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2015 Royal Irish Academy McCrea Lecture at QUB

 

As well as the Dublin event, this lecture will now also be delivered in Belfast – details as follows….
 
Are Comets the Givers and Takers of Life?
 
Professor Monica Grady CBE, Faculty of Science, The Open University
 
Friday 26th June, 7pm in the Larmor Lecture Theatre, Queen’s University Belfast
 
Professor of Planetary and Space Science at the Open University, Monica Grady was part of the Rosetta science team at mission control when the landing of the Philae space probe occurred. In her talk she will introduce the topic of comets and explain why some people think they may have led to life on Earth and possibly its destruction through mass extinctions. She will also give personal account of the Rosetta Mission, her involvement in it, and report on some of its latest results.
 
There is no attendance fee for this presentation, but as we expect this talk to be very popular we are requesting that all people who will attend to register at the following website:
https://star.pst.qub.ac.uk/wiki/doku.php/public/outreach/mccrea2015
 
We Look forward to seeing you there
Prof. Alan Fitzsimmons and Dr. Ernst de Mooij
on behalf of the Local Organising Committee
Queen’s University Belfast

Membership now open for 2015/16 season

New Memberships bought from now onwards are valid until 31st August 2016 so join now and get the Summer Events and an additional Stardust magazine included – 15 Months for the price of 12! Join here……

Membership of the IAA costs £20 (€25) per year for Individual Membership or £25 (€30) per year for Family Membership (all members of a family at one address) from September to August and entitles members to attend all IAA events including our regular speaker programme. Also, there are four issues of the IAA magazine "Stardust" produced annually and these will be delivered to your home address.

 

 

AGM 2015, New Council Elected, Fitzgerald Award

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!"

Annual General Meeting – Weds 15th April

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!

IAA Outreach Event at Cullyhanna, Co Armagh Saturday 11th April

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.
 

IAA public lecture: 1st April 7.30 p.m.- Kate Russo, Andy McCrea and IAA Members: “The Great Solar Eclipse of 20th March”

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.

Friday 27th March – “Night at the Museum – Moon, Venus, and Jupiter at Bangor Castle”

The Irish Astronomical Association will be holding another of our very popular astronomy evenings at the Museum beside Bangor Castle, on Friday evening, 27th March, at 7.00 p.m. 
 
Once again we'll have a selection of powerful telescopes and binoculars for viewing the night sky, an exhibition, short astronomy and space films, a selection of meteorites (rocks from space) which you can actually hold, and of course the Stardome mobile planetarium just in case of bad weather. And you'll have a chance to meet our own 'Ulsternaut', Derek Heatly from Groomsport, who is booked to fly into space with Virgin Galactic. Admission £1, with no extra charge for the stardome shows
 
There will be free shows in the Stardome at 7.00, 7.45, 8.30 and 9.15, and these MUST be booked in advance by ringing the Museum at 028 9127 1200.
 
The highlight will be a spectacular Moon high in the sky, providing jaw-dropping views in the telescopes. In addition we will get a great view of –
 
Giant Jupiter, the largest planet in the Solar System, with its four large Moons;
 
The 'Evening Star', the brightest 'star' in the sky, which is actually Venus;
 
Fascinating Mars, where the search for life goes on;
 
and spectacular starry sights like Orion, the Seven Sisters, and the Great Andromeda Galaxy.
  
All those of course are weather dependent.

 

http://www.northdownmuseum.com/What-s-On/Stars-and-Mars,-Moon-and-Jupitar-@-Night-at-the-Mu

Solar Eclipse 20th March 2015 – Observing Events

 

 

On the morning of 20th March 2015 the North Atlantic Ocean will experience a Solar Eclipse. Along a narrow path through the ocean, making landfall in only two places, The Faroe Islands and Svalbard, the eclipse will be Total. Throughout the UK and Ireland there will be a Deep Partial Eclipse of the Sun peaking at around 09:30. At this time approximately 93.1% of the Sun will be obscured in Belfast, and a little more, 94.4%, will be obscured on the North Coast.

 

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

At no time during a partial eclipse is it safe to look at the Sun directly – viewing even 7% or even less of the Sun will cause serious eye damage!

Here are three guides to safe Solar viewing….

British Astronomical Association

Irish Federation of Astronomical Societies

Society for Popular Astronomy

 

IAA Events

We will be holding a number of events around the Eclipse, timed to tie in with BBC Stargazing Live 2015

Firstly, our regular lecture on Weds 18th March will feature Amateur Astronomer, Photographer and Eclipse Chaser Paul Evans. Being a veteran of three totalities and a 97% partial Paul will explain what is happening, what to see and how to see it safely. This will be held, as usual, in the Bell Theatre, QUB at 19:30 sharp.

Secondly, on the Friday morning, 20th March, we will have teams assembled at four locations to show members of the general public the eclipse. These will be (click for map)  Portballintrae, Larne, Scrabo Tower and Queen's University, Belfast.

Details of the eclipse timings and an animation can be found at Time and Date here….

Thirdly, on the evening of Friday 20th, for those who want more astronomy we will, jointly with the astronomers from QUB Astrophysics Research Centre, have a Jupiter Watch outside Queen's University, Belfast.

More on these events here…….

 

Lecture: 18th March 7:30pm QUB – Paul Evans – “The Deep Partial Solar Eclipse of 20th March 2015”

Past President of the IAA Paul Evans is a veteran of three Total Solar Eclipses, a failed observation of an Annular Eclipse and has observed a good number of Partial Eclipses including a 97% one. Here he'll explain how it all works, what we'll be seeing and how to go about seeing as much as possible as safely as possible!

 

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.