[Friday 3pm March 11] *** LEINSTER AREA LECTURE: PLANET X *** Our next Leinster Area PUBLIC LECTURE on Monday March 14 promises to be a unique and fascinating talk by the incredible Eamonn Ansbro. One of the society's most prominent members Eamonn Ansbro has built one of the biggest privately owned observatories in the world at his home in Co. Roscommon. He is using it to study the extremely faint asteroid belt out beyond the planet Neptune - the Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt Objects as they are known. But even more intriguingly he has been asked by astronomers to search for a 10th planet orbiting the Sun! They can't get time on large 'professional telescopes' as it would take too long and not everyone believes the search will be successful, for reasons Eamonn will explain on Monday. So, we could see in the headlines all around the world some day in the future: Irishman discovers 10th planet orbiting the Sun! It should be a fascinating lecture as Eamonn knows his stuff and has several telescopes, the largest being a 36-inch diameter reflector. There is a picture of him using it on the front cover of the April 2003 issue of our magazine and on our website at: www.astronomy.ie/images/Leviathan.jpg To book places at the lecture, call (01) 847 0777 and give your name and telephone number, or email those details to lecture@astronomy.ie with a subject line "March 14" If you want to bring friend(s) just say how many tickets you need. Please reply before 5pm on Monday. Admission is 5euro for adults (3euro concessions). Then simply give your name at the door on Monday night and get your FREE ticket. If you need more details of the lecture go to: www.astronomy.ie/lecture0503.html Date: 8pm March 14 Venue: Henry Grattan Building (behind THE HELIX), Dublin City University in lecture hall CG12 I'm looking forward to seeing you all there. Please book now. *** 9,000 MEMBER PRIZE DRAW CLOSING SOON *** One announcement we hope to make on Monday night at the lecture is the winner of the prize for the 9,000th person to join Astronomy Ireland! The winner gets a superb 2 night B&B + dinner in Meadowlands Hotel, Tralee. See www.astronomy.ie If you know anyone interested in astronomy get them to join before 6pm Monday March 14! - David Moore (Chairman, Astronomy Ireland: www.astronomy.ie ) Visit us in one of Europe's BIGGEST ASTRONOMY SHOPS in: Butterly Business Park, Kilmore Road, Artane, Dublin 5. Tel: 01-8470777 Open SATURDAY 12noon to 6pm