TAS has been fortunate to be one of only three clubs in Ireland that host an annual star party. Shannonside AC started the first star party called the Whirlpool Star Party in Birr every September/October. Then, in 1990, the Irish Astronomical Society in conjunction with TAS, created the Irish Astrofest held each March/April. Most recently, Galway Astronomy Club created the Connaught (Galway) Star Party in 2003, and is hosted in January.

COSMOS was created as a result of TAS given leverage to host the Irish Astrofest on its own due to unfortunate circumstances beyond the Irish AS's control, forcing them to pull out in 1995. But it was not until 1998, with the official opening of the TAS Observatory, that COSMOS was given the name instead of the Irish Astrofest.

The idea behind the star parties in general was to creat a fun event to help promote both the club in question, and astronomy in general. For all the clubs involved, this helps keep the hobby alive, and the clubs successful. With the exception of Astronomy Ireland*, all 15 other clubs help each other in a way that most other countries with astronomy clubs have not yet even considered - the creation of IFAS

Over the years, distinguished guests with whom TAS has had the priveledge of having as speakers include Dr. Neil Bone of Astronomy Now magazine, Dr. Susan McKenna-Lawlor, Dr. John Mason, Mr. Terry Moseley, Massimo Teodorani from Italy, Russian Cosmonauts Dr. Alex Martjnor and Alex Volkov, Bill Dumpleton of Dunsink Observatory, and Armagh Observatory directors Mart de Groot and Bill Napier, Armagh Planetarium Director Ian Griffin, and among many other well renowned speakers. Further down is a list of previous star parties.

*(Webmaster Editors note: Astronomy Ireland, trading as Astronomy & Space Ltd, is not in any way disallowed from joining IFAS. IFAS's constitution states that a CLUB must be a DEMOCRATICALLY run organisation by a democratic committee, something Astronomy Ireland/Astronomy & Space is not, due to its status as a Limited Company run by a director. More information is available by getting in touch with the IFAS Secretary or IFAS Chairman via www.irishastronomy.org, or even direct from Astronomy & Space Ltd.).

Have a look at what Cosmos 2007 was all about.

Click here to see what Cosmos 2008 will be about.

 

ASTROFEST '92 (IN CONJUNCTION WITH IAS)

Ian Griffin, Armagh Planetarium - "A New Look At The Galaxy"
Tony O'Hanlon, LAC - "The Milky Way In Colour"
Patrick Waymann, Dunsink - "Gravity In Modern Astronomy"
John Mason, BAA - ??
John Flannery, IAS - "Naked Eye Astronomy"

 

ASTROFEST '93 (IN CONJUNCTION WITH IAS)

Andy McCrea, IAA - "COBE Results"
Liam Smyth, IAS - "Astro Hardware-More Price Than Sense"
Mike Murphy, LAC - "Astrophotography"
Dr. Neil Bone, Astronomy Now - "The Aurora-Sun Earth Interaction"
Sean McKenna, TAS - "Radio Astronomy"
Mart De Groot, Armagh Observatory - "Superstar Of The Southern Skies"
Tom Ray, DIAS - "Was The Hubble Space Telescope A Disaster?"

 

ASTROFEST '94 (IN CONJUNCTION WITH IAS)

Sean Robbins, TAS - "Galileo"
John Flannery, IAS - "Telescope Workshop"
Terry Mosely, IAA - "Jupiter Impacts 1994"
Donncha O'Driscoll, IAS - "Riddle Of The Spheres"
Peter O'Connell, Cork - ???
John Flynn, Armagh Planetarium - "Spaceship Earth"

 

ASTROFEST '95 (BECOMES A TAS-ONLY EVENT)

Dr. Ian Elliott, Dunsink - "The Beginning of Time"
Bob Campbell, TAS - "Telescope Designs & Construction"
Terry Moseey, IAA - "Meteor Photography"
Phil Samways, IAA - "Image Processing in Astronomy"
Prof. Susan McKenna-Lawlor - "Missions To Mars"

 

ASTROFEST '96

Details coming soon.

 

ASTROFEST '97

Mike Murphy, LAC - "Dirty Snowballs"
Prof Tony O'Farrell, St. Patricks College Maynooth - "Astronomy And Megalithic Tombs"
Denis Fitzgerald - "Climatology"
Niall O'Byrne, SEDS - "Emerging Space Market"
John O'Neil, IAS - "Supernovae In Other Galaxies"
Bill Napier, Armagh Observatory - "Space Time & Quantised Redshift"
Terry Mosely, IAA - "Aids To Practical Observing"
Sean Reynolds, TAS - "Gaia"

 

COSMOS 1998 (1st Under New Name)

Sean Robbins, TAS - "ESA"
Gerry Maloney, TAS - "D.I.Y. Astronomy"
John O'Neil, IAS - "Eclipse Chasing"
John Flynn, Armagh Observatory - "Cosmology For Beginners"
John Flannery, IAS - "The International Space Station"
Pat O'Neil, IAS - "Astrophotography"
Andy Shearer, UCG - "Pulsars Old & New"
David Bell, LAC - "Universe - Fit For Life?"

 

COSMOS 1999

Sean Robbins, TAS - "Mars Survey"
John Nooney - "CCD Imaging"
Bill Dumpleton - "Observing At Dunsink"
Eric Finch, TCD - "Physics By Powers Of 10"
Mark Bailey, Armagh Observatory - "Threats From Space"
Michael Tubridy, Birr - "Rebuilding The Leviathon"
Rev. Grattan Bannister, Cork - "Quasars"
Andy Shearer, UCG - "The Universe"

 

COSMOS 2000

Hugh Reid, Glasgow IT - "Lasers-Swiss Army Knives"
Frank Prendergast - "Astronomy In Prehistoric Ireland"
Paul Calloran, UCC - "Observing With KECK"
Niall Smith, CIT - "Robotic Telescopes"
Tom Ray, TCD - "What Lies Between Us And The Stars"
Denis Fitzgerald - "Climates in 20th And 21st Centuries"
Evert Meurs, Dunsink - "Expanding Views Of The Universe"
Terry Mosely, IAA - "Streakers In The Sky"
Prof Susan McKenna-Lawlor, NUI Maynooth - "Space Project"

 

COSMOS 2001

Mike Byrne, CAAS - "The Great baloon Fire"
Ian Elliott - "Cosmis Explosions"
Richard ?? - ?? & ESA
Mike Redfern, NUI Galway - "Size Of The Universe"
Turlough Donnes, DCU - "Gamma Ray Burst"
Russian Cosmonauts Dr. Alex Martjnor and Cosmonaut Alex Volkov

 

COSMOS 2002

Brian Harvey - "Asia In Space"
Ian Sanders, TCD - "Origins Of Meteorites"
Eugene McGovern - "Geomatics"
Eric Finch, TCD - "Counting The Weak And Feeble"
John O'Neil, IAS - "The Hawaiin Eclipse"
Brian O'Donnell - "Enterprise Ireland and The ESA"

 

COSMOS 2003

Lynn Moran, UCD - "Gamma Ray Bursts"
Dan McCarthy, TCD - "Records of Astronomical Observations in the Irish Annals"
Eamonn Ansbro, Kingsland Observatory - "Search for Extraterrestrial Visitation"
Ian Morrison, Jodrell Bank - "Jodrell Bank Looks To A Bright Future"
John Flannery, SDAS - "Charting The Cosmos"
Brian O'Halloran, Dunsink - "Observations of Wolf-Rayet Stars and Starburst Galaxies"

 

COSMOS 2004

David McCann, TAS - "Cassini At Saturn"
Paul Mohr - "Planet Earth's Galactic Predicament"
Tony O'Farrell, NUI Maynooth - "Chaos In The Solar System"
Creidhe O'Sullivan, NUI Maynooth - "Probing The Early Universe"
Bart Busshots, Astro 2 - "Virtual Telescopes In Education"
This year also saw the introducion of a Table Quiz in the programme

 

COSMOS 2005

Grainne Kirwan, TAS - "Psychology For Space Farers"
Ian Sanders, TCD - "Origins of the Solar System found in Meteorites"
Frank Concannon, TAS - "The Markree Observatory & Its Catalogue"
Terry Moseley, IAA - "Chasing The Moons Shadow"
Peter Coxon, TCD - "Longterm Astronomical Influences on the Irish Climate & Landscape"
Neil Trappe, NUI Maynooth - "Submillimeter Astronomy"

 

COSMOS 2006

Dr. Neil Bone, Astronomy Now magazine - "The Northern Lights: How, When, and Why"
Anthony Murphy, Mythical Ireland - "Newgrange & Precession: Ancient Astronomical Masterplan?"
Michael O'Connell, TAS - "Construction of a Backyard Observatory"
Massimo Teodorani, Italy - "Standard & Non-standard SETI Research"
Ash McFadden, Inishowen Planetarium - "Comets in the Classroom"
Catherine Ansbro, Kingsland Observatory - "Science: On a collision course with the real world"

 

COSMOS 2007

Seanie Morris, TAS - "Cosmic Dust: Is that all we are?"
David Grennan, SDAS & AI - "Digital Astrophotography"
Tony O'Hanlon, SAC - "Carbon Stars: Cool Stellar Dudes"
Tom Bonner, CAC - "From Under the Shadow of Newton"
Prof. Niall ÓMurchadha, UCC - "Searching for Gravitational Waves"
Sean McKenna, TAS - "Amateur Radio Astronomy in action"
Deirdre Kelleghan, IAS - "Sketching from the Eyepiece"

 

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