From: TerryMoselaol.com

Date: 4 September 2010 00:58:02 GMT+01:00

Subject: First IAA Lecture, IMO, MAC, BSP, WSP, ISS, Moon Night, Mercury, Jupiter

ƒŠHi all,

ƒŠ

ƒŠ1. The opening IAA Lecture of the new season will be on Wed 22 September, in the Bell Lecture Theatre, QUB, It will beƒŠgiven by Prof Alan Fitzsimmons of the Astrophysics Department at QUB. Title tba soon. See www.irishastro.org

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2. IMO Conference: The virtually final programme of talks and posters for the International Meteor Conference on Sep 16 - 19 at Armagh is now available atƒŠ

http://www.imo.net/imc2010/schedule.php. It is a busy but exciting schedule with nearly 60 contributions.

ƒŠƒŠƒŠ Would all IAA members who intend to go to any part of this event please email me back right away for details ofƒŠVERY favourable special attendance rates!

ƒŠ3. MAC Lecture - Mr. John Lally, MAC Vice-Chairperson will present a talk entitled "The Moon and the Lunar 100" on Tuesday Sep 7, in the Presbyterian Hall, Church Street, Tullamore at 8:00pm. All are welcome and admission is âÂ?2.00.

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4. Burren Star Party - Shannonside Astronomy Club (SAC) willƒŠhost their second Burren Star Party on Saturday Sep 11 at the Burren Coastal Hotel in Ballyvaughan, Co. Clare. See www.shannonsideastronomyclub.com/sac_burren_starparty.htm

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5. Whirlpool Star Party - Final details are almost ready for Ireland's longest running star party,ƒŠon the weekend of October 8th to 10th in Dooley's Hotel, Birr, Co Offaly.ƒŠƒŠ

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6. ISS - The ISSƒŠcan currentlyƒŠbe seenƒŠuntil Sep 12 in the evenings, sometimesƒŠpassingƒŠtwice in the one night. See www.heavens-above.com forƒŠpredictionsƒŠfor your location.

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7. Sep 18: International Observe the Moon night - The IAA hopes to run an observing session just outside Holywood, Co Down. Other clubs may be doing something similar.ƒŠSee www.observethemoonnight.org/

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8. MercuryƒŠwill at greatest western elongation onƒŠSep 19 andƒŠwill be visible asƒŠa 'morningƒŠstar' in the east during the second half of the month. Look about 45 minutes before local sunrise, slightly to the South of where the brightest part of the dawn twilight appears. On the 19th it is mag -0.3; it thenƒŠbrightens as it movesƒŠtowards Superior Conjunction and therefore shows more of its illuminated disc towards Earth,ƒŠand byƒŠSep 30ƒŠit is mag -1.1.

9. JupiterƒŠwill beƒŠat opposition onƒŠSep 21 and is well placed for observation allƒŠthis month. It now risesƒŠin the evening twilightƒŠand by monthâÀÙs end it willƒŠrise justƒŠbefore sunset. It liesƒŠin Pisces, at mag -2.9. It is also at conjunction with Uranus on the 18th;ƒŠmuch fainter Uranus willƒŠlie less than a degreeƒŠto the North of Jupiter. JupiterâÀÙs South Equatorial Belt is still 'missing'.ƒŠThe four Galilean moons areƒŠvisible in a small telescope or good binoculars.

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Clear skies,

ƒŠ

Terry Moseley