February 2013 - astronomy@lists.redbrick.dcu.ie

[Astronomy Ireland] Record-Breaking Asteroid to Narrowly Miss Earth, Planet Cosmo: A New Children's TV Show
by AI Secretary 14 Feb '13

14 Feb '13

New Year Sale Membership DVD Shop 1. Record-Breaking Asteroid to Narrowly Miss Earth Tomorrow night, Friday, February 15th, people all over the world will closely watch an asteroid as it passes extremely close to Earth, closer even than geosynchronous satellites in orbit. If such a space rock collided with Earth, it could cause untold devastation to cities and countries. 50,000 years ago a meteorite impacted Arizona to form Meteor Crater, and in 1908 an asteroid or comet burst over Siberia, flattening thousands of square kilometres of forests. However, scientists are confident that such a collision will not happen this time round, and Astronomy Ireland is hosting a special Asteroid Watch to point some extremely powerful telescopes to the sky to observe the space rock as it passes. This event is free and is ideal for people of all ages and experience. It will take place at 8pm on Friday at the Astronomy Ireland Telescope Shop in Swords, Co Dublin. 2012 DA14 will be easily spotted with binoculars in the northern sky. If you see it, be sure to let us know by emailing observe(a)astronomy.ie For further information on asteroid 2012 DA14, its path through the sky, and the Asteroid Watch, please visit www.astronomy.ie or call us on (01) 890 11 11. TV AND RADIO David Moore, Chairman of Astronomy Ireland, will appear on RTE2's Elev8 at noon tomorrow. If you miss it, you can watch it later on at www.youtube.com/astronomyireland. David is also due to feature on a number of radio shows, so be sure to keep an eye on www.astronomy.ie/audio over the coming days. 2. Planet Cosmo: A New Children's TV Show We are delighted to announce that a new children's astronomy television show called Planet Cosmo will air on Monday, February 18th, at 9:10am on RTE2. Astronomy Ireland assisted in the show's development by helping with information on the planets. Planet Cosmo is new animated series with plenty of laughs, songs, fun and adventure! Cosmo and her family live on the Moon, and in each episode they travel through the Solar System and visit the eight colourful planets! Each one, in its own way, is totally amazing; even Earth, that little blue planet you call home! You can watch a trailer for Planet Cosmo HERE. Astronomy Ireland The world's most popular astronomy club www.astronomy.ie ( subscribe / unsubscribe )

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[Astronomy Ireland] Evening Classes Begin Tonight, International Space Station
by AI Secretary 13 Feb '13

13 Feb '13

New Year Sale Membership DVD Shop 1. Evening Classes Begin Tonight Our extremely popular Evening Classes begin tonight, Wednesday, February 13th, and there are still places available so it's not too late to enrol! The classes are aimed at the beginner and cover everything you ever wanted to know about the Universe. There are eight classes in total and content covered includes an introduction to the night sky, the Sun and the Moon, planets and stars, history of astronomy, deep sky objects, the Big Bang and even a class on telescopes and how to use one. The enrolment fee for the Classes is €180 and includes membership to Astronomy Ireland. The fee for members is €130. For more information and enrolment details call us on (01) 890 11 11 or visit www.astronomy.ie/class 2. The International Space Station The biggest and most expensive spacecraft ever put in orbit, the International Space Station (ISS), will be visible in the evening skies from February 11th to 25th. Each afternoon Astronomy Ireland will publish the times the ISS will be visible at www.astronomy.ie/iss and you can also receive daily reminders of this time by texting the word SPACE to 57003 (subscription service; one message will be sent each day the ISS is visible and it costs €1 per message received). Be sure to keep up to date with the ISS as it can sometimes pass in front of the Moon and Jupiter! Astronomy Ireland The world's most popular astronomy club www.astronomy.ie ( subscribe / unsubscribe )

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[Astronomy Ireland] Telescope Night to Launch Evening Classes, 'Exploring the Solar Cycle', International Space Station, Aurora Over Ireland?
by AI Secretary 08 Feb '13

08 Feb '13

New Year Sale Membership DVD Shop 1. Free Telescope Night to Launch Evening Classes One of the most powerful telescopes in Ireland will be showing the giant planet Jupiter in stunning detail like you've never seen before in an event to mark the beginning of our Astronomy Evening Classes for Beginners. Tonight at 8pm (Friday, February 8th), Astronomy Ireland will host a special FREE Telescope Night where members of the public can come along and see the huge planet Jupiter, its moons, and its vast clouds and storms. All are welcome to attend, no matter what age or level of experience, as this will be a fantastic opportunity to try some astronomy. Click HERE for a map and more details. Our extremely popular Evening Classes begin on Wednesday, February 13th. The classes are aimed at the beginner and cover everything you ever wanted to know about the Universe. There are eight classes in total and content covered includes an introduction to the night sky, the Sun and the Moon, planets and stars, history of astronomy, deep sky objects, the Big Bang and even a class on telescopes and how to use one. The enrolment fee for the Classes is €180 and includes membership to Astronomy Ireland. The fee for members is €130. For more information on the Telescope Night and the Evening Classes please visit www.astronomy.ie or call us on (01) 890 11 11 2. Public Lecture: Exploring the Solar Cycle Truck driver turned NASA scientist, Dr Ryan Milligan, who uses a space telescope that peers at the Sun twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, will explain why our nearest star will reach its maximum sunspot activity this year and how that could create superb displays of the Northern Lights for Irish people at our Public Lecture next Monday. The Sun's current solar cycle is approaching its strongest point, and this means that while skies all over the Earth are lighting up with Northern Lights, satellites in orbit could be severely damaged! Dr Milligan will talk about the Solar Dynamics Observatory, an exciting mission that was launched in 2010 that is exploring the very nature of our nearest star: the Sun. This advanced telescope will give scientists clues as to how the Sun works, and how its solar cycles can affect life on Earth and spacecraft in orbit. Exploring the Solar Cycle will take place on Monday, February 11th at 8pm in Trinity College Dublin. Book tickets and order DVDs of the lecture HERE. 3. The International Space Station The biggest and most expensive spacecraft ever put in orbit, the International Space Station (ISS), will be visible in the evening skies from February 11th to 25th. Each afternoon Astronomy Ireland will publish the times the ISS will be visible at www.astronomy.ie/iss and you can also receive daily reminders of this time by texting the word SPACE to 57003 (subscription service; one message will be sent each day the ISS is visible and it costs €1 per message received). Be sure to keep up to date with the ISS as it can sometimes pass in front of the Moon and Jupiter! 4. Aurora Over Ireland? Material from the Sun is currently interacting with Earth's magnetic field, meaning that people in the northern regions of the island may get to spot some Northern Lights tonight! There is no particular ideal place to see an aurora, but try to look towards the northern horizon from as dark a location as you can find. If you do spot any auroral activity, please let us know by emailing observe(a)astronomy.ie. Astronomy Ireland The world's most popular astronomy club www.astronomy.ie ( subscribe / unsubscribe )

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[Astronomy Ireland] 'Exlporing the Solar Cycle', Evening Classes, The Sky at Night
by AI Secretary 05 Feb '13

05 Feb '13

New Year Sale Membership DVD Shop 1. Public Lecture: Exploring the Solar Cycle Truck driver turned NASA scientist, Dr Ryan Milligan, who uses a space telescope that peers at the Sun twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, will explain why our nearest star will reach its maximum sunspot activity this year and how that could create superb displays of the Northern Lights for Irish people at our Public Lecture next Monday. The Sun's current solar cycle is approaching its strongest point, and this means that while skies all over the Earth are lighting up with Northern Lights, satellites in orbit could be severely damaged! Dr Milligan will talk about the Solar Dynamics Observatory, an exciting mission that was launched in 2010 that is exploring the very nature of our nearest star: the Sun. This advanced telescope will give scientists clues as to how the Sun works, and how its solar cycles can affect life on Earth and spacecraft in orbit. Exploring the Solar Cycle will take place on Monday, February 11th at 8pm in Trinity College Dublin. Book tickets and order DVDs of the lecture HERE. 2. Astronomy Evening Classes for Beginners Our extremely popular Evening Classes begin on Wednesday, February 13th. The classes are aimed at the beginner and cover everything you ever wanted to know about the Universe. There are eight classes in total and content covered includes an introduction to the night sky, the Sun and the Moon, planets and stars, history of astronomy, deep sky objects, the Big Bang and even a class on telescopes and how to use one. The enrolment fee for the Classes is €180 and includes membership to Astronomy Ireland. The fee for members is €130. For more information and enrolment details call us on (01) 890 11 11 or visit www.astronomy.ie/class 3. The Sky at Night: "The Sun King" The team are at Royal Observatory, Greenwich, to see how the Sun affects our planet. Solar physicist Dr Lucie Green joins them to enjoy its historic telescopes. This is a very appropriate topic given that The Sun is the topic of our February Public Lecture by Dr Ryan Milligan, a NASA Scientist and former truck driver! All this emphasis on the Sun is because 2013 is the year of sunspot maximum and Northern Lights displays so don't miss the lecture or the TV show! Dr Lucie Green gave the Christmas 2008 Public Lecture for Astronomy Ireland which you can get on DVD at www.astronomy.ie/dvd TSAN FEBRUARY 2013 Sun Feb 03 at 11:55pm BBC 1 Northern Ireland Thu Feb 07 at 07:30pm BBC FOUR Thu Feb 07 at 11:50pm BBC HD Fri Feb 08 at 01:05am BBC FOUR Sat Feb 09 at 09:40am BBC 2 Northern Ireland Sun Feb 10 at 02:15am BBC FOUR Note that the BBC1 and BBC2 programmes are shorter versions (20 minutes). Try to watch BBC FOUR or BBC HD transmissions (30 minutes) For advice on telescopes to view the objects in this programme call Ireland's biggest telescope shop at Astronomy Ireland: www.astronomy.ie/shop or call (01) 890 11 11 six days a week. Astronomy Ireland The world's most popular astronomy club www.astronomy.ie ( subscribe / unsubscribe )

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