Night Sky June Summer is almost here so welcome back for another month of objects to look out for in the night sky, with some good weather (fingers crossed)! June has a few things for us to see, first thing being the summer solstice. Summer Solstice Thursday 20th of June Read more
Summer’s here! The weather’s heating up and skies will hopefully be clear for a bit of stargazing! There are lots of interesting sights in the sky this July, so while you may have to wait longer for it to get dark, get outside, allow your eyes to adjust and get Read more
The discovery of planets orbiting around other stars has been one of humankinds greatest achievements. The existance of these ‘exo-planets’ can challenge our perception of our place in the universe. Since the first confirmed detection of a planet around another normal star (51 Peg) in 1995, many thousands of planets have been discovered. Indeed, it is likely that most stars will have their own system of planets. It is important in answering the question – is there intelligent life out there?
A team of scientists in Australia are scanning the Universe for signals from extraterrestrial life. Professor Matthew Bailes, based at Swinburne University in Melbourne, is the lead scientist in this project funded by Russian billionaire Yuri Milner. Milner has donated $100 million and has the support of Professor Stephen Hawking. Read more
As the summer draws to a close September is a perfect time for stargazing before the cold nights of winter finally creep in. With sunset around 9pm and a forecasted heatwave, fingers crossed for some clear skies with some lovely mild temperatures. A key feature of the summer night sky Read more
It’s August and suddenly the nights are getting a bit longer so what is there to see in our night sky this month? Everyone should watch out for August’s amazing Perseid Meteor Shower. You probably know already that there are a number of regular meteor showers over the Read more
Let us go outside somewhere in Northern Ireland about midnight on 15 June 2016 and see what there is to see in the sky. Hercules. Muscular hero and demi-god! Killer of the Hydra! Victor over the Nemean Lion! Slayer of giants! Crusher of Cancer the Crab! And he didn’t Read more
We live in a galaxy – a star city with several hundred billion residents. Moreover, we know our Milky Way is a spiral galaxy, with prominent arms of bright young stars that spiral outwards from a central bar that is dominated by old stars. These arms are so prominent as Read more
August, it’s one of our favourite months of the year. Whether you’ve been on your summer holidays or not, August is a month to relax, and have fun with family and friends. The month August was named after the infamous Roman Emperor, Augustus Caesar. He was the grandnephew of the Read more
July is here and that means it is officially the summer holidays. School is out and we are all planning our holidays either abroad or at home. Whether you leave the country or stay in it, there will be many things in the night sky to observe. We start Read more
On 15 June 2014 look south about 10.30pm. The sky will be far from dark, but with a little effort you ought to spy the triangle topped by the star Arcturus and with Saturn and Mars at its base. By the time an hour has passed, around 11.30 pm, this Read more
Incredibly as we near the close of yet another year, a year that has already been rich in celestial sights for the sky-watcher, perhaps the climax of all-things-cosmic from the Earthlings’ point of view is about to commence with our Solar System’s brand new comet, ISON… “Release the Kraken!” Read more
Now that summertime in the Northern hemisphere is in full swing a whole new batch of constellations can be seen in the south. Although the ‘late birds’ among us will be rewarded with the best viewings in the little hours after midnight, the opportunity to add these less well-known Read more
Autumn is well and truly settled in and we are in the ‘Hallowed’ month of October so many exciting things grace our sky!This month we can try and see what spooky sightings usually turn out to be, as well as some frightful objects that roam the October sky!The longer dark Read more
Our galaxy, the Milky Way, is vaster than we puny humans can imagine.A huge (100 000 light years across) spiral of stars and nebulae embedded in the tenuous interstellar medium , the Milky Way is a about a thousand light years thick apart from where it swells into the great Read more
The hunt for planets located outside of our own Solar System is not a new concept.Since 1995 scientists and astronomers have been aware of these distant worlds orbiting their host stars.The first exoplanet discovered was 51 Pegasi located in the constellation of Pegasus.To date over 3000 potential exoplanets have been Read more
![Star types from left to right: a red dwarf, our Sun, a blue dwarf, and R136a1 (hypergiant). Where star sizes are measured by radius, from centre to surface, and where 1 solar radius is equal to that of our Sun (km) - R136a1’s radius is 35.4 times greater than the Sun [approximately 24.8 million km]. Credit: Author: ESO/M. Kornmesser](https://armaghplanet.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/image-of-star-types.jpg)
How big is the largest known star? Compared to planets, stars will always be the overall group winners in terms of superior size. When you look at the night sky on a clear night and away from city lights, you will see that there are stars of varying sizes and Read more
September features yet another delightful selection of astronomical treats. Whether you are a veteran explorer of the night sky or new to star gazing, the heavens are full of wonders! Jupiter, king of the planets, is gracing the celestial stage this month from dusk till dawn. It is well worth Read more
Planets orbiting other stars are now known to be common. Few can be seen with even the largest telescopes but on a summer night you can at least easily look towards some of the planets discovered by NASA’s Kepler mission. “About 2300 light years away in the direction of Lyra Read more
In a dark July night sky you can hardly miss Vega, Altair, and Deneb, the three bright stars of the Summer Triangle – fully up and dominating the northeast and east. What else is there to see on a summer night? Although it doesn’t get dark until late, this time Read more
In our latest night sky guide we look at the stars of late spring and early summer and ponder just what does the brightness of a star really mean. We are now well into the merry month of May and the nights are getting much warmer. The beauty and majesty Read more
Around this time of year, go outside after 9pm on a clear night and look at the sky. Even if it is not quite dark a bright star will be visible in the south. This is Vega, the third brightest star in our sky (only Sirius and Arcturus are brighter). Read more