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Island of Astronomers
Sons and daughters of Ireland have made numerous notable contributions to astronomy.
Waterford's Thomas Hariot, a friend of Sir Walter Raleigh (purveyor of potatoes), invented a
telescope and made a map of the moon and was one of the first to observe the comet later to be
known as Halley's Comet. Hariot is also credited with discovering sunspots.
One of the first private observatories was established at Markree Castle, Co Sligo, by Edward
Cooper in 1830. He and his assistant Andrew Graham spent eight years measuring the positions
of an astonishing 60,000 stars and their groundbreaking catalogue was published in London by
the Royal Society. Today you can be a guest at Markree Castle as it is now a hotel.
An observatory built at Daramona estate in Co Westmeath, by one William Wilson in 1871, is
credited with obtaining the first reliable temperature estimate of the Sun's visible surface. Wilson is
also remembered for his pioneering experiments to measure the brightness of stars in the 1890s.
Women have not been unknown in this field and are also to be credited for their contributions to
the development of this science of the stars and mysterious cosmos. Among those we remember
are Lady Margaret Huggins, who collaborated with her husband, noted English astronomer
Sir William Huggins, in studying the composition of stars and early astrophysics. Mary Ward
was a writer who popularised the use of telescopes and microscopes. Agnes Clarke was "the
chief astronomical writer of her day" and her ambitious book, Problems in Astrophysics (1903),
influenced the new field of astrophysics.
Today, Ireland has is known to have the world's largest astronomy club per head of population.
There are events and updates which you may follow online.
In the north of Ireland, the Armagh Observatory is a modern astronomical
research institute with a rich heritage. Founded in 1790 by Archbishop Richard Robinson, the
Observatory is one of the UK and Ireland’s leading scientific research establishments. Around 25
astronomers are actively studying Stellar Astrophysics, the Sun, Solar System astronomy, and the
Earth’s climate.
www.astronomy.ie
Crohy Head, Donegal © Brendan Alexander
265
Sons and daughters of Ireland have made numerous notable contributions to astronomy.
Waterford's Thomas Hariot, a friend of Sir Walter Raleigh (purveyor of potatoes), invented a
telescope and made a map of the moon and was one of the first to observe the comet later to be
known as Halley's Comet. Hariot is also credited with discovering sunspots.
One of the first private observatories was established at Markree Castle, Co Sligo, by Edward
Cooper in 1830. He and his assistant Andrew Graham spent eight years measuring the positions
of an astonishing 60,000 stars and their groundbreaking catalogue was published in London by
the Royal Society. Today you can be a guest at Markree Castle as it is now a hotel.
An observatory built at Daramona estate in Co Westmeath, by one William Wilson in 1871, is
credited with obtaining the first reliable temperature estimate of the Sun's visible surface. Wilson is
also remembered for his pioneering experiments to measure the brightness of stars in the 1890s.
Women have not been unknown in this field and are also to be credited for their contributions to
the development of this science of the stars and mysterious cosmos. Among those we remember
are Lady Margaret Huggins, who collaborated with her husband, noted English astronomer
Sir William Huggins, in studying the composition of stars and early astrophysics. Mary Ward
was a writer who popularised the use of telescopes and microscopes. Agnes Clarke was "the
chief astronomical writer of her day" and her ambitious book, Problems in Astrophysics (1903),
influenced the new field of astrophysics.
Today, Ireland has is known to have the world's largest astronomy club per head of population.
There are events and updates which you may follow online.
In the north of Ireland, the Armagh Observatory is a modern astronomical
research institute with a rich heritage. Founded in 1790 by Archbishop Richard Robinson, the
Observatory is one of the UK and Ireland’s leading scientific research establishments. Around 25
astronomers are actively studying Stellar Astrophysics, the Sun, Solar System astronomy, and the
Earth’s climate.
www.astronomy.ie
Crohy Head, Donegal © Brendan Alexander
265
