Spring Sale DVD Membership Shop Public Lecture and DVD Telescopes for the 21st Century Giant telescopes are coming, both in space and on the ground. For our April Public Lecture we are flying in an international expert to explain the developments in technology that took place in the 20th Century and the huge leaps that are about to take place in the 21st Century. In the 1940s the biggest telescope in the world was only 5 metres in diameter. Even today 70 years later the biggest telescopes are only twice as wide. Why was progress so slow, and why, in the next decade or two are telescopes to leap in size by a factor of 4 so quickly? And what is the purpose of the new 10 billion dollar James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) that is so powerful it cannot be used near the Earth like its predecessor the Hubble Space Telescope, which it will dwarf in power by a factor of 7? If you're interested in telescopes you will be fascinated by this lecture by Professor Michael Merrifield who is flying in especially from the University of Nottingham to tell you all about it, so we hope if you're in the Leinster area that you will make the relatively short trip to come and hear him, or order the DVD if you can't make it to Dublin (www.astronomy.ie/dvd). Free food will be provided at a social reception after the lecture so please bring family and friends as the talk is open to everyone in Ireland and is aimed at the general public. Book tickets HERE or come along early on the night! EVENT DETAILS · Date: Monday, April 16th · Venue: Fitzgerald Building, Trinity College Dublin · Time: 8pm · Tickets: €7 (€5 for members of Astronomy Ireland) Astronomy Ireland The world's most popular Astronomy Club www.astronomy.ie ( subscribe / unsubscribe )