Jupiter

December Night Sky 2025

A Winter wonderland above – December night sky  December nights, where the sky greets you like an icy cathedral of stars and wonder, and the nights draw darker earlier.   It is also the time of year where Santa takes flight with his reindeers. This year he will have quite the view with the constellations twinkling bright telling him their ancient stories, the Geminids shining beneath him like a shooting star runway and Jupiter glowing like a guiding beacon.   A Read more

By Emma-Jayne Malcomson, ago

May Night Sky 2025

So here we are, closer to the middle of the year than the beginning and we are barrelling fast towards the summer! Exciting news for those lucky enough to get the summer off – not so exciting for those who have exams first. In the spring night sky we have Read more

By Anna Taylor, ago

May Night Sky

We completed a half orbit around the Sun since I wrote the November Night Sky. It felt like yesterday, but it has been 6 months ago. The time is cruel…  The days are already quite a bit longer and are still getting longer. Stargazing is getting more difficult in this Read more

By Anna Taylor, ago

November Night Sky

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

By Anna Taylor, ago

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!

By Anna Taylor, ago

April Night Sky 2020

Hello Stargazers! We are well and truly into spring now (and hopefully we have all recovered from losing that 1 precious hour of sleep when the clocks sprung forward, eh?). The high pressure weather system we have had recently means clear, crisp nights for many of us – excellent conditions Read more

By Anna Taylor, ago

March Night Sky 2020

Welcome to spring! In theory at least – someone should really let our climate know that it’s time to brighten up a little bit. Depending on whether or not you adhere to the meteorological or astronomical definitions of “spring”, it officially began either on 1st March or will begin on Read more

By Anna Taylor, ago

Exo-Moons and Goblins

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?

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, ago