Local Astronomy Club wants to share the Universe with you
Have you ever looked up at a starry night and just ‘looked’? Perhaps you have seen a meteor – also known as a shooting star – and wondered where it came from. Better yet, are you one of the millions worldwide who watched the aurora borealis on May 10 this year, wondering how does such a phenomenon occur so frequently lately?
Midlands Astronomy Club is aiming to reignite your interest in Astronomy and similar subjects with a new season of public outreach in Offaly, Westmeath, Laois and beyond.
If you ever wondered where it all started, it has been said that “It all started with a Big Bang” around 13.7 billion years ago. This is the title of this friendly club’s first talk this Autumn. Presented by MAC Secretary Jason Fallon, “it will give an easy-to-follow tour into how the Universe began, how galaxies formed and what led to our Sun and planets existing today in our own Milky Way”, says MAC PRO Seanie Morris.
“How do we know all of this? What is the evidence? And can we see it through our telescopes and binoculars from our back gardens? Jason will explore all this and more in a presentation aimed at all levels and ages of interest.”
“It all started with a Big Bang” takes place in Tullamore Library on Thursday, September 5, at 6.30pm in the Creative Zone upstairs, doors open from 6.15pm. Admission is free and all are welcome to attend. You will also receive your free SkyMaps for September and look ahead to what’s in the night sky – handy for planning to use your telescope or binoculars.
As Autumn approaches, the evenings will get darker earlier, meaning that children will get to enjoy astronomy more, even on school nights. Seanie adds, “As people, we often wait for Autumn and back to school as markers to get back to evening time activities. When Winter draws in, some of the best views of the planets, nebulae, galaxies and star clusters will become more accessible to everyday backyard astronomers. There’s one of those in all of us! Your local astronomy club is a great place to start learning more about backyard astronomy, which is available to almost all of us at any time.”
As of the time of this article, MAC meets on the first and third Thursdays of the month in Tullamore, and the last Tuesday of the month in Athlone (Sub Aqua Club, Coosan Road) for public lecture nights.
If you would like to know more about joining Midlands Astronomy Club or have any questions, you can email stars@midlandsastronomy.ie or contact the PRO, Seanie Morris on 087 6825910. MAC keeps a public WhatsApp group active with astronomy news and sights, including alerts to real-time events in the night sky including the aurora. You can also find Midlands Astronomy Club on Facebook