JUICE (Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer) The moons of Jupiter have been at the forefront of astronomy since Galileo discovered them in 1610. At the time, using his primitive homemade telescope, he could see nothing more than four "stars" moving oddly around the planet. Little did he know that those fours stars, would turn out to … Continue reading 4 things to watch in space and astronomy in 2023
This week sees the peak of the Perseid meteor shower. A meteor is also know as a shooting star and look like a star shooting quickly across the sky. They are caused when particles of matter from space strike the Earth's atmosphere. The Earth moves through space very fast (approximately 110,000 kph). As the Earth … Continue reading Perseid Meteor Shower 2021
If one is lucky enough to live in a rural location you can look up on a clear night and see the Andromeda Galaxy which is 2.5 million lightyears away. That isn't true for those that live in, or close to a town, village or city. From the heart of a city, one would be … Continue reading What is Light Pollution and Why Should You Care?
Now that we are coming to the end of 2020 I thought I would do a quick review of what has happened in the past year in science and technology. Despite everything else that has happened, 2020 has been an extremely busy year for science. COVID 19 - Research and Vaccine There is no doubt … Continue reading The Year of Science 2020
2020 has certainly been the year of once in a lifetime events! This December 21st will be your chance to witness another. A planetary conjunction is when two planets appear next to each other in the sky. This year, Jupiter and Saturn will come together in the sky to form what is being called "The … Continue reading The Great Conjunction of 2020
This week is Science Week, 8th -15th November 2020 and like everything else in 2020, it will be very different to other years. Here are 5 activities, events and TV show for Science Week 2020. Science week 2020 Credit: SFI Science Week on RTÉ RTÉ have some great content on their website as well as … Continue reading Science Week 2020
This week sees the peak of the Perseid meteor shower. A meteor is also know as a shooting star and look like a star shooting quickly across the sky. They are caused when particles of matter from space strike the Earth's atmosphere. The Earth moves through space very fast (approximately 110,000 kph). As the Earth … Continue reading Perseid Meteor Shower 2020
Comet NEOWISE is continuing to improve is the sky in Ireland. It is continuing to rise in the sky, and is still visible in the northwest once the sky has gotten dark. It is one of the best comets I have seen! It will continue to get closer to the Earth and make it's closest … Continue reading Comet NEOWISE update
You may have heard about comet Neowise that has been visible in the skies above Ireland recently. Comet C2020 F3 NEOWISE was discovered by the NEOWISE spacecraft on 27th March 2020.  It made it’s closest approach to the Sun on 3rd of July 2020 and since emerging from the encounter with the Sun, has become … Continue reading Comet NEOWISE
Noctilucent Clouds, or NCLs for short, are the highest forming clouds on Earth. They form at the very edge of Space, over 80km from the ground. They are very strange and mysterious clouds for a number of reasons. They only form in a band between 50 degrees and 70 degrees north or south of the … Continue reading How to see Noctilucent clouds
Paul Smith 