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X-WR-CALNAME:The Galway Astronomy Club
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://www.galwayastronomyclub.ie
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for The Galway Astronomy Club
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DTSTART:20230101T000000
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20250208T093000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20250208T180000
DTSTAMP:20260403T205408
CREATED:20241121T225414Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250125T094637Z
UID:2733-1739007000-1739037600@www.galwayastronomyclub.ie
SUMMARY:Astrofest 2025
DESCRIPTION:Full AstroFest 2025 details can now be found here https://www.galwayastronomyclub.ie/astrofest-2025/\n  \nAccommodation:\nIf you wish to avail of a reduced  Astrofest rate when booking at the Menlo Park Hotel for the 7th & 8th February 2025\,\n please email reservations@menloparkhotel.com or call 091-761122 to make a reservation to receive the discount.\nMake sure to mention you are attending the festival.
URL:https://www.galwayastronomyclub.ie/event/astrofest-2025/
LOCATION:Menlo Park Hotel\, Terryland\, Galway\, Ireland
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20250106T193000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20250106T213000
DTSTAMP:20260403T205408
CREATED:20241121T224520Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250102T182904Z
UID:2726-1736191800-1736199000@www.galwayastronomyclub.ie
SUMMARY:GAC January Meeting: by James Dire (Blinn College)
DESCRIPTION:Talk: ‘The History of Innovations in Telescopes’ \nThis talk will start with the invention of the telescope in the late 16th century and cover all of the innovative improvements in telescope designs for astronomical use from the 17th through 21st centuries. The talk will not only concentrate on the innovations\, but also on the scientists and engineers responsible for the improvements throughout the centuries. \nSpeaker: Dr James R Dire (Blinn College) \nDr James Dire earned bachelors degrees in chemistry\, physics and mathematics from the University of Missouri\, Kansas City. He went on to earn a MS degree in physics from the University of Central Florida and a MA degree in atmospheric science from The Johns Hopkins University. Subsequently he completed a PhD from Johns Hopkins in planetary astronomy. His dissertation was on the seasonal photochemistry in the atmosphere of Saturn’s moon Titan. \nAfter 23 years in the armed forces\, which included duty as a physics and astronomy professor at both the US Naval Academy and the US Coast Guard Academy\, Dr. Dire became a college administrator. He served as an associate provost at Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Spring North Carolina and as Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University of Hawaii’s campus on Kauai\, and Chancellor of Methodist College in Peoria\, IL. He currently is the Dean of Physical Sciences at Blinn College in Bryan\, Texas. \nDr. Dire is a seasoned astronomical observer and astrophotographer. He has authored a deep space column in the Astronomical League’s Reflector magazine since 2010 and is contributes myriad article to Astronomy Technology Today and Solar Astronomy Today. in Astronomy Technology Today. He is a past president of the Astronomical Society of Kansas City and currently is a member of the Peoria Astronomical Society\, the Las Vegas Astronomical Society\, and the Kauai Educational Association for Science and Astronomy.
URL:https://www.galwayastronomyclub.ie/event/gac-january-meeting-by-james-dire-blinn-college/
LOCATION:Menlo Park Hotel\, Terryland\, Galway\, Ireland
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20241202T193000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20241202T213000
DTSTAMP:20260403T205408
CREATED:20241104T185102Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241121T223024Z
UID:2713-1733167800-1733175000@www.galwayastronomyclub.ie
SUMMARY:GAC December Meeting: by John Flannery (Irish Astronomical Society)
DESCRIPTION:  \nGalway 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. \n  \nTalk: “The World of Atmospheric Phenomena” \nRainbows\, 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. \n  \nSpeaker: John Flannery (IAS) \nOne 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. \n  \nNew members and attendees are very welcome. \nWe look forward to your company. 
URL:https://www.galwayastronomyclub.ie/event/gac-december-meeting-by-john-flannery-irish-astronomical-society/
LOCATION:Menlo Park Hotel\, Terryland\, Galway\, Ireland
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20241111T193000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20241111T213000
DTSTAMP:20260403T205408
CREATED:20241001T213424Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241001T213424Z
UID:2706-1731353400-1731360600@www.galwayastronomyclub.ie
SUMMARY:GAC November Meeting by Dr Matt Redman (University of Galway)
DESCRIPTION:  \nGalway 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. \n  \nTalk: ‘Of planets and planetary nebulae’ \nPlanetary 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. \nSpeaker: Dr Matt Redman \nMatt 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.
URL:https://www.galwayastronomyclub.ie/event/gac-november-meeting-by-dr-matt-redman-university-of-galway/
LOCATION:Menlo Park Hotel\, Terryland\, Galway\, Ireland
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20241007T193000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20241007T213000
DTSTAMP:20260403T205408
CREATED:20240813T212512Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241001T213704Z
UID:2697-1728329400-1728336600@www.galwayastronomyclub.ie
SUMMARY:GAC October meeting - by Howard J Simkover
DESCRIPTION:  \nGalway 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. \n  \n Talk: ‘Celestial Shadows – Eclipses of the Sun’ \nEvery couple of years\, somewhere on the Earth\, the Moon’s shadow touches down and sweeps\nat supersonic speed across oceans and continents. People situated in the path of this celestial\nshadow experience the unforgettable sight of a total eclipse of the Sun. While some ancient\ncivilizations had a good understanding of solar eclipses\, it was not until the early 18th Century\nthat the date\, time and trajectory of an eclipse could be calculated with reasonable precision.\nThis presentation is about the various types of solar eclipses – what they are\, when they\nhappen\, the underlying geometry that causes them\, why they are perceived to be rare events\,\nand the spectacular beauty that they offer to us.\nOn Monday\, April 8\, 2024 a total solar eclipse occurred in Mexico\, the US and Canada. Public\nawareness was handled extremely well by the astronomical community and the media. While\nparts of the eclipse track experienced clouds\, huge numbers of people were able to view this\nstunning celestial alignment safely in clear skies\, and to stand within the shadow of the Moon. \nSpeaker: Howard J Simkover \nHoward Simkover was born in Montreal\, Canada and obtained his education\nthere. He graduated as the leading student in McGill University’s Faculty of\nElectrical Engineering\, and was awarded the British Association Medal for Great\nDistinction. He is a Professional Engineer\, Ontario\, and currently works as a\nconsultant in policy and governance with Health Canada (federal government\ndepartment). \nHoward’s lifelong interest in astronomy began at age 7\, when he obtained his first\ntelescope and used it to observe the planet Mars. Later\, he became active in the\nRoyal Astronomical Society of Canada\, where he served on the Observation\nCommittee and the Board of Directors of the Montreal Centre. \nFor more than two decades\, Howard produced numerous shows and lectured on\nastronomy at the Montreal Planetarium. Some of his shows played at other\nplanetaria in Canada and the United States. He has also lectured about\nastronomy at the Canada Science & Technology Museum and Carleton\nUniversity. He continues to speak to audiences in Canada’s National Capital\nRegion and to groups elsewhere in the world via online technology. He owns and\nregularly uses several telescopes to observe the sky. One of his passions is\neclipses of the sun\, which he has “chased” over two dozen times all over the World. \n  \nHoward will be joining us via video link from Canada.
URL:https://www.galwayastronomyclub.ie/event/gac-october-meeting-by-howard-j-simkover/
LOCATION:Menlo Park Hotel\, Terryland\, Galway\, Ireland
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20240902T193000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20240902T213000
DTSTAMP:20260403T205408
CREATED:20240813T211044Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240813T213230Z
UID:2690-1725305400-1725312600@www.galwayastronomyclub.ie
SUMMARY:GAC September meeting - by Dr Gary Kenny (ATU Galway)
DESCRIPTION:  \nGalway 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. \n  \n  \nTalk: ‘Stars of the Universe’ \nThis talk on the stars of the universe is suitable for beginners in astronomy. \nSpeaker: Dr Gary Kenny (ATU Galway) \nGary 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. \nHe 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. \n  \nNew members and attendees are very welcome.  \n 
URL:https://www.galwayastronomyclub.ie/event/gac-september-meeting-by-dr-gary-kenny-atu-galway/
LOCATION:Menlo Park Hotel\, Terryland\, Galway\, Ireland
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20240513T193000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20240513T213000
DTSTAMP:20260403T205408
CREATED:20240428T193012Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240505T194902Z
UID:2667-1715628600-1715635800@www.galwayastronomyclub.ie
SUMMARY:GAC May Meeting - Astrophotography talk by club member Brendan Spelman + AGM
DESCRIPTION:  \nGalway Astronomy Club are pleased to announce details of our May club meeting\, which will take place at 7.30 pm on Monday the 13th May in the Menlo Park Hotel\, Terryland\, Galway. \n  \nThis is our last meeting of our current season and we will have: \n\nOur AGM where club members can voice their opinions on all things club related. Our AGM will offer members the opportunity to join the new club committee for next season. \nAn interesting talk by club member Brendan Spelman on ‘Deep Sky Astrophotography’. More details below.\nA chance to win a telescope and a few other prizes when we will be making the draw for our club raffle. Tickets can be purchased below!\nFree tea and coffee on the night and we invite everyone to stay and have a chat before we break up for the summer. \n\n\nMay meeting speaker. \nTalk: ‘Introduction to Deep Sky Astrophotography’ \nBrendan has shared some wonderful images of the night sky on our WhatsApp group throughout the year and we decided to invite him to speak about how he takes these wonderful images. We are delighted to have him as our May ‘guest’ speaker. \nSpeaker: Brendan Spelman (GAC) \n“Brendan is a native of Galway and an IT professional. Always having had a fascination with the universe\, his interest in astronomy really kick started when he received a telescope as a gift during the early days of the COVID lockdowns. With a long-standing passion for photography\, it was only natural for him to gravitate toward capturing the wonders of the night sky. Fascinated by the intersection of science and art\, he eagerly anticipates clear nights\, always on the lookout for breaks in the clouds to indulge his curiosity. When hindered by clouds\, Brendan enjoys playing board games with his wife and 3 young children. “ \n  \nClub raffle draw tickets can be purchased here.\nThe May Meeting Raffle prize is for a Skywatcher 1145 PS (AZ Pronto) telescope. \nMore prizes are to be announced…
URL:https://www.galwayastronomyclub.ie/event/gac-may-meeting-astrophotography-talk-by-club-member-brendan-spellman-agm/
LOCATION:Menlo Park Hotel\, Terryland\, Galway\, Ireland
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20240408T193000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20240408T213000
DTSTAMP:20260403T205408
CREATED:20240312T220507Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240312T221450Z
UID:2658-1712604600-1712611800@www.galwayastronomyclub.ie
SUMMARY:GAC April Meeting by Dr Emma Whelan (Maynooth University)
DESCRIPTION:  \nGalway Astronomy Club are pleased to announce details of our April club meeting\, which will take place at 7.30 pm on Monday the 8th April in the Menlo Park Hotel\, Terryland\, Galway. \n  \n  \nTalk: ‘Star Formation with the ESO VLT.’ \nI am an observational astronomer studying star formation and the earliest stages of planet formation. The majority of my data is obtained with the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope. The VLT is one of the worlds most advanced optical telescopes and the flagship facility for European ground-based observatory.  I will discuss the VLT\, the instruments that have been most important for my work and present some of the most recent results from my group. \n  \nSpeaker: Dr Emma Whelan (MU) \nEmma Whelan graduated from Trinity College Dublin in 2001 with a BA in Physics with Astrophysics. From 2001 to 2005 she studied at the Dublin Institute for Advanced studies for a PhD in observational astronomy specialising in star formation and graduated with a PhD from Trinity College Dublin in 2005. She continued her work in this area at the Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies as part of the Marie Curie Research and Training Network JETSET from 2005 to 2009. In 2009 she was awarded a Marie Curie Fellowship at the Institut de Planétologie et d’Astrophysique de Grenoble and studied there until 2011. In 2012 she moved to the Institut für Astronomie und Astrophysik Tübingen. In 2016 she was appointed as a lecturer in the Experimental Physics Department. Dr Whelan is also a research associate of the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies.
URL:https://www.galwayastronomyclub.ie/event/gac-april-meeting-by-emma-whelan-maynooth-university/
LOCATION:Menlo Park Hotel\, Terryland\, Galway\, Ireland
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