A webcast of Astronomy Ireland's April lecture has solved the problem of attendance for eager Irish astronomers living within the foot-and-mouth exclusion zone.
The solution, brainchild of staff at Dublin City University, will allow the April 9th lecture, A Robot Telescope for Ireland,to go ahead following the cancellation of the March lecture.
The imposed safety measures strictly advise against people making any unnecessary journeys to or from at-risk rural areas or even from farm to farm if at all possible.
The decision to hold the lecture was only made this week after a ban on such gatherings was lifted in both DCU and Trinity College.
According to the of editor of Astronomy and Space, David Moore, the online broadcast will make the talk available to unprecedented numbers of members and non-members.
"Being broadcast on the Internet means that all of our 6,500 members around the country can watch the talk live in Dublin if they have access to the Internet."
Mr Moore hopes the site will be viewed by Astronomy Ireland regulars and curious newcomers alike and is "hoping for thousands" of hits on the site.
The lecture begins at 8.00 p.m. on Monday and can be accessed from www.astronomy.ie.