Aurora Cruise Evening Classes Membership Shop 1. Orionid Meteor Shower This weekend sees the Orionid Meteor Shower, which is due to peak between tonight (Friday, October 21st) and tomorrow morning (Saturday, October 22nd). Meteor watching is a fun activity that does not need any special equipment. Not only that, but as meteors appear all over the sky, you don't have to worry about looking in the 'wrong place'! Astronomy Ireland is holding a Nationwide Orionid Watch, where we want everyone to go outside over the next couple of nights, count the number of meteors seen in 15-minute blocks, and let us know the counts by emailing meteor@astronomy.ie. With enough data, it's sometimes possible to identify any variations in the meteor shower, such a previously unknown sub-peak. Visit www.astronomy.ie to get more details and a map of the sky to help you with your observations. 2. International Space Station and Workshop The International Space Station (ISS) is currently passing over Ireland each night and will continue to do so until early November. The ISS appears as an extremely bright star-like object in evening skies and is the brightest object in the sky apart from the Moon. This man-made object, larger than Croke Park, is an awe inspiring sight and we urge all of you to go outside and watch as it passes over. There are websites that will allow you to figure out the time the ISS will pass over, but to receive a message to your mobile each day with the time to see it already worked out simply text SPACE to 57003 (reply STOP to unsubscribe). Each text costs 1euro, and only one message will be sent per day. Proceeds help to promote interest in astronomy across Ireland. Remember to email your observations of the ISS to iss@astronomy.ie and we will do our best to include your report in a forthcoming issue of Astronomy & Space magazine. TRACKING THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION Did you know that it's possible to see the ISS through a telescope? Not only that, it's also possible to take stunning images of the huge spacecraft as it travels across the sky! Carl O'Beirnes - who has featured on The Sky at Night - will deliver a special workshop showing you how you, too, can start taking detailed photographs of the International Space Station for yourself. An example of his ISS images can be found HERE. The workshop is the second in a series of free Saturday Workshops, and will take place tomorrow at 1pm at Astronomy Ireland in Unit A8, Airside Enterprise Centre in Swords, Co Dublin. Get more information on Carl's workshop HERE. 3. Norwegian Astronomy Voyage We are delighted to announce that our upcoming Northern Lights Cruise has been extremely popular! In January, twenty people will travel to Norway to take part in an ocean cruise along the countries coast, where northerly dark skies give unrivalled views of the aurora borealis. Not only that, but the voyagers will enjoy guided tours of picturesque towns, snowmobiling, and special astronomy talks given by Dr John Mason, who is a science broadcaster and a regular on the BBC's The Sky at Night alongside Sir Patrick Moore. If you missed the opportunity to join the voyage earlier, don't worry! There is still a small number of cabins still available, but please note that an extra surcharge may apply. To get more details and to book your place, please contact Project Travel on (01) 210 8391. Astronomy Ireland The world's most popular Astronomy Club www.astronomy.ie ( subscribe / unsubscribe )