20 Months Membership Offer 2010 Events DVDs Shop 1. Easter Lecture Report & DVD On Monday, April 12, our Easter Public Lecture was packed out by guests eager to hear Dr. David Ruther's talk on Mercury - the innermost planet of the Solar System. Guests were treated to amazing images of Mercury, some findings of Dr. Rothery's research on the mysterious planet, as well as other curious facts about the planet that only 1% of the world's population have ever seen with the naked eye. The history of Mercury's exploration was described, from NASA's Mariner 10 mission right up to the present mission, NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft, which has provided tantalising glimpses of the amazing images to come when MESSENGER achieves orbit in 2011. To read the full report of the night click HERE. Although the lecture was packed out, we are sure that there are many more of you out there who would have liked to join us. For anyone who couldn't make it on Monday night, or indeed anyone who could that wants to see the lecture again, there is a DVD available to order online. To order just click the link below. ORDER DVD HERE 2. Space Tourists Documentary in IFI This Friday, 16 April, the Irish premiere of a documentary called 'Space Tourists' by Director Chris Frei will be screened in the Irish Film Institute (IFI) in Temple Bar, Dublin. The documentary film delves into the phenomenon of space tourism. Anousheh Ansari dreamt of going into outer space since childhood. A number of years and $20 million later, she realised her dream - Ansari became the first female space tourist. Featuring stunning scenes, the film documents her preparations and accompanies her on her day-to-day existence aboard the International Space Station. The magnificent beauty of space is contrasted with Kazakhstan's almost post-apocalyptic terrain, where disused rockets and space shuttles, the remnants of the Soviet space programme, litter the landscape. Humorous and always utterly fascinating, Space Tourists won Frei a best director prize at this year's Sundance Film Festival and this documentary is well worth going to see. For further details and to reserve tickets click HERE. 3. Astronomy Tips This Week a.. A very thin crescent Moon will hang just above Mercury in the evening sky tonight, April 15, acting as a signpost to the planet that only 1% of the Earth's population has seen! b.. On Friday, April 16, the Moon will be placed above Venus, near the spectacular Pleiades cluster. The best time to view this amazing conjunction will be in the twilight, just after sunset. c.. For more information on what to see in the night sky this week check out the Sky Diary section in the March issue of 'Astronomy & Space' magazine. d.. Don't forget to email what you see to observe@astronomy.ie and we will try to publish your pictures and observations in forthcoming issues of the magazine. 4. Discovery Update Space shuttle Discovery's astronauts won't need to make an extra spacewalk after all and are due to undock from the International Space Station (ISS) this Saturday, April 17. NASA had been considering a fourth spacewalk to fix a stuck valve at the International Space Station, but today Mission Control told the crew that the repairs could wait. Mission STS-131 launched on April 5th, is delivering a Multi-Purpose Logistics Module loaded with supplies and equipment to the ISS, as well as carrying out maintenance and improvement on the Columbus Module of the Station. STS-131 is the 33rd shuttle mission to the International Space Station and marks the 4th last mission of the Space Shuttle before the fleet is decommissioned later this year. For more information about Mission STS-131 click HERE. Astronomy Ireland The world's most popular Astronomy Club www.astronomy.ie ( subscribe / unsubscribe ) Our Online Telescope Shop