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Messier objects

Solar System

The Curious Comet 96P/Machholz

Comets are small icy and rocky objects flying around our Solar System on elliptical orbits, as opposed to near-circular ones the planets are enjoying. They are strange and fantastic enough as it is: bright comets with their tails spanning across the sky have been marvelled at, recorded, and often feared Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 8 yearsDecember 1, 2017 ago
Stars

May Night Sky

The spring night sky has well and truly sprung, and although these months are sign of brighter evenings and therefore later bedtimes if you want star gaze, there are still lots of interesting patterns and objects that we can see. So let’s delve in and find them. The spring night Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 8 years ago
October

The Halloween Night Sky

As we welcome back the colder weather we are also welcoming back the beginning of the best months of stargazing thanks to the onset of longer dark evenings. Mix this with the spooky objects visible in the crisp autumn month of October and we have a recipe for fun and Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 9 yearsOctober 28, 2016 ago
August

The August 2016 Night Sky

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…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 9 yearsAugust 2, 2016 ago
June

The June 2016 Night Sky

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…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 9 yearsMay 27, 2016 ago
Milky Way

Explorers of the Galaxy (Part 1)

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…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 9 yearsMarch 4, 2016 ago
Nebulae

A Spectacular View of the Lagoon Nebula

Peer deep into the constellation Sagittarius and you will find a spectacular young star cluster and its associated stellar nursery. These are M8 and the Lagoon Nebula.   More than 4300 light years (1320 parsecs) from the Solar System, this is an active star-forming region. Billions of years ago our Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 10 yearsJuly 28, 2015 ago
June

The June Night Sky

June is finally upon us, and the summer is officially in full swing. The nights may be brighter for longer, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t some brilliant stargazing to be had. If anything, summer is a wonderful time to go stargazing, as you don’t really need to worry Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 10 yearsJune 1, 2015 ago
February

Stargazing in February

The shortest month of the year holds a lot of promise when it comes to the nights sky and whether you are making plans for Valentine’s Day or still wondering how we have reached February already, it is worth pencilling in a few nights for stargazing this month.     Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 10 years ago
September

Stargazing in September

When we think of the constellations of this time of year, Cygnus, Lyra, Aquila and Hercules are first to come to mind. However there are other overlooked constellations out there, some even hidden inside the Summer Triangle. Let’s go out about the middle of September and look to the south. Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 11 years ago
March

Wonders of the March Night Sky

Since March means “Mars’ month” in Latin, we should find it a minor coincidence that Earth’s red terrestrial neighbour plays a more major role in the sky over the next few weeks. With continued astronomical twilight, an exploration of the centre ground astrology and astronomy share, and great opportunities to Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 11 yearsMarch 13, 2014 ago
Nebulae

A Summer Night’s Stargazing

On Saturday 22 July 2013, I took a look around the summer night sky through the eyepieces of the Planetarium’s 12 inch Dobsonian telescope. It was a beautiful clear evening. What was there to see? Here are some images to give you an idea. Closest and brightest (a little too Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 12 yearsAugust 20, 2013 ago
April

Night Sky Wonders: April

If you find yourself in the great outdoors any evening during April and it’s a cloudless night, turning your eyes towards the heavens could be an unusually interesting way for you to spend a few minutes.   If we look at star charts we can see the night sky divided Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 12 yearsApril 2, 2013 ago
Image of Galilean Moons
Monthly Sky Notes

Wonders of the September Sky 2012

So summer is officially over so goodbye to the long bright evenings and short warm nights and hello to autumn with its optimal night sky viewing with the longer nights.Everything is just right.It is the Goldilocks of the stargazing seasons; we also have some of the joys of the summer Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 13 yearsAugust 31, 2012 ago
July

Wonders of the July Sky

With the summer well underway we can really delve into some of the summertime treats the night sky has to offer us.Although the duration of darkness in the summer nights is relatively short compared to the rest of the year there are still celestial treats to behold.There are some very Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 13 yearsJuly 23, 2012 ago
Stars

M55: A Glorious Globular!

 A globular cluster is made of hundreds of thousands or even millions of stars packed together in a pretty compact ball. The stars in globular clusters are old and there’s never any sign of new stars forming in them. Older stars are usually yellow, orange and red, so those colours Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 13 yearsMay 9, 2012 ago
Other Galaxies

Spiral galaxies in a glorious new gallery from the Very Large Telescope

The European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope brings us new face-on portraits of six spiral galaxies. But what is the science behind these delightful images?   Everyone loves stunning pictures of spiral galaxies,  I have said this before and will no doubt say it again. The folks at the European Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 15 yearsOctober 28, 2010 ago
Nebulae

Hubble images the spectacular Lagoon Nebula

Gorgeous! Spectacular! Awesome! What else can I say about this stunning Turneresque image of the Lagoon Nebula (M8)? A typical stellar nursery, M8 lies about 4300 light years (1320 parsecs) from Earth in the constellation Sagittarius. About a hundred light years (31 parsecs) wide, it is actually several times as Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 15 yearsOctober 4, 2010 ago
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RSS Intergalactic Craic
  • S3Ep6 - Intergalactic Craic On The Road
    Welcome to a very special edition of Intergalactic Craic where we take it on the road! Join Rok, Zuri, Alice, and Andrew as they venture half way around the world to attend the ACM2023 conference in Flagstaff Arizona!
  • S3Ep5 - Craic with all these moons?
    Heather and her new co-host Dr Rok are back! Taking time out of their busy schedules they have recorded an episode all about the dramatic increase to the number of moons of the gas giants Jupiter and Saturn! They also delve into their own busy schedules and explain everything there is to know about AOP's […]
  • S3Ep4 - Wee Bitta Craic: Bout Ye Alice?
    This month is the final 'getting to know you' episode of Intergalactic Craic: Wee Bitta Craic. Ethan and Zuri interview Alice and ask her all about how she came to be doing her PhD at AOP. Find out this and more in this info packed episode!
Welcome to Astronotes

Hello and welcome to Astronotes, the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium’s official blog. Here you will find the latest news and views from all those who work in our organisation, from the fascinating worlds of astronomy and space exploration. We hope you will come here to learn what is hot and exciting, profound or even weird from worlds beyond ours . So that's the introduction out of the way, now on with the Universe!

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