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