Br Guy Consolmagno is the special International Guest Speaker of the Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies.
Br Guys visit is supported by DIAS, Blackrock Castle Observatory , Gonzaga College COSMOS , SDAS and The Irish Astronomical Society.

Guy Consolmagno at Gonzaga College

Talk title: The Galileo Wars. March 26th 8pm

Science is always shaped by what is happening in the broader society that supports it, and the science of the 17th century was no different. We examine how Galileo's work challenged the science of the day; how it was shaped by the fortunes of the Spanish during the 30 Years War; and the effect on science in the Catholic world after his famous trial.

Guy Consolmagno at Dunsink Observatory Friday March 27th 6:45 pm sharp - send me an e mail if you want to come to this , limited seating.

skysketcher@gmail.com

Talk Title: Pluto and Planets X: Is Pluto a Planet? And Why Does It Matter?

Less than 15 years ago, the first "trans-Neptunian Object" besides Pluto was discovered. Within the past five years, a rush of new discoveries have revealed a number of bodies whose size rivals that of Pluto. What are these objects? Where did they come from, and what can they tell us about the origin and evolution of the solar system? How are these objects found, and why they only being discovered now? Finally, are they indeed new planets? Who gets to say, and how is this determined? What did the IAU finally decide, and how was that decision reached? Observing these objects, and observing their observers, is a revealing story in both the science and politics of planetary astronomy.

Guy Consolmagno at COSMOS Saturday March 28th

Talk title :Are Asteroids Fluffy? http://www.midlandsastronomy.com/

Recent spaceprobe visits to asteroids, the discovery of satellites in orbit around asteroids, and an analysis of how asteroids perturb other solar system bodies, plus advances in radar and infrared measurements to give us asteroid sized and shapes, has led to reliable determination of asteroid densities. In addition, these data allow an exploration of how small body shapes, densities, and spin states are related, allowing the lessons of the asteroid belt to be applied to trans-Neptunian objects and a possible definition of the boundary between small solar system objects and dwarf planets. When compared to the densities of the meteorites believed to come from the asteroid belt, a new understanding is emerging of how asteroids are put together -- with implications both for the origin of planets and for fhttp://www.midlandsastronomy.com/uture human encounters with Near Earth Objects.

For more details about COSMOS look here http://www.midlandsastronomy.com/

For Details of Br Guys Visit to Blackrock Castle Observatory look here

http://www.bco.ie/IYA/vatican.html

What's UP for March - Galileo's Saturn from Jane Houston Jones




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