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Tuesday 3 October 2023 Dublin: 11°C

# Astronomy

Last week
24th September 2023 - 30th September 2023
'You'll never get the same picture twice': Wexford man captures Northern Lights from back garden
On a clear night and with the right conditions, the lights can be seen from multiple locations around the country.
This year
2023
India’s moon rover confirms presence of sulphur and other elements near lunar south pole
The Chandrayan-3 Rover is expected to conduct experiments over 14 days, the ISRO has said.
A supermoon will be visible over Ireland across the next three nights
Clouds and rain showers might spoil the view for some people across the country, however.
Venus will be visible next to the moon tonight
Venus, which was also visible last night, will look like a small bright star to the right of the moon.
Astronomers identify fireball that is the 'largest' cosmic explosion ever observed
It is estimated to be around two trillion times brighter than the Sun.
New planet ring system discovered in our Solar System
The ring system is around a newly discovered dwarf planet, named Quaoar, which is around half the size of Pluto and orbits the Sun beyond Neptune.
Green comet to make its closest approach to Earth in 50,000 years tonight
The comet will be visible in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Rare green comet to be visible from Ireland for the first time in 50,000 years
Travelling as far as possible away from cities and bright lights will increase your odds of a good view.
Stars disappearing from human sight at ‘astonishing rate’, say scientists
Astronomers believe LED bulbs may be contributing to the night sky getting rapidly brighter.
Once in 50,000-year comet may be visible to the naked eye
It should be easy to spot with binoculars and likely even with the naked eye, provided the sky is not too illuminated by city lights or the Moon.
Stargazers encouraged to look upwards for a view of the ‘Wolf Moon’
While the moon is technically full this evening, to the naked eye it will have looked ‘full’ last night and will look full tomorrow night also.
The first meteor shower of 2023 will be visible tonight
The Quadrantid meteor shower is expected to peak at 3am.
Moon and Mars to appear close to each other in night sky during rare 'conjunction' tonight
It has been called “one of the most amazing sights” in the night sky this month.
Five starry spectacles to watch out for in 2023
Is that a comet?
Last year
2022
All the planets in the solar system visible tonight and tomorrow night
While the chances of seeing Venus and Saturn are gone for tonight, Jupiter is still visible.
Stargazers in Ireland and abroad marvel at the 'Buck supermoon'
July’s supermoon was the biggest and brightest of the year.
Astronomers observe most distant galaxy ever spotted
The galaxy candidate is some 13.5 billion light-years away, and scientists are speculating what exactly it is.
All time
A morning eclipse to a rare moon-and-Mars meeting - here's what to look up for in 2022
The star-studded highlights to watch out for over the next twelve months.
A partial lunar eclipse will be visible from Ireland tomorrow morning
The partial lunar eclipse is due to begin around 07.18am.
Watch: The Dubliner exploring the universe from his homemade observatory
Dave Grennan has discovered two asteroids, and three supernovae from the shed in his back garden.
'A lightning sort of brightness': This stunning shot of the Perseids was captured over Wexford
The Perseids meteor shower which peaked on Wednesday and Thursday night will continue tonight but with a reduced number of meteors likely to be visible.
The Perseids meteor shower which peaked on Wednesday and Thursday night will continue tonight but with a reduced number of meteors likely to be visible.
Clear spells to give Irish stargazers a glimpse of Perseids as annual meteor shower peaks
There will be 20 times more shooting stars than on a normal night.
Five astronomical highlights the skies have in store in 2021
We’re starting another rotation around the sun. Here’s what to watch out for in the skies.
Spooky skies: Rare blue moon to shine over Ireland on Halloween
It will be the second full moon of this calendar month, making it a “Blue Moon”.
Look out: Perseid meteor shower to peak over Irish skies from tonight
The meteors will be visible all night from dusk until dawn.
The best meteor shower of the year will be visible this week
There will be 20 times more shooting stars than a normal night on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Quiz: How much do you know about comets?
Test your knowledge here.
Scientists have found a black hole so massive it 'should not exist in our galaxy'
The black hole is twice as big as scientists believed possible.
'Green ball of fire' - A stunning green fireball lit up the Irish sky last night
The brightest of the fireballs was at about 6.54 pm last night.
A 'deep' partial eclipse of the moon takes place this evening
There won’t be another one for 2 years, so Astronomy Ireland is asking people to send photos of the eclipse into them.
Here's how the 'super wolf blood moon' looked over Ireland early this morning
The phenomenon was the only lunar eclipse that was visible in Ireland this year.
A meteor shower peaking tonight rings in the start of a busy year for stargazing
A supermoon later this month is the first of three in a row.
'Oddball' among 12 new moons discovered around Jupiter
The Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei discovered the first four of Jupiter’s moons in 1610.
Double Take: The plaque in Rathmines celebrating telescope maker Howard Grubb
In plain sight on Observatory Lane.
Galaxies grow bigger and puffier as they age, new study finds
“This is the first time we’ve shown shape and age are related for all kinds of galaxies.”
Astronomers find the 'impossible': A galaxy without dark matter
The discovery could revise or even upend theories of how galaxies are formed.
A rare 'super blue blood moon' will be visible later - but Ireland won't experience the full effect
The spectacle will be visible in clear skies above Australia, Asia and some parts of the US and Eastern Europe.
We're one step closer to understanding the 'most mysterious star in the universe'
Tabby’s Star has been inexplicably dimming and brightening sporadically like no other for years.
Keep watch - the Northern Lights could be on display in Ireland's skies this weekend
That’s according to Astronomy Ireland.
Scientists have finally found a 'star' that was spotted by Korean astrologers nearly 600 years ago
The “star” was actually a colossal hydrogen explosion which produced a burst of light 300,000 times brighter than our Sun.