There is one man in Ireland who knows everything there is to know about Mars and he will be opening Astronomy Ireland’s highly anticipated Mars Month celebrations this Monday, March 8. Irish space author Kevin Nolan will be giving a very special talk all about the famous Red Planet. In his talk, Nolan investigates whether or not evidence of life exists on Mars, the planets similarities to Earth, ancient waterways and oceans that once covered the planet, and the challenges and opportunities presented for manned missions to the Red Planet. Read more about the event and fascinating facts about the planet Mars HERE.

Kevin's talks have proved to be extremely successful in the past and have received rave reviews from Astronomy Ireland members, and the general public. He will be available on the night to sign a copy of his book "Mars: A Cosmic Stepping Stone" both before and after the lecture. Copies of his book will be available to purchase at the event.

The lecture takes place at 8pm this Monday, March 8, in the Mac Neil Theatre, Hamilton Building, Trinity College Dublin (click here for a map). For more information visit our webpage HERE. For anyone who can't make it on the night there is a DVD available to purchase online.

After the lecture there will be a social reception in The Lombard (corner of Pearse St. and Westland Row) where all are welcome to join us. Come along for a chat with Kevin, other lecture-goers, and Astronomy Ireland members, volunteers and staff. Food will be kindly provided by The Lombard.

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3. Astronomy Tips This Week

Mars is very high in the South, and can be found as a bright orange 'star' located to the left of the constellation Orion. A telescope will reveal its ice caps, which are changing in size due to the changing seasons on the Red Planet.
Saturn is visible again and is nicely placed for observation in the South-East after about 10pm each evening.
There was an impressive Moon Halo visible around the almost full Moon last Saturday, February 27, which can be attributed to the cold weather we have been experiencing. A Moon Halo is an optical phenomenon that appears as a wide, bright ring around the Moon in the night sky, caused by refracted moonlight from ice crystals in the Earth's upper atmosphere. More information on Moon Halos HERE.
For more information on what to see in the night sky this week check out the Sky Diary section in the March issue of 'Astronomy & Space' magazine.

Don't forget to email what you see to observe@astronomy.ie and we will try to publish your pictures and observations in forthcoming issues of the magazine.