Caoimhín's Content

Astronomical and Educational content, in English and Irish

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  • Planetary Nebulae, Nothing to do with Planets!

    Today we will begin by revisiting an object that I have mentioned a few times before, the Ring Nebula in Lyra. The Ring Nebula in Lyra is a fantastic object to try and take a look at, as well as being a fantastic example of a planetary nebula. Medium to large telescopes will give you…

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  • The Truth about the Full Blue Super Moon

    Today, for a change, we are going to be talking about something that is happening today, on the date of this publication, really something from yesterday, the 19th of August. However, there is no need to worry if you’re getting to this piece a day or two late. In fact this piece is specifically about…

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  • Na Laethanta Ráithe, nú Tras-Ceathrú

    Today’s article is connected to an Irish language video, this means that there will be a lot of Irish words and translations throughout the piece. We will be looking at 4 particular days during the year, one of which has just passed, the 1st of August. August in Irish is Lughnasadh, and the same name…

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  • The Occultation of Saturn: Saturn and the Moon Align in August

    Today we are going to look ahead just a little, to the 20th of August. As usual, we begin at sunset, so we will begin on the 20th. For those of us here in Ireland, we will be waiting until the morning of the 21st to catch the occultation of Saturn by the Moon. The…

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  • The Perseid Meteor Shower: When They Look Best

    Today we are looking at the Perseids again. I did take a quick look at the Perseids last year at around this time, but they are such an impressive meteor shower they deserve to be mentioned again. Starting right at sunset will mean that the Moon is in the sky, but very low to the…

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  • Neptune: The Most Distant Planet in the Solar System

    After taking a c loser look at all the other planets, we are finally moving on to Neptune. Previously, we took a look at the dwarf planets as a group and some other minor bodies. Once we’ve dealt with Neptune, I will move on to taking a closer look at those distant objects, as well…

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  • Dwarf Planets and other Small Distant Objects

    In today’s piece we are going to be taking a look at a different class of objects, the dwarf planets. Almost every month I briefly highlight a given planet, you can go back through the archives if you’d like to see some examples. Later this month we will be talking about Neptune, so I will…

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  • Venus in the Evening at Different Latitudes

    I’ve mentioned the planets quite a lot recently, and with good reason. Over the course of the month of August, particularly in the morning, there are going to be a lot of planets in the sky. Even early in the month we have Jupiter, Mars and Saturn all together in the sky. If you caught…

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  • A Look Ahead to the Sky in August: the Perseids, the Planets and More!

    As usual, as we draw to the end of one month, this piece is going to be an overview of what we can expect next month. We’re going to look ahead into August. Of course, not much is going to change between late July early August, but over the course of the month we will…

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  • The Early Morning Sky in Late July: Planets, The Pleiades and More!

    With so many interesting things up in the morning as we come to the end of July, that is where we are going to focus today. This especially includes the planets, with three visible to the naked eye, and two more with a sufficient telescope. We don’t even have to wait until early in the…

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