TONIGHT is a rare opportunity to see a space shuttle blaze across Ireland. The shuttle, named Endeavour, launched from Florida and has been visible as a brilliant “star” for the past two nights. It will again be visible in Ireland tonight (and until July 23rd), good weather permitting.

David Moore of Astronomy Ireland emphasises its brightness. “This has only been seen once before from Ireland in the 28-year history of shuttle launches, so we want everyone to stay up and watch it. I have seen it before and it is one of the most amazing sights I have ever seen.”

The exact time to see all this space hardware blazing across the night sky can be obtained from Astronomy Ireland, which has set up a special text service. Text the word SPACE to 57003 and an alert will be sent to your mobile phone roughly two hours before the craft flies over, with details of when and where to look. Each alert costs €1. Paul Fennessy