Thousands of moon-watchers to get close-up

14/04/2005 - 15:25:28

Thousands of people are expected to gather across the country tomorrow night for a rare glimpse of the moon’s magnificent surface up-close through hi-tech telescopes.

David Moore, chairman of Astronomy Ireland, said that everyone in the country is welcome to travel to several sites, including Dublin’s Phoenix Park, tomorrow night to view the moon through computer-controlled telescopes.

“People will be able to see individual mountains and valleys on the moon 400,000 kilometres away,” Mr Moore said.

The astronomy expert said that the date was chosen as National Moon Watch Day as the moon will be at its very highest and surface details will appear sharp.

“Inside many of the craters on the moon that are visible in ’normal’ telescopes there are mountains, and these telescopes are so powerful that they can zoom in on these mountains and show the individual peaks and the valleys between them,” he said.

The association has organised a series of Moon Watch gatherings with the main one taking place at 9pm in Dublin’s Phoenix Park at the Papal Cross car park. Other events are to be held all around the country including counties Carlow, Clare, Cork, Donegal, Louth, Tipperary and Wexford.

“We are expecting hundreds to thousands of people to turn out,” he said. “But it does depend on the weather.”

Mr Moore said there had been an intense interest in the Moon Watch from people accessing their website.

Astronomy Ireland, which has over 3,000 full members around the country, said they will have several hi-tech telescopes at the sites, some valued at up to €7,000.

“Interest in astronomy in Ireland is huge, it is the biggest in the world relative to population and far outstrips every other place, including the US,” he said.

Mr Moore also urged people to come out as the ringed planet of Saturn will be just to the lower left of the moon in a rare position visible to the naked eye.

“It’s an absolutely incredible sight which everyone should see at least once in their life,” he said.

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