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1.  Free Telescope Night to Launch Evening Classes
One of the most powerful telescopes in Ireland will be showing the giant planet Jupiter in stunning detail like you've never seen before in an event to mark the beginning of our Astronomy Evening Classes for Beginners.
 
Tonight at 8pm (Friday, February 8th), Astronomy Ireland will host a special FREE Telescope Night where members of the public can come along and see the huge planet Jupiter, its moons, and its vast clouds and storms. All are welcome to attend, no matter what age or level of experience, as this will be a fantastic opportunity to try some astronomy. Click HERE for a map and more details.
 
Our extremely popular Evening Classes begin on Wednesday, February 13th. The classes are aimed at the beginner and cover everything you ever wanted to know about the Universe. There are eight classes in total and content covered includes an introduction to the night sky, the Sun and the Moon, planets and stars, history of astronomy, deep sky objects, the Big Bang and even a class on telescopes and how to use one.

 

The enrolment fee for the Classes is €180 and includes membership to Astronomy Ireland. The fee for members is €130.

 

For more information on the Telescope Night and the Evening Classes please visit www.astronomy.ie or call us on (01) 890 11 11

 

 

2.  Public Lecture: Exploring the Solar Cycle
Truck driver turned NASA scientist, Dr Ryan Milligan, who uses a space telescope that peers at the Sun twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, will explain why our nearest star will reach its maximum sunspot activity this year and how that could create superb displays of the Northern Lights for Irish people at our Public Lecture next Monday.
 
The Sun's current solar cycle is approaching its strongest point, and this means that while skies all over the Earth are lighting up with Northern Lights, satellites in orbit could be severely damaged!
 
Dr Milligan will talk about the Solar Dynamics Observatory, an exciting mission that was launched in 2010 that is exploring the very nature of our nearest star: the Sun. This advanced telescope will give scientists clues as to how the Sun works, and how its solar cycles can affect life on Earth and spacecraft in orbit.
 
Exploring the Solar Cycle will take place on Monday, February 11th at 8pm in Trinity College Dublin.
 
Book tickets and order DVDs of the lecture HERE.

 

 
3.  The International Space Station
The biggest and most expensive spacecraft ever put in orbit, the International Space Station (ISS), will be visible in the evening skies from February 11th to 25th.

 

Each afternoon 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).

 

Be sure to keep up to date with the ISS as it can sometimes pass in front of the Moon and Jupiter!

 

 

4.  Aurora Over Ireland?

Material from the Sun is currently interacting with Earth's magnetic field, meaning that people in the northern regions of the island may get to spot some Northern Lights tonight!

 

There is no particular ideal place to see an aurora, but try to look towards the northern horizon from as dark a location as you can find.

 

If you do spot any auroral activity, please let us know by emailing observe@astronomy.ie.

 

 

Astronomy Ireland
The world's most popular astronomy club
www.astronomy.ie