News
New Year's Eve Lunar Eclipse
In the last day of the International Year of Astronomy (early evening of 31 December 2009), the Moon had the smallest partial eclipse that we have seen in Ireland and the UK for 40 years: the Moon was 8% covered by the Earth's shadow. Incidentally, this was also a "Blue Moon" - the name given for the second full Moon within a calendar month.
This photo was taken at 7.30 pm, a bit after the eclipse's maximum phase, from my backyard in Armagh.
Have you got your pictures of the eclipse? If you would like to share them please send them to us.
Happy New Year!
Miruna
Partial Lunar Eclipse: 31 December 2009
In the last day of the International Year of Astronomy - in the early evening of the 31st December - the Moon undergoes the smallest partial eclipse that we have seen in Ireland for 40 years - in that the Moon will only just dip into the umbral shadow of the Earth. At mid-eclipse (19:23) the lower right of the Moon may just be seen to have a faint ruddy colour as indicated in the diagram. The Moon begins to enter the penumbral shadow at 17:17, and will thus begin to darken. A small part of the Moon at its lower right enters the umbral shadow at 18:52 and leaves it at 19:52 with
Beautiful October Morning skies in Ireland
Things to see in the morning skies, from Terry Moseley, IAA:
ISS IN MORNINGS: The International Space Station is making a series of morning passes at the moment - see www.heavens-above.com Look out for it when it passes close to.....
BRILLIANT MORNING STAR VENUS: Venus is still the brightest object in the morning sky. It currently rises in morning twilight, preceded by much fainter Saturrn, and followed by Mercury, which is about midway in brightness between Saturn and Venus. But both Mercury and then Venus will soon move too close to the Sun to be seen, so look in the next few mornings
Armagh astronomer made today's highlights around the world
Armagh Observatory astronomer Dr David Asher made highlights around the world with a new study he presented at the European Planetary Science Congress in Potsdam, Germany, on Monday 14 September.
The research was led by David's colleague Katsuhito Ohtsuka of the Tokyo Meteor Network, Japan. Their team showed that sixty years ago, Jupiter had a "brief encounter": it carried on a 12-year fling with an extra "moon" then casually cast it aside.
Their calculations show that comet 147P/Kushida-Muramatsu entered Jupiter's neighbourhood from the outer solar system in 1949 and dallied in a highly
Two Irishmen are Astronomy Photographers of the Year!
Out of the Four prizes given in the Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition, organized by the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, two of them went to Ireland!
Michael O'Connell won the category prize for "Our Solar System". Michael's image, "Blue Sky Moon", is an unusual picture of the Moon - simple, well composed and framed, of outstanding quality and on a blue sky background.
The "Young Astronomy Photographer" section was won by Ireland, again: 14 year-old Paul Smith won this category with "Occultation of Venus". It was amazing to see Venus disappearing and then reappearing from behind
Irish Astronomer Gets Prestigious Award for Outreach
Deirdre Kelleghan gets The Astronomical Leagues Master Outreach Award one of 25 given out this year and the first International one :-) Presented by Dr Mike Reynolds Outreach Chair for the League. "I do not do outreach for awards , but it was nice to get one. There are only 25 people in the world getting the Master award this year and I am the first European to be given one . The Astronomical League is the largest organisation for amateur astronomers in the world.I am a Member at Large for many years." said Deirdre. More info on her blog.
Possible Perseid Meteor Outburst on the morning of 12 August
Although the major northern hemisphere Perseids are badly affected by the last quarter Moon near their best this year, there is the possibility they may produce somewhat increased rates. The usual maximum is due around August 12, 17h30m-20h00m UT, but Esko Lyytinen suggests we may encounter the 1610 Perseid trail earlier on August 12, around 9h00m UT (o = 139661). This could produce activity additional to the normal Perseid ZHRs then of a few tens, maybe up to a hundred. Mikhail Maslov confirmed this but for 8h00m UT and with only 10-15 meteors per hour. Both reseachers further suggest that
Jupiter to occult star on the night of 3 to 4 August
From Terry Moseley, IAA: "There will be quite a rare event on 3 August, when Jupiter will occult the 6th magnitude star 45 Capricornii, at about 23.50 BST (the exact time depends on your location). The star is one of the brightest that Jupiter will ever occult during our lifetimes, so this will be interesting to watch, and video. The star will be a bit fainter than Callisto, the faintest of the 4 Galilean moons. It will disappear behind the Southern limb of the planet, at about the position of the SSTB (South South Temperate Belt). Jupiter will be only 11 days before opposition, so the phaseObserving Jupiter
The observing season of Jupiter's Galilean satellites (Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto) occultations start in Ireland on the 24th of July and end on the 11th of November.
The occultations are seen from Earth only once every six years.
This is a special IYA project. See the page dedicated to the observers who never made such observations.
Think you're up for it? Continue reading and get prepared. See example of good observations by Hristo Pavlov.
An even more rare event (the following will be visible from Europe in more than 200 years from now) happens on the night of the 3rd to the 4th of
IYA Solar Eclipse: 22 July 2009
In the special year of IYA 2009, on Wednesday 22 July 2009, a total eclipse of the Sun is visible from Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar and China. A partial eclipse is seen within the much broader path of the Moon's penumbral shadow, which includes most of eastern Asia, Indonesia, and the Pacific Ocean.
With the maximum duration of 6 min 39 s, it is the longest solar eclipse in the 21st century. Since the weather conditions in this region on July 22 are very hard to forecast, the Chinese Astronomical Society, the host of IYA 2009 in China, is organising a large scale live broadcast
Observing alert: has Jupiter been hit?
Has Jupiter been hit, or does it have a new storm?
From Anthony Wesley, Australia: "Yes, believe it or not, it seems that Jupiter has been hit by something and there is a jet black impact mark near its south pole. Here is an image I captured a couple of hours ago - if you have the chance to get out and see this longitude yourself then you should do it! This sort of thing doesn't happen very often. The last one I remember was the Shoemaker-Levy impacts in 1994."
Link to the Irish Astronomy blog.
"... Or it could be a storm, like the one seen on 23 October 2003", says Dr Apostolos Christou from
ISS and Space Shuttle
From Terry Moseley:
"ISS + SPACE SHUTTLE. The ISS is making some good evening passes over Ireland at the moment - see www.heavens-above.com for details for your location. If the Space Shuttle ENDEAVOUR launches on time (or nearly so) this Saturday 12 July evening, we will see both the ISS and the Shuttle orbiting over our evening skies for the next day or two, with the Shuttle gradually closing in and docking with the ISS.
In fact, if the timing is right, we might be able to see the ISS, plus the Progress 33 and the Shuttle, all in the same orbit, in fairly close proximity! That would be a
From Earth to the Moon DVD offer
There is a nice offer on this DVD at Asda at the moment:
From Earth to the Moon, Tom Hanks Signature Edition (5 disc DVD) 14.93 (reduced from 44.29) @ Asda
<<Tom Hanks, Imagine Entertainment and HBO present - From the Earth to the Moon, the dramatic story of the unforgettable Apollo missions and their heroic astronauts, from President John F. Kennedy's historic speech, through the first manned expeditions into space, to the defining moment of the space program - putting a man on the moon. "One small step for man... one giant leap for mankind.">>
Mystery Flare
Mystery flare, from Terry Moseley:
"While observing a pass of the ISS tonight (now last night, July 10!) , I saw a bright 'star' temporarily appear, brighten to about zero magnitude, and then fade again to invisibility over a period of about 10 seconds, at around 23.15 BST. It was in the general region of Gamma Ophiuchi, although the sky was too bright, with too few stars visible, for me to get an accurate position. AHA, you'll say - an Iridium Flare! Well, I've seen nearly seven hundred Iridium Flares - I actually make a point of observing them - and I don't think it was one.
Firstly,
Get ready for galilean satellites occultations season!
The observing season of Jupiter's Galilean satellites (Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto) occultations start in Ireland on the 24th of July and end on the 11th of November.
The occultations are seen from Earth only once every six years.
This is a special IYA project. See the page dedicated to the observers who never made such observations.
Think you're up for it? Continue reading and get prepared. See example of good observations by Hristo Pavlov.
An even more rare event (the following will be visible from Europe in more than 200 years from now) happens on the night of the 3rd to the 4th of
No eclipses, but...
Unfortunately there are no eclipses to be seen from Ireland this month: neither the lunar one on 7 July, nor the solar one on 22 July.
Next lunar eclipses visible from Ireland are the partial ones on 5/6 August 2009 (very hard to see with naked eye; 23:01:04 UT to 02:17:23 UT) and 31 December 2009 (penumbral phase should be quite visible; 18:51:38 UT to 19:53:51 UT).
Next solar eclipse to be seen from Ireland not until the morning of 4 January 2011!
But, some other interesting events on the Irish sky are round the corner this summer: mutual events between the galilean satellites, starting on
May 2009 Newsletter from Sentinus
May 2009 STEM newsletter from SENTINUS
"Please find attached the latest issue of the STEM e-newsletter for Northern Ireland, we hope you will find the contents both useful and interesting. It is intended to provide you with useful and information and links for science, technology, engineering and maths.
We will be producing another issue in the Autumn term and would encourage you to submit any appropriate material for inclusion, including photographs by 31st October."
Jocelyn Bell Burnell: top living woman scientist
IOP president, Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell, was voted one of the most inspirational women scientists of all time in an online poll run by the New Scientist. Ranked fourth in the pool, Jocelyn was voted as the top living woman scientist.
See the full story here.
Space Concert by the Carnival Supergroup
Listen to the Special Space Concert from the Belfast Carnival 2009, performed by the Carnival Supergroup, which includes members from the Jane Bradfords, John Shelly and the Creatures, Mojo Fury and Katie and the Carnival, as well as John D'Arcy, Cara Cowan, Shauna Tohill and Steve Toner.
ISS passes over Ireland
The International Space Station (ISS), now the second brightest object in the night sky, is currently passing over Ireland in the very early morning (or very late evening!) - around 2 to 3 am each day - for the next couple of weeks.
This link takes you to the Heavens Above website where you can see the times of the ISS passes (and other interesting information, like for example times for iridium flares).
This link is set for Armagh.
If you live anywhere else please remember to change the location.
The above photo is one of the most dramatic Earth-science photos ever taken from space. It was
Are we heading towards a weak solar cycle?
An international panel of experts led by NOAA and sponsored by NASA has released a new prediction for the next solar cycle. Solar Cycle 24 will peak, they say, in May 2013 with a below-average number of sunspots. "If our prediction is correct, Solar Cycle 24 will have a peak sunspot number of 90, the lowest of any cycle since 1928 when Solar Cycle 16 peaked at 78," says panel chairman Doug Biesecker of the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center. Read the full story here.
The Solar Cycle 24 Prediction Panel has agreed that solar minimum occurred in December, 2008 (which still qualifies as a
ISS passes over Ireland
The International Space Station (ISS) - now the second brightest object in the night sky - is currently passing over Ireland in the evenings.
This link takes you to the Heavens Above website where you can see the times of the ISS passes (and other interesting information, like for example times for iridium flares).
This link is set for Armagh. If you live anywhere else please remember to change the location.
The above photo of the ISS was taken by Jonathan Bingham from Antrim, on 19th March 2009.
Two new satellites successfully launched by ESA today
Herschel and Planck, two new satellites, were successfully launched by ESA today.
Herschel has a 3.5m mirror - the largest mirror ever launched into space - and is an infra-red mission to look at stars and galaxies.
Planck will be taking measurements to map out the cosmic microwave background, in order to understand more about cosmology and the big-bang.
Watch the news from here.
Photo:
the Ariane 5 launcher before the launch, on 13 May 2009, enclosing Herschel and Planck and the International Year of Astronomy motto: "The Universe, Yours to Discover" (credit: ESA)
Use your camera or the Faulkes Telescope to win a photo competition
The Royal Observatory is running a free-to-enter competition for both amateur and professional photographers, as well as under 16s. Images can be taken on any camera, so options range from mobile phones through to the colour images taken with the Faulkes Telescopes.
The winning photos will be displayed at the Royal Observatory and the overall winner will receive a prize of 1000. A further prize of 100 is available to the Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2009' for entrants under 16 years of age.
The closing date is 19 July 2009.
For more details click here.
One of the latest entries
Is this a meteorite?
"My father and I found a small stone on Ballygalley beach. This stone is unusally heavy for its size and has the appearance of a meteorite to our untrained eyes. As you can see from the attached photos, it contains enough metal to be lifted by a 5lbs magnetic pick up tool. An experts advice on this object would be most appreciated.
Yours sincerely June and Thomas Elliott"
Some people think this is not a meteorite but rather some derby of terrestrial origin, while others think that it has the characteristics of a space rock. What do you think? Write down your
Bright fireball seen over Ireland
From Terry Moseley: "A very bright fireball was seen widely over Ireland, and even as far away as Liverpool, at about 00.30 on Sunday morning, 4 April. John McConnell saw it from Maghaberry, Co Antrim, and a woman saw it from her home in Newry, Co Down. The Liverpool observer reports that the fireball appeared at 30 - 40 degrees altitude in the western sky at 00:33 UT on 2009 April 05.
And here's part of John's McConnell's report:
"(I saw it) early Sunday morning at 00:32 BST. I was talking to a friend on the phone and had just sat down to finish a cup of coffee when I saw what appeared to
IYA2009-Ireland grant opportunities
Proposals are invited to form part of a second round proposal by IYA2009-Ireland to the Discover Science and Engineering Grants Programme.
Suggestions are invited for small proposals up to 5,000 (and only exceptionally to 10,000) to form part of a second round submission for IYA2009 to DSE.
Proposals must be received by 27th March at the very latest the deadline for submission to DSE is close of business April 3rd. We will attempt to vet them in the same way that we did previously.
Proposals will be judged on how well they fit into the overall IYA2009 project, and how well they conform
ISS passes over Ireland
The International Space Station (ISS) is passing over Ireland from now till Monday the 30th of March. Its magnitude is estimated to be between 1 and -2 , pretty bright, but you might be the lucky one to see it flaring to super-Venus levels!
On 21 of March, observers in the Netherlands saw the ISS's luminosity reach magnitude -6: four times brighter than Venus and 40 times brighter than Sirius, the brightest star in the sky.
"The bright flash is sunlight glinting off the station's enormous solar arrays. On March 20th, astronauts unfurled a new pair of arrays on the space station's starboard
Enterprise Ireland Scholarships for Postgraduate Students
Enterprise Ireland, together with the European Space Agency, is pleased to announce details of a number of scholarships for postgraduate students to attend courses at the International Space University in Strasbourg and also the Summer School Alpbach in Austria. These scholarships are for Irish graduates in engineering, science, physics and related subjects and are intended to encourage those students to start a career in space research or in the European space industry.
The International Space University (ISU) runs an intensive two-month Space Studies Programme intended to give students
Wonderful Moon - Venus Conjunction
This evening (Friday 27 February 2009) those with clear skies after sunset will be able to see another wonderful conjunction between the crescent Moon and Venus. Today's conjunction is quite special because Venus is at maximum brightness: magnitude -4.6. The planet is twenty times brighter than Sirius, the brightest star in the sky. It is so luminous that it can actually shine through thin clouds and cast subtle shadows on the ground.
Click here to see photos from the 1 December 2008 conjunction.
Comet Lulin and Saturn
A note from Tolis (Dr A. Christou, Armagh Observatory): "In the early evening of 23 February, 6th mag comet C/2007 N3 (Lulin) will be 2-3 degrees away from Saturn."
Comet Lulin passing just north of the bright star Alpha2 Librae (Zubenelgenubi) on 6 February 2009. Photo by Gregg Ruppel, Ellisville, MO
Satellite Collision
BY WILLIAM HARWOOD
In an unprecedented space collision, a commercial Iridium communications satellite and a presumably defunct Russian Cosmos satellite ran into each other Tuesday above northern Siberia, creating a cloud of wreckage, officials said today.
 An artist's concept of an Iridium satellite orbiting the Earth. Photo: Iridium |
The international space station does not appear to be threatened by the debris, they said, but it's not yet clear whether it poses a risk to any other military or
Eye on the Sky - Astronomical Photo Competition
To celebrate the International Year of Astronomy 2009, DCU's School of Physical Sciences and the National Centre for Plasma Science and Technology are holding an astronomical digital photo competition Eye on the Sky. Entries are welcome from residents in both the North and South of Ireland. The closing date is 30 September 2009. The competition has been divided into three categories: schools, the general public and DCU students and staff. Three prizes per category and an extra class prize for schools will be awarded.
The awards ceremony will be held during Science Week (November 2009) in
One of the best annual meteor showers: 1 to 5 January 2009
QUADRANTID METEORS. Message from from Terry Moseley: "This is one of the best annual meteor showers, and is expected to peak during the late morning of 3 January. This means that best views from Ireland will be just before dawn on the morning of the 3rd, with reasonable views also later that evening when the sky gets dark again, although the radiant will be a lot lower down at that time, and the First Quarter Moon will interfere. But you can see some Quadrantids any time from New Year's Day to 5 January, so keep a look out if the sky is clear.
The radiant lies in Ursa Minor, about half way
Blast! Controversial adventure story to screen at the Irish Astronomical Association New Year Party
IAA NEW YEAR PARTY & FILM - Northern Ireland Premiere, from Terry Moseley: "I'm glad to be able to confirm that through the hard work and good offices of IAA Council Member Robert Hill we have been able to obtain the new film 'BLAST!' for its first ever showing in N.I., and only the second screening in Ireland (the first was in a film festival). We are very grateful to Armagh Observatory and the Northern Ireland Space Office (a.k.a Robert Hill) for sponsoring this special preview showing! It will get IYA 2009 off to a flying start for the IAA!
The IAA New Year Party is on Saturday 3 January,
Winter Solstice Webcast
Thank you all for the enthusiasm of watching the Winter Solstice Webcast with us. Most people liked it, although some did not. Some Mac users (like myself) did not have Windows Media Player installed (my fault for not being more specific about this, although if you checked the window webcast in advance you would have seen if it works on your computer or not). I wish we'd have been luckier with the weather - but hey, that's Ireland! Good to have last year's footage, though.
Click here to see this year's recording (you still need Windows Media Player to run it...)
Click here to see last year's
Spectacular Planetary Alignment to Brighten up the New Year's Eve Skies
This New Year's Eve, five planets and the Moon will put on a spectacular show in the evening sky to celebrate the end of 2008 and the beginning of 2009, the United Nations International Year of A
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