Irish weather doesn't always allow for observing the cosmos due to those "blasted" things called clouds.
As a result, we tend to meet up as a club to share thoughts, ideas and generic current affairs from the world of astronomy.
We generally meet up on the last Sunday of each month in a café or hotel bar in Drogheda where there is good parking access, to find out more, we encourage you to join the club and come meet us, we're a nice bunch really and always welcome new members no matter how experienced you are, or are not, as the case may be.
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While looking up at the night sky is the main purpose of astronomy, it's always good to know what to look at, and what's new in the world of astronomy.
We hold regular talks for our club, given by our members and guest speakers from other clubs and academic organisations throughout the year.
These talks are well organised and always good fun, open to members only, so don't hang about, click below to join the club
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In 2024 when we organised our first 'Star Party', we knew the weather would be against us, and we always wanted to organise another event that built on that fantastic experience.
What we learned was that you have to be ready to have a back-up in case the weather is completely against you again, so while 'Star Parties' can be hit and miss, once you have a full programme of activities that can compensate for bad weather (which is so unpredictable in Ireland) you can do a lot more for astronomy-mad people.
This year, in 2026, the Boyne Valley Astronomical Society is delighted to announce our inaugural "Astro-Hootananny" jampacked full of fun events throughout the day, even for the non-astronomer out there!
This event is open to the public and other clubs, so, check out our;
BVAS Astro-Hootananny
There are often times when we forget how interesting that big glowing orb in the 'night' sky is: The Moon.
we love observing the moon, there are so many features on it and so many things to try and find, you could spend an eternity just observing 'it' alone.
So we organise regular Lunar Observing Sessions where we break out the scopes and binoculars and the good old digital cameras, and enjoy an evening under 'The Moon' light.
To find out when our next "Lunar Observing Session" is;
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As part of our public outreach and club events, we organise 'Sidewalk Astronomy Nights' every now and then when the weather permits, especially on nights when it's a full moon.
These events are usually announced on our Facebook page, so check it out and follow us there to be kept in the loop on our next 'Sidewalk Astronomy Night'.
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Another fan favourite for Astronomers is meteor showers!
Some of our favourites are the Perseids in August and Orionids in October
We usually arrange a nice observation spot by the coast and head out to observe and snap them, but the only equipment you really need is your two eyes!
Join the club to be invited to our next "Meteor Shower Meet-up":
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One of the most amazing things about mankind is that we are actually 'in' space, and orbiting earth 16 times per day, every day, are 6 astronauts aboard the International Space Station, or ISS.
The ISS has regular transits across the moon and sun, and it often transits with view of many spots in the Boyne Valley that offer great opportunities to see it happening with the naked eye, and capture it with cameras.
To find out when our next 'ISS Transit Meet-up' is taking place:
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Our members are not only interested in looking at the night sky and the sun.
We are also avid fans of science and interactive activities that don't require "telescopes".
To that end we have interactive creative projects that are both fun and scientific such as our DIY Cardboard Planetarium Project, our High Altitude Balloon Project and our Citizen Science Program that are member-exclusive.
So take that "astronomy" interest one step farther, join the BVAS and get cracking with some science too:
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The incredible constellation of Auriga is a treasure-trove of jewels in our night sky.
Imaging from Dundalk's light polluted B7 skies, BVAS founding member Ciaran Copas is a master at capturing these hidden gems right above our heads that no one can normally see
This image contains over 10 hours of images all stacked together to create a masterpiece worthy of display on any wall, anywhere. In here you have three very specific and incredible nebulae all located within the one constellation:
IC405 The Flaming Star Nebula around 1,500 light-years away,
IC 410 The Tadpoles Nebula around 12,000 lightyears away,
IC 417 The Spider and the Fly Nebula around 10,000 light-years away.
Captured from Dundalk, January 2nd and 7th. February 26th and 27th.
This INCREDIBLE image above taken by Marty McCormack from Bortle 7 Skies in Dublin, shows Sh2-115 and its neighboring emission structures, located in the constellation Cygnus, approximately 7,500 light-years away.
The nebula is part of a large H II region, where ionized hydrogen glows under the intense ultraviolet radiation of nearby hot, massive stars.
The golden filaments trace regions rich in sulfur, while the bluish areas highlight oxygen emissions, revealing the chemical diversity of the interstellar medium. Intricate dark lanes of dust cut through the luminous gas, marking dense regions that may serve as future stellar nurseries.
Together, these features illustrate the complex interactions between stellar winds, radiation, and molecular clouds in shaping the morphology of emission nebulae. High res version HERE
This amazing object is named after the Norse God "Thor" because of its inherint helmet like shape, but it is in fact a Wolf-Rayet star that is about to go 'supernova' very soon, if it hasn't already done so.
One of the most challenging objects to capture from Ireland, most people don't attempt it because it is only 13° above the earth's horizon, and thus, obscured by an abundance of turbulence and light pollution from our cities.
In recent years however, our club founder has started something of a trend since he posted his first attempt at capturing this challenging nebula from Drogheda South, and since then a whole host of Astrophotographers have given it a go.
Located 11,960 lightyears away from Earth in the constellation of Cannis Major, NGC2359 is a notable Hii (inoized) region of the constellation just slightly north east of the star "Sirius". This image has 11 hours of data in it and is captured from Drogheda south over 3 seasons in 2023, 2024 and 2025.
Video © Marty McCormack 2024 All Rights Reserved
We are a club of like-minded amateur astronomers of all levels, from complete beginners to advanced images and scientists alike, here to make astronomy fun in the Boyne Valley Region
