1. Astronomy Ireland On
National TV & Radio
GERRY RYAN
SHOW
Astronomy Ireland Chairman, David Moore,
appeared on RTE 2FM's Gerry Ryan
Show this morning, April 1st, where he spoke about the rare
planetary alignment of Venus and Mercury, visible in the West
just after sunset this evening. David also
made a very important public announcement regarding this
once-in-a-generation inner-planet alignment. To read more about this see the
article below or click HERE.
If you missed the feature on the
show, you can listen to a recording on our website at www.astronomy.ie/audio.
AFTERNOON
SHOW
Astronomy
Ireland appeared on RTE Television's The Afternoon
Show last Monday, March 22, in a special feature
focussing on the planet Mars. The slot on RTE's flagship daytime
television show saw Astronomy Ireland members at a night-time
observing session in the Phoenix Park. The telescope gathering which
was filmed last month shows members successfully observing Mars, it's
polar ice caps, and the Moon. As well as the pre-recorded feature, there was
an array of powerful telescopes from the Astronomy Ireland Shop on
display in studio for viewers to see.
If you missed this feature on national television don't worry,
it's available to view on our website at
www.astronomy.ie/tv.
2. Mercury & Venus In
Rare Planetary Alignment
As we mentioned above, the planets
Venus and Mercury will be lining up in the sky this evening to form a
once-in-a-generation alignment. The planet
Venus is the brightest star like object in the night sky and can be seen low in
the West immediately after sunset (from 7pm in Ireland). To the naked eye
it looks like a brilliant light blazing in the West. The planet
Mercury is visible to the naked eye just to the
right of Venus. Note that Venus is about 10 times brighter than Mercury.
This is a great
opportunity for Irish people as less than 1% of the Earth's population have ever
seen Mercury despite it being plainly visible to the naked eye. This is your
chance to become a member of the elite 'Mercury Club'! For more information click HERE.
Don't forget to email what you see
to observe@astronomy.ie and we will
try our best to publish your pictures and observations in forthcoming issues
of 'Astronomy & Space' magazine.
For more information on what to
see in the night sky this week check out the Sky Diary
section in the April issue of 'Astronomy &
Space' magazine.