Astronomy Ireland
Encyclopedia
Astronomy Ireland is one of the national astronomy clubs of Ireland
(including the Republic
and Northern Ireland
). It is a non-profit educational organisation, apart from the associated astronomy shop owned by chairman David Moore.
The club does not hold annual general meetings nor allow its membership to elect its officers. It does not publish annual accounts, despite publicly aired concerns about its close relationship with the chairman's commercial interests.
The British astronomer and broadcaster, Sir Patrick Moore, is an honorary member of the society.
.
to meteor showers.
Astronomy & Space Ltd. produces a monthly magazine for Astronomy Ireland called Astronomy & Space which is aimed mainly at young people and inexperienced amateur astronomers.
A weekly radio programme, AIRS (Astronomy Ireland Radio Show), is broadcast every Tuesday on FM radio and on the Internet. Previous shows are available from the MP3
archive on the club's website, along with recordings of other radio programmes of interest to astronomers, such as interviews with famous astronomers.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
(including the Republic
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
and Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
). It is a non-profit educational organisation, apart from the associated astronomy shop owned by chairman David Moore.
The club does not hold annual general meetings nor allow its membership to elect its officers. It does not publish annual accounts, despite publicly aired concerns about its close relationship with the chairman's commercial interests.
The British astronomer and broadcaster, Sir Patrick Moore, is an honorary member of the society.
History
Astronomy Ireland (AI) was founded in Dublin in 1990 by David Moore and others following a split from the Irish Astronomical SocietyIrish Astronomical Society
The Irish Astronomical Society, the oldest astronomy club in Ireland, was founded in D'Olier Street, Dublin on 5 October 1937.The society holds public stargazing events to raise interest in astronomy. Some members bring their telescopes to these events and have been nicknamed Dublin Sidewalk...
.
Activities
- Observing sessions: Eclipses of the Moon, meteor showers, favourable planetary apparitions, and other events. In Dublin, the most popular meeting place is beside the Papal Cross in the Phoenix Park.
- Lectures: These are recorded by the society and are made available on the club website for free download for a limited period of time. DVDs of each lecture may be purchased for €5. Astrophysicist Chris LintottChris LintottChristopher John Lintott is an English astrophysicist currently serving as the Director of Citizen Science at the Adler Planetarium. He is a post-doctoral researcher who is involved in a number of popular science projects aimed at bringing astronomical science to a wider audience...
and science writer John GribbinJohn GribbinJohn R. Gribbin is a British science writer and a visiting Fellow in astronomy at the University of Sussex.- Biography :John Gribbin graduated with his bachelor's degree in physics from the University of Sussex in 1966. Gribbin then earned his master of science degree in astronomy in 1967, also...
have delivered lectures. - Star-B-Q: Annual barbecue held at RoundwoodRoundwoodRoundwood, historically known as Tochar , is a village in County Wicklow, Ireland. It was listed as having a population of 589 in the census of 2006....
, County WicklowCounty WicklowCounty Wicklow is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wicklow, which derives from the Old Norse name Víkingalág or Wykynlo. Wicklow County Council is the local authority for the county...
. - Astro-Expo: Annual astronomy and science exhibition held in Dublin.
- Astronomy course: Introduces new members and non-members to elementary astronomy.
- Foreign trips: Arranged to observe total solar eclipseSolar eclipseAs seen from the Earth, a solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, and the Moon fully or partially blocks the Sun as viewed from a location on Earth. This can happen only during a new moon, when the Sun and the Moon are in conjunction as seen from Earth. At least...
s. TurkeyTurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
was visited in 2006.
Publications and media
Members are kept up-to-date by e-mail newsletters and text messages. A premium rate telephone news service alerts Irish and British astronomers to celestial events, ranging from flyovers of the International Space StationInternational Space Station
The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...
to meteor showers.
Astronomy & Space Ltd. produces a monthly magazine for Astronomy Ireland called Astronomy & Space which is aimed mainly at young people and inexperienced amateur astronomers.
A weekly radio programme, AIRS (Astronomy Ireland Radio Show), is broadcast every Tuesday on FM radio and on the Internet. Previous shows are available from the MP3
MP3
MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
archive on the club's website, along with recordings of other radio programmes of interest to astronomers, such as interviews with famous astronomers.