Behold: Hoag’s Object – an unusual extragalactic thingy we still don’t know a great deal about despite it  being discovered by astronomer Arthur Hoag in 1950. What is it? One galaxy? Two? The Eye of Sauron? The Doughnut Of Doom?  To wit:

On the outside is a ring dominated by bright blue stars, while near the center lies a ball of much redder stars that are likely much older. Between the two is a gap that appears almost completely dark. How Hoag’s Object formed, including its nearly perfectly round ring of stars and gas, remains unknown. Genesis hypotheses include a galaxy collision billions of years ago and the gravitational effect of a central bar that has since vanished. The featured photo was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope and recently reprocessed using an artificially intelligent de-noising algorithm. Observations in radio waves indicate that Hoag’s Object has not accreted a smaller galaxy in the past billion years. Hoag’s Object spans about 100,000 light years and lies about 600 million light years away toward the constellation of the Snake (Serpens). Many galaxies far in the distance are visible toward the right, while coincidentally, visible in the gap at about seven o’clock, is another but more distant ring galaxy.

(Image: NASA, ESA, Hubble; Processing: Benoit Blanco)

apod

This afternoon.

Oluwaseun Ola, who lives in direct provision in Mayo, tweetz:

I don’t know who sent us these vouchers, whoever you are, thank you so much.

Are you considering doing something for someone this Christmas?  Why not donate a €20 voucher to someone in Direct Provision that will be a perfect gift.

Ballyhaunis Inclusion Project (Facebook)

Amy Ellen – My Heart

A lesson from the school of rock.

Dublin-based singer/songwriter Amy Ellen (top) joins forces here with her fellow students from the BIMM music school to create a compelling cri de coeur.

The video was shot in Dublin’s Displace Studios as part of the Gust Sessions.

The song is now available on all major streaming platforms, and Amy is set to release her debut EP next year.

Nick says: Top of the class.

Amy Ellen

Yesterday.

Nassau Street, Dublin 2.

The launch of ‘Green Friday’ in the Kilkenny store encouraging shoppers to get behind this year’s shop local campaign on ‘Black Friday’ this Friday.

From top: Pat Kenny and Marian O’Gorman, CEO of the Kilkenny Group ; Anna Daly Ailbhe Garrihy; Chupi Sweetman.

Previously: The New Black

Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland

.

Dublin city centre.

TV Presenter and writer, Maia Dunphy launching the Zenflore (‘specially selected’ B vitamins) Digital Detox Campaign .

A digital detox endorses a period of time during which a person refrains from using electronic devices such as smartphones or computers, regarded as an opportunity to reduce stress or focus on social interaction in the physical world.

Madness.

FIGHT!

Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland

Farmers sleep in their cabs of their tractors outside the Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin this morning

Further to the ongoing farmers’ protest in Dublin.

One of the farmers who has organised the protest, Daniel Long, told Seán O’Rourke on RTÉ Radio One this morning that the farmers will break up the protest if the Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed “corrects” the Dáil record in regards to comments he made yesterday.

Mr Creed said that death threats had been made against management at C&D Pet Foods in Edgeworthstown in Co Longford – a company at the centre of injunction proceedings against two men, Fine Gael Cllr Paraic Brady, from Drumlish, Co Longford, and Colm Leonard, from Aughanoran Dring, Co Longford, preventing them and others from trespassing at or blockading the facility.

Mr O’Rourke earlier said that the show had got word from Mr Creed’s department that he has no intention to clarify or correct what he said.

Cllr Brady told Mr O’Rourke said:

“There was a PULSE when it was reported back four weeks ago, five weeks ago, but, to date, no member of management or staff has come forward to An Garda Siochana even on request, regarding they were willing to give a statement to move this forward.”

On Morning Ireland earlier, Fran McNulty reported that according to “Garda sources”, no complaint about death threats had been made by the company.

Yesterday, Mr Creed told the Dáil:

“…this is a matter which the Garda is aware of, senior management in that company have had death threats issued against them, and their partners and families have been intimidated in that local community.

“This is not simply an issue of the Government not wanting to resolve this issue. We are grappling with what are very difficult issues.

“We have seen in other cases what happens when senior executives in companies are threatened. You, Deputy Mattie McGrath, may dismiss the significance of death threats against people. The Government does not.”

Mr Long told Mr O’Rourke that he told the minister this morning that what he said in the Dáil yesterday was not a true statement.

Asked how Mr Creed responded, the farmer said:

“He wasn’t very clear, he was evasive, I suppose would be the fairest way to put it, like. He said that was what was presented to him. He said he had a PULSE number. That’s kind of all he made of it like.”

Mr O’Rourke clarified with Mr Long: “The minister was relying on a record on the PULSE system?” to which Mr Long replied: “yeah”.

UPDATE: C& D has said that it DID report death threats to the gardai.

Listen back here

Dáil transcript: Oireachtas.ie

Earlier: ‘He Met The Farmers But Didn’t Meet The Delegation’

Rollingnews

Pamela Kearns, Labour Party Councillor on South Dublin County Council and pre-school teacher

 

Oh,

Cllr Pamela Kearns

Alternatively…

Broadsheet.ie