Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Higgs Boson lecture to be given by Dr Cormac O'Raifeartaigh will be postponed until October 8th (original provisional date was given as next Monday, September 3rd). All tickets bought for this lecture are still valid for the new date.

We apologise for the inconvenience; if you have any queries about the new arrangement please contact us on (01) 890 11 11 or email sec@astronomy.ie

2. Public Lecture: In Search of the Northern Lights

2013 is expected to be the peak of the current solar cycle, meaning that northern lights should be more and more visible, even from Ireland!

In this talk, Dr James Wild of Lancaster University will talk about the aurora borealis, or northern lights. What are they? How are the caused? Do they have any relevance to our daily lives or are they just objects of great beauty and wonder? How can we predict when they will be visible? All these questions will be answered at the talk with the aid of some amazing images of the breathtaking phenomenon.

The lecture will take place on September 10th at 8pm in Trinity College Dublin. For tickets and DVDs of the lecture, please click HERE.

3. Star-B-Q

The country's biggest annual telescope night takes place this year on September 15th and will feature BBC's The Sky at Night presenter Pete Lawrence and Irish supernova hunter David Grennan, who recently discovered his second supernova from Dublin!

Lawrence will speak about the amazing northern lights, which are expected to get even better next year, and Grennan will talk about how he makes amazing discoveries in space from his own back garden.

Exhibitions on the night will include The Irish Rocketry Society and astrophotography by Tom O'Donoghue.

The Star-B-Q will also have dozens of powerful telescopes to give visitors an opportunity to see the wonders of the Universe from some of Ireland's darkest skies in Roundwood in the Wicklow Mountains, serve delicious barbecued food freshly prepared by professional caterers, and much more!

Tickets for this fun-filled evening of astronomy are only €39 (€29 for under-16s with an adult), and family and group rates are available

For more information and booking, please visit www.astronomy.ie/sbq