A display of the aurora borealis ("northern lights") is likely to be seen tonight (Wednesday).  On Monday big sunspot 798 exploded twice hurling a pair of coronal mass ejections toward Earth. The first sparked major activity this morning around 8am our time so let's hope it lasts until night falls this evening (Wednesday). There is a chance of an aurora tomorrow night also, and even on Star-B-Q night (www.astronomy.ie/sbqaug05.html) on Friday - wouldn't that be wonderful!

 

If you see any activity, be it a small glow in the north from a dark rural sky, or the entire sky lit up with rays of red and green from suburbia please TEXT us on 086 081 99 86 with your name and location. Then afterwards please email a short description of what you saw to observe@astronomy.ie for the report we will publish in our magazine.

 

Want to know more? Order the DVD of this month's lecture by Dr Peter Gallagher (NASA + UCD) who works on the SOHO spacecraft that saw the 2 explosions on the Sun on Monday. DVD is only 5euro. You can preview a low resolution version of the DVD on our website www.astronomy.ie/webcast/webcast.html or order the full quality DVD at www.astronomy.ie/lectureDVD.html

 

 

 

The Perseid meteor shower has just ended. A few of you have already emailed to say you saw them. Could anyone who saw even one Perseid please email observe@astronomy.ie to briefly say what you saw (give your location and date and time if known) for the report for our magazine. Thanks.

 

 

 

 

See page 28 of our August magazine for a diagram of what Mars will look like just below the Moon tonight (as you're out aurora watching!).

Then on Thursday night the Moon will be near the Pleiades star cluster - see same page of magazine also.

 

You can get full details of this and much more for FREE on the A.I. Radio Show (every Tuesday at 8pm on 103.2FM in Leinster and at 9pm for the rest of the world on www.astronomy.ie/radioshow.html

 

Or you can listen to our Newsline every week on 1550-111-442 (95c/min or in U.K. dial 09001-88-1950 for 60p/min), new 3 minute message every Monday.