The first ever cross-border agreement focused on astronomical research, with governments north and south discovering scientific common ground.
Collaboration between observatories in Northern Ireland and the Republic exemplifies how science transcends partisan politics.
The island’s contribution to astronomical research has had an international impact, but it remains one of its best-kept secrets at home.
Since more than two centuries ago, observatories in Dunsink, close to Dublin, and Armagh, Northern Ireland, have been instrumental in scientific discovery.
Armagh Observatory is home to “a true piece of astronomical history,” the oldest telescope still in its original position on the planet.
Michael Burton, the director of the observatory, stated, “The NGC, or new general catalog, is undoubtedly our most renowned work.
It was surveyed and cataloged using a telescope that is still operational.
Dunsink Observatory is well-known throughout the globe, not only for astronomy but also for mathematics.
Sir Rowan William Hamilton, a former Irish royal astronomer, developed linear algebra here.
Dunsink students are studying the sun using European Space Agency solar satellite data.
Universities on both sides of the boundary collaborated to construct the LOFAR radio telescope in Birr Castle, County Offaly.
The director of Dunsink Observatory, Peter Gallagher, stated, This telescope enables us to investigate the explosions on the sun and how they impact the planet.
It helps us examine exoplanets, such as small or large planets that orbit other stars.
It aids our examination of the origin of the universe and the origin of galaxies, stars, and humans.
The first ever cross-border agreement focused on astronomical research, with governments north and south discovering scientific common ground.
Renewal of the partnership between observatories will assist the island in maintaining its status as a global research center.
Caitriona Mullan, the project’s strategic advisor, stated that the partnership arrives at a time “when we need hope”.
She added, “I think it’s very valuable to consider the crown jewels of scientific research that were established in the Age of Enlightenment due to the recognition of the role of science in the development of human knowledge and the democratization of knowledge.”
