From: TerryMoselaol.com
Date: Sun, 21 Nov 2004 10:23:47 EST
Subject: Leonids, Lecture, IFAS Challenge Prizes

Hi all,

1. I haven't heard any reports of anyone seeing any Leonids last night. Did 
anyone see any, anywhere?

2. The DIAS School of Cosmic Physics Statutory Public Lecture 2004, will be 
on Wednesday 24 November 2004, at 19:30 p.m., by  Dr Henk Olthof, Science 
Programme Directorate of the European Space Agency. 
Title: "Huygens and Titan: from discovery to encounter"
Venue: Emmet Theatre, Arts Building, TCD.
Admission free.

3. IFAS OBSERVING CHALLENGES: SPONSORED PRIZES:
The IFAS Observing Challenges Working Group are pleased to announce that a
number of groups and companies have agreed to sponsor prizes for the first 
person to complete the challenges.

A. The Novice Challenge Prize. Pole Star Publications have sponsored a 
year-long subscription to Astronomy Now magazine, which will be presented to the 
first person to complete the Novice Challenge. 

B. The Binocular Challenge Prize.
Sky Publishing has kindly donated a copy of Steve O'Meara's Deep-Sky 
Companions: The Messier Objects as well as their Messier Objects Card. This will be 
presented to the first person to complete the Binocular Challenge. We hope that 
arranging the prizes this way will encourage people to complete as many of the 
challenges as they can and to appreciate the range of observing and 
observations that can be made.

C. The Messier Objects Observing Challenge Prize. We are awaiting final 
confirmation of a prize from a UK based telescope distributor through one of the 
Irish dealers, so I don't want to go into a lot of detail yet, but that prize 
will be awarded to
the first person to complete the Messier Objects Observing Challenge. 
Remember that the Messier and Binocular challenges can be awarded at Gold, Silver and 
Bronze levels. The prize will go to the first person to complete the 
challenge at either of these levels. So get your 2H's out and start scribbling.

On behalf of the IFAS Observing Challenge Group I want to extend our deepest 
gratitude to Pole Star Publications and Sky Publishing for supporting this 
initiative.
Thanks must also go to the IFAS committee for their encouragement and support 
which was very much in evidence at the last IFAS meeting. It has taken a lot 
of time and effort to get this programme up and running (and it's not finished 
yet! Look out for more challenges at the Connacht Star Party (29 Jan) and 
COSMOS (1-3 April) and it was very rewarding to see that effort being 
acknowledged by the IFAS committee, as well as commentators on this board. Al White.

I heartily support this initiative, & would like to express again my own 
thanks & congratulations to all concerned in preparing these challenges for all 
their work.  More details on the IFAS website www.irishastronomy.org. 

Good luck to all who enter.

Clear Skies,

Terry Moseley

Last Revised: 2004 November 23rd WWW contact:webmaster@arm.ac.uk

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