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

[Astronomy Ireland] Star-B-Q last chance!, Lecture & AIRS online, 5 Lectures, Newslines Updated
by Astronomy Ireland 30 Mar '05

30 Mar '05

1. STAR-B-Q: Note that March 31 is the last date to book tickets at the Astronomy Ireland STAR-B-Q (April 29) at the reduced rate of 25euro per person. This is the biggest gathering of astronomy fans in Ireland every year and will take place at a dark sky site near Roundwood, Co. Wicklow. We'll have the biggest portable telescopes in Ireland to show you the wonders of the universe and especially the planet Jupiter up-close. Tickets include food and soft drinks as always with proceeds going to Astronomy Ireland, a non-profit group. More details, pictures and that all important booking form have just been updated at: www.astronomy.ie/sbqApril2005.html More photos are due soon. BOOK ONLINE NOW or call number below when we're open. See you there! 2. PLANET X LECTURE and A.I. Radio Show NOW ONLINE Our March Leinster Area Public Lecture by Eamonn Ansbro is now online at www.astronomy.ie - click "lecture webcasts" in the menu on the left, then either watch online or save the 40MB file and watch it later. A much higher quality DVD version is available for 10euro (cash/cheque/postal order/or call Shop with credit/laser card) which includes postage anywhere in Ireland. The latest A.I.Radio Show went out at 8pm Tuesday as usual. Packed full of news, events and what to see it can be download at our website too (any time from 9pm on Tuesdays) - only 3MB (60second download on 512kbps broadband). 3. LECTURES: Fri. April 1 at 7.30pm, The High School, Rathgar, Dublin 6: Prof. Jocelyn Burnell (Irishwoman who discovered Pulsars) will give a public lecture on 'Faith, Hope and Outcomes'. See www.quakers-in-ireland.org/ Mon. April 4: UCD Lecture: "Statistics in Astronomy: some Current Trends in the Era of the Virtual Observatory" by Prof. Fionn Murtagh, Dept of Computer Science, Royal Holloway, University of London and Astronomical Observatory at Strasbourg, France. Venue: Room D112, Newman Building, UCD, Belfield. Time 4pm sharp. Tea / coffee available from 3.30pm. All welcome. Fri. April 8 EINSTEIN DAY: The TCD Physics Department celebrates the International Year of Physics with EINSTEIN DAY in the Schrödinger Theatre. Some background in physics is necessary to understand these lectures. See http://www.tcd.ie/Physics/seminars.php 11.15 Introduction, Prof. Dennis Weaire 11.30 'The Photoelectric Effect - a 21st century experiment', Prof. Iggy McGovern 13.30 'Brownian Motion - proving the existence of molecules', Dr S Hutzler 15.00 'Did Einstein deserve a Nobel Prize for Special Relativity?', Dr S McMurry Mon. April 11 A.I. Leinster Area Public Lecture about the life of "Einstein" BOOKED OUT until larger venue can be found in D.C.U. Watch this space! www.astronomy.ie/lecture0504.html and read the cover story in the April issue of A&S magazine out now: www.astronomy.ie/currentissue.html Thu. April 14 R.I.A. PUBLIC LECTURE: 'The Big Bang and its Aftermath' by Prof. Malcolm Longair, Director, Cavendish Laboratory. 6.30pm, Burke Theatre, TCD. See www.ria.ie/events/index.asp 4. NEWSLINES UPDATED: Mars is near the Moon, Jupiter is closest to Earth and nights+times to see its Great Red Spot, Saturn, Comet just above the North Star. Call 1550-111-442 (or 09001 88 1950 for the longest running space Newslines in the U.K.). New 3 minute message every Monday. - David Moore (Chairman, Astronomy Ireland: www.astronomy.ie ) Visit us at one of Europe's BIGGEST ASTRONOMY SHOPS in: Unit 75, Butterly Business Park, Kilmore Road, Artane, Dublin 5. Tel: (01) 847 0777. Open 6 days a week Mon.-Sat. to 5:30pm. BEST PRICES - now up to 50% off listed prices!!! Delivery nationwide.

1 0

[Astronomy Ireland] Aurora? Big Conjunction, Open Easter, Laptop help
by Astronomy Ireland 25 Mar '05

25 Mar '05

1. There is a chance of an aurora tonight or tomorrow night (March 25 or 26) as the Earth is about to enter a solar wind stream which could spark a geomagnetic storm. As ever, please TEXT 086 081 99 86 if you see anything giving your name, location and time so we can alert others. Then when it's all over email a brief report to observe(a)astronomy.ie for the report we'll put in the magazine. 2. The Full Moon this weekend will hamper aurora observation but it'll well worth looking for the Moon as it will be near Jupiter (7degrees away tonight at 11pm) and an amazing sight much closer as it rises tomorrow night in one of the NAKED EYE HIGHLIGHTS of the month. See page 26-27 of the March issue of our magazine for details and a diagram. Tell all your friends to watch! 3. P.S. Anyone know anyone/anywhere that fixes laptops? DELL want 482+VAT to fix a laptop that costs 599+VAT! I wouldn't mind but it's only 18 months old and was barely used (once a week tops, if that). Rather than take it in and look at it first DELL seem to want to simply change the most expensive part (motherboard) and bill us! I'm looking for someone who will at least look at it first - may just be a component that needs re-seating! Got any advice or know any repair places? 4. Our Astronomy Shop will be open Good Friday 9:30am-5:30pm and on Easter Saturday from 12 noon to 6pm. We're closed Easter Sunday and Monday but back 9:30am-5:30pm from Tuesday on. COME AND VISIT US THIS WEEKEND: Up to 40% off telescopes and 50% off books this weekend! www.astronomy.ie/map.html - David Moore (Chairman, Astronomy Ireland: www.astronomy.ie ) Visit us in one of Europe's BIGGEST ASTRONOMY SHOPS in: Unit 75, Butterly Business Park, Kilmore Road, Artane, Dublin 5. Tel: (01) 847 0777

1 0

[Astronomy Ireland] AI Radio Show special guest, What to see, Jupiter near Moon
by Astronomy Ireland 23 Mar '05

23 Mar '05

ASTRONOMY IRELAND RADIO SHOW ONLINE As always Ireland's only Astronomy Radio Show went online before 9pm last night (Tuesday March 22) as promised every week. You can download it (and all previous shows) at http://www.astronomy.ie/radioshow.html Get the latest news and what to see in the sky for the coming week PLUS this week there is an interview with Irish astronomer Eamonn Ansbro who is working with UK astronomers to find the tenth planet believed to be orbiting the Sun. If his name gets splashed across newspaper headlines all around the world in the coming years you'll be able to say you heard about it first on the Astronomy Ireland Radio Show - download it now and find out where and how he is looking. Alternatively, if you can't download the show you can get the details of what to see in the sky this week from our Newsline by calling 1550-111-442 (new script every Monday) Enjoy Jupiter spectacularly close to the Moon this week in particular! And send your sightings to observe(a)astronomy.ie Details on page 26-27 of the March issue of our magazine www.astronomy.ie/sub to order a copy. This is definitely going to be the highlight of the week. - David Moore (Chairman, Astronomy Ireland: www.astronomy.ie ) Visit us in one of Europe's BIGGEST ASTRONOMY SHOPS in: Butterly Business Park, Kilmore Road, Artane, Dublin 5. Tel: 01-8470777 Open SATURDAY 12noon to 6pm

1 0

[Astronomy Ireland] ISS/Moon/Saturn, Sunspots, Mercury, Pleiades, Comet, AIRS, 9, 000th member, Newsline
by Astronomy Ireland 16 Mar '05

16 Mar '05

So much to see this week! The International Space Station blazes across the sky all this week (until March 22 inclusive) but it also passes very near the Moon and Saturn too. Tonight (Thursday) at 8:29pm ISS will pass IN FRONT OF the Moon as seen along a line from Co. Clare to Co. Wexford (and in front of Saturn along a line from Galway city to Co. Kildare). I have been announcing such passes on our Newsline every day since last week when ISS first became visible but I wanted to make sure you all knew to call each day after 12noon for the time and details of any Moon and Saturn close approaches! Call 1550-111-442 and even at 95cent/min the details should be in the first 60 seconds so it'll cost less than a euro to find our if you're in the firing line or not. Please pass the number on to everyone you know and let's get the whole country out watching the skies this week: 1550-111-442 (in N.Ireland/Britain call 0891-88-1950) Two nice sunspots have appeared. (Remember: NEVER look directly at the Sun, use AstroSolar filter sheet material from our Shop). You can see them on the net at http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/data/realtime-images.html and click on the MDI image (note Venus is currently visible below the Sun on the "LASCO C3" image). Do send in any photos for publication gallery(a)astronomy.ie and reports to observe(a)astronomy.ie . Be alert for any aurora this week too therefore. Mercury has spotted by many of you using the guide on pages 26-27 of our March magazine, especially when it made that very rare pairing with the Moon last Friday. There's still a few days left so look low in the West and consult the magazine for a full guide and you too can join the elite club of less than 1% of Earth's population who have ever seen the innermost planet! Sightings to observe(a)astronomy.ie please. Did anyone see the Pleiades near the Moon last night? There were a few breaks but I missed them as we had a team in posting out the April issue of your magazine and I didn't look out often enough! The diagram on page 26 of the March issue shows how spectacular it was. Again, any photos to gallery(a)astronomy.ie please and reports to observe(a)astronomy.ie . We get another chance in April - see the April issue dropping through your letterbox this week! Comet Machholz is 6th magnitude making it one of the brightest 'deep sky objects' in the sky right now. Don't neglect it, especially as it is incredibly easy to locate and photograph (no telescope or drive motor needed) because it is just one binocular field of view to the upper right of Polaris, the North Star! This means it barely moves from hour to hour so even cameras with telephoto lenses can take long exposures, 5 to 10 times longer than normal, without star trailing (for a 50mm lens trailing shows at 20-second exposures so you could go 3 minutes on the comet for the next week or so). Send photos & sightings to gallery and observe email addresses. The latest edition of the Astronomy Ireland Radio Show has been on line since 9pm Tuesday (as is now the norm). Download the 30-minute MP3 show now (60-seconds by 512kbps broadband, 10 mins by dial up) for the latest news and what to see including all of the above and more. At Monday's Lecture in D.C.U. Thomas Monks from Dublin was welcomed as the 9,000th member of Astronomy Ireland. He received a superb weekend break in the luxurious Meadowlands Hotel in Tralee http://www.meadowlands-hotel.com/ . Previous "thousandth" winners have come from Counties Offaly, Mayo, Wexford, Meath and Cork but only one of the previous 8 came from Dublin, which represents our geographical split quite well (65% of members live OUTSIDE Dublin). Don't forget that after the I.S.S. prediction our Newsline (1550-111-442) carries the usual 3-minute update of things to see this week (including St. Patrick's day occultation and Saturn near the Moon). Do call once a week - new message every Monday and new ISS prediction every day by 12noon, including where to see it pass in front of the Moon and Saturn. - David Moore (Chairman, Astronomy Ireland: www.astronomy.ie ) Visit us in one of Europe's BIGGEST ASTRONOMY SHOPS in: Butterly Business Park, Kilmore Road, Artane, Dublin 5. Tel: 01-8470777 Open SATURDAY 12noon to 6pm

1 0

[Astronomy Ireland] Leinster Lecture: Irishman Hunting for Sun's 10th Planet!, 9, 000th member prize closing
by Astronomy Ireland 11 Mar '05

11 Mar '05

[Friday 3pm March 11] *** LEINSTER AREA LECTURE: PLANET X *** Our next Leinster Area PUBLIC LECTURE on Monday March 14 promises to be a unique and fascinating talk by the incredible Eamonn Ansbro. One of the society's most prominent members Eamonn Ansbro has built one of the biggest privately owned observatories in the world at his home in Co. Roscommon. He is using it to study the extremely faint asteroid belt out beyond the planet Neptune - the Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt Objects as they are known. But even more intriguingly he has been asked by astronomers to search for a 10th planet orbiting the Sun! They can't get time on large 'professional telescopes' as it would take too long and not everyone believes the search will be successful, for reasons Eamonn will explain on Monday. So, we could see in the headlines all around the world some day in the future: Irishman discovers 10th planet orbiting the Sun! It should be a fascinating lecture as Eamonn knows his stuff and has several telescopes, the largest being a 36-inch diameter reflector. There is a picture of him using it on the front cover of the April 2003 issue of our magazine and on our website at: www.astronomy.ie/images/Leviathan.jpg To book places at the lecture, call (01) 847 0777 and give your name and telephone number, or email those details to lecture(a)astronomy.ie with a subject line "March 14" If you want to bring friend(s) just say how many tickets you need. Please reply before 5pm on Monday. Admission is 5euro for adults (3euro concessions). Then simply give your name at the door on Monday night and get your FREE ticket. If you need more details of the lecture go to: www.astronomy.ie/lecture0503.html Date: 8pm March 14 Venue: Henry Grattan Building (behind THE HELIX), Dublin City University in lecture hall CG12 I'm looking forward to seeing you all there. Please book now. *** 9,000 MEMBER PRIZE DRAW CLOSING SOON *** One announcement we hope to make on Monday night at the lecture is the winner of the prize for the 9,000th person to join Astronomy Ireland! The winner gets a superb 2 night B&B + dinner in Meadowlands Hotel, Tralee. See www.astronomy.ie If you know anyone interested in astronomy get them to join before 6pm Monday March 14! - David Moore (Chairman, Astronomy Ireland: www.astronomy.ie ) Visit us in one of Europe's BIGGEST ASTRONOMY SHOPS in: Butterly Business Park, Kilmore Road, Artane, Dublin 5. Tel: 01-8470777 Open SATURDAY 12noon to 6pm

1 0

[Astronomy Ireland] Lecture Tonight, Aurora, AI Radio Show, Leo Enright BBC R4, Jobs, Newsline
by Astronomy Ireland 10 Mar '05

10 Mar '05

Thanks to Dr Tom O'Connor, NUI Galway for details of this lecture and apologies for the short notice: There will be a lecture tonight (March 10) at 8pm in Lismullin Conference Centre, near Tara, Navan, Co. Meath (LCC is on the N3 in the Tara-Skryne valley - the entrance is just on the Dublin side of the turn up to the Hill of Tara). "William Rowan Hamilton - a Portrait of a Prodigy" by Sean O'Donnell Ireland's scientific heritage is often not appreciated as much as our literary and archaeological heritage. Sir William Rowan Hamilton, one of our greatest scientists, was born in Dublin in 1805. He spent much of his youth at school in Trim and was appointed Professor of Astronomy in TCD at the age of 22 and lived in Dunsink Observatory. He made many important and original contributions to Mathematics and Physics but the lecture will deal more with his life, personality and special genius. Dr Sean O'Donnell is a Science graduate from Galway and Edinburgh universities who for many years contributed a weekly Science column in the Irish Press and articles on famous Irish scientists to Technology Ireland. His books include William Rowan Hamilton - a Portrait of a Prodigy (Boole Press,1983) and Future-Memory and Time (PreCall Press, 1995) He is currently researching in the Science of Pure Time, a subject promoted by Hamilton in 1833. Admission is 5euro with refreshments afterwards. Enquiries to: Brenda McGann, Lismullin Institute, 44 Westland Row, Dublin 2. Phone: (01) 676 0731 (lismullin(a)eircom.net) www.lismullin.org THE AURORA we alerted you to was seen from Co. Derry last weekend. Conor McDonald sent in a detailed report which will appear in our magazine. A.I.R.S. - Astronomy Ireland Radio Show - Tuesday's show went online by 9pm as promised. Download it at www.astronomy.ie/radioshow.html every Tuesday at 9pm. Leo Enright presented a 30 minute show last night on BBC Radio 4 about "Project Prometheus" - a plan to use nuclear power for unmanned missions beyond the earth and eventually to Jupiter and beyond. However, you can still listen to it online at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/projectprometheus.shtml Sounds very interesting. We are still seeking more staff to work in our Astronomy Shop as we expand to become one of the biggest in Europe. See details on our homepage www.astronomy.ie or email CV to info(a)astronomy.ie NEWSLINE - was updated on Monday as usual. To hear about rare chance to see: Mercury make a very rare pairing with the Moon, International Space Station blazing over, Bright star passing behind the Moon, Jupiter and Saturn viewing, and Comet Machholz amazingly easy to spot, call 1550-111-442

1 0

[Astronomy Ireland] Aurora, Saturn Watch/Rosetta, Sky at Night, Mercury
by Astronomy Ireland 06 Mar '05

06 Mar '05

[Sunday 6pm March 6] 1. AURORA We received one report of an aurora sighting from Ireland last night but it was not confirmed by anyone else. However, activity is increasing due to a well placed coronal hole and there is a chance of an aurora tonight and the next couple of nights. As usual, if you see anything please TEXT 086 081 99 86 with your name, location and description and then email a report to observe(a)astronomy.ie when it's all over. 2. SATURN WATCH SUCCESS / ROSETTA DUBLIN BRANCH REPORT: We were kept too busy in the Phoenix Park Friday night to do an accurate count but there were 500 to 1,000 people there. We had good clear spells and almost everyone who came got to see Saturn and Titan. They were all very impressed by their own accounts. We took photos which we hope will be on the website and in the magazine. We had 5 big scopes there. We sold lots of magazines and handed out hundreds of membership forms. All in all we raised over 700euro on the night which will go in to the society coffers to subsidise the membership of everyone in Ireland, not just Dublin. Thanks to the weather it was a great event for "getting people interested in astronomy" - our main goal! Can't wait for NATIONAL MOON WATCH DAY on Friday April 15 (email tom(a)astronomy.ie now please if you can run a Watch that night). Oh, and as for Rosetta, I tried watching the naked eye star Lambda in Gemini in an 8-inch scope just as the Saturn Watch was winding down, but saw nothing, although it did cloud over and clear up several times during the critical minutes so Rosetta could easily have slipped by unnoticed. No one else has reported seeing Rosetta from Ireland. Let me know if you tried. 3. SKY AT NIGHT Sir Patrick Moore presents his monthly show on BBC1 TV tonight (Sunday/Monday) at 1:20am "Strangers in the Night". He investigates the Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud, where comets are thought to originate from, which is also the subject of our March 14 Public Lecture for the Leinster area! (Book now and get more details at http://www.astronomy.ie/lecture0503.html ). Plus, how to prepare for one of the year's best observing nights. The Sky at Night will be repeated (in an extended show) on BBC 4 at 8:30pm Monday and on Saturday on BBC 2 (usually around 12noon). Patrick's co-presenter Chris Lintott will give our Christmas Lecture in December (http://www.astronomy.ie/lecture0512.html) 4. RARE CHANCE TO SEE MERCURY On Saturday evening I saw the elusive planet Mercury with the naked eye for the first time this year. There is a full guide to viewing it in the next few days in the March issue of our magazine page 26-27. Make sure you join the elite club of less than 1% of Earth's population who have ever seen the innermost planet. This is your best chance of 2005! Email your sightings to observe(a)astronomy.ie and we'll put your report in the magazine. Don't forget that if you join Astronomy Ireland now you are in with a chance to win a superb 2 night B&B + dinner in Meadowlands Hotel, Tralee. See www.astronomy.ie - David Moore, Chairman, Astronomy Ireland. Tel: (01) 847 0777 Visit www.astronomy.ie Please support our club, magazine, and visit the ASTRONOMY SHOP at Unit 75, Butterly Business Park, Kilmore Road, Artane, Dublin 5. ONE OF EUROPE'S BIGGEST TELESCOPE SHOPS.

1 0

[Astronomy Ireland] Rosetta dead easy to see by trick!
by Astronomy Ireland 04 Mar '05

04 Mar '05

[Friday 6pm March 4] After the Dublin Saturn Watch tonight, around 9:30pm, we hope to be able to see Rosetta swing past the Earth. The star chart promised in the last email is now online. Due to a volunteer having severe computer problems last night we had to draw one by hand today in the midst of intense interest from the media and the public for our Nationwide Saturn Watches. The chart revealed a very useful 'trick' from Ireland as you will see if you click http://www.astronomy.ie/rosetta.gif There you will see Saturn, and just 3 degrees to its lower right is the magnitude 3.6 naked eye star Lambda in Gemini. Look how close Rosetta passes to this star at 9:39pm (21:39UT)!!! >From Dublin it is 14 arc minutes (half a Moon diameter) above the star so all you have to do is point a telescope or good binoculars at this star and wait! I'm not sure how accurate the time is so watch several minutes before and after. Rosetta is likely to be magnitude 9 at this time. I did a calculation for Cork and the path is just three quarters of a degree above the line show on the chart. If you are north of Dublin look a little below the line! Aim a camera at Lambda and you could get a short trail passing the star. Good luck and clear skies (it will certainly be clear in some parts of Ireland for the Rosetta pass so let's hope an amateur astronomer is there peering up!). Hope you get along to your nearest Saturn Watch, we've had tremendous interest from the media in the past few days. For the list of venues see www.astronomy.ie and a big thank you to all our volunteer members for hauling out their own personal equipment for the general public to use. Don't forget that if you join Astronomy Ireland now you are in with a chance to win a superb 2 night B&B + dinner in Meadowlands Hotel, Tralee. See www.astronomy.ie - David Moore, Chairman, Astronomy Ireland. Tel: (01) 847 0777 Visit www.astronomy.ie Please support our club, magazine, and visit the ASTRONOMY SHOP at Unit 75, Butterly Business Park, Kilmore Road, Artane, Dublin 5. ONE OF EUROPE'S BIGGEST TELESCOPE SHOPS.

1 0

[Astronomy Ireland] National Saturn Watch Day March 4 (and Rosetta flyby)
by Astronomy Ireland 03 Mar '05

03 Mar '05

[Thursday 6pm March 3] NATIONAL SATURN WATCH DAY Nationwide on Friday March 4th at 8pm Astronomy Ireland members all across Ireland will be setting up telescopes so the general public can go and get a 'live' close-up view of Saturn and its moons. A full list of venues is given below. For the media we have set up a special webpage with a few of the recent Cassini-Huygens images from Saturn and links to full lists of images and stories at: www.astronomy.ie/press/saturn.html everyone is welcome to take a look. There was record breaking interest in Saturn last month when Prof Carl Murray came from London to talk to Pat Kenny on his radio show and then give a public lecture about the Cassini mission to Saturn to 500 people at our lecture in D.C.U. - the biggest crowd we've ever had! We're expecting a lot of interest in the Saturn Watches too and you can help by passing this notice on to anyone you think might want to look through a good telescope at Saturn with its beautiful rings and moons, especially Titan. Who can resist a chance to see a sight like that! We have a simulation of what the view will look like at http://www.astronomy.ie/satwatch.gif Saturn is 800 million miles away but the general public will easily be able to see the planet as a large bright disk with its superb system of rings encircling the planet. Moreover, everyone will be able to see Saturn's biggest Moon, Titan which was the scene of the historic landing of the European built Huygens probe which landed on January 14 - the most distant landing ever attempted in history, and part of the 3 billion dollar Cassini-Huygens mission. Irish scientists contributed to the mission, but now the probe lies dead, frozen solid at -180C, but not before completing its 2 hour mission on the surface to photograph, smell and taste the landscape and Titan's 'air'. ROSETTA GETS IN ON THE ACT! On the very evening that Astronomy Ireland had declared National Saturn Watch Day in Ireland the Rosetta spacecraft that was launched a year ago is to swoop back towards Earth and rob some of our planet's energy to slingshot it out to a distant comet in the year 2014. On top of this, as seen from Ireland, the Rosetta spacecraft will pass just below Saturn while the National Saturn Watches are taking place. It is hoped to view the returning spacecraft (that will land on a comet in 2014) at the Saturn Watches. We cannot guarantee success as the craft is quite small, although ESA plans to spread the 30 metre wide solar panels to make it brighter. It will be closest to Earth (1900km) around 10pm. Rosetta will pass below Saturn according to my calculations at 9:37pm. It will be magnitude 8 or 9 and so quite dim, near the limit of 10x50 binoculars, especially as it is a moving target! A list of positions (for Dublin) for plotting on a star atlas is available on our website at: http://www.astronomy.ie/rosetta.txt and we hope to put a star map on our website later at: http://www.astronomy.ie/rosetta.gif VENUES: The main Saturn Watch will take place in: DUBLIN'S PHOENIX PARK, AT THE CAR PARK AT THE PAPAL CROSS. All Saturn Watches will take place at 8pm. A full list is available at www.astronomy.ie and include: Carlow, Clare(Kilmihil) Cork Donegal(Letterkenny) Louth(Dundalk) Mayo(Castlebar) Tipperary(Clonmel) Wexford(Rosslare Strand) Everyone is welcome. Why not bring the whole family? Remember all telescopes are private property of the AI member(s) running the watch so please treat them kindly. Donations appreciated. Details on (01) 847 0777 or visit www.astronomy.ie PICTURES at www.astronomy.ie/press/saturn.html *** OTHER NEWS, BRIEFLY *** Latest AI Radio Show online since 9pm Tuesday www.astronomy.ie/radioshow.html Our Newsline was updated Monday morning for this week, call 1550-111-442 ***NEW*** Listen to PAT KENNY interview DAVID MOORE www.astronomy.ie/PKDM.html MERCURY NOW AT ITS BEST!!! See March magazine for details www.astronomy.ie/sub WIN a fabulous hotel break for 2 by joining AI now, see www.astronomy.ie - David Moore, Chairman, Astronomy Ireland Tel: (01) 847 0777 Visit www.astronomy.ie Please support our club, magazine, and Shop Visit the ASTRONOMY SHOP at Unit 75, Butterly Business Park, Kilmore Road, Artane, Dublin 5. ONE OF EUROPE'S BIGGEST TELESCOPE SHOPS.

1 0