20 Months Membership Offer 2010 Events DVDs Shop 1. Summer Public Lecture & DVD: Hubble Space Telescope Operator Speaking in Dublin This Monday Getting time on the most expensive telescope ever built is a rare privilege that Irishman Dr. Brian Espey has managed to achieve and at our Summer Public Lecture this Monday, May 10th, he will tell you how he used the 5 billion euro telescope to probe Red Giant stars. Stars with masses similar to our own Sun pass through an evolutionary Red Giant stage towards the end of their lives, producing significant quantities processed gas in the form of a stellar wind. In his lecture, Dr. Espey will describe the Red Giant stage in the evolution of a star, and the effects that these strong cosmic winds within our Universe have on the planets of our solar system. Click HERE for an impressive visual aid which compares the size of our own star, the Sun, to Red Giants, Betelgeuse and Antares. For more information about this public event click HERE. The lecture takes place at 8pm in the SNIAM Building, Trinity College Dublin (MAP HERE), on Monday, May 10. All are welcome to attend. For anyone who can't make it on the night, a DVD of the talk is available to order online. BOOK TICKETS ORDER DVD 2. Astronomy Tips This Week a.. The International Space Station (ISS), visible in Irish skies until May 14, will be seen to pass on front of Mars from different parts of the country tonight. To receive a message to your mobile with further details, including the time to see ISS, 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. b.. Mars is located high in the south-west this week. c.. Venus is in the west, glowing brilliantly, and a telescope will show it to be in a gibbous phase. d.. Saturn is the south and well placed for viewing. For more information on what to see in the night sky this week check out the Sky Diary section in the March issue of 'Astronomy & Space' magazine. Don't forget to email what you see to observe@astronomy.ie and we will try to publish your pictures and observations in forthcoming issues of the magazine. 3. BBC's The Sky At Night This month's instalment of the BBC's The Sky At Night programme will be repeated this Saturday, May 8, at 2:45pm (England, Scotland & Wales) and 6:10pm (Northern Ireland). Saturn is one of the largest planets and the beautiful system of rings surrounding it makes it the most distinctive in the solar system. But how were the rings formed and what effect do Saturn's many moons have upon them? Sir Patrick Moore is joined by Professor Michele Dougherty and Professor Carl Murray to discuss this, while Pete Lawrence and Paul Abel demonstrate the best way to observe Saturn during the month of May. For more information click HERE. Many of you will remember our fascinating public lecture last October by Professor Carl Murray who gave a marvellous insight into the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn, and provided us with breathtaking pictures of the ringed planet, sent back to earth by the probe. To order a DVD of this talk click HERE. Astronomy Ireland The world's most popular Astronomy Club www.astronomy.ie ( subscribe / unsubscribe ) Our Online Telescope Shop