts travel around the world to experience the precious few
minutes of totality at solar eclipses. The talk concludes with reports and
pictures of recent and forthcoming eclipses visible from the UK and USA.
Running time: 45 minutes.
Aurorae: Their appearance, legends and causes
Aurorae, popularly known as the northern lights, are one of the wonders of the
natural world. Long the subject of Nordic legend, they are now known to be
triggered by atomic particles flowing from the Sun. Accelerated by the Earth’s magnetic field, these particles cascade onto the upper atmosphere around the
poles, causing it to glow green and red. This talk describes what aurorae look
like, the legends and superstitions associated with them, how and where they
occur and how to watch for them. Inspired by TV programmes such as
Joanna Lumley’s, many from Britain are now venturing to Norway to see these natural wonders for
themselves. This talk has been developed specially to introduce the astounding
northern lights to this new generation of tourists.
Running time: 45 minutes or 30 minutes (two versions).
