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

[Astronomy Ireland] Evening Classes, Eclipse Lecture, Things to see
by Astronomy Ireland 21 Feb '06

21 Feb '06

1. LEINSTER AREA EVENING CLASSES: Last chance to book for the beginners' Evening Classes in Astronomy that begin on Wednesday Feb. 22. Huge interest since David Moore (AI Chairman) went on the Pat Kenny Radio Show earlier this month. Book now at www.astronomy.ie/eveningclass.html and join in the fun. 2. LEINSTER AREA ECLIPSE LECTURE: Everyone is welcome to go to our major Public Lecture for the last easy to get to eclipse until 2017. No Total Eclipse of the Sun has been seen from Ireland since 1724 and the next here is not until 2090 - so you will HAVE TO TRAVEL if you want to see one. So, what is it like, what are all the things to watch out for on what many describe as the most spectacular event in nature, and just what are eclipses all about? Whether you are going on our Eclipse Trip to Turkey next month, or not, you'll find this a fascinating lecture. David Grennan, who writes the Sky Diary in our magazine every month, will give the Eclipse Lecture on Monday Feb. 27 at 8pm in D.C.U. For further details and to book seats online: www.astronomy.ie/solareclipselectureFeb06.html 3. THINGS TO SEE NATIONWIDE Mars is next to the Pleiades star cluster all this week. It won't be closer for another 32 years! You can see this with the naked eye every evening high in the South, but binoculars give an even better view Saturn is next to the Beehive star cluster over in the East soon after the Sun sets each evening, and high in the South by midnight. Use binoculars to see the cluster to the left of Saturn. Having two bright planets next to star clusters is a once in a lifetime sight! Mercury is visible to the naked eye in evening skies this week only. Look low in the West soon after sunset while the sky is still bright with twilight. We had great views from the window of our Shop this evening. Seamus Byron in Donegal had already reported seeing Mercury on Monday also. Jupiter and Venus are visible in morning skies before sunrise. More details of all planets on view are in our magazine every month: www.astronomy.ie/sub and also on our Radio Show every Tuesday night live or download it the next morning at www.astronomy.ie/radioshow.html The International Space Station will be visible every evening next week. Call 1550-111-442 for not only the times to see it every evening starting Feb. 27 but also for details of where in Ireland to see it pass in front of the Moon, Mars and Saturn on some of the evenings from Feb. 27 to March 12th. (See background details of I.S.S. at www.astronomy.ie/iss.html ) Please send in any photos and reports to observe(a)astronomy.ie 4. OUR SHOP: For binoculars, telescope package deals, and advice please call our Astronomy Shop staff on (01) 847 0777 Monday to Saturday and late night Thursday and Friday. Astronomy Ireland www.astronomy.ie Tel (01) 847 0777

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[Astronomy Ireland] Black Holes - Lecture and DVD
by Astronomy Ireland 10 Feb '06

10 Feb '06

Astronomy Ireland's February Lecture Meeting for the Leinster area (see Feb magazine posted 3 weeks ago) is very special indeed (Feb. 13 in D.C.U.) We are flying in a speaker from the U.K. to talk about Black Holes, neutron stars and exotic objects that he studies with the Newton X-Ray Space Telescope. For the 70% of you who live outside Dublin we hope to make a DVD of the talk. Please book seats now on our website www.astronomy.ie/lecture0602.html and bring all your friends! Order the DVD at www.astronomy.ie/lectureDVD.html Here's some more details: Astronomy Ireland Public Lecture “Black Holes” By Dr. Ulrich Kolb, Senior Lecturer in Astrophysics, Open University, UK. Astronomers have launched a telescope in to space that has X-ray vision. Called "Newton" after the famous English scientist who discovered gravity, it is being used by astronomers from the Open University in Britain to probe the nearest big galaxy to our own called Andromeda in search of the most incredible objects in the universe - BLACK HOLES. Dr Ulrich Kolb is a Black Hole hunter working in the Open University. He will be visiting Ireland next week to give a public lecture for Astronomy Ireland to which everyone is invited. "Black Holes are the most amazing and exotic objects in the Universe" said David Moore, Chairman of Astronomy Ireland. "In them space and time cease to exist and everything that falls in is crushed to exactly nothingness. Whole stars can be gobbled up" he said. In the centre of our own Milky Way galaxy there is a giant Black Hole and when we look across the vastness of space we see Black Holes ripping apart the universe. Dr. Kolb studies these Black Hole stellar graveyards in the Andromeda Galaxy where he can get a clear view with the Newton X-Ray Space Telescope. He has, arguably, one of the most fascinating jobs in the world and he will tell the general public what he can see at the Public Lecture next Monday night. The new technology of X-Ray telescopes is rapidly uncovering the secrets the most amazing objects in our Universe – Black Holes. These swirling masses from which nothing ever escapes because of their enormous gravitational pull, not even light, are starting to yield up astonishing secrets. Those secrets are the very essence of what our Universe is made from. Dr. Kolb is a World-renowned expert on this groundbreaking technology. Everyone is welcome and it should be a fascinating account aimed at the general public. Venue: Henry Grattan Building, Dublin City University, Glasnevin, Dublin 9. Date of Lecture: Monday February 13. Time: 8:00pm Admission: €5 (€3 children/students) To book places call (01) 847 0777 or visit www.astronomy.ie/lecture0602.html and bring all your friends! Order the DVD at www.astronomy.ie/lectureDVD.html IN OTHER NEWS: Evening Classes begin on Feb. 22. Book now at www.astronomy.ie/eveningclass.html Eclipse Trip still has a few places left. Book now at www.astronomy.ie/turkeyeclipse.html A.I. Radio Show is online every week at www.astronomy.ie/radioshow.html If you missed David Moore on the Pat Kenny Radio show paste this link in to your internet browser rtsp://streaming2.rte.ie/2006/0208/08022006rte-todaywithpatkenny.rm The interview starts 1 hour 34 minutes and 40 seconds in to the show His "Big Bite" TV spot was rescheduled to Feb. 20 at 2:30pm. Join Astronomy Ireland at www.astronomy.ie/sub and get our magazine every month.

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[Astronomy Ireland] AI on TV and Radio, Eclipse, Classes, Lectures
by Astronomy Ireland 07 Feb '06

07 Feb '06

It's a busy Wednesday and Thursday (sorry for short notice if you check emails infrequently): Astronomy Ireland Chairman, David Moore will be interviewed by Pat Kenny on RTE Radio 1 on Wed (Feb 8) between 11am and noon about the society's upcoming Eclipse Holiday to Turkey next month and the beginners' Evening Classes starting Feb. 22 (note this is a NEW date) Also at 1pm on Wed. Feb 8 at 1pm Dr Ian Elliott will give a lecture on on 'Grubbs of Dublin: Telescope makers and Victorian Entrepreneurs' in the Thomas Davis Theatre, Trinity College Dublin. See www.hamilton.tcd.ie/events/ Then a few hours after being on national radio David Moore will be on television (RTE 1) with David McWilliams on "THE BIG BITE" at 2:30pm to 3:30pm talking about the future and space. On Thursday (Feb 9) watch BBC 2 TV's Horizon programme at 9pm about "Missing Matter - only 4% of the Universe is made of stuff we understand" For details or bookings go to: Evening Classes: www.astronomy.ie/eveningclass.html Eclipse Trip: www.astronomy.ie/turkeyeclipse.html Black Holes Lecture: www.astronomy.ie/lecture0602.html ( BOOK NOW! U.K. speaker! ) In observing news: Mars and Saturn are visible every evening. Saturn is on the edge of the Beehive star cluster (amazing binocular sight) and Mars is closing in on the Pleiades (also amazing!). See Sky Diary pages of our magazine for more details or order it here: www.astronomy.ie/sub Visit Ireland's biggest telescope shop at www.astronomy.ie/shop.html O P E N 7 D A Y S A W E E K ! ! !

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[Astronomy Ireland] Lectures, TV/Radio, Evening Classes, Shop Demos, Eclipse Trip Record
by Astronomy Ireland 01 Feb '06

01 Feb '06

LECTURES "The Shape of the Universe" Lecture on Feb. 2 (Thu) at 5:10pm Trinity College Dublin (MacNeill Theatre, Hamilton Building) Prof. J.-P. Luminet (CNRS) http://www.stp.dias.ie/events/2006/SPL06poster.pdf The 2006 Tyndall Lecture will be given by Dr Karen Bultitude and Dr Laura Grant "Our Planet - Our Future" Dates & venues: Feb. 2 at UCC, Cork (12noon and 2pm) Feb. 3 at NUIG, Galway (2pm and 4pm) http://ireland.iop.org/program.html TELEVISION / A.I. Radio Show Feb. 2 (Thu) 9.00pm Channel 4: Challenger - countdown to disaster. Feb. 5/6 (Sun nite) 1am-1:45am The Sky At Night: "On Top of the World - Observatories on Hawaii". Repeated Monday Feb. 6 at 7pm. - 8pm. BBC4 (extra 15mins) and again Sunday 12 Feb. BBC 2 Listen to Pat Kenny on RTE Radio 1 this week and hear A.I. Chairman David Moore talking about our Evening Classes and Eclipse Trip! A.I.Radio Show now online at www.astronomy.ie/radioshow.html Every Sunday around 9am "Leo's Space Odyssey" (see page 45 of our February A&S magazine) Did anyone record (tape or DVD) last Sunday's show as we missed it!? EVENING CLASSES Our ever popular Astronomy Evening Classes for beginners start next Wednesday February 8th. 10 two hour classes will teach you everything you need to know to get you started on learning about our fascinating universe. Rates are roughly HALF THE PRICE some of the colleges charge for similar classes: only 80euro for members and 120euro for non-members(but that includes the 40euro annual sub to our magazine!) Book online now at www.astronomy.ie/eveningclass.html Bring a friend! SHOP Sunday opening and Late Nite opening Thursday and Friday until 9pm. Drop in for special demos of the latest scopes just in from Celestron on Thursday and Friday Evening 6pm-9pm or Sunday from noon to 6pm! www.astronomy.ie/shop.html ECLIPSE TRIP - BIGGEST EVER! Over 100 people have booked for our holiday of a lifetime to see the Total Eclipse of the Sun on March 29 from our 4 star hotel in Turkey. The March issue of our magazine will feature what to see and do as the cover story. Public Lectures coming soon. The trip is open to EVERYONE and you can book online now at www.astronomy.ie/turkeyeclipse.html This is now the BIGGEST event Astronomy Ireland has EVER organised and rightly so as this is the astronomical event of the decade and won't be bested until 2017! Tel (01) 847 0777 Mon-Sun up to 6pm (9pm Thu & Fri) www.astronomy.ie info(a)astronomy.ie

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