April 2007 - astronomy@lists.redbrick.dcu.ie

[Astronomy Ireland] Last Chance to Book Star-B-Q tickets at Reduced Rate
by AI Exec Secretary 27 Apr '07

27 Apr '07

Star-B-Q Ireland's Biggest Annual Telescope Party Final reminder that as a special offer to those on this emailing list, you can get adult tickets for the May 5th Star-B-Q for only 30 Euro(10 Euro off the adult rate), by booking online at www.astronomy.ie/sbq This offer ends at midnight, Monday April 30th, but you can still book tickets (40 Euro -Adults/ 30 Euro under-16s) after this date. The Star-B-Q is a not-to-be-missed event, with around 20 of the largest portable telescopes in the country at your disposal! A professionally catered barbecue is included in the price, and there will be short talks aimed at the general public inside the GAA hall. On show will be the planets Saturn and Venus, countless galaxies, nebulae and star clusters. We'll even be able to show you Giliese 581, around which the first Earth-like extra-solar planet has just been found! This event is aimed at the general public, so please bring along friends and family - they'll have a great time! All proceeds go towards the running of Astronomy Ireland. And please tell all your friends to visit www.astronomy.ie/sbq now.... Astronomy Ireland Society · Magazine · Telescopes www.astronomy.ie Tel (01) 847 0777

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[Astronomy Ireland] Star-B-Q offer, IAYC, See I.S.S.
by Astronomy Ireland 19 Apr '07

19 Apr '07

1. "Star-B-Q" Special Offer Would you like to look through some of the biggest telescopes in Ireland at the wonders of the universe? Then come to our annual fund-raising barbecue under the stars called "Star-B-Q". We have a special rate for the thousands of you on this emailing list and we are asking in return that you get as many people to come with you as possible and they too will get the special rate! Star-B-Q is the biggest gathering of telescopes in Ireland every year when we invite the general public along to get amazing views of targets like the planet Saturn - see its rings, its cloud belts and its moons. Here's a picture taken through the type of telescope we will have at the event http://damianpeach.com/images/saturn/2005/2006_03_15rgb_1956ut.jpg. More pictures on the booking page below. We'll also show you galaxies, star clusters, gas clouds, maybe even a comet, in short "the wonders of the universe" through some of the biggest telescopes in Ireland from a very dark rural sky. Astronomy Ireland's Star-B-Q of 2007 will take place on the evening of Saturday 5 May at Roundwood GAA Club in Roundwood, Co. Wicklow. This is a magnificently dark location next to the highest village in Ireland, and those attending will get an un-paralleled view of the wonders of the cosmos through some of Ireland's biggest portable telescopes - including the 53 cm Millennium Telescope. Some of the most beautiful galaxies and star-clusters in the Northern Hemisphere, and planets Venus and Saturn will be on display. The evening will include several dynamic presentations, spear-headed by Astronomy Ireland Chairman David Moore's 'The Universe' slideshow. There will be a professionally catered barbecue and an enthusiastic audience including both astronomy amateurs and complete novices. We'll have a powerful laser to point out the stars and teach you the constellations. Bring your binoculars and we'll show you how to use them to discover hidden treasures in the night sky. The normal prices include all food, soft drinks, tea/coffee, telescope use, talks, and demonstrations, are are 40 euro for adults and 30 euro for under-16s, with all proceeds going to the society. However, if you book online, AND mention this email message in the 'How did you hear about the Star-B-Q' box, we will give you the adult tickets for only 30 euro! This offer must end at midnight on Sunday 29 April so ask as many friends and family and book now. Please book here as soon as possible so we can tell the caterer the numbers expected and don't miss Ireland's biggest annual astronomy event. Book Star-B-Q now at www.astronomy.ie/sbq 2. International Astronomical Youth Camp 2007 International Astronomical Youth Camp (IAYC) 2007 is looking for Irish participants. The camp is held every year at a different location in Europe, and in 2007 will be held at Tremesek in the Czech Republic between 29 July and 18 August. For over 40 years IAYC has been helping to develop scientific interest among young people, becoming a great intercultural learning environment and an international platform connecting young scientist from different countries. Normally, about 70 people between the ages of 16 and 24 participate, but it is now several years since there has been any Irish involvement. Past participants have created successful projects for European Union Contest for Young Scientists, and many have chosen to pursue a scientific career, currently either studying, lecturing or working in such well known scientific centres as Caltech, MIT, Cambridge, Oxford, Max-Planck-Institute, CERN, SO Garching, King's College in London and many others. Many are participating with success in prestigious competitions and campaigns such as the Student Parabolic Flight Campaign, sponsored by the European Space Agency. Those interested can find more information at www.iayc.org or can contact Balazs Dianiska at info(a)iayc.org 3. International Space Station near Saturn Just a reminder that the I.S.S. is visible as a very bright star-like object each evening for a few minutes. On board are 6 astronauts including the 5th space tourist in history, billionaire Microsoft WORD developer Charles Simonyi who paid 25 million dollars for his 10 days in space. He is due to return to Earth on Saturday and you can see I.S.S. every evening until Sunday inclusive. I.S.S. will pass near the planet Saturn (high in the South every evening this week) and if you are really lucky you can see I.S.S. pass in front of Saturn along a track that crosses Ireland every evening. We'll tell you the exact time to watch and where you will see I.S.S. pass in front of Saturn on our Newsline (updated by 12noon each day) 1550-111-442 (calls cost 95cent/minute). ASTRONOMY IRELAND - for telescopes and information call (01) 847 0777 www.astronomy.ie

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[Astronomy Ireland] Stephen Hawking's Irish Protege on RTE - Public Leture & DVD, Star-B-Q
by AI Exec Secretary 12 Apr '07

12 Apr '07

Black Holes & Hawking's Irish Protege Stephen Hawking's only-ever Irish Student is coming home to give a public talk on Black Holes. Dr Oisin MacConamhna is originally from Sligo, and now works as a research fellow with Imperial College London. As a 12-year old boy Oisin joined Astronomy Ireland. Upon finishing school he studied applied maths at NUI Galway, then went to Cambridge, where he completed his PhD under Professor Stephen Hawking, the world's foremost living cosmologist. In recent years Dr MacConamhna has published papers on inflating universes, along with numerous papers on mathematical and geometrical methods for solving Einstein's equations. His current field of research is on the geometry of event horizons and their relationship to quantum field theories. Event horizons are the 'point-of-no-return' around a black hole - the distance from the centre at which the escape velocity is greater than the speed of light. Because of this, nothing, even light itself was thought capable of escaping a black hole's gravitational grip. But in 1970, Stephen Hawking put forward a theory that black holes, given enough time, will evaporate! Monday's lecture will focus on Black Holes, and in it Dr MacConamhna will reveal that they are much, much more than one-way portals into oblivion. In clear, everyday language, he will explain how our commonsense ideas of space and time prove inadequate in the phenomenally intense gravity fields around these objects, and how the remarkable predictions of Einstein's Theory of Relativity are shown to be true near these, the most bizarre objects in the Universe. If you can't make it to Dublin, order the DVD of the lectue here - www.astronomy.ie/lectureDVD.html Dr MacConamhna will be on the Mooney radio show (RTE Radio 1) on Friday 13 April between 3pm and 5pm to talk about working with Stephen Hawking, Black Holes, Warped Space-Time and other peculiarities. Bookings: www.astronomy.ie or (01) 847 07 77 Organiser: Astronomy Ireland Lecture Title: "Black Holes" Lecture Venue: Physics Building, Trinity College Dublin. Date: Monday, 16 April 2007 Time: 8:00pm Admission: 5euro (3euro concessions) ALL WELCOME Last Chance on Reduced Star-B-Q Ticket Price Monday's lecture will be your last chance to book 40euro Star-B-Q tickets at the reduced price of 30euro. Our ever-popular Star-B-Q's attracts attendees from all over the country, and even oversees! To book online go to www.astronomy.ie/sbq or call (01) 847 07 77. ASTRONOMY IRELAND - for telescopes and information call (01) 847 0777 www.astronomy.ie

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