Inis Mor take part in 100 Hours of Astronomy

DeirdreKelleghan
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IFAS Social Media Officer

15 years 7 months ago - 15 years 7 months ago #77726 by DeirdreKelleghan

Inis Mor take part in 100 Hours of Astronomy was created by DeirdreKelleghan

Report of 100 Hours of Astronomy Star Party Event on Inis Mor, Aran Islands
Saturday April 4th 2009.

Hello

Our star party on Inis Mór went extremely well on April 4th with a clear sky, not too cold and a relatively big turnout for a small community.

We had 21 participants and used the telescope which we have on loan from you. We also had two pairs of binoculars.

We gathered in the carpark of Ostán Árann, the Kilronan hotel at 9 pm. The proprietor Stewart very kindly agreed to switch off the outside lights for the duration.

People gathered quickly and we found ourselves a bit overwhelmed trying to get the telescope focused on the moon and give everybody a chance to see it. The crowd included lots of young people from the island – the makings of a strong astronomy club for the future.

Later we tried focusing on Saturn and Orion, but this proved too difficult a task for amateur astronomers who don’t have all the tricks of those who have been at it for a long time. However, we are learning! Next time, we will know how to do it.

We were surprised to find a group of three young French people in the crowd wanting to participate. Only one of them could speak good English. But it turned out they were working in Dublin and had come to Aran for the weekend with THE SPECIFIC INTENTION OF LOOKING AT THE STARS!!! How about that for serendipity? They even brought with them three printouts in full colour on A3 paper (really big) the star chart for that night! They gave us one to keep as a memento. Did you know that Saturn is Saturne in French and Moon is Lune.

We finished up at 10.30, fairly frozen but happy that our evening had been a success.

All the best,

Dara Ó Maoildhia Inis Mor

Report and images posted on Dara's behalf by Deirdre
The telescope a 4 and a half inch reflector on an equatorial mount was
organised to Inis Mor by me one year ago. It was donated for public outreach by Micheal O'Connell.

I hope to revisit the Islands during the winter months and hopefully have another scope
to lend to the newborn Aran Islands Astronomy Club IFAS Atlantic Outpost.

Deirdre Kelleghan
PRO IFAS