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1.  Spectacular Meteor Shower Tonight
The maximum of the Perseids meteor shower occurs on August 11 and 12 (Tuesday night/Wednesday morning) and we urge all of you to go outside and count the meteors that you see. This will be the prime time for observing this phenomenon and your count will contribute to scientific data for those who study meteor showers. The Perseids, which are tiny fragments of the comet Swift-Tuttle, are visible each year at this time as Earth passes through the stream of debris, and research shows that the hourly appears to be increasing each year. They are visible to the observer as meteors or 'shooting stars' in the night sky, as the tiny pieces of debris hit our atmosphere at high speed, instantly vaporising.
 
For more information about the Perseids see Sky Diary of our magazine. 
To read about the Perseids and how to make your own meteor count, which we will do our best to publish in our magazine click HERE.
 
 
2.  3-D Tour of the Galaxy for Star-B-Q!
Astronomy Ireland are pleased to confirm that Robert Hill of the Armagh Planetarium will appear as a guest speaker at Ireland's biggest telescope party, the annual Star-B-Q, on August 22. Robert will be hosting a phenomenal 3-D show, featuring a tour of the Galaxy where guests will virtually travel around our Solar System, Planets, the Moon and beyond. Robert gave a similar screening of the amazing Space show at our National Meeting in April and received rave reviews from a captivated audience.
 
As an extra special feature for the Star-B-Q there will also be a 3-D presentation given by Robert from the European Space Agency (ESA) about Europe's space endeavours. Stereoscopic glasses will be provided for everyone!
 
If you haven't booked your ticket yet to Ireland's biggest annual Star Party, make sure you do so soon to avoid disappointment! The Star-B-Q is for the general public: we supply the telescopes, all you have to do is look through them!
 
Book Star-B-Q tickets at:   www.astronomy.ie/sbq   (only 11 days left!)
 
 
3.   Mars Meteorite on RTE News
Astronomy Ireland Chairman, David Moore, and Dr. Matthew Parkes of the National Museum of Ireland featured on RTE One TV's Nine O' Clock news last night, August 10, after an RTE news crew filmed and interviewed them both at our special public lecture 'Mad about Meteorites' in Trinity College. Over 150 people attended the lecture where Dr. Parkes wowed the crowd with various meteorite fragments from around the world, including the famous Mars meteorite. Dr. Parkes spoke about the meteorites finds in Ireland, including that which fell in Carlow in 1999, discovered with the help of Astronomy Ireland. A detailed report and pictures of the event are on our website HERE. Dr. Matthew Parkes spoke on RTE's The Mooney Show and Today FM's The Last Word with Matt Cooper. 
 
Everyone at the lecture got to hold a piece of Mars and the Moon in their hands, but you can still own a copy of the talk on DVD which features the story of all the Irish Meteorites ever found.
ORDER DVD HERE
 
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