October 2006 - astronomy@lists.redbrick.dcu.ie

[Astronomy Ireland] Comet SWAN Viewing, November 1st at 8pm
by Astronomy Ireland 31 Oct '06

31 Oct '06

Astronomy Ireland has organized several Comet SWAN public watches for Wednesdsay November 1st at 8pm as follows: Dublin: Phoenix Park at the Papal Cross car park (lots of telescopes!) Cork: Ballyphehane Community Centre Dundalk: see www.astronomy.ie Boyle: see www.astronomy.ie Other venues may be added: see www.astronomy.ie Comet SWAN the most spectacular comet to date of 2006, and is now just about visible with the naked eye. We will have binoculars and telescopes available for the general public of all ages to view the comet. The Moon will also be visible with about 75% of it lit. Many winter constellations will also be visible, probably Uranus too. This is short notice but the comet brightening unexpectedly means we need your help in promoting this event: so, can you forward this on to everyone you know please? ASTRONOMY IRELAND - for telescopes and information www.astronomy.ie or call (01) 847 0777

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[Astronomy Ireland] Comet!!!, Grainne Seoige, ISS
by Astronomy Ireland 26 Oct '06

26 Oct '06

1. COMET SWAN OUTBURST!!! One of the cover stories in the November issue of our magazine is the new Comet SWAN which had just about reached naked eye visibility (magnitude 6). In the past few days it has had an outburst and brightened by a factor of 5 to magnitude 4! It could brighten further, who knows. Use the star map on page 28 of the November issue to locate the comet. Tonight and for the next few days you'll see it's just below M13 the Hercules Globular cluster - in the same 10x50 binocular field of view - what a sight! If you see it please email observe(a)astronomy.ie and send any photos there too. Expect to see a comet this bright once a decade! Not got the magazine yet? www.astronomy.ie/sub and get a copy so you can watch the comet for the next month! Support Astronomy Ireland with your 5euro. 2. SEOIGE AND O'SHEA Friday Oct. 27 Tune in to RTE 1 television (4:30pm-5:20pm) or set your video on Friday to see Astronomy Ireland explain why the clocks go back this weekend. 3. INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION The magnificent I.S.S. will blaze across the sky every night this week and next week until Nov. 5th. There are 3 astronauts on board. It's the brightest thing in the sky for 1 or 2 minutes each night, 10 times brighter than the brightest star in the sky. Different time each evening so call our Newsline 1550-111-442 after 12noon each day to get the time to see it that evening (calls cost 95c/min - see previous note about this service before you flame us!). Amazing sight. Please tell all your friends. 5. AIRS The latest Astronomy Ireland Radio Show is online at www.astronomy.ie/AIRS (also as a PodCast) for download. Packed full of news and information (every Tuesday), including Comet news! ASTRONOMY IRELAND - for telescopes and information www.astronomy.ie or call (01) 847 0777 open Saturdays

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[Astronomy Ireland] Page 3, Orionids, Comet SWAN, Lecture, Newsline/AIRS
by Astronomy Ireland 20 Oct '06

20 Oct '06

1. NOVEMBER CONTENTS PAGE Paid up members of Astronomy Ireland should have received the November issue of Astronomy & Space magazine in the post by now. Due to a production error the contents page (page 3) of the November issue is actually a reprint of October's contents page. Our apologies for this serious error. The December issue will carry a copy of the November Contents page for those of you who collect your issues and/or keep them in your reference library. In the meantime there has been a copy of the correct November contents page has been on our website for a couple of weeks at: www.astronomy.ie/current/A&S-Nov-06-3-.gif But now, a high resolution PDF of the correct Contents page has been put online at: www.astronomy.ie/Nov06contents.pdf for those of you who want to print out a high quality version and stick it in to your November issue. Once again, our apologies for this error, and please rest assured that precautions have been taken to make sure this does not happen again. It's a pity as this was a superb issue with the September Eclipse on the cover with a report from all of you who saw it (and your photos), the Pluto Debacle, a feature on Space Tourism, and of course an article on the new Comet Swan (see below). Non-members can order a copy of the November issue at www.astronomy.ie/sub and we'll include a printed version of the correct contents page. 2. ORIONID METEOR SHOWER This is one of the best annual shooting star showers and it peaks on Saturday night (Oct. 21). The Moon is out of the way this year making for ideal viewing conditions. About 20 to 30 meteors per hour should be seen under ideal conditions on maximum night but rates are good several days either side of maximum with outbursts having been seen on Oct. 17/18 in previous years. More details are in the October issue of our magazine (www.astronomy.ie/sub) Please email observe(a)astronomy.ie and tell us if you see any Orionids. 3. COMET SWAN There is a new comet on the verge of naked eye visibility (about magnitude 5 to 6). Martin McKenna (Co. Derry) has seen a tail over 3 degrees long in binoculars. Comet SWAN is in evening skies having just passed below The Plough. It is moving 2 degrees from right to left each day. A map showing the path of the comet over the next few weeks and in to November is in the November issue of our magazine which you should receive this week, or order it here www.astronomy.ie/sub 4. BLACK HOLE LECTURE OCT. 20 Trinity College Dublin Friday October 20 at 7pm (N.B. not our usual 8pm). Special lecture for Maths Week Ireland. All welcome. Admission 3euro/5euro. Details, maps, etc. are at: www.astronomy.ie/lecture0610maths.html 5. NEWSLINE / AIRS Due to a technical issue the 1550-111-442 Newsline (95cent/min) was not updated on Monday but it is now available for this week (or FaxBack on 1580-111-767). The latest Astronomy Ireland Radio Show is online at www.astronomy.ie/AIRS (also as a PodCast) for download. Packed full of news and information (every Tuesday). ASTRONOMY IRELAND - for telescopes and information www.astronomy.ie or call (01) 847 0777 open Saturdays

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[Astronomy Ireland] Special Black Holes Lecture for Maths Week Ireland!
by AI Exec Secretary 18 Oct '06

18 Oct '06

Public Lecture: Mathematics, the Stars and Black Holes We have a very special lecture to tell you about in relation to Maths Week Ireland! Eddington, Chandrasekhar and Einstein have each made immense contributions to the theories of stars and black holes. In an exciting lecture this coming Friday, Peter Duffy will look at their accomplishments and how they used the power of mathematics. This will be done in an intuitive and non-technical manner. He will also discuss recent astronomical observations and images that relate to their work Peter Duffy is a Theoretical Astrophysicist working at UCD. He specializes in the theory of cosmic explosions and plasma physics. If you cannot get to Dublin for the lecture, you can purchase a full DVD for the same price as a ticket. Simply log onto www.astronomy.ie/lectureDVD.html Time of Lecture: 7:00pm, Friday, October 20 Venue: Schrodinger Theatre, Physics Building, Trinity College, Dublin 2 Admission: euro5 (euro3 children/students) For more information or to book places, visit www.astronomy.ie or call (01) 847 0777 ASTRONOMY IRELAND - for telescopes and information www.astronomy.ie or call (01) 847 0777

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[Astronomy Ireland] LECTURE DATE CORRECTION (Mars Lecture)
by AI Exec Secretary 09 Oct '06

09 Oct '06

All, The date for the lecture below was given incorrectly. It is taking place TONIGHT, OCTOBER 9, at 8pm! Sorry for any inconvenience caused. I hope to see many of you there! Bernard Gaffney Executive Secretary ----- Original Message ----- From: Astronomy Ireland To: all(a)astronomy.ie Sent: Saturday, October 07, 2006 7:49 PM Subject: [Astronomy Ireland] New Dublin City Centre Venue for Public Lectureabout Landing First Human on Mars For a long time we have been running monthly public lectures on the north side of Dublin city and some people on the southside had complained of the long journey (for those outside Dublin altogether we produced low cost DVDs of the lectures). Now we are moving to a prestigious city centre venue and all month lectures will take place in Trinity College Dublin which is ideal for public transport access from all parts of the city and has car parks nearby also (see webpage). I am hoping everyone in Dublin will support this move and I look forward to seeing you all on Monday. Kevin Nolan of Carl Sagan's Planetary Society (125,000 members worldwide is an excellent speaker and his topic of how NASA intends to land people on the Moon again, and on Mars for the first time is a real humdinger of a talk to get us started in our new city centre venue. -David Moore, Chairman. Public Lecture: Mars - Our Origin and Destiny This talk will incorporate the latest findings from Mars, as well as sections on Aurora, NASA's Vision for Space Exploration (VSE), Planetary Protection, the return to the Moon and a human mission to Mars. Kevin will talk about the astronomy community's current focus on Mars, and how NASA, ESA, Aurora and VSE all hope to pursue the question of life on the planet and ultimately send humans there. If you cannot get to Dublin for the lecture, you can purchase a full DVD for the same price as a ticket. Simply log onto www.astronomy.ie/lectureDVD.html Time of Lecture: 8:00pm, Monday, October 11 Venue: Schrodinger Theatre, Trinity College, Dublin 2 Admission: 5euro (3euro children/students) For more information or to book places, visit www.astronomy.ie/lecture0610.html or call (01) 847 0777 ASTRONOMY IRELAND - for telescopes and information www.astronomy.ie or call (01) 847 0777 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- _______________________________________________ Astronomy mailing list Astronomy(a)lists.redbrick.dcu.ie http://lists.redbrick.dcu.ie/mailman/listinfo/astronomy

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[Astronomy Ireland] New Dublin City Centre Venue for Public Lecture about Landing First Human on Mars
by Astronomy Ireland 07 Oct '06

07 Oct '06

For a long time we have been running monthly public lectures on the north side of Dublin city and some people on the southside had complained of the long journey (for those outside Dublin altogether we produced low cost DVDs of the lectures). Now we are moving to a prestigious city centre venue and all month lectures will take place in Trinity College Dublin which is ideal for public transport access from all parts of the city and has car parks nearby also (see webpage). I am hoping everyone in Dublin will support this move and I look forward to seeing you all on Monday. Kevin Nolan of Carl Sagan's Planetary Society (125,000 members worldwide is an excellent speaker and his topic of how NASA intends to land people on the Moon again, and on Mars for the first time is a real humdinger of a talk to get us started in our new city centre venue. -David Moore, Chairman. Public Lecture: Mars - Our Origin and Destiny This talk will incorporate the latest findings from Mars, as well as sections on Aurora, NASA's Vision for Space Exploration (VSE), Planetary Protection, the return to the Moon and a human mission to Mars. Kevin will talk about the astronomy community's current focus on Mars, and how NASA, ESA, Aurora and VSE all hope to pursue the question of life on the planet and ultimately send humans there. If you cannot get to Dublin for the lecture, you can purchase a full DVD for the same price as a ticket. Simply log onto www.astronomy.ie/lectureDVD.html Time of Lecture: 8:00pm, Monday, October 11 Venue: Schrodinger Theatre, Trinity College, Dublin 2 Admission: 5euro (3euro children/students) For more information or to book places, visit www.astronomy.ie/lecture0610.html or call (01) 847 0777 ASTRONOMY IRELAND - for telescopes and information www.astronomy.ie or call (01) 847 0777

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[Astronomy Ireland] Evening Classes and October Lecture: Mars - Our Origin and Destiny/ DVD
by AI Exec Secretary 03 Oct '06

03 Oct '06

Astronomy Ireland's biannual evening classes begin this Thursday at 7:30pm. Also, Astronomy Ireland's October lecture will feature Kevin Nolan of the Planetary Society, at 8pm, this coming Monday. Both events take place in the Schrodinger Theatre at Trinity College, Dublin. Details below. 1. Evening Classes Starting this Thursday, October 5, Astronomy Ireland is once again bringing the fascinating world of astronomy to the public with our bi-annual evening classes. Blackholes, Gamma Ray Bursts, Supernovae - investigate these spectacular phenomena with us and learn more about the practical uses of a telescope along the way. The instructor will be Emmet Mourdant, an acclaimed science writer and educator. Many of you will know him as the news editor for Astronomy & Space magazine. The classes run for 10 weeks every Thursday (7:30pm to 9:30pm) in Trinity College, Dublin 2. This course is suitable for the general public and no knowledge of maths is required. The style will be informal and questions are very much encouraged. Each class lasts for two hours with a 10-15 minute break. All are welcome! Schedule: 7:30-9:30pm, Thursday October 5, and each Thursday thereafter Venue: Schrodinger Theatre, Trinity College, Dublin 2 Admission: €80 for members (€120 for non-members--price includes year's subscription to Astronomy&Space) For more information or to book places, visit www.astronomy.ie or call (01) 847 0777 2. Public Lecture: Mars - Our Origin and Destiny Kevin Nolan, lecturer in Physics at the Institute of Technology, Tallaght, Dublin, software developer for ESA’s ‘INTEGRAL’ multi-wavelength space observatory, and coordinator to Ireland for The Planetary Society, will be giving a talk, Mars - Our Origin and Destiny, this coming Monday. This topic represents a slight change from his originally planned talk. This talk will incorporate the latest findings from Mars, as well as sections on Aurora, Vision for Space Exploration (VSE), Planetary Protection, the return to the Moon and a human mission to Mars. Kevin will talk about the astronomy community's current focus on Mars, and how NASA, ESA, Aurora and VSE all hope to pursue the question of life on the planet and ultimately send humans there. If you cannot get to Dublin for the lecture, you can purchase a full DVD for the same price as a ticket. Simply log onto www.astronomy.ie/lectureDVD.html Time of Lecture: 8:00pm, Monday, October 11 Venue: Schrodinger Theatre, Trinity College, Dublin 2 Admission: €5 (€3 children/students) For more information or to book places, visit www.astronomy.ie or call (01) 847 0777 ASTRONOMY IRELAND - for telescopes and information www.astronomy.ie or call (01) 847 0777

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