Leitrim Astronomy Club

18/03/2024

Reminder Leitrim Astronomy Club:
Lecture by Dr. Ian Sanders on Meteorites tomorrow evening Tuesday, March 19 at 7.30pm in Ballinamore Library, Co. Leitrim.
Dr. Sanders will be bringing with him several meteorites samples for all to see and touch.
We will also have tea/coffee and biscuits upon arrival.
This will be a great night as Dr. Sanders is one of the leading authorities in Ireland on meteorites.
We also look forward to having the Mohill Boys Scouts in attendance along with their adult leaders/guardians.
Talk starts at 7.30pm sharp!

29/12/2023

https://www.facebook.com/stories/2319696404733579/UzpfSVNDOjcwNDc3OTIwNTA1NTcwMg==/?view_single=1&source=shared_permalink

23/11/2023

We had three others and myself at Tuesday's meeting. Several people sent emails beforehand saying that they would not be able to make it. They also expressed a desire and hope that the club/group would continue.

Julie, Neil and Barry in attendance also expressed that wish.

As a result of a chat it was decided to distribute responsibility amongst us four, on a rotating basis, to help organise activity going forward. We decided to meet as a group every two months.
I will try and get something in the works for December/Jan. We chatted about what we could do in the short-term and the idea to have a group Christmas Party/Dinner came up and it was agreed I would look into it.
We also discussed the idea of having a Leitrim Astronomy Star Party weekend sometime in 2024 all going well.
Other clubs do this on an annual basis and it would include organising speakers and observation events and having a venue/s for accommodation. To do this we would need local authority grants and I will look into this.
The general idea would be to give the group a boost and get to meet other astronomy people from all over Ireland.
So, we will work on the above going forward.

Julie, Neil, Barry and Denis

08/05/2023

Hi Folks,

Tomorrow night Tuesday, May 9th, 2023 upstairs in Drumshanbo Library, Leitrim, we are going to discover the contribution of Islam to astronomy and science. We will briefly look at the new UAE space program and then dive deep into the history of Islamic astronomy/science in a feature length documentary.

Start time is 7.30pm sharp as we have a lot to cover.
Tea, coffee and biscuits served.

Entrance at the side of the building through the gate.

See you all,
Denis

25/04/2023

No meeting tonight April 25th.
May 9th is rescheduled meeting at Drumshanbo Library at 7.30pm.

Apologies for late notice
Denis

20/03/2023

Don't forget our talk tomorrow evening on the James Webb Telescope in the Ballinamore Library, Co. Leitrim at 7pm, Tues March 21, 2023, as part of Irish Astronomy Week.

Let's kick off festivities with a little music 🎶... A song about a constellation called 'Casseopiea' by the brilliant, Reina del Cid.

Top o’ the Sunday to ya! Here’s a brand new song, fresh out of the oven (or maybe still a little bit in the oven?). I’ll probably be adding more to this one ...

08/03/2023

Hi Folks,

Our next meeting will take place at Ballinamore Library on Tuesday, March 21 at 7pm.

The talk will be part of the forthcoming Irish Astronomy Week.
We will be talking about NASA's new toy, the James Webb Telescope.

The following month, we will be returning to Drumshanbo Library on Tuesday, April 25, 2023 at 7pm (side door entrance).

Following that it is hoped to seek out new horizons in Manorhamilton in May and then back to Drumshanbo after that.

Best
Denis

03/01/2023

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=121712500782081&id=100088299944157

The goal behind Irish Astronomy Week and its theme “The Stars for Everyone” is to inspire, encourage and help provide opportunities for people of all ages to connect with the Universe, to promote an appreciation and understanding of the night sky, and to enjoy it in a non-intrusive and non-destructive manner.

There has been an excellent response to this project, far exceeding expectations and I hope participants will make their events free of charge as happens with Science Week, Space Week and Heritage Week, but of course donations can be welcomed for their organisations.

There is a wide variety of interested groups including the National Parks, Geoparks of the Cooper Coast, Joyce Country and Cuilcagh Lakelands, eco-tourism destinations, all three Planetariums, Observatories, Science Centres, Telescope shops, official IDA Dark Sky locations, Dark Sky Groups, and even remote communities like Clare Island and Inishbofin. As you can imagine several are looking for support and ideas, or just a need for people to give children’s workshops, night sky tours or even ways to explore their own dark sky tourism potential. I am asking fellow outreach co-ordinators of the Irish Astronomical community to please reach out and help in this endeavour.

The go-fund me page has raised over a phenomenal €1700, the majority of this is going towards a new website which will be online next month. The remaining money will be spent on bookmarks and posters that are being designed for the 150+ libraries that will be sharing our passion with astronomy themed displays of books, e-books, and e-comics. Any remaining donations will be transferred to an IFAS account for the 2024 event. Other libraries will be hosting astronomy talks, if your local library wants to get involved or if you would like to give a talk there, please let me know so I can add to the website.

None of this could happen without support from all the Irish Astronomy Clubs and Societies, Science Foundation Ireland, fellow amateur astronomers around around the country and the IFAS (Irish Federation of Astronomical Societies) Council who are fully behind and involved in running this project.

Website coming next month.

The dates: March 20th to 26th begins with a New Moon and as the days continue there will be three Lunar conjunctions of Jupiter, Venus and M45, its also a perfect time for an “Irish” Messier marathon, the possibilities are endless. Finally, I am delighted to see the return of the COSMOS Starparty in Tullamore and the Skellig Dark Sky Festival both taking place that weekend and I wish them success in their respective events. Happy New Year🙂

02/12/2022

Hi folks

Meeting reminder tonight Dec 2 at 7.30pm at Drumshanbo Library, Co. Leitrim.
Through gate and side door entrance ... Please leave the gate and outside door open.

We will be talking about relativity and Einstein. Tea, coffee and biscuits will be available.

Denis

19/08/2022

Hi Folks,

Hope all is well.

Our next meeting will be on Tuesday Aug 30 at 6pm in Ballinamore Library.

Subject of talk about China's new space station, Tiangong.

Regards
Denis

01/08/2022

Big thanks once again to our recent speaker, Brian Mac Gabhann, who have us a brilliant lecture on the History of Astronomy.
Thank you Brian and for making the effort to come all the way from Galway.
We had a great turnout too.
Watch out for next gathering.
Denis

11/07/2022

05/07/2022

Hi All,
Our next gathering is on Tuesday, July 12, 2022, at 6pm in Ballinamore Library.

We will have a lecture on the 'History of Astronomy' by Brian Mac Gabhann.

Brian is a longtime amateur astronomer and has given numerous lectures on astronomy throughout Ireland. We will be asking for a 2 euro contribution to cover Brian's travel expenses from Galway. If you don't have it on the night, don't worry. This should be a great lecture as we haven't really covered this subject before.

Please try and make it for 6pm, if possible, as we have a limited time window.

All welcome
Denis

08/06/2022

Hi All,

We had a good turnout at our first meeting in two long years. Thank you to all that were able to make the early time of 6pm. Several people emailed to say they could not make it on the night but were enthusiastic that we were getting started again.

Neil Moran agreed to be club secretary; Julie Ann Gale treasurer and Denis O'Brien continue as chairperson. All three roles were put to the floor for people to consider and that's how things panned out.

We reviewed the main events over the past two years with several significant ones, but probably the main event was the launch of the James Webb Telescope on Christmas Day last year. All is going well with the JWST and we should have the first pics on July 12, 2022.

I am trying to arrange a night out with telescopes, binoculars or just your eyes, and will let you know if a date is finalised. The plan is to meet up with the Sligo Group again as they have been very good to us in the past.

Good news is that we will have a speaker for next month's meeting in the library and that is being arranged at present.

So it's all good and great to be back,
Denis

02/06/2022

Hi Folks,
I hope that everyone is well and healthy.
After a long absence, I would like to get the group going again.
Ballinamore Library is back in action holding events, so I have availed of the opportunity to book a meeting date for this Tuesday, June 7th at 6pm.
I will just review some of the main news in Astronomy of the past two years. We will also need to chat about the group/club.
We won't be having tea, coffee and biscuits, as the library isn't catering to that just yet, but you are more than welcome to bring your own.
Our time is limited from 6pm-7pm, in the short term. So please try and make it for 6pm if possible.
So, hope to see you there Tuesday night.

Date: Tues, June 7, 2022
Time: 6pm.

Upwards and Onwards
Denis O'Brien

23/12/2020

Hi Folks,

I hope people got a chance to see the conjunction/alignment of Jupiter and Saturn on Monday evening.
Unfortunately, it was cloudy in Ballinamore at the time but cleared up later after setting ....

Both planets still appear to align but are starting to move apart ... in reality they are already 400 million miles from each other.
See here for exact planet setting times: https://www.heavens-above.com/PlanetSummary.aspx?lat=0&lng=0&loc=Unspecified&alt=0&tz=UCT

Azimuth/direction or where to find both planets in the sky is 247 degrees (look SW to West) ... at an altitude of 26.6 degrees at 6pm ... so fairly low in the sky.

We had a good chat last week for our Online Zoom with five people taking part. Showed several short films and talked a wee bit about the latest astronomy news. Hopefully, we can do another Zoom group chat over Christmas.

Here's wishing everyone a great and safe Christmas and may 2021 be a new dawn ....

Best
Denis

Satellite predictions and other astronomical data customised for your location.

17/04/2020

Hi Everyone,
I hope that you all are keeping well and staying safe in these terrible times.
Here is a short interview that you might find interesting with Dr. Ryan Norman, a research physicist with NASA currently working from home.
Dr. Norman, by the way, is a keen hurler and one of the founders of the Hamptons Roads HC, now called Coastal Virginia GAA.
Stay safe
Denis