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CLUB OBSERVING SESSIONS
Weather Permitting, we run scheduled
group club observing sessions
generally on Friday or Saturday nights.
We inform our members of upcoming observing sessions by a mobile phone text.
These sessions are held at either of the
clubs secure dark sky observing sites
in Boher, Co. Limerick or the best site, By the Dolmen in the Burren, Co. Clare
(see pics below)

Currently we have a fine selection of equipment for members
to avail of during these sessions.
Poulnabrone Dolmen Car Park
(click icon to view location in Google maps)
To see reports on some recent sessions check out the
Observing Sessions thread on the Message
Board.
Print out an observing log form
in PDF format
SAC
Observing Log
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EQUIPMENT
The club hold some of the finest
astronomical equipment of any astronomical society in Ireland.
It is based around 2 complete telescope setups and a large binocular
setup.
These are available for any club member to use at observing sessions and are
maintained by members of the committee.
Telescope set #1
Back in 1987, SAC designed and
built a F/5 12" newtonian dobsonian telescope.
Here it is with club member Harry McCarthy back in the early 2000s.

By the late 2000's, the scope was beginning to disintegrate due to age and use.
In 2007, it was time to decide its fate, either repair it or scrap it,
so after costing up repairs against buying a new one, the committee decided
to
fully
refurbish the telescope, it is now in full working order and
offers magnificent deep sky, lunar and planetary views.
(pictured here with Dr. Chris Lintott, co-presenter of 'The Sky at Night' )
This
telescope is accompanied with a comprehensive set of eyepieces, click here for a
comprehensive list.
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Telescope set #2
This set includes a 10"
Meade LX3 F10 Schmidt Cassegrain Telescope (SCT).
A celestron powertank is used to run it during observing sessions.
Two cases are included which holds a set of eyepieces, filters and accessories,
Click here
for a complete list.

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Binocular set
The club
owns a set of 25 X 100 Celestron skymaster binoculars, they are run on a parallelogram
"unimount" system and tripod which provides a means of steadily
holding these heavy binoculars
and an ability to change the height of the binoculars while keeping the
same object in the field of view,
great for observing nights.


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The club
owns a celestron skyscout, a great device for helping newbies find objects in
the sky.

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