8 Months Membership FREE 2010 Events DVDs Shop Extremes of Our Universe - Lecture Report and DVD On Monday evening, August 9th, members and Friends of Astronomy Ireland gathered together in Trinity College Dublin to hear Dr John Quinn of the School of Physics, UCD, speak on the topic of gamma ray astronomy. The talk was informative and comprehensive, and Dr. Quinn began the evening with an overview of the history and discovery of cosmic and gamma rays. Following this he delved into the development of gamma ray telescopes and detectors - and then we got to the high point of the night - the objects they are used to study. We were taken on a fascinating journey into a universe of supernova remnants, neutron stars, pulsars and black holes. We were shown glorious images of the Crab Nebula, Eskimo Nebula, and listened to recordings of some of the faster pulsars known to exist. Dr Quinn also described how white dwarf stars can pull material from a nearby giant, eventually causing a huge nova that can release gamma rays. Another source of gamma rays are the extreme active galaxies called quasars and blazars, that eject unfathomable amounts of material and radiation from their cores. Following Dr. Jackman's lecture guests took part in a lively question and answer session that finished up at the social reception in the Lombard. To read a full report of the evening click HERE. If you missed the event of the year so far, or indeed if you were there but want to relive the experience over and over again, a DVD is available to order online for just 7euro. Click the link below or call us on (01) 847 0777. To order simply click the link below: ORDER DVD HERE Astronomy Ireland The world's most popular Astronomy Club www.astronomy.ie ( subscribe / unsubscribe ) Our Online Telescope Shop