April 2008 - astronomy@lists.redbrick.dcu.ie

[Astronomy Ireland] DVD of Amazing April Lecture, Date Correction, Prices Slashed!
by AI Secretary 29 Apr '08

29 Apr '08

1. April Lecture DVD available nationwide LECTURE REPORT: "Incredible, Brilliant, Amazing" these are just some words used by those who attended the Astronomy Ireland April lecture, which was delivered by Prof. Brian Cox of CERN in Geneva and Manchester University. "It was probably the best lecture we have ever had" said David Moore, Chairman of A.I. The applause at the end was deafening with over 200 people overflowing the theatre meaning there was standing room only. Prof. Cox gave a powerfully concise explanation of the fabric of the universe from the tiniest sub-atomic particle to the Big Bang in what was, by far, the most erudite, thorough and calm explanation we have ever heard. Brian described his work on the Atlas section of the 10 billion euro Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Geneva and what the most expensive and most important experiment ever conducted hopes to achieve when it comes into operation this summer. He showed the crowd some fascinating pictures, which really demonstrated the size of the project, both construction and manpower. His anecdotal description, of his work on the LHC was received very well by the crowd and kept everyone glued to him and his presentation for the duration of the talk. The LHC experiment hopes to unlock the secrets of the Big Bang, one of the strangest, yet, most feasible theories that man has put forward to date. The LHC hopes to create mini Black Holes by smashing parts of atoms into each other in conditions similar to what scientists have speculated were present at the time of the birth of the universe. They also hope to prove the existence of the Higgs Boson particle, that will explain Dark Matter and no doubt, lead to a Nobel Prize, or two. Brian was a member of the 90's hit band D:Ream and he still continues his show business career, with his BBC Horizon TV documentary "Time", which he was due to start filming in Japan after our lecture. A truly unique speaker indeed! This is an amazing lecture which we highly recommend you watch. To order this Lecture DVD for just 5 Euro plus 5 Euro P&P click: ORDER HERE 2. Telescope Night Correction In our last email we gave you two dates for the telescope night. Our apologies for this error. Please note that the correct date is Thursday, May 1st Details of the event are here: www.astronomy.ie/telescopenight.html 3. PRICES SLASHED - until May 10 Don't forget our Telescope Shop is open this (and every) Saturday from 10am to 6pm with the new highly reduced prices on all telescopes making them cheaper in Ireland than anywhere else in Europe until the second Grand Re-Opening party on May 10th. So order soon! See www.astronomy.ie/shop for details, the downloadable catalogue, and place your order before May 10th either online or by phone, and avail of the low low prices that apply until then. Or call (01) 847 0777 for advice or to place an order (though you can also order online securely at www.astronomy.ie/shop and have your telescope delivered anywhere in Ireland). Astronomy Ireland The world's most popular astronomy club ( To subscribe/unsubscribe click here ) Ireland's Only Astronomy Magazine www.astronomy.ie Call Our Telescope Shop Tel (01) 847 0777 Mon-Sat Delivery Nationwide

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[Astronomy Ireland] 3-D Lecture, Telescope Night, Belfast & Galway Lectures, Saturn Watch Report
by AI Secretary 24 Apr '08

24 Apr '08

1. 3-D Public Lecture & DVD. Robert Hill of the Northern Ireland Space Office at Armagh Planetarium will present a special Public Lecture on May 12 in Trinity College, Dublin, entitled "Engaging Youth: An Astronomical Journey in 3D". Robert will tell us how he uses astronomy as an educational 'hook' for science and mathematics learning. He is also engaged in the possibility of using astronomy and space science as a key skills developer for adults returning to education. The lecture will include an amazing 3-D display that is not to be missed. He will describe how educating people about astronomy has taken him all over the world and given rise to some hair-raising stories like what do you do when there is a two foot fruit bat hanging from your telescope? Robert is a brilliant public speaker and his anecdotes combined with the incredible 3-D special effects is sure to make this one of the best lectures we have ever held. The lecture takes place on Monday May 12 at 8pm in the Physics building. For more details, maps, parking etc. see www.astronomy.ie/lecture200805.html Book seats HERE Order DVD HERE 2. Telescope Night, Thursday May 1 The last good chance to see the planets and wonders of the Universe before the long bright Summer evenings arrive will take place in the Phoenix Park on Wednesday April 30th. So come along to the Papal Cross Car Park at 10:00pm to see the telescopes, the night sky, and to talk to the amateur astronomers who will be there. The Saturn Watch earlier this month (see below) was an absolutely brilliant night, so don't miss this, your last chance until after the summer. 3. Professor Stephen Smartt - Inaugural Lecture At the School of Mathematics and Physics in Queen's University, Belfast, The Head of School cordially invites you to the Inaugural Lecture by Stephen Smartt, Professor of Astrophysics. The talk, entitled "Supernova: A Matter of Life and Death', will take place on Thursday 1 May 2008 at 5.00 pm in the Larmor Lecture Theatre, Physics Building, QUB. Admission is free. 4. Galway Astronomy Club Lecture The next GAC lecture is entitled "The Who, Why, Where, What & When of Irish Astronomy", by Terry Moseley: Monday 28 April, 8pm Claddagh Hall, Nimmo Pier, Galway 5. Saturn Watch Report For a detailed report with photographs, of our successful nationwide Saturn Watches held throughout the country on April 15 go to www.astronomy.ie/saturnwatchapr08_report.php Astronomy Ireland The world's most popular astronomy club ( To subscribe/unsubscribe click here ) Ireland's Only Astronomy Magazine www.astronomy.ie Call Our Telescope Shop Tel (01) 847 0777 Mon-Sat Delivery Nationwide

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[Astronomy Ireland] Radio, Saturn Watch Success, Cox TV Help, Prices Slahsed!
by testdm 17 Apr '08

17 Apr '08

1. Chairman on National Radio Astronomy Ireland Chairman David Moore will be a guest on the panel of the current affairs programme "Late Night Live" with Declan Carthy on the national radio station Newstalk 106FM. The show runs from 10pm until midnight tonight Thursday April 17 Listen live online worldwide at www.newstalk.ie/newstalk/programmes/8/late-night-live.html or tune your radio to 106FM to 108FM in Ireland. We should have a recording online in the audio section of our Media Archive the next day: www.astronomy.ie/mediaarchive.html 2. Saturn Watch Resounding Success Clear skies graced our Saturn Watches all around Ireland and hundreds of people came along. They all had incredible close up views of what has to be the most beautiful sight in a telescope - the planet Saturn with its cloud belts, rings and moons. The biggest telescope was at the Dublin Watch where Keith Malone from Wicklow brought along the new 14-inch Celestron CGE that he had purchased at our Shop. This is one of the most powerful telescopes in Ireland and other giant instruments were available at the other Saturn Watches around Ireland too. Our thanks to all the volunteers nationwide who made the event such a great success. Our next 'Watch' is the best annual event for telescope viewing: Star-B-Q on August 30, bookings for which (at a special reduced price) will start in a few weeks time. More here then... We have a report about the Saturn Watch on our website here: www.astronomy.ie/saturnwatchapr08_report.php 3. Brian Cox on Ireland AM Did anyone record Brian Cox on TV3's Ireland AM on Tuesday morning? We want to put the clip on our website in our Media Archive for all to see www.astronomy.ie/mediaarchive.html A DVD recording would be ideal but video tape (VHS) will do fine also. Please email sec(a)astronomy.ie if you have a recording we can borrow. By the way, a report of his absolutely astounding lecture, to a packed audience, will be emailed to you shortly. This will announce the DVD release of his lecture. You will see why the likes of Al Gore listen to him! Or get the DVD now at www.astronomy.ie/lectureDVD.html 4. Prices Slashed For our Shop's Grand Opening on May 10 we have slashed the prices on all telescopes and accessories! You can view the new price list now at www.astronomy.ie/GrandOpening2008.htm and all the new low prices are in effect now ! You can order online at www.astronomy.ie/shop now, or call (01) 847 0777 six days a week to place orders. Prices are now lower here in Ireland than every shop in Europe! 5. Nationwide Coming Events: May 10 Grand Opening of our New Shop May 12 Public Lecture & DVD "An Astronomical Journey, in 3-D!" Aug. 30 Star-B-Q Oct. 09 Evening Classes (nationwide) - enrolling now Astronomy Ireland The world's most popular astronomy club ( To subscribe/unsubscribe click here ) Ireland's Only Astronomy Magazine www.astronomy.ie Call Our Telescope Shop Tel (01) 847 0777 Mon-Sat Delivery Nationwide

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[Astronomy Ireland] Lecture & DVD, Saturn Watch, Kerry, Prices Slashed
by AI Chairman 14 Apr '08

14 Apr '08

1. "Pop Star" Public Lecture & DVD Tonight TV3 will be interviewing Dr Brian Cox on "Ireland AM" on Tuesday morning. Tune in around 7:45am or record the whole show in case the schedule changes (7am to 10am). Dr Cox will give our April Public Lecture tonight Monday April 14 at 8pm in Trinity College Dublin. A huge number of tickets have been booked and we will record the lecture on DVD for all those of you outside Dublin so please place your order now at www.astronomy.ie/lecture200804.html After viewing his lecture you will understand why they issue the Nobel prizes for work like this, why this story will hit the news in the summer when they turn on LHC why it is necessary to spend billions on physics It should be a very special night, after all we've never had a talk by a: -Pop-star! -Probable Nobel Prize Winner -BBC Horizon presenter! See you there (or on the DVD!) and watch TV3 in the morning. 2. Nationwide Saturn Watches Tomorrow night (Tuesday April 15) everyone in Ireland will get a chance to see the rings of Saturn through some of the most powerful telescopes in the country. The date has been chosen because Saturn will be spectacularly close to the Moon. Saturn will be the bright 'star' just above the Moon that night - see the diagram on page 22 of our April magazine. This will be plainly visible to the naked eye from every part of the country so please email observe(a)astronomy.ie and tell us if you see it. This is also the best time of year to see Saturn as it is very high up around 9pm meaning it will be very well seen in the telescopes at this convenient and sociable evening hour. All Watches around the country are at 9pm and we will be there regardless of weather so at least come along for a chat. Check www.astronomy.ie to see where the nearest venue to you is. So far Carlow, Clare, Cork, Donegal and Phoenix Park Dublin are confirmed venues. There will be several other Watches this year and we can get venues (shopping centres and the like) in almost every town in Ireland, so, if you have a telescope and would like to bring it out for this or our next Watch please email director(a)astronomy.ie and we will do all the work leaving you just to show up on the night and enthral people in your area interested in space - it's great fun, we wouldn't do it if it were not. 3. Kerry Lecture On Thursday 17th April at 8pm in the Manor West Hotel Tralee, the Kerry Astronomy Club are having a talk by well known Space journalist Leo Enright. Leo will be talking about the exploration of Mars and the comparisons with the exploration of Earth's south pole by Kerry explorer Tom Crean. Admission is free and everyone is welcome so do go along. Many members of Astronomy Ireland are members of the Kerry Astronomy Club also and we should all support each other as much as possible if we are to truly promote interest in astronomy nationwide. 4. Grand Opening - Prices Slashed Last Saturday lots of you visited and called our new-look Astronomy Shop. Prices on all telescopes have been slashed. So successful was the event that it is to be repeated on May 10th to give those of you who missed it a chance to visit. Also, the new low prices are to stay in effect until then, so you can call and have your telescope delivered anywhere in Ireland. A photo report of the Grand Opening will appear on our website later today: www.astronomy.ie And you can order at the new prices ONLINE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at: www.astronomy.ie/shop With Saturn at its best, Jupiter moving into evening skies during the summer and thousands of star clusters, galaxies and the rest of the universe to view there has never been a better time to own a telescope. Astronomy Ireland The world's most popular astronomy club Join today - click here Ireland's Only Astronomy Magazine www.astronomy.ie Call Our Telescope Shop Tel (01) 847 0777 Mon-Sat Delivery Nationwide

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[Astronomy Ireland] Pop Star Lecture & DVD, Saturn Watch, Jobs & Volunteers
by AI Secretary 10 Apr '08

10 Apr '08

1. "Pop Star" Public Lecture & DVD April 14 For Astronomy Ireland's April Public Lecture (and DVD) we are flying in a very unique speaker indeed, Dr. Brian Cox. Brian is a pop star, having played with the bands Dare and D:Ream (who had the hit "Things can only get better") Brian is also a TV presenter - he has presented the award winning BBC documentary series "Horizon" on the subject of Gravity In addition Brian is a world-class astrophysicist - he leads one of the key experiments in the 10 billion euro LHC experiment at CERN (on the Swiss-French border) where 2,500 of the world's top scientists are going to smash bits of atoms together at the highest speed ever. They hope to mimic the formation of the Universe in the Big Bang! They hope to create mini Black Holes, explain Dark Matter that seems to make up most of the matter in the universe and provide a new theory to explain the universe. What a fascinating speaker, with a highly unusual career - pop-star, TV presenter, world-class scientist. It promises to be an incredible evening so book your tickets or place an order for the DVD of the lecture now on www.astronomy.ie When they turn on the LHC (Large Hadron Collider) this summer you will know all about, why it is so important and why so much money is being spent on it. The lecture will take place in the Physics Building, Trinity College Dublin at 8pm on Monday April 14th and all are welcome. It is aimed at the general public with a fascination about the universe that created them. Admission is 5euro (3euro to students, paid-up AI members, unwaged, over 65s). If you cannot get to Dublin the lecture will be recorded and you can order the DVD for 5euro (plus P&P) - order the DVD in advance if possible. Details, order forms, and maps to Trinity are on the website. 2. Nationwide Saturn Watches Next Tuesday April 15 will present a chance for everyone in Ireland to see the rings of Saturn through some of the most powerful telescopes in the country. The date has been chosen because Saturn will be spectacularly close to the Moon (Saturn will be the bright 'star' just above the Moon that night - see the diagram on page 22 of our April magazine). This is also the best time of year to see Saturn as it is very high up around 9pm meaning it will be very well seen in the telescopes at this convenient and sociable evening hour. All Watches around the country are at 9pm and we will be there regardless of weather so at least come along for a chat. Keep checking www.astronomy.ie to see where the nearest venue to you is. So far Carlow, Clare, Cork, Donegal and Phoenix Park Dublin are confirmed venues. There will be other Watches this year and we can get venues (shopping centres and the like) in almost every town in Ireland, so, if you have a telescope and would like to bring it out for this or our next Watch please email director(a)astronomy.ie 3. Vacancies and Volunteers Our Shop is looking for someone to work on Saturdays assisting with sales, despatching and office duties. We are also hoping to take on more full time staff as we expand the society in our new offices. So whether it's full time or part time work you are looking for in everything from secretarial to sales work, from marketing to management please send CV to director(a)astronomy.ie Volunteers: As well as our full time office and shop staff we have over 100 volunteers all across Ireland (and a few abroad) who help run the society and its various activities. They do a wonderful job and without them we would not be one of the biggest such organisations in the world. We need more volunteers though to get involved. We need everything from business advice to burning DVDs. In fact, our hard working Membership Secretary Seamus Bonner has been doing the task of burning DVDs of our Lectures for members all around Ireland but these have proved so popular that we are seeking someone who can take over this activity. If you think you could spare a few hours a week please get in touch and we'll tell you what is involved. Please email director(a)astronomy.ie We also need someone who can convert a DVD to small MPEG that can be put on our website after each lecture so people can get the gist of each public lecture we offer on DVD. If you are good at manipulating video on your PC please email director(a)astronomy.ie 4. Nationwide Coming Events: April 12 Grand Opening of our New Shop (see next email) April 14 Public Lecture & DVD "Dark Matter and Black Holes" by a pop-star !!! (BOOK NOW or ORDER THE DVD NOW) April 15 Annual Saturn Watch April 15 Astronomy Ireland Radio Show (AIRS) Astronomy Ireland The world's most popular astronomy club Join today - click here Ireland's Only Astronomy Magazine www.astronomy.ie Call Our Telescope Shop Tel (01) 847 0777 Mon-Sat Delivery Nationwide

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[Astronomy Ireland] Astronomy Shop Grand Opening
by AI Secretary 10 Apr '08

10 Apr '08

GRAND OPENING OF OUR NEW ASTRONOMY SHOP Saturday April 12 from 10am to 6pm In conjunction with the grand opening of our new Astronomy Shop on Saturday we are proudly offering ludicrously low prices on all telescopes. Save hundreds of euro on most telescopes, even thousands on some of the larger telescopes. On the day there will be light refreshments served, cheese and wine, tea and coffee, biscuits and snacks. All are welcome to come along on Saturday April 12 from 10am to 6pm. Over the past 6 months, as part of a major development and expansion of Astronomy Ireland, we have completely renovated our offices for new staff we will be hiring and in the process we doubled our space and opened a large warehouse giving us much more space for our telescope display area. You really have to see it! It is now one of the biggest astronomy showrooms in Europe and it's in easy reach of the M50 so access from all parts of Ireland is relatively easy. But even if you cannot get along on the day remember that we deliver anywhere in Ireland and you can call us 6 days a week for advice and to place orders. We pride ourselves on matching any price in Europe so you will get your telescope from us at the keenest price and then have our full-time expert staff available to you 6 days a week for life to advise you on any aspect of the hobby. Map to the shop is here: www.astronomy.ie/map.html including bus routes and directions to Unit 75 Butterly Business Park, Kilmore Rd, Artane, Dublin 5. Tel (01) 847 0777 Monday to Saturday inclusive Some details have been placed here and some of the price offers will appear on this webpage in the next day: April 12 Grand Opening of our New Shop If you can't make it to the shop, call us, the special offers will apply to all purchases made on the day. Astronomy Ireland The world's most popular astronomy club Join today - click here Ireland's Only Astronomy Magazine www.astronomy.ie Call Our Telescope Shop Tel (01) 847 0777 Mon-Sat Delivery Nationwide

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[Astronomy Ireland] International Space Station Visible
by AI Secretary 03 Apr '08

03 Apr '08

[Apologies for sending two notices in the one day, this item was left off the last email. We're sure you'll find it interesting though] 5. International Space Station To 'Blaze' Across The Sky The International Space Station is now visible in evening skies every night until April 9th. On board are three astronauts, two men and one woman. On Thursday April 3rd it is due to dock with the new ESA Jules Verne - a disposable unmanned craft also known as ATV (Automated Transfer Vehicle) that can bring tonnes of equipment and supplies to ISS. This first mission is going well so far. After Thursday's docking it will make ISS even bigger, now close to 300 tonnes, making it the biggest man made object ever assembled in space. Watch (and get schedules of when coverage begins) online art NASA TV: www.nasa.gov/ntv PREDICTIONS: You can get times to see I.S.S. blaze across Irish skies as an extremely bright 'star' high up (from now until April 9th) at: - various websites, or - call our Newsline after 12noon each day for the prediction for that night: 1550-111-442 (costs 95cent/minute), and/or - text SPACE to 57003 and we'll send a reminder to your mobile phone each day for 1euro. About 1 hour before ISS flies over, the text will give the exact time to go out and watch and any other news. Why 1euro? Well, we asked thousands of you how much you thought the charge should be and this was what most of you said. Proceeds help us promote interest in astronomy in Ireland so please tell your friends about this service. Thank you! I.S.S. is the most expensive object ever built, costing an estimated 100 billion dollars. See our I.S.S. webpage here PLEASE TELL US: If you spot I.S.S. we want you to email observe(a)astronomy.ie and tell us what you think for a report in our magazine. Astronomy Ireland The world's most popular astronomy club To subscribe/unsubscribe click here Buy Ireland's Only Astronomy Magazine www.astronomy.ie Call Our Telescope Shop Tel (01) 847 0777 Mon-Sat Delivery Nationwide

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[Astronomy Ireland] DVD of Awesome Hubble Lecture, AI On TV, AI In The News, Nationwide Events
by AI Secretary 03 Apr '08

03 Apr '08

1. Hubble Lecture DVD available nationwide LECTURE REPORT: "Brilliant!". "Absolutely marvellous." This is how the Hubble Space Telescope Lecture on March 31 was described by those who attended. One member was even inspired to write some lyrics for a song, which he showed us afterwards! Here's what happened: Lars Lindberg Christiansen, Head of Communications for Hubble at ESA in Munich, described the development of the telescope, its service missions by shuttle astronauts and the awesome images of nebulae like the Orion Nebula, Eta Carina Nebula and galaxies galore, including the latest image which shows a supernova found by an Irish team, planets, dying stars, black holes and more, all taken by the telescope in its 18 years. At the end of the presentation he showed images that wont be released for several weeks to mark the 18th birthday of Hubble - this was a world premier he said. Everyone who came to the lecture got a free DVD of the first 15 years of Hubble. Order your copy of this lecture and we'll post you that 15th anniversary Hubble DVD as well for usual price i.e. two DVDs for the price of one This is an amazing lecture which we highly recommend you watch. The Lecture was run in association with The Irish Times, to whom we are most grateful as the lecture theatre was packed to capacity by 300 people - one of our biggest ever crowds. To order your "Lecture DVD" + "Hubble 15th Anniversary DVD" for just 5 Euro plus 5 Euro P&P: ORDER HERE 2. Astronomy Ireland on TV RTE TV's "Capital D" will feature Astronomy Ireland this Thursday April 3rd. Watch RTE 1 at 7pm when you will see us running our Moon Watch in the Phoenix Park, including some behind the scenes shots. We hope to get the item on our "Media Archive" on our website, check out www.astronomy.ie/video after the show (it may be a day or two after though so try to watch RTE 1 'live'). 3. Astronomy Ireland in the News See Astronomy Ireland on the RTE TV News last Friday. We made the 1pm, 6pm and 9pm news as we prepared for Earth Hour. Click on: www.astronomy.ie/video and see the March 28 entry. 4.Nationwide Coming Events April 08 Astronomy Ireland Radio Show (AIRS) April 12 Grand Opening of our New Shop April 14 Public Lecture & DVD "Dark Matter and Black Holes" by a pop-star !!! (BOOK NOW or ORDER THE DVD NOW) April 15 Annual Saturn Watch April 15 Astronomy Ireland Radio Show (AIRS) Astronomy Ireland The world's most popular astronomy club To subscribe/unsubscribe click here Ireland's Only Astronomy Magazine www.astronomy.ie Call Our Telescope Shop Tel (01) 847 0777 Mon-Sat Delivery Nationwide

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