letting people know were here...

DeVore

we should request links from any irish sites to let people know we are here talking about Astronomy. You guys would know better then I but we can reciprocate with a link in a sticky thread ("Astronomy Online: Sites List" kinda thing).

Are there any such sites?

DeV.

Sev

Well, theres www.astronomy.ie, the Astronomy Ireland website. I also know of a very well maintained Irish site, www.nightskyobserver.com. (It used to be called the Dublin Night Sky Observer.)

Saruman

www.nightskyobserver.com was great.. i just tried it and every link i tried was broken. I was trying equipment links and stuff on celestron and CCD's

Sev

Hehe, well the links section is ancient, doesnt surprise me. But the news, weather and skynotes etc. is updated daily.

halenger

Well astronomy.ie has a lot of information on Celestron Telescopes but if you need their website it's simply http://www.celestron.com. I think all the links on Astronomy.ie are ok too. I checked them all when I designed the page. Lemme know if there are any broken links though.

Saruman

Just came across http://www.irishastronomy.org/ifas/members.php

halenger

Originally posted by Saruman
Just came across http://www.irishastronomy.org/ifas/members.php

i.e. A list of all Non Astronomy Ireland Astronomy Clubs IN Ireland.

albertw

Originally posted by halenger
i.e. A list of all Non Astronomy Ireland Astronomy Clubs IN Ireland.

The irishastronomy.org site is the home of the Irish Federation of Astronomical Societies. Its just an umberella group to link all the local and national societies together and promote astronomy (similar to the UK's http://www.fedastro.org.uk/). It has its own bulletin board http://www.irishastronomy.org/boards/index.php. The site should be finished for Whirlpool (email-board interface, photo gallery, observation recording, article databse, calendar etc.)

The site is of course open to anyone regardless of what society they are in or if they are not in one at all. Other societies are welcome to join if they want, the constitution is at http://www.irishastronomy.org/ifas/constitution.php.

Yes its missing AI, but they are welcome to join if they want (details in the constitution). But even if they dont I'd hope that their members will drop in a participate.

Cheers,
~Al
(I'm not on the IFAS committee and not speaking for the IFAS)

halenger

Someday, the sooner the better, it'd be nice to see ALL Astronomy Clubs everywhere in this country working together instead of these ridiculous political battles that seem to just keep them apart etc etc etc.

Agar

Word of mouth guys. Tell people when you meet them at star parties. Stick the address on as your signature, or with it at least.

This astronomy societies IN Ireland crap is annoying. This forum I understand is here so people can discuss astronomy, and not the MERITS as well as dismerits [sic] of an organisation. Lets not get going on the 'what is a society?' debate again. It should be fairly obvious to people what the astronomy societies in Ireland are (ie those that have a constitution, elections, and AGMs) and what are not.
This may be controversial, or even annoying, but I assure you there is no offense intended. Halengar, I think you're wearing too many hats here and that you should not be a moderator.
Albert is involved in the IFAS, and you are involved in AI. We should have a balance here. Either you both moderate, or neither. Again I stress that I mean no offense, just that I seek a guarantee of impartiality.

Redshift

Originally posted by Agar
Again I stress that I mean no offense, just that I seek a guarantee of impartiality.

I am not a member of any organization nor to I intend to become one, you can be assured this forum is / will be moderated inpartially.

Ryan

Redshift

Originally posted by Agar

This may be controversial, or even annoying, but I assure you there is no offense intended. Halengar, I think you're wearing too many hats here and that you should not be a moderator.
Albert is involved in the IFAS, and you are involved in AI. We should have a balance here. Either you both moderate, or neither. Again I stress that I mean no offense, just that I seek a guarantee of impartiality.

If you have any problems with this forum or it's moderators please take it up on the Admin/Support forum, This forum is not the place to discuss it...

Agar

Why is this forum not the place to discuss it?
First of all put the claws away and read what I wrote. I don't 'have a problem' and I'm not 'startin'. I don't want to go all official and run like a crybaby to admin/support/jesus. I'm just expressing an opinion in the hope of avoiding any problems like this board had before.
If this board is a new clean sweep and unaffiliated to any organisation, why do we have two moderators? Why is one of those moderators a committee member of AI? I'm looking for impartial, not catty.
Back to this forum not being the place to discuss it. Why the hell not? Surely the running of our forum is something that we should be able to discuss. It's not like the forum is staggering under the weight of all the traffic it's experiencing.
Sheesh! Relax.

halenger

Ask me straight up to no longer be a moderator and I'm outta here.

I'm not staying where I'm not wanted.

The reason I was asked to be a moderator was because I was the person who pushed to have an Astronomy Forum at all and that I modded the first forum that was here.

Agar

I'm certainly not asking you to go. C'mon you and I have been through too much on this forum and it's predecessor to have a spat. My main suggestion was that we should have a moderator from AI and from the IFAS. I want balance. It seems fair.
I think you make a fine moderator Halengar. On the issue of politics and divisions, are you signed up to the IFAS board? It's free to all, you don't have to be a member of any of the societies in the IFAS, and it provides another network.
On another note. Have AI settled on a new venue for the Star-B-Q or is it still in Duouce woods?

halenger

Well I'm not going to get into a spat but my point is firstly I've not ever used my Mod powers, as far as I remember, and secondly I'm just another mod. I'm not AI or IFAS or anyone. I'm just A N Other Computer User.

I'm not exactly on the committee of AI anymore either. I do the website.

I really don't care to be honest about different Astronomy groups. There is only one group that matters anywhere and that's the Astronomers themselves. I was rather shocked to find all this politics in such a hobby as Astronomy. Anyway I think I'm going off topic.

What's the link to the IFAS Board? Post it up for everyone. I don't remember seeing it before.

The Star-B-Q has been shifted Venue. Details coming soon. It has already sold out! But since we have this change of venue we can cater for more people and a posting will be sent out over the weekend about bookings re-opening. I'm not sure about this posting but I'd guess it's a letter going out to members or an insert in the next issue of A&S Magazine.

Agar

Originally posted by halenger
Well I'm not going to get into a spat but my point is firstly I've not ever used my Mod powers, as far as I remember, and secondly I'm just another mod. I'm not AI or IFAS or anyone. I'm just A N Other Computer User.

I really don't care to be honest about different Astronomy groups. There is only one group that matters anywhere and that's the Astronomers themselves. I was rather shocked to find all this politics in such a hobby as Astronomy. Anyway I think I'm going off topic.

What's the link to the IFAS Board? Post it up for everyone. I don't remember seeing it before.

Fair enough. That's cool. The politics is something that can't be avoided. It also seems to be something we've inherited from the IAS, IAA, IDON'TKNOW, and so on. It is unbelievable though. It owuld be nice to get past all of it, but that's not going to happen anytime soon.

IFAS board is, I think, http://www.irish_astronomy.org/boards

Redshift

Why is this forum not the place to discuss it?

Because it is unrelated to the hobby of Astronomy.

I don't want to go all official and run like a crybaby to admin/support/jesus.

That's fine I'm just informing you of your options as you seemed to me to have a problem.

My main suggestion was that we should have a moderator from AI and from the IFAS. I want balance. It seems fair.

This forum is unaffiliated Hallenger is here in his capacity as an astronomer not as an AI representative.

I'm just expressing an opinion in the hope of avoiding any problems like this board had before.

The problems will be avoided if people simply follow the forum charter.

why do we have two moderators?

Because Devore assigned two moderators again the Admin / support forum is the place to query this should you wish to.

This forum was re-opened after much pestering and was re-opened under specific conditions and restrictions, I have specific instructions from Devore regarding moderating it. Basically you talk about Astronomy and Space and nothing else if you don't like that then don't come here. I'm sorry if that seems harsh to you but thats the way it has to be if this forum is to remain open. I can already see hints of old arguements starting to creep back in here but be assured that they won't be tollerated.

Ryan

albertw

Originally posted by Agar
Fair enough. That's cool. The politics is something that can't be avoided. It also seems to be something we've inherited from the IAS, IAA, IDON'TKNOW, and so on. It is unbelievable though. It owuld be nice to get past all of it, but that's not going to happen anytime soon.

IFAS board is, I think, http://www.irish_astronomy.org/boards

That would be http://www.irishastronomy.org/boards (no underscore)

Um theres no problems between the IAS and the IAA... the IAA originally was the Northern branch of the IAS that grew into a society in its own right. All get along happily with many members in both.

Cheers,
~Al

albertw

Originally posted by Agar
On another note. Have AI settled on a new venue for the Star-B-Q or is it still in Duouce woods?

You cant really see Mars at all from the car park so they will need to move it I'd say.

Cheers,
~Al