๐ก๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ฒ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ญ
It's International Day of Light and for this day we wanted to show one of our favourite images taken by the JWST recently.
A spiral galaxy (M77) shown in mid-infrared light. The image is dominated by an extremely bright glow from the galaxyโs nucleus. Six large and two smaller rays of light emit from the centre, which are diffraction spikes created by the telescopeโs optics. The galaxyโs spiral arms are visible by two lines of glowing orange bubbles which whirl out into the disc. Swirling blue clouds of dust make up the rest of the galaxy.
โจStunningโจ ๐ซฐ
We were joined today by Dr Jenny Shipway, an expert in science communication, who gave a seminar to our researchers and members of the Education Team.
Dr Shipway walked the audience through our working memory, long term memory and how complex topics in science can be absorbed ๐ง
Our next Paint & Sip night will be on Friday 19th June! This is a Summer Solstice Special, tickets are available now!
Your evening includes a bespoke dome show, access into the exhibition area and all materials for a great night! ๐จ๐
Tickets are available via the link in our bio!
Something explosive is coming to AOP this summer! Check out our staff prepping for our brand new live science show "The Stellar Science Show," written, directed, and performed by the AOP Team. Tickets on sale NOW! Link in our bio
โผISS ALERTโผ
The International Space Station is visible numerous times over the next few days (and has been in our sky frequently since 30th April). The only thing with a majority of the passes, is that they're happening in the very early hours of the morning when we're all still in bed.
But tonight, you might be able to catch a glimpse of it before midnight! So keep your eyes peeled ๐
๐23:04 - 23:08 (11:04pm-11:08pm)
๐งญSSW - SE (South-southwest to South East)
๐Starting low on the horizon and climbing higher
Weโre excited to be welcoming the @curiositycube_merck to Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, its first ever stop in Northern Ireland!
This travelling, hands-on science lab is part of a global tour bringing interactive STEM experiences to students and the public around the world.
Weโre proud to be part of the 2026 tour and canโt wait to welcome visitors to explore science in a completely hands-on way.
๐Armagh Planetarium Car Park
๐ Saturday 23rd May
โ 10am - 5pm
(This is a free event, no tickets needed)
#SPARKCuriosity
On Tuesday, 5th May we were welcomed at the @esbscienceblast for our third time in a row!
A big thank you to ESB for their support in bringing this incredible event to life! We had lots of fun making pop rockets and letting students see a real life meteorite! ๐
โ๐๐๐ญ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ก๐จ๐ฐ๐๐ซ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ซ๐ญโ
The Eta Aquariids Meteor Shower will reach its peak after midnight tonight. The peak will end around dawn, but don't forget this particular meteor shower is active until the end of the month! Plenty of chances to glimpse a meteor.
The Eta Aquariids will appear lower on the horizon, and they are linked to the most famous comet of the all, Comet Halley, which will not be visible in our skies again until 2061. We'll have to wait patiently for its return.
๐ผ๐ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฐ๐๐ซ ๐๐จ๐จ๐ง๐ผ
The first full Moon in May occurrs on 1st May and is commonly known as the Flower Moon. Many cultures refer to it as the Flower Moon due to the abundance of flowers starting to bloom. Spring really is well underway and it is brilliant to see everything in bloom.
Check back in with us at the end of the month to learn about the second full of the month ๐ต๐๐
The Moon will be full on 1st May at 6:23pm ๐
๐50 Members!๐
We signed up our 50th Member under our Stellar Membership today. We just wanted to thank everyone so much for their support and joining our membership. We're making the final tweaks to our Summer programme, so if you'd like to get special offers and discounts, make sure you sign up today and get ready for our Big Summer Blast!
๐Link in our Bio to join our Membership programme ๐
Part 2 of Who is your favourite Star Wars character? Can we just say, Shane is a legend haha! All in prep for our Star Wars Day on May 4th! See you there, we will!
#StarWarsDay #armaghobservatoryandplanetarium
