1. Penumbral Lunar Eclipse
Tonight!
In the early hours of
Thursday morning, part of the Moon will pass through Earth's penumbra (the
outer region of Earth's shadow). People on Earth will be able to see it as
a slight darkening of the lower half of the Moon. This eclipse will be best
observed between 1am and 2am, with the deepest part of the eclipse at
1:39am. If you get to see the penumbral eclipse, please email your observations
to observe@astronomy.ie. Our Chairman,
David Moore, has been doing lots of interviews on radio nationally and locally.
Listen to them on www.astronomy.ie/audio
2. August Public Lecture "Mad About
Meteorites"
A Mars rock, the rarest type of rock in the world,
will make a star appearance at our August Public Lecture, as will a piece of the
Moon brought back by the Apollo astronauts.
Both objects will be under tight security as they
are extremely valuable. The Mars meteorite alone is estimated to be worth over
€25,000 - that's MORE than its weight in gold!
Dr Matthew Parkes will talk about how meteorites
can give us the opportunity to investigate the origins of the Solar System and
how it was formed. He will explain how particularly unusual meteorites arrive on
Earth, and will show guests one such meteorite - a Mars meteorite! Finally,
Dr Parkes will describe the consequences to Earth and humanity should a very
large object strike our home planet.
The lecture will take place in Trinity College
Dublin (Fitzgerald Building) on August 10th at 8pm and will be
available on DVD for everyone in Ireland.
3. Star-B-Q 2009 - Only 17 Days To
Go!
Remember, we have extended
our Star-B-Q offer to Friday, August 7th, where you can get €10 off all adult
tickets. So if you haven't booked your ticket to the country's biggest and best
telescope night, make sure you do so soon!
The Star-B-Q is for the general public: we supply
the telescopes, all you have to do is look through them! So please tell all your
friends as this is our biggest annual fundraiser.
4. Upcoming Astronomy Events Around the
Country
- September 16 -
What Is Light? - by Leo Enright. Taking place in the Royal
Irish Academy
- August 7 - Cosmos vs Canvas: Tensions
Between Art and Science in Astronomy Images - by Jayanne
English. Taking place in the Science Gallery
- August 1-30 - Galactic Treasures
- Star Wars exhibition in Armagh
Planetarium
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