Department of Physics and Astronomy purchased over half a million eclipse viewing glasses, hosted public lectures and a viewing party for the Apr. 8 total solar eclipse
Ahead of the total solar eclipse on Apr. 8, the Department of Physics and Astronomy at McMaster University was busy preparing plans to engage all of Hamilton with the rare astronomical event.
The eclipse is the first of its kind to happen over Hamilton since Jan. 1925. The next total solar eclipse over Hamilton will not occur until 2144.
In a webinar live streamed in November 2023, Laura Parker, a professor and university scholar in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at McMaster, explained how total solar eclipses happen and why they are so rare.
Parker explained that a total solar eclipse is when the moon passes in front of the Earth and completely blocks out the sun over a certain area. She explained that lunar eclipses, when the moon passes behind and is blocked by the Earth, can be seen far more frequently from anywhere on our planet as the Earth is much larger than the moon and is more likely to completely block sunlight from reaching the moon.
In contrast, the moon is much smaller and does not cast a total shadow on the whole Earth during a solar eclipse. “The area of the earth which experiences a total solar eclipse when these things happen is pretty small” said Parker.
The area of the Earth which experiences a total solar eclipse when these things happen is pretty small.
Laura Parker, Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy McMaster University
Parker elaborated that when a solar eclipse does happen, a much greater area of Earth can witness a partial solar eclipse, meaning that the moon only partially blocks out the sun from that point of view. She explained that it is because the path of totality, the area of the Earth for which the entire sun is blocked, is so small that total solar eclipses are such rare events for any given place on the planet.
As they are such rare events, many within the path of totality were watching the eclipse and many who reside outside of the path travelled to cities like Hamilton to view it. However, as always looking directly at the sun causes damage to one’s eyes and so special viewing glasses that reduce the intensity of light needed to be worn to watch the eclipse progress.
For this reason, McMaster purchased more than 600,000 pairs of viewing glasses for the residents of Hamilton. McMaster partnered with local Hamilton libraries to distribute the glasses to residents. Glasses were also distributed to public libraries in Brantford, Burlington, Haldimand County and the Six Nations Public Library. Glasses were also available for students to pick up from McMaster’s libraries.
McMaster purchased more than 600,000 pairs of viewing glasses for the residents of Hamilton.
In addition, the Department of Physics and Astronomy hosted several lectures about total solar eclipses that were free to attend and open to the public, where attendees could also pick up a pair of viewing glasses.
Finally, on Apr. 8 from 1 to 5 p.m., a viewing party open to McMaster faculty, students, staff and alumni was held at the Ron Joyce Stadium.
By: Andrew Mrozowski
Big cities are beautifully illuminated at night, however one drawback is that it’s not often you can look up at the night sky and see constellations and planets. Hamilton is unique as it not only features a lot of green spaces that set the scene perfectly for stargazers, but also has a dedicated group of astronomers to keep the interest as alive as the stars in the sky.
One group that takes advantage of the clear, starry nights is the Hamilton Amateur Astronomers. The non-profit organization is the Canada’s largest independent astronomy club and is made up of 200 members who range from beginner to expert level astronomers.
“We strive to further not just the understanding of this fascinating science but also, and most importantly, the enjoyment of it,” said John Gauvreau, chair of the HAA.
Through free monthly events, the HAA holds meetings that are open to the public. At each of these events, a speaker showcases a presentation on astronomy or a related topic.
January 20/21 lunar eclipse shot during maximum at approximately 12:14AM from #BurlON. #LunarEclipse2019 #HamOnt #moon pic.twitter.com/VduPvVh3KK
— HAA (@HAATweet) January 21, 2019
Kevin Salwach, a member of the HAA since 2009, presented A Step Back and a Look Up on March 8. Since the event was catered towards the general public, Salwach dropped all technical aspects of astronomy and highlighted the importance of amateur astronomy. He encouraged attendees to take a look at the bigger picture of the universe.
“I find stargazing to be one of the most humbling and relaxing hobbies out there. There is something about sitting under a clear, dark sky that brings me complete peace of mind,” said Salwach.
Starting from a young age, Salwach found himself fascinated with the world of astronomy after visiting the William J. McCallion Planetarium at the Burke Science Building on campus.
“I remember the student doing the presentation pointing out Orion’s belt on the projector, and then going home later that night and seeing the belt in the night sky with my own eyes got me hooked. I’ve been going back every Wednesday ever since,” said Salwach.
Originally opening in 1954, the Planetarium was the conception of William McCallion, a professor in the department of physics and astronomy. Before finding its permanent home in the basement of BSB in room 149, an old war-surplus parachute was hung from the ceiling and used as a planetarium dome. The planetarium was the first of its kind in Ontario to offer public shows.
Featuring two shows every Wednesday night, graduate students who are studying astronomy create and design a one-hour show on the topic of their choice.
Two upcoming shows at the planetarium are based on pop-culture. One show is set around the Star Trek universe. Attendees will be taken around the universe to explore different stellar objects and phenomenon that have been featured in the show. The other is set around the theme of Harry Potter as many names of the book’s characters are inspired by the field of astronomy.
For PhD candidate and manager of the planetarium, Ian Roberts, the space has become a second home during his time at McMaster.
“For me, I think it’s a totally unique experience — something that you are not going to get a chance to do in many places, to come in here when a show is going, it’s totally dark [in the room],”said Roberts. “The first time the night sky comes up, it is completely amazing. It’s very striking. Getting the opportunity to come to a facility like this is something that is super unique.” he added.
Between the McCallion Planetarium at McMaster as well as the numerous other events that the Hamilton Amateur Astronomers run every month, there is room for anybody to study the night sky, whether they have a general interest or are aspiring astronomers themselves.
“Anyone can go out and take a look at the night sky, it belongs to all of us. Especially for a university student who is bogged down with study and schoolwork, stargazing is a nice repose to the stress of school,” said Salwach.
There’s a lot of life down here on Earth, but if you take a look up, you will be introduced to a brand-new world filled with wonder and awe that is sure to strike your curiosity.
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Researchers looking for an alternative planet for habitation are limiting their options, as a study lead by McMaster’s René Heller suggests.
Heller’s paper says that scientists who only search for Earth-like planets may be missing out on finding habitable planets that are not like Earth.
Heller is a member of the university’s Department of Physics and Astronomy and the lead author of a thought-provoking paper recently published in Astrobiology titled ‘Superhabitable Worlds’.
A seed germinated in Heller’s mind while perusing the livechat that accompanied a stream of an AbGradCon talk in 2012. It was during the chat that he noticed John Armstrong of Utah’s Weber State University asking if anyone thought that certain circumstances could make an Earth-like planet even more habitable than Earth itself.
“I thought about it for weeks and it somehow turned into a paper. I later invited John Armstrong, who asked the question, to join as co-author,” Heller recounted from his office in the Arthur Bourns Building.
The resulting work refutes Peter Ward’s and Donald Brownlee’s Rare Earth hypothesis, which argues that an Earth-like planet is necessary for extra-terrestrial life to subsist and that these planets may not exist.
Heller said he and his co-author were motivated by the lack of scholarship sharing their view that Earth is probably not the most likely place in the universe to be inhabited.
“All I found was literature proposing that there could be other forms of life.”
To address this oversight, the two academics explored the idea that Earth may only be barely habitable compared to other planets since it exists at “the very inner edge of the solar habitable zone,” and is consequently “literally marginally habitable because it just scrapes the edge of the solar habitable zone,” Heller added with a laugh.
To highlight the difference, Heller says they came up with a set of bodily characteristics that prospective superhabitable planets might possess.
The list is extensive, but some of the characteristics include: total surface area, plate tectonics, magnetic shielding, surface temperature, biological diversification and age.
“The most important aspect to consider is that these superhabitable planets will be terrestrial, meaning earth-like in composition, but slightly more massive than Earth, maybe two to three times the mass of the Earth.”
Despite the fact that a search for such planets is currently limited by technology, the paper already pinpoints a place to start once the means are available.
According to the report, a star named Alpha Centauri B is a member of the nearest stellar system to the Sun and is purported to host an Earth-mass planet, which is so close the star that it is rendered inhabitable.
“This star is interesting because it is slightly older than the Sun, which is a pro because its planets may have been inhabited earlier than Earth has…I think it will take maybe a decade or before these two to three Earth-mass planets, if they existed, could be discovered in the stellar habitable zone.”
NASA’s introduction of the James Webb telescope in 2018 could be helpful in characterizing of the planets if they cross the stellar disc once per orbit as it could detect the chemical imprints in the atmospheres of those worlds, Heller noted.
The open-minded hypothesis has gained traction amongst his scientific peers, says Heller, with most being amenable to the idea.
When asked if a migration from Earth is in the cards should conditions further deteriorate, Heller said, “Nothing is impossible…it might be an option. Not today, not in a thousand years, but maybe in a million years.”
