The Galway Astronomy Club are pleased to announce details of their upcoming Astronomy Festival to take place at the 4* Westwood House Hotel from Friday February 12th to Saturday February 13th 2010. The event will be styled in the same manner as this year (which worked very well) and will have ten different speakers.
Programme:
Friday Feb 12th 7.30pm, two talks (free admission)
Philip Walsh: тАЬThe Drake EquationтАЭ
Proffessor Paul Mohr: тАЬCassini, Meridani nodding EclipticтАЭ
Will be an extensive account of astronomical work based on meridian instruments constructed in five European cathedrals, Santa Maria Novella and the Duomo in Florence, San Petronio in Bologna, Santa Maria degli Angeli in Rome, and Saint Sulplice in Paris. Measurements of the resulting solar images were useful to Cassini in enabling him to distinguish between the Ptolemaic and Keplerian systems - in favour of the latter! An additional bonus was the detection and accurate quantification of secular decline in the obliquity of the ecliptic
Observing afterwards at our Dark sky site 12 miles north of Hotel, Brigits Garden Park see www.galwaygarden.com/
Saturday February 13th
Dr Aaron Golden NUI Galway: тАЬHas Earth Contaminated the Solar System? тАУ the Case for Life on MarsтАЭ
Brian Harvey: тАЬThe Asian Space RaceтАЭ
Alastair Mc Kinstry NUI Galway: "Extra Solar Planets: Climates and Atmospheres"
Dr Deidre Coffey DIAS: тАЬInvestigating Protostellar Jets with the Hubble Space Telescope after Service Mission 4тАЭ
Dr Vitaly Neustroev NUI Galway: "Amateur Astronomers and Cataclysmic Variables"
Dr Neal Trappe NUI Maynooth: "ALMA: Exploring the Cool Universe" Title TBC
Proffessor Alan Smith, Director of Mullard Space Science Lab, University College London UK : тАЬSpace Science: The Next 20 YearsтАЭ
After Dinner talk presented by Terry Moseley IAA: "Adventures with Heavenly Bodies"
Observing again at Brigits Garden as well as the usual visit to NUI Galway Observatory
As with previous years we have had exhibitions from the ESO and FETTU and we hope to have a new exhibition next year. you there