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Updated 6.45pm
IF YOU TURN your eyes to the sky tonight to look at the full moon, you might notice a brilliant looking ‘star’ shining away next to it.
That is, of course, if some pesky clouds aren’t in the way.
It won’t actually be a star – it will be the planet Jupiter. Astronomy Ireland said today the planet will be easily visible to the naked eye, even from brightly lit cities.
Jupiter is the biggest planet in the solar system at over 1,000 times the volume of the Earth.
Tonight, it will be just to the left of the moon and will still be visible tomorrow night, directly above the moon.
The planet is at its closest to the Earth for all of 2015 and tomorrow night, powerful telescopes will be set up at Astronomy Ireland’s Headquarters in Blanchardstown, Dublin, at 8pm to show its cloud belts and four moons.
All are welcome and the ‘Jupiter Watch’ is free of charge.
“We are urging everyone to glance at the sky over the next two nights and see the biggest planet in the solar system right next to the Moon in the sky,” commented David Moore, editor of Astronomy Ireland magazine.
“It is an mistakable awe-inspiring sight that you cannot miss. Hopefully, it will inspire thousands more to take up the hobby of astronomy especially with the big eclipse on the way later this month!”
Originally published 3pm
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One of my family is going though a divorce right now with a difficult partner and it is ruining her life. It’s incredibly drawn out and is so easy for a difficult partner to throw a spanner in the works and keep on delaying it. If people want to divorce they should be allowed carry on with their lives and not have to have the stress hanging over them for several years!
Do they think by making people wait fours they’ll suddenly reconcile? How many times has that happened?
Totally agree.
Theres other reasons as well such as sham marriages
Quickening of divorce will not eradicate stress or the strain of court battles, spanners being thrown in the works in ref to the legal issues involved in dissolving a marriage.
Two years of stress versus four years of stress? Having been through it myself I definitely think the waiting time should be cut. Having that hanging over me for four years was torture and the stress had an effect on my health.
Marion, wrong as always. 5 years of court battles and botching and trips to the solicitors versus 2. Imagine the benefit to children cutting out those stress levels!
4 years is crazy long. I don’t know of anywhere else where it is that long. Although I would even say that 2 years is still excessive. I think 1 year would make sense.
Think who made the decision on 5 years? The church boys who never marry anyway.
the wait time to get married is three months. the same should apply for getting a divorce. it’s a legal thing, and the conditions are there to prevent scam or unthought out marriages (not understanding the rights and responsibilities that change). In theory you should be able to get married twice every year, but fool to that man/woman.
4 years, I wish. My marriage breakup occurred in 2008, entered the courts in 2009 and is still there. A technicality prevented it being a divorce when a judicial separation was ordered. For some inexplicable reason you have to apply again for a divorce and the whole moronic saga goes on and on. People should take cognisance of the fact that all legal statutes are made up e.g. A political party decides to bring in legislation to……let’s see now? Oh yes let’s make up a set of rules that can be constantly altered to suit the situation. Let’s make a rule that all couples seeking a separation of divorce are heard within one year of the application. Let’s bring them into court on some onerous pretext such as asking them repeatedly to declare how much money they have and we can then say, that’s their one year hearing. The courts need to know how much there is for the kids you see but don’t mind it being whittled away on legal expenses, not their fault. So every time you go in, new affidavit of means. Unless you’ve been through this system you have absolutely no idea what’s going on. Within the system itself there is zero accountability, they’ll rise a row between two people and then blame the two people for the row. Its not fit for purpose. The rules and statute should be changed, it should be six months for separation and six months for divorce, period. Then at least people could get on with their lives, instead of what they currently do to people and what’s gone on in the past.
@Bob
I agree with you. Four years is ridiculous And two years is too much as well. If people decide that their marriage is over and unworkable then they apply for divorce and that should be it People need to be able to get on with their lives. This would be the best situation for all concerned particulary the children if any. And it should be their welfare that is paramount
Marriage should carry a twelve month get out of gaol free clause, whereby either party can pull the plug without any legal entitlements apart from settling child custody arrangements. Couples really don’t know what they are letting themselves in for when they say- “I do”!
Should it not be like a day or something? If it’s over you’d like it to be actually over when you say it is
No no no, you have to allow time for the ingrained Catholic guilt to set in.
Marriage predates catholicism, but odd the buck stops with them
The book stops with the church/state as both parties CONTRACTED with the church/state when you signed the REG ister.
The church/state never defaults so they hold all the power.
Why not like the old days before the Roman take over- and go to the doughnut stone – Torus- and only the 2 parties decree themselves married – no middle men in frocks to pay or contract with.
People apply for the marriage licence having no idea what that licence is for? Its begging permission to have LEGAL SEX.
i thought it was a certificate. you must be thinking of televisions.
@Catherine Mill: I think you’re reading the wrong “book”.
LOL!!
2 years? It should be cut to six months max.
I agree, that would definitely be a more reasonable period.
Yes, now can we please have a referendum on the eight amemdent and take control of national schools away from the Catholic Church? Thanks
Can’t we just ban marriage? Just have a relationship with a contract like an employment one. Give a months notice or something.
Sarcasim Rodrigo! Quick in to confession before its to late!
I mean Aren’t we all looking or hoping for a better offer? Maybe them zero hour contracts aren’t so bad after all?
Yes of course – as it is contracting with the church/state and who in their right mind wants to do that- knowing the church will never default. Its a massive con and we are told the truth.
Two verbals and a written warning should terminate the contract.
6 months too a year if children are under 18. If not you should at least be able to get the ball rolling instantly.
Got to drag it out for money to be made by the court corporation and solicit- ors.
What was I thinking. How wpuld those poor solicitors and their families survive. They d have to keep the 161 Merk for maybe… 2 years!
Nothing truer than that and they often make the situation worse.
There’s the whole three months’ notice period before marriage to make sure that no one is rushing into it.
If the State reasons that we are ‘with it’ enough for three months to suffice to begin a marriage, why could the same period not apply to dissolving a marriage?
should be whenever you fu#king like
humm you burnt my fish fingers I want a divorce ?
Such a stupid policy/legislation, drags out the whole sorry affair much longer than it needs to be, causing more unnecessary pain and suffering for everyone involved. People should be able to move on with their lives when they want to.
Should be reduced to 6 months. Why prolong unhappiness?
What about the children?
Should be a contact 14 days cooling off period ,12 month guarantee and life time manufacturer guarantee , If you don’t fulling it can be return.
How many men and women stay in relationships that are abusive, kids getting effected etc.. The sooner it can be done the better instead of dragging it out, When it over its over and most know that.
We should consult the holy catholic church and the two sacred popes. As they run our hospitals, our education and sport – as well as dictating the state’s health policies on abortion etc.
Didn’t we have a similar poll from the Journal just a little while back?
It should be cut to “whenever the heck you want divorced ” !! Treat people like adults ! Why are major decisions like marriage /child bearing (within reason) law based
Repeal it from the constitution, let the oireachtas legislate. 4 years is too long.
Divorce is an evil word created by atheists attempting to undermine the good work of the Lord.
What Lord? What good work?
Glad to see you supporting the invisable alien god who loves suffering and misery and murder.
Marriage is an INSTITUTION and that word says it all.
Yeah catherine – that’s the problem with atheists no sense of humour.. or sense of irony.
@Dessie: ….and those evil atheists will be screaming for a priest on their death beds!
I love a bit of fishing on the journal. You always get a bite
I’m not sure why there should be a waiting time at all.
Assuming the financial burden for the state of the administration of the divorce is met by the party initiating the divorce should they not, if mutually agreed, be allowed to terminate the contract at the time of their choosing?
There’s such a long waiting time because of the religious influence over legislation in this country. It’s to vindictively punish those whose marriages have failed. If it only takes 3 months notice to get married, why should it take 16 times longer to even start to extricate yourself from it if not to punish?
This is 2016 isn’t it? But what do you expect in a country where the Constitution begins with a Catholic prayer, where “public” schools ask for a Catholic birth cert, where the Angelus is broadcast daily on a “public” tax supported broadcaster. Four years is pathetic in the manner it prevents agreeable adults to carry on with their lives. Why a time limit at all?
Yes cut it to 2 years. No one should be punished for their marriage breaking down by having to wait 4+ yrs. Let people move on with their lives.
having read all the comments below I assume most are relatively young and obviously in unhappy marriages as they cannot wait to get out of them, in the states and other places they have to have a medical to ensure they are not to closely related they should have that here as well but also a mental check to ensure that those getting married have the mental capacity to stick to their promises and not bale out at the first problem, as for blaming everything on the church that is a cop out its not that long ago when the only one who stood up for the poor and weakest in the community was the church who were also the ones to educate us, yes there were/are and always will be a few bad apples but they are in the minority, unfortunetly the same cannot be said for the govt as they seem to get worse as time goes on….
Incorrect based on me anyway ..married at 27 .. still happily married at 35. I have no desire to divorce but should I , I think it shouldn’t take 4 years ! Same applies to abortion.. personally it isn’t something I would plan /like to do however I don’t think the law should have the say over everyone else’s decision.
“…as for blaming everything on the church that is a cop out it’s not that long ago when the only one who stood up for the poor and weakest in the community was the church…”
Seriously? Like the way they stood up for unmarried mothers, their children, orphans and children in industrial schools?
Between those things and the child rape I think it’s gone way beyond “a few bad apples”.
It’s not 4 years at present, it’s 4 years out of the previous 5 – meaning the courts will force you to wait AT LEAST 5 YEARS after you separated before they will grant a divorce. Of course, you may get around this if you can both agree on a false separation date well into the past and state to the courts that that’s the day you actually separated!
Eh no, that’s not the case, I got divorced 4 years and 4 months after separating from my ex.
You were fortunate. I wasn’t given that option.
I represented myself for my divorce in fairly acrimonious circumstances, so no fudging of dates. We had no children or property, so it was relatively straightforward. It cost me the princely sum of €20.
Does it really matter? Marriage doesn’t really exist anymore.
Would you enlighten us, as to why you think marriage doesn’t exist anymore?
‘Cos – I, and almost everyone I know, ‘lives in sin’…
You know, Larissa… It is because the gays can do it now, of course.
I suppose but I think the fact its necessary points to people having a very casual attitude to marriage these days.
Could I get an Elvis minister, cheeseburger and extra fries with my quickie please?
I’ve a friend who had a nervous breakdown on discovering her husband was cheating on her, discovering your spouse is cheating on you is difficult enough to deal with, having immediate access to divorce won’t do anything for the people suffering from depression due to the break-ups.
It also won’t help their depression being legally bound to their spouse for longer than necessary
4yrs is a bloody prison sentence!!
Once both parties agree, why does the government get to have their say? They didn’t have a say in the marriage itself if it took place in a church. Just makes no sense. I’d vote for no time limit…but if there HAS to be one, definitely two years is more than enough!
Sheldon on the Big Bang theory had it right with the “relationship agreement”.
Some marriages are like stages of cancer, before it finally brings you down.
No quickie weddings and no quickie divorces.
have your say