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 Oilibhéir Blanchardstown

May Events Darwin 200

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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

Easter Proms in Scarlet and Sunshine Yellow

PST 40 mm/8mm TVP eyepiece
Sketch 1 = 12:50 UT 11/04/09




Sketch 2 = 16:30 UT 11/04/09





Sketch 3 = 17:00 UT 11/04/09

Easter Saturday, a text from a friend snaps me out
of my miserable cold and entices me to look at
prominences on the solar limb. An active busy prom on the NW limb about 350 degrees PA ,
was accompanied by a spike like ribbon of plasma.What to use ? ink? pastel? pencil ? what suits my mood.?
Relax your sick an inner voice said, go the easy route have some fun.

Gorgeous Windsor and Newton inks in their individual packages always makes me smile.
Sunshine Yellow , with the Summer Sunburst dolly girl , yep cool plasma in a jar.

My new teeny tiny watercolor brushes, a mother's day gift.

I only managed three sketches in between large dawdling clouds.
Occasionally fast moving grey cumulus spilled into my h alpha view like squid ink
bursting, obscuring , the billions of tons of material in my target.

A relaxing slow afternoon , following the sun around my garden, with Miss Sunshine Yellow on a tiny brush.




Easter Sunday

The interesting prom dance continues , Sunshine Yellow to begin but I am itching to try new watercolors and the tiniest brush on the planet. Looking at my box of full pans, Scarlet seems the closest block to h alpha realism.



Sketch 4 = 14:20 UT 12/04/09



!5:00UT


16:30UT

17:10UT
Oh the joy of tiny action, tiny brush strokes, tiny imperceptible movement. Time lapsed drawings capturing monumental energy, flinging itself thousands of miles into space. Leaping energy anchored to our star by its massive gravity.

I decide on alternate ink and watercolor sketches as an experiment , why not.



14:40UT


15:20UT


I shield my eyes from the sunlight in order to see these features erupting outward from our star. My cat helps herself to a drink of scarlet tinted water , she likes to get involved.

17:00 UT my Mimosa tree is getting in the way of my prom. I have to move my whole shebang left twenty feet and backwards to catch the falling disc.

Time to throw dinner in the oven.


16:00UT


Watercolor tends to dry quickly in the sun, ink stays wet on the brush for longer. Both ink and watercolor work well for prominences, shade works , helps evaporation. The suns heat crystallises the ink on the rim of the bottle.

17:45 UT Tiny leafs swaying in the breeze block ginormous proms. I follow sun beams between trees to watch the distant show.


16:45UT

My tiny 5/0 brush barely exists , just a few strands.

17:55 UT My little block of scarlet sits neatly on my tripod head.
My oven is beeping , time to do the veg.

After finishing the set , I get the urge to super size the last two sketches , one ink, one watercolor.
I watch skinny twigs thirty feet away obscuring my view. They move like window wipers , my prom flickers. Another move backwards a quick view , two quick final sketches.


17:05 UT

17:20UT
Best to rescue the dinner now. Stuffed chicken , roast honey glazed ham, roast potatoes , york cabbage and carrots. Eaglehawk Cabernet Sauvignon and Ortas Rasteau Cote De Rhone. Chocolate

What's Up for April with Jane Houston Jones























IAS April Talk
Stephen Roche has taken a leap forward in his
imaging of night sky objects from his garden
in Waterford. Do come along and see for yourself
the stunning astro photo's he is producing these days.











Other April events in the Darwin 200 series

UCC Darwin Exhibition
This fascinating little exhibition contains some real gems from the
Universities library, Natural History and Geology collections.
Among the speciments on display are animals collected (and stuffed) by Darwin
on the Beagle voyage and among the books is a first edition of "The Origin
of Species" which was on the libraries lending shelves until the 1960's
and which contains "Darwin-denying" margin notes. The exhibition was due
to end last week but has been extended to run until Easter. Please
contact the Boole Library to check it is still on!



Alien Evolution
Location: Blackrock Castle Observatory
Date: April 6 - April 19 2009 from 11 am
The Alien Evolution workshop takes a fun look at how aliens might have
evolved on very different planets. Spend a morning making aliens over
the Easter break at Blackrock Castle Observatory. Just drop in any day
from next Monday April 6 to Sunday April 19 from 11am for the one and a
half hour workshops. Price €5.00 per child. Suitable for children aged
6-10. Younger children are welcome if accompanied by a parent.


Debating Darwin
RTE Radio 1
New six-part series presented by Damien Walshe, produced by Peter Mooney
Friday nights at 8:30pm, episodes also available for download after the
broadcast dates
Further details: http://www.rte.ie/radio1/debatingdarwin/1084146.html

One Hundred Hours of Astronomy in a nutshell

Many families enjoyed a good look at the night sky with members of The IAS and SDAS in Glendalough.






When you go down to the woods these days
you sure get a BIG surprise!!!

Saturn and our lovely Moon in Glendalough in International Year of Astronomy :-)

April 4th 2009 210 people attended this free public star party in Wicklow Mountains National Park.
The Irish Astronomical Society ran this event as part of 100 Hours of Astronomy, a cornerstone project for International Year of Astronomy 2009.
As well as being for 100 Hours it was also a Saturn Observation Campaign event. Cassini bookmarks and Saturn moon cards were given to all attending.
This event was part of 20 events in Ireland the majority of which were under the Irish Federation of Astronomical Societies umbrella.
Our lovely moon and Saturn were the main targets, but many constellations were shown to the eager families who formed long queues at each of the eight telescopes. Many thanks to Michael Murphy, Val Dunne, David Branigan, Keith Deveney, James Kelly,Philip Lardner and Paul from The Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies who shared the wonderful sky with great energy and enthusiasm.
Thanks also to Wicklow Mountains National Park, Ian Edwards, John Kinsella and the park staff for being so attentive.

Other IAS events for 100 Hours

E learning in the bus provided by Dublin City Libraries Thursday April 2nd in Bluebell Dublin.


Teacher Rosin O'Shea is delighted to get Cassini information on the e learning bus. April 2nd

The bus driver gets a look at a lovely prom on the SW limb of the sun.
20 Children and their teachers get to look at the solar disc and prom

Dublin City Libraries e learning bus
outside Our Lady of the Wayside NS
in Bluebell on a blue day in Dublin April 2nd

Deirdre heads to the Central Library in the ILAC center to do a talk on Galileo April 2nd 6pm













e learning with astronomy software April 3rd Sandymount Dublin.




Denis from DIAS checks out Michael O'Connells meteorite collection at Dunsink Observatory on April 2nd


Observing with in the dome
Dunsink Observatory April 2nd

Michael O' Connell from MAC
gives a great public talk
on Meteorites

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




nightskysketcher

Hi everyone , now the Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies have kindly set up a talk and a workshop in Dunsink for your pleasure.
Myself and the IAS would like to invite all IFAS club reps and members to come along to Dunsink Observatory on Saturday February 28th.


Dunsink Observatory is a great venue, with a bright future.
Come along and see what it is like, come along and we can all
have a talk about how amateur astronomy clubs in this country
can perhaps get involved with Dunsink.
4pm till late o clock


Bring your laptops
Bring your telescopes if you like.
Bring your cameras
Let me know it you intend to come along skysketcher@gmail.com
The talk will be given by a DIAS scientist and will be on
the subjects of radio and optical astronomy.

The workshop will be on a new scientific database on the
Jetset Project.
http://www.jetsets.org/home.html

JETSET is a four-year Marie Curie Research Training Network (RTN) designed to build a vibrant interdisciplinary European Research and Training community centered on rigorous and novel approaches to plasma jet studies, with a focus on flows produced during star formation.

A bit to eat , a cup of tea, and with a bit of luck a spot
of observing will end the afternoon/evening session.

Give me some idea of how many will come along to this ,thanks

March Speaker please note the date March 9th



Click on poster to see it bigger
Next speaker is John Flannery on March 9th
Binary Stars Double the Fun

Here are a few pics from Professor Mike Redfern and Dave McDonalds talks in Dunsink on Monday 16th Feb
Once again our thanks goes to Hilary O'Donnell for her support on the night, and to to DIAS for making such a great venue available to the Irish Astronomical Society.


Professor Mike Redfern as Galileo checks out the South Telescope


Dave McDonald Mike Redfern and Deirdre Kelleghan
in the Dome at Dunsink

Booklet available in Dublin City Libraries on our public events in March, April and May which are in conjunction with Dublin City Libraries and Dunsink Observatory





Other interesting events around the place.
Darwin 200

Climate change, plant extinction and evolution:

Location: LTEE3, Hamilton Building, Trinity College
Date: 26th February 2009 4pm

Fossil plant groups have waxed and waned over geological time since their first tentative steps onto land over 450 million years ago. This talk will place the composition of current world vegetation into a 'deep time' perspective by illustrating the macroevolotionary and macroecological patterns of different plant groups over the last 450 million years. more...

Darwin Exhibition Opens at UCC Library

(Exhibition of specimens collected by Charles Darwin)

Location: UCC library

Audience: General public

Date: Opening February 12th 2009

Contact: Siobhan Bowman 021 4902282; e-mail s.bowman@ucc.ie

A special exhibtion opened on Feb 12th highlighting Cork's connections to the man credited with devloping and explaining the theory of evolution by natural selection.

The exhibit includes species colected by Darwin in Maldonado, Patagonia, In South America during the HMS Beagle voyage ( 1831 -1836). Also on display will be a first edition of Darwin's 'On the Origin of Species', part of the UCC library's Special Collection.

Further details: http://www.ucc.ie/en/mandc/news/fullstory,69761,en.html

Darwin's Study

(Exhibition)

Location: National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, Dublin

Audience: General Public

Date: Opening 12th February 2009 Weekdays 9am - 5pm

Contact: Natinal Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, Dublin 9. Phone: +353 (0)1 804 0319.

The exhibition "Darwin's Study" is now open, on weekdays 9-5 in the herbarium, see:
http://www.botanicgardens.ie/news/20090209.htm
This small exhibition will be expanded soon, adding some new pages showing other facets of Darwin's life.

Whirlpool 2008 Summary

The Leviathan at Birr Castle

2008 Whirlpool Star Party Summary
Quotes of the weekend

Ian Ridpath said that Deirdre and Sally were
"An explosive combustible combination" we took it as a compliment:-)
He also claimed to be our warm up act , he had a wry sense of humour.
http://www.ianridpath.com/

Ian's presentation on the history of the constellations held everyone in tow for the first hour.
He delivered a very interesting comprehensive overview of how the constellations got their names.

After a short break our talk " A Tale of Two Skysketchers " was next. Sally Russell and I were very pleased with the response and interest from the audience. Our ppt was about our lunar and solar sketching adventures. We left out our messier objects, comets and planets as it would have been toooooooooooo long .
Sally Russell's Cloudynights Gallery link

http://www.cloudynights.com/photopost/showgallery.php?thumb=1&cat=500&si=TheChemist&perpage=12&sort=2&stype=&ppuser=

Our class keep an eye on the lunar video
Frank Ryan Jr ponders Theophilus


We followed our presentation after lunch with a very well attended hands on workshop on astronomical sketching !!!
We had live video footage of the lunar surface (video by John Adair provided by Sally) showing a choice of craters and sketching targets. We offered printed photographs ( Sally originals ) a choice of black or white paper and many choices of
materials for our victims oh oops I mean our volunteers :-)
The workshop was Sally's idea and it was great to be part of it.

The hour long sketch session went by in a blink , we moved around in the crowd to answer questions and to suggest ways of dealing with the lunar images. Wonderful sketches were produced by our pupils and those sketches then became part of the Deadly Moon exhibition.




















Sally Russell talks sketching with Jeff Young
Dee and Jeff discuss methods of solar sketching










Damian Peach showed his superb planetary and lunar images. He gave us a peep into how he achieves some of the best astro images on the planet. http://www.damianpeach.com/

Aaron Golden's after dinner talk The David Lunt Memorial Lecture was on filters.

Dr Niall Smith waxed lyrically about Blackrock Castle Observatory and its varied functions.
He gave quite an interesting look into the outreach and research aspects that are central to the BCO year.http://www.bco.ie/

Dr Lorraine Hanlon told us about ' Watcher " a robotic ground based telescope located in South Africa searching for Gamma Ray Bursts. The program will have an outreach element which should be worth getting involved in later on.

Professor Judith Pipher lit up the place with beautiful images from the Spitzer Space Telescope . Judith is an expert in infra red astronomy , she explained the breakdown of colors in a infra red photographic image very well indeed.She amazed everyone by admitting that the imaging chip on Spitzer was only 0.0065 Mega Pixels. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-01/uor-ajp013007.php


Many thanks to Shannonside Astronomy Club for a wonderful Whirlpool
http://www.shannonsideastronomyclub.com/20081.htm
Whirlpool summary By Frank Ryan Shannonside Secretary