From now until March 31 inclusive you can see the I.S.S. blaze across
1. RADIO TELESCOPE FOR IRELAND To launch the project 'A Radio Telescope for Ireland' there will be a PUBLIC LECTURE entitled "The Frontiers of Radio Astronomy" by Dr Phil Diamond (Director, MERLIN & VLBI National Facility, Jodrell Bank Observatory, University of Manchester) with an introduction by Sir Bernard Lovell on Thursday, 25 March 2004 at 6.00 pm in the Royal Irish Academy, 19 Dawson Street, Dublin 2. The Lecture will be followed by the launch of the ARTI project. If you're going just drop an email to m.deegan@ria.ie As you may have read in a recent editorial of mine in our magazine, Irish professional astronomers are currently 'blind' with no official Irish telescope available to them. Membership of E.S.O. would be ideal, but expensive, but what about a large (30-metre I believe) radio telescope in the middle of Ireland, linking in with others around the world? It's one way of conducting research on Irish soil and beating the Irish weather! 2. MARS OCCULTED NASA held a big press conference last night (our time) to announce that the rocks at the Opportunity MER landing site were laid down UNDER water i.e. in a sea, and so conditions WERE conducive to life, at least in the past. Mars will be in the news Thursday night when the Moon passes in front of it for those lucky enough to live in the northwest of Ireland, or Scotland. The rest of us will see the Moon get extremely close to the planet until they set on Thursday night. Send any sightings or photos to observe@astronomy.ie. Full details of where and when to watch this rare event begin on page 23 of the March issue of our magazine. Venus will be spectacularly close to the Moon tonight (Wednesday) as we alerted you in the magazine (see diagram also in A&S). Saturn will be near the Quarter Moon on Sunday. And thanks to many people who have been writing to say they have joined the "1% club" of those who have seen Mercury this week, and all 5 naked eye planets simultaneously. Keep those reports and photos coming for the magazine. 3. "HIGH MAN" ON NEWS We originally reported that News2day on Network 2 would screen a report on this new discovery last Friday or Monday, but it got delayed until today (Wednesday) due to other news. I had the pleasure of meeting co-discovers Anthony Murphy and Richard Moore at the High Man launch in Drogheda last Monday (you were all invited in the last email). There was a large crowd and lots of interest. Anthony Murphy will give his first public lecture about the discovery in Dublin on May 5th (see www.mythicalireland.com and www.bard.ie) 4. INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION ON VIEW the sky. The time tonight (Wednesday) is 8:46pm. Call our Newsline on 1550-111-442 after 12noon each day to get the exact time to see I.S.S. each night, and other details (calls cost 74c/min, from N.Ireland/U.K. call 09001-88-1950 the UK's longest running space Newsline, calls cost 60p/min). On board are Mike Foale and Alexander Kaleri who have been in space since October and are nearing the end of their 6 month tour of duty. They're having some problems with their oxygen generators but working away busily otherwise. See the always fascinating I.S.S. column in our magazine every month to find out what they're up to. I.S.S. is extremely bright when it flies over, which it does at a different time each evening. Just call the Newsline, go outside at the predicted time, and look up, you'll not miss it it's so bright. 1550-111-442 David Moore, Astronomy Ireland & the Astronomy Shop www.astronomy.ie Tel (01) 847 0777