European Extreme Large Telescope meeting in Ireland

I attended the European Extreme Large Telescope (ESO) conference in Galway last week. This was a 4 day event of all astronomers and engineers involved in the range of instrumentation and detectors in this amazing project with the world's biggest eye on the sky of (39 metres diameter). Ireland is not a member of the (ESO) European Southern Observatory and surprisingly their wasn't many Irish astronomers in attendance. To make a case for our membership may be difficult because we don't have many astronomers. The only possibility of membership may be political one as a flagship to influence young scientist to enter science and thereby increase the quality of science and potential spin offs for industry. This would be similar to our membership of ESA (European Space Agency) where we have been a member since the 1970s. Many Irish companies have made contributions over this period.

Eamonn
www.kingslandobservatory.com

I'm all for Ireland contributing to the ESO - the ESO does great bleeding edge work.

The fact that we contribute to the ESA (European Space Agency) is probably due to the agreement that business is appropriated to to member state's contribution to the project - we more or less - get back what we contribute.
That's good for science and good for stimulating science related business.

There's no gauranteed payback (monetry wise) for contributing to the ESO - but intellectually it's something we must have a stake in.

Europe is delivering fair clout in the scientific world - Ireland should not (in this specific case) exclude itself.
The European project is something really special - there are problems - and our upcoming European elections may well highlight that - but there are some things we got right - we are as big as the former Soviet Union and current USA in terms of being developers of science. That is worth supporting.

CERN is probably the first example that has demonstrated us Europeans in getting over our WWII diferences and making a mark for ourselves as a collective of more like-minded than disagreeing nations.

Ra-Ra Science - goals common to all nations. If anyone wins - no one loses. What better competition.

Mark C.

Ireland is a very small nation on the Europe-wide scale (until you look at the debt incurred!) and our influence on the world of astronomy and space development is paltry. I obviously wouldn't know if it is due a lack of interest or a lack of funding, or both, or neither, but you'd think we could do more. Enterprise Ireland does have an active core that helps Irish (-based) companies tender to the ESA for contracts.

As for Ireland's actual contribution to the ESA's entire budget for 2014 - which is €4.1bn - Ireland is providing €18.4million, or 0.6% of the total 2014 budget. One of the smallest.

Here's a link to companies within Ireland that contribute to space research:
www.enterprise-ireland.com/EI_Corporate/...ectory/Overview.html

Funny enough, Space Technology Ireland Ltd, based in Maynooth and that have an active instrument onboard Rosetta, is not mentioned.

And another link to just what Ireland has been doing recently:
www.siliconrepublic.com/business/item/36...not-the-limit-for-ir

So, even though We're not a member of the ESO (yet), Ireland does play a part in space research and development. However small, it's still there.

Seanie.

Just following on for the benefits of doing astronomy. Robotic telescopes like the ELT and many smaller ones that are available now for amateur astronomers and young students in primary and secondary is practical science. I see astronomy as exciting and important for various reasons. Astronomy does hold a key to generating jobs in future knowledge economies. How can astronomers with robotic telescopes deliver. How can they persuade Government that they are still as important as Newton.....that can only be left to persons with vision

The skills of innovation and creativity open up the knowledge economy. Practical science is the route into developing technological innovation and creativity. Astronomy is the only practical science that can be robotised and delivered on a mass basis and change the world. So our membership of ESO for astronomers here and other remotely accessed telescopes for schools is part of the key for the above points mentioned.

Eamonn

I could not agree more Eammon.

Perhaps this is something we need to lobby for on behalf of Irish Armature Astronomy.