Welcome to the Astronomical Society of South Australia

As a conclusion to the series on Stellar Evolution, we will take a look at Variable Stars. This will include exploring such objects as cepheid variables, long period variables like Mira, eclipsing binaries and cataclysmic variables like Eta Carina.

From the detection of stellar parallax by Bessel, to the questionable patenting of the newly invented telescope, from Mirzam varying slightly to the whopping massive blast over Tunguska, from a Phoenix landing on a Martian polar cap to Apollo 8’s capture of Earthrise; 2018 boasts some remarkable astronomical anniversaries. Come along and Steven Raine will discuss some of these significant places, people and history commemorating their decadal anniversaries this year showing how we've progressed and learnt through the ages and through some remarkable work by some fascinating people and some of the sights we've seen over centuries.

After exploring our own galaxy, The Milky Way, we will look at the Local Group of Galaxies and beyond. The various types of galaxies will be discussed and how they are classified using Hubble’s Tuning Fork diagram.

In this talk Prof Caprarelli will discuss the planets of our solar system using a comparative planetology approach. Through the exploration of key concepts of planetary geophysics and cosmochemistry, she will present an analysis of the differences among the planets of our solar system, with Earth as the planet of reference.