Stargazers in Ireland were in for a treat this evening as many reported seeing a shooting star at about the same time the International Space Station and Starlink satellites passed over the country.
Astronomy Ireland praised the “magical night sky tonight”, with many people sharing images of the event on social media.
“It’s not unusual,” says David Moore of Astronomy Ireland. “A large fireball was also seen over Ireland yesterday evening.
“It’s a rare sunny day in Ireland. One out of every nine nights in Ireland is completely sunny.”
He said there were two meteorite falls in Ireland each year and that, although they could occur at any time, there were about six shooting stars that could only be seen on clear nights.
The group’s Twitter account previously posted, “The cold weather is getting better. If you haven’t seen Jupiter, take a look at the moon now. You’re looking at Jupiter too.”
Mr Moore said the launch of around 20 Starlink satellites just last week meant it would be a prime time to see them in our skies.
“We’re always very close within a few weeks of launch,” he said.
But Moore added that the proliferation of such satellites in the night sky could actually be detrimental to stargazers who want to see the various natural phenomena that color our skies.
“Ireland’s top astronomer has recently been appointed director of the European Southern Observatory,” he said.
“Even with the €1.2 billion telescope project, 30% of the pictures will be ruined by these satellites. I’ve destroyed a few too.
“They are pests. In the future they will ruin the night sky for astronomers.”
Mr Moore added that Astronomy Ireland will publish details on its website in the coming weeks so that keen stargazers can witness the next transit.