Astronomy at St Andrews 2015-2018
Lead Research Organisation:
University of St Andrews
Department Name: Physics and Astronomy
Abstract
The St Andrews astronomy group is interested in questions of origins: where do galaxies, stars and planets come from, and what fundamental physics explains their formation? We are world leaders in solving intricate mathematical problems, and we use novel methods such as observations at very high precision and simulations with super-computers. We are joined by other groups across Scotland via the Scottish Universities Physics Alliance (SUPA), and internationally, in searching for hot and cool Earth-sized planets, homing in on habitable worlds where life could exist.
Our research spans a wide range of size scales, from discovering planetary systems around stars a few light years away to measuring the force of gravity acting on the whole universe. We discover `hot Jupiters' by using robotic wide-angle cameras that monitor thousands of stars to find those that briefly dim each time an orbiting planet passes in front of its parent star. We discover cooler and smaller more Earth-like planets, using robotic telescopes to watch gravitational lenses, exploiting Einstein's prediction that a planet drifting across the sightline to a distant background star bends its light. We learn about how planets form by looking at the radiation from dust grains and pebbles, which are either in the process of forming planets or, like our comets, remnants of the planet forming process.
Young stars have strong magnetic fields that interact with orbiting planets and their own magnetic fields. We study the signatures of this
interaction to understand how planets form and evolve. We investigate the physics of mineral clouds and lightning in atmospheres of cool brown dwarf stars and extrasolar planets, processes altering our view of planetary systems and help us understand dust and lightning in volcanic eruptions on Earth. We use observations and numerical simulations to study how stars form in galaxies and how feedback from young stars drives a dynamic, bubbling interstellar medium, the dusty gas from which new stars are born. We include energetic supernova explosions when massive stars die and the ionising radiation from massive stars that heats the gas in the galaxy to temperatures above than 10,000 degrees Centigrade.
On cosmological scales, we conduct large scale galaxy surveys to study how their structure emerges, forming their characteristic shapes of flat discs, spiral arms and central bulges. We study the central engines of galaxies, the supermassive black holes that lurk in their hearts, to understand how they grow and how they affect the host galaxy evolution. We study how gravity works both in galaxies and in the universe. Stars orbit in galaxies so fast that there appears to be too little mass to hold the galaxies together. On larger scales, our expanding universe is accelerating. We understand gravity on small scales, well enough to send space probes to other planets, but these puzzles challenge our understanding of gravity on the larger scales of galaxies and beyond. We investigate alternatives to current ideas of Dark Matter and Dark Energy, comparing our predictions with observations to test how gravity works.
Thus we address all four of the STFC Science Roadmap Challenges: How did the Universe begin and how is it evolving? How do stars and planetary systems develop and is life unique to our planet? What are the fundamental constituents and fabric of the universe and how do they interact? How can we explore and understand the extremes of the universe? What are the laws of physics in extreme conditions? How do galaxies, stars and planets form and evolve? Are we alone in the Universe? We exploit major international and space observatories (ALMA, APEX, ASKAP, e-MERLIN, CFHT, ESO, CHARA, HARPS, HST, Gaia, Herschel, JCMT, Kepler, LCOGT, SMA, SOFIA, Suzaku, Swift, Spitzer, VLA, XMM) and future facilities including EUCLID, JWST, SKA, and PLATO.
Our research spans a wide range of size scales, from discovering planetary systems around stars a few light years away to measuring the force of gravity acting on the whole universe. We discover `hot Jupiters' by using robotic wide-angle cameras that monitor thousands of stars to find those that briefly dim each time an orbiting planet passes in front of its parent star. We discover cooler and smaller more Earth-like planets, using robotic telescopes to watch gravitational lenses, exploiting Einstein's prediction that a planet drifting across the sightline to a distant background star bends its light. We learn about how planets form by looking at the radiation from dust grains and pebbles, which are either in the process of forming planets or, like our comets, remnants of the planet forming process.
Young stars have strong magnetic fields that interact with orbiting planets and their own magnetic fields. We study the signatures of this
interaction to understand how planets form and evolve. We investigate the physics of mineral clouds and lightning in atmospheres of cool brown dwarf stars and extrasolar planets, processes altering our view of planetary systems and help us understand dust and lightning in volcanic eruptions on Earth. We use observations and numerical simulations to study how stars form in galaxies and how feedback from young stars drives a dynamic, bubbling interstellar medium, the dusty gas from which new stars are born. We include energetic supernova explosions when massive stars die and the ionising radiation from massive stars that heats the gas in the galaxy to temperatures above than 10,000 degrees Centigrade.
On cosmological scales, we conduct large scale galaxy surveys to study how their structure emerges, forming their characteristic shapes of flat discs, spiral arms and central bulges. We study the central engines of galaxies, the supermassive black holes that lurk in their hearts, to understand how they grow and how they affect the host galaxy evolution. We study how gravity works both in galaxies and in the universe. Stars orbit in galaxies so fast that there appears to be too little mass to hold the galaxies together. On larger scales, our expanding universe is accelerating. We understand gravity on small scales, well enough to send space probes to other planets, but these puzzles challenge our understanding of gravity on the larger scales of galaxies and beyond. We investigate alternatives to current ideas of Dark Matter and Dark Energy, comparing our predictions with observations to test how gravity works.
Thus we address all four of the STFC Science Roadmap Challenges: How did the Universe begin and how is it evolving? How do stars and planetary systems develop and is life unique to our planet? What are the fundamental constituents and fabric of the universe and how do they interact? How can we explore and understand the extremes of the universe? What are the laws of physics in extreme conditions? How do galaxies, stars and planets form and evolve? Are we alone in the Universe? We exploit major international and space observatories (ALMA, APEX, ASKAP, e-MERLIN, CFHT, ESO, CHARA, HARPS, HST, Gaia, Herschel, JCMT, Kepler, LCOGT, SMA, SOFIA, Suzaku, Swift, Spitzer, VLA, XMM) and future facilities including EUCLID, JWST, SKA, and PLATO.
Planned Impact
Our research creates three major kinds of impact, related to
(1) the insatiable public interest in the fundamental questions behind our existence that are being addressed,
(2) the practical implications for understanding atmospheric processes,
(3) the universality of techniques pioneered by our cutting-edge scientific endeavour.
Moreover, our facilities are of use beyond astronomy.
The widespread public fascination about objects in the sky is rooted in astronomy providing context to life on Earth. Our research on extra-solar planets, astrobiology, formation processes, and large-scale forces provides answers that cannot be found on our home planet. We thereby directly affect the culture of our society, using the media, museums, or other outreach organisations as intermediaries to stipulate members of various age groups to wonder, explore and investigate. Moreover, beyond any other scientific discipline, we inspire young people and motivate more of them to pursue careers in STEM subjects, leading to them acquiring skills that are essential for safeguarding the economic competitiveness of the UK.
Our research work and its consequences are widely and frequently presented in the national and world-wide media, both as news reports and features in major newspapers, magazines, radio, and TV stations, with several of our PIs having gained a substantial reputation. Members of our group have also published popular science books. We moreover address the public through exhibits as well as documentary films, having worked with the Dundee Science Centre, Mills Observatory Dundee, the American Museum of Natural History, the National Museum of Scotland, the Edinburgh International Science Festival, the Royal Society, the Royal Observatory of Edinburgh, and the Edinburgh College of Art. Upcoming partners include the Goethe Institute and the Zeppelin Museum.
Following the goals to connect people with our research, create opportunities for citizen engagement in science, and making the process of science transparent, our new project `Transparent Observatory' will see the University Observatory opening up to the public and involve a permanent exhibition, Scotland-wide advertising, as well as live observations of transiting exoplanets and young stars.
In collaboration with Qatar Foundation, we will not only contribute to the development of astronomy in the Gulf region, but create a global cultural experience for school classes from different countries.
We have been active in establishing networks involving other academic areas, the health sector, commercial companies, and government agencies.
The study of dust and cloud formation processes in stellar and planetary atmospheres is related to applications of substantial commercial value as well as safety. This includes dust removal from plasma-processing devices, fusion reactor safety, the safety of airports near volcanoes, as well as dust charging on Mars as a hazard for future explorations.
We established a cooperation with Ninewells Hospital in Dundee on photodynamic therapy for the treatment of skin cancer, using simulations of light propagation through human tissue and fluorescence based on radiation transfer codes.
Our dynamic real-time scheduling of robotic telescopes acts as a technology driver at the intersection of constraint programming and cloud computing, which are enabling technologies widely applicable in many disciplines in industry and academia such as industrial design, aviation, banking, combinatorial mathematics, as well as the petrochemical and steel industries.
Our local 0.94m James Gregory Telescope, the largest operating optical telescope in the UK, is used to discover space debris in geosynchronous and Molniya orbits, in collaboration with SpaceInsight, a company providing observations and tracking of man-made near-Earth objects, and supported by the UK Space Agency, the European Space Agency, and the Defense Science & Technology Laboratory.
(1) the insatiable public interest in the fundamental questions behind our existence that are being addressed,
(2) the practical implications for understanding atmospheric processes,
(3) the universality of techniques pioneered by our cutting-edge scientific endeavour.
Moreover, our facilities are of use beyond astronomy.
The widespread public fascination about objects in the sky is rooted in astronomy providing context to life on Earth. Our research on extra-solar planets, astrobiology, formation processes, and large-scale forces provides answers that cannot be found on our home planet. We thereby directly affect the culture of our society, using the media, museums, or other outreach organisations as intermediaries to stipulate members of various age groups to wonder, explore and investigate. Moreover, beyond any other scientific discipline, we inspire young people and motivate more of them to pursue careers in STEM subjects, leading to them acquiring skills that are essential for safeguarding the economic competitiveness of the UK.
Our research work and its consequences are widely and frequently presented in the national and world-wide media, both as news reports and features in major newspapers, magazines, radio, and TV stations, with several of our PIs having gained a substantial reputation. Members of our group have also published popular science books. We moreover address the public through exhibits as well as documentary films, having worked with the Dundee Science Centre, Mills Observatory Dundee, the American Museum of Natural History, the National Museum of Scotland, the Edinburgh International Science Festival, the Royal Society, the Royal Observatory of Edinburgh, and the Edinburgh College of Art. Upcoming partners include the Goethe Institute and the Zeppelin Museum.
Following the goals to connect people with our research, create opportunities for citizen engagement in science, and making the process of science transparent, our new project `Transparent Observatory' will see the University Observatory opening up to the public and involve a permanent exhibition, Scotland-wide advertising, as well as live observations of transiting exoplanets and young stars.
In collaboration with Qatar Foundation, we will not only contribute to the development of astronomy in the Gulf region, but create a global cultural experience for school classes from different countries.
We have been active in establishing networks involving other academic areas, the health sector, commercial companies, and government agencies.
The study of dust and cloud formation processes in stellar and planetary atmospheres is related to applications of substantial commercial value as well as safety. This includes dust removal from plasma-processing devices, fusion reactor safety, the safety of airports near volcanoes, as well as dust charging on Mars as a hazard for future explorations.
We established a cooperation with Ninewells Hospital in Dundee on photodynamic therapy for the treatment of skin cancer, using simulations of light propagation through human tissue and fluorescence based on radiation transfer codes.
Our dynamic real-time scheduling of robotic telescopes acts as a technology driver at the intersection of constraint programming and cloud computing, which are enabling technologies widely applicable in many disciplines in industry and academia such as industrial design, aviation, banking, combinatorial mathematics, as well as the petrochemical and steel industries.
Our local 0.94m James Gregory Telescope, the largest operating optical telescope in the UK, is used to discover space debris in geosynchronous and Molniya orbits, in collaboration with SpaceInsight, a company providing observations and tracking of man-made near-Earth objects, and supported by the UK Space Agency, the European Space Agency, and the Defense Science & Technology Laboratory.
Publications
Buchhave L
(2016)
A 1.9 EARTH RADIUS ROCKY PLANET AND THE DISCOVERY OF A NON-TRANSITING PLANET IN THE KEPLER-20 SYSTEM*
in The Astronomical Journal
Cackett E
(2018)
Accretion Disk Reverberation with Hubble Space Telescope Observations of NGC 4593: Evidence for Diffuse Continuum Lags
in The Astrophysical Journal
Cameron A
(2018)
Hierarchical Bayesian calibration of tidal orbit decay rates among hot Jupiters
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Campbell CL
(2016)
Monte Carlo modelling of photodynamic therapy treatments comparing clustered three dimensional tumour structures with homogeneous tissue structures.
in Physics in medicine and biology
Christiansen J
(2017)
Three's Company: An Additional Non-transiting Super-Earth in the Bright HD 3167 System, and Masses for All Three Planets
in The Astronomical Journal
Colón K
(2018)
A Large Ground-based Observing Campaign of the Disintegrating Planet K2-22b
in The Astronomical Journal
Cook N
(2017)
Very Low-mass Stars and Brown Dwarfs in Upper Scorpius Using Gaia DR1: Mass Function, Disks, and Kinematics
in The Astronomical Journal
Title | ALMA and VLA observations of the Extended Green Object G19.01-0.03 |
Description | In this repository, we deposit final data products that underlie the following two articles: - ALMA observations of the Extended Green Object G19.01--0.03 - I. A Keplerian disc in a massive protostellar system, Williams et al. 2022, MNRAS, 509, 748 - ALMA observations of the Extended Green Object G19.01--0.03 - II. A massive protostar with typical chemical abundances surrounded by four low-mass prestellar core candidates, Williams et al. 2023, MNRAS, accepted The included README.md file describes the data files in detail. |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2023 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://zenodo.org/record/8059531 |
Title | Data underpinning - Prominence formation and ejection in Cool Stars |
Description | Files with extension. dat given the values of the corotation radius and alfven radius used to plot Fig 1 in the paper. Also, code written in python used to calculate the values given in Table 2 of the same work |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2018 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Title | Data underpinning - Slingshot prominences: nature's wind gauges |
Description | Data files used for plots in the paper: Wood_data.csv was used for Fig. 7, fort.2 for figure 2 and stars.csv for figs 3,4,5 |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2018 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Title | Data underpinning - The Sun as a planet-host star: Proxies from SDO images for HARPS radial-velocity variations |
Description | |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2016 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Title | Data underpinning - The low dark matter content of the lenticular galaxy NGC 3998 |
Description | Datacube (FITS format) has the following structure: x - fibre right ascension, in arcsec y - fibre declination, in arcsec xnode - X bin generator ynode - Y bin generator xbar - x luminosity-weighted centre ybar - y luminosity-weighted centre v - Velocity (km/s) s - Dispersion (km/s) h3 h4 ev - Velocity error (km/s) es - Dispersion error (km/s) eh3 - h3 error eh4 - h4 error |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2016 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Title | Hierarchical Bayesian calibration of tidal orbit decay rates among hot Jupiters (dataset) |
Description | Underpinning data for MNRAS paper of the same title. |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2018 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Title | Observing Substructure In Circumstellar Discs Around Massive Young Stellar Objects |
Description | Synthetic dust continuum and molecular line Atacama Large Millimetre Array (ALMA) observations of massive, self-gravitating disc models surrounding massive young stellar objects are presented here. Semi-analytic models of self-gravitating discs with spiral density waves and clumps/fragments are combined with radiative transfer models, and synthetic observations are produced using CASA software. Models presented here have different disc masses, distances, inclinations, thermal structures, dust distributions, number and orientation of spirals and fragments.
Data is in the FITS format, with filenames starting either with 'line' (synthetic molecular line datacube) or 'cont' (synthetic continuum images), and each filename contains the model ID. Tables of model IDs and model parameters are given in files models_table_spiral.dat and models_table_spiral_fragments.dat for models without and with fragments, respectively. Starting from a fiducial disc model, model parameters were varied one by one, with the exception of disc inclination which is separately set in each model. For details about the model parameters, detailed presentation of methods, proposed substructure-enhancing filtering methods, discussion and predictions for the upcoming ALMA observations, see Jankovic et al. 2018 (accepted for publication in MNRAS, arxiv.org/abs/1810.11398). |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2018 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Title | Slingshot prominences: coronal structure, mass loss and spin down (dataset) |
Description | These data files were used to produce Figs 3,5,8,9,10. ; The plotting program reads in the files called m_****prom_stats_all.dat which contain: ; NB MASSES ARE IN KG, NOT G ;TotalMass, VisibleMass, MassFractionVisible ,AvLength, m_in, m_out, $ ; tot_mdot_in, tot_mdot_out, tot_jdot_in, tot_jdot_out, $ ; av_t_in, av_t_out,AvB,AvRmax,AvMass,total(jdot),Av_cs ; We also read in wind data from a series of files called m_****windsummary.dat, which contain: ; Jdot [10^32 erg], Mdot [ 10^-14 solar masses per year], RA [stellar radii] |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2019 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://risweb.st-andrews.ac.uk:443/portal/en/datasets/slingshot-prominences-coronal-structure-mass-... |
Description | WASP |
Organisation | American River College |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Design and implementation of WASP data-analysis pipeline. Design and implementation of WASP transit-search software. Design and implementation of WASP transit-fitting and orbit-determination software. |
Collaborator Contribution | QUB: Fabrication, installation and operation of SuperWASP. Keele: Fabrication, installation and operation of WASP-South. Leicester: Design, implementation and maintenance of WASP data archive. |
Impact | WASP is the most successful of the ground-based searches for transiting exoplanets, having now found nearly 200 planets. The collaboration has produced over 200 refereed publications, and the WASP archive continues to produce new discoveries in the era of NASA's Kepler and TESS missions. |
Description | WASP |
Organisation | Keele University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Design and implementation of WASP data-analysis pipeline. Design and implementation of WASP transit-search software. Design and implementation of WASP transit-fitting and orbit-determination software. |
Collaborator Contribution | QUB: Fabrication, installation and operation of SuperWASP. Keele: Fabrication, installation and operation of WASP-South. Leicester: Design, implementation and maintenance of WASP data archive. |
Impact | WASP is the most successful of the ground-based searches for transiting exoplanets, having now found nearly 200 planets. The collaboration has produced over 200 refereed publications, and the WASP archive continues to produce new discoveries in the era of NASA's Kepler and TESS missions. |
Description | WASP |
Organisation | Open University |
Department | School of Physical Sciences |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Design and implementation of WASP data-analysis pipeline. Design and implementation of WASP transit-search software. Design and implementation of WASP transit-fitting and orbit-determination software. |
Collaborator Contribution | QUB: Fabrication, installation and operation of SuperWASP. Keele: Fabrication, installation and operation of WASP-South. Leicester: Design, implementation and maintenance of WASP data archive. |
Impact | WASP is the most successful of the ground-based searches for transiting exoplanets, having now found nearly 200 planets. The collaboration has produced over 200 refereed publications, and the WASP archive continues to produce new discoveries in the era of NASA's Kepler and TESS missions. |
Description | WASP |
Organisation | University of Leicester |
Department | Department of Physics & Astronomy |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Design and implementation of WASP data-analysis pipeline. Design and implementation of WASP transit-search software. Design and implementation of WASP transit-fitting and orbit-determination software. |
Collaborator Contribution | QUB: Fabrication, installation and operation of SuperWASP. Keele: Fabrication, installation and operation of WASP-South. Leicester: Design, implementation and maintenance of WASP data archive. |
Impact | WASP is the most successful of the ground-based searches for transiting exoplanets, having now found nearly 200 planets. The collaboration has produced over 200 refereed publications, and the WASP archive continues to produce new discoveries in the era of NASA's Kepler and TESS missions. |
Description | "Curriculum for excellence" - Teacher training |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | We have been involved in training sessions for school teachers across Fife, providing support for Scotland's "Curriculum for Excellence". |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015,2016 |
Description | ACC Astron. Society Elgin |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Andrew C. Cameron gave a lecture to the SIGMA Astronomical Society in Elgin on 6 Oct 2017, entitled: "Transiting extra-solar planets: From hot Jupiters to super-Earths". |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
Description | AS_OpenDay_presessional |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
Results and Impact | Aleks Scholz took part in a "Walk-in Neon Spectrum" event where a giant Neon spectrum was reproduced outside on a observatory grounds with people forming the spectrum. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Deep dark - pale blue |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | The LCOGT/SUPAscope 1m robotic telescope network, its science, and the people related to it, are being featured in a series of exhibitions involving photography as well as audio and video installations. The first such exhibitions took place in Konstanz (Germany) and Kreuzlingen (Switzerland), as well as in Edinburgh. The event in Edinburgh was accompanied by a series of talks and discussion sessions. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015,2016 |
URL | http://deepdarkpaleblue.com |
Description | Fascination Astronomy |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | A US-$1m grant from Qatar National Research Fund has been awarded to Martin Dominik for an extensive public engagement programme to run mainly in Qatar, but also to bring together school classes from different countries to work together on common projects. Beyond being a cornerstone for the development of astronomy in Qatar and the wider region, it will make demonstrate the power of public engagement for development and impact on society as laid out in the IAU "Astronomy for Development" Strategic Plan. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015,2016,2017 |
URL | http://www.astroqatar.org |
Description | James Gregory Telescope |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | The James Gregory Telescope is Scotland's largest telescope and a heritage product of St Andrews University. Every month we open the telescope for a tour and a public demonstration. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014,2015,2016 |
Description | SHINE |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | SHINE is a project to connect astronomy, art and music during the International Year of Light. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014,2015 |
Description | St Andrews Observatory Open Nights |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | The Observatory Open Nights are public engagement events at the St Andrews Observatory. They include stargazing, talks, telescope demonstrations, children's activities, and exhibits. Every year we organise 2 open nights. With several hundred visitors each time, this is one of the most recurring popular astronomy outreach events in Scotland. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | http://observatory.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk |
Description | St Andrews Observatory Open Nights |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | The Observatory Open Nights are public engagement events at the St Andrews Observatory. They include stargazing, talks, telescope demonstrations, children's activities, and exhibits. Every year we organise 2 open nights. With several hundred visitors each time, this is one of the most recurring popular astronomy outreach events in Scotland. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014,2015,2016 |
Description | The visit - An alien encounter |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Martin Dominik acted as scientific advisor for Michael Madsen's film "The visit - An alien encounter" (which premiered at the renowned Sundance Film Festival), in which a wide range of experts are confronted with the hypothetical scenario of an alien life form visiting planet Earth. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
Description | University of St Andrews Mobile Planetarium |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | The Mobile Planetarium shows recreate the sky as it would look on the night of the show and can be tailored to suit the age range of the audience. It can be booked by schools and clubs to perform shows twice a month with a maximum of six shows on any given day. In addition, the Mobile Planetarium participates in the yearly Science Day and the bi-annual Open Night at the Observatory at the School of Physics & Astronomy, University of St Andrews. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016,2017,2018 |
URL | http://www-star.st-and.ac.uk/planetarium/index.html |