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Midlands Astronomy Club (formerly TAS)
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NEXT MEETING: Tuesday September 7th @ 8pm
"The Moon and the Lunar 100" by John Lally

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Astronomy Articles

The following articles featured in previous issues of Réalta, written by TAS members. Feel free to use them yourself, but please acknowledge the copyright of the article to the author in question.

Too close for comfort? by Seanie Morris, TAS
Gemini, The Twins by Micahel O'Connell, TAS
Stuff of the Universe by Maire McKay, TAS
Auriga, The Charioteer by Michael O'Connell, TAS
Preserving Ireland's Dark Skies by Albert White, ILPAC
Survival In Space by Girvan McKay, TAS
Magic Numbers by Máire McKay, TAS
Dunsink Observatory by Brian O'Halloran, Dunsink
Dark Matter by Maire McKay, TAS
The Make Up Of The Moon by Tom Walsh, TAS
In Search Of Planets Outside The Solar System by Girvan McKay, TAS
Is The Shuttle Worth It? by Seanie Morris, TAS
Mythology, Astronomy, & Ancient Folklore PART 1 by Grainne Kirwan, TAS
Mythology, Astronomy, & Ancient Folklore PART 2 by Grainne Kirwan, TAS
Man And The Universe by Girvan McKay, TAS
The Vostok Mystery by Girvan McKay, TAS
Beginners Astronomy by Seanie Morris, TAS

You may also submit an article for print in Réalta if you wish. Send it by post (preferrable on disk), or email it to the editor.

 

Realta

Cover of Realta

This has gone through a couple of different forms from when Sean McKenna started the first TAS Newsletter in 1988. Back then, Wordperfect was in fashion, Pentium was an unknown word, and only a handful of astronomy magazines worldwide existed.

As technology grew, so did the TAS Newsletter. From club news and events, to articles written by members, and astronomy news stories, it kept people almost as up to date as the top astronomy magazines at the time. With the creation of the TAS Junior Section in around 1990, a new newsletter, Cosmos, was introduced for and maintaind by the Junior Section. It went through a few editions before it fizzled out, mainly due to the responsibilities involved clashing with student reponsibilities, and printing costs. Still, it was another first of its kind in Ireland, that an astronomy club had 2 simultaneous newsletters for its members.

Later, in the 90's, the advent of Information Technology allowed for the Newsletter to become more popular. It grew from just being a 2 or 3 times a year newsletter to a bi-monthly club magazine. Sean McKenna still produced it, and was able to keep up with the times with excerpts from newspapers and magazines.

In 1997, The name was changed to Réalta with the renaming of Irish Astrofest to Cosmos, and the official opening of the Observatory, all in 1998. Girvan McKay coined the term, using an accronym of Reviews, Events And Lectures - Tullamore Astronomy. By taking the first letter of each word, you also have the Irish for Star!

In 2000, Seanie Morris took over as Editor due to Sean McKenna's work committments. By this stage, the internet was everywhere, and from then on, Réalta was able to produce news stories a month ahead of the major astronomical magazines like Astronomy Now, Astronomy & Space and Sky & Telescope. It was still only a club magazine though, with a limited audience.

Since 2008 John Lally has taken over the reigns and produces an 8 page booklet for each monthly meeting. Articles are welcomed, and can be sent to tullamoreastronomy@yahoo.co.uk

 

DOWNLOAD RÉALTA
Right-click and 'Save Link/Target As' to download to your computer. Requires an Acrobat reader to view.

2010
August 2010 PDF 932kB
April 2010 PDF 1.2MB

2009
May 2009 PDF 1.4MB
March 2009
PDF 2.2MB
February 2009 PDF 1.5MB
January 2009 PDF 1.0MB

2008
December 2008 PDF 1.8MB
November 2008 PDF 1.8MB
October 2008 PDF 1.0MB
September 2008 (none)
August 2008 PDF 1.4MB
July 2008 PDF 1.3MB
June 2008 (none)
May 2008 PDF 1.4MB

Copyright © 2004 to 2010 Midlands Astronomy Club.
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