8 Months Membership FREE 2010 Events DVDs Shop 1. Star-B-Q 2010 Report Unperturbed by the overcast skies and the slight drizzle, guests gathered inside Roundwood GAA hall on September 4th for Astronomy Irelands Star-B-Q. David Moore began the proceedings giving the first talk of the evening - "The Hitchhickers Guide To The Universe". Next up was "The Secrets of the Stones" by Anthony Murphy, who explored Ireland's rich history of ancient astronomy. He explained to a captivated audience how the passage tombs in the Boyne Valley and elsewhere were not just graves, but were also important astronomical observatories that defined the life of an ancient culture. Our keynote speaker, Dr Martin Hendry, fascinated guests with the consipiracy theories surrounding the Moon landings. Like a true scientist, Dr Hendry tested each one of the claims - lack of stars, waving flags, strange shadows - and showed us his results. Using his unique sense of humour and analytical method he succeeded in showing us that we did, in fact, land on the Moon in the 1960s and 1970s. While the main talks were taking place there were a number of other activities taking place: Kevin O'Kelly exhibited his work from his travels to Australia, where he had the amazing opportunity to do some astronomy in professional observatories with a strange sky. Eamonn O'Fearcháin entertained our younger astronomers with quizzes and activities, while many opted to get their faces painted! As the clouds did not disappear, Emlyn Jones then gave a practical tutorial on navigating through the heavens, and displayed some of his amazing photographs. To read a full report of the event and see pictures taken on the day click HERE. 2. Fireball Radio Interviews Last Wednesday, September 1st thousands of people saw a brilliant white fireball streak through the evening. Since then, Astronomy Ireland has received hundreds of witness reports, and astronomers have been able to determine the approximate location of the meteorite. However, to further pinpoint the exact location, Astronomy Ireland is appealing for witnesses of the fireball in the west, and in particular: South Galway, North Clare, North Tipperary. This spectacular event has led to hundreds of fireball reports and phone calls, and a huge number of media interviews - including BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 5, RTE Radio 1, Shannon Side, Clare FM, and i102 - with David Moore, Chairman of Astronomy Ireland. Listen to this online at www.astronomy.ie/audio. 3. Events September 13 - "The Antikythera Mechanism" (Trinity College Dublin) September 30 - Telescope Watches (Nationwide) More information to follow October 7 - Autumn Evening Classes Commence (Nationwide) Astronomy Ireland The world's most popular Astronomy Club www.astronomy.ie ( subscribe / unsubscribe ) Our Online Telescope Shop