Peter Household
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Superluminous supernovae are a rare subclass of supernovae. Astronomers don’t yet understand what drives them to be so bright. Main image represents one of these in the act of exploding – it’s a NASA artist’s impression of the explosion of SN 2006gy. The peak optical luminosity of a standard supernova can be comparable to that of an entire galaxy before… “read more”
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About 700 million years ago, before the onset of macroscopic life, Earth froze over, and for our public lecture on 12th October, UCC’s Dr Heda Agić looked at how life on Earth survived these conditions. Large image – Heda (left) elaborating on a couple of points from her talk, after the meeting closed. During the Snowball Earth glaciations, ice may… “read more”
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Observers nights are held at Frankfield Golf Club, 8 p.m., on a Monday night towards the end of each month. Members only. The next session will be held on 19th October 2026, followed by 23rd November. “read more”
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Mon 14th Sept 2026 – “Large Scale Structures in the Universe: the Great Wall to the Great Attractor”
Our new sseason opened on 14th September with a public lecture by Frances McCarthy on the universe at the largest scales — so aptly descried by Douglas Adams in a A Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy: “Space is big. You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it’s a long way down… “read more”
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A solar eclipse occured on 12th August this year. In parts of Spain it was total, and a small handful of Club members travelled there to witness it. Meanwhile in Cork it peaked at 95% around 7 pm, but disappointingly Cork sat under a dome of cloud. Viewing events were held in concert with Blackrock Castle Obsrevatory at three separate… “read more”
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Two names that will forever be associated with extra-terrestrial life — left, philosopher and heretic Giordano Bruno, and right, Frank Drake with his equation — will feature in Cork Astronomy Club’s public lecture on 11th May. Monday 11th May is the final public lecture of the current season, which by tradition is given over to three short presentations from Club… “read more”
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Cork Astronomy Club members’ photos are on show at Blackrock Castle throughout May 2026. Our Club includes a clutch of highly skilled astrophotographers and we thank Blackrock Castle Observatory for showcasing their work. The castle provides a wonderful exhibiton space, and a glimpse of part of the exhibition can be seen in the photo on this page. All the photos were… “read more”
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Are we alone in the universe? May an answer lurk under the ice on some of Jupiter’s moons? Explore the possibilities with Hans Huybrighs (small image) who calls his talk “20,000 Leagues Under an Alien Ocean”. Hans is a research fellow in astrophysics at Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS) . Main image shows Jupiter’s icy moon Europa in 2022.… “read more”
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The Club’s 2026 Spring Outing visited Dunsink Observatory, New Grange and the Boyne Valley, and was blessed with sunshine, hugely welcome after a month of rain. 23 members and friends took part. Dunsink Observatory has been a centre for astronomical research and public engagement in Ireland since its foundation in 1785, and has been home to many of Ireland’s most… “read more”
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Three presentations by Club members as part of Irish Astronomy Week:- Sara Harvey — “Our Galaxy and Beyond – Deep Space Photography” Sat 21-03-2026 @ 03:00 PM, in Cork City Library, Grand Parade Derek O’Keeffe — “The Wonders of the Night Sky” Tues 24-03-2026 @ 11:00 AM, in Kilmallock Library, Co Limerick Declan Foley — “An Introduction to Astronomy“ Sat… “read more”