Clonkill Observatory

06/03/2026

18/02/2026

Photo of the Moon taken 10 years ago. Nothing much changes on the lunar surface in that time. However there have vast changes in our views of of the cosmos, brought by what the James Webb telescope is revealing to the scientific community.
This telescope is situated one million miles from our Earth in deep space and images celestial objects in the infrared.
We can now see back in time almost to the beginning of the Universe.

08/12/2025

Pluto image from new horizon space craft

04/02/2025

Orion is one of the great Constellations and is back in view again due South. It is packed with many interesting features.
The orange coloured star at top left called Betelguese is
hundreds of times larger than our Sun. It is a red giant nearing the end of its life. Expected to go SUPERNOVA sometime
Also look for the faint patch just below the three stars in the belt.
This is the famous Orion Nebula, 1500 light years from our Earth.
An enormous collection of hydrogen gas where new stars are been
created. A stellar birthplace. Sirius the brighest star of all in the sky ,,,visible low down at left,

23/01/2025

This photo taken around 1850 ,just after the famine. Two young people, one of which maybe a girl showing the ravages and hunger
and poverty. Clothes and foot ware were in short supply.


Photography was just coming on stream in Ireland at the time, colour was probably added later.

21/01/2025

Crookedwood Year 1890.. Biddys Crays
Little information on this photo. Man with white beard maybe the
local doctor visiting family. The taxies have changed a bit.
Any ideas
I have some great photos of earlier times which i will share with you
John ... you may be right, he probably is the landlords agent collecting rent from the poor people.

Knockdrin estate I would suspect.

01/01/2025

There maybe some solar activity to night in the form of aurora or northern lights . Large sunspots now visible on the Solar disk at present.

04/10/2024

A lot of solar activity of late. Some very large Sunspots now visible
resulting in corona mass ejections from the Suns surface. If these are directed towards the Earth we might be in for a display of Northern Lights. Watch out . Cloudy at present at least in Westmeath,

Photo from solar telescopes USA