Our lecture on 14th November concerns the Sun again, but this time from a different perspective. As the Sun emerges from the deepest minimum in a century, some scientists are beginning to suspect that we may be on the verge of another period of low solar activity like the Maunder Minimum. This was a period in the 17th century when the sunspot cycle seemed to be almost put on hold with many fewer sunspots even at the peaks of the 11 year cycle. This brought about "The Little Ice Age" during which Europe and North America had very cold winters. Certain irregularities in the way Solar Cycle 24 is developing look as if we may be about to experience something similar!

On the evening of Tuesday 13th November the Moon will pass directly between the Earth and the Sun giving rise to the phenomenon that many consider to be nature's finest spectacle, the Total Solar Eclipse. Unfortunately the event is only visible in a narrow corridor which sweeps across the Pacific making landfall in North Queensland in the early morning of 14th November local time.

http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/news/6144/australia-counts-down-solar-eclipse

One of the best astronomical projects to have been launched this year is the Dark Sky Discovery programme which the IAA is working on in conjunction with the Northern Ireland Space Office. The first of what we hope will be many of these events takes place at Delamont Country Park on Friday 9th November at 7pmand is being run in association with Down District Council

Our third lecture of October will be delivered by Dr Daniel Mortlock from Imperial College, London who will talk to us about "Searching for the Rarest Objects in the Universe"

Our lecture on 17th October will be something a bit special! We are teaming up with the Astrophysics Research Centre at QUB to bring Science Communicator, TV and Radio personality and Solar Expert Dr Lucie Green to Belfast to talk to us on the subject of "The Sun".


This lecture will be held in the Larmour Lecture Theatre at QUB and though admission is free, seats will need to be booked due the expected demand. Further details regarding the lecture can be found href="https://habu.pst.qub.ac.uk/groups/outreach/wiki/86b0a/2012_Michael_West_Lecture_Series.html">here....

Our guest on 3rd October will be Solar expert Dr Peter Gallagher from Trinity College, Dublin.

Dr Gallagher is Head of the Solar Physics Group at Trinity and his research is primarily concerned with the understanding of Solar Storms and their impact on Earth - of great interest to us as Solar Cycle 24 gathers pace!

Dr Gallagher obtained a first degree in Physics and Mathematics from University College Dublin, a PhD in Solar Physics from QUB and has since worked on Solar research including a six year stint in the US working firstly at Big Bear Solar Observatory in California and at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland.

EXTRAORDINARY FIREBALL BURST SEEN BY IAA OBSERVERS AT DELAMONT COUNTRY PARK

AT 22.54 BST on 21-9-12 at Delamont Country Park, 1 mile south of Killyleagh in Co. Down, GPS coordinates 531113, 351190, 54deg22'56" N 5deg40'39" W, a group of 12 members from the Irish Astronomical Association during a regular observing session observed an amazing group of fireballs rising from trees 10 to 15 degrees above the eastern horizon to the right of Jupiter as seen from the main car park.