Astronomy Ireland invites everyone to a public lecture it is organising in Dublin City University on Monday March 10th at 8:00pm.

The speaker will be Eamonn Ansbro, member no. 1 of Astronomy Ireland, who has invested 500,000 euro in building the most advanced observatory in Ireland, housing one of the most powerful telescopes in private hands anywhere in the world.

Eamonn has spent the past couple of years setting up his 36-inch diameter telescope, and others, at Kingsland, Co. Roscommon, near Boyle.

Last year construction was completed and the first pictures through the giant telescope will be released to the public for the first time at the lecture on Monday night.

Not since the great Lord Rosse in the nineteenth century has Ireland seen such a major facility. Eamonn is very much following in the footsteps of the great Lord Rosse, who built what was then the largest telescope in the world at Birr in Co. Offaly.

This time however, the telescopes have the advantage of the latest super-sensitive digital cameras and computers to remotely control the operation of the entire observatory. This will allow the Kingsland Observatory to see objects 1,000 times fainter. Lord Rosse would have been impressed.

Everyone is welcome to come along and see the latest pictures from Ireland's new and most powerful eye on the universe:

           Event : Astronomy Ireland Public Lecture

             Title  : "FIRST RESULTS FROM IRELAND'S MOST POWERFUL TELESCOPE"

            Date  : Monday 10th March at 8:00pm

     Speaker : Eamonn Ansbro, Kingsland Observatory Director

        Venue  :   main lecture hall, Henry Grattan Building,

                              DUBLIN CITY UNIVERSITY (Glasnevin, Dublin 9)

Admission  :  All welcome (5 euro adults, 3 euro children/student)

  Bookings  :   Astronomy Ireland on (01) 847 0777

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