Sure there are lots of other books and references available covering similar material but why part with you hard earned cash in a recession when John has gone to the trouble of providing the same information in an equally professional way.  OK there is no glossy cover, but  you get to save some trees……

Here is a pointer to the original post by John Flannery on the IFAS website where you can read about the guide in John’s own words.  Astronomy in Ireland is clearly thriving. Download Guide here.

Thanks John!

Dunsink Observatory: Dublin Ireland

“The Real ALIEN DEATH STAR over Iraq UFO or Meteor spiraling towards earth.”

 … Nice catch Michal…

Michał Szymański Look at this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uct8V5pPcok
same video from more than 1 year ago. We should wait for first photos of this fireball.

There have been a number of reports of a fireball over Ireland this evening. Current reports on RTE suggest that the
fireball has landed in a field near Crimlin in Co Cavan. Within a few short hours this video has appeared on a few sites and also on YouTube.

It was apparently seen blazing in the air by people all over the country and would have been traveling with the force of a small nuclear weapon. It is likely it has landed inland, but it is unlikely to have injured anyone. Although traveling at high speed when it was spotted, it would have slowed as it hit the atmosphere.

Fireball over Ireland

Paddy Clancy of the Irish Times quoted Tommy Moore from Astronomy Ireland: “A major explosion happened in the sky over Ireland. We think it’s a fireball, that’s a rock from space the earth has slammed into and they burn up as huge shooting stars. This one appears to have lit up the whole country. The phones here in Astronomy Ireland are going crazy.”

Observing the Moon

Keep you calenders free for the Galway Astronomy Festival 2010 which will be held this February 12th to 13th at the Westwood House Hotel on the outskirts of Galway City. This is the seventh annual event and it is very popular amomg Irish astronomers. The atmosphere is highly informal, and the emphasis is as much on meeting old friends as it is on hearing the many talks with observing timed to coincide with the new Moon.

“The talks begin on the Friday evening and resumes on the Saturday morning with ten talks in total and a visit to the NUI Galway Observatory. Saturday evenings Festival dinner and talk is always a popular attraction with vetern Irish astronomer Terry Moseley this year providing the entertainment.” – Galway Astronomy

Here is the list of speakers.

Friday February 12^th

1. Philip Walsh: “The Drake Equation”
2. Professor Paul Mohr: “Cassini, Meridani nodding Ecliptic”

Saturday February 13^th

1. Professor Alan Smith “Space Science – the next 20 years”
2. Terry Moseley “Adventures with Heavenly Bodies”
3. Brian Harvey “The Asian Space Race”
4. Dr Neal Trappe “ALMA: Exploring our Cosmic Origins”
5. Dr Deirdre Coffey“Investigating Protostellar Jets with the Hubble Space Telescope after Service Mission 4”
6. Dr Aaron Golden NUI Galway: “Has Earth Contaminated the Solar System? – the Case for Life on Mars”
7. Dr Vitaly Neustroev NUI Galway: “Amateur Astronomers and Cataclysmic Variables”
8. Alastair Mc Kinstry NUI Galway: “Extra Solar Planets: Climates and Atmospheres”

Stands and Exhibition

1. Galway Astronomy Club in association with the French Embassy “Exploring the Universe, our next steps”

Observing

Brigit’s Garden is a country park at Pollagh, Rosscahill, a mile north of the N59 between Oughterard and Moycullen. It is set in a beautiful rural location with Lough Corrib on one side & Connemara on the other and has wonderful dark skies. The distance from the Westwood House Hotel is only 12 miles which equates to about 15 minutes drive time.

I certainly hope to make it! Contact Galway Astronomy for more details.

BCO

When you enter BCO you have to admire the simplicity and beauty of the place. Close to Cork city and on the banks of the Lee, the site it stunning. The castle dates back to the 16th century after a request to Queen Elizabeth to construct a fort for protection from pirates and other invaders (Cork is a great port). After being used for many different things over the years, the site was finally purchased by Cork Corporation in 2001, and in a joint venture with CIT and an anonymous Irish benefactor was eventually was restored in 2006, and the BCO was online!

Blackrock Castle Observatory

A quick tour of the facilities included a look at the optics lab and the telescope at the top of the impressive castle turret. Ireland is not known for being a wondering place to stargaze given the altitude and cloud cover, but don’t let that deter you! BCO is also a an educational outreach center with state of the art computerized displays. You get to interact with sophisticated computer systems designed to help those of all ages to learn about space and astronomy. The highlight for visitors is certainly the Cosmos @ the Castle, where among other things, you can get to save the earth in a virtual environment or send a message to the stars and watch how long it takes to get there. Cosmos @ the castle is a high-tech environment that is polished, professional and educational. I was seriously impressed….

Save the Planet - Interactive state of the art theatre

There is also plenty of research and state of the art instrumentation development by CIT based right in the castle. Photometry is the primary area of research and their links with Spain, Greece and South Africa demonstrates the international outreach of the BCO.  The highlight for me was the chat inside the dome of the primary telescope at the top of the castle turret. Here is an image of a similar telescope. A 16inch Meade LX200.

Meade LX200 16inch Telescope

It is interesting to note that the “hidden” costs of operating a telescope are the mount and the dome. The mount for the telescope is typically the most expensive component, and it must ensure that the scope cannot move as much as a millimeter when it is focused on a point in the sky. Given our altitude, the shear volume of atmosphere above can become a limiting factor in what you can see. However links with other observatories ensures a healthy supply of data, so the Irish weather won’t be a limiting factor in their research.

While being driven back to the train station by Dr Smith, I noticed an image of Jupiter on the side of a building. It was explained to me that Cork City in partnership with the BCO, has a city wide scale model of the Solar System. Not something many cities can boast. For me, this simple example gives some indication of the innovation and attention to detail of the BCO.

If you get a chance, take a trip down. I’m planning a return trip already. A great family destination and a great way to learn about the universe.

http://www.bco.ie/index.php