1. Here's a Press Notice issued by Astronomy Ireland that will be of interest to many of you!: PRESS NOTICE - December 15 TELESCOPE EXTRAVAGANZA! ( See: VENUS - MARS - MOON ) Astronomy Ireland will set up the biggest array of telescopes ever seen in Ireland at 5pm this Friday, Saturday and Sunday to show the two brilliant naked eye planets that have appeared in Christmas skies: the planets VENUS and MARS and THE MOON !!! VENUE: ASTRONOMY IRELAND, unit 75 Butterly Business Park, Kilmore Road, Artane, Dublin 5. Tel (01) 847 0777 DATES: FRIDAY,SATURDAY,SUNDAY DECEMBER 16,17,18 at 5pm Venus is coming close to Earth and is already a prominent object which people have been calling Astronomy Ireland about - asking IS IT THE CHRISTMAS STAR RETURNING? Mars is closer to Earth now than it will be until 2018! Both are a fantastic sight in the telescopes that will be set up for FREE viewing each evening. "Hopefully, one or all of the nights will be clear and we will be able to show thousands of people these incredible planets up close and FREE!" said David Moore, Ireland's best known astronomer. VENUS will be revealed as a large crescent - a view which prompted Galileo to conclude that the Earth was not at the centre of the universe which ultimately led to his near execution and life imprisonment. MARS will be shown as a large disk whose surface features will be visible - something that very few people in the world have ever seen and a sight that prompted Victorian astronomers to conclude there was intelligent life on the planet which ultimately gave rise to all the stories of "little green men from Mars" which pervades our society with stories of 'aliens' to this day. The incredibly powerful telescopes will give unprecedented views of the planets and the Moon which will also be in the sky. 2. ASTRONOMY SHOP OPEN ALL HOURS! Our Shop in Artane (one of the biggest in Europe) will now be open late on Thursday and Friday and will also be open on Sunday. You can call and have your Christmas telescope delivered anywhere in Ireland for free, or drop in an browse around the huge showroom of telescopes, binoculars, books, DVDs, and more. Opening hours are now: Monday to Wednesday 9:30am to 5:30pm Thursday to Friday 9:30am to 9pm Saturday 10am to 6pm Sunday 11am to 7pm Beware of cheap telescopes on sale this Christmas - call Astronomy Ireland for free advice first. TEL (01) 847 0777 Merry Christmas!