1. SPECTACULAR SIGHTS Just a reminder that Jupiter is spectacularly close to the nearly Full Moon tonight (2.5degrees apart). Also, Venus crosses the edge of the Pleiades tonight and tomorrow night! All details and diagrams are in the Sky Diary pages of the April issue. Read up on both events now as we should at least get some BREAKS in the clouds and that's all you need. Let us know what you see at observe@astronomy.ie Did anyone see the Moon near (or occulting!) Mars last week? We received no reports though I did see the Moon breaking out of the clouds for a few seconds in Dublin while on way home from ARTI launch (announced here previously, great website at www.arti.ie) but it clouded in by the time I got there and grabbed binoculars. Clouds were too thick to see Mars. Anyone else have better luck? 2. DEEP SPACE ART AT BIRR on RTE RADIO 1 The launch of David Malin's photos in Birr last Wednesday was well worth the trip. To see the globular star cluster 47 Tucanae towering 10 feet above you with every star pin sharp is something else. What I didn't know is that after circling the globe 3 times the photos have been DONATED to Birr by the British Council as their permanent home. No good news on the 72-inch which still remains out of order and probably will remain so until next year. Members of the ARTI team were spotted eyeing up sites for a 32-metre radio dish! The Malin photos make a visit to Birr well worth while and don't forget you can buy the photos on slide from our Shop. Peter Mooney from RTE Radio 1 was there and you can hear his show "Future Tense" do a report next Tuesday at 7:30pm on Radio 1. To subscribe to their newsletter email science@rte.ie 3. ARMAGH WEEKEND The Astronomy & Astrophysics Weekend in Armagh kicked off last night with an excellent talk by Irishman Michael McKay who controls ESA's spacecraft Mars Express, SMART-1 (to the Moon) and others. Some spectacular shots and animations were shown as well as an April Fool prank (I was interviewed twice on radio yesterday to set up April Fools pranks as per previous email, some people actually called us!). We'll have to get him to talk down south some time soon. In the meantime there is a full set of talks today, tomorrow and Sunday. I hope to make it back to Armagh tomorrow and Sunday. See http://ireland.iop.org/weekend.html for details 4. SUSAN MC KENNA-LAWLOR TO SPEAK IN DUBLIN Astronomy Ireland is holding a special Public Lecture on Easter Monday (April 12) "IRELAND IN SPACE". In a rare public appearance Ireland's most famous space scientist Prof Susan McKenna-Lawlor, who has flown missions to the planets and comets as well as being asked by NASA to advise the first astronauts about the hazards of space, will talk about the half a dozen or so space probe missions that she is involved in building and that keep her so busy - everything from comets to relativity! Details are at http://www.astronomy.ie/lecture0404.html We are asking that you buy tickets in advance, from our Shop or by sending a SAE to P.O.Box 2888, Dublin 5 as soon as possible. This is going to be one talk not to be missed. David Moore, Astronomy Ireland: JOIN THE WORLD'S BIGGEST ASTRONOMY CLUB RELATIVE TO POPULATION: www.astronomy.ie/sub and come visit us at Ireland's only telescope shop (map on website) Tel (01) 847 0777