IRISH ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION: MEDIA RELEASE.
IAA to 'STAR' in BBC's STARGAZING LIVE
The very successful Stargazing Live on BBC Two returns on 16-18 January, and this year the Irish Astronomical Association has been invited by the BBC to participate in an evening extravaganza at Lough Neagh Discovery Centre (LNDC) near Lurgan, Co Armagh, on Tuesday 17th. The event will run from 6 to 9.30 p.m. The IAA will also be involved with other activities on Monday 16 and Wednesday 18, details below.
HIGHLIGHTS:
Tuesday 17th: IAA Events at Lough Neagh Discovery Centre:
*Public Observing if clear: Venus, Jupiter, + all the usual Deep Sky wonders using a selection of powerful telescopes and binoculars. Live telescope images will also be displayed on computer monitors beside the telescopes for easier viewing. Wrap up warm from head to toe for this!
*Starshows in the big inflatable planetarium. Due to the expected demand, these presentations will be ticket only, issued on a first come - first served basis.
*Amazing Photo Exhibition: The fantastic A0 size photos produced for International Year of Astronomy 2009 will again be on show, plus some of the best from other sources.
*Telescope and binocular exhibition: see all the varieties available, the pros and cons of each, and learn how to use them to their best capacity.
*Meteorites: an exhibition of many different sorts of meteorites - hold in your hand a piece of outer space (if you can hold it!), with experts there to talk about them.
*Our own local "Ulsternaut" - Derek Heatly from Co Down, who will be the first Ulsterman to go into space. Derek has booked to go into space with Virgin Galactic's Spaceship One, and will be there to talk about his training experiences and forthcoming flight, with videos.
*Astrophotography for beginners" - A 'taster session' by our own expert, Paul Evans.
*Q&A session: 'Everything you always wanted to know about astronomy' - a panel of experts will be there to answer questions from the public on everything from the Andromeda Galaxy to the Zeeman Effect.
*Hands-on demos: How to make a comet, etc.
*EU-UNAWE (EUropean UNiverse AWAreness) presentation
*Children's activities, such as making willow stars.
In other words, something for everyone.
The IAA has been recognised by the BBC as an official 'Partner' in delivering this part of the programme. More on the IAA website:
www.irishastro.org
and
www.bbc.co.uk/stargazing
for updates.
See also:
www.bbc.co.uk/thingstodo
- put "Belfast" in the search box and see all our next events!
OTHER STARGAZING LIVE EVENTS INVOLVING THE IAA:
Monday 16th: A public "Jupiter Watch" will be held by members of the IAA in association with the School of Mathematics and Physics, QUB, in front of the main building at Queen's University, from 6 pm to 9pm. If it's cloudy, Dr Chris Watson will give a public lecture in the Larmor Lecture Theatre, Physics Building, entitled "Jupiters around other stars". See:
tinyurl.com/qubjupiterwatch
Wednesday 18th: Armagh Observatory and NIEA: Stargazing LIVE at An Creagan and Beaghmore: Where the Heavens Meet the Earth
Members of the IAA will be assisting Armagh Observatory and NIEA with telescopes and binoculars, weather permitting, for observing the sky at the Beaghmore Stone Circles and at An Creagan, between Cookstown and Omagh. If the sky is clear, we will be viewing the Sun before it sets at Beaghmore through special safe solar telescopes. Then we'll see Venus, the brilliant Evening Star, appearing in the evening twilight. This is a unique megalithic site and the best Darksky site in Northern Ireland.
Later, there will be further night-time observing at An Creagan, featuring Jupiter and other amazing sights in the night sky. See
star.arm.ac.uk/publicevents/2012/stargazing/
Further details are on the Armagh Observatory website:
star.arm.ac.uk
NOTES TO EDITORS:
1. The Irish Astronomical Association is a registered charity dedicated to promoting interest in, and information about, astronomy and space and related topics. It is the oldest and largest astronomical society based in N. Ireland, and the second largest in Ireland.
2. Stargazing Live is a BBC initiative, in which the IAA is proud to participate.
3. The IAA runs public events throughout the year, including free public lectures at QUB, and public outreach events in various locations throughout Northern Ireland, details of which are available on the website:
www.irishastro.org
Contact:
Terry Moseley
PR Officer,
Irish Astronomical Association
Tel. 07979 300842.
  