Page 25 - BBC Sky at Night - September 2017 UK

INTERACTIVE SEPTEMBER 25

Meanwhile on
SOCIETY in focus FACEBOOK…

Pupils from schoolchildren WE ASKED: Buzz Aldrin wants to send humans
Burdett-Coutts from Moscow and to Mars. Would you like to be one of the first
& Townshend professional settlers? What would you take with you?
Foundation CE astronomers via
Primary School Skype to discuss Wayne Ryles
(pictured) have and exchange I’d certainly be up for it I’d take a large crate
been searching for ideas during of beer, a guitar and a telescope so I could
stars as part of the the search. look back at the Earth and sing a rendition
Mayor’s Fund for During last of Bowie’s life on Mars.
London initiative year’s initiative,
Discovery in a another group Paula Attwood-Rees
Week, organized of pupils from I would love to go and be one of the pioneering
by Russian Hammersmith Settlers. I would take my golf clubs because
philanthropist Þ The pupils also received copies of this magazine Academy look at the size of those bunkers!
Yelena Baturina’s discovered
charitable organization Noosphere. four new variable stars, which are Tony Moss
Discovery in a Week brought together classified as low-mass contact binary My telescope as light pollution should not
London primary and secondary school stars. They are all in the constellation of be a problem.
pupils with PhD astronomy undergraduates Centaurus, and have been recorded in
from University College London. Over the International Variable Star Index. Adrian Strand
the course of three days at City Hall, They have been named Reynolds V1, My hiking boots, adapted for my Mars suit to
the children joined other pupils from Hamed V1, Mousa V1 and Mousa V2 walk in that desolate but beautiful landscape.
London schools to learn about astronomy after the pupils.
and look for new stars by accessing the Each of the children from Hammersmith Al Higgs
20-inch T31 telescope in Australia Academy received certificates from the I would take a soil sample from Earth.
robotically. They were able to spend time International Astronomical Registry,
on the telescope via the internet and documenting their role in the stars’ Shareen Ismail
analyse data to search for signs of discovery. You can search for the children’s No way, I’m too much of an outdoors person,
undiscovered stars. They also joined newly discovered stars at www.aavso.org. give me fresh air and flowers any day.
Michael Marshall
come down on either side and I look Mashed potatoes.
Tweets forward to learning more in the magazine Mike Perkins
once further research is published.
David Burlington I’d go as long as there was a good supply of
@19burly68 • Jul 21 Jennifer Shelden, Leicester cheese and bacon.
pier taking shape @
skyatnightmag I’m glad you enjoyed the feature, Jennifer. Michael Brown
It’s a fascinating area to consider. – Ed Assuming that the mission sent the essentials
for survival and sufficient computing power
Here’s a crash course with an uplink to earth, I’d bring one home
comfort to remind me of the family I leave
Meteors and meteorites come in all shapes behind, a toy Bagpuss. Besides that I would
and sizes, so I’m wondering why they all like to bring durable pressurised tents, freeze
produce perfectly round impact craters on dried biomass for compost and seeds for
every planet and moon they land on? a variety of tasty nutritious plants with
low light requirements.
Brian Slack, Milton Keynes
David Konstantinou
Not all impact craters are round, Brian. I would take some paint and brushes so
Those that are are the result of an impact I could be the first person to paint the first
that explodes like a bomb, creating a Martian landscape.
circular crater that is many times larger
than the original space rock. – Ed Dean Woodward
I’d take some spare fuel to get back.

OOPS Steven Pranckevicius
- The Welcome note on page 3 of the August A photograph of Slough!
2017 issue mentioned Blue Horizon instead of
aerospace company Blue Origin. Chris Russell
The origins of life The entire works of Mozart and my telescope.
I was intrigued to read all about the theory - A caption on page 44 of our August 2017
issue, which said the rockets that launched the Robb Crow
that life on Earth came as a spark of life
Shuttle burnt up in the atmosphere, was Sausage rolls.
from matter outside our planet (Life from
incorrect. It was the Shuttle’s fuel tank that
Space, July 2017). Thank you for explaining burnt up in the atmosphere; its solid rocket James Schuck
both sides of this complex argument and boosters fell back to Earth to be retrieved for Have to have trees and green rivers and snow
making me exercise my grey matter. I didn’t reuse after each launch. so I think I’ll stay on my home planet.

skyatnightmagazine.com 2017