Sandymount Observing on Friday 15th March 2013

Hello All,

Just a note to let you know that the IAS will be holding our monthly Sidewalk Astronomy on Friday 15th March.
It will be held as usual at the Martello tower in Sandymount at 8PM.

Please be sure to check our website after 6PM on the day to check that the event is going ahead.

Regards,

Michael.

I should be down at Sandymount at about 8.30pm, Michael with the apo. What is the weather forecast?

Aubrey.

The weather is looking cloudy but here's hoping.

Michael.

Thank you, Michael, for yet another brilliant night down at the Martello Tower at Sandymount.

1. Crescent Moon, 5 day old, viewed at 40X and 112X. Observed Mare Crisium, craters Picard, Swift, Pierce, Langrenus, and Petavius. When I was observing Mare Fecunditatis, I could see 3 craters Atwood, Bilharz and Naonobu. What was quite spectacular though was the system of mare ridges called Dorsa Andrusov nearby -which are 160 kilometres long -beautiful at 112X and a first time for me.
2. Jupiter at 112X: NEB, SEB and North Temperate Belt. Moons from east to west: Io, Callisto, Ganymede and Europa.
3. 118 Tauri: double star at 40X.
4. Castor: triple star at 112X.
5. Aldebaran: lovely orange at 40X.

It was great to see John Flannery, Val Dunne and Paul Walsh as well as a nice crowd of people chatting about everything to do with science fiction, Christianity, creation, evolution and whatever else you are having. Roll on April 19th for our next session. We were all gone by 11.30pm.


Aubrey.