As part of the Irish Astronomical Society (IAS) lecture series, the Society is delighted to welcome Kevin Nolan, Lecturer in Physics at Technological University Dublin. An expert on the planet Mars and author of the popular science book Mars, a Cosmic Stepping Stone, he brings both research insight and public engagement experience to this seminar.

In his talk, “Big Data, Big Universe,” he will explore how modern astrophysics and cosmology now generate extraordinary volumes of data — with today’s telescopes collecting in a single night what once took entire surveys a decade to gather. Real-time analysis and advanced machine learning are now essential tools for understanding the Universe.

Beyond scale alone, astronomical data presents unique challenges such as biased datasets and measurement noise, placing astronomy at the forefront of machine learning research. This lecture will highlight how astronomical applications are driving innovation in data analysis, outlining key challenges and recent advances inspired by the study of the cosmos.

The Irish Astronomical Society, the oldest astronomy club in Ireland, was founded in D’Olier Street, Dublin on the 5th of October 1937 and are one of the founding organisations of the Irish Federation of Astronomical Societies. Their members come from all walks of life and ages and they hold public stargazing events to raise interest in astronomy in the Dublin region. Some members bring their telescopes to these events and have been nicknamed Dublin Sidewalk Astronomers.

Most members are amateur astronomers, but with some professionals too. They hold monthly society meetings that are informal and open to the public from September to May meetings at the University College Dublin (UCD) School of Physics (Eircode D04 P7W1, or HERE) and are available to watch on Zoom for free.

The meetings give members an enjoyable evening with lectures by professional astronomers or experienced amateurs. IAS members have created a number of special interest groups run by the Society. As well as their Observers Group there are Astro Imaging, Variable Stars and a new Lunar Group was set up in early 2022.

Its easy to  join the Irish Astronomical Society just sign a membership form HERE just return the annual fee with your name and postal address.

Further Information can be found at the following links

Website: https://irishastrosoc.ie/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/irishastrosoc

You Tube Page: https://www.youtube.com/@themoondotie

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/irishastronomicalsociety/