Celebrate all things space at the Galway Astronomy Festival
Crowd at 2018 Galway Astronomy Festival. Image credits: Galway Astronomy Club
Image credits: Galway Astronomy Club
Galway astronomy enthusiasts will come together this weekend to celebrate all things space-related.
The Galway Astronomy Festival will be celebrating its 18th year this Saturday, 29th of January.
Organized by the Galway Astronomy Club, the festival will be a “celebration of astronomy” and appeal to both beginner and advanced astronomers alike.
John Keady, Chairmen of the Galway Astronomy Club, said that the goal of this year’s festival was to get as many speakers as possible to talk about the different aspects of astronomy:
“We’re hoping that there’s something there for everybody, and we try to keep it as light as possible.”
Speakers at the event will cover topics ranging from exoplanets to the geology of Mercury.
Paul Evans, Chairmen of the Irish Federation of Astronomical Studies, will be speaking at the event for the first time about the full story of the Apollo moon missions, from the end of World War II, all the way through to the final mission in 1972.
“They launched a man to the moon in 1968, and that’s where I came in. I was seven at the time, and so I got interested in space through Apollo 8. I lived through the whole of the moon missions between 1968 and 1972,” said Mr Evans.
“That’s really what the whole talk is about, and that’s my reason for being involved in it. It was a thing of my childhood and an interest I’ve kept up since.”
Attendees will also have the chance to learn about the basics of telescopes from Dublin-based Ktec Telescopes.
Stephen Kershaw, owner of Ktec Telescopes, said that his talk would focus on teaching people how to observe using equipment they already have.
Mr Kershaw said that one of his favourite parts of attending the Galway Astronomy Festival is meeting “new, enthusiastic people who are into astronomy”.
“They’re events that we always look forward to going to, so we can’t wait until they’re physically on again.”
The Galway Astronomy Festival starts at 9.30 AM. Registration for the festival is free, and more information can be found on the Galway Astronomy Club website.
