On Monday night lots of people filled the MacNeill Theatre in Trinity College Dublin to experience Kevin Nolan's amazing talk on Mars. Guests were treated to spectacular images of the Red Planet, taken by orbiters and landers. Kevin explained how Mars gives scientists a unique and important opportunity to investigate the environment as it would have been on Earth when life first appeared. He revealed that Mars is not the dry, arid planet that we once thought it was; it harbours vast quantities of water underneath its surface. Sometimes, when the conditions are just right, liquid water can form in small amounts on the Martian surface.

Kevin discussed the possibilities of life on Mars, how early observers thought the planet was covered in canals and vegetation, to more recent times when it was revealed that Mars appeared lifeless, and now, when it looks like there may be some possibilities of microbial life. Kevin argues that it is extremely important that we continue studying this fascinating world, both with robotic missions now and manned missions in the future.

After this excellent lecture, Kevin signed copies of his book for people, and continued his discussion of Mars in The Lombard, where we were treated to complimentary food. You can read the report and view photographs of the event HERE.

A DVD of the lecture is available for everyone around Ireland, and for those who wish to see it again.

Order your copy of the DVD HERE.

2. Astronomy School Visits

Astronomy Ireland are now in the second year of running our very successful School Education Programme. We now have a team of Education Officers who travel around Irish schools giving fascinating talks on astronomy. The talks are comprised of a PowerPoint, highly visual presentation with a 45 - 60 minute detailed lesson on astronomy which is both fun and of course educational with time for a question and answer session at the end. Talks can be tailored to suit each groups needs, for example, age, knowledge level, particular interests, etc. Talks for junior groups can be tailored to be more visually appealing with less detailed content, and more time for questions.

If you know somebody who might be interested in a school visit, have children yourself, are a teacher or would be willing to drop some information into your local school please email linda@astronomy.ie for a full information pack about the programme. Alternatively, log on to www.astronomy.ie/outreach for more information or contact Simon Reynolds on (01) 847 0777 to book a visit.

Astronomy Ireland's aim is to 'Build a Science Culture for Ireland' and with your help we can get astronomy as a more widely studied subject in the Irish curriculum and get more and more young people learning about and enjoying this fantastic subject.

Special Offer: Every school who books a talk during the 2009/10 term will receive a free astronomy pack for every student!

BOOK A TALK REQUEST INFO PACK

3. International Space Station Over Ireland

The International Space Station (ISS) will blaze over Ireland in the evening skies until March 19. This huge spacecraft - as big as Croke Park - is the most expensive machine ever built, and is currently home to six astronauts. The times for when to see the ISS are available on the Internet, and if you want to receive predictions to your mobile phone a couple of hours before it passes, simply text SPACE to 57003 (reply STOP to unsubscribe). Each text costs 1euro, and only one message will be sent per day. Proceeds help to promote interest in astronomy across Ireland. For more information visit our webpage HERE. Be sure to email your observations to observe@astronomy.ie so they can be published in our magazine, Astronomy & Space.

ISS to pass in front of Mars

Skywatchers along a line from Limerick to Bray will be lucky enough to see the International Space Station pass in front of the planet Mars at 7:53pm. After it rises in the West, watch the Station as it glides through space and approaches Mars in the South-East, before it disappears into the Earth's shadow. If you see this event, please let us know by emailing observe@astronomy.ie.