Join Magazine Events DVDs Shop Star-B-Q "Dark Matter" "Moonshot" 1. Moon Landing Interview Astronomy Ireland Chairman, David Moore, spoke to LMFM about the 40th Anniversary of the Moon Landing on June 30. Listen HERE. We have a major public lecture (and DVD) planned on July 23 by Dan Parry, who has produced a TV docudrama for ITV based on his new book 'Moon Shot'. Lecture and DVD details HERE. 2. U2 and ISS At the opening concert of their world tour on June 30, U2 had a very special surprise for concert goers in Barcelona. After the 4th song of the show, a live satellite link with the astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS), appeared on the screens in the stadium, with one of the astronauts telling the audience "right now the most beautiful sight in our cosmos is the blue planet Earth". To see a video of the satellite link-up click HERE. ISS will be visible in Irish skies again from July 6 - 23. 3. Astronomy Competition The closing date for DCU's 'Eye in the Sky' competition, a photography competition with an astronomy theme to honour the International Year of Astronomy (IYA), has been extended to September 30, 2009. For more details click HERE. 4. Lecture Series at Newgrange There will be several public lectures taking place a the Hill of Tara Visitors Centre, over the coming weeks, organised by Bru na Boinne (OPW). The lectures feature an astronomical theme to mark the International Year of Astronomy (IYA) and will take place each Wednesday in July. Admission is free and for more information visit www.newgrange.com/news23.htm. The lectures are as follows: July 8 - 'Galileo and the Copernican Revolution' - Prof. Markus Woerner, NUI Galway. July 15 - 'Irish Astronomy in the Nineteenth Century' - Prof. Trevor Weekes, Smithsonian Institution, Washington. July 22 - 'Exploring the Cosmos: The View from Hubble and Beyond' - Prof. Tom Ray, Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies (DIAS). 5. What to See in Irish Skies a.. The waxing Moon is approaching Full Moon phase, an excellent time to see the valleys and craters along the terminator. b.. Jupiter and Neptune will be placed just above the Eastern horizon at midnight over the weekend. c.. At about 3am, Venus and Mars are very close together on the North-Eastern horizon, near the Pleiades star cluster. d.. The International Space Station will be visible in the evenings from Irish skies from 6 July. Lots of websites will give you times when it will pass over, but to get reminders just a couple of hours before it passes, text the word SPACE to 57003. Each text costs ?1 and proceeds help us to promote science and astronomy in Ireland. For diagrams and lots more details all month long, see Sky Diary pages of our magazine (only 5euro inc. p&p). IMPORTANT: Email what you see to observe@astronomy.ie for our monthly magazine report. 6. Events to book in July: July 13 - 'Dark Matter' Lecture and DVD July 13 to 17 - 'Life of Galileo' Play July 23 - Apollo 40th Anniversary Lecture and DVD Astronomy Ireland The world's most popular Astronomy Club www.astronomy.ie Call Our Telescope Shop Tel (01) 847 0777 Mon-Sat ( subscribe / unsubscribe here )