Month: February 2017

This is so interesting – I couldn’t pass it and not post. We spend so much time teaching some of the skills of reading, very often to the detriment of other crucial skills.Why can I read the following extract? Because I have the vocabulary and the syntax; I can use contextual clues; I can scan; I also have phonic skills but am only using the very basic to decipher this article!!!! – First and last letters!!!!

It certainly is weird!!!!

The night sky is set to light up with one of the year’s most spectacular sights this evening as the Planet Venus moves closer to moon.

There was no need for a telescope to take in the show as the moon, Mars and Venus come together for a celestial phenomenon known as a conjunction just over the Paddocks tonight and even my Samsung 6 gave a pretty good reproduction of what was on view! And just as the clouds started to appear!

The event is being billed as “one of the most amazing sights visible to the naked eye for the whole year.”

NASA’s Mariner 10 mission took this first close-up photo of Venus on 05-02-1974

 

Venus’ has been blazing in the evening skies from sunset until 9pm ever since Christmas as the planet moves closer to Earth on its journey around this side of the sun.

This evening, the planet will be at its closest point to the moon with Mars visible just to the upper left of Venus in the sky.

Mars and Venus will then continue to move closer to each other until tomorrow night, Wednesday Feb 2nd.

Visible to the naked eye

Astronomy Ireland editor, David Moore said – cloud willing – everyone in Ireland will be able to see tonight’s triple-treat event with the naked eye.

“Indeed, a quick glance at the Moon between sunset and 9pm will immediately raise eyebrows as this brilliant object (the planet Venus) has been this close to the Moon so high in the sky for a very long time – and this will be the closest they will get all year,” he said.

“We cannot emphasise enough how spectacular this sight will be tonight.”

He warned it will be four years before the two planets come so close together in the night sky again.

Hell on Venus

Venus – almost the same size as Earth – has a runaway greenhouse gas effect which has driven the surface temperature to 500 Celsius.

Covered in clouds containing sulphuric acid, the planet experiences ‘air’ pressure 90 times that found on Earth.

Both Mars and Venus contend for the honour of closest planet to Earth at different points in their orbits around the sun.

 

 

Spring is now coming(according to the weatherman Spring starts officially March 1st)Nearly everyone I know is able to quote at least a line or two from this poem by the famous poet, Antaine Ó Raifteirí (1784-1835). I believe it’s considered his greatest poem – it’s certainly the one most quickly recognised, even if just as I said for a line or two..

Anois teacht an earraigh, beidh ‘n lá dul chun síneadh

‘S tar éis na Féil’ Bríde, ardóidh mé mo sheol,

Ó chuir mé ‘mo cheann é ní stopfaidh mé choíche

Go seasfaidh mé síos i lár Chontae Mhaigh Eo.

I gClár Chlainne Mhuiris bheas mé an chéad oíche,

‘S i mBalla taobh thíos de thosós mé ag ól,

Go Coillte Mach rachad go ndéanfad cuairt mhíos’ ann

I bhfogas dhá míle do Bhéal an Áth’ Móir

 

Fágaim le huacht é go n-éiríonn mo chroíse

Mar éiríonn an ghaoth nó mar scaipeann an ceo,

Nuair ‘smaoíním ar Cheara nó ar Ghailleang taobh thíos de,

Ar Sceathach a Mhíl’ nó ar phlánaí Mhaigh Eo.

Cill Aodáin an baile a bhfásann gach ní ann,

Tá sméara ‘s sú craobh ann, is meas ar gach sórt,

‘S dá mbeinn-se ‘mo sheasamh i gceartlár mo dhaoine

D’imeodh an aois díom is bheinn arís óg.

I also remember the short poem about Raifteirí himself …. but just the first verse. Praise to the days of learning things by heart!!!!

Mise Raifteirí, an file,
lán dóchais is grá
le súile gan solas,
ciúineas gan crá