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physics

Latest News

Armagh Observatory and Planetarium to present Robinson Medal for Science to Astronomer Royal

Leading Astronomical Research Centre to Give Accolade in Dublin on May 26th Globally recognised astronomical research institute, Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, is set to present the Robinson Medal for Science to the Astronomer Royal, Lord Martin Rees, at a formal reception to be held at Dublin’s Bank of Ireland building, Read more…

By Heather Alexander, 3 weeks ago
Latest News

10 Years of the Armagh Robotic Telescope (ART)

The Armagh Robotic Telescope (ART) is the youngest, and most advanced, telescope housed at the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium (AOP). It has been 10 years since first light was achieved, and we would like to take this opportunity to talk to the man behind the telescope. Professor Simon Jeffery has Read more…

By Heather Alexander, 2 yearsFebruary 11, 2021 ago
Solar System

5 Theories and Conspiracies Debunked

With Space Exploration comes theories and conspiracies. In our latest blog we debunk some of the more infamous ones.

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 5 years ago
Milky Way

The Milky Way is not low fat: grease in space

Article by Michael Burton, Director of the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover recently discovered organic molecules in 3 billion year old Martian rocks. This material may have been delivered by meteorites and comets to the young planet. Deep space is full of organic matter. Organic matter contains Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 5 yearsJune 25, 2018 ago
Earth Satellites

The 2018 Robinson Lecture: Professor Louise Harra tells us about how astronomers research the Sun

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…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 6 yearsNovember 1, 2017 ago
Milky Way

I-LOFAR – a new radio telescope for Ireland

Michael Burton, Director, AOP On 27th July 2017, the RoI Minister John Halligan switched on I-LOFAR telescope, the largest radio telescope in the world, at Birr Castle in Co. Offaly. The Armagh Observatory and Planetarium is a member of the 8 institutions across the island of Ireland that came together to build I-LOFAR. Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 6 years ago
Human Exploration

Stargazing Live Australia and a trip down memory lane

Michael Burton, Director of Armagh Observatory and Planetarium Have you been enthralled by the BBC’s Stargazing Live Australia, hosted by Brian Cox and Dara O Briain and shown over three nights at the end March this year?  A spectacular show, hosted from Siding Spring Observatory in the Warrumbungles National Park Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 6 yearsApril 7, 2017 ago
Stars

A Brief History of Black Holes

Given that astronomy dates back to early written records from the Babylonians around 1600 BC if not earlier, black holes are a relatively new addition to human knowledge of the cosmos. Black holes cannot be seen therefore it took a long time for the first one to be found. Composed Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 6 yearsMarch 20, 2017 ago
Milky Way

Explorers of the Galaxy (Part 3) The Galaxy in Millimetre-Waves

At the end of Part Two our Galactic explorers had produced the first true maps of our Galaxy, showing its shape and extent, by using radio telescopes to map the distribution of atomic hydrogen, so revealing the spiral arm structure.  In the concluding portion of this article we turn to Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 7 yearsJune 14, 2016 ago
Milky Way

Explorers of the Galaxy (Part 2): The Radio Galaxy

At the end of part one of this article we left our galactic explorers uncovering the first hints of the existence of spiral structure within our Milky Way. In part two we see how the new field of radio astronomy opened up the Galaxy for viewing to our explorers.   Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 7 yearsMay 13, 2016 ago
Human Exploration

15 Questions about the Moon Landings

Armstrong and Aldrin were the first two people on the Moon when Apollo 11 landed there in July 1969. This astonishing achievement (which it should not be forgotten was followed by five more successful landings) continues to fascinate our readers who are still eager to learn more about the details. Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 7 yearsApril 7, 2016 ago
The Future

Space Guns!

Have you ever stopped and really thought about the possibility of finding life in the universe or maybe that extra-terrestrial life finding us! And then, when they find us, what if they aren’t exactly friendly and they want our planet for some super evil plan so they decide to have Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 8 yearsAugust 11, 2015 ago
Robot Exploration

How Did New Horizons Get to Pluto so Quickly?

Our Solar System is vast. We on Earth cruise around the Sun in an orbit with a radius of about 150 million km (93 million miles), but the most distant planet, Neptune, is about thirty times further from the Sun. Enormous distances and the limitations of rocketry means reaching the Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 8 yearsJune 5, 2015 ago
Concept Spacecraft

NASA’s Space Drive Experiments: The Plot Thickens

A research group called the Eagleworks at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Texas is tasked with investigating novel space propulsion techniques. These include both warp drive concepts to enable faster than light travel and reactionless drive schemes where electric power is converted directly into thrust. If proven, these concepts would Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 8 yearsMay 11, 2015 ago
The Future

2015’s Space Odysseys

Although not quite the ’12 days of Christmas’ gift inventory’, the following checklist should give us a quick peak at some significant events connected with space that we can look forward to witnessing from early 2015, as well as giving us an opportunity to recall other great space dates whose Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 8 yearsJanuary 22, 2015 ago
Sun

All you need to know about Sunspots

The ancient Chinese thought they were stars inside a solar orb. The Aztecs thought their Sun god had pockmarks on his face. A Renaissance astronomer thought they were undiscovered planets. Some believe they are the cause of climate change or the reason for loss of signal or a “static” on Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 9 years ago
Concept Spacecraft

No, NASA has not verified an impossible space drive!

June 2014 saw excited reports that NASA was working on a faster than light warp drive starship. Astonishingly, weeks later we are being told that NASA has also successfully tested a device which could push along a space vehicle without consuming any propellant. If true, this would be an astonishing Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 9 yearsAugust 4, 2014 ago
Concept Spacecraft

No, NASA is not building a warp drive starship!

There has been a lot of excitement over reports that NASA is developing a faster than light starship propelled by a warp drive capable of making journeys to nearby stars in mere weeks. There are even very pretty artist’s impressions of the hypothetical craft. Is a wonderful space operatic future Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 9 yearsJune 13, 2014 ago
Telescopes and Observatories

JWST: A Giant Cyclops to Reveal the Depths of Space

While HST’s successor is named after the architect of the revolutionary Apollo Moon missions, an obvious tribute to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s second administrator, James E. Webb, the name given is perhaps also symbolic of the aspirations of all those involved in the project, that with the telescope’s Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 9 yearsJune 10, 2014 ago
UFOs and Fringe Science

Was NASA Technology Predicted in Ancient Indian Writings?

Is it possible that ancient cultures 7000 years ago knew how to create flying machines to traverse the sky and beyond using a technology that NASA engineers are still trying to harness today? The first artificial satellite launched famously into orbit was the Russian satellite Sputnik, in 1957. Prior to Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 9 yearsMay 28, 2014 ago
Earth Satellites

JWST: Finding Space for Hubble’s Successor

Although the concept of something being “there” but being hidden from our eyes under the cover of darkness is one that has disturbed usually one or other of us once upon a time, when it comes to space it’s hard to find an idea that thrills scientists and astronomers more. Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 9 yearsMay 21, 2014 ago
Armagh Planetarium

St Patrick’s Academy Rockets Ahead

“Encouraging school children to enter the world of aerospace, engineering and science” This is the motto for the Aerospace Youth Rocketry Challenge which takes place across the globe.  The prize, if you accept the challenge, is an all-expenses paid trip to Paris and Toulouse for the final fly-off against teams from Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 9 years ago
Solar System

Who was Galileo?

You may have heard of the name Galileo.  Perhaps it is through an interest in science or maybe it’s from the Queen song “Bohemian Rhapsody”.  But who was the man behind the famous name?  What did he do and achieve?  Well, as Galileo would be 450 years old in 2014, Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 9 yearsFebruary 17, 2014 ago
Concept Spacecraft

Whatever Happened to Photon Rockets?

Could humanity ever travel to the stars? Today this is an unattainable dream but world-wide researchers are studying the possibilities of starships. One concept for an interstellar craft is the photon rocket, an idea once popular but less prominent today. What happened to this appealing idea for voyaging into deepest Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 10 yearsDecember 5, 2013 ago
Human Exploration

Cleaning Up the Final Frontier

Our attempts to reach out into space and learn as much as we can about our Universe and also learn much more about the workings of our beautiful Blue Planet has come at a cost and the space agencies around the world have not ignored the growing space “graveyard” encompassing Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 10 yearsNovember 29, 2013 ago
Human Exploration

The Dangers of Space Travel

It is probably every rookie astronaut’s nightmare, and probably even a veteran astronaut’s nightmare…scratch that it’s probably every single astronaut’s biggest fear that their spacecraft is destroyed whilst out on a space walk and they are stranded in space completely alone with no way of contacting Earth! Well that just Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 10 yearsJune 8, 2013 ago
UFOs and Fringe Science

What Ever Happened to Tachyons?

Tachyons, hypothetical sub-atomic particles which travel faster than light, once attracted a lot of publicity yet we do not hear much discussion of them today. Whatever happened to tachyons?   Over a century ago, Albert Einstein anticipated odd things happening on a spaceship travelling at speeds close to that of Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 10 yearsMay 29, 2013 ago
IMAGE of cosmic ray tracks
Cosmology

100 Years of Cosmic Rays

Ever had a frustrating morning and wished you could ‘Hulk-out’ or that some superhuman abilities were within your grasp even for the briefest of moments?With the psyche of superheroes very much to the fore in contemporary culture, it is perhaps interesting to learn that emissions similar to those of human Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 11 yearsSeptember 21, 2012 ago
Image of Karl_Jansky_radio_telescope
Our Galaxy

Karl Jansky: The Father of Radio Astronomy

Radio astronomy is the study of the radio frequencies emitted from stars, galaxies and other celestial objects. Radio waves are produced naturally from lightning and astronomical objects, or are produced by man-made communication techniques and broadcasting technology.Many radio telescopes are located around the globe and have helped discover new types Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 11 yearsAugust 29, 2012 ago
Planets

To the Edge of Space

Where does space begin? Let’s look up into our planet’s atmosphere, that shell of nitrogen (about 78%), oxygen (about 20%), various other gases (2%) that makes life on Earth possible, to find out. The atmosphere gets thinner as you go further up, in fact 90% of the Earth’s atmosphere by Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 11 yearsFebruary 2, 2012 ago
Sun

Northern Lights: Coming to a Sky Near You?

The aurora is a stunning celestial event associated with Earth’s polar regions. Recently Ireland has been witness to this beautiful phenomenon.   If you are standing looking up at the sky in Canada, Alaska or in Norway on a clear dark night you may see a bright reddish or greenish Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 11 yearsJanuary 13, 2012 ago
image of virgo galaxies
Cosmology

Our Place in the Expanding Universe

Our galaxy, the Milky Way, is just one of an enormous number of galaxies spread throughout a vast Universe, which is expanding.Everyone knows these facts now, but how do we actually know about our  place in the Universe?   Light travels through space as a wave, and hence light has Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 12 yearsOctober 20, 2011 ago
Cosmology

Light from the End of the Dark Ages

A long, long time ago when the first stars and galaxies were forming, the Universe was filled with electrically neutral hydrogen. This thin soup of gas absorbed ultraviolet light and all of space would have seemed filled with softly glowing fog. The light of the first generation of stars was Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 12 yearsOctober 13, 2011 ago
Cosmology

Are Neutrinos Faster Than Light?

Neutrinos travel faster than light! The science world is agog at this unexpected announcement from CERN  in Switzerland. This result has to be verified, for if true it seems that one of science’s central tenets is wrong!   It’s all Einstein’s fault of course. Albert Einstein (1879-1955) came up with Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 12 yearsSeptember 26, 2011 ago
Image of simulated Mercury transit
Planets

Vulcan: the Solar System’s Ghost Planet

We have been celebrating the first Neptunian year since the discovery of the eighth (and as far as we know last) planet in the Solar System. Neptune’s discovery was a famous triumph of nineteenth century astronomy. Less well-known is the aftermath, when a ninth solar planet was discovered. This planet Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 12 yearsJuly 19, 2011 ago
Cosmology

Timespace: The Who, What and When

Time is among the most mysterious of fundamental quantities. Time was originally defined and quantified through astronomy, and today astronomers are used to glibly talking of vast stretches of time. But even after Einstein showed time to be an elastic, changing thing we still have to resolve all its mysteries. Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 12 yearsMay 27, 2011 ago
Science Fiction

The Science of Green Lantern

Green Lantern has for decades guarded Earth and beyond from evil in the pages of comic books but the cosmic superhero is about to face his greatest challenge: can he make it on the big screen? Tracy McConnell reports on the science of Green Lantern. In brightest day, in blackest Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 12 yearsMay 9, 2011 ago
Other Galaxies

Image of the Month: Andromeda through different eyes

Our Image of the Month is a radically different view of the great spiral galaxy in Andromeda from the European Space Agency. Tracy McConnell explains how it was made and describes the stellar cataclysms it reveals. The inspiration here came from a new ESA image of M31, the Andromeda Galaxy, Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 12 yearsJanuary 20, 2011 ago
Concept Spacecraft

Project Orion: the incredible nuclear spacecraft

NASA’s next manned spacecraft will be the Orion, a capsule which will be carried into space by a rocket. Weighing 25 tonnes, each Orion will carry up to six people. Accommodation on board is cosy at best, cramped at worst. Orion was intended to take astronauts to the Moon and  Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 13 yearsOctober 1, 2010 ago
Stars

What is light?

What is light? Here’s an easy introduction to the electromagnetic spectrum all the way from radio waves to gamma rays. Before the modern era of technological astronomy, to know anything about the Universe beyond our planet we relied on light. We had to see planets, stars, and so on, to Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 13 yearsOctober 1, 2010 ago
Other Galaxies

Why is this nebula so shocking pink?

This fluffy pink blob is the star-forming region LHA-120-N 11 in the Large Magellanic Cloud some 170 000 light years from the Sun. N 11 (occasionally called the Bean Nebula) is about 1000 light years across. Take a moment to think just big that is! What is the source of Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 13 yearsOctober 1, 2010 ago
Concept Spacecraft

Rods from god: a terrifying space weapon?

“Rods from God” is the nick-name given to a hypothetical orbital weapon for bombarding targets on the Earth from space. Just how feasible is this concept?   There are undeniable links between the spaceflight and military communities but apart from a few tests of anti-satellite weapons, the odd armed space Read more…

By Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, 13 yearsSeptember 27, 2010 ago
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  • 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!
  • S3Ep3 - Wee Bitta Craic: Bout Ye Ethan?
    In Wee Bitta Craic this month, Zuri and Alice ask Ethan all about his PhD and how he came to be at the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium. Find out more about his research and laugh along as the guys have some more quality craic. If you love listening to our students, then you can help […]
  • S3Ep2 - Wee Bitta Craic: Bout Ye Zuri?
    In the latest Wee Bitta Craic episode, Alice and Ethan ask Zuri all about how she came to be at Armagh Observatory and Planetarium doing her PhD. Find out more about Zuri's journey to get to where she is today, and laugh along as the guys have quality banter. If you love listening to our […]
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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