Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

Keep an eye on the sky tonight for a spectacular astronomical display

It’s the most impressive display the Moon can ever put on with another celestial object.

STARGAZERS ARE  IN for a treat tonight.

Actually – ‘stargazers’ probably isn’t the right word, there aren’t any stars involved. But unfortunately there’s no catch-all term for ‘people who like Jupiter’.

shutterstock_400393633 Shutterstock / jakkapan Shutterstock / jakkapan / jakkapan

Anyway, if you happen to cast your gaze skywards tonight, you might spot an extremely bright heavenly body next to the Moon.

It’s not a star, however. It is in fact the largest planet in our solar system…

David Moore of Astronomy Ireland reckons it will be “one of the most spectacular events visible to the general public during 2016″.

“It is really only a line-of-sight effect – with Jupiter being 2,000 times further away than the Moon, but to the general public it will look like the two brightest objects in the night sky will be beside one another in the most impressive display the Moon can ever put on with another celestial object.

This is definitely an event for your ‘bucket list’, seeing the two brightest objects in the night sky closer than you will ever see them again in your life.

moon1 The Moon and Jupiter. Astronomy Ireland Astronomy Ireland

The above image, in fairness, probably doesn’t do the phenomenon justice – and if you want a closer look (and you’re in the Dublin area) Moore and his colleagues are setting up some powerful telescopes tomorrow night.

The event’s happening at AI’s HQ in Rosemount Business Park in Blanchardstown – near the M50 from 9pm.

“The Moon is always stunning in a telescope, with thousands of craters peppering its surface and vast lava plains and huge mountains all visible in the giant telescopes,” Moore said.

Those who stay until after 10pm will even get to see the Great Red Spot on Jupiter which is the biggest storm in the solar system, bigger than Earth, and has been ‘blowing’ with 500 km/h winds for over 300 years.

The two celestial objects will technically be closest tonight – and they’ll be almost as close tomorrow evening.

Read: Apple expects any new iPhone you buy to last three years

Read: Take a break and watch this chimpanzee’s dramatic attempt to escape a zoo

Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

Close
51 Comments
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Mogh Roith
    Favourite Mogh Roith
    Report
    Aug 2nd 2022, 9:04 AM

    Needs to be read by every gobdaw who says “what can government do, there is a war on” when discussing cost of living crisis.

    440
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Gerard Carthy
    Favourite Gerard Carthy
    Report
    Aug 2nd 2022, 9:26 AM

    @Mogh Roith: Yes if oil was intrinsically more expensive their turnover would be up but not profits. Price is speculation and profiteering on markets.
    Ditto grain. 2022 will be the second largest grain production year on record, and demand is falling somewhat. We’re quite likely to have to much grain this year.

    85
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Lee King Buckett
    Favourite Lee King Buckett
    Report
    Aug 2nd 2022, 9:52 AM

    @Mogh Roith: You have to split it out though, there is bugger all the Irish government can do about BP profits – they’re a UK based company and only the UK can do anything on that front.

    There is, however, something the Irish government can do about domestic utility providers by introducing caps or linking any increase in prices to the size of profits being made.

    Be aware though, that it needs to be done right – the UK have run a system of energy price caps for years now and the entire system there is now in turmoil with bankruptcies and now, in October, projected doubling of consumer costs.

    The caps won’t work unless there is a strong legislative framework to deal with price rise requests.

    Ireland does not do string regulation very well unfortunately.

    63
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Jerriko17
    Favourite Jerriko17
    Report
    Aug 2nd 2022, 9:10 AM

    Absolutely scandalous that the fossil fuel industry and also utilities including our own Bord Gais are posting huge profits at a time when us the user are faced with huge fuel bills…. Time to hit these guys with huge windfall taxes and start trying to switching to renewables. And not a dickie bird about this scandal from our politicians across most parties but when there’s a mention about a miniscule carbon tax, or someone questions turf cuting, they’re up in arms!!!! Maybe there’d be no need for carbon taxes if we had the cahones to take on the fossil fuel industry, bankers, multinationals… Etc etc etc.

    273
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute thesaltyurchin
    Favourite thesaltyurchin
    Report
    Aug 2nd 2022, 10:31 AM

    @Jerriko17: Is it ‘scandalous’ though? It’s been happening forever

    19
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Michael Nolan
    Favourite Michael Nolan
    Report
    Aug 2nd 2022, 10:55 AM

    @Jerriko17: they have finally found a way to have a war without effecting profits what a world

    36
    See 1 more reply ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Jerriko17
    Favourite Jerriko17
    Report
    Aug 2nd 2022, 3:07 PM

    @thesaltyurchin: No problem with companies making reasonable profits but this is a two fingers up to the rest of us trying to cope with the damage the fossil fuel industries has, and continues to cause. I’d call that scandalous!!! But those profits are probably funding part of our pensions so who wants to rock that boat!!! More than ever we need people with ethics and principles in politics but sadly they are very scarce.

    7
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Shaun Gallagher
    Favourite Shaun Gallagher
    Report
    Aug 2nd 2022, 9:07 AM

    Read a few headlines to yesterday saying “relief for drivers as fuel goes under €2 a litre” so in other words its going to be always around that price now

    162
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute JedBartlett
    Favourite JedBartlett
    Report
    Aug 2nd 2022, 9:12 AM

    @Shaun Gallagher: Yep, people are slowly being conditioned to be grateful that petrol or diesel is approx €2 per liter.

    178
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Colm Coughlan
    Favourite Colm Coughlan
    Report
    Aug 2nd 2022, 9:36 AM

    @Shaun Gallagher: Was always going to happen, get used to €2.13 being considered high and then soon as it hits €2 or lower we think we are getting a good price.

    70
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Dave Barrett
    Favourite Dave Barrett
    Report
    Aug 2nd 2022, 9:03 AM

    Disgusting! When countries are struggling with living costs.

    183
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute FiannaFáilness FineGaelness
    Favourite FiannaFáilness FineGaelness
    Report
    Aug 2nd 2022, 9:08 AM

    All of the big companies are making record breaking profits. Yet we’re in a global cost of living crisis. It’s not costs that are pushing prices up, it’s greed, profit hunting to the detriment of their consumers.

    280
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Derek Lyster
    Favourite Derek Lyster
    Report
    Aug 2nd 2022, 9:27 AM

    @FiannaFáilness FineGaelness: they need to recover the losses they had during covid aswell as build up profits as more and more people move away from oil. We have found the new normal price so profits can be maintained as consumption goes down.

    29
    See 1 more reply ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute FiannaFáilness FineGaelness
    Favourite FiannaFáilness FineGaelness
    Report
    Aug 2nd 2022, 1:24 PM

    @Derek Lyster: BP supposedly (creative accounting comes into play always) made a loss of $5.7b in 2020. That was completely made back in 2021 when they recorded a profit of $12.85b for the year. In the half year to date for 2022 they have made $14.7b in profit. 1st quarter was $6.2b and 2nd quarter $8.5b. So yeah the only losses they experienced were in 2020 and they’ve already covered those losses and remain in profit.

    11
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute OConnelj
    Favourite OConnelj
    Report
    Aug 2nd 2022, 9:51 AM

    Why has my standing charge and unit cost of electricity increased while my provider claims that it is suppling 100% renewable energy? So are they lying or just price gouging?

    88
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Billy McNamara
    Favourite Billy McNamara
    Report
    Aug 2nd 2022, 10:29 AM

    @OConnelj: I’d hazard a guess. Price gouging.

    53
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Geoff Bateman
    Favourite Geoff Bateman
    Report
    Aug 2nd 2022, 9:13 AM

    Was this all part of the Covid Plan???

    79
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute JusticeForJoe
    Favourite JusticeForJoe
    Report
    Aug 2nd 2022, 9:33 AM

    @Geoff Bateman: Yep. Wait til they activate all the chips they put into the jabs too. When they turn them on, people will stop complaining and agree to let AIB close their cash branches

    87
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Peter
    Favourite Peter
    Report
    Aug 2nd 2022, 9:19 AM

    Well thank god they are ok and made a little profit was very concerned for them that they wouldnt. Those executives need to have the massive bonus and options pack or they could be forced to mingle with the ordinary people.

    72
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute David Corrigan
    Favourite David Corrigan
    Report
    Aug 2nd 2022, 9:30 AM

    @Peter: The holiday homes on Long Island have to be paid for and maintained!!!

    49
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute thesaltyurchin
    Favourite thesaltyurchin
    Report
    Aug 2nd 2022, 10:32 AM

    @David Corrigan: Even if they’re never lived in.

    20
    See 1 more reply ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Peter
    Favourite Peter
    Report
    Aug 2nd 2022, 11:05 AM

    @David Corrigan: you left out the pair of Lear jets just so they have a spare and of course the 10 high end sports cars they never use as they get driven around in the rolls.

    10
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Dr. Emmett Lathrop Brown
    Favourite Dr. Emmett Lathrop Brown
    Report
    Aug 2nd 2022, 9:13 AM

    No worries, our Government is “considering” a Windfall tax…

    53
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Watchful Axe
    Favourite Watchful Axe
    Report
    Aug 2nd 2022, 3:25 PM

    @Dr. Emmett Lathrop Brown: Worldwide newspaper journalists need to get the full list of the big decision-makers on all these companies/international davos type clubs printed onto a deck of cards like the US did with their terrorist list. Send a deck to every journalist in the world.. Dig into every aspect of their lives and make their lives a living hell, 24 hr paparazzi; pay off bank workers; hire private investigators; door stop everything connected to them. The top 0.001% of the world’s powerful need the legs cut from under them, they’re making c you next tuesday out of the rest of us at this stage.

    10
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Tony Mc Grath
    Favourite Tony Mc Grath
    Report
    Aug 2nd 2022, 12:34 PM

    Where are the figures for the Irish Companies and service providers here. It woul be interesting to see the profits of companies such as Electric Ireland etc. We’re all aware that there is no proper regulation in this country i.e whatever rise in prices they ask for, they get, without many questions being asked. Remember the farce of the Banks regulation.

    17
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute François Pignon
    Favourite François Pignon
    Report
    Aug 2nd 2022, 9:09 AM

    That’s gas!

    17
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute MickN
    Favourite MickN
    Report
    Aug 2nd 2022, 2:59 PM

    The rich get richer and the poor get poorer, as designed.. We are getting mugged and we should be electing people to challenge this but we don’t we choose pain, why?

    17
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute thesaltyurchin
    Favourite thesaltyurchin
    Report
    Aug 2nd 2022, 9:09 AM

    Money is a bore, nearly everything else is more interesting.

    12
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Dean
    Favourite Dean
    Report
    Aug 2nd 2022, 1:37 PM

    There was me thinking inflation wasn’t caused by corporate profits

    8
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute james comiskey
    Favourite james comiskey
    Report
    Aug 2nd 2022, 4:44 PM

    It says in the article they lost over 20bn in Q1. But I guess most people were happy enough to just get annoyed with the headline.

    5
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute JC O'Connachain
    Favourite JC O'Connachain
    Report
    Aug 2nd 2022, 7:04 PM

    Greed is a knife and the scars run deep

    3
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute J Mac
    Favourite J Mac
    Report
    Aug 2nd 2022, 10:29 PM

    They are curbing inflation by crippling us all

    1
Submit a report
Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
Thank you for the feedback
Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.
JournalTv
News in 60 seconds