1. "ANCIENT TELESCOPES OF ARMAGH
OBSERVATORY" Mon Sept 12 D.C.U. 8pm
Our next Leinster Area public lecture takes place tonight (sorry for short
notice, BA Festival and aurora distracted me last week!). It will also be made
available to members all around Ireland on DVD.
Dr John Butler will travel down from Armagh Observatory to tell us all
about the famous telescopes and instruments that have just been restored at the
Observatory (founded 1790).
All welcome. 8pm in lecture hall CG12, Henry Grattan Building, Dublin City
University, Dublin 9.
2. TRAVEL AGENT?
A lot of international contacts were made at the B.A. Festival
of Science last week and we'd like to arrange tours to places of significant
interest around the world in the coming months and years. Anywhere from U.K.,
Europe to the southern hemisphere! If you are involved in the travel industry
and could advise on how to organise such events, or your company could contract
to do the organising please email info@astronomy.ie
3. AURORA & I.S.S. ABOVE MOON
I saw no aurora last night from brief checks of the northern sky and we
received no sightings from anywhere else in Ireland either. Activity as measured
by satellite and around the world continues to increase however and that sunspot
on the Sun is huge! See
http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/data/realtime-images.html and
click on the MDI image
So there is a good chance of an aurora tonight and the next several nights
so keep watching the north sky and email
observe@astronomy.ie if you see
anything.
If you want to view the sunspot be sure to use AstroSolar (inexpensive and
available from our Shop) in front of your binoculars or telescopes, it's an
amazing sight.
In the meantime the International Space Station continues to blaze across
the sky every night until Thursday night inclusive.
Monday night's prediction is 9:11pm passing above the Moon.
For less than a euro call our Newsline 1550-111-442 every afternoon
for the latest prediction including other 'local' news, and any aurora
updates!
4. SATURN NEAR BEEHIVE
Every morning this week, by 3am the planet SATURN rises in
the East and is plainly visible to the naked eye until morning twilight
interferes (5:30am or so).
See the diagram on page 26 of our September magazine (available from
www.astronomy.ie/sub if you want to
support the society).
You will see that Saturn is closest to the Beehive Star Cluster over the
next few nights and worth checking out all week - so set those alarm
clocks!
Please send sighting reports and photos to
observe@astronomy.ie as this is one of
the most spectacular events of the month.
Don't forget to scrutinise the 'evening planet' MARS in
your telescope from now until Christmas as it is coming closer than it will
until 2018! See Sky Diary pages every month for details.
Hoping to see you all at tonight's September Public
Lecture,