There is one man in Ireland who knows everything there is to know about Mars and he is giving Astronomy Ireland’s highly anticipated Spring Public Lecture. Kevin Nolan, will reveal all about the famous Red Planet, some fascinating facts about its existence as well as why this planet is proving so important for space exploration at present at the Public Lecture.
Kevin will also be doing a book signing of his extremely successful 'Mars: A Cosmic Stepping Stone'.
In his talk, Nolan investigates whether or not evidence of life exists on Mars, the planets similarities to Earth, ancient waterways and oceans that once covered the planet, and the challenges and opportunities presented for manned missions to the Red Planet.
Is there water on Mars? Could humans ever travel there? Does life exist on it? What are the main problems for life on Mars? All these questions and much more will be answered at this amazing lecture!
Kevin's talks have proved to be extremely successful in the past and have received rave reviews from the general public. So why not come along, or order the DVD and learn all you could possibly need to know about this fascinating planet
The Speaker - Kevin Nolan
Kevin is a scientist and science communicator from Ireland and he is a long standing member of the U.S. based Planetary Society. He holds honours B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in physics and astronomy and has also written articles for ‘Astronomy & Space’ magazine in the past which have proved to be very popular, often prompting lively feedback and debate from our readers. He is also the leading Irish science author of “Mars: A Cosmic Stepping Stone”
Mars - A Cosmic Stepping Stone
Kevin's motivation for writing this book stems from responses to public lectures and articles about Mars exploration, where many remain unconvinced by the value of such exploration. This book is an attempt to change these uncertainties within human beings. While the book was thoroughly researched, referred and provides in-depth and up-to-date science of Mars exploration, it also informs about many critical issues beyond the core science.
Don't forget to bring your copy of 'Mars: A Cosmic Stepping Stone' along and have it signed by Kevin. Don't have the book? No need to worry, the book will also be available to buy on the night. Book signings will happen before and after the lecture.
Book Reviews
"Mars, A Cosmic Stepping Stone is a thoughtful essay into our relationship with the cosmos, and how the conquest of the Red Planet would effectively mark humankind’s rite of passage to the far greater spaces beyond our Solar System. … The book is beautifully produced with a very generous section of colour plates, with many black-and-white illustrations throughout the text. Highly recommended." - Richard McKim,The Observatory, Vol. 129 (1210) June 2009
"...Kevin Nolan knows his marbles, as we would say in this part of the world. I was absolutely mesmerized with the amount of relevant and accurate detail that he manages to squeeze into less than 400 pages of lively text, and this well supported by dozens of crisp illustrations... I can wholeheartedly recommend this book for anyone with an interest in the development of life on Earth and on human plans to populate the Universe." - Gerard McMahon, Astronomy & Space, January 2009
Mars - A Cosmic Stepping Stone by Kevin Nolan.
Mars is slightly more than half the size of Earth
Image courtesy of NASA
Fascinating Facts about the Red Planet
The planet Mars is seen as a critically important aspect of exploration because it is a stepping stone to the universe around us.
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the seventh largest planet in the Solar system.
Mars is half the size of Earth yet has only one tenth of the mass.
Its total surface area is less than the land surface of Earth.
The distance from Mars to the Sun is approximately 230 million km, making it just over one and a half times further from the Sun than Earth.
It takes Mars 687 Earth days to orbit the Sun and a Martian day lasts just over 24 hours and 39 minutes.
A Martian year is equal to one year, 320 days and 18 hours on Earth.
The axial tilt of Mars is at an angle of 25.19°, very near to that of the Earth.
It is commonly referred to as the Red Planet due to its reddish appearance from Earth. It owes its colour to iron-rich minerals in its soil.
The pink-orange colour of Mars' sky is due to extremely fine dust suspended in the extrememly thin atmosphere.
Mars is named for the Roman god of War. Many ancient cultures associated Mars with war because of it's distinctive blood-red colour.
Mars has two moons; Phobos and Deimos. They are named for the two daughters of Ares, the Greek god of War.
The month March is named for Mars, as this was considered the start of the campaigning season, when war could be fought.
Mars is home to Olympus Mons, thought to be the largest volcano in the Solar System. Olympus Mons is three times taller than Mount Everest and covers an area over four times the size of Ireland!
Valles Marineris is a canyon on Mars that is about as long as the United States of America is wide.
If we were to send a ship to Mars, it would take six months to get there but a year and a half to return.
In August 2003 Mars made its closest pass by Earth in 60,000 years, swinging by at a mere 56 million km (35 million miles) away. That event created spectacular views for astronomers.
Mars - A Quick Summary
Martian Day (or Sol): 24.6 Earth Hours
Martian Year: 1.88 Earth years = 687 Earth days = 669 Mars days
Distance from the Sun: Minimum 206,000,000 km to Maximum 249,000,000 km
Distance from Earth: Minimum 56,000,000 km to Maximum 399,000,000 km
Diameter: 6,792 km vs. 12,756 km for Earth
Surface Gravity: 0.38 (about 1/3) times Earth's gravity
Temperature: -125°C (-193°F) to 25°C (77°F)
Phobos (left) and Deimos (right) are the two moons of Mars
Image courtesy of NASA
Booking Information
Date
Monday, March 8th
Time
8pm
Venue
MacNeil Theatre, Hamilton Building, Trinity College Dublin.
Access can be gained via the Westland Row or Lincoln Place entrances.
Click HERE for a building map of Trinity College campus
Click HERE for Directions. Click HERE for Map of area
Admission
€7 (€5 Astronomy Ireland members and concessions)
Places MUST be booked in advance
After the lecture there will be a social reception in The Lombard and we encourage all of you to come along and have a chat with Mr Nolan. All are welcome to attend and food will be kindly provided by The Lombard.
Acknowledgment:
Astronomy Ireland would like to thank the TCD
Astrophysics Research Group for hosting AI public lectures in Trinity
College Dublin.
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