Mike Foylan will take us on a cosmic journey starting within our own Solar system on how you can image and measure asteroids using off the shelf common equipment found in many amateur astronomers’ backyards. Together we will explore the Irish connections past and present to these overlooked small worlds.We will also explore meteors and talk about the Irish meteor monitoring network. We will then leave our solar system behind and explore distant solar systems, in particular, binary star systems and how these also can also be imaged and measured from ones backyard using modest equipment and how the amateur astronomer can contribute so much to the science of astronomy

Mike Foylan became interested in Astronomy at the age of 5, receiving his first telescope as a gift from his father at the age of ten. Since then he has become a keen amateur astronomer establishing in 2010, Cherryvalley Observatory based in the small village of Rathmolyon. The observatory was awarded a recognized observatory code (I83) by the IAU (International Astronomical Union) and MPC (Minor Planet Centre) in 2011.Its work primarily focuses on astrometry (position measuring) and photometry (light measurements) of minor planets (asteroids)

. He is also a member of the British Astronomical Association, Meath Astronomy Group and has affiliations with Kingsland Observatory based near Boyle County Roscommon Ireland and Spain which carries out primarily solar system studies and developing instrumented technologies for SETV research (Search for Extraterrestrial Visitation).Cherryvalley observatory is also affiliated to NEMETODE (Network for Meteor Triangulation and Orbit Determination) which undertakes research into the nature of meteors using off-the-shelf equipment, a joint venture among amateur and professional astronomers across the UK and Ireland.

See the Cherryvalley Observatory FaceBook page HERE

Booking required

Kilcock Library Phone: (01) 628 4403