Astronomy

A COMPREHENSIVE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC

Milky way in Caldera De Taburiente Nature Park, La Palma Island, Canary Islands, Spain
Sky Matters: Find a dark site on a cloudless night — to change your sense of place in the universe
Human space travel won't always be the preserve of the elite but until then there are other ways to experience the dramatic beauty of space

Sun, 02 Feb, 2025

Christmas in Earth orbit, astronaut in outer space. Vector.
SkyMatters: Looks like acid rain, dear — if you're having Christmas on Venus
A science-based look at what Santa's working conditions might be on other planets besides Earth

Mon, 02 Dec, 2024

Scientists discover planet orbiting closest single star to our Sun
Scientists discover planet orbiting closest single star to our Sun
The findings also suggest there may be three more exoplanet candidates, in various orbits around the star

Tue, 01 Oct, 2024

Milky Way research
Astronomers unveil most detailed map of the Milky Way
The huge infrared map comes in at 500 terabytes of data, making it the largest observational project ever carried out with an ESO telescope

Thu, 26 Sep, 2024

Anja Murray: A lot more to see in the night skies when it's really dark
Anja Murray: A lot more to see in the night skies when it's really dark
Artificial light also makes many animals more vulnerable to other threats and less resilient to habitat loss or degradation

Wed, 11 Sep, 2024

James Webb Space Telescope spots earliest and most distant galaxies ever seen
James Webb Space Telescope spots earliest and most distant galaxies ever seen
GS-z14-1 is seen as it was around 300 million years after the cosmos came into existence.

Fri, 31 May, 2024

Sun shoots out biggest solar flare in nearly a decade
Sun shoots out biggest solar flare in nearly a decade
It is the biggest flare of this 11-year solar cycle, which is approaching its peak

Wed, 15 May, 2024

High resolution abstract background with cosmic space filled by stars and colored nebulae.
Scientists in breakthrough that could uncover hidden planets
Researchers say the technology could also improve understanding of how the universe naturally expands

Fri, 29 Mar, 2024

Galway lecturer part of space research to shed new light on formation of planets
Galway lecturer part of space research to shed new light on formation of planets
The collection of new images showcases the diversity of planet-forming discs in just three, relatively small, regions of the galaxy

Tue, 05 Mar, 2024

Irish scientists on team scanning for signs of intelligent alien life
Irish scientists on team scanning for signs of intelligent alien life
Astrophysicists scan the galaxy for signs of life — and there's an international protocol for if and when they find it

Fri, 27 Oct, 2023

Nasa's Osiris-Rex mission
Samples from asteroid could be key to secrets of building blocks of life – Nasa
Nasa administrator Bill Nelson said the sample will “help scientists investigate the origins of life on our own planet for generations to come”

Wed, 11 Oct, 2023

'Exceedingly rare' super blue moon to be seen this week
'Exceedingly rare' super blue moon to be seen this week
It hasn’t occurred since 2009 and will not re-appear until 2037

Tue, 29 Aug, 2023

Irish group captures 'advanced image' of one of the youngest stars known to scientists 
Irish group captures 'advanced image' of one of the youngest stars known to scientists 
Discovery, made using the James Webb Space Telescope, allowed the crew to capture image of star believed to be only a few thousand years old

Thu, 24 Aug, 2023

'Disappointment' for stargazers in Ireland as clouds eclipse first supermoon of August 
'Disappointment' for stargazers in Ireland as clouds eclipse first supermoon of August 
However, luck could just be on our side as a rare Super Blue Moon is expected at the end of the month

Wed, 02 Aug, 2023

Running kitchen water tap
Irish Examiner view: Clean water is a right, but it is not free
last year, 191,000 people faced water restrictions, or were obliged to boil the water that came from their taps

Wed, 02 Aug, 2023

James Webb Space Telescope detects ‘most distant active supermassive black hole’
James Webb Space Telescope detects ‘most distant active supermassive black hole’
Researchers observed two more black holes that are on the smaller side and existed 1 billion and 1.1 billion years after the Big Bang

Thu, 06 Jul, 2023

Buck supermoon to dominate Irish skies tonight
Buck supermoon to dominate Irish skies tonight
The supermoon will rise at around 11:30pm in the east of the country and around 30 minutes later in the west

Tue, 04 Jul, 2023

Venus to blaze next to moon in rare naked eye spectacle
Venus to blaze next to moon in rare naked eye spectacle
'Tonight, if you look at the moon, you’ll see a brilliant star to the lower right, that’s Venus'

Thu, 22 Jun, 2023

Northern Lights appearance in Munster stuns stargazers — with more to come tonight
Northern Lights appearance in Munster stuns stargazers — with more to come tonight
The light show was visible from much of the West coast, including parts of Galway and Kerry as well as Dublin and Meath.

Mon, 24 Apr, 2023

Skymatters: March is a good month to catch views of the planets Venus and Jupiter
Skymatters: March is a good month to catch views of the planets Venus and Jupiter
Dr Niall Smith looks to the stars for the Spring

Mon, 06 Mar, 2023

Venus and Jupiter to 'outshine all the stars in the sky' in rare 'double planet' spectacle
Venus and Jupiter to 'outshine all the stars in the sky' in rare 'double planet' spectacle
The planets will be 'closer than the width of a full moon' in an event which will be 'spectacular to the naked eye'

Wed, 01 Mar, 2023

How to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights in Irish skies tonight
How to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights in Irish skies tonight
"If the predictions are correct, then we expect tonight to be the big event, last night was just the prequel, the calm before the storm"

Mon, 27 Feb, 2023

Northern Lights: Stunning green and red display brightens Irish sky
Northern Lights: Stunning green and red display brightens Irish sky
According to Alan O'Reilly from Carlow weather, the phenomenon could be visible again tonight, if conditions allow

Mon, 27 Feb, 2023

Comet to pass Earth
Irish stargazers hopeful of spotting very rare 'green comet' tonight
The comet last came within 160m km of the earth during the Upper Paleolithic period, some 50,000 years ago

Wed, 01 Feb, 2023

Wanted: A name for one of 20 'new' planets — and here's how you could be the one to pick it
Wanted: A name for one of 20 'new' planets — and here's how you could be the one to pick it
One warning though... there are some naming rules so it's definitely not going to be called Planety McPlanetFace!

Mon, 21 Nov, 2022

Proving the Church cares about science, and rock 'n' roll: Pope’s astronomer comes to Cork
Proving the Church cares about science, and rock 'n' roll: Pope’s astronomer comes to Cork
Jesuit priest Brother Guy Consolmagno returns to Ireland with a message for our astronomers 

Tue, 08 Nov, 2022

Telescope captures the ghost of a giant star
Telescope captures the ghost of a giant star
When the biggest stars reach the end of their lives, they often go out with a bang, in an outburst called a supernova

Mon, 31 Oct, 2022

James Webb Space Telescope
James Webb Space Telescope reveals ‘fingerprint’ created by two stars
The orbit of the stars brings them together about once every eight years, and like the rings of a tree’s trunk, the dust loops mark the passage of time

Wed, 12 Oct, 2022

Celestial fireworks: Draconid meteor shower set to light up Irish skies 
Celestial fireworks: Draconid meteor shower set to light up Irish skies 
David Moore of Astronomy Ireland said the Draconids are particularly interesting because they often display more 'unexpected and unpredictable outbursts'

Fri, 07 Oct, 2022

‘It's quite incredible: James Webb telescope shows new incredible view of Jupiter
‘It's quite incredible: James Webb telescope shows new incredible view of Jupiter
The infrared images were artificially colored in blue, white, green, yellow and orange, according to the U.S.-French research team, to make the features stand out

Tue, 23 Aug, 2022

JWST in outer space. James Webb telescope far galaxy explore. Sci-fi space collage. Astronomy science. Elemets of this image fur
How the James Webb Space Telescope is akin to a real-life time machine
The world spent $10bn on the James Webb Space Telescope - that's about a dollar per person alive over 20 years, so it's a few cents per person per year. Wasn't it worth a few cents out of your annual budget?

Fri, 15 Jul, 2022

Gaia probe reveals unexpected ‘starquakes’ and habitable regions of the Milky Way
Gaia probe reveals unexpected ‘starquakes’ and habitable regions of the Milky Way
"If you were anywhere near a starquake, it would be like the Sun changing shape in front of your eyes.”

Mon, 13 Jun, 2022

'Don't stare at the sun': How to view the partial eclipse over Ireland this morning 
'Don't stare at the sun': How to view the partial eclipse over Ireland this morning 
A piece of the sun will be obscured by the moon this morning. Be careful how you view it

Thu, 10 Jun, 2021

Perseid meteor shower
Stargazers set for 'celestial fireworks treat' as Earth passes Halley’s Comet
The Eta Aquariid meteor shower is expected to peak on the night of May 5, with up to 50 meteors per hour, and will be visible until the early morning of May 6

Wed, 05 May, 2021

Milky Way and stars shine off the coast of Acadia National Park
Pandemic passions: Stargazing, horticulture, and birdwatching attract new fans 
The huge spike in interest in the universe has prompted Astronomy Ireland to offer online classes for the first time

Tue, 26 Jan, 2021

Stargazers marvel at emerging pink supermoon in skies above Ireland
Stargazers marvel at emerging pink supermoon in skies above Ireland
People have being grabbing cameras and smartphones to try and record the lunar light show

Tue, 07 Apr, 2020

Sky Matters: Astronomy's unique perspective to ease Covid-19 worries
Sky Matters: Astronomy's unique perspective to ease Covid-19 worries
All of us are understandably concerned about Covid-19. Astronomy can offer a rather unique perspective that may help assuage some worries, writes Niall Smith .

Sun, 29 Mar, 2020

Did you see something strange in the sky last night? This is what it was
Did you see something strange in the sky last night? This is what it was

Did you see something odd in the skies last night? Something that made you question the existence- or non-existence- of extraterrestrial beings, perhaps?

Sat, 05 Oct, 2019

Skymatters: Enjoy the last of the summer stars and check out 'Vega'
Skymatters: Enjoy the last of the summer stars and check out 'Vega'

It hasn’t been the ideal summer for observing the skies, but as we move into September we live in that almost annual hope of an Indian summer, writes Niall Smith.

Sun, 25 Aug, 2019

'Best meteor shower of the year' set to light up night skies
'Best meteor shower of the year' set to light up night skies

A display of celestial fireworks is set to peak late tonight as the Earth flies through a cloud of cometary dust.

Mon, 12 Aug, 2019

Ireland to experience partial lunar eclipse on anniversary of moon landing
Ireland to experience partial lunar eclipse on anniversary of moon landing

On Tuesday night almost two thirds of the Moon will be hidden in the Earth's shadow.

Sun, 14 Jul, 2019

Island off Cork coast bids for Dark Skies recognition
Island off Cork coast bids for Dark Skies recognition

An island off Cork has launched a bid to become one of the world’s few officially-recognised dark sky sites - areas dedicated to stargazing.

Thu, 09 May, 2019

Northern Lights may be visible in Ireland this weekend
Northern Lights may be visible in Ireland this weekend

Known as the aurora borealis, the phenomenon is usually best viewed in the north of Norway.

Sat, 23 Mar, 2019

UCD team among 200 astronomers to publish new map of the sky after finding thousands more galaxies
UCD team among 200 astronomers to publish new map of the sky after finding thousands more galaxies

An international team of more than 200 astronomers from 18 countries, including researchers from University College Dublin (UCD), has published the first phase of a major new sky survey.

Tue, 19 Feb, 2019

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Mick Clifford
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