Aurora Trip Membership DVD Shop 1. July Public Lectures: 'The Birr Telescope and the Big Bang' and 'Understanding Our Universe with the LHC' July 2012 is a very special month for public lectures featuring two top scientists from Ireland and abroad! The Birr Telescope and the Big Bang - Monday, July 2nd As part of the Dublin City of Science events, Dr Cormac O'Raifeartaigh will describe the construction of the world’s largest telescope at Birr Castle in Ireland by William Parsons, the third Earl of Ross, in the 1840s. Astronomy at Birr Castle played an important part in the development of the big bang model of the universe. Order tickets and DVDs here Understanding Our Universe with the Large Hadron Collider - Friday, July 13th Professor Rolf Heuer is the Director-General of CERN, and as our very special speaker this month, he will treat members of the public to an overview of the past, present, and future of the Large Hadron Collider, the world's biggest and most ambitious particle accelerator. Order tickets and DVDs here 2. An Introduction to Astronomy Summer School - €20 Off! Due to a huge amount of interest, we've decided to reopen our special offer of €20 off the enrolment fee for our Summer School for another week, until Friday, June 22nd! An Introduction to Astronomy is a new set of classes developed by Astronomy Ireland to give newcomers to astronomy a good grounding in observational astronomy. Students will learn about the constellations, the Moon and the Sun, the history of astronomy, how telescopes work, and what to see in the night sky. The course is ideal for those who want to get more out of their stargazing sessions, without being going into the more complex details of astrophysics and cosmology. The Astronomy Ireland Summer School will commence on July 18th and run each Wednesday for four weeks. To book your place now at the special reduced rate of only €120 (€80 for members), please visit www.astronomy.ie/class 3. Northern Lights Tour to Norway Following this year's successful trip to Norway to see the northern lights, we have teamed up with Project Travel again to give you another opportunity to see this fantastic natural phenomenon! In February 2013 we will visit Tromsø to explore its surroundings, its history, and of course, the northern lights. Travellers will have the opportunity to visit the Science Centre & Planetarium, to go dog-sledding, to take an aurora photography workshop, and much, much more! For more details, a full itinerary, and booking details, please visit www.astronomy.ie/norway 4. The International Space Station The biggest and most expensive spacecraft ever put in orbit, the International Space Station (ISS), is currently visible in our night and early morning skies, and will continue to be visible until June 20th. Astronomy Ireland will publish the times the ISS will be visible at www.astronomy.ie/iss and you can also receive daily reminders of this time by texting the word SPACE to 57003 (subscription service; one message will be sent each day the ISS is visible and it costs €1 per message received). Astronomy Ireland The world's most popular Astronomy Club www.astronomy.ie ( subscribe / unsubscribe )