From: TerryMoselaol.com
Date: Sun, 2 Jan 2005 16:41:51 EST
Subject: Aurora?, IAA NY Party, Astro-Day, Comet chart jpg.

Hi all,

1. There's the chance of an aurora tonight (2/3 Jan) and tomorrow night (3/4) 
from the latest sunspot, but no sign of anything yet from Belfast at 21.30, 
though mainly cloudy here.

2.  I've just been informed that the cut-off date for booking for the IAA 
Xmas/NY Party has actually passed! But I suppose you could always email 
(iaa2000btinternet.com) or ring (028 - 90843109) John Hall to see if there are any 
cancellations. 

3. The IAA's Kids/Family Astro-Day on Sat 15 January will be at St Patrick's 
School, Lisburn.
   This will be an event for members as well as the public, but it's 
primarily aimed at the latter, including all those kids & adults who got telescopes 
for Xmas & are not sure how to use them. We'll have practical hands-on sessions 
on telescope & binocs, advice on observing, talks on what's to be seen, solar 
observing if clear, sessions on astro-imaging with your digital or video 
camera, & we hope to have a mobile planetarium. I hope that 'Ulsternaut' Derek 
Heatly will be there with his usual collection of space memorabilia, photos, 
video, meteorites, including ones from the Moon & Mars.
  IT will be a daytime event, though we should be able to observe the 34% 
illuminated crescent moon in twilight before we finish if its clear, depending on 
time.
   All members are invited to bring along any binocs & portable telescopes 
they may have, to make as many available for inspection etc as possible.
   More details later, as soon as they are finalised.

4. Finally, for all those of you who couldn't, or didn't download the chart 
of Comet Machholz in my last email because the file was too large, here's a 
much smaller jpg version, courtesy of Peter Paice (of Solar images fame...). It's 
now an easy N-E object, even in a moderately light-polluted sky.

And don't forget the IAA meeting on Wed night at 7.30 at Stranmillis - 
details as before.

Happy New Year again.

Terry Moseley.

Last Revised: 2005 January 5th WWW contact:webmaster@arm.ac.uk

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