October 2005 - astronomy@lists.redbrick.dcu.ie

[Astronomy Ireland] AI on TV, record AIRS?, Help Mars Watches
by Astronomy Ireland 28 Oct '05

28 Oct '05

1. TG4 ASTRONOMY SHOW Our Irish language speakers Gearoid O Cribin and Eamonn O'Fearchain will be interviewed all about astronomy on TG4 on Saturday (Oct. 29) at 10:05pm on the "Ardan" TV show - TG4's equivalent of "The Late Late Show". Eamonn will have his Celestron 8 on the show and there could be other Celestron telescopes from our Shop on display also. They want you to join in so for audience tickets call Louise at 087-7592713 office hours. 2. A.I. Radio Show Did anyone record last Tuesday's edition of the Astronomy Ireland Radio Show (AIRS)? We missed the first few minutes as you may have heard if you downloaded it from www.astronomy.ie/radioshow.html Every Tuesday at 8pm AIRS will give you all the latest news of discoveries made about our universe and tell you what to see in the sky each week. 3. MARS WATCH HELPERS Nine Mars Watches will take place at the following locations countrywide on Friday Nov. 4 but we need a bit of help: Co. Carlow - Carlow town Co. Clare - Kilmihil Co. Cork - Carrigaline Co. Donegal - Letterkenny Co. Dublin - Phoenix Park Co. Louth - Dundalk Co. Roscommon - Boyle Co. Waterford - Waterford city Co. Wexford - Rosslare Strand (full details of Mars Watches at www.astronomy.ie/marswatchNov05.html ) We need people to assist our Co-Ordinator in each area. Can you hand out leaflets? If so please email tom(a)astronomy.ie and give your landline and mobile contact numbers please. Thanks very much as it should be a really exciting event as Mars is incredible in a telescope at present. A group of us have been getting amazing views in telescopes over the past days and weeks and of course Mars is at its very closest in the coming week. So please help us to show Mars to more people on November 4 and volunteer a bit of help today, thanks. email tom now please. PLEASE JOIN OUR SOCIETY TO SUPPORT PROMOTING ASTRONOMY IN IRELAND AT www.astronomy.ie THE ASTRONOMY SHOP - open until 6pm SATURDAY (and Mon-Fri 9:30-17:30) GET READY FOR MARS! FOR ADVICE ON VIEWING ITS HISTORIC CLOSE APPROACH AND TELESCOPE SALES CALL (01) 847 0777

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[Astronomy Ireland] Webcam Workshop, Radio Show (incl Mars!), AnPost, TV:Saturn-Cassini, Astro-Expo
by Astronomy Ireland 19 Oct '05

19 Oct '05

1. WEBCAM WORKSHOP SUNDAY Mars now dominates the evening sky. It rises in the East before 8pm. At magnitude -2 it is THE brightest star-like object in the sky and its orange-red colour is a dead giveaway. Amateurs around the world are taking stunning images of its surface features in greater detail than ever seen before using humble webcams (which many of you have bought from our Shop). See their images in the Gallery pages of our magazine over the past few months! Last year we had one of the world's greatest experts on planetary imaging, Damian Peach, come to Ireland (in association with the British Council) and give a public lecture and workshop on webcam imaging. You can still get his lecture on DVD www.astronomy.ie/lectureDVD.html (see November 2004 near the bottom of the list) Some of you have asked if some of the experts in the society could give a 'workshop' to explain how best to capture and process images now Mars is so close e.g. how to get the best out of the excellent Registax software. Dave Gradwell has agreed to give such a workshop on Sunday October 23rd in our Shop in Artane, Dublin 5 at 2pm. Places may be limited if there is huge demand so reply to this if you want to come along. FREE to members. Join at www.astronomy.ie/sub 2. WEEKLY A.I. RADIO SHOW ONLINE Tuesday's edition of the Astronomy Ireland Radio Show (AIRS) is now online at www.astronomy.ie/radioshow.html for FREE download (only about 3MB). In 30 minutes you will hear all the latest news AND WHAT TO SEE: Mars near Moon! Moon passes in front of Pleiades! Best chance to see Mars' darkest feature this week until 2018!!! AIRS is also available as a podcast on the world's biggest music store www.apple.com/itunes and was the 7th most popular download last week!!! Every Tuesday at 8pm AIRS will give you all the latest news of discoveries made about our universe and tell you what to see in the sky each week. Online by 9pm every Tuesday for ALL OUR MEMBERS AROUND IRELAND - FREE! 3. MAGAZINE POSTAL DELAYS A (very) few of you have reported receiving the November issue of our magazine (posted Oct. 11). If you have not received your copy yet please reply to this email giving your name and address so we can see what areas are affected. An Post still have not replied to or acknowledged our written complaint sent on Oct. 14. 4. BBC TV HORIZON ABOUT CASSINI AT SATURN'S TITAN Thursday Oct. 20 at 9pm on BBC 2 TV: ** Horizon ** Reports back from the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn's moon Titan thought to resemble the early Earth. http://www.bbc.co.uk/horizon 5. ASTRO-EXPO 2005 IS COMING! Starting marking your calendar for November 19 and 20 as Ireland's biggest annual astronomy weekend looms closer. Each year: 6 lectures (3 each day) Huge exhibition hall - telescopes, SWAP MEET, professional and amateurs exhibiting, and more The Annual A.I. Dinner (Saturday night) - effectively our Christmas Dinner sees everyone interested in astronomy from all around Ireland (and some from abroad) descend on Dublin for an annual get together not to be missed. Headlining the bill this year is Dr Oisin MacConamhna (who was Stephen Hawking's only Irish student) explaining the universe! Oisin's talk last year was absolutely brilliant - DO NOT MISS THIS YEAR'S TALK So plan to travel to Dublin no matter where you live for the only astronomy weekend you need to attend each year: www.astronomy.ie/astroexpo2005.html for details and online booking at very low cost PLEASE JOIN OUR SOCIETY TO SUPPORT PROMOTING ASTRONOMY IN IRELAND AT www.astronomy.ie THE ASTRONOMY SHOP - open until 6pm SATURDAY (Mon-Fri 9:30-17:30) GET READY FOR MARS! FOR ADVICE ON VIEWING ITS HISTORIC CLOSE APPROACH AND TELESCOPE SALES CALL (01) 847 0777

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[Astronomy Ireland] Lecture Online+DVD, Post delay, AIRS in Top 10, Hamilton Walk, DIT Lecture
by Astronomy Ireland 14 Oct '05

14 Oct '05

1. OCTOBER PUBLIC LECTURE ONLINE We got to touch the asteroid Vesta at Dr Ian Sanders' excellent lecture last Monday on "Meteorites and the Origin of the Solar System". A compressed version of his lecture is now online at www.astronomy.ie/webcast/webcast.html for you to download free. A high quality DVD (5euro) is available from our Shop(see below), or order online at www.astronomy.ie/lectureDVD.html Dr Sanders had just had an important paper published that day. He kindly sent us a copy which we can forward to anyone who wants a copy. Just email info(a)astronomy.ie 2. MAGAZINE POSTAL DELAYS Problems continue at An Post. Last month they took 2 weeks to deliver the October issue of our magazine! The November issue of A&S was posted October 11 and we are not aware of anyone who has received it yet, anywhere in Ireland. Formal complaints have been lodged in writing - and so far ignored by An Post. What can we do! 3. A.I. RADIO SHOW IN TOP TEN "PODCASTS" Tuesday's edition of the Astronomy Ireland Radio Show went online shortly after its 8pm transmission. Perhaps you have already downloaded it from www.astronomy.ie/radioshow.html Thanks to AI member James Sweeney from Athlone, AIRS is now available on the iTunes music store (the worlds largest online music store). James writes "People can freely access it. Do a search for "astronomy" and AIRS will show up. Listeners can then 'subscribe' to the show so that each week the show is automatically downloaded into their iTunes application and if they want to they can also transfer the show to their portable music player (iPod)." Early reports are that AIRS went straight in to the top 10 podcasts last week! Thanks James! Go to www.apple.com/itunes to download iTunes. Then go to the Podcasts on the left hand pane and Podcasts Directory at the bottom of the screen to see the full list of available podcasts. You can use the search bar at the top of the screen to search for particular types of podcasts. Every Tuesday at 8pm AIRS will give you all the latest news of discoveries made about our universe and tell you what to see in the sky each week. Online by 9pm Tuesdays! 4. HAMILTON WALK On Sunday October 16 the steps that Sir William Rowan Hamilton took from Dunsink to Broombridge, where he discovered and inscribed his famous equation for quaternions, will be re-traced by Nobel Prize Winner Steven Weinberg, who will be doing the annual Hamilton Walk. Meet at the gates to Dunsink Observatory at 2pm for the 45 minute walk in to the Royal Irish Academy on Dawson Street. This year is of course Hamilton Year celebrating the bicentenary of his birth with events all year long www.hamilton2005.ie I hope to make it to the walk myself in this auspicious year. Perhaps I'll see you there? Note that cars cannot be left at the Observatory as it will be closed shortly after the walkers set off. 5. PUBLIC LECTURE "What evolution tells us about extra-terrestrials" by Prof Simon Conway Morris, University of Cambridge, is taking place at 6pm on Tuesday October 18th at the Dublin Institute of Technology in Aungier Street, Dublin 2. Attendance is free and to register you should phone Dr Peter Kavanagh at 01-4024583 or email him at peter.kavanagh(a)dit.ie Full details including biography of the speaker and his books at: http://hamilton.dit.ie/18-10-05.html Sounds very stimulating, I hope to get along also. ===== David Moore BSc FRAS, Chairman, Astronomy Ireland Editor, "Astronomy & Space" magazine. www.astronomy.ie THE ASTRONOMY SHOP - open until 6pm SATURDAY (Mon-Fri 9:30-17:30) Ireland's biggest selection of telescopes SALE NOW ON! GET READY FOR MARS! Tel (01) 847 0777

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[Astronomy Ireland] Touch a Meteorite Lecture Ocotber 10
by Astronomy Ireland 09 Oct '05

09 Oct '05

Astronomy Ireland's next Public Lecture will be quite a unique event at which you can touch and hold rocks that have come from another planet! A minor planet, or asteroid, in fact. For that is what meteorites are - rocks that have fallen to Earth from space having been blasted off another world typically millions of years ago. Dr Ian Sanders, an 'astro-geologist', will bring along samples from his meteorite collection to illustrate his talk: "Meteorites and the Origin of the Solar System" at 8pm on Monday October 10 in Dublin City University (Henry Grattan Building, Lecture Theatre CG12) Actual meteorites, some quiet valuable, will be passed out in to the audience! The talk is aimed at the general public so bring some friends. Admission is 5euro (3euro for members,students,under 18,OAP,unwaged) For those outside Leinster a DVD will be made of this lecture and can be ordered online at www.astronomy.ie/lectureDVD.html for just 5euro. Further details of the talk are available at: www.astronomy.ie/lecture0510.html including maps of how to get there. Please forward this email to anyone who may be interested. Thank you. David Moore, Chairman, Astronomy Ireland www.astronomy.ie Tel (01) 847 0777

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[Astronomy Ireland] Eclipse, Irishman Confirms Supernova, ASGI, EVENING CLASSES, Newsline
by Astronomy Ireland 05 Oct '05

05 Oct '05

1. ECLIPSE Thanks to hundreds of you who sent in your comments about the deep partial solar eclipse on Monday. Clonmel, East Antrim and Belfast glimpsed the eclipse so IT WAS seen from Ireland. A full report will be prepared from your emails in the coming days. If you still want to report seeing or experiencing the eclipse just reply to this email. 2. ECLIPSE TRIP 2006 There has been a huge response to holiday in Turkey for the TOTAL eclipse of the Sun on March 29, 2006. If you want a brochure just email eclipse(a)astronomy.ie The society's Eclipse Trip in 1999 was very successful and Turkey should be too. Remember it's less than 6 months away so email soon. 3. AMAZING ECLIPSE PUBLICITY! RTE TV News (1pm, 6pm & 9pm) all carried a report on our Eclipse Watch (so did RTE 2). As did TV3 News, and RTE Radio 1's Morning Ireland (the top rating radio show in all of Ireland). On Tuesday we made the front page of the Irish Times, and page 9 of the Independent. There were countless other local radio and press interviews done all day too. Traffic on our website went through the roof! If you missed all that publicity you can still access the RTE news online: RTE TV http://dynamic.rte.ie/av/2079416.smil (2 minutes) RTE Radio http://dynamic.rte.ie/av/2079222.smil (5 minutes on prime time!) If you see any telescopes you like call Robert at our Astronomy Shop (he's the one on the right 1min 14sec in to the TV clip)! 4. OUR RADIO SHOW The latest edition of the A.I. Radio Show went online minutes after the live broadcast (8pm every Tuesday on 103.2FM). This week AIRS presenter Ben Emmett interviewed Astronomy Ireland member David McDonald who used a Celestron 8-inch telescope to confirm an exploding star in a galaxy far far away - the first time this has ever been done from Ireland! Congratulations to David. (We will of course report more fully on this in our magazine also). So tune in every Tuesday at 8pm for the very latest news or download the show at www.astronomy.ie/radioshow.html every week (online by 9pm Tuesdays). Download it now! 5. IRISH ASTRONOMY CONFERENCE On Friday October 7 the Astronomical Science Group of Ireland holds it's next meeting in Dublin City University. Aimed at students, and professional researchers in Ireland the ASGI holds two meetings a year to present the latest work in Irish astronomy. While this conference is aimed at 'professional' astronomers, interested members are welcome as long as they are aware of this primary goal, especially if it comes to asking questions at the end of each presentation. The programme is at: www.arm.ac.uk/asgi/2005autumn_prog.html 6. ASTRONOMY EVENING CLASSES FOR BEGINNERS About 100 people are expected to take the society's evening classes starting tomorrow night. Running over 10 Thursdays you will learn about all aspects of the universe and our hobby. Details and online bookings can be made at www.astronomy.ie/eveningclass.html No credit card? If you 'reply' to this email and come along 30 minutes early you can pay on the door. 7. NEWSLINE UPDATED Our weekly telephone Newsline is updated every Monday with details of events and what to see in the sky. Call 1550-111-442 (calls cost 95c/miin). In N.Ireland call 09001 88 1950 (calls 60p/min). ===== David Moore BSc FRAS, Chairman, Astronomy Ireland, P.O.Box 2888, Dublin 5. Editor, "Astronomy & Space" magazine. ASTRONOMY SHOP: open until 5:30pm Mon.-Sat. with Ireland's biggest selection of telescopes - and more! Tel (01) 847 0777. www.astronomy.ie

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[Astronomy Ireland] Eclipse Reports Needed
by Astronomy Ireland 03 Oct '05

03 Oct '05

The Irish Times are asking us for your reports of what you saw of the eclipse this morning? It was seen from Clonmel! In Dublin we saw nothing but clouds, BUT we did notice it getting much cooler (I had to put on a coat to avoid shivering!). Around 10am it was noticeably duller, especially compared to just after 11am when the eclipse ended when it was very much brighter. Please reply to this email giving your: - name and location - did you notice it getting darker? - did you notice it getting colder? - DID YOU SEE THE ECLIPSE, EVEN FOR A MOMENT? - even if it was cloudy, please email as helps us figure out how wide an area got even a glimpse of the eclipse. TURKEY TRIP There has been a huge response to our trip to Turkey in a few months time (March 29) for the last easy-to-get-to TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE until 2017! As it says on our website, email eclipse(a)astronomy.ie for a brochure! Please send us your reports urgently so we can report to the media today, but if you're reading this after 'eclipse day' your reports are still valuable for the website and magazine reports we will be doing later. Can't wait for Turkey in March 2006! ( eclipse(a)astronomy.ie ) P.S. We were on the 1pm RTE TV News so watch for repeats on 6pm and 9pm news (And RTE 2 daytime and nighttime news too). ===== David Moore BSc FRAS, Chairman, Astronomy Ireland, P.O.Box 2888, Dublin 5. Editor, "Astronomy & Space" magazine. ASTRONOMY SHOP: open until 5:30pm Mon.-Sat. Tel (01) 847 0777. Fax (01) 847 0771. www.astronomy.ie info(a)astronomy.ie

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