Meteorites talk, Lunar Impacts, Cassini Comp, BCO, Sir P.M., ISS, Astron course

From: TerryMoselaol.com

Date: 6 October 2009 01:43:23 GMT+01:00

Subject: Meteorites talk, Lunar Impacts, Cassini Comp, BCO, Sir P.M., ISS, Astron course

Hi all,

1. Oct 07: IAA FREE PUBLIC LECTURE, BELFAST: The next lecture of the Irish Astronomical Association's new season will be given by Dr Mike Simms of the Ulster Museum. It is entitled "To Here From Eternity: The story of the Bovedy, Sprucefield and Crumlin Meteorites". Mike is eminently qualified to talk on this topic, as he is the recognized expert on meteorites at the Ulster Museum. He is also currently President of the Belfast Geologists Society. We have had several excellent lectures from Mike before, and we are delighted to welcome him back again. It's on WEDNESDAY 7 OCTOBER, at 7.30 p.m., in the Bell Lecture Theatre, Physics Building, Queen's University, Belfast. ADMISSION IS FREE, as always, and includes light refreshments. Everyone is welcome. Full details of the rest of the programme are on the website: www.irishastro.org

2. SEE LUNAR IMPACTS: On Friday morning, Oct. 9th, you can watch a pair of spacecraft crash into the Moon with your own eyes. The purposeful impacts are the climax of NASA's LCROSS mission to unearth signs of water in lunar soil. Here's how and where to look. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/05oct_lcrossvg.htm?list724598

3. CASSINI COMPETITION: Be a Cassini Scientist for a day! Contact l.f.thomasqmul.ac.uk for more details.

4. Blackrock Castle Observatory Events: For details of the latest forthcoming events at BCO, Cork, covering the period up to Xmas, see: www.bco.ie

5. SIR PATRICK MOORE, FRS, AT THE ROYAL INSTITUTION. A special event has been organised to mark Sir Patrick Moore's 75 years membership of the British Astronomical Assopciation. It will be held in the Faraday Lecture Theatre, Royal Institution, 21 Albemarle St, London W1, on Sat 21 November. The title is: "DEVELOPMENTS IN AMATEUR ASTRONOMY, PAST PRESENT AND FUTURE".

Organised by Dr John Mason MBE, (who gave a superb keynote lecture at the recent European Light Polluition Conference in Armagh), it will run from 10.00 to 17.00. Speakers include Sir Patrick himself along with Dr Peter Cattermole, well known lunar gelogy expert, on "The Craters of the Moon: From Pre-Apollo to Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter". Others include many well-known professional and amateur astronomers. The full programme can be found on the BAA website: www.britastro.org, or email officebritastro.org. The cost is a mere £10 for BAA member or £15 for non-members, including tea & coffee.

Further details & booking form from: Jean Felles, Office Manager, The British Astronomical Association, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London, W1J 0DU, Tel: 020 7734 4145, Fax: 020 7439 4629, E-mail: officebritastro.org, Website: www.britastro.org

6. ISS MORNING PASSES: The International Space Station will start another series of morning passes on 12/13 October. You can generate predictions for your location via www.heavens-above.com

7. STARGAZING FOR PLEASURE. In Association with the Bangor Spectator

Bangor, Hamilton House

Tuesday evenings 7pm to 9pm

November to December 2009

A series of eight illustrated evening lectures and practical demonstrations all aimed at beginners or those with a background interest. The lectures will cover;

1. The Night Sky Constellations – an introduction to the night sky and the basic principles – how to find your way around the night sky!

2. The History of Astronomy – how did our understanding of the universe and our place in it develop from Plato to Copernicus?

3. Our Nearest Star, the Sun – all our light and heat comes from our star, the Sun!

4. Planets of our Solar System – a romp through the planets, moons and dwarf planets of our Sun’s family

5. Meteors, Comets and Asteroids – a look at the ‘left overs’ from the solar system’s creation

6. The Milky Way and other Galaxies – our star city and its relationship to the others

7. Cosmology and the Universe – latest thinking on our place in the universe

8. Telescopes and Binoculars – will cover the purchase and setting up of astronomical equipment.

The series will be conducted by well known local amateur astronomer and monthly ‘Heavens Above’ columnist with the Bangor Spectator, Dr Andy McCrea, past President of the Irish Astronomical Association. Each evening session will be in two halves with a short break at 7.45. There will be an introduction with a description of what is visible in the night sky and there will be observing through telescopes and binoculars if weather conditions permit.

Special introductory cost for the complete series will be £90 per person

If you would be interested in attending this lecture series, please contact 91 273584 after 6 pm as soon as possible. Once numbers have been established, bookings and commencement dates will be confirmed.

Clear skies,

Terry Moseley

Lecture, Donegal & Patrick Moore Events, ISS, Astronomy Course

From: TerryMoselaol.com

Date: 1 October 2009 21:40:54 GMT+01:00

Subject: Lecture, Donegal & Patrick Moore Events, ISS, Astronomy Course

Hi all,

1. Oct 07: IAA FREE PUBLIC LECTURE, BELFAST: The next lecture of the Irish Astronomical Association's new season will be given by Dr Mike Simms of the Ulster Museum. It is entitled "To Here From Eternity". Mike is eminently qualified to talk on this topic, as he is the recognized expert on meteorites at the Ulster Museum. He is also currently President of the Belfast Geologists Society. We have had several excellent lectures from Mike before, and we are delighted to welcome him back again. It's on WEDNESDAY 7 OCTOBER, at 7.30 p.m., in the Bell Lecture Theatre, Physics Building, Queen's University, Belfast. ADMISSION IS FREE, as always, and includes light refreshments. Everyone is welcome. Full details of the rest of the programme are on the website: www.irishastro.org

2. Donegal Bay & Blue Stacks Festival 09 has, among other things, an astronomical theme, to mark IYA 2009.
This is our Community Arts festival and many groups have worked hard on creating productions & offering a variety of shows, exhibitions and events for this yr . I ask that you all support the arts and celebrate tha talent we have here in Donegal by supporting this unique and wide spread rural festival So Please………. Spread the word through your contacts.
Please note that carnival Ballyshannon CONSTELLATIONS will take place on Oct 3rd at 7.30pm.
There will be road closures in place from 6.30pm to 9pm so if coming or going through ballyshannon on this night please take by pass routes or better still park up on outskirts of town and join us for this magical nightitme parade.
Flirting with the Queen of Sciences in ballyshannon !
We honour Astronomy this year.
We have the privilage of launching World Space Week in Ireland on the 3rd Oct and we honour Astronomy ( working closely with International Yr of Astronomy 2009, Armagh Planetarium and Robert Hill from the NI Space Office) as our Carnival theme on the night.
This Science meets Arts education initiative is funded by Discover Science & Engineering
Thanking you
Maura logue, Community arts & arts education officer south & south west Donegal
0871255048, maurafloguegmail.com, or MAURA.LOGUEdonegalcoco.ie
P.S.Centre, Donegal Town, Cultural Services Sector.
Further information from: Robert Hill, Northern Ireland Space Office, Armagh Planetarium, College Hill, Armagh, Tel: +44(0)7929278501, Fax: +44(0)2837526187, www.armaghplanet.com, www.spaceconnections.net

3. SIR PATRICK MOORE, FRS, AT THE ROYAL INSTITUTION. A special event has been organised to mark Sir Patrick Moore's 75 years membership of the British Astronomical Assopciation. It will be held in the Faraday Lecture Theatre, Royal Institution, 21 Albemarle St, London W1, on Sat 21 November. The title is: "DEVELOPMENTS IN AMATEUR ASTRONOMY, PAST PRESENT AND FUTURE".

Organised by Dr John Mason MBE, (who gave a superb keynote lecture at the recent European Light Polluition Conference in Armagh), it will run from 10.00 to 17.00. Speakers include Sir Patrick himself along with Dr Peter Cattermole, well known lunar gelogy expert, on "The Craters of the Moon: From Pre-Apollo to Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter". Others include many well-known professional and amateur astronomers. The full programme can be found on the BAA website: www.britastro.org, or email officebritastro.org. The cost is a mere £10 for BAA member or £15 for non-members, including tea & coffee.

Further details from: Jean Felles, Office Manager, The British Astronomical Association, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London, W1J 0DU, Tel: 020 7734 4145, Fax: 020 7439 4629, E-mail: officebritastro.org, Website: www.britastro.org

4. ISS MORNING PASSES: The International Space Station will start another series of morning passes on 12/13 October. You can generate predictions for your location via www.heavens-above.com

5. STARGAZING FOR PLEASURE. In Association with the Bangor Spectator

Bangor, Hamilton House

Tuesday evenings 7pm to 9pm

November to December 2009

A series of eight illustrated evening lectures and practical demonstrations all aimed at beginners or those with a background interest. The lectures will cover;

1. The Night Sky Constellations – an introduction to the night sky and the basic principles – how to find your way around the night sky!

2. The History of Astronomy – how did our understanding of the universe and our place in it develop from Plato to Copernicus?

3. Our Nearest Star, the Sun – all our light and heat comes from our star, the Sun!

4. Planets of our Solar System – a romp through the planets, moons and dwarf planets of our Sun’s family

5. Meteors, Comets and Asteroids – a look at the ‘left overs’ from the solar system’s creation

6. The Milky Way and other Galaxies – our star city and its relationship to the others

7. Cosmology and the Universe – latest thinking on our place in the universe

8. Telescopes and Binoculars – will cover the purchase and setting up of astronomical equipment.

The series will be conducted by well known local amateur astronomer and monthly ‘Heavens Above’ columnist with the Bangor Spectator, Dr Andy McCrea, past President of the Irish Astronomical Association. Each evening session will be in two halves with a short break at 7.45. There will be an introduction with a description of what is visible in the night sky and there will be observing through telescopes and binoculars if weather conditions permit.

Special introductory cost for the complete series will be £90 per person

If you would be interested in attending this lecture series, please contact 91 273584 after 6 pm as soon as possible. Once numbers have been established, bookings and commencement dates will be confirmed.

Clear skies,

Terry Moseley

LP Conf, Lectures, Star Party, Comp Winners, Art, ISS, HST, Astronomy Course...

Hi all,



A FINAL reminder of the EUROPEAN LIGHT POLLUTION CONFERENCE IN ARMAGH this week. It will be launched IN DUBLIN as follows:

SEPT. 16, 19.00: The Royal Irish Academy will host a public lecture to launch the 9th European Symposium for the Protection of the Night Sky. Well-known broadcaster and science populariser Leo Enright will give a talk titled "What is Light?" at the RIA on Dawson Street. More details at http://ria.ie/committees/astronomy/new.html


MAIN CONFERENCE:

SEPT. 17-19: European Light Pollution Symposium in Armagh.ILPAC, the Irish Light Pollution Awareness Campaign, and Armagh Observatory jointly host this year's European Symposium for the Protection of the Night Sky. This is an annual event held in a different country each year and is the main gathering of light pollution experts from around Europe with some speakers also coming from the USA and Japan.

With sponsorship from Discover Science and Engineering and Armagh Observatory we have put together a great programme of talks that we are sure you'll find interesting. And in addition to the main event there are public lectures by Leo Enright in Dublin and Armagh. (You need to register for these free talks by the way - details on the website www.lightpollution2009.eu. There will also be excursions to the archaeoastronomy site at Beaghmore stone circles for some dark sky observing if clear, and a free buffet meal at the nearby An Creagan visitor center.

You can see the symposium program, biographies of the speakers and other details on the website. Also pass this on to your colleagues. And if any of you have had dealings with elected council officials or county lighting engineers please tell them to come along. We will have experts in lighting and campaigners who have worked to get better lighting policies implemented with local town councils to EU and USA federal level who will be happy to help councillors see the benefits of better lighting policy.

Please register as soon as possible so that we know how many to arrange catering and transport for. €30 for the weekend, €20 for either the Friday or Saturday. See http://www.lightpollution2009.eu


SEPT. 18: Art Exhibition: A major exhibition collated by Deirdre Kelleghan will launch at Birr Castle, County Offaly. Entitled "In the Footsteps of Galileo", it will feature drawings and sketches of the Moon created by Irish, American, and many more children along with lunar, solar, planetary, and deep sky sketches made by well known observers and artists such as Sir Patrick Moore, Sally Russell, Jeremy Perez, Sue French, Dan Davis, Jeff Young and many more. More details on http://www.deirdrekelleghan.com/

SEPT. 23: IAA FREE PUBLIC LECTURE, BELFAST: The opening lecture of the Irish Astronomical Association's new season will be given by Prof Tom Ray of the Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies and the Royal Irish Academy. It is entitled "Planning Hubble's Successor, the James Webb Space Telescope". Prof Ray is eminently qualified to talk on this topic, as he is involved in the design of some of the instrumentation which will be going on the telescope! We have had several excellent lectures from Tom before, and we are delighted to welcome him back again. It's on WEDNESDAY 23 SEPTEMBER, at 7.30 p.m., in the Bell Lecture Theatre, Physics Building, Queen's University, Belfast. ADMISSION IS FREE, as always, and includes light refreshments. Everyone is welcome. Full details of the rest of the programme are on the website: www.irishastro.org

SEPT. 26: The Burren Star Party organised by the Shannonside Astronomy Club, will be held on 26 September at the Burren Coast Hotel, Ballyvaughan, Co Clare. More details on http://www.shannonsideastronomyclub.com/sac_burren_starparty.htm

IRISH ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY WINNER 1: Congratulations to Michael O'Connell of the Midlands Astronomy Club, who recently won an astrophotography exhibition organised by the Royal Greenwich Observatory. Michael's photo won the "Our Solar System" category and features the Moon in the daytime sky. You can see the photo at http://www.nmm.ac.uk/visit/exhibitions/astronomy-photographer-of-the-year/winners/our-solar-system/ or visit www.astroshot.com to see more of Michael's images of the day- and night-time sky.

IRISH ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY WINNER 2: Another Irish amateur astronomer, Paul Smith, also won the "Young Astrophotographer" category and Paul's photo is on view at http://www.nmm.ac.uk/visit/exhibitions/astronomy-photographer-of-the-year/winners/young-astronomy-photographer-of-the-year-2009/

ISS EVENING PASSES: The International Space Station is making a series of evening passes this week. You can generate predictions for your location via www.heavens-above.com

NEW HST PICTURES: Stunning pictures from the refurbished Hubble Space Telescope have been released by NASA. They really have to be seen as they highlight the advanced capabilities of the new instrumentation installed on the recent servicing mission. Check out the images at http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/multimedia/ero/index.html and read the latest on HST at http://www.hubblesite.org/newscenter/

ASTRONOMY COURSE in BANGOR:

STARGAZING FOR PLEASURE, In Association with the Bangor Spectator

Bangor, Hamilton House

Tuesday evenings 7pm to 9pm

November to December 2009



A series of eight illustrated evening lectures and practical demonstrations all aimed at beginners or those with a background interest. The lectures will cover;



1. The Night Sky Constellations – an introduction to the night sky and the basic principles – how to find your way around the night sky!

2. The History of Astronomy – how did our understanding of the universe and our place in it develop from Plato to Copernicus?

3. Our Nearest Star, the Sun – all our light and heat comes from our star, the Sun!

4. Planets of our Solar System – a romp through the planets, moons and dwarf planets of our Sun’s family

5. Meteors, Comets and Asteroids – a look at the ‘left overs’ from the solar system’s creation

6. The Milky Way and other Galaxies – our star city and its relationship to the others

7. Cosmology and the Universe – latest thinking on our place in the universe

8. Telescopes and Binoculars – will cover the purchase and setting up of astronomical equipment.



The series will be conducted by well known local amateur astronomer and monthly ‘Heavens Above’ columnist with the Bangor Spectator, Dr Andy McCrea, past President of the Irish Astronomical Association. Each evening session will be in two halves with a short break at 7.45. There will be an introduction with a description of what is visible in the night sky and there will be observing through telescopes and binoculars if weather conditions permit.



Special introductory cost for the complete series will be £90 per person



If you would be interested in attending this lecture series, please contact 91 273584 after 6 pm as soon as possible. Once numbers have been established, bookings and commencement dates will be confirmed.





Clear skies,



Terry Moseley