Galway Astronomy Festival 2011

The Galway Astronomy Festival 2011 will take place on March 4th and 5th at NUI Galway and the 4* Westwood House Hotel. The theme of the event is "Life and Death in the Universe" with talks by well known amateur astronomers from the UK and Ireland. Full details of the talks and abstracts are now online at www.galwayastronomyclub.ie

"Life and Death in the Universe"

Friday March 4th, 8pm, NUI Galway

Dr Matthew Parkes, Natural History Museum, Dublin: "Meteorites and Famous Irish Falls"

His talk will consist of an overview of meteorite falls around the world and Ireland including and will display the meteorites that smashed through the roof of an RUC barracks in Northern Ireland in 1969, and one that fell in Carlow in 1999 and the famous 1813 Limerick Meteorite.

Followed by observing at a dark sky site.

Saturday March 5th, Westwood House Hotel

Professor Dick Butler, NUI Galway: "The Creation Pt.2/Supernova 1987A"

Tom Boles Coddenham Astronomical Observatory UK: "Hunting Supernovae"

Chandra Wickramasinghe, Cardiff University, UK: "Cosmic Dragons: Life in the Cosmos"

Dave McDonald: "Irish Asteroids and Near Earth Objects"

Dave Gradwell "Solar Imaging Workshop" www.davegradwell.com

Professor Mike Redfern, NUI Galway: "Black Holes and Alexander Anderson"
Evening dinner followed by Dr Andy McCrea: "Searching for Darkest Skies in America"

Followed by observing at a dark sky site 4 miles from the Hotel, see photos from last year





Hope to see some of you there,again full details on our website
Ronan Newman
GAC webmaster & secretary

Hi,

Just some further info concerning our Astronomy Festival, over the last few festivals most of talks were centred around space science topics, which is appealing to some while does nothing for the amateur astronomer. This year we have five experienced amateur amateur astronomers included in the line up, further more our observing session was an excellent success last year taking place under clear although, very cold skies. The location was 10 miles from the hotel and probably too far, but will be kept in reserve should anyone want to use it this year. The main observing will take place at Bearna Golf Club (visible in google Earth/Street view), just six miles from the hotel on the very south eastern tip on Connemara with a clear unobstructed view of the night sky.Entrance fee is reduced this year to €25 for the Saturday. Diner optional extra.

The NUI, Galway Centre for Astronomy and the Galway Astronomy Club cordially invite you to a
Public Talk and meteorite Exhibition
“METEORITES AND FAMOUS IRISH FALLS” by Dr. Matthew Parkes, Natural History Museum, Dublin.

Date: Friday, 4th March
Time: 8pm.
Venue: NUI, Galway, Dillon Theatre

Free entrance, free parking

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Galway Astronomy Festival “Life and Death in the Universe”
Saturday, 5th March Westwood House Hotel

9.00 – 9.45 am Registration
9.45 – 10.00 am Launch by Dr. Andrew Shearer, Director of NUIG Centre for Astronomy

10.00 – 11.15 Prof. Richard Butler (NUIG), The Creation Part II – Supernova 1987a
Served as head of the Chemistry dept Professor of Chemistry at NUI Galway from 1981 to 2008. Last spoke at the festival in 2007 with a talk on the organic chemistry of meteorites. He is a long-time amateur astronomer.

11.15 – 12.30 Prof. Chandra Wickramasinghe (Cardiff), Cosmic Dragons: Life and Death in the Cosmos
Chandra Wrickramashinge, the scientist who caused a sensation when he proposed that life on Earth could have been 'seeded' from space. Is a distinguished astronomer who has made important contributions to the theory of cosmic dust with his late collaborator, Sir Fred Hoyle. Director of the Cardiff Centre for Astrobiology and holds the highest doctorate (ScD) from the University of Cambridge, along with several other international distinctions. He is an award-winning author and co-author of over 20 books and over 350 scientific papers


12.30 – 14.00 Lunch and optional Workshop with Dave Gradwell (Portumna) on “The Art of Solar Imaging”
Dave Gradwell has been interested in astronomy for 20 years and always leaned toward astrophotography. Starting from basics “Imaging the Sun”, this workshop will instruct participants how best to take images of our most essential life-supporting star at its best. He bought a Coronado PST in 2006 and so began a long time infatuation with the Sun. From projection to high resolution imaging in multiple wavelengths, this talk is designed to ignite an interest in an object that is too often over looked.


14.00 – 15.00 Prof. Mike Redfern (NUIG), Black Holes and Alexander Anderson
Professor for astronomy at NUI Galway and more recently single Point of Contact (and Chair) of the Irish Node for the International Year of Astronomy 2009. Since retiring in 2009 he has devoted his spare time to public astronomy outreach

15.00 – 16.00 Dave McDonald (Kildare), Irish Asteroids and Near Earth Objects
Dave Mc Donald is an amateur astronomer based in County Kildare, discover of two asteroids, the first only the second asteroid discovered from Ireland - the first (9 Metis) having been discovered by Andrew Graham in April 1848 from Markree Castle Observatory in County Sligo. While only recently and during his study of the light curve of asteroid 5714 Krasinsky, he made the serendipitous discovery of an eclipsing binary star. Chair of the Irish Federation of Astronomical Societies, Dave is a regular contributor to the IFAS boards and to the affiliated clubs

16.00 – 16.30 Tea/Coffee

16.30 – 17.30 Tom Boles (Coddenham), Hunting Supernovae
Tom Boles is a British amateur astronomer who manages a private astronomical observatory in Coddenham, Suffolk. He is currently the most successful exploding-star-hunter in history, with over record 138 supernovae discovered, many up to 100 million light-years away. He has also held positions of President and Vice President of the British Astronomical Association and is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society. He has co-authored three books on popular astronomy, including the 2008 Yearbook of Astronomy, More Small Astronomical Observatories, The Science and Art of CDD Astronomy, and has published numerous articles in several magazines such as Astronomy Now, Sky and Telescope

17.30 Raffle
18.00 – 19.00 Visit to the Robotic NUIG Imbusch Observatory (optional)

19.00 – Dinner including Dinner Talk by Dr. Andy Mc Crea (Past President of the Irish Astronomical Assoc and editor of "Stardust"), “A Search for some of the Darkest Sites in America”

21.00 Astronomy Table Quiz or Observing

For full details and accom links please go to our website at www.galwayastronomyclub.ie

Hope to see you there
Galway Festival Committee

I sent an email to a friend also an amateur astronomer in my hometown yesterday concerning our Astronomy Festival, discovered that he was not at home, but at the Aurora village, in a place called Yellowknife (Lat 62N) in the Northwest Territory of Canada. Seemingly it's -30 C there today and "due to drop away tonight while we are observing" Sent me a beauty of what he called a "raw" image from last night. Would be nice to see something like this on March 4-5.



We are planning a Buy and sell table, so bring any equipment, books, anything astronomical you wish to sell. Please PM me if you wish to add something.

Would anyone else like to bring their telescopes for the viewing sessions??

Or anyone with a solar scope??, will have two but another one would be useful.

There will be several trade stands selling books,telescopes, equipment etc, also a guy is coming with several fully fledged model rockets capable of reaching several thousand feet. Also we will have the wonderful 3D display from NUI Galway and some displays on photographing the night sky.

Galway Astronomy Fest Committee

Hope to make it up this year
for the whole event.
Looking forward to it!

Observing for the Galway Astronomy Festival will take place on both nights at Barna Golf club car park. From what you can see on the below photo, the golf club is situated on an elevated site with commanding views in all directions. It is exceptionally dark although being just 6 miles from Galway city suburbs. The lights in the distance is the Aran Islands and the near light is the security light at the Golf club which of course will be turned off.



This year is bigger and better than ever with a host of trade and display stands, if anyone is interested in showcasing anything astronomical please PM us.

Stands and Displays


Centre for Astronomy NUIG
HitecAstro (Official Irish Launch) see www.hitecastro.co.uk/
North Down Telescopes
Astronomy Ireland Shop
Irish Rocketry Society - Amateur Rockets of all sizes
Coddenham Observatory UK
Brownstone Observatory Ireland - Deep Sky CCD Imagining
Dave Gradwell Solar Astrophotography
Variable Stars observers Group

More to follow..

On the Accom front stay at the Westwood House Hotel on the Saturday night for only €79.00PPS, Dinner/B&B or €49.50PPS B&B and quote "Astronomy Festival"

Hope to see you there

Galway Astronomy Festival Committee

Hi

Just to mention that the observing evening in Galway on the Friday night will take place at Brigits Garden in Rosscahill, the same and very dark location where it took place last year. The forecast even looks good for next weekend so fingers crossed lads and ladies. We might even try our own Messier Marathon.

Those stand again are

Centre for Astronomy NUIG
HitecAstro (Official Irish Launch) see www.hitecastro.co.uk/
North Down Telescopes
Astronomy Ireland Shop
Irish Rocketry Society - Amateur Rockets of all sizes
IFAS
Coddenham Observatory UK
Colin Barton Aurora Photography
Brownstone Observatory Ireland - Deep Sky CCD Imagining
Dave Gradwell Solar Astrophotography
Variable Stars observers Group


More to follow..

On the Accom front stay at the Westwood House Hotel on the Saturday night for only €79.00PPS, Dinner/B&B or €49.50PPS B&B and quote "Astronomy Festival"

Hope to see you there