<http://astronomy.ie/norway/> Norway Aurora Cruise <http://www.astronomy.ie/sub/index.html> Membership <http://www.astronomy.ie/lectureDVD.php> DVD 1. CEO of UK Atomic Energy Authority to Give Public Lecture Nuclear fusion has become something of the Holy Grail in modern energy. With nuclear fusion, we will be able to end our reliance on fossil fuels, heralding a new age of cheap, clean energy. So what does this have to do with astronomy? The Sun - like other stars - is powered by a vast nuclear engine at its core, in which hydrogen atoms are fused together to form helium. This process releases huge amounts of energy in the form of heat and light. In turn, this heat and light energises gas and material streaming from the Sun, forming giant plasma fields in space. The core of a nuclear fusion reactor on Earth works by generating highly-energised plasmas in order to trigger a reaction. By studying these plasmas in our reactors, we can learn about how the Sun and its plasma fields work. Professor Steve Cowley is the CEO of the UK Atomic Energy Authority, which operates the world's biggest nuclear fusion research facility in Oxfordshire. Prof Cowley will deliver Astronomy Ireland's Public Lecture in Trinity College Dublin on August 12th. Stellar Astrophysics on Earth takes place in Trinity College Dublin on Monday, August 12th, at 8pm. To book tickets or order DVDs, please click: <http://astronomy.ie/lecture201307.php> BOOK HERE 2. The International Space Station The biggest and most expensive spacecraft ever put in orbit, the International Space Station (ISS), is visible in our evening skies, and will continue to be visible until August 21st. Each afternoon Astronomy Ireland will publish the times the ISS will be visible at www.astronomy.ie/iss and you can also receive daily reminders of this time by texting the word SPACE to 57003 (subscription service; one message will be sent each day the ISS is visible and it costs €1 per message received). 3. BBC The Sky at Night Exploring Mars: As the spacecraft Mars Express celebrates a decade at the red planet, Chris Lintott and Lucie Green pick out some of the highlights, including the 'face of Mars'. TSAN AUGUST 2013 Sun Aug. 04 at 11:50pm BBC 1 Northern Ireland Sun Aug. 04 at 11:50pm BBC One HD Wed Aug. 07 at 07:30pm BBC FOUR Thu Aug. 08 at 02:00am BBC FOUR Sat Aug. 10 at 11:45am BBC 2 Northern Ireland Sat Aug. 10 at 11:45am BBC Two HD Sun Aug. 11 at 12:45am BBC FOUR Note that the BBC1 and BBC2 programmes are shorter versions (20 minutes). Try to watch BBC FOUR transmissions (30 minutes) All of the Sky At Night team have now given public lectures to Astronomy Ireland, all of which you can get on DVD by post at www.astronomy.ie/dvd 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: 2013.0.2904 / Virus Database: 3209/6545 - Release Date: 08/02/13