Prof. Gerry Gilmore will give the Michael West Spring 2014 lecture on "GAIA mission and the origin of the Milky Way".

Please note the following:-

This lecture will take place in the Larmor Theatre accessed by the West side of the Physics Dept towards the Whitla Hall

Also, this meeting commences at 7pm, not our normal 7:30pm!

If you are an IAA member you need only say so on the door, however if you are not a member you need to register here…

A change of venue for this event – to The Ulster Folk and Transport Museum, Cultra. Running from 5pm-10pm, this evening includes a full range of events – see the night sky through telescopes guided by expert members of the IAA, Stardome shows provided by the IAA and Armagh Planetarium, ask questions of professional astronomers from QUB, comet making and activities by W5 and others!

The full programme of events is available as a PDF download here….http://documents.irishastro.org.uk/sgl2014.pdf

Outdoor events are of course weather dependent but we are hoping for clear skies so do wear warm clothes including hats, gloves and scarves.

Supernovae are just about the biggest explosions in the universe, and certainly the biggest that we are ever likely to see. Not only that, but they create all the elements above iron in the periodic table, many of which, such as nickel, zinc, selenium, and iodine, are essential for human life. They are also the key element in the 'distance ladder' used in large scale astrophysics and cosmology, as they are used to measure the distance to distant galaxies and galaxy clusters.

It's from studying distant supernovae that scientists now believe that the expansion of the universe is speeding up, leading to the theory of 'dark energy'. In other words, it's hard to think of any other single phenomena that's more important in modern astrophysics and cosmology.

This lecture will be a fascinating account of one of the cutting edge areas of modern astronomy.
    
The lecture is free and open to all, including free refreshments. Venue: the 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.

The IAA and the Astrophysics Research Centre at QUB are proud to announce a “Moon & Jupiter Watch” on Tuesday 7 January 2014 in association with BBC Stargazing Live 2014. Come along after dark to the front of the iconic Lanyon building at Queen's, and use one of the telescopes there to view our nearest neighbour, the moon, before we turn our attention to catch the largest planet in the solar system, Jupiter, as it rises later in the evening.

In the event of cloudy skies, a lecture on Aurorae will take place in the Larmor Theatre.

Full details on this event, including registration for the lecture if it takes place are here…..

See pictures from last year's event here….

Yes, the astro-social event of the year is almost upon us again. It's the usual popular and successful format: We meet at 5.30 for 6.00 for a meal at McBride's restaurant, The Square, Comber, Co Down for a buffet meal, then we go to the nearby Tudor Private Cinema for a private showing of one of the latest SF films Wall-E, along with seasonal refreshments.  Cost: £15 for adults, £7.00 for children.  For those who can't go to the meal, the cost for the film and the refreshments at the Tudor cinema is £7 for adults and £3.50 for children; that kicks off at 7.30 p.m.

The Irish Astronomical Association, in conjunction with Mourne Heritage Trust, presents a free public astronomy evening, at the Ranger's Office, Silent Valley, Kilkeel, on Sunday 8 December, at 6:30pm.

This is a superb site with very little light pollution, and amazing views of the night sky.

Once again we'll have a selection of powerful telescopes and binoculars for viewing the night sky, an illustrated lecture on the wonders of the night sky and the mysteries of the universe, an exhibition, short astronomy and space films, and a selection of meteorites (rocks from space) which you can actually hold. 

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. And there should also be two spectacularly bright Iridium Flares. All those of course are weather dependant.

These are always very popular events, so book early with the Mourne Heritage Trust: Contact – Emma Cunningham | Project Officer | Mourne Heritage Trust, Mourne Heritage Trust, Newcastle Centre, Donard Room, 10-14 Central Promenade, NEWCASTLE, BT33 0AA, 028 4372 4059 Fax: 028 4372 6493, mht@mourne.co.uk. Direct Email: emma.cunningham@mourne.co.uk.  Web: http://www.mournelive.com, http://twitter.com/Mournelive, http://www.facebook.com/Mournelive

The IAA will present another public astronomy evening at Lough Neagh Discovery Centre, Oxford Island, near Lurgan, on the evening of Saturday 7 December.

'Supper with the Stars':  Join the Irish Astronomical Association for a spectacular evening of night-skygazing and culinary delights at the Lough Neagh Discovery Centre. The event starts with an optional supper first at the Loughside cafe, at 6.30 p.m.

The celestial highlight of the evening will be a really spectacular Crescent Moon, and fascinating Jupiter with its four large Galilean moons, Mars, Saturn, plus a lot more! All this is of course weather dependent.

There will also be free star shows in a mobile planetarium, provided courtesy of Armagh Planetarium (http://www.armaghplanet.com), commencing at 7.15pm, and an exhibition of the best photos taken by the Hubble Space Telescope and the best ground-based observatories plus some amazing ones by IAA members, a display of telescopes and binoculars, and some amazing meteorites. So there's plenty to see and do, even if it's cloudy. You can also meet the first Ulsterman to be going into space; he has already booked his launch into space with Virgin Galactic.

Booking is essential for this event. Please contact the Interpretative team at the Lough Neagh Discovery Centre on 028 3831 1673 / 028 3832 1671 for further details and to book a place. Web: http://www.oxfordisland.com/

We all know the Milky Way as that band of light across the sky (when we can see it, away from all the light pollution), marking the millions of stars in the plane of the galaxy. But we can also study it in other wavelengths, from radio waves to the higher energy bands of extreme ultraviolet, X-Rays and Gamma Rays.

These reveal an amazing array of fantastic objects and structures, which will be the topic of this lecture.

The lecture is free and open to all, including free refreshments. Venue: the 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.