Centre for Astronomy NUIG

Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS. An Trá Mór, Galway. 16 October.
Fuji X-A3, Sigma 40/1.4, ISO 800, 2 sec.
The almost Full Moon hurt the contrast on the comet's long tail, but illuminated the clouds and landscape.

WOW! At 11:25pm, I was starting to pack gear into my car for an astrophoto trip to Connemara, because the chances were very good of an aurora display.
But I noticed a strange long bright cloud sloping up from the west to the zenith.....dammit, clouds already? it had been so clear!....or wait...could it be?? but THAT bright? that visible, in the city? that high in the sky? that location, away from the northern sky? [incredulous questions raced through my mind, like I'd become Superintendent Chalmers].
Whipped out my iPhone and took a 3-second test pic. OMG!!!

I called all my family outside, and WhatsApped our neighbourhood estate group, several of whom came out to join us as well.
Kept snapping for an hour, as it evolved, spread, moved around the sky, and eventually dimmed.

In 40 years of astronomy, I've never seen such an amazing display. This was Arctic Circle stuff. And the night is still young.

I will be available to chat tomorrow at our Virtual Open Day about Physics courses at NUI Galway. Join the conversation at nuigalway.pubble.io/app/event/69667 from 1–3pm, Thursday 7 May

There are many forgotten or little-known Irish figures in the history of astronomy. This is the story of one of them: Rose O'Halloran.

‘Can teach men’ - The story of Irish astronomer Rose O’Halloran The Tipperary woman, who emigrated to the US, is credited as being the first to see a giant sunspot emerge on the sun’s limb

Nice newspaper coverage of our "Making Space" collaboration with leading artists.

'There is something poetic and sublime about space' LAST SATURDAY was the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing and the day also saw more than 1,000 visitors to Galway Arts Centre’s fascinating exhibition, Making Space, comprising collaborative work from paired scientists and artists.

Great to see that this collaboration between national artists and CFA members (Andy Shearer, Ray Butler, Mark Lang, Matt Redman) is being experienced by so many people in the Galway Arts Festival!

Galway International Arts Festival: The must-see events The best picks from this year’s selection of theatre, street spectacle and quirky surprise

Centre for Astronomy members Mark Lang and Gary Gillanders are part of the consortium that operate the VERITAS telescope for high energy gamma-ray astronomy. Its ability to detect rapid optical light flashes will also be put to another use:

Powerful new telescope joins the search for possible laser pulses from aliens Statistically it’s pretty much a given that alien life is out there, whether that’s Martian microbes or intelligent life beaming comms through the cosmos. Now, a new telescope array has joined Breakthrough Listen, scanning for flashes of laser light that alien civilizations might be giving off.

Today we welcomed NASA Astronaut and ISS Commander, Colonel Shane Kimbrough. He gave a fantastic public talk in NUIG for , with stunning visuals from his ISS expeditions. Ray Butler got the crowd warmed up by giving a brief overview of the Centre for Astronomy.

Its socs day in NUI Galway. Make sure to call over to the NUIG Astronomy Society and sign up :D

Juno at Jupiter: NASA probe enters polar orbit around giant gas planet | collectSPACE For only the second time in space history, a robotic probe is now orbiting Jupiter, looping from pole to pole to better our understanding of the formation and evolution of the largest planet in the solar system. NASA's Juno will study the atmosphere and magnetic fields.