Monthly Archives: April 2015

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AGM 2015, New Council Elected, Fitzgerald Award

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Following a successful AGM we now have a New Council in place for the coming year – see here………

Following the deliberations of a sub-committee of the council, the decision was made to award the Aidan P Fitzgerald Memorial Medal this year. 

The Aidan P. Fitzgerald Memorial Medal is the prestigious award of the Irish Astronomical Association, and is named in memory of one of its leading members back in the 40's and 50's. It is presented not more than once per year for "Outstanding Service to the Association" to someone usually, but not necessarily in a Council post.

The sub-committee had a difficult task as there were a number of members who have contributed outstanding work over the past year, and indeed years, but there could be only one award, so congratulations are due to Tony Kempston!

Tony mentioned in his acceptance speech that this award is of course for his family whose contribution to the Association is immense, so congratulations to all of the Kempston family!

Many Thanks are also due to outgoing President Terry Moseley BEM – it will be a long time before a President retires after his 10th year again!

Incoming President Paul Evans said "I'd like to thank Terry for an excellent year and I'm looking forward to taking up the challenge again for my third year leading the best organisation for astronomers in the country! We'll be organsing a summer programme as well as another top lineup of speakers for the new season, and perhaps more new events too!"

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Annual General Meeting – Weds 15th April

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Wednesday 15th April marks the date of the 41st Annual General Meeting of the Association. The purposes of the meeting are to review the activities of the past year, elect a new Council for the coming year and for the Council to receive feedback from the membership on how they – that's you – would like to see the Association develop.
 
We have also had a sub-committee sitting to decide whether or not the prestigious Aidan P Fitzgerald Award should be awarded this year, and if so, who the recipient should be. This award is given no more than once a year for "Outstanding Service to the Association" and is named after one of the leading members of the Association in the 1940s and 50s.
 
By way of entertainment Tony Kempston will have his Oculus Rift Virtual Reality kit set up – If you haven't had the chance to have a go on this you should!
 
The evening will finish with a Bring and Buy sale, so if you have any pieces of gear you don't use any more that could be useful to someone else, bring them along and see if a deal can be done!
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IAA Outreach Event at Cullyhanna, Co Armagh Saturday 11th April

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The biggest and the brightest planets and the stars will be coming to Cullyhanna in South Armagh on the evening of Saturday 11 April, when the Irish Astronomical Association will be bringing their powerful telescopes to the Community Centre at Cullyhanna.
 
This is a wonderful place to view the night sky, well away from the light pollution from towns and cities. Given clear skies, the public will be able to marvel at Venus, the brilliant, beautiful Evening Star, and Jupiter, the giant planet of our Solar System, big enough to hold 1,000 Earths, together with its four bright moons.
 
We will also be showing beautiful coloured double stars, star clusters like the Pleiades or Seven Sisters, and the amazing Orion Nebula where stars and planets are now being born. Also marvel at the incredible Andromeda Galaxy, the big sister of our own Milky Way Galaxy, containing at least 200 thousand million stars! It's so far away that its light, travelling at 300,000 kilometres per second, takes 2.5 million years to reach us. And yet you can see it with your own eyes – the most distant thing you can ever see without a telescope!
 
We will also be presenting fascinating and entertaining starshows in the Stardome portable planetarium (courtesy of Armagh Planetarium) an exhibition including meteorites (rocks which have come to Earth from Outer Space).
 
And there will be a display of telescopes and binoculars, and you can see and get advice on what type would be best to get. 
 
There will also be a Help Section – if you already have a telescope, but need help on setting it up and using it, bring it along and our experts will help you.
 
So even if it is cloudy, there will be plenty to see and do.
 
Start time: 7.00 p.m.
 
Admission is free, but admission for the Stardome shows must be booked in advance, at www.ringofgullion.com, or Email: info@ringofgullion.org, tel. 028 3082 8594.
 
The location is 54d 7' 29" N, 6d 34' 42" W. It's on Tullynavall Rd,  the road from Cullyhanna towards Dundalk
 
The best route is to –
1. Take the A25 Camlough Road from Newry.
2. Keep on that A25 road through Camlough and on towards Newtownhamilton.
3. After you go though the little village of Belleek (NOT the one in Fermanagh, for those with Satnav!), take 3rd on left into CARRICKROVADDY ROAD.
4. Proceed along that road, (ignoring a fork to the left) for about 2.5 / 3m.
5. At a sort of staggered X-roads at a farmhouse, keep straight on (i.e. a left & immediate right)
6. Just after that, turn LEFT at junction with main A29 road.
7. Then in about 0.5m take NEXT RIGHT – DRUMALT RD.
8. Follow this a short distance towards Cullyhanna village
9. Entering the village, take First Left – that's TULLYNAVALL Rd.
10. The CC is a short distance along that road, as you leave the village, on the Right.
 
Cullyhanna will probably be signposted once you are through Belleek.
 
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IAA public lecture: 1st April 7.30 p.m.- Kate Russo, Andy McCrea and IAA Members: “The Great Solar Eclipse of 20th March”

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Since Kate Russo and Terry Moseley were beaten by clouds in the Faroes, there will be a slight change in presentation compared with the planned format.- Kate will give an account of our experience in the Faroes, and Dr Andy McCrea who was lucky enough to get a last minute cancellation for a seat on a high altitude jet flight to see it, will give his account & show his amazing photos.
 
There will be short presentations by other IAA members who led or helped at our local events, all of which had at least some success, and some were really good!
 
 
The lecture is free and open to all, including free refreshments. Venue: Bell Lecture Theatre, Physics Building, Queen's University, Belfast, at 7.30 p.m. 
 
 
Thanks to the Astrophysics Research Centre, QUB, for help in hosting these lectures.