1. Public Lecture: Meteorites: Myth, Mystery, and
Marvel
Meteorites are meteors that originate in outer space and eventually
fall to earth. They have always been the subject of fascination right throughout
history. Some become very visible in the form of fireballs before they hit
Earth, as was the case with the recent Chelabinsk meteorite in Russia, which
injured many people and damaged buildings. It is a widely held theory that a
large meteorite wiped out the dinosaurs of the Cretaceous period.
It
has recently been discovered that some relics from Ancient Egypt were
made from iron that came from meteorites. Until now, archaeologists couldn't
explain why iron was found in artefacts that dated thousands of years before
iron smelting took place in Egypt. Iron from meteorites was likely to be
considered a gift from the gods, and the metal was associated with royalty and
power.
Astronomy Ireland's June Public Lecture will seek to
examine the myths and legends, and the fact and fiction, behind these invaders
from outer space.
Meteorites: Myth, Mystery, and Marvel will be delivered by Dr
Caroline Smith, Curator of Meteorites at the Natural History Museum in London.
The lecture will take place in Trinity College Dublin on June 10th at 8pm.
For tickets and DVDs, please click
HERE or call Astronomy
Ireland on (01) 890 11 11.
2. Northern Lights Voyage in
Norway
Astronomy
Ireland is delighted to announce that we are running our third trip to Norway
this December in conjunction with Project Travel. a special trip to the Artic to
give you a unique and memorable experience in astronomy. We'll be spending all
five nights above the Arctic Circle in Norway, thereby maximising our chances of
seeing the mysterious Northern Lights.
This trip also includes a three-day cruise along the beautiful Norwegian
coast. Life on board the MS Nordlys is very relaxed and informal and
you'll have plenty of time to take in the wonderful views from the ship's
Panoramic Lounge.
We'll have our own special guest lecturer travelling with us who will give
us a private lecture on an astronomy-related theme every day on board and who
will guide us around the night sky from the deck.
The trip takes place from December 1st to 6th, and is only €1879 per person
sharing. For full details on booking and the itinerary, please visit
www.astronomy.ie/norway or contact
Project Travel at (01) 210 8391.
2. Asteroid 1998 QE2 to Pass Earth
Tomorrow
Following
in the vein of meteorites and fireballs, a 1.7 mile wide asteroid will pass
near Earth tomorrow, May 31st. While there is no risk of impact (it will be more
than 15 times further away than the Moon), the massive object will be close
enough for astronomers to study its surface and to improve information on its
orbit around the Sun.
This asteroid will likely attract media attention over the coming days, so
be sure to listen out for our interviews on radio! You can listen to radio
interviews about this asteroid and everything about astronomy on our website at
www.astronomy.ie/audio