Don't forget to book your tickets for our Public Lecture this Monday, June 14th, entitled 'Black Holes, The Large Hadron Collider and The God Particle', by Dr. Cormac O' Raifeartaigh. This lecture has been moved to a larger venue due to demand (Ed Burke Theatre, Arts Building, TCD) and is now almost sold out.

In this lecture Dr. O' Raifeartaigh will explain our current understanding of the universe to you while justifying why the World's leading scientists have spent over 6 billion euro of taxpayers money on an experiment which aims to prove how the fabric of the universe is built. The experiment which takes place at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) on the Swiss-French border involves smashing particles together at unfathomable speeds using equipment in a 27 mile ring weighing thousands of tonnes.

The LHC has evoked untold controversy since its inception, so why not come along this Monday, June 14th, at 8pm and see what all the fuss is about. A DVD is available to pre order online for anyone who cannot make it on the night.

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Solarfest 2010 is a one day event about solar astronomy taking place at Dunsink Observatory this Saturday, June 12th. Organised by the Irish Federation of Astronomical Societies with support from the Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies (DIAS) the event will include speakers from Trinity College Dublin, leading members of Ireland's amateur astronomy community, an international speaker and of course, solar observing and imaging sessions. There will also be a tour of the observatory and a chance to see the dome and the famous 12" Grubb refractor. T

At 8pm the Evening Public Lecture will be presented by Dr. David Williams of the Mullar Space Science Laboratory and this lecture is open to members of the public so please contact the organisers to let them know if you want to attend at places will be limited.

This event is free and registration will take place from 10:45 - 11:15am at Dunsink Observatory. There is a full run down of the programme events available HERE. For more information click HERE or contact Michael O' Connell at michael@astroshot.com.

Australian amateur astronomer Anthony Wesley has observed his second 'once-in-a-lifetime' event in less than a year - an impact in the atmosphere of Jupiter. In July 2009 Wesley observed what was thought to have been the immediate aftermath of a comet impacting the Jovian atmosphere. While this was a rare observational treat and one not likely to be repeated, at 20:31 UT last Thursday, June 3rd, when observing Jupiter, Wesley once again witnessed something hitting the atmosphere of Jupiter, generating a huge fireball. It appeared near the terminator limb, at roughly the position where the Southern Equatorial Belt used to be, until its recent disappearance. Amateur astronomy, Christopher Go, was quick to confirm Wesley's observation posting an impressive video of the 2 second flash in Jupiter's upper atmosphere.