1. BT Young Scientist Exhibition

The BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition 2010 takes place in the RDS this week, and Astronomy Ireland will be present from Thursday to Saturday in the Eco Zone at stands 1a and 12 - be sure to come and say hello. If you are a teacher, you may be interested in speaking to a staff member about our Education Programme. Telescopes will be set up at the stand for you to try out, and staff will be on-hand to give you all the advice you need.

Events at the Exhibition take place from 10:30am, and include such attractions as a 3D cinema and the World of Robots. As usual, astronomy and space science feature heavily at the exhibition and as well as Astronomy Ireland exhibits, there will also be spectacular images on display from GigaGalaxyZoom, an ESO project, and a 3D Celestial show produced by the Northern Ireland Space Office.

For more information on the exhibition visit www.btyoungscientist.ie.

2. ISS In Evening Skies

The International Space Station (ISS) is visible in Irish evening skies again until January 23. The Space Station appears as an extremely bright star moving across the sky and is an event not to be missed each evening it is visible. For times to watch the Space Station and Shuttle, predictions are available on various websites on the internet, however to receive a text message to your phone with the predicted time it will pass over simply text SPACE to 57003. Each text costs 1euro and proceeds help us promote astronomy in Ireland. Alternatively you can call our Newsline on 1550 111 442 after 6pm each day for the times to view.

For more information click HERE. Remember each time you see any of these exciting space events in the sky to email your report to observe@astronomy.ie, we will do our best to include it in a forthcoming issue of 'Astronomy & Space' magazine.

3. Strange Asteroid Flyby This Week

A curious object is going to pass within about 80,000 miles of the Earth, that's only one-third the distance to the Moon, visible from 7pm tonight, January 12, to 4am tomorrow morning. Catalogued as a 10m-class asteroid, 2010 AL30 has an orbital period of almost exactly 1 year. There is some mystery surrounding the object as it is difficult to classify whether it is manmade or natural in origin. The object will pass through Orion, Taurus, and Pisces and experienced amateur astronomers are encouraged to monitor the flyby. There is more information available HERE and HERE. Don't forget to send your observations to observe@astronomy.ie.

4. 20th Anniversary Membership Offer

Don't forget, as Astronomy Ireland celebrates its 20th birthday this year, we have a special offer for all new members in 2010 - 20 month membership for the price of 12! This means you will get 20 issues of Astronomy & Space delivered to your door each month, as well as special members' discounts and rates to all our birthday events! Astronomy Ireland has grown from strength to strength over the last two decades and we hope that you will join us in 2010 to celebrate this wonderful milestone.

For more information and to join now for 20 months click HERE.