On Friday, the 52nd conference of the Israel Astronomical Society was held in Eshkol Pis in a tent there in Ramat Gan. The Israeli Astronomical Society is celebrating its 54th year of activity this Hanukkah, and like every year a conference is held for astronomy enthusiasts in Israel
On the conference island we enjoyed fascinating lectures, given by the best lecturers and researchers in Israel. Each lecture (brief details coming soon...) left a taste for more, and the lecturers who were bombarded with questions can testify to that. After the tempting introduction, we will mention in a few words what the lectures were about and by whom they were given.
The first lecture was on "The Origin of Life: What should we look for on other planets?" Professor Doron Lantz from the Weizmann Institute spoke about lipids as a possible mechanism for explaining the beginning of life. The lipids gather in different structures, capable of preserving and transmitting information. Apart from that, the lipids are able to maintain metabolic processes to one degree or another and they arrange themselves in defined structures - in short, they maintain basic properties that characterize life. Lentz also spoke about computer simulations as a tool for testing various parameters in theories.
The second lecture dealt with the surprising connection between the solar system's journey through our galaxy and the weather on Earth. You will be surprised to hear, but the passage of the solar system in the arms of the galaxy has an effect on ice ages and changes in temperatures on Earth. Dr. Nir Shabiv from Tel Aviv University told how the entrance and exit from the arms of the galaxy causes cyclical changes in the flux of cosmic radiation that reaches the earth. The flux affects the amount of ions in the atmosphere, which affect the amount of clouds, and these in turn cause changes of up to ten degrees Celsius in temperatures on Earth. Geological evidence, ice cores and dating using carbon 14 and other methods indicate a beautiful connection between the flux of cosmic rays and different periods in the Earth's climate. The next time you leave the house and are debating whether to bring an umbrella, don't forget to check our location in the galaxy.
The third lecture was given by Professor Zvi Maza from Tel Aviv University, and it dealt with the discovery of planets outside the solar system. We take our solar system for granted, yet until 1995 there were no known planets orbiting stars other than our sun. Since then, over a hundred other planets have been discovered, most of them on the order of Jupiter in terms of mass. Professor Zvi Maza compares the experience of seeing a planet around another star to the discovery of the light of a firefly, which flies near a spotlight on the top of the Eiffel Tower from the top of the Azrieli Towers. Not so simple, eh? Maza explained two methods for discovering planets, one uses the Doppler effect to measure the gravitational influence of planets on the star around them. The second method relies on transits of the planets over their stars, a kind of tiny eclipses. These transitions can be detected by a cyclical decrease in the amount of light of the star, from which it is possible to learn about the existence of a planet and its characteristics.
The fourth lecture was given by Professor Hagai Netzer from Tel Aviv University on the topic of supermassive black holes in the centers of galaxies. It turns out that in the centers of galaxies there are enormous black holes, ones whose mass reaches millions and billions of solar masses. How do such massive black holes form, you ask? Excellent question. Galaxies travel to each other in the universe, and in dense regions, if the galaxies are not careful, collisions between galaxies occur. Our galaxy is also on a collision course with the Magellanic Clouds. During these events, the black holes at the centers of galaxies also collide and merge. We can see active black holes (those that swallow matter in large quantities) with the help of the light emitted from the matter that falls into them. If you see a very narrow region in the center of the galaxy, which emits M-V energy, you have probably encountered an active and hungry black hole.
The last lecture, which closed the conference, was given by the chairman of the association, Yigal Fat-El, on the subject of the lost constellations. Mr. Fat-El, who is currently publishing his new book, Encyclopedia of the Heavens, has been researching the constellations for several years in order to publish his book. In this lecture he spoke with the audience about a number of constellations that were "lost" over the years. Even in ancient times, many looked up to the sky in an attempt to find a certain lawfulness in the stars, they found this by connecting stars together to create familiar forms: gods, animals, historical events and even useful tools. Over the years, various groups disappeared from the publications and were lost among the pages of history. Today there are 88 known constellations, but the sky tells the story of even more constellations.
During the conference, the annual session of the Israel Astronomical Society took place. At the annual session, the activities of the association in the past year were presented, the new committee members for 2005 were elected, and the financial balance of the association in 2003 was presented by the treasurer of the association.
The excellent conference also provided an opportunity for astronomy enthusiasts to meet each other. You meet this from the observation and that from the lecture or the forum. Many people took the opportunity to buy "Astronomy" brochures, in the association's town, or to look at ancient photos from the observatory in Givatayim and the association's activities.
Finally, I would like to thank the organizers of the conference, the lecturers and the conference participants, and a special thanks to Nadav Rotenberg for his help in writing the article - see you at the next conference...
