Christmas Gifts Membership DVD Shop 1. Christmas Lecture and Party EXOPLANETS - Discovering New Earths Are you excited yet about our Christmas Lecture and Party? Listen to our Chairman, David Moore, excitedly describing it on two radio interviews HERE and HERE (check for new interviews HERE). Each year we invite everyone in Ireland to join us for a special annual event: our annual Christmas Party preceded by a very special lecture for Christmas. This year we are delighted that the star of the BBC Sky At Night show that was all about EXOPLANETS (planets around other stars) earlier this year, Dr Giovanna Tinetti from University College London, will give our CHRISTMAS LECTURE. This is a fascinating topic that one day will yield the discovery of life on other planets. The first step is to find planets like the Earth from amongst the trillion or so thought to lie in our own Milky Way Galaxy. All your family and friends should enjoy this topic and there will be free food at the Party in the nearby Lombard Inn after the talk with Dr Tinetti as our guest. LECTURE DETAILS In our Christmas Public Lecture, Dr Tinetti 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. So far, 853 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. VENUE: The lecture takes place in the Fitzgerald Building in Trinity College Dublin on Monday, December 10th, at 8pm. For tickets, details and DVDs, please click HERE. 2. Next Week There are quite a few exciting events coming up in the next seven days: Saturday, Sun Show at our Telescopes Shop; Christmas Lecture on Monday; Geminid meteor shower on Thursday; Telescope Night next Friday (if clear), which is the same day the ISS starts two weeks of evening flyovers. More details next week! Astronomy Ireland The world's most popular astronomy club www.astronomy.ie ( subscribe / unsubscribe )