Christmas Gifts <http://astronomy.ie/gifts.html> <http://www.astronomy.ie/lectureDVD.php> DVD <http://astronomy.ie/sub/index.html> Membership <http://astronomy.ie/shop/CPC/index.html> Shop 1. Why Is Pluto Not A Planet? In 2006 a meeting was held among members of the International Astronomical Union, who are responsible for naming planets. At this point in time it was becoming clear that our Solar System was populated by many more objects than just the usual nine planets. Many of these were much bigger than Mercury and Pluto, yet still they weren't considered a planet. Astronomers at the meeting rewrote the definition of a planet, and as a result, Pluto was 'demoted' from being a planet to a mere dwarf planet. The voting that took place was overseen by, a world-famous astronomer from Belfast, who will deliver Astronomy Ireland's Christmas Lecture on December 12th to explain to the general public just why Pluto is no longer a planet. Tickets for the lecture are only €7 (€5 members rate), and can be ordered online at www.astronomy.ie or by calling (01) 890 11 11. The lecture takes place in Trinity College Dublin <http://www.tcd.ie/Maps/map.php> , on Monday, December 12th at 8pm. After the lecture there will be a Christmas party in The Lombard. All are welcome to attend. BOOK TICKETS <https://astro1.securesites.com/sub/201112lectickets.htm> ORDER DVD <http://www.astronomy.ie/lectureDVD.php> 2. Lunar Eclipse this Weekend This Saturday, December 10th the last stages of a lunar eclipse will be visible from Ireland at sunset. There will not be another eclipse of the Moon visible from Irish soil for nearly 4 years (September 28th, 2015) so Astronomy Ireland is urging everyone to take a break from their Christmas Shopping and watch the sky for 1 hour from 4pm to 5pm on Saturday. Astronomy Ireland will hold a FREE public Eclipse Watch at its premises in Airside Enterprise Centre, Swords, Co Dublin at 4pm on Saturday. Everyone is invited to join us and use some of the most powerful telescopes in Ireland to view the eclipse. For more information on this eclipse click HERE <http://www.astronomy.ie/lunareclipse1212.php> . 3. The Sky at Night In the latest episode, Sir Patrick Moore will explore the great ice giants, Uranus and Neptune. . This episode will be broadcast on: December 8th, 7:30pm - BBC Four, BBC HD December 8th, 11:55pm - BBC Four December 11th, 01:50am - BBC Four 4. RIA Biennial McCrea Lecture The Royal Irish Academy biennial lecture will be held on Friday, December 9th. The guest lecture will be Professor Luke Drury, who will give a talk entitled ‘The Hundred Year Mystery of Cosmic Rays’, where Professor Drury will outline the history of Cosmic Ray Astronomy and then focus on recent developments as well as the future projects that are being discussed at the moment. Admission to the lecture is free, but booking is essential. You can your tickets HERE. <http://www.ria.ie/events/events-listing/royal-irish-academy-biennial-mccrea-lecture-2011.aspx> The lecture will take place in the Schrodinger Lecture Theatre, Trinity College Dublin, on Friday, December 9 at 6pm. For more information contact the Royal Irish Academy on (01) 6762570 <http://www.astronomy.ie/> Astronomy Ireland The world's most popular Astronomy Club <http://www.astronomy.ie/> www.astronomy.ie ( subscribe / unsubscribe <http://lists.redbrick.dcu.ie/mailman/listinfo/astronomy> )