Author Name: Thomas Howarth What you’ll discover in this blog post: What may happen if a star wanders too close to the Solar System How astronomers look for these incoming stars How astronomers of the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium used the ESO’s VLT to rule out one such close encounter The white dwarf WD 0810-353 –– the hot and dense corpse of a Sun-like star –– was set for a close encounter with our Solar System in just 29,000 years, the blink of an eye on evolutionary and cosmic time scales. Now, however, using ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), astronomers have found that the dead st ..read more

WETTEST OCTOBER ON RECORD AT ARMAGH, SUNNIER THAN AVERAGE AND VERY MILD Armagh Observatory reports that October 2023 was very much wetter than average, and both sunnier and warmer than average.  This was the wettest October at Armagh since daily rainfall records began at the Observatory in 1838, making this the wettest October, and indeed the wettest calendar month at Armagh, for at least 185 years. Total precipitation was 195.35 mm (7.69 inches) including nine trace values, that is, 194.9 mm (7.67 inches) if trace values are ignored. This is more than 2.4 times both the 183-year long-te ..read more

Days are getting shorter Nights are getting colder If these shifts you savour You’re a true stargazer     I am writing this piece sitting next to a window, having a cup of coffee, and watching it pouring down outside. Not the best day for stargazing, however, it is a good opportunity to think about the November night sky. Also, I hope you liked my little poem.  November is one of the best months of the year for stargazers in the Northern Hemisphere. Sunsets are relatively early, and you can enjoy the night sky from 6:30 p.m. until 6 a.m. during the month, and it is not too ..read more

The world-famous CHRISTMAS LECTURES are coming to Northern Ireland in December, with Armagh Observatory and Planetarium set to stream the live filming, direct from the Royal Institution (Ri) theatre in London on 12 and 14 December. Watched by millions on the BBC, the annual CHRISTMAS LECTURES are a firm family favourite, broadcast during the festive season. The 2023 event is set to reveal the truth about Artificial Intelligence.Confirmation of Armagh Observatory and Planetarium as one of 16 livestream partners announced, means that NI’s science lovers, and anyone who’s curious about the world ..read more

SEPTEMBER WARMER, WETTER AND SUNNIER THAN AVERAGE.  THIRD WARMEST SEPTEMBER ON RECORD Armagh Observatory reports that September 2023 was much warmer than average, the third warmest September on record at Armagh.  It was also wetter and sunnier than average. Total precipitation was 91.8 mm (3.61 inches) with no trace values. This is approximately 33% more than the 183-year long-term (1838-2020) average September rainfall at Armagh (68.9 mm) and 41% more than the most recent (1991-2020) 30-year average (65.0 mm). There were several very wet days but the wettest, associated with Storm ..read more

On  October 5, 1923, Edwin Hubble identified the first Cepheid variable in M31, the Andromeda Galaxy. This proved that the Andromeda nebula was not part of the Milky Way and paved the way for measuring the expansion of the Universe. Cepheid variables are luminous yellow stars which pulsate in brightness with periods of several days. The first was discovered by Edward Pigott on September 10, 1784 and by John Goodricke a few months later. In 1908, Henrietta Swan Leavitt discovered a relationship between their periods and luminosity after observing thousands of variable stars in the Magella ..read more

Welcome one and all to your favourite ‘happy place’ – the AOP night sky blog, where you can kick off your shoes, cosy up in a comfortable chair and chill-out amongst the shimmering stars! It’s also the month with the confusing name which begins with “Oct” -which implies the 8th month, but that we know is in reality the 10th of the year. This is easily explained when we go back to the original Roman Republic calendar which only contained 10 months in total, and of which October was the 8th. Apparently though, a chap called Caesar came along and added in 2 more at the start of the year, pushing ..read more

Armagh Observatory and Planetarium has announced a number of family friendly Halloween themed events that will take place on site over the October mid-term break. These will include: Spooky Space Family Dome Show. Running at various times daily from 24th October until 3rd November. If you’re looking for cosmic fun, come and see the Halloween full dome show and meet monsters, zombies, and ghosts. Oh yes, space has its monsters: Black holes, zombie stars, and spectacular ghostly nebulae! A special, relaxed version of the show will be held on 28th October at 11am. The Witches are BACK! Live, th ..read more

AUGUST WARMER, WETTER AND SUNNIER THAN AVERAGE.  SUMMER FOURTH WARMEST ON RECORD AT ARMAGH, ALSO WETTER AND SUNNIER THAN AVERAGE Armagh Observatory reports that August 2023 was warmer, wetter and sunnier than average. Unusually, this month also recorded the first two named storms of the 2022/2023 season.  Taking June, July and August together, the meteorological summer was much warmer than average, and both wetter and sunnier than average. Total August precipitation was 105.35 mm (4.15 inches) including three trace values, that is, 105.2 mm if trace values are ignored.  This is ..read more

British Association of Planetaria Event Kicks off Series of Four Conferences at Armagh Observatory and Planetarium   September 2023 Steven Gray, President, The British Association of Planetaria and Sinead Mackle, AOP Education and Outreach Manager and Professor Michael Burton, Director at Armagh Observatory and Planetarium. Credit: LiamMcArdle.com Leading astronomical research centre, Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, recently hosted the British Association of Planetaria (BAP) Conference for the first time in 15 years . The September 1st event was the first in a series of four c ..read more