1. Ireland's Biggest Ever Telescope Event: Venus-Moon Watches Nationwide This Friday the 27th of February, Astronomy Ireland will host Venus-Moon Watches at locations all over the country. Venus and the Moon make a spectacular cosmic duet for the last time in our evening skies for 3 years. Venus - the hottest and brightest planet in the Solar System - will blaze above a dramatic crescent Moon in the evening twilight. Not only will the Moon and Venus be an amazing spectacle in the sky, but the Jewel of the Solar System, Saturn, will rise in the East. Through our powerful telescopes at each location, you will be able to see Saturn's rings almost completely edge-on; an event that won't be seen again for 30 years. Comet Lulin is currently at its closest to Earth and to date only a handful of people in Ireland have seen this celestial snowball. It is currently 30 times larger than our home planet, and after it hurtles past Earth and the Sun, it will venture back to the outer reaches of the Solar System, and will not return for many millions of years. We want everyone to come along to their nearest Venus-Moon Watch to witness these amazing events and to support Astronomy Ireland in promoting science and astronomy nationwide. Currently confirmed locations include: Cavan, Carlow, Clare, Cork, Dublin, Donegal, Limerick, Louth, Mayo, Sligo and Waterford For details of your nearest Watch and more information, please visit: www.astronomy.ie. 2. Public Lecture and DVD - "The European Space Agency" - David Southwood, Director of Science & Robotics at ESA Awarded a gold medal for his work by the Council of European Aerospace Societies in 2007, Professor David Southwood, Director of Science and Robotics at ESA, has pushed Europe beyond the frontier of space exploration. Professor Southwood is responsible for some of the most advanced robotics projects currently being undertaken in space science. Some of these include: a.. Hubble Space Telescope – the first of the space-based Great Observatories that allowed us to peer back in time to when the first galaxies were created. b.. The James Webb Space Telescope – the successor to HST, which will probe the formation of galaxies, stars, planets and the origins of life. c.. ExoMars – a project that will send a rover to Mars to drill into the Martian surface to search for life. d.. Mars Express – the ESA’s first mission to another planet in the Solar System. e.. Venus Express – the follow-up mission to Mars Express. f.. GAIA – a mission to build the most accurate 3D map of the Milky Way ever created. g.. Planck – this telescope will map the Cosmic Microwave Background and may find out how the Universe began expanding. h.. Herschel Space Observatory – a European far-infrared space telescope to be launched in April 2009. i.. Rosetta – a robotic spacecraft launched in 2004 to investigate two asteroids, and to put a lander on the surface of Comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko. j.. Cassini-Huygens – the famous craft that flew to Saturn and landed on Titan, its largest moon, teaching us not only about the outer Solar System but also about our own home planet. k.. LISA Pathfinder – a fundamental research mission that will put Einstein’s Theory of Relativity to the test like never before, probing the Universe for gravitational waves. …And countless others! Astronomy Ireland has booked the biggest lecture theatre in Trinity College for what will be a hugely popular and exciting talk by Professor Southwood. Do not miss out on this opportunity to learn about the European Space Agency: where it came from, where it’s at, and where it’s going. Tickets for this lecture cost only €7 and are available online at www.astronomy.ie/lecture200903.html or over the phone on (01) 847 0777. The lecture will take place in the Edward Burke in Trinity College, and will begin at 8pm sharp. DVD for Everyone in Ireland For those who cannot make it to the venue on the night a DVD will be available for €7 (same price as a ticket). Everyone in Ireland can order a DVD online at www.astronomy.ie/lectureDVD.html. 3. Limerick Astronomy Evening Classes Do you know how the Universe was born? Did you know that you are made of almost 50% comet juice? Did you know that the Zinc in your body, which you need to live, was created by an exploding star? The Astronomy Ireland Evening Classes will answer these questions and begin in Limerick on 19th of March at 7:30pm. These exciting and hugely anticipated classes are suitable for people of all ages and all abilities. There is no mathematics or any other educational requirement for these classes. Learn about the pioneers of astronomy and their painful history, the mysterious world of dark energy, dark matter and black holes, how our Solar System was formed, how a telescope works and much, much more. The classes cost €180 and includes membership to Astronomy Ireland and a subscription to our full-colour magazine Astronomy & Space. This monthly magazine gives all the latest national and international news, and is packed full of features, photos and a diary of spectacular celestial events that everyone can see for the coming month. Be sure to book online now at www.astronomy.ie/class/limerick.html or over the phone on (01) 847 0777, as bookings cannot be taken on the night! 4. Evening Classes in October Remember, if you missed out on the Astronomy Evening Classes this time round, they will take place again in October. Book online now for October at www.astronomy.ie/class. If you enrol now, your subscription to Astronomy Ireland will begin straight away, so you can enjoy your copy of Astronomy & Space magazine immediately. 5. New Astronomy Ireland Branches for IYA 2009 Astronomy Ireland is expanding! We are opening dozens more Branches all over the country, and what better time to do this than the United Nations International Year of Astronomy! This is part of our drive to promote astronomy and a science culture in Ireland and to give everyone the opportunity to learn much more about this beautiful and enthralling science! If you have a telescope or are interested in setting up an Astronomy Ireland Branch in your area, please do not hesitate to email us or call us (01) 847 0777. Our staff at our head office will support you, organise events for you and give you all the assistance you need. 6. Career Opportunities We're Hiring. Astronomy Ireland is growing rapidly. We are looking for the best and the brightest to join our team. We are looking for dynamic, motivated and focused people to work with us to help develop and grow our organisation. Vacancies are available in all departments. Please email your CV to jobs@astronomy.ie, and tell us how you think you could contribute to our team and the development of Astronomy Ireland. Astronomy Ireland The world's most popular Astronomy Club AND Ireland's Only Astronomy Magazine www.astronomy.ie Call Our Telescope Shop Tel (01) 847 0777 Mon-Sat ( subscribe / unsubscribe here )