[ASC-list] Correction: Sydney talk tomorrow (Wed) - astronomer Fred Watson

[Helen Sim]

Correction: The date for this talk is Wednesday 18 February, not 18  
March.

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Contact:
Lyn Danninger, Macquarie University
02 9850 7257
lyn.danninger at pru.mq.edu.au

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What: “Bangers and Mash” – a free public talk by leading astronomer  
Professor Fred Watson
When: Wednesday, February 18,  6:30pm – 7:30pm
Where: Macquarie Theatre, Building W5B, Macquarie University, North  
Ryde, Sydney.

FREE parking is available in carparks W4 and X3. Enter from Balaclava  
Rd off Epping Rd.

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Bangers and MASH - positively glowing with excitement


Clouds of hydrogen in space are usually called nebulae, due to their  
misty (or 'nebulous') appearance. Surprisingly, they are a bit like  
human beings - they glow pink when they get excited.

Back in 1997, scientists at the UK Schmidt Telescope in northwestern  
NSW began a successful six-year search for such pink clouds. Among  
the interesting objects that came to light were 'bangers' (the  
remnants of exploding stars) and MASH (objects in the Macquarie Uni/ 
Anglo-Australian Observatory/Strasbourg H-alpha planetary nebula  
catalogue).

Studying these objects in detail helps astronomers understand the  
processes that take place at the end of a star's life, and can give  
us insights into what will eventually happen to our own Sun.

In this entertaining and fully-illustrated talk, Fred Watson explains  
how 'bangers and MASH' fit into the grand scheme of the Universe, how  
the search for them was conducted, and what the results are telling us.

Professor Watson is the astronomer-in-charge at the Anglo-Australian  
Observatory. He appears regularly on ABC radio and television, writes  
a column for Australian Geographic magazine and is the author of two  
books, Stargazer – The Life and Times of the Telescope and Why is  
Uranus Upside Down? for which he won the Queensland Literary Prize  
for Science.

Professor Watson's talk takes place within a three-day international  
workshop on stars in a late stage of their lives.
(http://www.astronomy.mq.edu.au/mash-workshop/index.html)


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Helen Sim
Public Relations and Media Liaison
CSIRO Australia Telescope National Facility (email: Helen.Sim at csiro.au)
and
Anglo-Australian Observatory (email: hsim at aao.gov.au)

Single Point of Contact (SPOC) in Australia for the 2009  
International Year of Astronomy

Tel: +61-2-9372-4251
Mob: +61-419-635-905


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