Astronomy Tuition by Dr Johanna F Jarvis

Communication

Adult Education Courses
These courses running during the day, in the evening and as residential courses are aimed specifically at an adult non-specialist audience. Pre-arranged courses are listed below but if you can't see a course you like or the locations are convenient why not approach your local adult education provider or contact Astronomy Tuition to arrange a bespoke course for a local group?
	Astronomy's Looking Up A weekend residential course starting on Friday 3rd February 2012 at 19:00 Knuston Hall, Irchester, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire. NN29 7EU Tel: 01933 312 104 Web: www.knustonhall.org.uk/index.jspx Astronomy is a subject limited only by the size of the Universe and our ability to observe and understand its contents. This course will address some of astronomy’s hot topics including; extra-solar planets, the formation of the Universe, the methods/technology used by professional astronomers, the mysteries of our Solar System and how the general public are contributing to professional astrophysics. The course assumes no prior knowledge of astronomy and open discussion and questions are welcomed. • Exoplanets Part 1: How to find them • Exoplanets Part 2: What have we found • The Big Bang Theory: How the Universe was born • Tools of the Trade: The technology used by astronomers to study the Universe • Exploration of the Solar System: What we’re yet to learn about our local neighbourhood in space • ‘Citizen Science’: How the general public are contributing to professional astrophysics • Making a Contribution: Hands-on computer based experience of ‘citizen science’ • Where can I find out more?: Free discussion of all topics & recommended sources of more information This course aims to give delegates an introduction to a wide variety of ‘hot topics’ in astronomy. Via multimedia presentations and open discussion it is hoped that all delegates will have the opportunity to gain and improve their knowledge of a variety of aspects of astronomy in a relaxed and friendly manner.
	An Introduction to Observational Astronomy A five week course starting on Wednesday 22nd February, 19:00 - 21:00 Church Lawford Village Hall, School Street, Church Lawford, Warwickshire. CV23 9EE Bookings should be made with The Percival Guildhouse, Rugby. Tel: 01788 542 467 Web: www.percival-guildhouse.co.uk/ Have you ever looked up at the night sky and wondered ‘what is that?’ or do you own a telescope but aren’t really sure how to use it? This course will give participants an introduction to all aspects of observational astronomy; reading star charts, using telescopes and binoculars, viewing the night sky and all the techniques necessary to really understand and enjoy observational astronomy. The course assumes no prior knowledge of astronomy and the tutor welcomes participants bringing their own equipment to the course to facilitate open discussion and questions.
Public Events
The following are public events at which I will be presenting. Alternativly details of all my talks are given below and bookings can be made via the contact page.
	Geminids Meteor Watch A lecture and observing session on Wednesday 14th December 2011, 18:00 - 21:00 Ernesford Grange School, Princethorpe Way, Coventry, West Midlands. CV3 2QD A one hour talk "Make a Wish" exploring what meteors are and how to observe them followed by a two hour observing session (or inclement weather alternative) focusing upon the winter constellations and Geminids meteor shower. The event is aimed at the general public of all ages and participants are advised to dress warmly!
	Beyond the Galaxy - A FREE Stargazing Live Event! A lecture and observing session on Tuesday 17th January 2012, 18:00 - 21:00 Ernesford Grange School, Princethorpe Way, Coventry, West Midlands. CV3 2QD A one hour talk "Cosmic Cities" looking at galaxies in the Universe followed by a two hour observing session (or inclement weather alternative) focusing upon the winter constellations, the Andromeda Galaxy and Jupiter. The event is aimed at the general public of all ages and participants are advised to dress warmly!
	A FREE Stargazing Live Event! An evening observing session on Wednesday 18th January 2012, 20:00 - 21:00 Rugby High School, Longrood Road, Bilton, Rugby. CV22 7RE A one hour observing session (or inclement weather alternative) providing an introduction to observing the winter constellations, planets and the use of binoculars and telescopes. The event is aimed at the general public of all ages and participants are advised to dress warmly!
	A FREE Stargazing Live Event! An evening observing session on Thursday 19th January 2012, 20:00 - 21:00 Our Lady's Catholic Primary School, Leamington Road, Princethorpe, Rugby, Warwickshire. CV23 9PU A one hour observing session (or inclement weather alternative) providing an introduction to observing the winter constellations, planets and the use of binoculars and telescopes. The event is aimed at the general public of all ages and participants are advised to dress warmly!
	A FREE Stargazing Live Event! An evening observing session on Friday 20th January 2012, 18:30 - 19:30 Bidford-on-Avon Primary School, Bramley Way, Bidford-on-Avon, Alcester, Warwickshire. B50 4QG A one hour observing session (or inclement weather alternative) providing an introduction to observing the winter constellations, planets and the use of binoculars and telescopes. The event is aimed at the general public of all ages and participants are advised to dress warmly!
	Bedford Astronomical Society 25th Anniversary Event A day of lectures and workshops on Sunday 26th February 2012, TBC Bedford School, De Parys Avenue, Bedford, Bedfordshire. MK40 2TU As part of a day-long event celebrating the 25th anniversary of Bedford Astronomical Society a wide variety of topics will be addressed by a number of speakers including Dr Johanna F Jarvis giving her "Our Local Neighbourhood in Space" presentation. The event is aimed at the general public of all ages.
	Planets Galore A lecture and observing session on Monday 27th February 2012, 18:00 - 21:00 Ernesford Grange School, Princethorpe Way, Coventry, West Midlands. CV3 2QD A one hour talk "Our Local Neighbourhood in Space" exploring the planets and other members of our Solar System followed by a two hour observing session (or inclement weather alternative) focusing upon the winter constellations, Venus, Mars and Jupiter. The event is aimed at the general public of all ages and participants are advised to dress warmly!
	Coventry Astronomy Show A day of lectures and workshops on Saturday 17th March 2012, 12:00 - 21:00 Ernesford Grange School, Princethorpe Way, Coventry, West Midlands. CV3 2QD With professional speakers, workshops for younger participants, trade stands and a digital planetarium you're sure to be kept busy until dark when (weather permitting) an array of different telescopes will be turned to the skies. The event is aimed at the general public of all ages and full information can be found at www.astronomyshow.co.uk
	The Universe Through Different Eyes A multimedia presentation on Wednesday 2nd May 2012, 14:30 - 16:30 Methodist Church Centre, Russelsheim Way, Rugby, Warwickshire. CV22 7TB For thousands of years our ancestors have observed the heavens using nothing but their eyes. Over the last few hundred years optical telescopes have become common place working in the optical wavelengths (the red to violet spectrum we see in a rainbow) so why are we suddenly so interested in other wavelengths? Using familiar objects in the night sky the audience will be introduced to the scientific benefits of observing these objects in gamma rays, x-rays, the ultraviolet, visual, infrared and all the way out to the long radio wavelengths. As well as learning to 'read' the images these observations produce we'll study the information each of these wavelengths can give us and how they can vastly increase our understanding when used in combination with one another.
	How Big???!!! A multimedia presentation on Monday 14th May 2012, 19:00 - 21:30 St Augustines RC High School, Hunt End, Redditch, Worcestershire. B97 5LX The primary objective of this presentation is to make you feel very small! Astronomy inherently covers all scales from the sub-atomic particles in existence fractions of a second after the Big Bang to the large scale structure permeating the entire Universe so getting your head around it all can be a challenge. Starting with scales we are familiar with we'll work our way out through the Solar System, through the Milky Way and far out into inter-galactic space to see what's out there, how we know how far away it is and what the furthest thing we can see is.
	TBC A multimedia presentation on Friday 10th August 2012, 19:00 - 21:30 Earlsdon Methodist Church Hall, Earlsdon Avenue South, Earlsdon, Coventry. CV5 6NF TBC
	40th Horncastle Astronomy Weekend A weekend event starting on the evening of Friday 14th to Sunday 16th September 2012 Horncastle College, Mareham Road, Horncastle. LN9 6PH For booking forms contact Paul Money on paul (at) astrospace. co. uk Over the weekend there will be a mix of topics and speakers (TBC). The event begins on Friday evening with registration, dinner and the William Fox Memorial Lecture. On Saturday and Sunday there will be a selection of talks, Observations Showcases and 'Astroshort' talks. Attendees are encouraged to bring along their own equipment as practical observing will be undertaken during the evenings if the weather permits.
Presentations & Workshops
These talks can be adjusted to suit almost any age or ability and presented as self-contained lectures or combined as part of a broader workshop or course. Most are 1 hour in length (though this can be adjusted) and offer a detailed look at a specific topic through visually stimulating multimedia presentations and/or hands-on activities. Alternatively if you can't see the topic you’re looking for here please feel free to contact me as presentations can be written to specifically meet the needs of clients.
	A Long Long Time Ago... Understanding how the Universe came to be is one of, if not the, biggest questions in science and we're still trying to answer it. This presentation takes a snap-shot of our current understanding and how the Big Bang Theory explains the formation and early evolution of the Universe with a combination of highly theoretical work and firmly proven concepts. Furthermore, if we can explain how the Universe began can we predict how it will end?
	Cosmic Cities Galaxies are beautiful objects and often contain yet more beauty but they hid a turbulent and violet reality. From the formation of the first galaxies to the ongoing galaxy mergers we can trace their evolution, predict their interactions and model concepts as diverse as black holes and dark matter by studying their behaviour. This lecture addresses all aspects of galaxy formation, structure, evolution, mergers and the secrets they hide using Hubble Deep Field images to observe the first galaxies formed and super-computer simulations to study the fine details.
	How Big???!!! The primary objective of this presentation is to make you feel very small! Astronomy inherently covers all scales from the sub-atomic particles in existence fractions of a second after the Big Bang to the large scale structure permeating the entire Universe so getting your head around it all can be a challenge. Starting with scales we are familiar with we'll work our way out through the Solar System, through the Milky Way and far out into inter-galactic space to see what's out there, how we know how far away it is and what the furthest thing we can see is.
	Our Changing Window on the Universe Learn your way around the night sky using familiar constellations for 'star-hopping' and the celestial coordinate system of Right Ascension and Declination. Take a closer look at the huge variety of stars, galaxies and nebulae easily visible through binoculars or small telescopes and explore the wide variety of transient phenomena (e.g. comets, asteroids, meteor shows and eclipses). Please note: Though some content is generic this presentation will be adjusted (approximately monthly) to highlight objects visible in the night sky at the time the presentation is given.
	Our Local Neighbourhood in Space You might think we know our Solar System quite well; after all its members are close, on astronomical scales, and we've sent plenty of space probes and landers to visit every planet as well as a few comets, asteroids and satellites. But for every question we answer we ask so many more. After a brief introduction to the members of our Solar System we'll consider how much we are yet to learn about each of those members including the question; is there life elsewhere in the Solar System?
	Planets Beyond the Solar System The search for Exoplanets (Extra-solar planets or planets in orbit around stars other than the Sun) is the hottest topic in astronomy at this time. We've only had the ability to find exoplanets for the last 20 years but since then our techniques, understanding and rate of identification have increased exponentially with the UK playing a key role. This talk will introduce the audience to the techniques we use (as well as the inherent problems with those techniques), a number of the more interesting planets found and the questions these discoveries are raising. For example; Are we going to have to completely reconsider how the Solar System formed?
	The Sun Revealed The recent unpredictable behaviour of the Sun has reminded us all that despite being our local star we don't know everything about the Sun. However, with the recent launch of the STEREO spacecraft we have for the first time a full-globe few of the Sun and the opportunities this offers for the confirmation of long standing theories and the discovery of new phenomena is limitless. This presentation aims to give an overview of everything we know (or think we know) about the Sun including the source of its energy, its structure and its evolutionary path. We will then address the many mysteries the Sun still holds and how the technology we have at our disposal today may be able to answer these questions.
	Tools of the Trade The equipment at the disposal of amateur astronomers today is extensive and far far beyond that ever imagined by Galileo. However, much of that equipment was only in the hands of professional astronomers a few years ago so the amateur-professional gap is closing rapidly. So what are the 'bread and butter' techniques for a professional astrophysicist, why does their equipment cost so much, why do they get to go to exotic locations around the world and are they missing out by never looking through the eyepiece themselves? This talk will address these burning questions along with a few personal stories of what life is really like at a professional observatory!
	Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, How I Wonder... Stars really do hang like beautiful diamonds in the sky and can be enjoyed by just looking up to study the Milky Way sweeping across the sky or tracing the features of a constellation. But what is a star, why are they different colours, different sizes and how does a pinpoint of light turn into a beautiful extended nebula? This talk will lead the audience through the process of stellar evolution and how this varies for different mass stars before looking at some of the more unusual and extreme examples of the common star.
	The Universe Through Different Eyes For thousands of years our ancestors have observed the heavens using nothing but their eyes. Over the last few hundred years optical telescopes have become common place working in the optical wavelengths (the red to violet spectrum we see in a rainbow) so why are we suddenly so interested in other wavelengths? Using familiar objects in the night sky the audience will be introduced to the scientific benefits of observing these objects in gamma rays, x-rays, the ultraviolet, visual, infrared and all the way out to the long radio wavelengths. As well as learning to 'read' the images these observations produce we'll study the information each of these wavelengths can give us and how they can vastly increase our understanding when used in combination with one another.