Classes <http://astronomy.ie/class/> Membership <http://www.astronomy.ie/sub/index.html> DVD <http://www.astronomy.ie/lectureDVD.php> 1. Public Lecture: Robots in Space Robots are taking over space. They've already gone to the planets, and may even go to the stars without humans ever leaving Earth. On Earth we are protected by the planet's magnetic field, but in outer space astronauts can be exposed to cosmic rays and radiation from the Sun. With big risks of damaged DNA and cancer, future human space travel to other planets very risky business. But robots can do this dangerous exploration for us. Not only can spacecraft be protected from radiation much easier, but they are cheaper to put into space, and can survive decades travelling to other worlds in that extreme environment. One such spacecraft is the Cassini orbiter, which is currently travelling around Saturn: a planet with a dangerous environment full of ionised plasma created by both Saturn itself and its moons. Cassini engineer Dr Leah-Nani Alconel will give Astronomy Ireland's October Public Lecture Robots in Space, in which she will explain how robot spacecraft can provide important scientific data without risking the lives of human astronauts and at much lower cost. The challenges of designing, constructing and operating them remotely require years, often decades, of commitment by large numbers of highly skilled personnel. In this talk, Dr Alconel will examine the process of overcoming these challenges from historical and personal perspectives to try to understand the abilities and limitations of robotic exploration. The October Public Lecture, Robots in Space, will take place at 8pm on Monday, October 16th, in Trinity College Dublin. Order tickets and DVDs of the lecture HERE <http://astronomy.ie/lecture201310.php> or by calling (01) 890 11 11 2. ISS in front of the Moon People living along the line from Dublin to Bantry will have a lucky opportunity to see the International Space Station tomorrow night (Thursday) as it passes in front of the Moon! This will occur as the ISS rises in the west at 8:54pm before gliding towards the Moon. Let us know what you see by emailing your reports and photos to observe@astronomy.ie For more details and a map of Ireland showing its path, please click HERE <http://astronomy.ie/mooniss1310.php> . The ISS will be visible in Ireland’s evening skies from until October 26th. The times the ISS will be visible will be put online each afternoon on www.astronomy.ie/iss. To get a text reminder each day the ISS is visible, text the word SPACE to 57003 (each text received costs €1; proceeds help us promote astronomy and science in Ireland). 3. ‘Astronomy for Beginners’ Evening Classes Astronomy Ireland’s ever-popular ‘Astronomy for Beginners’ evening classes commence tomorrow night in Trinity College Dublin. The fee is only €180 and the course will cover all you need to know about astronomy when you’re starting out. This also includes a year’s membership to Astronomy Ireland. For details and enrolment, please see www.astronomy.ie/class or call (01) 890 11 11 4. Aurora Alert A geomagnetic storm is currently taking place with auroral activity expected to continue all day. Due to the strength of the storm, there may be a chance to see northern lights over Ireland tonight, particularly from the northern half of the island. There is no particular good place too view the aurora: simply find any place away from streetlights with a clear northern horizon if at all possible. Let us know what you see by emailing observe@astronomy.ie so that we can publish your report in our magazine. Astronomy Ireland The world's most popular astronomy club www.astronomy.ie ( subscribe / unsubscribe <http://lists.redbrick.dcu.ie/mailman/listinfo/astronomy> ) _____ No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 2013.0.3408 / Virus Database: 3222/6735 - Release Date: 10/09/13