The Milky Way and the Evening Star at Newgrange

I spent a beautiful evening out at Knowth and Newgrange in the Boyne Valley after sunset this evening. It was cold, but clear, and the colours in the fading twilight were absolutely beautiful. The above photo shows something I have never captured before, and was delighted to get on camera. It shows the bright band of the Milky Way over Newgrange. It also shows, sitting just above Newgrange and about to set behind it, The Evening Star - Venus.

I had been in the Boyne Valley for over an hour after sunset, from around 4.30pm. Venus was easily visible in strong twilight and I got several photos of it with Newgrange. But just as I was about to drive away to go home, I stopped at this viewing location and could see that the Milky Way was visible. So I jumped out of the car (which was still running) and put my 8mm wide angle lens on the camera and quickly set up for a 25-second exposure. It was very cold out - just 2 degrees celcius - and my fingers were numb from all the standing around over the previous hour and a half.

However, this shot, taken at 5.53pm, was well worth the effort I think. I'd safely say that's the earliest time after sunset that I've ever taken a photo of the Milky Way. And I'm glad I did. I drove home with a big smile on my face. Five minutes later and Venus would have disappeared behind the ancient mound of Newgrange.

It's nice also to have captured a photo of the Milky Way above Newgrange. In ancient times, the Milky Way might have been known as Bealach na Bó Finne, the Way of the White Cow, and the goddess who was venerated in the valley and who gave her name to the Boyne River was Bóinn, the White Cow goddess. It's likely that the Milky Way was seen as a heavenly reflection of the Boyne.

This is a scene that, as the builders of Newgrange would have well known, will only be repeated once every eight years...

Perseid meteors to rain down on Ireland this weekend

The skies over Ireland will be lit up this weekend with the best Meteor Shower of the year, with the peak occurring on Monday night. Called the Perseids, they are known for producing more fireballs than any other meteor shower during the year.

A map showing the direction from which the Perseids
will appear to emanate. © Astronomy.

Counting the numbers of meteors seen is vitally important to monitor the long term development of this shower, so Astronomy Ireland is organising a Nationwide Perseid Watch.

All you have to do is count how many meteors you see every 15 minutes and report it on the society’s website (astronomy.ie) where you can also find further details.

No telescopes or binoculars are needed to see the Perseids as they are bright enough to be seen with the naked eye.

"The Moon will be out of the way so it is definitely worth going outside to try to see some bright Perseids," said David Moore, editor of Astronomy Ireland magazine. "Sometimes large pieces of debris enter the atmosphere and flare up extremely brightly as fireballs - these can often land on the ground! We want everyone to go outside every night over the weekend and take part in our Nationwide Meteor Watch"

Astronomy Ireland urges people to go outside this weekend and next week to observe the meteors to take part in the Nationwide Meteor Watch. By doing so, people all over Ireland can take part in real scientific research!

For more information on the Perseid Meteor Shower and how to take part in the Nationwide Meteor Watch please visit www.astronomy.ie. Some of these reports will then be published in Astronomy Ireland magazine in the coming months.

Stunning skies over Dowth this evening . . .

A stunning evening sky over the Neolithic passage-mound of Dowth this evening.

Given that the mythology of Dowth is all about an eclipse which plunges the land into darkness, and that the name of Dowth - Dubhadh - means 'darkness', one might wonder why mankind ever grew afraid of the dark when the sky gives such glorious displays as this one. I spent around three hours this evening at Dowth, a place I deeply love. Unlike Newgrange and Knowth, it has not been excavated or reconstructed in modern times, and the tourists/visitors are few and far between, especially in the winter.

I was hoping to get a photo from the top of Dowth looking at the sunset towards Newgrange. However, the sky was almost completely overcast when the sun went down. However, as night came in the clouds started to break up quite nicely, allowing the stars to shine through. I got busy finding a location where the sky would form a dramatic backdrop to the mound.

What I particularly love about this shot, and some of the others that I took, is that the clouds seem to mimic the profile of the mound and trees. The orange colour of the clouds is light pollution from the town of Navan, some 10 or 12 miles to the west. They gave a dramatic contrast to the deep blue of the sky's afterglow.

The shot below was taken five minutes later. The sky was darker, but the clouds were brighter! Light pollution is becoming a major problem in Ireland.

Monasterboice crosses and round tower at night

Muiredach's Cross at night with the round tower in the background.
The three stars above the tower are the handle of the Plough.

Muiredach's Cross just after dusk.

The Western Cross with an illuminated round tower.

International Space Station passes through Equuleus

The 'streak of light' you see in this picture is the International Space Station, caught in a 30-second exposure travelling from west to east from the direction of the constellation Aquila (on right of photo), through Equuleus and on towards Pegasus.

Perseid meteors to rain down on earth!

Celestial Fireworks This Weekend Perseid meteors to rain down on Earth over coming week Earth is beginning to make its way through a cloud of dust and debris left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle, and already people all over Ireland have spotted extremely bright Perseid meteors caused by this dust.

The meteors will appear to originate from Perseus.

It is expected that on Saturday night, observers will get to see hundreds of meteors per hour. When debris enters Earth's atmosphere it lights up in the sky as meteors - also known as shooting stars - and the Perseid Meteor Shower is one of the best meteor showers of the year.

Already, Astronomy Ireland has received several reports from around the country of people spotting many bright meteors in the night sky. The best time to see the Perseids will be after midnight on Saturday night and into Monday morning (August 11th to 12th), but they can be seen at any time in the days before and after this peak once it's dark.

Perseid meteors can glow very brightly, and with no Moon to cause a glare they will be easily visible. In fact, they sometimes burn so brightly that they produce fireballs! The Perseid meteors will appear to originate from the constellation Perseus in the north-eastern sky, but can be seen anywhere in the sky.

No telescopes or binoculars are needed to see the Perseids as they are bright enough to be seen with the naked eye. "On Tuesday night I got to see four extremely bright meteors in less than half an hour! The Moon will be out of the way so it is definitely worth going outside to try to see some Perseids for what is already proving to be an excellent shower," said David Moore, Chairman of Astronomy Ireland.

"Sometimes large pieces of debris enter the atmosphere and flare up extremely brightly as fireballs - these can often land on the ground! We want everyone to go outside every night over the next week and take part in our Nationwide Meteor Watch" Astronomy Ireland urges people to go outside this week and next week to observe the meteors to take part in the Nationwide Meteor Watch.

By doing so, people all over Ireland can take part in real scientific research! For more information on the Perseid Meteor Shower and how to take part in the Nationwide Meteor Watch please visit www.astronomy.ie. Some of these reports will then be published in Astronomy Ireland magazine in the coming months.

From the Big Bang to Black Holes and Beyond!

New Summer School to teach the wonders of the Universe


The Big Bang, black holes, the 'God Particle', the Sun, Moon and planets. All these topics and more will be explained in the first Astronomy Summer School for beginners being run by Astronomy Ireland!

The brand new Astronomy Summer School begins this evening (Wednesday, July 18th) in Trinity College Dublin, and was developed by Astronomy Ireland to give newcomers to astronomy a good grounding in observational astronomy and how to find one's way around the night sky. Students will learn about the constellations, the Moon and the Sun, the history of astronomy, how telescopes work, and what to see in the night sky, as well as a good overview of the history of the Universe and how it was created.

This course is ideal for those who want to get more out of their stargazing sessions, how telescopes can be used, and where to find celestial objects in the sky, without going deep into the more complex details of astrophysics and cosmology.

"It won't be too long before the evening sky begins to get dark earlier as winter draws in, and the cooler weather will also mean more regular clear nights, ideal for some breathtaking astronomy," said David Moore, Editor of Astronomy Ireland magazine. "This Summer School is therefore an ideal way to get started in a new hobby and to prepare yourself for some excellent stargazing later in the year!"

The Astronomy Ireland Summer School will commence this evening, and will run each Wednesday evening for four weeks. The enrolment fee is only €140 for non-members and €100 for members, and group rates can be arranged.

For more information on these classes, please visit www.astronomy.ie/summerschool