Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Deadly Moons and Spacemen at Draiocht Arts Centre and Send a Message to Venus



Messages From Earth

Send your Message to Venus on Akatsuki


http://planetary.org/special/fromearth/akatsuki

ARTstronomy at Draiocht
If you are out Christmas shopping in Blanchardstown
drop into Draiocht Arts Centre to see Deadly Moons and Spacemen
This beautiful expression of work by local school children will really impress. Draiocht is open Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 6pm admission is free
A video about this community art project is here below.















"I learned that Science and Art can mix"



A sentence written by one of the young
children taking part. Many thanks to Sarah Beirne
and staff at Draiocht for the very professional manor in which the work is displayed.





Monday, December 7, 2009















Deadly Moons Art Astronomy workshop
at Draiocht Arts Centre

One of the many beautiful images created in Draiocht Arts Centre just prior to Science Week . Scoil Oilibheir , St Frances Xivier NS , Scoil Bhirde Cailini in Blanchardstown took part .

This drawing of Atlas with its mother planet Saturn as a backdrop was drawn by a young child who attended my Deadly Moon workshop.

Using soft pastels this child reproduced with great visual intuitiveness one of Cassini's many images. Over 80 individual drawings were produced during the workshops. The same children had an opportunity to visit Dunsink Observatory during Science Week. Then they had a follow up series of arts visits by Anne Kelly who helped them produce 3D works based on the whole experience.

Feel free to visit this unique exhibition at Draiocht between Dec 14th and Jan 14th.
The launch is at 7:30 pm on Monday Dec 14th all welcome . 01 8852622
http://www.draiocht.ie/index.php


What's Up for December 2009
Many thanks to Jane Houston Jones
for these little gems throughout the year.
The beautiful Orion Nebula features .




Thursday, November 19, 2009

A peep into my Science Week























Our Moon in False color by a four year old
from Rathfarnham Educate Together Junior School.
A lot of color and energy in small children's work, they get on with the drawings and are delighted to produce something. Most children taking part in my workshops were between 8 and 12 years old.

November 9th to November 15th was Science Week 2009.
I offered my drawing workshops and talks. Hundreds of children
took part in my drawing events in various venues
mostly libraries, in Dublin City ,Dunsink Observatory, Monaghan , Drogheda ,Bunclody, New Ross,Malahide, Ballyfermot, Rathfarnham ,Blanchardstown,Oldcastle and Navan.

Here are just a few exceptional drawings that I would like
to share with you. They are wonderful for several reasons
either the child was very young or was particularly interested
and produced a great piece on the day.
In both workshops Deadly Moons or Rapid Rockets & Wicked Robots
the children only have half an hour for the drawing section.

Apollo 11 Splashdown
by an 8 yr old
in Malahide Library
during Science Week

All drawings in pastel
on black paper.
We share drawing methods
fun and learning together.





We shared our colors
We share our ideas
We share paper
We share our knowledge

A lot of children under 12
knew Neil Armstrong was
the first man on the moon.

A few knew Buzz Aldrin
and two children named
Michael Collins , amazing !!!

We talk about Apollo
We talk about LCROSS
We talk about ice on the moon.
We talk about future moon bases and vehicles.
We talk about viewing Jupiter
We talk about The European Space Agency
We talk about Our Sun , Our Moon , Our Solar System
We talk about Our beautiful Earth














A young child draws the Huygens Probe landing on Saturn's moon Titan at a session in Drogheda Library.I was really impressed by the attention to detail some children gave in the short time frame available.


Most children had never heard
of Cassini or Huygens.

Most children were not aware
that there are robots on Mars.

It is important to share space exploration
as it is happening .

One or two children knew about LCROSS
Most children knew about Galileo
but most had never heard of International Year of Astronomy 2009 . They have now.


Mars Science Laboratory
Curiosity by an 8 year old in Malahide Library You can join these little Irish space artists and send your name to Mars on Curiosity here

http://marsparticipate.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/participate/sendyourname/


Everyone who attended my talks or workshops were invited to send their names to Mars.





The New Lunar Exploration Rover
by a child in Navan Library
Here is the link to the Constellation Program back to the Moon
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/constellation/main/index.html

NASA has developed a rover to explore the Moon and Mars eventually.
Watch and be in TOTAL AWE

http://www.youtube.com/user/NASAanalogTV

http://www.youtube.com/user/NASAanalogTV#p/c/E364BF268AC691BB/5/KdWGgialfjM

You can catch up on all
Science Week events here
http://www.scienceweek.ie/index.asp




Sunday, October 25, 2009

Interview with Dr Brian O'Halloran an Irish Scientist working on the Herschel Space Telescope



Dr Brian O'Halloran was interviewed by Deirdre Kelleghan
at Dunsink Observatory.Dr O'Halloran was the IAS guest
speaker on October 19th 2009, he kindly agreed to this
interview a few minutes before he delivered his presentation.

The interview was recorded with a mobile phone so
turn up the sound for best hearing.

The talk on the Herschel Space Telescope was excellent
and it was great to hear about Brian's work on SPIRE

You can follow Herschel at The European Space Agency here


You can follow Herschel on Twitter here


The interview will be broadcast on Phoenix 92.5FM
October 31st Saturday at 3:15 pm.
The station broadcasts to Dublin 15.

Irish Astronomical Society Events coming up


October 30th Free Public Observing at the Martello Tower Car
Park Sandymount 8pm - 10pm. Someone will be there to talk
to you no matter what the weather is like.
Telephone 0876398143


November 16th Telescope workshop
in Dunsink Observatory 8pm. If you want to get the best out
of your scope or have a new scope and
would like to get to know how to use it , come along and we will help you out.


The ESO education
and Public Outreach Department

The Jewel Box Star Cluster.

The combination of images taken by three exceptional telescopes,
the ESO Very Large Telescope on Cerro Paranal , the MPG/ESO
2.2-metre telescope at ESO’s La Silla observatory and the
NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, has allowed the
stunning Jewel Box star cluster to be seen in a whole new light.

The release, images and video are available on
http://www.eso.org/public/outreach/press-rel/pr-2009/pr-40-09.html


Whats Up for October 2009
The Andromeda Galaxy


Thursday, October 15, 2009

Stunning Mars Image for you - Herschel Exclusive at Dunsink





A wonderful explanation of this stunning image from the surface of Mars by Phil Platt
can be found here http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/category/astronomy/ click the link and read it.
Much more on the HiRSE website here http://www.uahirise.org/

The incredible Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter’s HiRISE camera took the image

What can I say about this image ? it shouts out a story, it seeks and deserves our
attention , it brings focus to our spirit , and helps us wrap ourselves in the fabric
and the beauty of the surface of this awesome planet.


If you are up early in the morning ( Oct 16th) Venus , Saturn and Mercury will join
a lovely crescent moon on the eastern horizon 07:00 enjoy






Don't forget Monday October 19th in Dunsink, e mail John Murphy
to reserve a seat . johnmurphy474@gmail.com

See you there

Deirdre

Wednesday, September 30, 2009



Cassini Scientist for a Day Essay Competition

WOW !! A really cool competition open to all students in Ireland

(11 to 18 years).

Just 500 words on why Cassini should image either Saturn and its Rings, Tethy's and Saturns Rings or Titan Saturn's largest moon.

So if you are a teacher , have a good read and a good look at the video's and requirements.

Perhaps you have a budding scientist sitting in your class room ? Feel free to pass on this information to a teacher or a pupil you know .

Prizes include vouchers for Amazon, a trip to London and, if you’re specific target is chosen, Cassini itself will take an image of your chosen subject!

The Cassini Mission to Saturn and Titan is one of the greatest exploration missions of our time.

This is your chance to be part of this wonderful science experience.



All information regarding the Cassini Scientist for a Day Essay Competition re Ireland www.maths.qmul.ac.uk/schools/cassini

Watch all the videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/CassiniScientist4Day#play/uploads/0/nrn4hPdY6KU


Deadline for submission in Ireland is 30th Oct
Good Luck

Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies - Statutory Lecture 2009 Oct 12th 2009 8pm UCD


All from Nothing: the structuring of our UniverseTelescopes are time-machines. They allow us to see into the distant past. Our deepest images show the Universe not as it is today, but as it was just 400,000 years after the Big Bang. At that time there were no galaxies, no stars, no planets,
no people, no familiar elements other than hydrogen and helium. The cosmos contained
nothing but weak sound waves in a near-uniform fog. Spercomputers can compress thirteen billion years of cosmic evolution into a few months of calculation to show how these sound waves
developed into the rich structure we see around us today. A study of their harmonic content gives clues to their origin. They appear to be an echo of quantum zero-point fluctuations occurring a tiny fraction of a second after the Big Bang. Thusour
entire world may be a consequence of the nature of this early vacuum.
In a very real sense, everything may have come from nothing.

Lecture Theater C005
Health Sciences Building
University College Dublin
October 12th 2009 8 p.m.
Professor Simon D.M. White
Director at the Max Plank Institute for Astrophysics

Irish Astronomical Society October Talk
- All welcome its free
click on the image see it large




Lets DO It in the Park again

October 22nd - Wicklow Mountains National Park - 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm - Upper Lake Car Park

A call for telescopes and their people to help show our moon , Jupiter's moons
and the lovely Jupiter to the public in the park .

Our last major public outreach event 100 Hours of Astronomy brought amateur astronomers
in this country together to share the night sky with the public. What an incredible amount of public service astronomy went on that week in April .

We all learned from that very positive experience , and now we have the opportunity to to do it again and build on what we learned.

Let me know asap if you are taking part and what you intend to do in your area. No need to get complicated , just share the sky in your neighbourhood . Watch the IFAS forum for updates
http://www.irishastronomy.org/cms/



A familiar voice talks Stars


@365DaysOfAstro Sept. 30 podcast: The Delight of Stars by Brother Guy Consolmagno http://bit.ly/YYhpM


The Exhibition Gallery at Birr Castle Science Centre

Images by Bernard Kelleghan

In the Footsteps of Galileo an exhibition of astronomical sketches
has opened in Birr Castle Science Centre Co Offaly.

The exhibition displays 51 observational sketches by astronomers
from all over the world, and over 100 children's moon drawings .


A lovely mixed audience of astronomers, artists , educators , children
and the general public attended the launch .

Dr Carolina Odman International Program Manager for UNAWE ie Universe Awareness for Young Children opened the exhibition for me, and gave a talk on UNAWE's teachings to young children about the scale and beauty of the universe.


The Seventh Earl of Rosse spoke about the uniqueness of
the exhibition and said
"it's a pleasure to see In the Footsteps of Galileo
in the shadow of the Leviathan."

I said a few words on behalf of the contributors and also spoke
about astronomical drawing , why we do it ,
the learning through observation experience, that brings the subject to the page.


Sir Patrick Moore who has donated six sketches to the display sent
a message of good will with regrets for been unable to attend himself.

To my great delight Lord Rosse framed four original sketches from
his ancestor The 3rd Earl of Rosse .
These sketches include the world famous Whirlpool Galaxy
and the Crab Nebula sketched using the Leviathan.



The Seventh Earl of Rosse on his knees before
the Whirlpool Galaxy sketched by his ancestor
The Third Earl . Deirdre Kelleghan , Dr Carolina Odman
and Lady Rosse look on



Children's moon drawings from Dublin, Louth, Cork, Offaly
New York and elsewhere add to the International flavor


The Exhibition runs till November 1st 2009 and is
open everyday from 9 am - 6 pm

Friday, September 11, 2009

Falling Man

Remembering The Falling Man 911

Across the entire global community there seems to be no alignment of agreement on ethics in relation to the journalistic press or the photo journalistic press. There are varying degrees of  guidelines and principles for all the strata of output in the media in the twenty first century.

The cultural evolution theory developed by the nineteenth century anthropologist Lewis Henry Morgan is a stiff ethnocentric model that I found difficult to place over any society in the world. He put forward the idea that societies developed from the first stage of savagery onto barbarism then finally reaching civilization.

I found this view a little narrow and a little shallow until I began to focus on the microcosm of society that is the world’s press, in this context the model sat very well.
All aspects of Morgan’s cultural evolution theory reside in both the shallowness and depths of the worlds printed and broadcast media. From tabloids to broadsheets, from rolling news to in-depth reports directly from the centre of disasters and war.

The savage, the barbarian, and the civilized exist together. These various media formats feed us their view of world events static and unfolding. The savage paparazzi, who dive to lower and lower depths of unethical behavior to achieve images for reward. The barbaric photojournalism of war, human suffering and the occasional attempt at civility by the more ethically sensitive media. Some at least try to find a balance towards the honor of the individual and human dignity.

It is a fact that a picture paints a thousand words. A photograph is revealing to the viewer and revealing of its subject. One image still etched in my mind as regards ethical issues and the privacy of the individual is the 2001 image of “The Falling Man” .

This image appeared in newspapers across the globe in the day’s post 911; it is heralded as an iconic image in the same vain as the Unknown Soldier.

In a documentary made at the time, it was put forward as a heroic image of an American in an elegant gracefully fall.

The fact is, this is an image of a man in the last few seconds of his life. A very private moment stolen by the click, click, click, of a press photographer. The photojournalist job that day was to get exclusive graphic images to sell to the networks.

Now, one could argue that the latter was perhaps in the public interest or that the public has a right to know allowing ethical considerations being overridden.

Journalism and the freedom of the press has an ethnology all of its own. The victim falling to his death on 911 did not go to work to become an icon of a tragic day.
It is unfortunate how a murdered man becomes a reluctant hero in his dying moments and this somehow brings a badge of honor to the photojournalist who captured this barbarism.

The photograph was subsequently used to eventfully identify the man but that also brought up issues which evoked anger and shame. Somehow the people who fell from the twin towers that day became referred to as jumpers. This implied that they committed suicide which some people associated with shame.

Journalists and photojournalists have a responsibility to bring us news, to investigate on our behalf. They also have a responsibility to attempt to achieve equilibrium between their story gathering abilities and the right to the privacy and dignity of an individual.

Where is the point that people must relinquish their privacy as they perhaps become celebrities? If you rise your head above the parapet you are it seems, automatically relieved of autonomy over your private life. Moral sensitivity good taste and compassion are required on the part of journalists especially when they are reporting about victims of accidents or other tragedies.

If you die because of an act of terrorism and your dying image is captured on film you become an overnight celebrity, a hero, an icon, somehow transmuted from an ordinary individual to someone owned by the world? In your life perhaps you were an unremarkable person and in your death you become a moral dilemma, something to be honed and cooked up into a media offering for the masses to digest.

RIP to all victims of 911

Thursday, August 13, 2009

ALCON 2009 New York

Viewed from 37.000 feet the landscape of Canada was laced with thousands of steel blue pools. Meandering river channels etched life into a combat green background. Shoals of puffy cumulus raced beneath me in several layers, of white and grey. The Air Lingus shamrock tipped wing sliced through the atmosphere toward a New York landing.....................

Below are a few micro moments from my trip to New York for ALCON 2009

Deadly Moons Art Astronomy workshop
at The Astronomical Leagues Convention
in Hofstra University New York.
Deadly Moons will be part of Heritage Week at Newgrange
next Saturday August 22nd details to follow.
e mail skysketcher@gmail.com

The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled.
Plutarch




Deirdre Linda and Galileo at Custer Observatory Long Island

The Amateur Observers Society of New York were my hosts
Linda Prince did a great job organising children from the
Science Camp at Hofstra and local children from her
young astronomers group to attend the workshop.
http://www.aosny.org/

A few images from my visit to ALCON in New York



Deirdre gets The Astronomical Leagues Master Outreach Award
one of 25 given out this year and the first International one :-)
Presented by Dr Mike Reynolds Outreach Chair for the League.
I do not do outreach for awards , but it was nice to get one.



Apollo 19 LEM built but never launched to the moon
on exhibit at The Cradle of Aviation Long Island NY



Biggest highlight - Seeing the Apollo 19 Lunar Lander at The Cradle of Aviation
Biggest shock - The size of the empty space at ground zero
Best fun - The Star B Q at the Custer Institute Long Island
Most satisfying - The cross cultural success of Deadly Moons
Most interesting - Hayden Planetarium and The Natural History Museum
Best building - The Guggenheim
Most extraordinary fun - Meeting Twitter followers :-)
Most beautiful - a huge Stibnite Crystal from China in the Natural History Museum
Very classy - The collection of Poetry given to all at the Star B Que
compiled by Robert Chapin published by Harvey Miller.
Very pleased with the reaction to my other two talks.
Enjoyed - The people , the friendships, the children , the heat, the scopes , the city , the transport, the food, the laughing , the learning, the fun.
Biggest giggle , the role playing at Vivian Whites workshop ( sorry Vivian we collapsed )
good workshop tho :-)






The NY children's moons on exhibition at ALCON
alongside astronomical sketches from Sir Patrick Moore CBE
Deirdre , Jane Houston Jones , Michael Portuesi , and Bill Crispeno



The outstanding Guggenheim Museum
where I saw an exhibition of drawings by Frank Lloyd Wright
with Linda Prince and Stu Parker an astronomer from New Zealand
We had a hot dog picnic in Central Park before heading to
Ground Zero, and after dinner later I was happy to join in
Music Under the Stars , a public star party at an Irish
Concert in Massapequa . We viewed the moon
and Jupiter in a variety of scopes. I gave away Eyes in the Skies DVD's from ESA :-)

http://www.hellofromearth.net/
Send a message to Gliese 581d on this website

What's Up for August 2009

Tuesday, July 28, 2009



On August 3rd I head to Hofstra University in Long Island New York for ALCON. The Astronomical League's annual convention.

The Astronomical League is the largest organisation for amateur astronomers in the world.
I am proud to be a member , or as overseas members
are described " a member at large"

Deirdre will be " at large" at their annual convention , and am delighted to be contributing to the event. with two talks and a workshop.
Details by clicking on the ALCON EXPO Logo above.

Upcoming events in
Armagh Planetarium a great day out .!!!
I recommend Manor Park Restaurant beside the observatory , very nice indeed.
French wonderful :-)
2 College Hill
Armagh, BT61 9DN, United Kingdom
028 3751 5353


The events are as follows:

1. Public Lecture "Cosmos versus Canvas: Tensions between Art and Science in Astronomy Images", 7.30 pm Tuesday 4 August 2009, in the Armagh Planetarium

Dr Jayanne English of the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada will deliver a free public lecture in the Armagh Planetarium on Tuesday 4 August at 7.30 pm. The title and brief summary of the lecture are:

"Cosmos versus Canvas: Tensions between Art and Science in Astronomy Images"

Dr English is an outstanding speaker who uses bold colour images from telescopes to act as extraordinary ambassadors for astronomers because they provoke huge curiosity in people's minds. The images are especially popular during the International Year of Astronomy, but raise the question whether the snapshots are documenting physical reality or are merely artistic "space-scapes" created by digitally manipulating astronomical images. The lecture will provide a tour of how original black and white data, for example from the Hubble Space Telescope, are converted into the familiar colour images gracing newspapers and magazines. Each image can be regarded as a battlefield where the attempt by scientists to represent their discoveries accurately all but drowns out the artistic voice of visual literacy. Yet sometimes in this battle between cultures of science and visual art, both sides win. This struggle will be presented from the perspective of a professional astronomer who has also trained as an artist.

This public lecture is part of the Armagh Observatory's programme of events to support the United Nations International Year of Astronomy 2009.

For tickets to the public lecture, please contact Neil Cullen at the Armagh Planetarium; Tel: 028-3752-4725; Fax: 028-3752-6187; email: neil@armaghplanet.com or Aileen McKee at the Armagh Observatory; Tel: 028-3752-2928; Fax: 028-3752-7174; e-mail: ambn@arm.ac.uk.


2. European Heritage Open Day, Saturday 12 September 2009

The Observatory will open its doors to visitors on Saturday 12 September as part of the annual European Heritage Open Days events organized by the Environment and Heritage Service of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency. These open days are a Europe-wide celebration of our heritage, culture and architecture. Many countries in Europe will be taking part by opening, free of charge, properties not usually accessible to the general public. Guided tours will be available at: 11:00, 12:00, 14:00, 15:00 and 16:00.


3. Public Lecture "What is Light?", 7.30 pm Thursday 17 September 2009, in the Market Place Theatre, Armagh

Leo Enright, a broadcaster on Space Exploration and Science will deliver a free public lecture in the Market Place Theatre on Thursday 17 September at 7.30 pm. The title and brief summary of the lecture are:

"What is Light?"

Leo Enright explores the history of Ireland's sometimes tenuous connection with luminosity - while naming and shaming some modern big wicks. He will focus on the importance of continuing public access to dark skies, especially during the present 'Golden Age' of astronomy, whilst noting that historically Ireland has sometimes been defined by the absence of light - as why else would the Romans have called it Hibernia?
The public lecture is being given as part of the 9th European Symposium for the Protection of the Night Sky that takes place from 17 - 19 September 2009 in the Market Place Theatre, Armagh.

For tickets to this public lecture, please contact Aileen McKee at the Armagh Observatory; Tel: 028-3752-2928; Fax: 028-3752-7174; e-mail: ambn@arm.ac.uk.


4. Public Lecture "Why Are We Here?", 8.00 pm Thursday 22 October 2009, in St. Patrick's Trian, Armagh

Dr Martin Hendry of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Glasgow will deliver a free public lecture in the Rotunda Theatre, St. Patrick's Trian, on Thursday 22 October at 8.00 pm. The title and brief summary of the lecture are:

"Why Are We Here?"

Since the dawn of civilisation human cultures have sought to understand our place in the universe, asking "big questions" about our cosmic origins. Modern cosmology provides some startling answers to these questions: not only is the universe expanding, but we believe the expansion to be accelerating - driven by a mysterious "dark energy" that challenges our ideas about gravity and the very nature of space and time. Moreover our runaway universe appears to be rather delicately balanced, in the sense that small changes in the laws of nature would result in a very different cosmos - most likely unsuitable for life like us. What does all of this mean for our cosmic origins? Is our universe unique, or do we belong to a "multiverse" - a vast ensemble of universes, each with its own laws of nature? In his lecture, Dr Hendry will explore these, and other, questions posed by the latest cosmological discoveries, and discuss what implications they might have for the existence of life in the universe.

For tickets to this public lecture, please contact Aileen McKee at the Armagh Observatory; Tel: 028-3752-2928; Fax: 028-3752-7174; e-mail: ambn@arm.ac.uk.


The BAA have a U TUBE page click here.
A familiar face here, the exuberant John Mason, several other videos on the link above.
That's all for now
Deirdre

Sunday, July 12, 2009


At Deirdre 's talk Astronomy and other COOL STUFF in Pembrook Library in Dublin July 8th
Astronomy and other COOL STUFF is a fun talk for 8yr olds + part of Dublin City Libraries Summer events. Please contact the libraries directly if you wish to come , all welcome , its free.


Still to come this month
Deadly Moons - Astronomy Art Workshop Wexford Town Library 11am July 14th
Phone +353 53 9121637


Rapid Rockets and Wicked Robots - Astronomy Art Workshop Donaghmede Library 11am
Telephone: +353 1 8482833 July 15th

Astronomy and other COOL STUFF
Finglas Library on July 16th at 11 am
Telephone: +353 1 8344906


Active Region 1024 July 6th 09:15 UT PST 40 8mm TVP eyepiece. Pastels and Staedtler Ergosoft Pencils on black paper. Seeing - Wilson Scale 3 Some very fine detail visible , the AR was not as busy as the 4th of July. The flares were less active. I just managed this one sketch before the clouds rolled in again. The AR fibrils stood out very clearly from time to time , the plage was much less vibrant than July 4th. The mottling held well defined patterns over large areas. One of the sunspots appeared larger than previous and the penumbra was visible without going up and down the bandwidth of the scope. I sketched in the spots alone first then tuned the scope to pick out the other details visible in the h alpha. That day I decided to use pencil over pastel to try to achieve as exact a sketch as I could. My drawing covers approx 100,000
square miles of the solar disc.

The link to this sketch made the front page
of Spaceweather on July 6th


There are some lectures left at TARA in July
Contact them directly,click into the image to see it larger.

That's all for now - Enjoy Jane Houston Jones What's Up for July below here

Thursday, June 25, 2009




A series of still images telling the story of a mural painted by the children of 5th class from O'Connell's Boys National School in Dublin City . Deirdre Kelleghan spoke to the children about the project and this is the result. The mural was initiated by Sarah - Jayne Reid , the school were very supportive to the whole effort.

This mural kicked off on April 23rd and finished on
Tuesday June 23rd.
I was invited to give a presentation to the children from 5th class.

Sarah-Jayne Reid a friend and Arts Facilitator kindly got me involved and it took off from there.

Sarah-Jayne helped the children to express their ideas on the wall.
I did a presentation about Apollo, Our Solar System, Robotic Exploration and some lunar and solar observing with the children.

Many thanks to the teachers and pupils from O'Connell's Boys National School for welcoming me to their classrooms. Thanks to Sarah - Jayne Reid for the invite to get involved with these very creative Dublin school children. Thanks also to Dr Carolina Odman from UNAWE for the Cornerstones interest in sharing the enthusiasm shown by these Irish children.

UNAWE Special Focus Children's Voices http://www.unawe.org/joomla/



Children enjoy the 3D images from Stereo

SOLARFEST 2009 was really good last weekend .
89 Euro was collected in lieu of HB Ice Cream for Downs Syndrome Ireland.
6 more blocks of HB Ice Cream are yet to be exchanged for euros, any takers ???? :-)


Nick Howes - Astronomy Now speaking at Dunsink during SOLARFEST
Thanks to all the speakers , the standard set a high bar for 2010.
Thanks to all who donated and to all who attended . I would hope to have a bigger
event next year with a more expansive program. Many thanks to DIAS for funding the
event , and to Hilary O Donnell for her continued support.
Thanks to Goddard Space Center for the excellent solar outreach material.



That's all for now more to come :-)

Deirdre Kelleghan - skysketcher@gmail.com
Outreach Coordinator IFAS
http://www.irishastronomy.org/
http://www.deirdrekelleghan.com/
https://twitter.com/skysketcher

Sunday, April 26, 2009


Click in to see all the venues where
National Drawing Day
will go on !! :-)
Contact details end of poster.







What's Up for May 2009 features our sun :-)



What's going on ?


Introduction to Astronomy in Ireland -

Deirdre Kelleghan Outreach Coordinator IFAS

May 12th 2009 Ballymun Library 6:30 pm

Ballymun Library, Main St., Ballymun, Dublin 1 Tel. 842 1890, Email. ballymunlibrary@dublincity.ie Free talk


Ireland and The Moon Landings: Some personal reminiscences
An illustrated talk with Professor Denis O’Sullivan of NASA, to commemorate Irish involvement in the Apollo Space missions from 1969-1972
Dublin City Library & Archive, Pearse St. - Thursday 14th May at 6.30p Booking Essential on 01 6744873. Admission Free.

National Drawing Day 2009 May 23rd
3 pm in conjunction with The National Gallery of Ireland. Dunsink Observatory Moon drawing workshop contact Deirdre 0872893828 Free


My Museum Series May 24th National Museum Kildare Street Dublin.
Deadly Moons a Moon drawing workshop for children
with Deirdre Kelleghan
Free event

Deadly Moons is an art/astronomy drawing workshop which has been absorbed into
UNAWE ie Universe Awareness for Young Children. A cornerstone project for International Year of Astronomy 2009.


Enceladus by a pupil from Scoil OilibhÊir Blanchardstown

May Events Darwin 200

________________________________


Bealtaine Festival of Outdoor Science

Location: Southeast Ireland
Date: 17th - 24th May 2009

The annual Bealtaine festival of outdoor science in the Southeast is organised by CALMAST at Waterford IT and will have as its theme this year : Biodiversity through natural selection. Over 50 events scheduled.

________________________________

Is the Human Y Chromosome Running Out of Time?

Location: Royal College of Surgeons - O'Flanagan lecture Theatre
Date: Wednesday 20 May 2009 7 pm

This year in honour of Charles Darwin's 200th year anniversary, Professor Jennifer A. Marshall Graves will give the annual RCSI outreach lecture - the theme Evolution. In this exciting lecture, Professor Jenny Graves outlines why the human Y chromosome is running out of time and how it could lose its last 45 genes in just 10 million years. What happens when SRY disappears? Would this be the end of the line for humans? Professor Graves explains the latest scientific research and discuss why, as the human Y runs out of options, new sex determining genes may evolve, potentially leading to different hominid species. Jenny is an inspirational speaker and this event promises to be one of the most entertaining events in our calendar this year.

________________________________

The X Club - Thomas Henry Huxley

Location: National Location: National Museum of Ireland - Archaeology, Kildare Street, Dublin 2
Audience: Ages 8-12
Date: Saturday 6 June 2009

Known as Darwin's Bulldog, Huxley was one of the first anatomists to link birds to dinosaurs. Join an anatomy class with a difference!

Booking essential - contact BookingsKS@museum.ie or 01-6486332





If you would like a moon drawing workshop for your school or group contact me
skysketcher@gmail.com