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Upcoming Events
31st August - Double Public Lectures at QUB - Subject: Cosmology - see article
16-19 Sept - International Meteor Conference - Armagh
Observatory
22nd Sept - First meeting of the season at QUB - as usual a packed season of 14 lectures and the 10 minute talks with something for everyone. Meetings start at 7:30pm sharp - alternate Wednesdays until April.
13th October - WWT
Castle Espie – Evening Observing with Mobile Planetarium
IAA on the Web
Front Page Archive
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Perseid Party - 12th August
An excellent IAA Perseid Party was enjoyed by around 100
enthusiastic observers on the night of the 12th of August. After a
fry-up, everyone settled down with blankets and sun-loungers
while the skies darkened. The weather was superb, with
beautifully clear and transparent skies thanks to a 2 day old
moon which didn't interfere, and it wasn't long before the
first Perseids were observed.
Several bright fireballs were greeted with gasps of joy
(and other noises!) and numerous fainter meteorites were
observed skimming the horizon as the radiant got higher in the sky.
A big thank you to our president Phillip Baxter for the excellent
PR campaign on radio and TV for making this event such a
great success, roll on next year!.
Report: David Stewart.
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Images: David Stewart
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Image: Philip Baxter
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Solar Day 2
In
the second of our Solar Days this Summer, we will again be showing
visitors the Sun through specially filtered telescopes. Also, the
Mobile Planetarium will also be set up inside the center and there will
be Star shows as well as Astronomy lectures inside the Dome. We will
also have the use of the compressed air rocket
launching pad. Make your rocket on our workbench and win a prize for
the rocket that travels the furthest. Great fun. All welcome.
Venue: NT Mount Stewart, off the A20 nr Newtownards, Co Down.
Time; Sunday 22nd August 1400 - 1730.
NT Admission charges apply.
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ISS passes visible from Northern Ireland
From August 25th onward it will be possible to see the International Space Station as it passes to the South of Belfast at 17500mph. For those who have not seen this before it is a wonderful spectacle - the more so now that the ISS is essentially complete and can now rival Venus as the brightest object in the sky apart frrom the Sun and the Moon!
For further information on timing etc, see Heavens-Above here...
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Image: Paul Evans
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IAA / QUB Double Public Lectures
In association with Queen's University we proudly present an
evening of lectures by two of the world's leading experts in cosmology,
discussing the origin and ultimate fate of the Universe. Details as follows:-
The Great Cosmic Puzzle
Tuesday 31st August 2010 7.15 - 9.00 pm
Queen’s University Belfast, Larmor Lecture Theatre (School of Maths and Physics)
“From the Big Bang to Our Universe”
Prof.Carlos Frenk FRS (Institute for Computational Cosmology, Durham University)
and
“The Accelerating Universe and Dark Energy”
Prof. Chris Stubbs (Harvard University)
Further details here....
Free admission (pre-booking is required) - email us at iaaastro@gmail.com giving your name and no of tickets required - we will hold these for you on the door. Alternatively call QUB School of Maths & Physics on 02890-973941 or 02890-973219 during business hours.
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IAA ‘Snap
the Logo’ Competition
This is a simple
competition anyone can enter over the holiday period!
Simply download an
image of the I.A.A. LOGO and take an unusual or quirky snap
incorporating the logo. It could be with a personality, up in a hot
air balloon, underwater - the choice is yours. The photograph that
raises awareness of the Association and produces some publicity may
get extra points! The winning entry will be chosen by the I.A.A.
President and the prize will be a £25.00 book token. The winner will
be announced the October meeting.
How to enter.
Take your photograph
and either ‘post’ it on the I.A.A. forum at www.irishastro.org,
or e-mail it to iaaphil@googlemail.com
Rules
Entries to be
received by 30/09/10.
No Photoshop,
Paintshop Pro, etc. to be used.
Only one entry per
person, so pick your best!
All entries,
including the winning one, are free for use by the I.A.A. for display
in our magazine ‘Stardust’, as well as on our web page or in any
other I.A.A. publication.
Good Luck!
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Revised Membership Rates
Regrettably due to rising costs we have had to increase the subscriptions for IAA membership. For the 2010/2011 season these will be as follows:-
Single membership: £20 or €25
Family Membership (all members of a family at one address): £25 or €30
Note that this is the first rate increase in five years and still includes an unmatched programme of lectures, observing nights, other events and a subscription to our highly regarded quarterly magazine, "Stardust", delivered to your door.
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