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

[Astronomy Ireland] TEST
by Admins 24 Aug '06

24 Aug '06

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[Astronomy Ireland] Shuttle to chase I.S.S.!!!, Venus+Saturn conunction, Star-B-Q help
by Secretary AI 24 Aug '06

24 Aug '06

Astronomy Ireland - The Telescope Experts Call (01) 847 0777. Visit www.astronomy.ie 1. Shuttle to chase I.S.S. - see VERY RARE "space chase" The International Space Station is visible every night this week (and next week until Sept. 2) as an extremely bright 'star' crossing the sky high in the South. On board are 3 astronauts. On Sunday August 27 at 9:30pm our time the space shuttle Atlantis will be launched from Florida. Roughly 15 to 20 minutes later it should cross Irish skies! It will look like I.S.S. i.e. a bright 'star' but trailing behind it should be another 'star' which is its giant external fuel tank which is jettisoned 8 minutes after launch. In the 25 year history of shuttle launches we are only aware of one time that the fuel tank has been seen from Ireland after a launch, so Sunday represents a very rare opportunity so we want all of you to let us know what you see. Also very rare is the chance on the 2 nights after launch of watching the shuttle chase I.S.S. across the sky! This should be Monday and Tuesday nights (Aug. 28 and 29). Shuttle launches can often be delayed so we are going to update our Newsline on the days in question with the very latest information and predictions. Once docked the complex will be even brighter for the rest of the week. Atlantis' crew of 6 are bringing huge solar panels to I.S.S. so next time round (Oct. 23 - Nov. 5) I.S.S. will be even brighter. To see I.S.S. call our Newsline on 1550-111-442 (calls cost 95cent/min) for a brief message and prediction (updated by 12 noon each day). (In the past some people have asked: Why a premium rate number? Well, it can handle hundreds of callers simultaneously. Not everyone has access to the internet. It's a relatively short call (less one minute). A small fraction of the call charge goes to us and this is one (small) source of revenue used to help fund our organisation. Our predictions are based on our own calculations and refined by actual observations we make, also we give background and local information as well as just the time to watch.) So please pass this number on to friends as it is going to be an amazing and very rare sight on Sunday, but start watching I.S.S. from tonight. I.S.S. will pass over our Star-B-Q on Saturday night, at least twice. It did this in April and the brightness of I.S.S. in a very dark sky like the Roundwood Star-B-Q site is amazing. I.S.S. got a round of applause that night! We have a webpage giving details of the I.S.S. at www.astronomy.ie/iss.html If you spot the shuttle, I.S.S. and especially the shuttle launch and "space chase" please email details and your location to observe(a)astronomy.ie for the report we'll publish in our magazine's "Observers Log" 2. Planets Venus and Saturn to appear very close Early risers may have seen Venus blazing in the pre-dawn sky these past weeks. To its lower left this week is the much dimmer, and more distant planet Saturn. They are closing in day by day and on Sunday morning (some of us expect to stay at Star-B-Q until dawn to watch this!) Venus will be just 13 arc minutes from Saturn - that's less than half a Moon diameter. It is extremely rare to see two naked eye planets this close so do set your alarm. Best time to watch should be around 5:30am when Venus is still low in the East with Saturn to its upper right. But view half an hour either side of this time. It won't be easy unless you have a clear horizon, but it will be well worth it. Photos and reports should be sent to observe(a)astronomy.ie please. 3. Star-B-Q help We want to get as many people to Star-B-Q on Saturday as possible. We've done a lot of work already and people are travelling from all over Ireland as usual to be there(some have even flown in from abroad in the past - and the darkness of the sky in Roundwood, Ireland's highest village, is worth it). The venue can cater for up to 1,000 people and several hundred have booked already. But we are looking for ideas and help in how to make the general public aware of the event? We've sent notices to newspapers(watch Irish Times on Friday), radio and TV but we could use your help with other places to announce the event? e.g. other mailing lists you might know of, or control? Or any other ideas? We'd be very grateful for your help on how we can get even more people to the event and spread the news? Details (and bookings) at www.astronomy.ie/sbq ASTRONOMY IRELAND - your national astronomy society (and biggest in world relative to population) - NEW MEMBERS WANTED - no experience necessary! www.astronomy.ie/sub - publisher Ireland's only astronomy magazine www.astronomy.ie/currentissue.html - the biggest telescope Shop in Ireland: Call (01) 847 0777 Monday to Saturday

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[Astronomy Ireland] OOPS--Misdirected email regarding our Star-B-Q!
by AI Exec Secretary 23 Aug '06

23 Aug '06

Some of you have received an email regarding Star-B-Q who have not in fact booked! My apologies for the error. That said, if you have not booked for the Star-B-Q, now is the time! We will need to give the caterers an approximate number shortly so please do not wait until the last minute to book your place. I hope to see all of you there! Best regards, ============ Bernard Gaffney Executive Secretary Astronomy Ireland P.O.Box 2888, Dublin 5. Tel: (01) 847 0777 Fax: (01) 847 0771 www.astronomy.ie sec(a)astronomy.ie

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[Astronomy Ireland] Star-B-Q 2006!
by AI Exec Secretary 23 Aug '06

23 Aug '06

Thank you for booking tickets to "Star-B-Q", Astronomy Ireland's fund-raising barbecue under the stars. I am pleased to say that the weather forecasts all call for a fairly clear night on Saturday. We are looking forward to a great night of food, fun, and of course the innumerable planets, stars, and clusters that surround us. With a professional caterer supplying the food we can cater for large numbers and we want as many people to look through the telescopes as possible. To this end, do you know anyone else who you could encourage to come along? If so, please get them to book online at www.astronomy.ie/sbq or call (01) 847 0777, but the sooner the better so we can advise our caterer. Thanks in anticipation and we look forward to seeing you there. ============ Bernard Gaffney Executive Secretary Astronomy Ireland P.O.Box 2888, Dublin 5. Tel: (01) 847 0777 Fax: (01) 847 0771 www.astronomy.ie sec(a)astronomy.ie

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[Astronomy Ireland] Star-B-Q: Just a Few Days Away!
by AI Exec Secretary 22 Aug '06

22 Aug '06

Star-B-Q: See the Wonders of the Universe through Ireland's Biggest Telescopes The weather reports all look very promising for our Star-B-Q extravaganza! This is our main fund-raising event of the summer and we will need to pass our final numbers along to the caterers. So if you are thinking of coming please let us know by Thursday morning. The event will be held under the same dark skies of the Roundwood, Co. Wicklow, on Saturday, August 26 (just four days on!). Be sure to bring all family and friends with the smallest interest in the stars. They will not be disappointed! Star-B-Q Features: o See the wonders of the universe through Ireland's Biggest Portable Telescopes o Free draw for a pair of 10x50 binoculars worth 85 Euro o Professional catering and refreshments included in the price o Slide Show The Universe by David Moore, Ireland's best-known astronomer o Naked Eye Guide (learn the constellations using Ireland's most powerful hand-held lasers) o A lecture on telescopes from Astronomy&Space contributor Emlyn Jones o 'Live' webcam demo on big screen by Eamonn O'Fearchain o A compact workshop on using binocular for astronomy featuring our new 25x100mm monsters! o Extremely dark skies despite only a short drive from Dublin o Advice, chat and 'craic' all night long You can now book for this event for just Euro 40 for adults and Euro 30 for children (price includes all food and refreshments). Just log onto www.astronomy.ie/sbq and book today. Thank you for continuing to support the club and we will see you there! Please forward to a colleague. Issued by: Bernard Gaffney Tel: (01) 847 0777

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[Astronomy Ireland] We'll get it right eventually!
by Astronomy Ireland 18 Aug '06

18 Aug '06

Thanks to Tony Burke for pointing out that our link to the August 26th Star-B-Q booking page was wrong! It should definitely be www.astronomy.ie/sbq Please try to get family, friends and work colleagues to come, support the event and have a great night out! Lots of places left but please book soon so we can tell our caterers how many to expect! Keep an eye out for the Aurora tonight remember! I.S.S. visible from August 19. See email I'll send tomorrow. It'll fly over Star-B-Q three times! - David Moore, Chairman, Astronomy Ireland - Telescopes and Information: www.astronomy.ie Tel (01) 847 0777

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[Astronomy Ireland] Star-B-Q oops! Aurora alert
by AI Exec Secretary 18 Aug '06

18 Aug '06

In the last email I forgot to give you all the website to book your Star-B-Q tickets. It is of course www.astronomy/sbq My apologies, and don't worry--there are plenty of places left. P.S. Following a gargantuan explosion on the Sun 2 days ago there is a chance of an aurora (a display of the Northern Lights) happening tonight August 18th. Look for glowing curtains, rays or glows in the north sky with the naked eye. Check Saturday and Sunday night too just in case. See you at the Star-B-Q I hope. Issued by: Bernard Gaffney Tel: (01) 847 0777

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[Astronomy Ireland] Star-B-Q: This Saturday Week!
by AI Exec Secretary 17 Aug '06

17 Aug '06

Star-B-Q: See the Wonders of the Universe through Ireland's Biggest Telescopes Our famous Star-B-Q is just around the corner! This will be the main fund-raising event of the summer, professionally catered and bracing to handle larger crowds of enthusiastic star-gazers than ever! On Saturday, August 26 (just this Saturday week!), under the same dark skies of the Roundwood, Co. Wicklow, we will come together once again. Be sure to bring all family and friends with the smallest interest in the stars. They will not be disappointed! Star-B-Q Features: o See the wonders of the universe through Ireland's Biggest Portable Telescopes o Professional catering and refreshments included in the price o Slide Show The Universe by David Moore, Ireland's best-known astronomer o Naked Eye Guide (learn the constellations using Ireland's most powerful hand-held lasers) o A lecture on telescopes from Astronomy&Space contributor Emlyn Jones o 'Live' webcam demo on big screen by Eamonn O'Fearchain o A compact workshop on using binocular for astronomy featuring our new 25x100mm monsters! o Extremely dark skies despite only a short drive from Dublin o Advice, chat and 'craic' all night long You can now book for this event for just Euro 40 for adults and Euro 30 for children (price includes all food and refreshments). Thank you for continuing to support the club--we will see you there! Issued by: Bernard Gaffney Tel: (01) 847 0777

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[Astronomy Ireland] Perseid: Shooting Stars over Ireland!
by AI Exec Secretary 10 Aug '06

10 Aug '06

Shooting Stars Galore This Weekend The best shooting star shower of the year is due to peak this weekend. Astronomy Ireland is urging members of the general public all over Ireland to go outdoors on Saturday night and watch the natural celestial fireworks display. "Up to 20 times more shooting stars than a normal night are expected so instead of seeing one every 10 minutes there could be one or more each minute," said David Moore, Chairman, Astronomy Ireland. Shooting stars are more correctly known as meteors. They are caused by the Earth crashing into tiny pieces of dust that have fallen off a comet long ago. The Earth collides with these pieces of dust at 100,000 mph and when they hit the upper atmosphere at these speeds the friction causes them to instantly burn up. The result is a fiery streak popularly known as a 'shooting star'. "Bright meteors can be very spectacular and in the past we have seen Perseids so bright that they lit up the whole landscape like a giant cosmic flash gun," Mr Moore said. "We want everyone in Ireland to witness this amazing natural spectacle on Saturday night." Information about the Perseid meteor show is available on Astronomy Ireland's website www.astronomy.ie and members of the public are urged to check it out for details of how to see it at its best. Perseids can be seen for up to several weeks either side of this Saturday August 12 but there are less of them on the nights before and after the August 12 peak. However, some Perseids are expected to show up at the biggest annual telescope viewing evening in Ireland on August 26, our annual Star-B-Q. It is a barbecue under the stars aimed at the general public. You can see the wonders of the universe through some of the most powerful telescopes in Ireland. Go to www.astronomy.ie for more details. Issued by: Bernard Gaffney, Executive Secretary, Astronomy Ireland. Tel (01) 847 0777 or sec(a)astronomy.ie

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[Astronomy Ireland] Astronomy Ireland Public Lecture: "Celestial Mechanics"
by AI Exec Secretary 09 Aug '06

09 Aug '06

Patrick Browne of NUI Galway will be giving a public lecture on Monday, August 14 on Celestial Mechanics. You can book tickets for this lecture at www.astronomy.ie/lecture0608 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 Patrick will show how basic mathematics (school level calculus and algebra) is combined with the work of Sir Isaac Newton to provide us with the basic laws that have been used for centuries to determine planetary motion and predict stellar events (such as transits, close approaches of planets, etc...). In particular, the talk will demonstrate the following. 1. How some of Kepler's Laws are derived (e.g. Keplers Third Law: A Line joining a planet and its star sweeps out equal areas during any equal intervals of time) 2. That the planets do indeed orbit in a plane (i.e. that the motions of the solar systems are essentially a two-dimensional problem) 3. That the planets' orbits follow elliptic paths Venue: Henry Grattan Building, Dublin City University, Glasnevin, Dublin 9 Date of Lecture: Monday August 14 Time: 8:00pm Admission: €5 (€3 children/students) To book places call (01) 847 0777 or visit www.astronomy.ie ALL ARE WELCOME! P.S. Get details on the Perseid Meteor Shower this weekend and Star-B-Q on August 26 at www.astronomy.ie

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