September 2023 Weather in Armagh

SEPTEMBER WARMER, WETTER AND SUNNIER THAN AVERAGE.  THIRD WARMEST SEPTEMBER ON RECORD Armagh Observatory reports that September 2023 was much warmer than average, the third warmest September on record at Armagh.  It was also wetter and sunnier than average. Total precipitation was 91.8 mm (3.61 inches) with no trace values. Read more…

ARMAGH OBSERVATORY AND PLANETARIUM CELEBRATES AS ASTEROIDS ARE NAMED AFTER ASTRONOMERS

Leading astronomical research and education centre, Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, has announced that two of its Visiting Astronomers, Aswin Sekhar and Galin Borisov, have had asteroids named after them by the International Astronomical Union on June 21st. The honours were bestowed during the Asteroids, Comets, Meteors Conference 2023, which was Read more…

An Early Christmas Present: A Bit of Asteroid from Hayabusa2!

By Dr Rok Nežič (Credit: DLR – German Aerospace Centre) Caption: Artist’s impression of Hayabusa2 firing its ion thrusters If you’ve been following space news in the last couple of years, you will have heard a lot about two space missions to nearby asteroids: Hayabusa2 – operated by JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) – Read more…

December Night Sky 2020

So the nights are drawing in and in as we get closer to the festive season, and though Christmas might not be quite the same as usual this year, there’s still plenty to celebrate. One great socially distanced activity you can do is stargazing! It’s outdoors and doesn’t require a group, and so you can easily go out and have a wee look up at the stars – just make sure to wrap up warm at this time of year!

COVID Astronomy: Watching a bus-sized asteroid whiz by Earth during a pandemic

by Galin Borisov and Apostolos Christou This September, we had the first opportunity to make astronomical observations while physically present at the telescope since the start of the COVID19 pandemic. Our instrument of choice was the 2-m RCC telescope at Rozhen Observatory on the Rhodope mountains in SW Bulgaria. So here we are at 1700m above sea level with a forecast for good weather and ready for new discoveries! One Read more…

How to name an Asteroid

The first asteroids discovered in the early 1800’s were named after Roman and Greek mythological figures like Ceres, Pallas, and Vesta. Today, most asteroids are named after people, both real and fictional, places, animals, plants, and other natural phenomena. The discoverers of asteroids are responsible for proposing the name however Read more…

What is a Dinosaur?

Many people’s first memories of learning about meteorites were probably prefaced by “the one that killed the dinosaurs”. This most famous and yet now non-existent meteorite crashed into our planet in Yucatan Pininsula, in what is now modern-day Mexico. In science textbooks there is an ever so familiar artists impression Read more…