20 Months Membership Offer 2010 Events DVDs Shop 1. Venus-Moon Conjunction Tonight, Tuesday, June 15th, the Moon and Venus will be located very close to each other in the western sky just after sunset. They are both the brightest to objects in the night sky and the view tonight will be simply breathtaking! Venus is known as Earth's 'sister' planet, and is approximately the same size. However, it has experienced extreme climate change and is the hottest planet in the Solar System. Its thick clouds of noxious gas reflect sunlight very well, making it extremely bright to observers here on Earth. To see the conjunction, simply look to the south after sunset, at around 10:30pm tonight, June 15th. The Moon will be beautifully thin crescent shape, with the brilliantly white Venus blazing to its right. For more astronomy tips for the rest of the week check out our section below. Don't forget to send your observation reports to observe@astronomy.ie for inclusion in Astronomy Ireland's monthly magazine, Astronomy & Space. 2. Astronomy Tips This Week Although the evenings remain bright until quite late, there is still some excellent planetary observing to do. Check out our tips below for the next few nights: a.. Venus and the Moon are 9 degrees apart tonight, June 15th (see above). b.. On Thursday, June 17th, Mars and minor planet Vesta are 6 degrees apart. c.. The following night on Friday, June 18th, Saturn and the Moon will be just 9 degrees apart. d.. Monday, June 21st, marks the Summer Solstice at 12:28pm with the Sun directly above the 'Tropic of Cancer'. e.. For more information on what to see in the night sky this week check out the Sky Diary section in the June 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. 3. Dark Matter May Not Exist According to a groundbreaking study, the mysterious forces thought to make up to 96 per cent of the universe - dark matter and energy - may not exist at all. British scientists at Durham University have claimed that the method use to calculate the make-up of the universe may be wrong. With stars, planets, asteroids, gas and other recognisable components making up just 4 per cent of the universe, mysterious dark matter and dark energy have been the primary candidates in the supposed composition of the other 96 per cent. However, physicists at Durham University now claim that this standard model and the physics upon which it is based could be flawed, raising the possibility that this "dark side" of the cosmos does not exist, which could mean that the universe is expanding less quickly than previously thought. Last July, Professor Gerry Gilmore of Cambridge University gave Astronomy Ireland members and guests a fascinating lecture on the existence of dark matter at our monthly public lecture. To read more about this news story click HERE. To order a DVD or Prof. Gilmore's talk on the subject click HERE. Astronomy Ireland The world's most popular Astronomy Club www.astronomy.ie ( subscribe / unsubscribe ) Our Online Telescope Shop