Hi all,
1. IAA OBSERVING EVENING: Wednesday 25 March, 7.30 p.m. Seapark, Holywood, Co. Down, For IRISH ASTRONOMY WEEK.
We will be holding a public / outreach observing event at the car park, Seapark, Co Down, on Wednesday evening. All welcome. Come along, and bring a telescope or binoculars if you have them, We'll observe a beautiful First Quarter Moon, Venus, Jupiter, and the Pleiades, Orion Nebula, etc. See the amazing performance of the new Seestar Smart telescopes.
ACCESS. Seapark Road, off the Holywood Bypass / Bangor Road, then Right into Ballymenoch Pk. Going from Belfast direction, go past the traffic lights at Holywood, then next left just as the road starts to climb uphill. The car park is at N 54.64705, W -5.82662.
2. COMET MAPS UPDATE – A BRIGHT SUNGRAZER?
| Skywatchers have been tracking a new sungrazing comet called C/2026 A1 MAPS. It might get brightest in our sky after its closest point to the sun (perihelion) on April 4-5 ... if it survives its perihelion passage. Some are calling it the Easter comet! |
3. Venus climbs out of the W twilight.
Venus gradually moves up along the ecliptic, away from the Sun, and will be getting quite easy to see by late March, though still quite low..
4. JUPITER still dominates the evening sky .
Giant Jupiter was at a very favourable opposition on Jan 10 in Gemini, at mag -2.7, second only to Venus in brightness, and with an equatorial diameter of 46.5".
An amazing fact is that at close oppositions, the disc of Jupiter is greater in apparent area than the maximum illuminated discs of all the other planets combined! Venus can have a greater apparent diameter, but only when it is a very thin crescent, with most of its disc dark. AFAIK, I'm the only one to have ever mentioned this, but I have double checked it, and it's true!
The satellite shadow transits are much easier to see than the transits of the satellites themselves, as the satellites often blend in to the disc background, so they are very hard to see, except at the very beginning and end of transits.
5. Irish Astronomy Week, March 20 – 28. Events throughout the whole island.
6. COSMOS Star Party, Midlands Astronomy Club, Teach Lea, Boora, Co Offaly April 11
This is a nice dark sky site, and with the Moon just past Last Quarter, it won't be a problem unless you want to stay well after midnight.
7. THREE COMETS! – one or two maybe naked-eye?
And another - Comet Wierzchos Vaults Into the March Evening Sky - Universe Today
Astronomers may have already spotted the 'Great Comet of 2026' — and it could soon be visible to the naked eye | Live Science https://share.google/4bpJEJOmnVCrPu9ws and
Will comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) be the 'great comet' of 2026?
And see separate feature on Comet Maps above
8. WhatsApp Group for alerts on Observing Nights.
The IAA have set up a WhatsApp Group for updates on Observing Nights. If you would like to be included in this group, please e-mail Mary at callistoboxers@hotmail.com with your full name & mobile telephone number.
No discussions about anything other than Observing Nights will be posted on this group.
9. ISS
The ISS continues its series of evening passes until 26 March. Details for your location are available on www.heavens-above.com
10. IAA Annual General Meeting, 15 April. 7.30 p.m., Larmor Lecture Theatre, Astrophysics Research Centre, Physics Building, QUB.
As well as the official business, we will have by two short talks: 'SMART Telescopes' & 'When and how to view the solar eclipse in August"
11. ECLIPSE OF THE SUN, 12 AUGUST
This eclipse will be total in parts of Greenland, Iceland and Spain, and a large partial eclipse in Ireland (94% to 98%, depending on your location). More details later, but note the date! It happens in the early evening, so should be accessible to almost everyone.
12. LARGE PARTIAL LUNAR ECLIPSE, 28 August. The occurs late in the night, and wev will see maximum eclipse before Moonset. More details later.
13. HEADS UP – VOLUNTEERS WANTED - IFAS Convention, Saturday 19 September 2026. (Note change of date)
"From Ancient Stones to Distant Stars". Birr Castle, Co Offaly. This event, being organised by Ronan Newman, chair of IFAS, is the first event of its kind. It will be an all-day event, and possibly observing if clear. Top speakers are being invited, and there will also be major contribution from IFAS clubs. Details still being arranged, but mark the date in your diaries.
Anyone who is interested in helping to organise this event, or to help out on the day, please contact Ronan Newman: I can give you his contact details on request.
14: Recurrent Nova T Corona Borealis – Latest predictions- 25 June 2026?:
By extrapolating the empirical fact that the previous T CrB eruption dates were separated by an integer multiple of the orbital period 228 days, the next eruption could occur on 25 June 2026, No physical hypothesis is made behind this extrapolation. I urge observers to be cautious about it, since an external perturbation could happen, and to continue to monitor the light-curve of the star. (By Jean Schneider, Paris Observatory)
(It's two years now since the first predictions of an 'imminent' outburst! But, it could explode any time, so, keep an eye on it - comparison charts can be found on the websites of the BAA Variable Star Section, or the AAVSO. The current magnitude is around 10, so you'll need a good telescope to see it now.
(BTW, don't confuse it with the other nearby famous variable star, R CrB, which does the opposite – it stays normally around 6th magnitude, but occasionally dims to as faint as magnitude 14 or 15!)
Anyway, do keep an eye out – T CrB lies just outside the East side of the circle of the 'Crown', about a degree from Epsilon CrB, but you really do need charts to observe it properly. It's visible rising in the NE from about 11 pm.
It's at Declination: 25° 55′ 12.6″; R.A.: 15h 59m 30.2s)
15. EASY TEASER:
What coincidence is remarkable about the first four men on the Moon?
Clue: It's nominal
Another clue: Initially I thought it was easy.
Another clue – more than one 'first'
Rule: You are only eligible to enter the Easy Teaser if you have not been a member of an astronomy club or society for more than 10 years, or if you have not already correctly answered one of the difficult ones. This is to give the beginners and young readers a chance!)
16: DIFFICULT TEASER:
Apart from Earth, where else in the solar system would you find a bird?
Philip Baxter has already had two attempts, but hasn't cracked it yet.
Clue. It's an actual object, not a feature on an object (e.g. a crater), and it's not just the name of someone who discovered a comet, for example (e.g. if there's a 'Comet Heron' or 'Swan', it's not that).
Remember, send answers to me only at my aol address: terrymosel@aol.com.
17. INTERESTING WEBLINKS (Disclaimer – Use of material herein from various sources does not imply approval or otherwise of the opinions, political or otherwise, of those sources). NB: If the title in the weblink does not indicate the subject matter, I give a brief simple intro before the link. I may also comment about the link afterwards.
ASTROPHYSICS:
The Seven Hour Explosion Nobody Could Explain - Universe Today Black Hole Mergers Test the Limits of General Relativity - Universe Today Data from Hubble and Webb combine in this new image of the Black Eye Galaxy, also known as Messier 64, enabling astronomers to learn more about star formation in nearby galaxies: https://x.com/i/status/2034994183140687970https://go.nasa.gov/4bALYih Scientists witness birth of one of the universe's strongest magnets for the first time, thanks to a general relativity 'magic trick' | Live Science https://share.google/FogRNCymyjocTGpIfGravitational waves leave imprints on light emitted by atoms, theoretical study predicts https://share.google/CLsF9kiAdU1BjHB0v Astronomers find extremely rare star from ancient universe https://phys.org/news/2026-03-clearest-evidence-giant-planets-faster.html?utm_source=nwletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily-nwletter In rare snap, astronomers capture one of the oldest known stars in the universe What do hundreds of gravitational-wave events reveal about the universe? | Scientific American https://share.google/IsDQcgrzZbeCiqZvUAstronomers Discover One of the Quietest Stars, a Strong Candidate for Life in Our Solar Neighborhood https://share.google/yh3JxdvyC80SSUyKpOne of the largest stars in the Universe suddenly changed color - Earth.com https://share.google/3c72NXC1cheNXt87aAstronomers identify PicII-503 in the ultra-faint dwarf galaxy Pictor II, an extremely iron-poor, carbon-rich second-generation star that preserves the imprint of the universe's first stars. doi.org/hbsrz2 https://search.app/4zsa6Scientists discover new heavy proton-like particle at CERN https://share.google/xebqJiG4QlQTiLxh8Structure of the Milky Way https://search.app/vhcejGlobular cluster NGC 5824 is embedded in a dark matter halo, study suggests https://share.google/niwyjp1pdD7NbRb51How young galaxies grew magnetic fields faster than expected https://share.google/tRi6FLGeJtZAsrXF6Astronomers discover long-period radio transient of unknown origin https://share.google/n8brt3r8oNPlhKCgM COSMOLOGYCould our universe exist because black holes ate up all the antimatter? | Space A state of matter last seen just after the Big Bang may exist inside neutron stars — and scientists think they can prove it | Space https://share.google/HHQdR6cUDUYQ0aWdoVast cosmic voids are far from empty — they're hiding something dark - https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/techandscience/vast-cosmic-voids-are-far-from-empty-they-re-hiding-something-dark/ar-AA1Ge3BB?ocid=socialshare Black Hole Mergers Test the Limits of General Relativity - Universe Today Forget the multiverse. In the pluriverse, we create reality together | New Scientist EARTH & MOON The meteor whose big boom rocked parts of Ohio and Pennsylvania on St. Patrick's Day also dropped meteorites onto the landscape. At least one official fragment has been confirmed so far. And many other potential fragments are awaiting official confirmation. The number of confirmed meteorites is expected to rise as hunters scour the strewn field. Human-driven climate change is slowing Earth's rotation at a rate not seen in 3.6 million years | Live Science https://share.google/J2y7MJDVBjcZwaqox 'Angel Wings'aurora https://x.com/i/status/2034049467448430922 Goodbye to water security as we knew it: 6 billion people live in countries that have lost freshwater on a sustained basis in just 22 years https://share.google/T81NMWqWExIdbAJRW |
'Rock clock' refines time measurement of Earth's early complex animal life https://share.google/ehC3ti1IlGinUe9uHBeyond Artemis 2: NASA pursuing a 'more achievable' path back to the moon | Space EXOLIFE:Life, but not as we know it https://share.google/VBSXzEHMAkgK8J5JVAll 5 'letters' of DNA found on an asteroid speeding through our solar system. What do they tell us about the origins of life? | Live Science https://share.google/MvgF1x2dtCzsNHjw7Unusual compounds in rocks on Mars may be sign of ancient microbial life Life, but not as we know it EXOPLANETSAstronomers spot super-Earth circling a star 83 light-years away https://share.google/nOV9KzE2HiIUmr9E24
Kepler-51d Challenges Theories of Planetary Formation | Sci.News https://share.google/vZHx7TGoRzb8Ygi30
Astronomers Create Catalogue of Habitable-Zone Rocky Exoplanets | Sci.News https://share.google/TjKgFzm3Rglmzqtiq
Earth-size exoplanet is the best candidate for life found to date - Earth.com https://share.google/ThVLCKrGUdz6dbD6T
Scientists discover 45 Earth-like planets that could have the perfect conditions for alienshttps://phys.org/news/2026-03-clearest-evidence-giant-planets-faster.html?utm_source=nwletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily-nwletter Astronomers Just Watched Two Planets Vaporize Each Other 11,000 Light-Years from Earth https://share.google/Af23xY0fbRGFXuVgR
Scientists find entirely new kind of planet | The Independent https://share.google/1Wg8UJlYiw3OIScLn
Astronomers Discover One of the Quietest Stars, a Strong Candidate for Life in Our Solar Neighborhood https://share.google/yh3JxdvyC80SSUyKp
An Exclusive Look Behind The Scenes At Game-Changer Exoplanet Mission ARIEL | IFLScience https://share.google/hQMjsbaaDgPKCdZ8q
IMAGES:'Angel Wings'aurora https://x.com/i/status/2034049467448430922Lake District observatory's most spectacular space pictures so far – cumbriacrack.com https://share.google/UZcmrD4a174DnTiWmTriangulum Galaxy dazzles in psychedelic color | Space photo of the day for March 23, 2026 INTERSTELLAR COMET 3I/ATLAS'Interstellar messenger' 3I/ATLAS could be nearly as old as the universe itself, James Webb telescope revealsAn interstellar comet brought a weird chemical mix into the solar system | Mashable and Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is 'bursting with methanol,' new study finds | Space Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS May Be Far More Ancient Than We Thought | IFLScience https://www.iflscience.com/as-3iatlas-makes-a-close-approach-to-jupiter-astronomers-find-it-may-be-far-more-ancient-than-we-thought-82875 LIGHT & SPACE POLLUTION:Blue Origin Joins the Race for Orbital Data Centers With 51K Satellite Plan https://share.google/vr58v9coKWufx3UtB10,000 Starlink satellites orbiting Earth … and counting As a hobbyist astrophotographer, this photograph of satellite light pollution is breaking my heart OBITUARY:Dame Carole Jordan, astrophysicist who studied 'cool stars' and the Sun's outer atmosphere SCIENCE FICTION:The science in SF film Project Hail Mary https://phys.org/news/2026-03-hail-mary-wrong-astrophysics.html?utm_source=nwletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=weekly-nwletter andProject Hail Mary just made itself a frontrunner for the 2027 Oscars - https://www.msn.com/en-gb/entertainment/movies/project-hail-mary-just-made-itself-a-frontrunner-for-the-2027-oscars/ar-AA1YXsvv?ocid=socialshare#comments As the Sun weighs 2,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 tonnes, it would take the 'amoeba' quite a while to destroy it.... SOLAR SYSTEM These new Hubble telescope images were an incredible stroke of luck | Mashable There was a waterfall on Mars https://x.com/i/status/2034552959099683174Active volcanoes on Io are detected by JWST and an artificial eye - Earth.com https://share.google/dmyyoJ0YjSAGHi5cfPrivate company to land on asteroid Apophis as it flies close to Earth | New Scientist https://share.google/kkyLXLbwi1kQRkHqoAll 5 'letters' of DNA found on an asteroid speeding through our solar system. What do they tell us about the origins of life? | Live Science https://share.google/MvgF1x2dtCzsNHjw7Reading Europa's Fingerprints - Universe Today Astronomers keep finding new moons of Jupiter and Saturn | Space https://share.google/ZWlcVlVKtw0YvwiE4 andMore moons for Jupiter and Saturn! New totals here Hubble Space Telescope accidentally witnesses comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) breaking apart | Space https://share.google/iTjObxGXwXvhP8Ad1Unusual compounds in rocks on Mars may be sign of ancient microbial life https://phys.org/news/2026-03-discovery-delta-mars-boost-life.html?utm_source=nwletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily-nwletter 99.9% sure a giant missing planet is out there - still unseen | Watch New Clues About Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS's Formation Support An Origin In The Milky Way's Outer Disk | IFLScience https://share.google/51CpGC4zZ4GV7OVtfhttps://www.ecoticias.com/en/a-rock-drilled-by-curiosity-in-gale-crater-in-2013-is-back-in-the-news-because-it-might-hold-a-key-clue-to-ancient-life-on-mars-and-no-one-expected-that-from-an-old-hole/29539/ Asteroid Bennu's Rugged Surface Baffled NASA, We Finally Know Why - NASA Science https://share.google/SUA34ZCCjBYSGAUMx Saturn's new moons https://x.com/i/status/20343345201751944003I/ATLAS: Interstellar comet has water unlike any in our solar system | New Scientist https://share.google/KbPp7ZIow6GIsa92O SPACE NASA's Artemis 2 moon rocket arrives back at the launch pad | Space
ESA to fly dedicated Crew Dragon mission to ISS - SpaceNews https://share.google/dONyMaDtVGZwkq2mv
NASA Unveils 'More Achievable' Path to the Moon Beyond Artemis 2 https://share.google/GwSF8iZXvZdWAnaKg
Blue Origin Joins the Race for Orbital Data Centers With 51K Satellite Plan https://share.google/vr58v9coKWufx3UtB
NASA's Artemis Plan Shifts to SpaceX Starship for Key Lunar Orbit Task - Bloomberg https://share.google/oMAcU8OQx7pUnXDSU
How Will Martian Gravity Affect Skeletal Muscle? - Universe Today
Artemis IV - NASA https://share.google/2ygjHioSvpcjwx05S
SpaceX's Starship V3 is almost ready and it will change space travel forever https://share.google/2PJQMVlnIPubrEia0
Beyond Artemis 2: NASA pursuing a 'more achievable' path back to the moon | Space
SUN
China's space probe uncovers new solar effect on cosmic rays - CGTN https://share.google/ViPVs5l3qJblOhYZR
TELESCOPES, INSTRUMENTS, TECHNIQUES:
An Exclusive Look Behind The Scenes At Game-Changer Exoplanet Mission ARIEL | IFLScience https://share.google/hQMjsbaaDgPKCdZ8q
Lake District observatory's most spectacular space pictures so far – cumbriacrack.com https://share.google/UZcmrD4a174DnTiWm
DWARF mini smart telescope https://search.app/qoxBo
FINAL WORD:
"The treasures hidden in the heavens are so rich that the human mind shall never be lacking in fresh nourishment." - Johannes Kepler
18. JOINING the IRISH ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION. This link gives options to join the IAA.
https://irishastro.org/join-the-iaa/ If you are a UK taxpayer, please select the 'gift-aid' box, as that enables us to reclaim the standard rate of tax on your subscription, at no cost to you. You can also make a donation via Paypal if you wish: just click on the 'Donate' button. See also https://irishastro.org/
The Irish Astronomical Association is registered with The Charity Commission for Northern Ireland NIC 105858
DISCLAIMER: Any views expressed herein are mine, and do not necessarily represent those of the IAA.
Clear skies,
Terry Moseley
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