The Sky at Night

The spring sky holds many delights. Mercury can be viewed high in the sky above Orion (and to the left of McDermotts pub). The lighthouse on Inisheer to the left of the horizon blinks its constant message. The twinkling windows of the Aran isles smile back at us as usual. But recently our attention has been caught by what looks like a new constellation. On the other side of a valley four shining white lights in a crescent illuminate the fields towards Doolin. At first I presumed these were the UFOs several miles away, flying in battle formation above the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Centre. Closer inspection revealed them to be distant stars, far out in the universe. Although it looked like a bow, it was too low in the sky to be part of Orion.  We then had to sit down due to severe retinal damage.

You have to look closely on a clear night to see these beautiful objects. To the inexpert eye the lights might look like brash and powerful outdoor lamps attached to the front porch of a newbuild house.