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:
- 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.
- The James Webb Space
Telescope – the
successor to HST, which will probe the formation of galaxies, stars, planets
and the origins of life.
- ExoMars – a project that will send a rover to Mars
to drill into the Martian surface to search for
life.
- Mars Express – the ESA’s first mission to another planet
in the Solar System.
- Venus Express – the follow-up mission to Mars
Express.
- GAIA – a mission to build the most accurate 3D map
of the Milky Way ever created.
- Planck – this telescope will map the Cosmic Microwave
Background and may find out how the Universe began
expanding.
- Herschel Space Observatory – a European far-infrared space
telescope to be launched in April 2009.
- Rosetta – a robotic spacecraft launched in 2004 to
investigate two asteroids, and to put a lander on the surface of Comet
Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
- 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.
- 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.
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