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Moon

Moon

Around the world in Eight Moon Myths

We all know of some myths surrounding our only natural satellite. We’ve gazed at it for thousands of years, and it has inspired some great and unusual stories over time. We are quick to say that a full moon causes insanity or madness (doctors and nurses in A&E seem to lead Read more…

By Anna Taylor, 5 months6 months ago
Planets

5 Facts About… Pluto!

Now we weren’t going to leave out everyone’s favourite dwarf planet, were we?! Small but Mighty! Pluto is named after the Roman god of the Underworld, who coincidentally was also the god of wealth as diamond and other jewels supposedly came from the Underworld. It’s ironic that such a tiny Read more…

By Courtney Allison, 8 months8 months ago
Latest News

Bring the Moon into your Home!

Armagh Observatory and Planetarium launches new interactive app previously used in the exhibition hall for the public to try! This latest technology will help you to bring the Moon into your home via an augmented reality app. The easy to use app allows you to bring the Moon Globe into Read more…

By Sinead Mackle, 9 months9 months ago
April

Starry-Eyed Advice for Gazing from Your Garden

Five things to look for during International Dark Sky Week With a remarkable drop in air-pollution during lockdown and warm weather forecasts, the astronomy experts at Armagh Observatory and Planetarium have shared what twinkling treats you can spot in the sky during International Dark Sky Week. Step out to the Read more…

By Sinead Mackle, 9 months9 months ago
Planets

5 Facts About… Earth!

This week our 5 Facts series continues with our home planet! Read on to learn more about our Earth. Earth is the only planet not named after a God The other planets in our Solar System are named after Roman and Greek Gods, but not our Earth! The word “Earth” Read more…

By Courtney Allison, 9 months9 months ago
Human Exploration

13 Facts about Apollo 13

“Uh… Houston? We’ve had a problem.” Same Old, Same Old  Apollo 13 launched at 2:13 p.m. EST,  April 11, 1970 and since this was the third mission to the Moon, the public weren’t interested in moon landings. It was old news.  Even things were too good to be true at mission control as capsule communicator (Capcom) Joe Kerwin had said that Read more…

By Helen McLoughlin, 10 months10 months ago
Comets and Asteroids

Earth has a new tiny moon!

So as it turns out, we have had a secret, tiny moon lurking around our planet for potentially up to 3 years – and we had no idea! It’s not surprising we missed it – it’s no Europa for sure. It’s so small it is invisible to the naked eye. Read more…

By Courtney Allison, 11 months11 months ago
December

December Night Sky 2019

Ah, the winter night sky, how we love thee. The shorter daytime means even longer to stargaze; if we are lucky here in Armagh we will get some high pressure days leading to crisp, clear, starry nights. So, in the evenings after your Christmas shopping has finished for the day Read more…

By Courtney Allison, 1 year1 year ago
Planets

BREAKING: Saturn has 20 New Moons

The long standing satellite king of The Solar System, Jupiter, has been dethroned – Saturn now has 82 moons to Jupiter’s 79! via GIPHY The new moons were discovered by astronomers at The Carnegie Institution for Science using the Subaru telescope on top of Mauna Kea in Hawaii. According to Read more…

By Courtney Allison, 1 year1 year ago
September

The Night Sky in September

Welcome to September, Stargazers! To be honest, August is a hard celestial act to follow but the September night sky allows to to focus in on events that might have otherwise been overshadowed if they had occurred in another month. September stargazing gets back to the basics of stargazing, moon-watching Read more…

By Courtney Allison, 1 year1 year ago

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RSS Intergalactic Craic
  • The Safest Dinner Party of 2020
    For the last episode of Season 1, Heather and Courtney suggest their ideal astronomy guests to a dinner party. They cover some of humanity's greatest astronomical achievements as well as discuss some of the rumours surrounding a particular famous astronomer's party behaviour! Need Some Space?
  • Turning Back The Clock - The History of AOP
    Join Heather and Special Guest Host Dr Rok Nezic as they delve into the archives and discuss the history of the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium through their favourite objects. Clocks, books, instruments and rooms, they've got it all covered, and they have a bit of craic along the way.
  • Vampires, Zombies and... Bowties? Oh My!
    This week Intergalactic Craic has some added spook for your Autumn. Vampire stars, zombie stars and spooky nebulae will all be discussed by Courtney and Heather. Need Some Space?
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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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