Copy of Orbits, Spin and Chaos

This hybrid event will also be available via zoom, ticket holders will recieve an email with the codes 24 hours before event start

==========================================================

Ever wondered how gravity keeps the planets in orbits? Did you know that Neil Armstrong was nearly killed in a spinning spacecraft in 1966? And just what is chaos, scientifically speaking? All this and plenty of fun demonstrations, but don’t tell “Elf & Safety”…

The planets’ orbital shapes, tilts and spins oscillate due to the gravity of the other planets — this has a strong effect on Earth’s climate. On billion-year timescales the terrestrial planets’ orbits are chaotic and cannot be predicted precisely

==================================================

Born just after the war, I was about ten when my Aunt Florrie gave me a book for Christmas. It was “The Boys Book of Space” by Patrick Moore. I was already interested in anything to do with science and engineering and I devoured the book from cover to cover. Shortly afterwards, Sputnik I was launched and seeing it pass over London clinched my interest in physics and space travel. Pretty soon I was deeply involved in electronics and amateur radio. I passed the RAE in 1962 and later took the call-sign G8AQH.

I took physics, chemistry and maths at A-level and in 1964 went up to Churchill College, Cambridge to study Natural Sciences. I later switched to Electrical Sciences and after graduating I joined Marconi at Chelmsford working for several years on satellite communications. That job eventually took me to Nairobi, Kenya after which I worked there in Meteorological communications and later switched to teaching at the Kenya Polytechnic. I married a Yorkshire lass I had met there and we moved back to UK in 1976.

Since then I have had a variety of jobs in electronics and industrial controls, and recently have been lecturing part-time at University of Bradford. I got back into astronomy around 1992 when Josie bought me an astronomy book and I joined Bradford Astronomical Society.

See also article in Bradford T&A:

http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/news_behind/4416001.The_sky___s_the_limit_for_space_man_Rod/

Rod Hine MA(Cantab) MIET MBCS