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 )