1. 40,000 people are expected to throng to the RDS in Dublin for the annual BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition Jan. 11-13. See the back page of our January magazine. Astronomy Ireland has a stand at the event so do go along and say hello. There are special offers on membership and our magazine, and you can win a superb pair of our 10x50 binoculars in our FREE competition, plus lots more besides. The Exhibition has over 500 stands with projects from young people all around Ireland, including some on astronomy (which will be featured in a coming issue of our magazine). There are many science technology exhibitors to visit also. So it's well worth a visit every year. Admission is 10euro for adults, 5euro for students/children and senior citizens, 25euro family (2 adult, 3 children). 2. Trinity Astronomy & Space Society (TASS) invite you all to attend a lecture by Professor Lynden-Bell, Professor of Astrophysics, Cambridge University on Thursday January 18th at 7:30pm in the Physics Building, T.C.D. Same venue as Astronomy Ireland's monthly meetings (www.astronomy.ie/events) The lecture is entitled " Flat disks and narrow jets in Astronomy". This is a very rare opportunity to hear such an eminent speaker, so TASS would like to extend an invitation to you all to attend as guests of theirs. Admission is free courtesy of TASS so to advise of numbers could you email gillesjb@tcd.ie to say how many of you are going. 3. We saw Comet McNaught from the Astronomy Ireland Shop again tonight (Friday). It was picked up in seconds around sunset looking out of the window with Celestron 15x70mm binoculars through breaks in the clouds. Venus could not be seen due to the clouds and the comet was very easy to spot, perhaps as easy as Venus (magnitude -4)! Comet McNaught is now visible in SOHO's cameras http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/hotshots The comet will be visible just above the Sun the moment the Sun sets tomorrow, Saturday, but do not sweep the sky above the Sun with binoculars or telescopes until the Sun sets or you may be blinded by the Sun! For more details see our January magazine page 26, or the list of links given in the last email, or download this weeks AIRS (Astronomy Ireland Radio Show) and listen to David Moore's weekly round up of what to see in Irish skies at www.astronomy.ie/AIRS (or set the show up as a podcast and get the latest news EVERY week). Email the show at radio@astronomy.ie Please send photos and sighting reports to observe@astronomy.ie for what has become the brightest comet in over 3 decades and may be the brightest you will ever see. 4. Don't forget our Astronomy Evening Classes, aimed at beginners, start soon (January 31st). So please enrol now. Details and online bookings are at www.astronomy.ie/eveningclassjan2007.html or call (01) 847 0777 Monday to Saturday. 5. Our New Year Lecture on January 8 was packed solid with over 200 people trying to get in. Sadly a few had to be turned away due to last minute publicity on RTE Radio 1 WARNING: our next speaker is ALREADY booked for a TV appearance so book online for John Gribbin "The Universe - a Biography" (the title of his new book out later this month) at: www.astronomy.ie/lecture200702.html now! For the thousands of you living outside Dublin, or who were not able to get in on the night, the DVD of our New Year Lecture can be ordered at: www.astronomy.ie/lectureDVD.html This is an important service for everyone outside Dublin and the cost is very low. It takes a lot of effort by volunteers to bring you these DVDs so please do avail of this service. (You can even order the Feb. 12 DVD now if you wish, at the same webpage! ASTRONOMY IRELAND - for telescopes and information call (01) 847 0777 www.astronomy.ie