- "BIG BANG" LECTURE - FREE TELESCOPE NIGHTS - ANNUAL NATIONAL EXHIBITION - I.S.S. This week is National Science Week and Astronomy Ireland are running very high profile events from Lectures and Telescope Nights to our huge annual exhibition "Astro-Expo" for which we have a major exhibition on space being shipped in from France! Even I.S.S. will blaze over so plan to come to as many of these events as you can. 1. Major Public Lecture "THE BIG BANG" (also on DVD & R.T.E. ) Tonight, November 9th, in a talk entitled 'The Big Bang', Dr. Cormac O' Raifeartaigh of Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) will explain everything you ever wanted to know about the Universe but were afraid to ask! Dr. O' Raifeartaigh will discuss all aspects of the Universe from the Big Bang right up to the present, touching on common questions such as; What happened at the Big Bang? How did everything in the Universe fit into such a small space? How did it all begin?, and much more. The venue is Trinity College Dublin's largest lecture hall (Ed Burke Theatre) at 8pm. For more information click HERE. R.T.E.: Our speaker was on The Pat Kenny show on RTE Radio 1 this morning. Check www.astronomy.ie/audio later today to hear him. DVD: A DVD is available to order for anyone who can't make it to the event tonight. SOCIAL: After the lecture there will be a social reception in The Lombard and we encourage all of you to come along and have a chat with us and Dr. O' Raifeartaigh Please note that due to demand we have moved this lecture to the Ed Burke Theatre in the Arts Building, Trinity College Dublin (just off Nassau Street). Book seats HERE. Order DVD HERE. 2. FREE TELESCOPE NIGHTS !!! Nov. 10th to 13th (Tues-Fri) Powerful telescopes will be set up at the Astronomy Ireland Offices each night from November 10 - 13 (Tuesday - Friday) this week. The main target will be the planet Jupiter which is an amazing sight in a good quality telescope but we will also teach you how to find your way around the sky with Ireland's most powerful hand held laser, and show you double stars, I.S.S., star clusters, and more, like you have never seen them before. Ideal for beginners (experts welcome too!). Free Tea & Coffee and a FREE Hubble DVD for every visitor over the 4 nights so please tell all your friends. Come along to the Astronomy Ireland Headquarters in Butterly Business Park, Artane, Dublin 5 (www.astronomy.ie/map) from 5:30pm - 7:30pm each evening. Events will go ahead regardless of weather. For more information call a member of the shop staff on (01) 847 0777 or email sales@astronomy.ie. 3. Our Annual National Exhibition "Astro-Expo" Astronomy Ireland's annual astronomy exhibition will once again take place this year in the impressive Science Gallery, Trinity College Dublin. This year's event is a one-day affair, taking place on Saturday, November 14, and will include - a specially commissioned exhibition by the French Embassy in Ireland called 'Exploring The Universe', - International Year of Astronomy (IYA) exhibition 'From Earth To The Universe', - Astro-photography displays, telescope demonstrations and much more. SPEAKERS: Our keynote speaker this year is Irish scientist, Kevin Nolan, who has written a book called 'Mars: A Cosmic Stepping Stone'. Other speakers include Dr. Ian Sanders an expert on meteorites, from the Geology Dept, TCD, and a 3rd speaker to be confirmed (see website) FREE: There is no entry fee to the exhibitions The price for lectures is 25euro for all three, or 10euro each (a 20% discount applies to members of Astronomy Ireland). Each year, members from all over Ireland converge on Dublin for our annual exhibition and lectures so don't miss this, our 19th annual event "Astro-Expo" - Ireland's biggest annual space exhibition. The event begins at 1pm this Saturday, November 14. For more information and to book your places click HERE or call us on (01) 847 0777. 4. International Space Station Returns For Science Week 2009 The International Space Station (ISS) will be visible in Irish skies from November 11 (Wednesday) to November 26. The ISS appears as an extremely bright star moving across the sky and is an event not to be missed each evening it is visible. Predictions are available on various websites, however to receive a text message to your phone with the predicted time it will pass over simply text SPACE to 57003, each text costs 1euro and proceeds help us promote astronomy in Ireland. Alternatively you can call our Newsline on 1550 111 442 after 6pm each day for the times to view. Remember to email your sighting to iss@astronomy.ie and we will try to include your observations in forthcoming issues of 'Astronomy & Space' magazine. This time I.S.S. will pass in front of the planet Jupiter, an amazingly rare event and we will tell you where in Ireland to see this via our TEXT service - please tell all your friends. 5. For more information about other science events in your local area visit www.scienceweek.ie. Astronomy Ireland The world's most popular Astronomy Club www.astronomy.ie ( subscribe / unsubscribe ) Our Online Telescope Shop or Tel (01) 847 0777 Mon-Sat