Tag Archives: Dark Sky

In the Sky This Week – January 5, 2021

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This entry is part 178 of 180 in the series In the Sky This Week

For the images in this week’s “In the Sky” post, I turned light pollution off in Stellarium – these images show a multitude of stars you cannot see from an urban or suburban locations. I remember camping at a VERY dark sky location in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and not being able to find any familiar guide stars because there were SO MANY stars! This is one of the best reasons to get away from the city lights, and visit a dark sky location! Mercury is visible low above the southwestern horizon at sunset – appearing a bit higher above the horizon each evening. Jupiter and Saturn are also visible low above the southwestern horizon at sunset – appearing a bit lower each evening. The three planets join to form a triple conjunction on Jan 10th, but it may be a challenge to observe due to the nearness to sunset. Mars appears high in the southwestern sky after sunset, and through … 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 →

Dark Sky Painting 3 Edu-painting

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  August 25th I gave a presentation about the Heritage of Astronomy in Ireland. The event was part of Heritage Week 2018. The talk emphasised the fact that Mayo has some of the darkest skies in Europe, therefore we should embrace that fact.  Our Neolithic ancestors claimed their heritage moments in standing stones and circles. These incredible menhirs are still tactile in the land today. Their heritage moments linking them for centuries to our star and the dark sky heavens above. The audience agreed to be some of the ingredients of my Dark Sky Painting homage.  The dark sky reminds us of our place on Earth  and in the universe.  The dark sky teaches us that we to are part of the landscape.  It is in our sprits as are the flora and fauna that surrounds us in this beautiful county. Our 2018 heritage week  moment. The Edu- Painting The painting shows the view looking to the north-east and slightly … Continue reading →

Dark Sky Painting Louisburgh Co Mayo

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This Dark Sky painting  is a result of a collaboration between five young people with myself.   Lucy, Arend, Ayla, Ciaran and Darragh attended the first ever Space Camp in Louisburgh Co Mayo on July 3rd, 4th, and 5th. Over three mornings we worked together to understand the importance of protecting the dark sky. In the painting the children as silhouettes become one with the dark sky. The creatures we made also merge. Bees, butterflies, and ladybirds were created by the group to help us learn about how light pollution affects all of us on planet Earth. The background of the painting shows the Milky Way over Louisburgh looking North. The constellation Perseus is depicted including  its yellow star Mirfak.  Top right on the painting are two stars of Cassiopeia, Segin and Ruchbah. During the creation of the work a comet made news in the astronomy world. Comet C/S3 (PanSTARRS) had an outburst of gas making it brighter.  The comet … Continue reading →

Naked Eye Orion sketched from Ireland

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Recently I have spent some time in the west of Ireland . It’s been stormy , with icy rain and sideways on hailstones battering the landscape. The winds have been epic in this wild place where the ancient potato drills shout evidence of our ancestors ribs bursting the Earth , still hungry after all these years. Most evenings I have stepped outside to look up at the night sky while listening to the Atlantic roar its salty roar at stars too far away to listen. Occasionally the clarity of the sky has been impressive but short-lived. However on the evening of March 23rd on opening the door I was met with what I can only describe as a crisis sky. Every familiar constellation was buried in the galaxy. It is sometimes said that there are more stars in the night sky than grains of sand on all the worlds beaches, that sky was the epiphany of that statement. I sat … Continue reading →