Astronomy News

JWST turns up even more heavier-than-expected black holes

These young supermassive black holes weigh more relative to their host galaxies than those today, supporting an idea called heavy seeding. By | Published: January 24, 2024

In this artist's conception, a black hole (center) is contained in a small host galaxy in the distant universe (left). In the nearby universe (right), the same sized black hole would be hosted in a much bigger galaxy. Credit: CfA/Melissa Weiss
In this artist’s conception, a black hole (center) is contained in a small host galaxy in the distant universe (left). In the nearby universe (right), the same sized black hole would be hosted in a much bigger galaxy. Credit: CfA/Melissa Weiss

In the two years since the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) launched, astronomers are learning one thing: The early universe is a lot weirder than we thought.

JWST, which is the largest space telescope ever launched, is able to see back in time like never before thanks to a combination of its large mirrors and its sensitivity to infrared light. This means that it can see in stunning clarity objects whose light was emitted billions of years ago in the ultraviolet or visible portion of the spectrum, and has now been stretched by the universe’s expansion to longer wavelengths than optical telescopes like Hubble.

Astronomers are using it to peer back to near “cosmic dawn,” a time when the first stars and galaxies were forming. And JWST is showing that these early galaxies are different than astronomers had anticipated, in a plethora of ways: Some are settling into shapes we didn’t think were possible so early after the Big Bang. Others are unexpectedly large.

And recent research shows that even the black holes in the early universe were odd — they’re way bigger than they should be, relative to the mass of the galaxy around them. Unexpectedly, JWST is spotting mammoth black holes anchoring relatively small galaxies.

READ MOREhttps://www.astronomy.com/science/jwst-turns-up-even-more-heavier-than-expected-black-holes/

Awards

Hugo Awards: Nomination Stats questioned

Nomination stats for the Hugos awarded at Chengdu, China, have finally been published, and a can of worms exploded all over social media, lots landing on Dave McCarty, the Hugo administrator.

Some works were declared ineligible, no reason given beyond:

After reviewing the Constitution and the rules we must follow, the administration team determined those works/persons were not eligible.

When asked which rules, the answer was:

After reviewing the Constitution and the rules we must follow, the administration team determined those works/persons were not eligible.

Theories are tending toward the committee not wanting trouble with the government of China. And if that is the case, then we need to be a whole lot more careful about site selection. WSFS does have to comply with the local laws. Kevin Standlee used the example of, “what if we had the World Con in Florida”. Now there’s a scary scenario!

Lots of commentary from fans and pros alike on File770.com.

This particular thread is worth reading: https://file770.com/chengdu-hugo-administrator-dave-mccarty-fields-questions-on-facebook/

 

 

 

Upcoming meeting

MonSFFA meeting programming

Upcoming Club Meetings 2026

NB: Always subject to change, it’s fandom!

January 10 Zoom only

Elections! We vote for our executive: president, treasurer, Veep, and appoint editors for our website and publications.

Presentation: a comparison of artificial intelligence as depicted in SF with the AI models currently in development in the real world.

Art Presentation:  A primer on perspective as a useful guide to producing striking works of sci-fi art.

Discussion: Remembering the classic SF&F toys of our collective childhoods.

January 17 Meeting of the BookWyrms SIG
February 7 Meeting of the BookWyrms SIG
February 21 Zoom only

Don’t Judge a Book by its Movie! Examples are proffered of good SF/F books made into bad SF/F movies, and vice versa! Presenter(s)/Moderator: Joe Aspler

Hidden Gems! We cite examples of SF/F books/films that we serendipitously happened upon and thoroughly enjoyed; happy accidental discoveries, real gems previously hidden, but now revealed, much to our pleasure.  Moderator: Cathy Palmer-Lister

Title: Sci-Fi Balderdash (Game)! Actual titles, fake synopses, lots of fun! Presenter(s)/Moderator: Danny Sichel

March 14

The Alien Franchise: We examine the popular SF/horror franchise centered on one the Genre’s most terrifying space aliens! Presenter(s)/Moderator: Charles El Rahi

Real-World Architectural Landmarks in SF/F Film: An appreciation of landmark real-world architectural exemplars and actual futuristically-styled buildings that have been featured in SF/F film.
Presenter(s)/Moderator: Keith Braithwaite

Telepathy:  Exploring examples in paranormal belief, and as depicted in SF&F, as well as the implications were a telepathic society, or individual, actually to exist among us. Presenter(s)/Moderator: Danny Sichel, Josée Bellemare

April 11

MonSFFA’s Own MST3K! We try our hand at mocking a really bad sci-fi B-movie, and pop culture as a whole, in the MST3K style!
Presenter(s)/Moderator: Keith Braithwaite

The Titanic in Sci-Fi :On this very date in 1912, RMS Titanic set out from Ireland across the North Atlantic on the final leg of her doomed maiden voyage, inspiring many a tale across numerous genres, including SF/F. We’ll look at sci-fi’s take on the legendary ship.
Presenter(s)/Moderator: Keith Braithwaite

May 9

Impactful SF/F Movies/Television Episodes: We share each of our own examples of films and TV episodes that made us think, wonder, shudder, and that stayed with us well after the closing credits rolled!
Presenter(s)/Moderator: Mark Hickey

Sinbad and the Voyages Never Taken: A look at the unproduced projects of one-man special effects wizard Ray Harryhausen.
Presenter(s)/Moderator: Keith Braithwaite

Coming Soon! We look ahead to this summer in Genre books, films, etc.  Presenter(s)/Moderator: Keith Braithwaite

June 13 Away Team

The club embarks upon an excursion to an away-from-meeting-room locale—museum, exhibition, theatre, or such— preferably having at least a tangential association with the sciences, and/or the SF/F universe. Field Trip destination to be determined by the membership in advance of the event.

July 12 SUNDAY Shore Leave

Sunday in the park, 19th  in case of rain: Club members convene in Parc Maisonneuve—adjacent Montreal’s Botanical Gardens—for an outdoor barbecue/picnic and afternoon of relaxation in the park. Each individual supplies their own lunch, plus snacks to share; club supplies grill

July 26 Zoom only

Virtual Picnic: Club members convene online via ZOOM for a casual summertime get-together, essentially, a virtual version of the Barbecue-in-the-Park, for the benefit of those out-of-towners and others who could not attend the Barbecue in person.

August 15 Makers’  Workshop

Fancraft Workshops:  A series of SF/F-themed, hands-on crafting workshops running concurrently throughout the afternoon. These are designed both to showcase a specific craft, demonstrating the “how-to,” and to encourage MonSFFen to try their hand at one or more of the featured “Fancrafts.” Sci-Fi Origami and SF/F Jewellery-Making are planned; one or two other workshops yet to be determined. Presenter(s)/Moderator: Sarah Aspler, Josée Bellemare, Others

September 19

Sci-Fi B-Movie Purgatory! Offering a list of recommendations, we celebrate sci-fi films that are so bad, they’re good (for a laugh)!
Presenter(s)/Moderator: Adam Jed, Keith Braithwaite

He is Legend! A look at the legacy of genre author and screenwriter Richard Matheson, whose stories permeate mid-late 20th-century SF/F literature, film, and television to a much greater degree that most SF/F fans are aware. Presenter(s)/Moderator: Keith Braithwaite

The Doctor is In!  A look at the depiction of science fiction’s doctors and scientists—Dr. Jekyll, Dr. Moreau, Sector General, Cherijo Grey Veil, Hari Seldon, Clayton Forrester, “Bones” McCoy, Emmett Brown, and a certain Timelord.  Presenter(s)/Moderator: Danny Sichel

October 17 BOOK SALE

MonSFFA hosts its annual fund-raising, second-hand sci-fi book sale; open to the public, all revenue raised directed to the club’s operating budget.

November 14

The Visions of von Däniken! Various concepts of “Ancient Aliens” in science fiction. Presenter(s)/Moderator: Josée Bellemare

Dragons+! A look at dragons and other fantastical fauna in fantasy and science fiction.  Daniel P. Kenney, Cathy Palmer-Lister

SF&F Win, Lose, or Draw: We play the popular parlour game, with an added twist of SF&F! Presenter(s)/Moderator: Keith Braithwaite

December 5 Holiday Feast

Club members and their families, friends, gather at a Montreal restaurant for a festive meal celebrating the season; includes annual fund-raising Christmas Raffle.

December 12 Zoom only

MonSFFen gather online over ZOOM to celebrate the season and exchange season’s greetings; designed as an online version of the Christmas Dinner/Party, for the benefit of out-of-town members, and those who could not attend the party.

MonSFFA Website

Club’s Website Disrupted!

Regrettably, MonSFFA’s Website began experiencing numerous intermittent disruptions on the very day of our January 2024 meeting, Saturday, the 13th!

The site went down for much of that morning, preventing us from posting material related to our meeting, as is our custom. Only one post was put up before the site went down for a good stretch, effectively disrupting the online part of the meeting. Fortunately, we were still able to live-stream proceedings on ZOOM for our online participants.

Note that we have posted, below, some of the links and information on solar eclipses that our two guest speakers had on hand at the meeting, including this map of the Montreal area showing the path of the solar eclipse expected on April 8 of this year—scroll down for more related information.

As for the Website disruptions, we initially speculated that the problem might be connected to local power failures, or the far-reaching winter storm blanketing Ontario, Quebec, and the Eastern U.S. that day. But the disruptions have continued since, and the issue has not yet been resolved.

If you are reading this, obviously the site is up and running, but we caution that it may well go down again at any moment! If it does, try again in 20 minutes.

In the meantime, we have contacted the appropriate technical support services to report the problem so that a remedy may be found and implemented as soon as possible. We eagerly await word, and a return to normal functionality!

Astronomy specialists David Shuman and Paul Simard guested at our January meeting, presenting their documentary short, “Shadowchasers.” If you missed the meeting, find the film here:

https://vimeo.com/340109017

Here are links to other resources that our guests recommended. Astronomy sites will be updating as the April solar eclipse date draws near.

https://rascmontreal.org

https://www.rasc.ca

https://eclipse2024.org/eclipse-simulator/2024/1504?elevation=47

Safe, approved solar-eclipse viewing glasses may be purchased at these sites:

EclipseGlasses:

https://www.eclipseglasses.com/collections/eclipse-glasses-stock

Daystar:

https://www.daystarfilters.com/glasses/Glasses.shtml

Rainbow Symphony:

https://www.rainbowsymphony.com/collections/eclipse-glasses-safe-solar-viewers

Here, also, is a NASA link showing how to build a safe pinhole viewer:

https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/eclipse-2024/safety/

Eclipse glasses may also be found at astronomy stores in our region:

LA MAISON D’ASTRONOMIE (Montréal)

ASTRONOMY PLUS (Longueuil)

DAVID ASTRO (Boucherville)

Astronomy News

April Total Eclipse Resources

Missed yesterday’s meeting?

David and Paul presented their mini-documentary, Chasing Shadows. If you missed it, you can find it here: https://vimeo.com/340109017

Other resources that our guests recommended. Note that astronomy sites will be updating closer to the date.

https://rascmontreal.org

https://www.rasc.ca

https://eclipse2024.org/eclipse-simulator/2024/1504?elevation=47

To purchase viewing glasses

Eclipse Glasses: https://www.eclipseglasses.com/collections/eclipse-glasses-stock

Daystar: https://www.daystarfilters.com/glasses/Glasses.shtml

Rainbow symphony: https://www.rainbowsymphony.com/collections/eclipse-glasses-safe-solar-viewers

Stores in our region:

LA MAISON D’ASTRONOMIE (Montréal)

ASTRONOMY PLUS (Longueuil)

DAVID ASTRO (Boucherville)

MonSFFA Website

January 2024 MonSFFA Meeting, Post 1 of 5, 12:30PM; Introduction

1) INTRODUCTION

We’ll open 2024’s programming on the topic of the upcoming solar eclipse in April!

Welcome to both those present here in our meeting hall, and those participating from home via ZOOM!

If all has gone well, our ZOOM participants are now viewing a live-stream of MonSFFA’s January 2024 Meeting. As previously stated, it is our aim to live-stream all or most club meetings, thereby creating hybrid events in which participation may take place both in-person and virtually.

This afternoon’s proceedings are shortly to get underway. Those of you joining us online may follow along, and participate, by way of our ZOOM-chat.

This is our first meeting of the New Year and we’re kicking off with not one, but two special guest speakers, the RASC’s David Shuman and Paul Simard, who will provide their expertise on solar eclipses, and tell of their many adventures “chasing shadows.” As an added bonus, they’ll host a screening of their documentary short, “Shadowchasers”!

We will also hold our AGM and Executive-Committee Elections this afternoon. And, we’ll continue where we left off in November with Part II of our presentation on Air Shows and Aviation Museums, tapping into the aviation industry, which often inspired early SF and made aviation fans, too, of many sci-fi devotees!

Today’s programming agenda will begin at 1:00PM (next post); those online are invited to connect via ZOOM now…

2) JOIN THIS AFTERNOON’S VIDEO-CHAT ZOOM!

To join our ZOOM video-chat, which will run throughout the next few hours, simply click here and follow the prompts: This Afternoon’s MonSFFA e-Meeting on ZOOM

If you’re not fully equipped to ZOOM, you can also take part by phone (voice only); in the Montreal area, the toll-free number to call is: 1-438-809-7799. From out of town? No problem; find your ZOOM call-in number here: Call-In Numbers

Also, have this information on hand as you may be asked to enter it:

Meeting ID: 838 2459 4309
Passcode: 761217

3) TODAY’S AGENDA

1:00PM: Guest Speakers David Shuman and Paul Simard on the Upcoming Solar Eclipse, plus a Screening of their Documentary Short, “Shadowchasers” 

3:00PM: Break; AGM and Club Elections

3:30PM: Air Shows and Aviation Museums, Continued

4:45PM: Wrap-Up, Sign-Off, and Clean-Up

Please note that, while we strive to keep on schedule, we do, sometimes, fall behind a little, or find ourselves having to reshuffle the order of items on the agenda. Please also note that all programming is subject to change!

Montreal Science Fiction and Fantasy Association