Welcome to Astronotes
Hello, I’m Colin, welcoming you to Astronotes, the Planetarium’s official blog. Here you will find the latest news and views from the fascinating worlds of astronomy and space exploration. We hope you will come here to learn what is hot and exciting, profound or even weird from worlds beyond ours . So that's the introduction out of the way, now on with the Universe!
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Solar System Archive
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8 Facts You Need to Know About the 2012 Transit of Venus
Posted on May 1, 2012 | No CommentsIt’s the beautiful clear morning of 6 June 2012 here in Armagh and the Sun is rising into a cerulean blue sky.But look closer, and you can see a tiny... -
Astronomer, Musician, Hero…Deserter?
Posted on February 24, 2012 | 1 CommentSir Frederick William Herschel is one of the most well-known and highly regarded historical astronomers but many may not know or realise there was more to his genius than his... -
A Rolling Stone on the Moon: Image of the Month
Posted on February 16, 2012 | 2 CommentsOnce, in complete silence, a large boulder rolled down a slope on the central peak of the Moon’s Schiller crater. This rock is about 9m (30ft) across, meaning that it... -
To the Edge of Space
Posted on February 2, 2012 | 2 CommentsWhere does space begin? Let’s look up into our planet’s atmosphere, that shell of nitrogen (about 78%), oxygen (about 20%), various other gases (2%) that makes life on Earth possible,... -
Venus: Earth’s Sister Planet
Posted on January 17, 2012 | No CommentsVenus has always been regarded as Earth’s Sister Planet. After all, it can be the closest planet to us and it is nearly the same size as Earth. But how... -
Northern Lights: Coming to a Sky Near You?
Posted on January 13, 2012 | No CommentsThe aurora is a stunning celestial event associated with Earth’s polar regions. Recently Ireland has been witness to this beautiful phenomenon. If you are standing looking up at the... -
Professor Moriarty: a Great but Forgotten Astronomer
Posted on December 15, 2011 | 4 CommentsJames Moriarty (?-1891) was one of the greatest of the many astronomer-mathematicians who flourished in the nineteenth century, however among the general public his scientific accomplishments are forgotten. Mention his... -
Image of the Month: Helene
Posted on November 18, 2011 | No CommentsHelene is a tiny moon of Saturn that shares an orbit with the much larger moon Dione. Helene reposes at a gravitationally stable position called a Lagrange point. Helene orbits... -
Haumea: Rugby Ball Planet
Posted on September 30, 2011 | No CommentsDwarf planet Haumea is one of the most bizarre small bodies of the outer Solar System. It has an oddly recent surface. Even just who discovered it is controversial. It... -
Dawn over Vesta
Posted on September 19, 2011 | No Comments202 million km (1.35 AU or 125 million miles) from Earth an explorer from Earth is investigating the giant asteroid Vesta. This intrepid pioneer is the Dawn space probe. ...