Uploaded November 2022 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The timing of Samhain, when portals to the pagan Otherworld were opened to the souls of the dead, was likely determined by ancient pagan astronomers highlighting the incredibly rich and deep history of astronomy on this island. To this day, our astronomers peer into the unknown to understand the Universe we live in. In this talk, Dr Paddy Kavanagh gives an overview of the history of astronomy on this island, from these ancient astronomers marking seasonal events to using the James Webb Space Telescope to look at the most distant and dark corners of the Universe.
The timing of Samhain, when portals to the pagan Otherworld were opened to the souls of the dead, was likely determined by ancient pagan astronomers highlighting the incredibly rich and deep history of astronomy on this island. To this day, our astronomers peer into the unknown to understand the Universe we live in. In this talk, Dr Paddy Kavanagh gives an overview of the history of astronomy on this island, from these ancient astronomers marking seasonal events to using the James Webb Space Telescope to look at the most distant and dark corners of the Universe.
