Armagh Observatory and Planetarium (AOP) is celebrating a major milestone in the history of astronomy and science education with the launch of a new international publication:100 Years of Planetaria: 100 Stories of People, Places, and Devices, co-edited by AOP’s own Matthew McMahon. Published by Springer Praxis, the book honours the Read more…
AOP Trees 2025 Trees 2025 started by accident on a perfect Sunday morning in November 2023. Since 1996, I have worked in Armagh, walked these woods, and watched the changing seasons. For over 200 years, these magnificent giant beech trees have watched over astronomers, walkers, runners, lovers, children, and all Read more…
Welcome to our quick take on top celestial wonders to spot in the March night sky! Well we’ve certainly been spoiled for entertainment so far this year with the heavyweights of our Solar System -Earth’s planetary neighbours gathering together on the same side of the Sun to put on the Read more…
Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, together with former PhD student Venu Kalari and a team of international researchers, have identified young, pre-main sequence stars in the low-metallicity dwarf galaxy WLM, using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). On Christmas Day 2021, NASA and ESA launched the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), a Read more…
A remarkable exhibition of historic astronomical drawings, including sketches believed to have influenced Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night, has opened at Armagh Observatory and Planetarium. The exhibition showcases the renowned Rosse drawings—extraordinary depictions of spiral nebulae created in Birr, County Offaly, between 1845 and 1866 using the Great Telescope, Read more…
Armagh Observatory and Planetarium (AOP) is delighted to announce that Tiernan McCracken, a dedicated member of its Youth Forum, has been highly commended at the prestigious Volunteer Awards 2024, organised by the Association for Science and Discovery Centres (ASDC). The awards ceremony was part of the ASDC Conference at The Royal Read more…
NOVEMBER DRIER, WARMER, AND DULLER THAN AVERAGE. AUTUMN 2024 MUCH DRIER, AND SUNNIER AND WARMER THAN AVERAGE Armagh Observatory, 14th December 2024. Armagh Observatory reports that November 2024 was drier, warmer, and duller than average. Taking September, October, and November together the meteorological autumn at Armagh was much drier than Read more…
COOL SEPTEMBER, DRIER AND MUCH SUNNIER THAN AVERAGE Armagh Observatory reports that September 2024 was cooler than average but drier and much sunnier. It was the coolest September at Armagh for six years, the driest for four years, and the sunniest for 27 years. The average temperature was 13.1 degrees Read more…
The inaugural meeting of the Astronomical Observatories of Ireland (AOI) Strategy Oversight Board took place on Monday 9 September at Armagh Observatory and Planetarium. It marks the end of an important first year since the signing of a formal Memorandum of Understanding between the partners in September 2023. The Astronomical Read more…
Armagh Observatory reports that August 2024 was drier and sunnier than average with roughly average temperature for August. Taking June, July and August together, the meteorological summer was cooler, drier, and slightly duller than average. With an average temperature of 15.46 degrees Celsius (59.8 Fahrenheit) August 2024 was 0.83 C Read more…
A citizen science project, which invites members of the public to take part in identifying cosmic explosions, has already identified 20 new astronomical discoveries. Over 2,000 volunteers across 105 different countries have worked on 600,000 classifications over a six-month period. The project “Kilonova Seekers” aims to find kilonovae – the Read more…
Armagh Observatory reports that July 2024 was cooler, drier, and duller than average, the first time this has happened at Armagh since 2011. The mean temperature this month was 15.1 degrees Celsius (59.2 Fahrenheit). Although this is approximately 0.26 C warmer than the 225-year long-term (1796-2020) average July temperature at Read more…
So we’re heading for the end of the summer already and we here at the Planetarium can’t believe it – our favourite part of the year drawing to a close! While it can be quite hard to stargaze at this time of year, due to it being light so far Read more…
Recently AOP invited David Gavaghan (1) to address its Board of Governors and Management Committee and invited stakeholders at an event on 24th June 2024. His talk entitled “Infinite and Finite” was thought provoking and inspiring, so much so we thought it was worth sharing! “There comes a time in Read more…
Armagh Observatory reports that June 2024 was the coolest and driest June at Armagh for nine years, that is, since June 2015. Very unusually the monthly average temperature was less than the preceding May, the first time this has happened at Armagh for 176 years. With just 125.5 hours of Read more…
Communities Minister, Gordon Lyons MLA, has appointed Ruth Hunter, Gráinne McVeigh and Ronan O’Hara as Members of the Management Committee of the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium (AOP) with effect from 1 June 2024 to 31 May 2029. AOP is a statutory body as set out in The Armagh Observatory and Read more…
Armagh Observatory and Planetarium is proud to announce its selection as one of 15 projects across the UK to receive funding from The UK Space Agency. This funding, part of the Agency’s Space for All initiative, is dedicated to engaging young people from diverse backgrounds and igniting their interest in Read more…
By Matthew McMahon- Museum Collections Officer If you visit the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium this summer you will see our newest temporary exhibition, focused on some of the treasures held in our historic collection of scientific instruments and archives. Cabinets of Curiosity has been curated and designed by students from Read more…
Astronomical Research Facility Announced as one of 12 Recipients of £9,500 Grant May 2024 Leading astronomical research and education centre, Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, has been announced as one of 12 UK-based science centres to have been awarded a £9,500 grant by The Association for Science and Discovery Centres (ASDC) Read more…
From 20th April to 12th May, Armagh Observatory and Planetarium are delighted to be hosting the Ec(h)o exhibition by Csilla Toldy. Csilla has worked tirelessly on her exhibit and together with our own climate exhibition, will tell the story of the elements of our Earth in an immersive visual and Read more…
Armagh Observatory, 6th April 2024: Armagh Observatory reports that March was much wetter, rather warmer, and duller than average at Armagh. For the second year in a row March was unseasonably wet. March is usually one of the four drier months of the year at Armagh, that is, February, March, Read more…
February 2024 Leading astronomical research centre Armagh Observatory and Planetarium has played a key role in the discovery of a unique signature of the process by which white dwarf stars cannibalise their planetary systems. The research was conducted by an international team of scientists using the European Southern Observatory’s Chile-based Read more…
Author Name: Thomas Howarth What you’ll discover in this blog post: What may happen if a star wanders too close to the Solar System How astronomers look for these incoming stars How astronomers of the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium used the ESO’s VLT to rule out one such close encounter Read more…
Days are getting shorter Nights are getting colder If these shifts you savour You’re a true stargazer I am writing this piece sitting next to a window, having a cup of coffee, and watching it pouring down outside. Not the best day for stargazing, however, it is a good Read more…
British Association of Planetaria Event Kicks off Series of Four Conferences at Armagh Observatory and Planetarium September 2023 Leading astronomical research centre, Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, recently hosted the British Association of Planetaria (BAP) Conference for the first time in 15 years . The September 1st event was the first Read more…
Welcome to another edition of the night sky for the month of June! If like me you’re glad to have finally shaken off the coldest of this year’s weather to date -then the thought of some comfortable longer periods of stargazing in balmier temperatures has particular appeal. If on the Read more…
Armagh is a partner in two telescope projects whose key goal is to detect the optical counterpart of colliding massive dead stars. Albert Einstein predicted that when two massive objects spiral around each other, eventually merging to become one more massive object, gravitational waves would be emitted. Scientists spent a Read more…
“April is the kindest month. April gets you out of your head and out working in the garden.” – Marty Rubin, Author. It is Springtime, and I’m sure we are all very glad to see the back of winter. With a shockingly cold start to March, here is hoping that Read more…
Those of us out and about on Spring evenings have been treated to a brilliant beacon of light above the western horizon. This is the planet Venus, our closest solar system neighbour. Venus has been called Earth’s “evil twin”, in that it is almost identical in size, mass and density Read more…
FEBRUARY DULLER THAN AVERAGE BUT DRIEST AND WARMEST AT ARMAGH FOR 25 YEARS. WINTER 2022/2023 DRIER AND WARMER THAN AVERAGE, WITH ABOUT AVERAGE SUNSHINE. Armagh Observatory reports that February 2023 was duller than average but the driest and warmest February at Armagh for 25 years. The month was dominated by Read more…
Article by: Mark Grimley Thomas Romney-Robinson was the third director of the Armagh Observatory, long before the building of the Planetarium. He was born in Dublin in 1792 and became director of the Armagh Observatory in 1823. An office that he held for almost six decades, staying in the post Read more…
Article by: Mark Grimley To make things a little easier for us to stargaze it will be helpful to head out of town for a bit, somewhere with less light pollution will allow us to see more stars. For those who live in the countryside, this should be easier. Read more…
Solving a 40 year cosmic mystery about interstellar gas only to uncover an even deeper one. Author: Michael Burton, Director of the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium Hydrogen molecules have been found in clouds of shocked gas in interstellar space that are at temperatures of around 5,000 degrees. This is much Read more…
Armagh Observatory, 7th January 2023. Armagh Observatory reports that December 2022 was cooler, sunnier and drier than average. This was the coolest December at Armagh for 12 years and the fourth-coolest December at Armagh during the last 40 years. Considering calendar year 2022, this was the warmest year on record Read more…
RECORD-BREAKING NOVEMBER. SUNNIEST NOVEMBER AT ARMAGH FOR 98 YEARS, WARMEST FOR 11 YEARS, AND WETTEST FOR 4 YEARS. AUTUMN 2022 THE SECOND WARMEST ON RECORD AT ARMAGH, THE THIRD WETTEST AND THE SUNNIEST AT ARMAGH FOR 19 YEARS. Armagh Observatory, 13th December 2022. Armagh Observatory reports that November 2022 Read more…
Armagh Observatory and Planetarium is delighted to announce it’s reopening post lockdown and excited to showcase the visitor experience upgrades and latest facility additions to families this summer. These state-of-the-art developments include a brand-new theatre experience, an inclusive and immersive sensory room and an interactive exhibition area. Funded by the Read more…
Armagh Observatory and Planetarium is a ‘space’ for everyone Armagh Observatory and Planetarium (AOP) has underlined its commitment to being a ‘space’ for everyone by opening its new Changing Places facility. Despite the lockdown, staff were keen to incorporate the new facility after being contacted by a member of the Read more…
Mankind has been looking to the cosmos for thousands of years to help answer some of our biggest questions, but now, people are turning to the night sky during lockdown for a soothing, relaxing experience to enjoy at home. Throughout January and February there are a number of astronomical events Read more…
COOLEST DECEMBER FOR SIX YEARS, SLIGHTLY SUNNIER AND WETTER THAN AVERAGE. CALENDAR YEAR 2020 WARMER AND SLIGHTLY WETTER AND SUNNIER THAN AVERAGE. Armagh Observatory reports that December 2020 was cooler than average at Armagh, the coolest December for six years, and slightly sunnier and wetter than average. Calendar year 2020 Read more…
In a new paper, Simon Jeffery reports the discovery of standing waves on two small hot stars similar to the pattern of jet streams seen in the Earth’s atmosphere.
Data has been collected daily through famine and world wars They have continued through famine and world wars and now staff at Armagh Observatory and Planetarium (AOP) are determined the daily weather recordings which have been taken for over 200 years will not fall foul to the Covid-19 pandemic. Meteorological Read more…
COOL MARCH, SUNNIER AND DRIER THAN AVERAGE. EXCEPTIONAL HIGH PRESSURE ON THE 29TH Armagh Observatory reports that March 2020 was cool, sunnier and drier than average. The highest pressure recorded during the late morning of the 29th March, namely 1050.0 mbar (corrected to mean sea level), equalled or nearly equalled Read more…
March 2020: The clocks go forward on Sunday for what could be the penultimate British Summer Time (BST) observed on the island of Ireland. The European Parliament has voted to scrap daylight saving time (the practise of moving the clocks forward one hour during the summer months) from the end Read more…
VERY MILD, DRY JANUARY, ROUGHLY AVERAGE SUNSHINE Armagh Observatory reports that January 2020 was very mild, much drier than average and with roughly average sunshine. This was the warmest January at Armagh for eight years, that is, since January 2012. Total precipitation was 38.65 mm (1.52 inches) including 9 trace Read more…
Get starry-eyed at Armagh Observatory and Planetarium Book Tickets Here A Valentine’s Day trip to Armagh Observatory and Planetarium will show the special person in your life that you love them to the stars and back. As the trend for experiential gifts continues to rise, especially among social media users Read more…
DECEMBER 2019 WARMER AND SUNNIER THAN AVERAGE WITH SLIGHTLY LESS RAINFALL. CALENDAR YEAR 2019 WARMER, SLIGHTLY WETTER, AND DULLER THAN AVERAGE Armagh Observatory reports that December 2019 was warmer and sunnier than average and with slightly less rainfall. Taken as a whole, calendar year 2019 at Armagh was warmer and Read more…
Our Christmas Opening Hours: Closed: Tuesday 24 – Friday 27 Dec, Sun 29 Dec 2019 and Wednesday 1 January 2020 To book tickets for our Show Programme over the Christmas holidays click here
Armagh Observatory and Planetarium are celebrating after picking up the “Best Day Out” award at the 2019 NI Hospitality Awards. The awards, which took place in the Crowne Plaza, Belfast on Monday 23 September were attended by over 300 people within the tourism and hospitality sector. The category of ‘Best Day Out’ was one Read more…
If you are a professional astronomer working on this island, then all roads lead to Armagh for you this Autumn! AOP and the City of Armagh are proud to be hosting the Irish National Astronomy Meeting or INAM from the 4th to the 6th of September. Held each year and Read more…
Finally, we have left the January blues behind us, the month that never seems to end and it is now time for February fun! The chill in the air has well and truly settled in and it looks like it will be staying with us for a while yet.
21st January 2019, sky-watchers will witness a rare total eclipse of the Moon. This will be the last opportunity to view a total lunar eclipse from the British Isles for three-and-a-half years, until 16 May 2022.
Our view of the cosmos is biased by the vista that is apparent to our eyes. This is what the view in what we call the optically visible portion of the spectrum. To the unaided eye it is a view of a universe full of stars, together with five planets, one Moon and of course the Sun. When augmented with a telescope, our eyes can then see a universe full of galaxies – giant cities of stars.
Article written by: Helen McLoughlin, Education Officer Let’s face it, New Year’s Resolutions like ‘I’m going to the gym three times a week’ or ‘I’m going on a diet’ are all well and good but fizzle out after a week or two. Why not take up stargazing once a month Read more…
The long cold dark nights have well and truly settled in, and now that it’s December it’s officially acceptable to say the C word. Christmas, Christmas is coming! And so is Santa Claus! Decorations are going up, there’s mad panic to buy Christmas presents and families are organising who’s having dinner and where. Ahh I love this time of year.
With Space Exploration comes theories and conspiracies. In our latest blog we debunk some of the more infamous ones.
NASA has announced the retirement of the Kepler spacecraft. After launch in March 2009, it began a continuous observation of a 115 square degree field of view (the diameter of the moon is 1/2 a degree) between the constellations Cygnus and Lyra.
October is over and the nights are drawing in. Instead of lamenting the fact that we are driving to and from work in the dark, let’s think of the positives – more time to stargaze! And there’s plenty of interesting objects and constellations to look out for in November.
As an earlier Astronotes article reported on, during its XXX General Assembly in Vienna, held in August 2018, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) put forward a draft resolution to rename the Hubble law as the “Hubble–Lemaître law”. The resolution was proposed to recognise Lemaître’s research on the expansion of the Universe, and to pay tribute to both Lemaître and Hubble for their fundamental contributions to the development of modern cosmology.
The Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) is under construction on the summit of Haleakalā on Maui, Hawaii. Since DKIST will be observing the Sun’s corona, the sky above the telescope needs to be as free of dust, aerosols and pollutants. The isolated islands of Hawaii provide optimal conditions for clear, “coronal skies”.
After a special vote in the IAu General Assembly, we interview Armagh Observatory and Planetarium Director. Professor MIchael Burton, on the renaming of the Hubble Law.
The Armagh Observatory has been a staple feature along the Armagh skyline since its creation in 1790. Astronomical research has been undertaken within the organisation since the 1790s and to this day it has seen several different Directors and numerous astronomers walk through its historical doors.
Armagh Observatory, 3rd August 2018: Armagh Observatory reports that July 2018 was much warmer and sunnier than average, with only slightly less than average total rainfall. The mean temperature was 17.0 degrees Celsius (62.6 Fahrenheit), approximately 2.2 C warmer than the long-term (1796–2010) average July temperature at Armagh and 1.2 C warmer than the most recent (1981–2010) 30- year average. This was the warmest July at Armagh for five years. The warmest day (highest maximum air temperature) was 27.1 C, which occurred on the 4th, followed by 26.7 C on the 22nd. Both these maxima wereslightly more than 80 degrees Fahrenheit. The coldest day (lowest maximum air temperature) was 14.4 C on the 11th. The coolest night (lowest minimum air
temperature) was 7.6 C on the 10th, and the warmest night (highest minimum air temperature) was 16.6 C on the 27th followed closely by 16.5 C on the 23rd. The minimum grass temperature was 0.3 C on the 10th, so there were no ground or air frosts.
It’s the beginning of a new month, filled with new exciting events in the night sky. Here is a brief summary of what to expect in the next few weeks.
The Armagh Observatory and Planetarium are holding a special event to mark the lunar eclipse, coming at almost the same time as the opposition of Mars. The event has proved so popular that tickets sold out within a couple of hours of being released, so we have written this blog entry to tell you about what will happen if you missed out on obtaining a ticket or are going to try to observe the eclipse from elsewhere.
This article has been inspired by the many questions we get asked here at the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium. We love being asked questions but we thought it would be funny to have a look at the questions you really should never ask an Astronomer. We hope this gives you a bit of a laugh!
This July will be a very astronomically eventful month – full of eclipses, bright planets, meteor showers and bright satellite passes. If the weather permits, we will have the opportunity to witness a lot of interesting events in the night sky.
Where do meteorites come from? This question has been occupying the scientific community ever since it was realised that these “rocks from the sky” are, in fact, pieces of other worlds arriving on our planet from deep space. New research done by scientists at the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium in Read more…
This summer experience our world and beyond as you sit back and relax in the Planetarium’s 360-degree dome theatre. With six different shows running Monday-Saturday throughout July and August there is so much to choose from, including a brand new film.
Article by Jorick Vink , Astronomer at the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium When you are fortunate enough to have a clear view of the night sky, and you start wondering about the properties of all these sources of light, you might be amazed to find out all these stars have Read more…
The Observatory and Planetarium has welcomed school students to visit for work experience. A previous Astronote described our work with the Faulkes Telescope Project. Below is an account written by three of our work experience students in 2018 March, based on the work done at Armagh Observatory and Planetarium by them and three other students.
Article written by: Conor Byrne As an astrophysicist with a keen interest in space from a young age, the opportunity to witness a rare astronomical phenomenon is naturally quite high on the ‘bucket list’. So when I was attending a research workshop in the United States in August 2017, just Read more…
Article written by: Professor Michael Burton, Director of Armagh Observatory and Planetarium The city of Armagh lays claim to a remarkable history that belies its small size. A history stretching from the neolithic era, and the mythology of Emain Macha (the ancient capital of Ulster), through the City’s Christian foundation Read more…
Article written by: Heather Alexander Have you ever had a fun night out with friends, or a lazy day in with loved ones, or even just strolled down the street, and asked the question “Who discovered…?” I am the type of person who asks this question, frequently. Thanks goodness I Read more…
Recent observations of the helium star HD144941 have been obtained from space. Armagh astronomers Professor Simon Jeffery and Dr Gavin Ramsay have discovered that they show a light curve best explained by darker and lighter patches on the star’s surface coming into view as the star rotates with a period Read more…
Well, thankfully the drudgery of January is behind us and we can look forward to a month full of dark nights, stars and even a hint of romance. And let me tell you this my dear reader, if there’s one thing we’re experts on up in the Planetarium, it’s romance**. Read more…
Star Wars, the very name brings up images of childhoods spent in front of a TV or cinema screen, absorbing up stories of a galaxy far, far away. For many, it was the thing to ignite their passion for storytelling, and for others it was the thing that ignited their Read more…
In a paper entitled ‘GALEX J184559.8−413827: a new extreme helium star identified using SALT’, Armagh astronomer Simon Jeffery reports the first new extreme helium star to be discovered in nearly 40 years. Extreme helium stars represent a small group of low-mass supergiant stars. They have spectral types equivalent to A Read more…
October is over, and November is now upon us. The days are definitely getting colder, the night are definitely longer, which means the time for gazing into the night sky is now! One of the best things about November is the fact that there is not one, but two meteor Read more…
Armagh Observatory and Planetarium’s Robinson Lecture this year will be about the Sun. To lead into this here is the first of two articles about why astronomers study our Sun, and the range of telescopes and satellites co-opted to the the task. Solar physics is the branch of astrophysics that Read more…
The 2018 Robinson Lecture will be given by Professor Louise Harra of University College London. Her topic is about the Solar Orbiter, a new spacecraft to be launched to study the Sun. It will be held in the Archbishop’s Palace in Armagh on Wednesday 22 November, 2017, starting at 7pm. Read more…
On Aug 14th 2017 LIGO and the Virgo Gravitational Wave detectors based in the USA and Italy detected the fourth merging Black Hole event. This was a triumph for both groups, but especially the Virgo group which had only started taking regular data earlier that month. It did leave many Read more…
Hello and welcome to my first attempt at an Astronotes blog! My name is Stephen and I’m finding out about our sky as I go during my time here in the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium. So, I hope you’ll join me on our journey through the October night sky. Read more…
During our school days, children in the developing and developed world could not even dream about getting a chance to look through a professional telescope; forget about playing with it for real observations! Those days, only the best professional astronomers/astrophysicists had access to such telescopic sites and networks. However one Read more…
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is a powerful instrument which can be used to observe the Sun at high spatial, temporal, and spectral resolution. ALMA consists of a giant array of 12-m antennas, with baselines up to 16 km, and an additional compact array of 7-m and 12-m antennas. Read more…
