East Midlands Branch

THE INSTITUTE OF MATHEMATICS

AND ITS APPLICATIONS

Close Encounters of the Martian Kind, Three Eclipses and a Transit

A talk by

Michael McCabe

(Portsmouth University)

Friday 16th May, 2003

starting at 7.30 pm, Nottingham University

Pope Building, Room A1

[Campus map – http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/univ/campus-maps/up-map.html]

Abstract

The closest approach of Mars to Earth for thousands of years, a transit of Mercury, two lunar eclipses and a solar eclipse are among the astronomical events which UK observers can look forward to in 2003.

This very night there is a lunar eclipse. There is a solar eclipse in a fortnight and in three months time Mars will be at its closest to Earth for an estimated 20,000 years. Mathematical calculations, which have increased in precision over the centuries, have made such predictions possible.

To cap all this, the Mars Express spacecraft will be launched next month with the UK Beagle 2 lander on board. If all goes well it will land on Boxing Day and begin its search for evidence of life on the red planet. Once again, this would be impossible without mathematics.

No charge is made to attend meetings, non-IMA members are welcome

This Meeting will be preceded by the East Midlands Branch AGM starting at 7.00pm.

For further details of this event or other East Midlands Branch activities consult the Web Site http://science.ntu.ac.uk/msor/ccb/ima.html or by contacting the Branch General Secretary:

Dr Stephen Hibberd, Division of Applied Mathematics, School of Mathematical Sciences, University of Nottingham, Tel. (0115) 9513841 or email: Stephen.Hibberd@nottingham.ac.uk