Congratulations to Professor Paul Callanan on 30 Years of Lecturing for the Cork Astronomy Club

9 Feb 2026

The UCC School of Physics congratulates Professor Paul Callanan, Head of Physics at UCC, on delivering his 30th lecture for the Cork Astronomy Club on Monday, 9th February 2026. Over three decades, Professor Callanan has inspired countless members of the public with his engaging talks on astronomy and space science, combining clarity, enthusiasm, and a passion for the universe.

For this milestone lecture, Professor Callanan discussed the current state and future promise of the imaginatively named Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), which is under construction at Cerro Armazones, a mountain at 3,046 metres in the central Atacama Desert of Chile. Built by the European Southern Observatory (ESO), the ELT promises to transform our understanding of the universe with its unprecedented observing power.

Professor Callanan’s contributions over thirty years have not only enriched the Cork Astronomy Club community but have also strengthened the public’s engagement with cutting-edge astrophysics and observational astronomy. The UCC School of Physics warmly congratulates him on this remarkable milestone and looks forward to the next 30 years of inspiring lectures.