20 Months Membership Offer 2010 Events DVDs Shop 1. Astronomy Ireland On National TV & Radio GERRY RYAN SHOW Astronomy Ireland Chairman, David Moore, appeared on RTE 2FM's Gerry Ryan Show this morning, April 1st, where he spoke about the rare planetary alignment of Venus and Mercury, visible in the West just after sunset this evening. David also made a very important public announcement regarding this once-in-a-generation inner-planet alignment. To read more about this see the article below or click HERE. If you missed the feature on the show, you can listen to a recording on our website at www.astronomy.ie/audio. AFTERNOON SHOW Astronomy Ireland appeared on RTE Television's The Afternoon Show last Monday, March 22, in a special feature focussing on the planet Mars. The slot on RTE's flagship daytime television show saw Astronomy Ireland members at a night-time observing session in the Phoenix Park. The telescope gathering which was filmed last month shows members successfully observing Mars, it's polar ice caps, and the Moon. As well as the pre-recorded feature, there was an array of powerful telescopes from the Astronomy Ireland Shop on display in studio for viewers to see. If you missed this feature on national television don't worry, it's available to view on our website at www.astronomy.ie/tv. 2. Mercury & Venus In Rare Planetary Alignment As we mentioned above, the planets Venus and Mercury will be lining up in the sky this evening to form a once-in-a-generation alignment. The planet Venus is the brightest star like object in the night sky and can be seen low in the West immediately after sunset (from 7pm in Ireland). To the naked eye it looks like a brilliant light blazing in the West. The planet Mercury is visible to the naked eye just to the right of Venus. Note that Venus is about 10 times brighter than Mercury. This is a great opportunity for Irish people as less than 1% of the Earth's population have ever seen Mercury despite it being plainly visible to the naked eye. This is your chance to become a member of the elite 'Mercury Club'! For more information click HERE. Don't forget to email what you see to observe@astronomy.ie and we will try our best to publish your pictures and observations in forthcoming issues of 'Astronomy & Space' magazine. For more information on what to see in the night sky this week check out the Sky Diary section in the April issue of 'Astronomy & Space' magazine. 3. Upcoming Events April 1 - Rare planetary alignment between Mercury and Venus (Nationwide) April 12 - 'Mercury - New Insights' Public Lecture by Dr. Dave Rothery (TCD) Astronomy Ireland The world's most popular Astronomy Club www.astronomy.ie ( subscribe / unsubscribe ) Our Online Telescope Shop