New Year Sale DVD Membership Shop 1. Aurora Update Yesterday's coronal mass ejection (CME) unfortunately did give rise to the northern lights as was hoped. However, conditions in space have since changed and the interplanetary magnetic field has rearranged itself. This may trigger a display of the northern lights and - as the CME was particularly strong - Astronomy Ireland is urging skywatchers to monitor the night sky throughout the night for signs of auroral activity. Report Your Observation If you see the aurora borealis, please let us know what you saw by emailing observe@astronomy.ie. We will aim to include reports and photographs in an upcoming issue of Astronomy & Space. As geomagnetic storms can affect radio communications we also welcome reports from amateur radio operators. 2. NASA Scientist to Explain Solar Flares and Northern Lights Coincidentally, the recent solar flares and northern lights come in advance of Astronomy Ireland's March Public Lecture, Seeing Solar Storms from Ireland, which will be delivered by top solar astronomer and NASA scientist, Dr Peter Gallagher, on Monday, March 12th at 8pm in Trinity College Dublin. Dr Gallagher is helping develop the Irish section of a European-wide radio telescope called LOFAR. This amazing project will allow scientists to study the Sun and its solar flares to give us a better understanding of how we can protect our satellites and communications systems from these potentially harmful outbursts. To book tickets or to order DVDs of this lecture, please visit www.astronomy.ie Astronomy Ireland The world's most popular Astronomy Club www.astronomy.ie ( subscribe / unsubscribe )