Astronotes

As a student of Public History, I am fascinated by the invaluable, yet often underappreciated role played by archives and archivists. I was therefore delighted to undertake a thirty-day internship at the archives of the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium (AOP) as part of my Masters course. Under the supervision of Matthew McMahon, Museum Collections Officer, I spent the first portion of my time a…

MARCH 2026 WARMER, WETTER, AND SUNNIER THAN AVERAGE Armagh Observatory, 3rd April 2026: Armagh Observatory reports that March 2026 was warmer, wetter, and sunnier than average. This was the equal thirteenth warmest March on record at Armagh and the sunniest for four years, that is, since the record-breaking sunny March […]

Welcome to the new format of our Night Sky blog articles. Going forward we will be focusing our night sky articles to the four different seasons and highlighting what things you can see in the night sky during those months. Spring is arguably the quietest season for stargazing, but we have just passed the March equinox so there is a great stretch to the evenings now. This means the sky will start…

We’d love to hear your thoughts and invite you to share your views on the redevelopment through a short online survey available here. The survey will remain open until 12 April 2026. A bold new chapter is beginning for the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium. This is a major investment that will help reimagine one of Northern Ireland’s most treasured historic, scientific and cultural landmarks, re…

Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has hailed the vision for new facilities at Armagh Observatory and Planetarium (AOP). The Minister visited the site and met some of the key partners involved in the project to modernise AOP’s facilities. The Minister said: “I am very pleased to see the redevelopment project for Armagh Observatory and Planetarium continuing to move forward. The project will secure…

Nobel Laureate Professor Reinhard Genzel delivers masterclass to top Irish students of astrophysics and high-energy particle physics. On Wednesday 18 February the Royal Irish Academy hosted thirteen postgraduate students for a masterclass facilitated remotely by Nobel Laureate Professor Reinhard Genzel. Professor Genzel is Director of the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, a profe…

JANUARY MUCH WETTER, SUNNIER, AND COOLER THAN AVERAGE Armagh Observatory, 5th February 2026: Armagh Observatory reports that January 2026 was much wetter, sunnier, and cooler than average. As with January last year (2025) there were three named storms this year, Goretti, Ingrid, and Chandra, but only the last of the three, namely Storm Chandra, brought damaging impacts to Northern Ireland. Storm …

December 2025: Warmer, Drier, and Much Sunnier Than Average Record-Breaking Calendar Year 2025: Second Warmest Year on Record at Armagh, Drier and Much Sunnier Than Average Armagh Observatory reports that December 2025 was warmer, drier, and much sunnier than average. With 54.7 hours of strong sunshine, it was the sunniest December at Armagh for three years and the tenth sunniest December on reco…

NOVEMBER WARMER, WETTER, AND SUNNIER THAN AVERAGE. AUTUMN 2025 WARMER, MUCH WETTER, AND DULLER THAN AVERAGE Armagh Observatory, 6th December 2025. Armagh Observatory reports that November 2025 was warmer, wetter, and sunnier than average. The meteorological autumn (September, October, and November) was warmer, much wetter, and duller than average. This was the dullest autumn at Armagh for four ye…

On 12 December 2025 At 03:09:36 UTC, astronomers at the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium (AOP) have captured what is believed to be the first video recording of a lunar impact flash in Ireland, and the second recorded from the UK! What you can see is a brief flash of light on the Moon’s night side, consistent with a small meteoroid striking the lunar surface. The event was captured using the Ar…

A Winter wonderland above – December night sky December nights, where the sky greets you like an icy cathedral of stars and wonder, and the nights draw darker earlier. It is also the time of year where Santa takes flight with his reindeers. This year he will have quite the view with the constellations twinkling bright telling him their ancient stories, the Geminids shining beneath him like a shoo…

Looking to the future can also often involve looking back, and as we witness an apparent resurgence in the development of increasingly large Space launchers from a number of competing nations, we also see echoes of the past from a time when ‘ultra-heavy’ Space launcher concepts once existed in proposals from the biggest players of the day in the aerospace industry. So let’s for a while blow off t…

MILD, WET, OCTOBER, SECOND DULLEST OCTOBER ON RECORD Armagh Observatory, 7th November 2025: Armagh Observatory reports that October 2025 was warmer and wetter than average, and the dullest October at Armagh for 79 years. Total precipitation was 108.5 mm (4.27 inches) including 6 trace values, therefore 108.2 mm if trace […]

Remember, remember to look up in November! Yes this optimum time of year for celestial observing has a whole goodie bag of autumnal treats to be enjoyed throughout the month – so plant some sparklers or toffee apple sticks on these dates in your diary to keep yourself inspired by […]

On 9 October 2025 Dr Mart de Groot passed away at his home in Richhill, Armagh. Dr de Groot stood as the 8th Director of the Armagh Observatory between 1976 and 1994, stewarding the institution through troubled times and celebrating the two hundredth anniversary in 1990.   Mart de Groot […]

COOL SEPTEMBER, WETTER AND SUNNIER THAN AVERAGE Armagh Observatory, 3rd October 2025:  Armagh Observatory reports that September 2025 was cooler, wetter, and sunnier than average.  This was the wettest September at Armagh for three years. The average temperature this month, defined as half the average of the daily maximum and […]

October’s Night Sky: The Ultimate Halloween Event  Come one, come all to witness the ultimate Halloween event hosted by our night sky! Admission is free and the doors never close. Just take a step outside tonight and look up into the spectacular night sky. A show that has been running […]

By Matthew McMahon (Museum Collections Officer) and Malcolm McCleery (Volunteer Researcher)  Curators and Historians are not meant to have favorites. Like good parents or carers (the root of the word curator is to care after all), we are meant to love all our charges equally, from the oldest manuscripts to […]

Well, we’re all getting stuck back in at work and school after the summer, and what better time than to do some mindful stargazing as a relaxation technique. As always, let your eyes adjust for 20 mins or so before you look at the sky, you’ll see a lot more […]

The European Space Agency’s Plato spacecraft has safely arrived at ESTEC, ESA’s technical heart in the Netherlands. There, engineers will complete the spacecraft by connecting its solar panels and sunshield, and carry out a series of critical tests to confirm that Plato is fit for launch and ready for its planet-hunting […]