1. Last Night's Eclipse - Reports and Photos Wanted!

Hundreds of people so far have sent in reports and photographs of last night's eclipse of the Moon, which was seen by people all over Ireland just after sunset!

Astronomy Ireland wants more! Send your reports and photographs today to observe@astronomy.ie so that we can include them in an upcoming issue of Astronomy Ireland magazine. We will also show the latest photos at next Monday's Public Lecture in Trinity College Dublin (see below).

Under yesterday evening's clear skies, people took out cameras of all kinds - everything from mobile phones and digital cameras right up to high-end SLRs - to take photos of the Moon. We've put up some of the photos we've received so far, which you can view on our website HERE.

Kids and grown-ups alike sent in reports after witnessing this celestial event, showing that astronomy is a fun and easy hobby to enjoy for people of all ages. Remember to watch out for your photos in Astronomy Ireland magazine as well as on our website, and please keep sending us your eclipse viewing reports!

2. Public Lecture: The GLORIA Project

GLORIA will be the first free and open-access network of telescopes around the world, that can be used anybody with an interest in astronomy, not just professional astronomers! As the network of robotic telescopes will collect vast amounts of data, astronomers will not have time to go through it all. However, the community of people using the telescopes will allow for thousands of people to analyse data and help solve problems in astronomy.

Professor Lorraine Hanlon from the UCD Department of Physics will deliver Astronomy Ireland's Public Lecture on April 29th. She will tell guests at the lecture all about how the GLORIA network of robotic telescopes will work and how people can get involved in using the high-tech equipment.

The lecture will take place in Trinity College Dublin on Monday, April 29th, at 8pm.

For tickets and DVDs of the lecture, please click HERE or call (01) 890 11 11.