Christmas Gifts Membership DVD Shop 1. Christmas Lecture and Party EXOPLANETS - Discovering New Earths 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 is a Public Lecture so we want you to invite all your family and friends along too, and bring them to the Party afterwards also. 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 (to whet your appetite!) 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 Trinity College Dublin on Monday, December 10th, at 8pm. For tickets, details and DVDs, please click HERE. 3. The Sky at Night "Mercury and the Moon" is this month's subject on the world's longest running TV astronomy show "THE SKY AT NIGHT" with: - Sir Patrick Moore - Paul Abel - Pete Lawrence - Dr Chris Lintott - Dr Chris North All of whom have now given Public Lectures for Astronomy Ireland: To watch their lectures search for their names at www.astronomy.ie/DVD This month they talk about the latest news from Messenger, the spacecraft over Mercury. Chris Lintott looks at the legacy of the last moon mission, Apollo 17 which celebrates its 50th anniversary this month. TSAN DECEMBER 2012 Mon Dec 03 at 12:00am BBC 1 Northern Ireland Thu Dec 06 at 07:30pm BBC FOUR Fri Dec 07 at 01:00am BBC FOUR Fri Dec 07 at 11:50pm BBC HD Sat Dec 08 at 12:00pm BBC 2 Northern Ireland Sun Dec 09 at 12:30am BBC FOUR Note that the BBC1 and BBC2 programmes are shorter versions (20 minutes). Try to watch BBC FOUR or BBC HD transmissions (30 minutes) For advice on telescopes to view the objects in this programme call Ireland's biggest telescope shop at Astronomy Ireland: www.astronomy.ie/shop or call (01) 890 11 11 six days a week. 3. JL Synge Public Lecture The Maths Dept of Trinity College Dublin (www.maths.tcd.ie) presents the 11th JL Synge Public Lecture From Here To Infinity: Gravity and the Cosmos by Professor Lord Martin J. Rees at 8pm on Friday December 7th in the Hamilton Building, TCD. Astronomy Ireland The world's most popular astronomy club www.astronomy.ie ( subscribe / unsubscribe )