How to See the Transit of Mercury on May 9

There is no denying that the transit of planet Mercury is one of the most spectacular astronomical phenomena we witness on Earth. There's a transit of Mercury happening on May 9 and here's how you can see it with your own eyes.

What is the transit of Mercury?
A transit of Mercury occurs when our solar system's innermost planet comes between the Sun and the Earth, and Mercury is seen as a small black dot moving across the face of the Sun. Transits of Mercury occur 13 or 14 times every hundred years, which averages out to one every seven years.

How can I see it?

The transit of Mercury will begin at 11:12 UTC and last seven and a half hours.
credit: www.skyandtelescope.com

This year's transit will be visible(weather permitting) from North and South America, Europe, Africa and most of continental Asia.

Mercury will appear as a tiny dot on the surface of the Sun - covering approximately 1% of the solar disk.

However, viewers are warned not to look directly at the Sun with the naked eye as it may result in irreversible damage.

In order to view the transit safely, you will need a telescope with a solar filter. But don't worry if you don't have either of these, you can also project the image of the Sun using a piece of card with a pinhole in it. Be sure to contact your local astronomy club for more information on events that may be held in your local area to view the transit of Mercury.

The seven-and-a-half hour-long transit will begin at 11:12 a.m. UTC when Mercury makes first contact with the solar disk. The moment of greatest transit will occur at 2:57 p.m. when the planet is roughly mid-way through its path across the Sun's disk. The transit will end at the moment of final contact at 6:42 p.m.

If you're clouded over or living in a part of the world where the transit isn't visible. NASA will be providing a a near-live feed of images from the Solar Dynamics Observatory satellite will be available at www.nasa.gov/transit.

Clear skies!

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In Pictures: Last Night's Incredibly Strong Northern Lights

There may not be snow forecast for Christmas Day this year, but for people in northern latitudes, the space weather forecast is much more promising! Last night, skywatchers lucky enough to have a clear view of the northern horizon were treated to an unexpectedly strong display of the Aurora Borealis, and here are some of our favourites..

"Visible to naked eye including pillars! So amazing I even cried!"
Lindsey Taylor saw the northern lights from Saltburn & Staithes in England.

"Live from the Waterford/Tipperary border in the Knockmealdowns #aurora."
credit: Aurora Alert Ireland

Aurora Borealis seen from Warrenpoint, Co. Down
credit: Ryan Simpson 

Karen Munro tweeted "Amazing Aurora in Thurso, northern Scotland
 at 23.30 UTC. Faint corona overhead as well."

"At 51.9 degrees latitude, these must be among the most southerly
aurora photos tonight. Low light pollution helps."
credit: Colm Ryan

Aurora Borealis over Inishowen peninsula, Donegal, Ireland
credit: Discover Inishowen

"#Aurora tonight, probably some of the best be seen in Scotland." The view from Scotland was even better, with @Jailender tweeting
 capturing a great image of the aurora and a moonbow!

"Phenomenal Aurora display over Youghal, East Cork." John Delaney took this beauty from Youghal in Co. Cork.

"For five minutes the aurora went bonkers at York Beach, ME tonight." Rob Wright tweeted this stunning picture from Maine.
 

"But wait - there's more."
Brian Horisk of Adventure Art shared the view from north-east Fife, Scotland

The view from Kilcock, Co. Kildare
credit: @_Dale__ on Twitter

The aurora visible from Mullaughmore in Co. Sligo.
credit: Gerry O'Donnell

With KP levels reaching a high of  KP 7 on the night of December 20, Astronomy Ireland were quick to send out an email to its subscribers alerting people of the increased solar activity;

"Conditions have continued to be active and the Northern Lights have been seen from Ireland this evening, Sunday Dec. 20! We expect them to be visible for several hours, possibly even until dawn (7am)." 

Didn't get a chance to see the aurora? Don't worry- we're being told to keep our eyes peeled- "It would be a good idea to keep checking the north horizon for a day or two just in case."



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Reader's Top 5 Space Events of 2015

Earlier this month we asked our readers to submit what they thought was their favourite astronomical/space event of the past year. We were flooded with responses ranging from the solar eclipse of March 20 to meteor showers to the New Horizons flyby of Pluto.

So without further ado, here are your favourite space events of 2015!

1. "Supermoon" Lunar Eclipse

By far the most popular event, receiving twice the number of votes than second place, it's clear that the lunar eclipse on September 28 has a special place in our reader's hearts. And why wouldn't it? 

David Blanchflower captured this stunning image of the eclipse
from Newcastle, England (credit: David Blanchflower)

Encompassing more than half the planet, those lucky enough to catch a glimpse between clouds were wowed by what they saw, and those who stayed up into the wee hours of the morning were kindly rewarded for their efforts.

For many, it will be remembered as the night the Moon turned blood red- a "blood Moon." 

However, this was no ordinary lunar eclipse. What made this one special was the fact that it occurred during a Supermoon- when the Moon is full at its closest point to Earth in its orbit. While lunar eclipses happen all the time, supermoon lunar eclipses are rare- with the next one occurring in 2033!

2. The New Horizons Flyby of Pluto

Pluto seen by New Horizons at a distance of 280,000 miles
(credit: NASA)

                                                  

On July 14 2015, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft made history by becoming the first space probe to make a close flyby to observe dwarf planet Pluto and its moons.

Launching from Florida in 2006, it took over nine years for New Horizons to reach the distant Kuiper Belt object. In fact, the journey took so long that Pluto was demoted from a planet to a dwarf planet during its transit. But Pluto didn't disappoint, with New Horizons capturing stunning images like these which allowed scientists back on Earth try and understand how dwarf planets first came into existence.

Now that Pluto has finally been checked off the list of heavenly bodies in our solar system to explore, New Horizons is now setting its sights on a new target to explore. It's currently headed for Kuiper Belt object 2014 MU69 with arrival scheduled for January 1 2019.

3. Solar Eclipse of March 20

There's no better way to demonstrate the alignment of objects in our solar system than a solar eclipse. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes in front of the Sun- turning day into night and back again all within a few minutes. 

The solar eclipse of March 20 was visible from most of Europe with totality only visible from the Faroe Islands. Unfortunately most eclipse hunters who made the trip to the islands in the North Atlantic were clouded over. But it wasn't all bad news as some great shots of the total solar eclipse were captured by people in aircraft flying above the clouds. Check out this cool video taken from a plane flying high over the Atlantic where the view was much, much more spectacular.

For the rest of Europe a partial solar eclipse was visible, allowing viewers on the ground to view and take photographs of the rare celestial event. The next partial solar eclipse visible from Ireland takes place on August 21 2017, when viewers situated in a long corridor spanning the United States will witness totality.

4. The Perseid Meteor Shower

In the northern hemisphere the Perseid Meteor Shower always ranks among the favourite astronomical events of the year- never failing to disappoint. With up to fifty meteors per hour visible in dark skies, it's easy to spend hours looking up and watching debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle slam into the Earth’s upper atmosphere at around 210,000 kilometers (130,000 miles) per hour, lighting up the nighttime with fast-moving shooting stars.

Check out this amazing shot of Perseid meteors and the Milky Way over Mount Ranier in Washington State(credit: Matthew Dietrich).

5. The discovery of liquid water on Mars

On September 28 NASA announced that liquid water has been discovered on the surface of Mars!(See: NASA Has Found Liquid Water on Mars)

Based on images taken over several years from the NASA's Mars Reconaissance Orbiter(MRO), currently orbiting the red planet, there is enough evidence to suggest that liquid water does in fact exist on the surface of Mars today. MRO has been orbiting Mars since 2006.

“This is a significant development, as it appears to confirm that water - albeit briny - is flowing today on the surface of Mars.” -John Grunsfeld, astronaut and associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. 

Recurring Slope Lineae at Hale Crater, Mars
(credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona)

Using the orbiter's imaging spectrometer, scientists have observed that dark streaks on the Martian surface appear to ebb and flow over time. These darks streaks are known as recurring slope lineae(RSL) and appear to flow down steep slopes during warmer months, then fade away during colder months.

September 28 will go down in history as the day when humans stopped thinking of the existence of water on Mars as science fiction and instead turned it into science reality. In the words of Grunsfeld, "Stay tuned to science because science never sleeps and we've got lots of discoveries(left to make)."


What was your favourite space event of 2015? Let us know by tweeting us @irishspaceblog
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How to See the September 28 Supermoon Lunar Eclipse

There is no denying that a lunar eclipse is one of the most beautiful astronomical phenomenon we witness on planet Earth. There's a lunar eclipse happening on September 28(depending on your location) and here's how you can see it.


What is a lunar eclipse?
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes through the shadow of the Earth(called the umbra) and for a short time changes in colour from the bright white full Moon that everyone's used to seeing into a beautiful reddish orange, before emerging from the shadow once more.

The Moon will appear to be tinted red because of sunlight passing through particles in the Earth's atmosphere hitting the lunar surface. It's the exact same reason why the sky appears red, orange and pink during sunset.

A visual explanation of the eclipse(Note: All times are in EDT)
credit: NASA

How to see it
You don't need any fancy equipment to view a lunar eclipse- no fancy telescopes or binoculars- just a clear sky and a view of the Moon.

Start observing the Moon at around 2 a.m. Irish Standard Time on the morning of September 28. The eclipse officially begins at 02:07 a.m. when our nearest neighbour makes first contact with Earth's umbra. At this stage the Moon will slowly begin growing reddish-orange in colour.

Mid-eclipse occurs at 03:47 a.m. The Moon will then exit the umbra at 05:27 a.m.

The eclipse will be fully visible in Europe, South/East Asia, Africa, much of North America, much of Central America, all of South America and much of Antarctica.

If you're clouded over or live in a part of the world in which the eclipse is not visible- don't worry- NASA will be live-streaming the whole thing which you can check out here.
We will also be live-tweeting pictures and videos of the eclipse from around the world so be sure to follow Irish Space Blog on Twitter.

What makes this eclipse of the Moon special is that it coincides with a Supermoon. A Supermoon occurs when a full Moon takes place while it is at its closest point to Earth in its orbit, called its perigee. As a result, the Moon may appear up to 30 percent brighter than average.
Astronomy Ireland said that the eclipse on the 28th of September would be "The best we'll see until 2029!"

So get the flasks, wooly hats and cameras at the ready for what promises to be one of the most beautiful astronomical events of the year!

Clear skies!

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This Week's Night Sky: September 9-15

Let's hope the skies stay clear, because as always, we're in for a treat!



Sunday, September 8

The Moon lies 2° below bright Venus after sunset

This morning is the perfect time to look for Mars. The Red Planet is close to the Beehive Cluster(M44) in Cancer the Crab both today and tomorrow, and at magnitude 1.84 it shines 100 times brighter than the cluster's brightest stars. Since the pair are positioned so close together, it's best to use binoculars or a telescope with a wide field of view to see the pair. At 5 a.m. local time they lie 15° above the western horizon.

Look out for yet another conjunction in the west/southwest shortly after sunset, as a young 10% waxing crescent lies roughly 2° below bright Venus. The pair will be visible together for almost an hour after sunset, so make sure you have a clear view of the western horizon, for what should be a great sight!

Monday, September 9

Keep a look out for spectacular Venus after sunset all this week. The planet shines at a dazzling magnitude -3.57 and is easily visible to the naked eye. Make sure you have an unobstructed view of the western horizon to see how bright Venus is. A telescope will reveal its 75% illuminated disc.

Saturn is tricky to find this month, but you can use the 20% illuminated Moon to spot the ringed planet this evening. For observers in Ireland, Saturn lies 2° above the Moon, and the pair are visible for over an hour after sunset. Train your eyes towards the Moon using a small telescope and reveal its ancient mountains and craters casting shadows on the lunar surface. If you want to focus on Saturn, use a telescope to gaze at the gas planet's magnificent rings, which are tilted 18° towards our line of sight.


Tuesday, September 10

Take advantage of Moonless morning skies to see the Zodiacal light. From the Northern Hemisphere, the time around the autumnal equinox is the best for viewing this spectacle. You will need to be in a dark sky location with a clear view of the eastern horizon to observe the cone-shaped haze. Optimum viewing should be just before twilight at 5 a.m. LT.

Mars is also visible in the morning skies all month long. It rises just after 3 a.m. Local Time and appears near the Beehive Cluster in Cancer the Crab. Mars shines nearly 100 times brighter than the cluster's brightest stars, and the pair lie just a degree apart this morning. A pair of binoculars or even a small telescope is the best choice to view this spectacle.

Wednesday, September 11


Jupiter steals the show, as the biggest planet in our solar system rises this morning at around 1 a.m. Local Time, shining at a brilliant magnitude -1.64. A pair of binoculars should reveal the planet's four moons; Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. Point a telescope at the planet and observe its two main cloud bands, and if the time is right and your telescope is big enough, you should be able to see Jupiter's Great Red Spot. By the end of the month Jupiter rises at around midnight, setting it up for some spectacular winter evening viewing!

Thursday, September 12

The path of Comet ISON in September

The much anticipated Comet ISON(C/2012 S1) recently came inside the orbit of Mars, marking its arrival into the inner solar system. Comet hunters need a 10-inch or larger telescope to spot the comet, which currently glows at around 13th or 14th magnitude. It lies around 3° to the north-east of Mars this week, but once again- a large telescope is key to spotting it!

A September morning sky wouldn't be the same without the Great Nebula in Orion. At magnitude 4.0, it is easily visible to the naked eye as a fuzzy patch in the east, but binoculars or a small telescope will reveal its true beauty!

Friday, September 13

If you find yourself away from the city lights, gaze overhead to observe the humbling Magellanic Cloud which spans its way across the sky. Dark skies reveal the haze of millions of stars scattered throughout our Milky Way galaxy. Point a pair of binoculars or a wide-view telescope towards the constellation Cygnus the Swan, to reveal it's main star cluster- M39.

The stunning Lagoon Nebula in Sagittarius

If you have a clear view of the south, try and find the Lagoon Nebula, which is visible at magnitude 5.80. At 9:30 p.m. Local Time it lies just over 12° above the horizon in the constellation Sagittarius. Binoculars will reveal the nebula's oval shape, and you should be able to make out a definite core.





Saturday, September 14

The ever-present Plough/Big Dipper is visible all night long in the northern sky. Use the two stars at the front of the dipper; Merak and Dubhe to draw a line towards Polaris, the North star.

The Pleiades shine with a distinctive blue hue, rising shortly after 10 p.m. local time. Another deep sky object which really makes you think how mind boggling huge the universe really is, you should be able to see several stars packed tightly together with the eye alone- the famous "Seven Sisters" always give you a sense of perspective. A good set of binoculars are the most popular choice of equipment to observe this gem!

Sunday, September 15

The Moon reaches perigee, the closest point in its orbit around the Earth, at 5:31 p.m. Irish Standard Time. Our natural satellite rises at 5:30 p.m. Local Time, and is visible as a 70% waning gibbous until shortly after 2 a.m. A telescope will reveal its ancient craters and mountains casting shadows on the lunar surface in incredible detail.


Stay tuned to Irish Space Blog for all the latest news in the world of space exploration and astronomy! This Week's Night Sky will be published every Sunday, giving an insight into what you should be looking out for in the week ahead. We hope you like it!

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