Once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far away, a giant star exploded in a flash of light so blinding the scene of destruction can still be seen here on Planet Earth.

An amateur astronomer with an eye for exploding stars in the night sky has celebrated the latest celestial discovery from his back garden with a cup of tea.

Nasa has beamed back a set of spectacular pictures from Mars — and a first voice message — likening it to the lunar landmark led by Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon who died last week.

An amateur astronomer has said he got the shock of his life when he made Ireland’s second discovery of a supernova in less than two years.

THOUSANDS are expected to look skywards across the country tonight as a total lunar eclipse makes the moon disappear from the sky.