The Galway Astronomy Club

GAC December Meeting: by John Flannery (Irish Astronomical Society)
2024-12-02 19:30 - 21:30 UTC | Menlo Park Hotel, Terryland, Galway, Ireland
Galway Astronomy Club are pleased to announce details of our December club meeting, which will take place at 7.30 pm on Monday the 2nd December in the Menlo Park Hotel, Terryland, Galway.

Talk: “The World of Atmospheric Phenomena”
Rainbows, along with the ring we sometimes see around the Moon, are the most familiar and frequent types of optical phenomena in the atmosphere, but a new and refreshing appreciation of the daytime sky is revealed by becoming aware of the many other classes that exist. Many of the complex and beautiful patterns result, in most cases, from the interplay of light with two simple substances – air and water. This talk will explore marvels from the blue sky to the zodiacal light.

Speaker: John Flannery (IAS)
One if Irelands leading amateur astronomers, John is editor of the IAS quarterly journal and is active in astronomy outreach. He also compiles the IFAS calendar of celestial events for the year ahead, and writes astronomy columns for Whitaker’s Almanac and The Irish Times. His main interests as an amateur astronomer are the sky lore of world cultures; binocular observing; and astronomical history.

New members and attendees are very welcome.
We look forward to your company.

GAC November Meeting by Dr Matt Redman (University of Galway)
2024-11-11 19:30 - 21:30
Galway Astronomy Club are pleased to announce details of our November club meeting, which will take place at 7.30 pm on Monday the 11th November in the Menlo Park Hotel, Terryland, Galway.

Talk: ‘Of planets and planetary nebulae’
Planetary nebulae were so named due to their planet like appearance in very early telescopes. They are now understood to be the spectacular result of sun-like stars throwing off their outer layers at the end of their lifetimes. A mystery remains though as to how spherical stars can produce the widely diverse range of shapes of nebulae that are observed. Here I will discuss a new idea for shaping such nebulae where the planets that likely surround these aged stars are able to sculpt the outflowing materials. In this way, despite the original misnomer, planets could in fact have an important role in planetary nebulae after all.
Speaker: Dr Matt Redman
Matt Redman is Director of the Centre for Astronomy NUI Galway, and leads a group with research interests in star formation and star destruction processes. He uses radio and millimetre telescope data to investigate the collapse of star forming molecular clouds, and optical and millimetre data for studying the shaping mechanisms of planetary nebulae, novae and supernova remnants. He works at the observational and theory interface, simulating data from telescopes using radiative transfer, photoionisation and spatiokinematic codes.

GAC October meeting - by Howard J Simkover
2024-10-07 19:30 - 21:30
Galway Astronomy Club are pleased to announce details of our October club meeting, which will take place at 7.30 pm on Monday the 7th October in the Menlo Park Hotel, Terryland, Galway.

Talk: ‘Celestial Shadows – Eclipses of the Sun’
Every couple of years, somewhere on the Earth, the Moon’s shadow touches down and sweeps
at supersonic speed across oceans and continents. People situated in the path of this celestial
shadow experience the unforgettable sight of a total eclipse of the Sun. While some ancient
civilizations had a good understanding of solar eclipses, it was not until the early 18th Century
that the date, time and trajectory of an eclipse could be calculated with reasonable precision.
This presentation is about the various types of solar eclipses – what they are, when they
happen, the underlying geometry that causes them, why they are perceived to be rare events,
and the spectacular beauty that they offer to us.
On Monday, April 8, 2024 a total solar eclipse occurred in Mexico, the US and Canada. Public
awareness was handled extremely well by the astronomical community and the media. While
parts of the eclipse track experienced clouds, huge numbers of people were able to view this
stunning celestial alignment safely in clear skies, and to stand within the shadow of the Moon.
Speaker: Howard J Simkover
Howard Simkover was born in Montreal, Canada and obtained his education
there. He graduated as the leading student in McGill University’s Faculty of
Electrical Engineering, and was awarded the British Association Medal for Great
Distinction. He is a Professional Engineer, Ontario, and currently works as a
consultant in policy and governance with Health Canada (federal government
department).
Howard’s lifelong interest in astronomy began at age 7, when he obtained his first
telescope and used it to observe the planet Mars. Later, he became active in the
Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, where he served on the Observation
Committee and the Board of Directors of the Montreal Centre.
For more than two decades, Howard produced numerous shows and lectured on
astronomy at the Montreal Planetarium. Some of his shows played at other
planetaria in Canada and the United States. He has also lectured about
astronomy at the Canada Science & Technology Museum and Carleton
University. He continues to speak to audiences in Canada’s National Capital
Region and to groups elsewhere in the world via online technology. He owns and
regularly uses several telescopes to observe the sky. One of his passions is
eclipses of the sun, which he has “chased” over two dozen times all over the World.

Howard will be joining us via video link from Canada.

GAC September meeting - by Dr Gary Kenny (ATU Galway)
2024-09-02 19:30 - 21:30
Galway Astronomy Club are pleased to announce details of our September club meeting, which will take place at 7.30 pm on Monday the 2nd September in the Menlo Park Hotel, Terryland, Galway.

Talk: ‘Stars of the Universe’
This talk on the stars of the universe is suitable for beginners in astronomy.
Speaker: Dr Gary Kenny (ATU Galway)
Gary Kenny’s astronomy background was Ground Based Gamma-ray using the Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Technique. He has a B.Sc. from Galway Mayo Institute of Technology. He did his Ph.D in High End Astrophysics in the University of Galway.
He was a Senior Technical Officer in the School of Physics in University of Galway to 2012 and since 2012 has been working as a lecturer in Physics and Instrumentation in the Atlantic Technological University.

New members and attendees are very welcome.
