IAA BBQ update, NEO, DIAS Lecture, Dave's asteroid, Aurora Trip

Hi all,

 

1. IAA MIDSUMMER BBQ, Saturday 25 June, 14.00 - 18.00:

UPDATE:

The Irish Astronomical Association's annual midsummer BBQ will be returning to one of its most popular locations this year - the beautiful grounds of Armagh Observatory.

   There will be a tour of the Observatory, which we hope will include the new 'State of the Art' robotic telescope, and the world-famous Human Orrery, and the fascinating Astropark and 'Hill of Infinity'. We will also have a quiz and or/other competitions.

Activities will commence around 2.p.m

 We will aim to eat around 4 p.m., and finish about 6 p.m.

 We will have at least one large gazebo to provide shelter if necessary.

   Admission is free to all IAA members and guests, but bring all your own food and drink, and eating items (cutlery, plates, glasses (preferably plastic), BBQ tongs etc if you have them) and folding chairs or waterproof rugs. We will provide the actual BBQs for cooking.

   Please let me know by 24 June if you are planning to attend, so we will have some idea of numbers.

   If the weather looks like being really bad, check the IAA website in advance to see if it will be going ahead or not. www.irishastro.org.

2. NEO ASTEROID FLYBY: Newly-discovered asteroid 2011 MD will pass only 12,000 kilometres (7,500 miles) above Earth's surface on Monday, June 27th. That is just under one Earth diameter away, and well below the orbits of geostationary satellites! This is an example of what are classed as Near Earth Objects (NEO), which pose possible impact hazards to Earth.

   NASA analysts say there is no chance the space rock will strike Earth. Nevertheless, the encounter is so close that Earth's gravity will sharply perturb the asteroid's trajectory.

Its closest approach will be at 13:26 UTC on June 27 (daylight in Ireland, unfortunately). Updated information on 2011 MD's ephemeris, physical parameters and an orbit diagram and close-approach data is at http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=2011%20MD;orb=1 

   2011 MD was found on Tuesday, June 22, by LINEAR, a pair of robotic telescopes in New Mexico that scan the skies for Near Earth Asteroids. Asteroid 2011 MD is currently estimated to be between 9 to 45 meters (10 to 50 yards) wide. Dr. Emily Baldwin, of Astronomy Now magazine, said there is no danger of the asteroid hitting Earth, and even if it did enter the atmosphere, an asteroid this size would "mostly burn up in a brilliant fireball, possibly scattering a few meteorites." Read more on the story at http://www.skymania.com/wp/2011/06/incoming-new-asteroid-will-scrape-past.html

  Details at http://spaceweather.com. Also see:

 http://hea-www.harvard.edu/~fine/Astro/flybys.cgi

 

3.  "The Dark Side of the Universe" TUESDAY 5 JULY. Statutory Public Lecture of The DIAS School Of Cosmic Physics. The 2011 Statutory Public Lecture of the School of Cosmic Physics will take place in Room B004, University College Dublin, on Tuesday July 5th at 6:30pm. NB. - Note, that is a correction from the previous alert, in which the wrong date information was given to me.

 Room B004 is located in the Computer Science and Informatics building in University College Dublin, Belfield Dublin 4. All are welcome/Admission is Free.
   The Lecture entitled "The Dark Side of the Universe" will be given by Prof. Malcolm Longair, Emeritus Jacksonian Professor of Natural Philosophy, Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge.

All are welcome and admission is free, but advance registration is essential as tickets are required for this event. The tickets can be booked through http://ssmr.ucd.ie/darkuniverse/Dark_Universe.html but the link to actually request tickets isn't available yet. Click the "Building 14" link on the lecture notice page for a map of UCD.

"The Dark Side of the Universe"

Black holes, dark matter and dark energy are among the most important ingredients of our Universe, but don't emit light and are therefore invisible. Former Astronomer Royal Malcolm Longair will describe why we're confident that all three exist, and discuss their importance for fundamental physics. The talk will be profusely illustrated with recent results from a wide range of Earth-based and space telescopes, simulations and movies.

See: http://www.phy.cam.ac.uk/people/longairm.php, and more details via: http://www.dias.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5448%3A2011-07-05-statutory-public-lecture-of-the-school-of-cosmic-physics&catid=144%3Adias-upcoming-events&Itemid=103&lang=en 

 

4. Dave McDonald's first asteroid now numbered

(Adapted from Dave Grennan's post on IFAS). Dave McDonald's first asteroid discovery has now been numbered by the Minor Planet Center of the IAU. Dave discovered asteroid 2008 TM9 back in October of 2008.  It was big news at the time. Dave even made the front pages of the newspapers (which he graciously agreed to share with Ms. B. Spears and Ms. A. Jolie)

   As the orbit has now been determined to sufficient accuracy, 2008TM9 is now the numbered asteroid (281507) 2008 TM9.  Dave can now lay claim to the discovery of one of three numbered asteroids discovered from these shores, and of course at the time of discovery it was the first asteroid to be discovered from Ireland in over 160 years.

   The numbering of this asteroid is a great tribute to the wonderful work Dave carries out in both his observatory and also as President of IFAS.  And he's not a bad bloke either ;-)

   Anyway I'm sure you will join with me in extending heartiest congratulations to Dave on this latest development.  As the discoverer of 281507, Dave will now be afforded the honour of naming this minor planet.  I'm sure he already has some good ideas in this regard. 

 

5. AURORA TRIP TO NORTHERN NORWAY

The following information may be of interest to readers. As there are several attachments to the original, I will forward it separately to all. For further information, contact Ann Relph of Ulster Travel (who organised the recent eclipse trip to China): Ulster Travel Ltd, 2 Church Street, Dungannon, Co Tyrone, BT71 6AB, E: info@ulstertravel.com

"As solar activity continues to climb there has been a great increase in strong auroras, with almost nightly shows in the auroral zone. Ulster Travel has organized a special auroral viewing expedition which will put you directly under the auroral oval in Tromso, Norway during late October this year.  

The group will be led by Terence Murtagh, who is an expert aurora photographer.  Recently, he spent seven months filming the Aurora for the world's first high resolution, three sixty degree all dome movie "Experience the Aurora" which is currently being shown in digital theatres around the world.

Terence will take you to some of most accessible viewing locations and be on hand to provide advice and assistance with photographic techniques. He will also make available a Canon EOS 5D Mk II camera for you to capture the aurora should you not want to carry a camera and tripod on the trip. The period chosen in October is during the dark of the Moon and weather permitting, you will be in an excellent position to witness one of nature's most spectacular events.

The Raddisson Blu Hotel is one of the best in Tromso. Its central location makes it perfect for exploring the town and the Tromso environs. It is also only 15 minutes away from some good auroral viewing locations.

Full details, including booking forms, are on the attachments to the original email which I will forward separately."

6. JOINING the IRISH ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION is now even easier: This link downloads a Word document to join the IAA. http://irishastro.org.uk/iaamembership.doc.  See also www.irishastro.org. 

 

Clear skies,
 
Terry Moseley

TLE, IAA at Glenavy, & BBQ, Solarfest, Solstice, DIAS lecture

Hi all,

 

1. TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE MOON: well, the BBQ was good and so was the craic, at the IAA eclipse watch at Scrabo, but not even our hot air was enough to dispel the clouds in the SE. A good crowd turned up, as I had done radio interviews on CityBeat, U105, and BBC Evening Extra, and a radio and film crew from the BBC were there for the event. A radio interview by Natasha Sayee will be included on "What's New", on BBC Radio Ulster at 1.30 p.m. on Sunday 19th.

   Reports from other European observers confirmed what I had predicted - it was one of the darkest eclipses ever, probably because of all the ash from the recent volcanic eruptions.

   Oh well, roll on 28 Sep 2015 - at least the moon will be above our horizon for the whole of that eclipse.

 

2. IAA PUBLIC EVENT AT GLENAVY, Saturday 18 June. The Irish Astronomical Association will be running a public astronomy day at Glenavy, Co Antrim on Saturday 18 June, at the request of the Glenavy Development Commission. We will have a Stardome mobile planetarium, and lots of telescopes and binoculars and meteorites on display, and will be doing solar observing if it's clear. This event will run from 11.00 to 16.00. Full details are on the IAA website www.irishastro.org.

 

3. Solarfest, Dunsink, 18 June. IFAS, in conjunction with Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS) www.dias.ie are organising a one-day event in Dublin to celebrate solar astronomy. Solarfest 2011 will take place at Dunsink Observatory, Dublin. We are very grateful to DIAS for supporting the event and entry is FREE. Speakers so far confirmed include:
John Flannery (SDAS): "The Story of Sunspots"
Dr. Ian Elliott: "Solar Activity and our Climate"
Steve Roche (Deise): Solar Photography Workshop
Trinity College Dublin will also be providing speakers at the event - details TBC shortly.

Weather permitting, we will have solar observing also. A tour of the facility will also take place for those who haven't seen the observatory and the 12" Grubb refractor.
   Spaces are limited to 60 seats. Applications for tickets must be sent to ifas.solarfest@gmail.com by June 5th.
Tickets are on a first come first served basis. Please state in the e-mail how many tickets you would like. After this date, seats will be opened up to members of the public.

4. SUMMER SOLSTICE: The Sun will reach its most Northerly point on the ecliptic on June 21 at 17h 16m (18 16 BST). At that time its distance from Earth will be 1.0162494 AU (152 million km), as the Earth will be approaching aphelion on 4 July.

 

5. IAA MIDSUMMER BBQ, Saturday 25 June: The Irish Astronomical Association's annual midsummer BBQ will be returning to one of its most popular locations this year - the beautiful grounds of Armagh Observatory.

   There will be a tour of the Observatory, which we hope will include the new 'State of the Art' robotic telescope, and the world-famous Human Orrery, and the fascinating Astropark and 'Hill of Infinity'. We may also have a quiz and or/other competitions.

  We will aim to eat around 4 p.m., and finish about 6 p.m.

   We will have at least one large gazebo to provide shelter if necessary.

   Admission is free to all IAA members and guests, but bring all your own food and drink, and eating items (cutlery, plates, glasses (preferably plastic), BBQ tongs etc if you have them) and folding chairs or waterproof rugs. We will provide the actual BBQs for cooking.

   Please let me know by 24 June if you are planning to attend, so we will have some idea of numbers.

   If the weather looks like being really bad, check the IAA website in advance to see if it will be going ahead or not. www.irishastro.org.

6.  "The Dark Side of the Universe" Statutory Public Lecture of The DIAS School Of Cosmic Physics. The 2011 Statutory Public Lecture of the School of Cosmic Physics will take place in Room B004, University College Dublin, on Tuesday July 4th at 6:30pm. Room B004 is located in the Computer Science and Informatics building in University College Dublin, Belfield Dublin 4. All are welcome/Admission is Free.
   The Lecture entitled "The Dark Side of the Universe" will be given by Prof. Malcolm Longair, Emeritus Jacksonian Professor of Natural Philosophy, Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge.

"The Dark Side of the Universe"

Black holes, dark matter and dark energy are among the most important ingredients of our Universe, but don't emit light and are therefore invisible. Former Astronomer Royal Malcolm Longair will describe why we're confident that all three exist, and discuss their importance for fundamental physics. The talk will be profusely illustrated with recent results from a wide range of Earth-based and space telescopes, simulations and movies.

See: http://www.phy.cam.ac.uk/people/longairm.php, and more details via: http://www.dias.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5448%3A2011-07-05-statutory-public-lecture-of-the-school-of-cosmic-physics&catid=144%3Adias-upcoming-events&Itemid=103&lang=en 

7. JOINING the IRISH ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION is now even easier: This link downloads a Word document to join the IAA. http://irishastro.org.uk/iaamembership.doc.  See also www.irishastro.org. 

 

Clear skies,
 
Terry Moseley
 

TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE TONIGHT, + OTHER EVENTS

 

Hi all,

 

1. TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE MOON: There will be a Total Lunar Eclipse tonight, Wed 15 June. The eclipse begins before the Moon rises from Ireland, and in fact totality will end shortly after it rises over most of the country, whereas the far North and West won't even see any totality - it will just have ended as the Moon rises from there.

   The Moon will be rising almost due SE over most of the country, so look there as the sun sets (almost directly opposite the setting Sun).

   If it's clear, you'll see the Moon rising as a very pale red disc unless the sky is hazy, in which case you may not see it at all until it gets a bit higher and brighter. Then as totality ends you'll see the Earth's shadow gradually pass off the disc, and the moon will gradually get brighter and resume its more normal appearance.

   The Irish Astronomical Association (IAA) will be holding an 'Eclipse-watch' and BBQ at the car park at Scrabo, just outside Newtownards, Co Down. This should give a spectacular view of the Moon rising over Strangford Lough. The Moon rises from there at 21.54 BST, so be there from about 8.0 if you want to join in the BBQ (bring ALL your own stuff!), or from about 9.30 if you just want to set up a telescope or camera for the eclipse itself. Admission free to all. Obviously this event is weather-dependent, so check the IAA website that day to see if it's going ahead. www.irishastro.org.

   This is the last Total Lunar Eclipse visible from Ireland until September 2015, so don't miss it!

 

NB: (For ROI members) The IAS and SDAS will be holding an eclipse observing event at the Martello Tower, Sandymount, Dublin, starting about 9.30.

 

2. IAA PUBLIC EVENT AT GLENAVY, Saturday 18 June. The Irish Astronomical Association will be running a public astronomy day at Glenavy, Co Antrim on Saturday 18 June, at the request of the Glenavy Development Commission. We will have a Stardome mobile planetarium, and lots of telescopes and binoculars and meteorites on display, and will be doing solar observing if it's clear. This event will run from 11.00 to 16.00. Full details will be on the IAA website www.irishastro.org.

 

3. Solarfest, Dunsink, 18 June. IFAS, in conjunction with Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS) www.dias.ie are organising a one-day event in Dublin to celebrate solar astronomy. Solarfest 2011 will take place at Dunsink Observatory, Dublin. We are very grateful to DIAS for supporting the event and entry is FREE. Speakers so far confirmed include:
John Flannery (SDAS): "The Story of Sunspots"
Dr. Ian Elliott: "Solar Activity and our Climate"
Steve Roche (Deise): Solar Photography Workshop
Trinity College Dublin will also be providing speakers at the event - details TBC shortly.

Weather permitting, we will have solar observing also. A tour of the facility will also take place for those who haven't seen the observatory and the 12" Grubb refractor.
   Spaces are limited to 60 seats. Applications for tickets must be sent to ifas.solarfest@gmail.com by June 5th.
Tickets are on a first come first served basis. Please state in the e-mail how many tickets you would like. After this date, seats will be opened up to members of the public.

4. IAA MIDSUMMER BBQ, Saturday 25 June: The Irish Astronomical Association's annual midsummer BBQ will be returning to one of its most popular locations this year - the beautiful grounds of Armagh Observatory.

   There will be a tour of the Observatory, which we hope will include the new 'State of the Art' robotic telescope, and the world-famous Human Orrery, and the fascinating Astropark and 'Hill of Infinity'. We may also have a quiz and or/other competitions.

  We will aim to eat around 4 p.m., and finish about 6 p.m.

   We will have at least one large gazebo to provide shelter if necessary.

   Admission is free to all IAA members and guests, but bring all your own food and drink, and eating items (cutlery, plates, glasses (preferably plastic), BBQ tongs etc if you have them) and folding chairs or waterproof rugs. We will provide the actual BBQs for cooking.

   Please let me know by 24 June if you are planning to attend, so we will have some idea of numbers.

   If the weather looks like being really bad, check the IAA website in advance to see if it will be going ahead or not. www.irishastro.org.

5. BCO EVENTS: Have an astronomically good summer at Blackrock Castle Observatory's popular Annual Space Camp where kids 8 - 12 to use science and engineering to explore the universe. Find out about life as an astronaut, the solar system and the search for alien life. For full details of this, and the rest of the BCO programme, see: www.bco.ie

 

6. JOINING the IRISH ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION is now even easier: This link downloads a Word document to join the IAA. http://irishastro.org.uk/iaamembership.doc.  See also www.irishastro.org. 

 

Clear skies,
 
Terry Moseley
 

Supernova in Whirlpool Galaxy, Irish Space Science, Reminders

Hi all,

 

1. BREAKING NEWS - Bright Supernova in M51, Whirlpool Galaxy.

Information received today from Prof Stephen Smartt, QUB. A French amateur astronomer has discovered a supernova in one of the outer spiral arms of M51. It was around thirteenth-fourteenth magnitude at discovery, and is probably still on the rise, so could get brighter still. We don't know the progenitor star yet, but it's thought to be a Type 2 SN. The 'Whirlpool', was of course the first galaxy to have its spiral structure discovered, by the Third Earl of Rosse, using the great Leviathan telescope in Birr, Co offaly. Have a look if you can - an image is on the following link: http://www.universetoday.com/86261/supernova-discovered-in-m51-the-whirlpool-galaxy/

 

2. IRISH SPACE SCIENCE:  Kevin Nolan sent me the following information and link - it's well worth a look, with quite a few well-known faces appearing!

"Check out this documentary about space science in the RoI on Youtube (link below) - I'm in it but had no hand in its production. It was made in 2007, just released this week,  and is a little dated and alas does not look at NI; nevertheless provides a reasonable overview of where RoI is (and is not) in relation to space science in particular. It was made for TV but scheduling issues means the producer decided to post to Youtube directly instead and it's quite well made (it's about 24 minutes long)."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJGfohno9m4

(The following are just reminders from my last bulletin)

 

3. Public Lecture, ARMAGH OBSERVATORY:  Monday 6th June, 11:30 am, Armagh Observatory Library.
"Unravelling Starlight: William Huggins and the Crucial Role of Thomas Romney Robinson in the Rise of Astrophysics", by Barbara Becker (University of California, Irvine, USA).
For full details see: http://star.arm.ac.uk/press/2011/Starlight110606_pr.html
   Admission to the lecture is by ticket only, owing to space limitations. For your free ticket to the lecture, please contact Mrs Aileen McKee at the Armagh Observatory, Tel. 028-3752-2928; Fax: 028-3752-7174; or e-mail: ambn@arm.ac.uk.

 

4. TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE MOON: There will be a Total Lunar Eclipse on 15 June. The eclipse begins before the Moon rises from Ireland, and in fact totality will end shortly after it rises over most of the country, whereas the far North and West won't even see any totality - it will just have ended as the Moon rises from there.

   The Moon will be rising almost due SE over most of the country, so look there as the sun sets (almost directly opposite the setting Sun).

   If it's clear, you'll see the Moon rising as a very pale red disc unless the sky is hazy, in which case you may not see it at all until it gets a bit higher and brighter. Then as totality ends you'll see the Earth's shadow gradually pass off the disc, and the moon will gradually get brighter and resume its more normal appearance.

   The Irish Astronomical Association (IAA) will be holding an 'Eclipse-watch' and BBQ at the car park at Scrabo, just outside Newtownards, Co Down. This should give a spectacular view of the Moon rising over Strangford Lough. The Moon rises from there at 21.54 BST, so be there from about 8.0 if you want to join in the BBQ (bring ALL your own stuff!), or from about 9.30 if you just want to set up a telescope or camera for the eclipse itself. Admission free to all. Obviously this event is weather-dependent, so check the IAA website that day to see if it's going ahead. www.irishastro.org.

 

5. IAA PUBLIC EVENT AT GLENAVY, Saturday 18 June. The Irish Astronomical Association will be running a public astronomy day at Glenavy, Co Antrim on Saturday 18 June, at the request of the Glenavy Development Commission. We will have a Stardome mobile planetarium, and lots of telescopes and binoculars and meteorites on display, and will be doing solar observing if it's clear. This event will run from 11.00 to 16.00. Full details will be on the IAA website www.irishastro.org.

 

6. Solarfest, Dunsink, 18 June. IFAS, in conjunction with Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS) www.dias.ie are organising a one-day event in Dublin to celebrate solar astronomy. Solarfest 2011 will take place at Dunsink Observatory, Dublin. We are very grateful to DIAS for supporting the event and entry is FREE. Speakers so far confirmed include:
John Flannery (SDAS): "The Story of Sunspots"
Dr. Ian Elliott: "Solar Activity and our Climate"
Steve Roche (Deise): Solar Photography Workshop
Trinity College Dublin will also be providing speakers at the event - details TBC shortly.

Weather permitting, we will have solar observing also. A tour of the facility will also take place for those who haven't seen the observatory and the 12" Grubb refractor.
   Spaces are limited to 60 seats. Applications for tickets must be sent to ifas.solarfest@gmail.com by June 5th.
Tickets are on a first come first served basis. Please state in the e-mail how many tickets you would like. After this date, seats will be opened up to members of the public.

7. IAA MIDSUMMER BBQ, Saturday 25 June: The Irish Astronomical Association's annual midsummer BBQ will be returning to one of its most popular locations this year - the beautiful grounds of Armagh Observatory.

   There will be a tour of the Observatory, which we hope will include the new 'State of the Art' robotic telescope, and the world-famous Human Orrery, and the fascinating Astropark and 'Hill of Infinity'. We may also have a quiz and or/other competitions.

  We will aim to eat around 4 p.m., and finish about 6 p.m.

   We will have at least one large gazebo to provide shelter if necessary.

   Admission is free to all IAA members and guests, but bring all your own food and drink, and eating items (cutlery, plates, glasses (preferably plastic), BBQ tongs etc if you have them) and folding chairs or waterproof rugs. We will provide the actual BBQs for cooking.

   Please let me know by 24 June if you are planning to attend, so we will have some idea of numbers.

   If the weather looks like being really bad, check the IAA website in advance to see if it will be going ahead or not. www.irishastro.org.

8. BCO EVENTS: Have an astronomically good summer at Blackrock Castle Observatory's popular Annual Space Camp where kids 8 - 12 to use science and engineering to explore the universe. Find out about life as an astronaut, the solar system and the search for alien life. For full details of this, and the rest of the BCO programme, see: www.bco.ie

 

9. Space workshops for teachers
Science teachers in Ireland may be interested in a free workshop being run by the European Space Agency in the Netherlands this July. The deadline for applications is 5 June 2011 - find out more about the workshops at www.science.ie. workshops.
   And the European Space Education Resource Office Ireland is offering places for primary school teachers on five-day professional development courses in Cork and Armagh this summer. Check out the SERO courses at www.science.ie E

 

10. JOINING the IRISH ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION is now even easier: This link downloads a Word document to join the IAA. http://irishastro.org.uk/iaamembership.doc.  See also www.irishastro.org. 

 

Clear skies,
 
Terry Moseley
 

Armagh Lecture, Eclipse, IAA @ Glenavy, Solarfest, IAA/BBQ, BCO Events, Teachers

 

 1. Public Lecture, ARMAGH OBSERVATORY:  Monday 6th June, 11:30 am, Armagh Observatory Library.
"Unravelling Starlight: William Huggins and the Crucial Role of Thomas Romney Robinson in the Rise of Astrophysics", by Barbara Becker (University of California, Irvine, USA).
For full details see: http://star.arm.ac.uk/press/2011/Starlight110606_pr.html
   Admission to the lecture is by ticket only, owing to space limitations. For your free ticket to the lecture, please contact Mrs Aileen McKee at the Armagh Observatory, Tel. 028-3752-2928; Fax: 028-3752-7174; or e-mail: ambn@arm.ac.uk.

 

2. TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE MOON: There will be a Total Lunar Eclipse on 15 June. The eclipse begins before the Moon rises from Ireland, and in fact totality will end shortly after it rises over most of the country, whereas the far North and West won't even see any totality - it will just have ended as the Moon rises from there.

   The Moon will be rising almost due SE over most of the country, so look there as the sun sets (almost directly opposite the setting Sun).

   If it's clear, you'll see the Moon rising as a very pale red disc unless the sky is hazy, in which case you may not see it at all until it gets a bit higher and brighter. Then as totality ends you'll see the Earth's shadow gradually pass off the disc, and the moon will gradually get brighter and resume its more normal appearance.

   The Irish Astronomical Association (IAA) will be holding an 'Eclipse-watch' and BBQ at the car park at Scrabo, just outside Newtownards, Co Down. This should give a spectacular view of the Moon rising over Strangford Lough. The Moon rises from there at 21.54 BST, so be there from about 8.0 if you want to join in the BBQ (bring ALL your own stuff!), or from about 9.30 if you just want to set up a telescope or camera for the eclipse itself. Admission free to all. Obviously this event is weather-dependent, so check the IAA website that day to see if it's going ahead. www.irishastro.org.

 

3. IAA PUBLIC EVENT AT GLENAVY, Saturday 18 June. The Irish Astronomical Association will be running a public astronomy day at Glenavy, Co Antrim on Saturday 18 June, at the request of the Glenavy Development Commission. We will have a Stardome mobile planetarium, and lots of telescopes and binoculars and meteorites on display, and will be doing solar observing if it's clear. This event will run from 11.00 to 16.00. Full details will be on the IAA website www.irishastro.org.

 

4. Solarfest, Dunsink, 18 June. IFAS, in conjunction with Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS) www.dias.ie are organising a one-day event in Dublin to celebrate solar astronomy. Solarfest 2011 will take place at Dunsink Observatory, Dublin. We are very grateful to DIAS for supporting the event and entry is FREE. Speakers so far confirmed include:
John Flannery (SDAS): "The Story of Sunspots"
Dr. Ian Elliott: "Solar Activity and our Climate"
Steve Roche (Deise): Solar Photography Workshop
Trinity College Dublin will also be providing speakers at the event - details TBC shortly.

Weather permitting, we will have solar observing also. A tour of the facility will also take place for those who haven't seen the observatory and the 12" Grubb refractor.
   Spaces are limited to 60 seats. Applications for tickets must be sent to ifas.solarfest@gmail.com by June 5th.
Tickets are on a first come first served basis. Please state in the e-mail how many tickets you would like. After this date, seats will be opened up to members of the public.

5. IAA MIDSUMMER BBQ, Saturday 25 June: The Irish Astronomical Association's annual midsummer BBQ will be returning to one of its most popular locations this year - the beautiful grounds of Armagh Observatory.

   There will be a tour of the Observatory, which we hope will include the new 'State of the Art' robotic telescope, and the world-famous Human Orrery, and the fascinating Astropark and 'Hill of Infinity'. We may also have a quiz and or/other competitions.

  We will aim to eat around 4 p.m., and finish about 6 p.m.

   We will have at least one large gazebo to provide shelter if necessary.

   Admission is free to all IAA members and guests, but bring all your own food and drink, and eating items (cutlery, plates, glasses (preferably plastic), BBQ tongs etc if you have them) and folding chairs or waterproof rugs. We will provide the actual BBQs for cooking.

   Please let me know by 24 June if you are planning to attend, so we will have some idea of numbers.

   If the weather looks like being really bad, check the IAA website in advance to see if it will be going ahead or not. www.irishastro.org.

6. BCO EVENTS: Have an astronomically good summer at Blackrock Castle Observatory's popular Annual Space Camp where kids 8 - 12 to use science and engineering to explore the universe. Find out about life as an astronaut, the solar system and the search for alien life. For full details of this, and the rest of the BCO programme, see: www.bco.ie

 

7. Space workshops for teachers
Science teachers in Ireland may be interested in a free workshop being run by the European Space Agency in the Netherlands this July. The deadline for applications is 5 June 2011 - find out more about the workshops at www.science.ie. workshops.
   And the European Space Education Resource Office Ireland is offering places for primary school teachers on five-day professional development courses in Cork and Armagh this summer. Check out the SERO courses at www.science.ie E

 

8. JOINING the IRISH ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION is now even easier: This link downloads a Word document to join the IAA. http://irishastro.org.uk/iaamembership.doc.  See also www.irishastro.org. 

 

Clear skies,
 
Terry Moseley
 
.