IT has always been something of a mystery to me as to when “summer” starts, but the most commonly accepted definition seems to be on 1st June, in which case summer covers the months of June-July-August.

High energy cosmic rays whose origins have been a mystery for 50 years come from beyond our galaxy, the Milky Way, scientists have confirmed.

As a child, Emer Reynolds used to stare into the night sky at her uncle’s farm in Mullinahone. It sparked an interest which has culminated in a widely-praised documentary on the journey of the Voyager spacecraft, writes Esther McCarthy.

Maybe the ducks instinctively knew the supermoon was coming, writes Damien Enright

I see that I can’t see the Milky Way as I used to. It may be my eyes, but it seems I’m not the only one. 

Space Week is coming up and offers the perfect opportunity to stoke a child’s interest, writes Mark Evans 

Although the summer nights are gradually getting longer, they remain short in July and even away from city lights there is a faint glow in the night sky, writes Niall Smith.

Fiann O’Nuallain sings the praises of the trumpet-shaped lily which has long been an inspiration to artists as well as having deep symbolical connections for Irish nationalism and other countries striving for independence.

The Mass Effect series is coming back with a new entry called Andromeda set for early 2017. And now we've got some story details thanks to a leak from a survey.

British astronomers have used the Hubble space telescope to find a group of nine massive stars 30m times brighter than the sun.

Two years ago Waterford City and County Council and Kerry County Council were both awarded State funding for developing Greenways along old railways.

Life may have spread among the stars like an infectious virus, leaving a distinctive pattern that we can recognise, say scientists.

Good morning. Here’s everything you need to know before you start your day.

Ready for a show?

An Australian scientist who this week was given a $100 million boost to help search for extraterrestrial intelligence has warned of the dangers should aliens ever make contact with Earth.

Physicist Stephen Hawking has teamed up with a Russian billionaire to launch a new quest to discover life on other planets.

I OFTEN repeat to myself a version of the words “that you are breathing now, this moment, alive in time, at the same time as I, and that I can only hold my breath at the thought,” writes Victoria White.

Details about Mass Effect 4 were revealed thanks to an online survey sent to fans. There is plenty of information here, but remember that it's unofficial.

Billions of stars in our galaxy, the Milky Way, have between one and three planets which could potentially support life, according to scientists.

A UCD spin-off company has secured an €800,000 contract from the European Space Agency (ESA) to help create a 3D map of the Milky Way.

We may not be alone in the Universe after all!

CAR COMEBACK

A fusion of diverse attractions — from the ancient to the most modern — could launch a sometimes forgotten part of Ireland as a world centre for a new type of tourism.

This startling image shows two dramatic star formation regions in the southern Milky Way.

Astronomers are standing on a "great threshold" of space exploration that could see evidence of extra-terrestrial life being discovered in the next 20 years, an expert has claimed.

Britain: A pair of off-duty police officers who made an arrest while dressed as a zebra and a monkey have been commended for their bravery.

Space is awesome.

This is the amazing shot produced by Donegal photographer Rita Wilson last night.

Australian astronomers say they have found a star 13.6bn years old, making it the most ancient star ever seen.

Astronomers in Germany say they have discovered a giant gas cloud - several times the mass of the Earth - which is accelerating towards the black hole at the centre of the milky way.

Scientists have issued the first weather forecast for an alien “super-Earth” orbiting a star 40 light years away.

The European Space Agency has launched an advanced telescope designed to detect a billion stars and provide the most detailed map yet of the Milky Way and our place in it.

A team of European astrophysicists has been given almost €14m to map the black hole at the centre of our galaxy, the Milky Way.

IT’S the part of the internet that makes you a little sheepish. You’re filling out a form, typing in your name and address, and then the website asks for your ZIP code.

An experiment that proved people who think they are drunk also think they are attractive, and another that showed lost dung beetles can use the Milky Way to find their way home, were among the winners at this year’s Ig Nobel awards ceremony.

An experiment that proved people who think they are drunk also think they are attractive and another that showed lost dung beetles can use the Milky Way to find their way home were among the winners at this year’s Ig Nobel awards ceremony.

Astronomy Ireland’s upcoming ‘Star-B-Q’ will combine star-gazing with a barbecue. Billed as ‘Ireland’s biggest telescope festival’, 500 people will view the dark skies over the country’s highest village, Roundwood, in Co Wicklow, this weekend.

There’s a lot of silence around this weekend.

Scientists may have found the footprint of dark matter and started to unravel one of the universe’s greatest mysteries.

We apologize in advance.

A mini-world the size of the Moon is the smallest planet yet discovered beyond the Solar System.