Christmas Gifts Membership DVD Shop 1. Christmas Lecture: Discovering New Earths So far, 852 planets around other stars have been found. The first exoplanet was found 20 years ago in 1992 orbiting a pulsar. It is expected that there are many billions of planets in the Milky Way galaxy, not only occurring around stars but also as free-floating planets without a parent star, gliding through deep space. The discovery of extrasolar planets has intensified interest in the search for extraterrestrial life. A number of planets with a mass similar to that of Earth, and planets existing in the so-called "Goldilocks Zone", have been found in recent times. In our Christmas Public Lecture, Dr Giovanni Tinetti from University College London will explore the amazing science behind the discovery of new planets, and how advancements in technology will allow us to find life-supporting new Earths. The lecture takes place in Trinity College Dublin on December 10th at 8pm. For tickets and DVDs, please click HERE. 2. Christmas Gifts Do you have a friend or loved one who is interested in space and looking at the stars? Why not get them a gift from Astronomy Ireland? We have a variety of gift ideas including: a.. Gift membership to Astronomy Ireland b.. Season ticket membership, which includes a ticket to - or DVD of - each monthly public lecture c.. Evening Classes for Beginners For more information on these gifts, please click HERE. 3. The Moon and the Planets This Week Did you get to see the Moon and Jupiter close together this week? Did you get up early to spot Venus and Saturn in very close proximity just before sunrise? Have you taken part in our recent Nationwide Meteor Watch, or done any casual stargazing? If you have done any of these (or anything astronomy related), we want to hear from you! Let us know what you saw by sending your reports, photographs, and sketches to observe@astronomy.ie. We will try to publish as many of these as possible in an upcoming issue of Astronomy Ireland. 4. Armagh Planetarium Day Trip Our annual trip to Armagh Planetarium takes place this weekend on Saturday, December 1st. At the planetarium, we will be treated to a special show in the Star Theatre, and then a tour of the AstroPark and the grounds of Armagh Observatory. Tickets for the trip are only €40, and the coach will leave Astronomy Ireland on Saturday morning at 10am. For information and ticket booking, please click HERE. Astronomy Ireland The world's most popular astronomy club www.astronomy.ie ( subscribe / unsubscribe )