Category Archives: Education

Drawing the Perseids

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Drawing a meteor shower On several occasions in the past, I have drawn the Perseid meteor shower. I am not sure if anyone else has done this ? I might be the only mad woman to have tried. The Perseids are fast and are therefore in my opinion the most fun meteor shower of the year. With luck the sky is clear and the air is warm. You can sit back and be enthralled by the action of ancient pieces of comet debris hitting our atmosphere at 37 miles a second. Video about the method Because it is an enjoyable excercise,  I decided to share how I go about recording the meteors in the video above. The pencil drawings are done on the night in real-time. I use a clip board and an A4 sheet of paper.  The colour version is usually produced the following day. It is difficult to see colour properly in the dark. It is, therefore, more … Continue reading →

Dark Sky Painting Memories

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This week my mind is turing towards the Perseid Meteor Shower. I was reminded of a Space Camp for children that I did back in August 2018. The children helped to create several dark sky paintings, this one involved learning about the best meteor shower of the year. While Dark Sky Painting one deals with the impact of light pollution on bees and other insects. It also sought to teach children and viewers of the painting about the night sky. Dark Sky Painting two here, highlights  the effects humans have on our planets bird species and their habitats. On Earth, there are multitudes of birds in trouble from pollution and habitat issurs of all kinds. For this project, we focused on just two, Barn Owls and Swifts. The constellations Perseus and Cassiopeia feature as do some Perseid meteors. The workshop led up to the Perseid meteor shower. The children were prepared to view, should they have clear skies. They were … Continue reading →

Go Observe C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE ) it may your last chance

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Naked eye On July 20th I was well set up to go observe C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE). My eight-inch dob was ready with a 32mm eyepiece. My LX90 was set up with a set of binoviewers. I was hoping to see more detail around the false nucleus and draw it. My set of filters were also at the ready as some of them claimed to enhance detail in comets. Alas, the seeing was terrible, a muted view under magnification. However the naked eye view was still very good, and the comet was dangling over Clare Island some seven kilometres away from me. Even post-midnight orange and pink tones were hugging the rugged edge of the island. The comet looked more vertical than I expected. It mimicked an exclamation mark with the head of the comet playing the dot. Perhaps an exclamation of the last time I might see it. Because my view has been only clouds, and fog since. July 19th … Continue reading →

Go Observe Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) continued

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Four drawings July 10th Its been seven days since I had the pleasure of observing C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE). Unseasonal weather coupled with lots of fog has obscured my view. A frustrating week with a marginal chance of seeing it over the next few days. If you live in the northern hemisphere do try to go observe C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) It is a truly extraordinary comet because, in addition to surviving its encounter with the sun, it is now putting on a great show. Here are 4 drawings July 10th 2020 created between 23:45 and 02:39 local time Naked eye and telescope / blended together. For the most part, it was a battle with lingering black clouds. They were tube-shaped, they were also the only clouds in the sky at the time. Killadoon Co Mayo Ireland. Drawing One 23:45 – This first drawing ( above) is a naked eye drawing of C/2020 F3 ( NEOWISE) The comet is above Achill Island … Continue reading →

Go Observe C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE)

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Comets are the ultimate solar system travellers. I love finding them, to follow and also to draw. They are exciting because they move and morph. C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) is one such visitor. Seasonally we have the changing constellations. As predictable as a ticking clock. On view constantly  are circumpolar constellations. Planets take their turn in the sky to show themselves off.  Our moon is always gorgeous and as steady as a rock can be, one of our night sky beautys. However comets are so unpredictable, that is part of their allure. They may or may not make it round the sun. Perhaps they might crash into Jupiter. One  might even expand to be the largest object in the solar system. Or they might have internal gas explosions causing them to spin. Some have huge tails and some lose their tails. The very best kind reveal themselves to everyone on the planet by becoming visible to the unaided eye. C/2020 F3 … Continue reading →

Asteroids and Balloons at Dunsink Observatory

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  Our planet being hit by an asteroid is a worrying thought and not much fun. However, this week I was reminded of the night I brought about 30 asteroids to Dunsink Observatory in Dublin.  A family audience packed the meridian room for my workshop Balloon Planets. Which partly involved learning about the asteroids between Mars and Jupiter. Asteroid Day On June 30th this week we had Asteroid day. This is an annual reminder of the threat that asteroids hold for our home in space. We know that organisations are working on methods to deflect asteroids heading in our direction. We know that there are organisations on constant watch for these objects. The treat is real, the possibilities of a hit are real. Hopefully, more resources will be put into  research and defence activities to avert the nightmare scenario of a direct hit. Dunsink Observatory I’ve spent almost 14 years or so doing talks and workshops for various groups at … Continue reading →

Rainbow Challenge Drawings

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It gave me great pleasure to be part of Cruinniu na nOg for the third time. The unique circumstances of 2020 allowed me to produce a piece of work that exists online for all to use. My Rainbow Challenge video was intended to build on the abundance of rainbows drawn by children during the pandemic. The intention was to hopefully be sent rainbow challenge drawings that reflected learning. Making the video was a challenge in itself because I wanted it to engage people and be useful. Creating the content was not as easy as I thought it would be, However, I slowly got a little more familiar with the software and the problems it threw at me. It is taking time to get used to what the various tools do and even how to access them. It will take a good while yet for all of it to become easy. Issues like, do I record voice and draw at the … Continue reading →

Drawing Active Regions

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Active Region 2765 In very difficult windy conditions I finally managed to do a drawing of Active Region 2765. It was the first decent sunspot region on the sun for a long time. Drawing active regions is a challenging activity and a rewarding one in equal measures. Challenging because they are complex visually. Rewarding because every time you try you have to invent new ways of using materials to gain traction on accuracy. The previous day I had looked at AR 2765 and started a complex drawing using pastel particles. However, the wind made the telescope shake and the drawing became impossible. The shape of the active region was dramatic that day, with wonderful swirling shapes in the mottling around the penumbra. A long filament with clearly defined anchors added to the view. The drawing was abandoned in frustration over the wind and occasional showers of rain. Next day I tried again, this time there was less wind to bother … Continue reading →

ⓜ An Interview with The Book Foxes, Part 2

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This entry is part 12 of 32 in the series And Then I Wrote

And then I wrote… Last week I ran the first part of my interview that ran in early 2010 on the blog site Vulpis Libris. Here’s the rest of the interview… The idea of a religious university as they exist in the US is not a familiar one for those of us in the UK, although of course our university system has deep confessional roots.  Could you tell us something about the idea – and the practice – of a Jesuit university? The Jesuits got into the education business pretty much by accident. They started out as a group of men who’d met at the University of Paris, who all had advanced degrees, at a time when there was a huge need for educational reform in Europe, and so they were asked to set up schools throughout Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries. These schools trained not just clergy but also the children of the burgeoning middle class. The … Continue reading →

Rainbow Challenge

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Normal Just a few weeks ago I was lamenting ( in this blog) the fact that I had nothing to offer an annual Irish creative festival. Cruinniu na nOg (The meeting of the Young). This is a free festival for children and young people all over Ireland. Last year I was in libraries in Castlebar Co Mayo with my workshops Lets Go to the Moon. The previous year I was in Birr Library Co Offaly with Stars Wonderful Stars. They were actual workshops with lots of children, pre COVID 19 when face to face was normal. New normal I decided almost as I was writing that blog to try to make a video which might be relevant. My idea was based on the fact that children have been drawing and painting rainbows as a response to the COVID 19 crisis. A lot of rainbow hugs for healthcare workers. So I figured maybe a little knowledge about how rainbows come about … Continue reading →

Get the Moon in your Head – Learn from Galileo and Apollo 11

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  Last week I got my annual reminder about International Observe the Moon Night 2020. This year sharing the moon with the public may be problematic because of COVID 19 and its regulations.   Therefore many of us will have to make an effort to do something online. I have been busy thinking about online content for various events coming up during the months ahead. Doing my best to get my head around video making and editing.  Also am trying to be creative in that activity. This week I am revisiting an article I wrote back in 2017. If you have not shared the moon with others perhaps this is your year to start. This write up may give you reasons to take part in International Observe The Moon Night. The link to the 2020 event is updated below.   Learn from  Galileo – 1610 ‘At conjunction the moon occupies a position between the sun and the earth; it is … Continue reading →

Educational Online Presentations

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Last night I joined a zoom lecture hosted by the Science and Entertainment Exchange. The speaker was Kevin Peter Hand who is an astrobiologist. His talk was about Alien Oceans of Earth and Beyond. I have enjoyed several  educational online presentations in recent weeks, some on the subjet of astrobiology. It can be very stimulating to have something to lift one’s spirits during this difficult time. I have had a thing about Enceladus for years now.  I once made a model of this icy moon out of a football, paint and some clay. So kids could hold it when you could not go to a shop and buy such a thing. A few years later I painted Enceladus  inspired by Cassini’s images. It is a very textured painting as was the model made from a football. Several of my workshops include Enceladus and it has been drawn many times by children attending over the past years. So I  just had … Continue reading →