Armagh Observatory and Planetarium (AOP) is delighted to announce that three of its esteemed team members, Lovisa Redpath, Kerem Çubuk, and Anna Taylor, have been chosen as role models for the Institute of Physics’ new family programme, Mimi’s Space Adventure. This initiative, funded by the UK Space Agency’s ‘Space for Read more…
Armagh Observatory and Planetarium have welcomed a record 72,000 visitors during 2022/23. This is a significant increase from the annual average of between 50,000 and 55,000 visitors and includes a surge in non term time footfall. The unprecedented rise in visitor numbers comes as the organisation continues to improve the Read more…
On 22 January 1997, Lottie Williams from Tulsa, Oklahoma, was walking through a park around 4am with friends when they saw what looked like a shooting star in the sky. “It was just a big ball of fire, shooting across the sky at just a fast speed,” Lottie recalls. After Read more…
Armagh Observatory and Planetarium is delighted to announce its latest elected members to the organising committees of the prestigious International Astronomical Union (IAU), cementing its place as a leading research institution of influence on the global stage. Three Astronomers working at the Armagh Observatory, Stefano Bagnulo, Michael Burton, and Simon Read more…
Mankind has been looking to the cosmos for thousands of years to help answer some of our biggest questions, but now, people are turning to the night sky during lockdown for a soothing, relaxing experience to enjoy at home. Throughout January and February there are a number of astronomical events Read more…
The first asteroids discovered in the early 1800’s were named after Roman and Greek mythological figures like Ceres, Pallas, and Vesta. Today, most asteroids are named after people, both real and fictional, places, animals, plants, and other natural phenomena. The discoverers of asteroids are responsible for proposing the name however Read more…
Ireland’s entry into the space race is now at the testing phase. Preparatory testing for the space mission, EIRSAT-1, is taking place at the ESA’s Hertz antenna test chamber in Noordwijk, Holland. Educational Irish Research Satellite 1 is being built by students and staff of University College Dublin and Queens University Read more…
During our school days, children in the developing and developed world could not even dream about getting a chance to look through a professional telescope; forget about playing with it for real observations! Those days, only the best professional astronomers/astrophysicists had access to such telescopic sites and networks. However one Read more…
Over the past few weeks I have been hearing the term “The Big Bounce Theory,” quite a lot. At first I thought it was a sequel to the brilliant “The Big Bang Theory” TV show. When listening to the “Star Talk,” podcast by Neil De Grasse Tyson however Read more…
It’s that time of the year again for the third annual Northern Ireland Science Festival and this year is bigger and better! The Armagh planetarium has been holding events under NISF from the beginning so we could not miss the opportunity to be part of this inspiring event. We Read more…
Students in Northern Ireland hoping for careers in the exciting and increasingly important space sector now can pursue a course targeting their needs. The Council for the Curriculum Examinations & Assessment’s new QCF Level 2 Space Science Technology qualification has been accredited by Ofqual and is available for first teaching Read more…
NASA’s Space Shuttles have become a familar sight in their thirty years of service, but there have been other shuttle designs which never left the ground.Some were ingenious alternative concepts to the vehicle which is shortly to be retired, some were potential replacements and there was even a couple of Read more…