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2025-03-31-accounts

Armagh Observatory and Planetarium

Annual Report and Accounts For the year ended 31 March 2025

Laid before the Northern Ireland Assembly under clause 8 of The Armagh Observatory and Planetarium (Northern Ireland) Order 1995, as amended by Schedule 1, clause 6 of the Audit and Accountability (Northern Ireland) Order 2003, by the Department for Communities

on

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© Armagh Observatory and Planetarium copyright 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. To view this licence visit: - - www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open government licence/version/3/.

Any enquiries regarding this publication should be sent to info@armagh.ac.uk or telephone 028 3752 3689.

Armagh Observatory and Planetarium

Annual Report and Accounts For the year ended 31 March 2025

Pages
The Trustees’ Annual Report 1 – 26
Remuneration and Staff Report 27 – 30
Statement of the Responsibilities of the Governors and Accounting Officer 31
Governance Statement 32 – 42
Publications 43 – 49
Presentations 50 – 54
Education and Outreach 55 – 56
The Certificate and Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General to The
Northern Ireland Assembly 57 – 60
Statement of Financial Activities 61
Balance Sheet 62
Cash Flow Statement 63
Notes to the Financial Statements 64 – 76

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The Trustees’ Annual Report for the year ended 31 March 2025

The Board of Governors and Management Committee, who are the Trustees for Armagh Observatory and Planetarium (AOP) have pleasure in presenting the annual report and financial statements for this charity for the year ended 31 March 2025. These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the accounts, with the guidance issued by the Department of Finance on the form and contents of the Annual Reports and Accounts of Executive Non-Departmental Public Bodies, The Armagh Observatory and Planetarium (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 and Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102). The Remuneration and Staff report is prepared in accordance with the direction set out in The Government Financial Reporting Manual (FReM) 2024-25.

The sponsor Department for Armagh Observatory and Planetarium is the Department for Communities (DfC) (the Department).

Objectives and Activities

The organisation’s statutory functions are set out at Article 4 of The Armagh Observatory and Planetarium (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 (the Order). The Order requires that ‘ the Governors shall, for the purpose of developing and improving the knowledge, appreciation and practice of astronomy and related sciences, maintain and manage the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium and may take such other action as the Governors may think proper for the purpose of acquiring or disseminating knowledge relating to astronomy and related sciences’.

In accordance with Paragraph 8(1) of Schedule 1 of the Order, the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium (AOP) Board of Governors has delegated the primary responsibility for the governance and management of AOP to a Management Committee with the statutory purpose of ‘developing and improving the knowledge, appreciation and practice of astronomy and related sciences’.

AOP’s Management Committee has corporate responsibility for ensuring that AOP fulfils the aims and objectives set by the Department for Communities (the sponsor Department) and approved by the Minister and for promoting the efficient, economic and effective use of resources.

As the primary responsibility for the governance and management of AOP has been delegated to a Management Committee, the Governors considered that the role of Charity Trustees would more appropriately align with their remit. The Board of Governors agreed in principle to this. The Charity Commission of Northern Ireland recommended that the Members of the Management Committee be appointed as Trustees for the Charity alongside the Members of the Board of Governors. Accordingly, both the Members of the Board of Governors and the Members of the Management Committee are Charity Trustees.

Armagh Observatory is the oldest scientific institution in Northern Ireland, and the longest continuously operating astronomical research institute in the UK and Ireland. Armagh Planetarium is also the oldest operating planetarium in the UK and Ireland.

A Strategic Plan for 2021-26 was launched in September 2021 and this is now being implemented. The strategy is built around four strategic themes –

These strategic themes support the delivery of a number of Programme for Government Outcomes and have potential for synergies with multiple departmental strategies and objectives.

Our Mission:

“Our mission is the pursuit of knowledge and understanding of the cosmos, and the sharing of that knowledge in order to inspire future generations and enrich the intellectual, economic, social and cultural life of all.”

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Our Vision:

“Our vision is to be recognised as an international centre of scientific excellence for the pursuit of astronomy and the public understanding of science, for our capacity for innovation and our extraordinary heritage, a place our community can be proud of.”

The organisation operates on the international stage and receives core funding from the Department and the receipt of external grants from the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), and other grant-awarding bodies.

Our strategic objectives:

Specifically for 2024-25, our objectives were:

  1. To retain the current baseline complement of research staff necessary to ensure the minimum level of critical mass for a research organisation is maintained

  2. To maintain the vitality of the PhD programme by enrolling a minimum of 3 new Astronomy PhD students each year to maintain a minimum student population of 12 over the 4-year study period

  3. To retain a baseline level of staff that will ensure AOP can continue to provide a vibrant programme of activities and events throughout the year to maintain/increase 2023-24 visitor numbers and customer satisfaction levels

  4. Continue to safeguard and maintain our built and natural heritage and historic instruments and collections 5. To retain baseline levels of staff that will ensure AOP can continue to maintain a governance framework which reflects best practice and provides the necessary assurances to stakeholders as set out in the Partnership Agreement between AOP and DfC

  5. Maximise AOP’s admission income through investment in an increased event programme

  6. Maximise AOP’s trading income through continual review of stock and pricing

  7. Make applications for additional funding to supplement the ability to provide a range of educational programmes and outreach activities

  8. Maximise income from private hire of AOP facilities for conferences and events

  9. Implement Governance arrangements and staffing support structure for the AOP Redevelopment Project

  10. Maximise the use of internal resources and grant funding to deliver in accordance with the Redevelopment Project Plan and funders terms of offer

  11. To participate within the Astronomical Observatories of Ireland Partnership (AOI) work-streams based on the agreed areas of co-operation (Research, Heritage, Education/Outreach and Placemaking)

  12. To participate in the AOI Governance and Oversight structures agreed by the partnership.

Achievements against specific key performance indicators are also listed on page 19.

Public Benefits

The Trustees confirm that they have complied with their duty to have regard to the guidance on Public Benefit produced by the Charities Commission of Northern Ireland under Section 4 of the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008 (the public benefit requirement statutory guidance) and that this has informed the activities of the organisation in the year to 31 March 2025. This is demonstrated in the following summary of Principal Activities which provides detail on how the organisation has delivered against its objectives and the public benefit which has flowed from this.

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Principal Activities

Impact of Brexit

With the full implementation of the UK’s EU withdrawal agreement, AOP has encountered several visa issues for non-UK or Irish citizens when crossing between the two jurisdictions on the island of Ireland. One of our PhD students was unable to obtain a visa in time to travel to Galway to give a presentation at INAM (the Irish National Astronomy Meeting) in August 2024 and had to present remotely from Armagh. We are also encountering issues with the planned relocation of the Lindsay Scholar from Dublin to Armagh for their second year of study as they are an EU citizen enrolled in Trinity College Dublin.

The requirement to pay, in full and in advance, NHS costs in addition to visa costs for the full contract term is also adding considerable pressure to new non-resident students and Post Doctoral Research Assistants (PDRA’s). Charges have nearly doubled over the last year. A PDRA, who has joined AOP on a prestigious Leverhulme grant that will help allow AOP to develop its data-visualisation ambitions, was faced with a total visa and NHS costs of more than £11,000 for himself and his family. AOP needs to find ways to alleviate these initial hurdles, as some HEI institutions already do for PDRAs through loans and in some cases full reimbursements (e.g. in several UK universities); if not AOP will otherwise risk being unable to attract talent, fill critical skill gaps, and live up to its ambition of being an equal-opportunities workplace.

Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS), AOP’s partner in the Astronomical Observatories of Ireland, had to cancel a planned away-day for all staff to Armagh scheduled for 17 October 2024. DIAS intended to take their entire staff to AOP for the day (about 50 were expected) as part of an internal staff engagement activity. However, several members of DIAS are no longer able to travel across the NI-RoI border due to the nature of their visas. DIAS could not discriminate against some members for what was a staff engagement event and so regrettably had to cancel their trip to Armagh.

AOP Research and its International Standing

AOP is one of the oldest scientific research institutes in the UK and Ireland with a long-established reputation of research excellence. It is also one of very few astronomical institutions in the world to have a modern planetarium where its research can be effectively communicated and where a research-informed outreach and public engagement activity can be sustained. AOP is strategically engaged in front-line research in several key areas of astrophysics. These range from the study of our Solar System to that of distant galaxies, in keeping with the long and varied history of scientific achievements of the Armagh Observatory and with the desire to be perceived by the public as leaders in the strands of astronomical research that are communicated through the Planetarium.

Typically, around a third of AOP’s research is funded by the award of project-specific external grants mainly from the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), together with several ad hoc grants. These grants support projects led by individual research astronomers with the provision of PhD scholarships, post-doctoral research assistant salaries, computing equipment and observation/conference travel funding. In 2025, AOP researchers contributed to secure €700,000 from the European Space Agency for funding across different EU institutions for a monitoring campaign of potentially hazardous Near-Earth Asteroids. This will fund one PhD student at AOP. AOP researchers also submitted four applications for STFC grants providing funding for one Post-Doctoral Research Assistant (PDRA) each, plus salary staff contribution and estate costs. This is in addition to an EU-Horizon Advance Grant application to establish a premier research group of students and PDRAs working on massive stars in Armagh. While these efforts underscores AOP’s ability to seek research funding, it is important to stress that its permanent staff numbers are nonetheless close to the minimum critical value to ensure its sustainability in the UK funding landscape. For instance, both the number of UKRI PhD studentships and the availability of UKRI grants to publish research in open access format depend critically on staff numbers, which for AOP translate in considerable fluctuations for these research income streams.

AOP research requires the use of state-of-the-art observing and computing facilities internationally in order to obtain new astronomical data and allow its analysis. STFC and UK government support provides access to world-class international facilities, and AOP research staff regularly are awarded telescope time on some of the most soughtafter telescopes in the world such as the European Southern Observatory (ESO) Very Large Telescope (VLT) and Atacama Large Millimetre Array (ALMA) or the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). In addition, through AOP’s membership of the UK SALT Consortium, its research staff have access to the 11-metre diameter Southern African Large Telescope (SALT). AOP is also a founder member of the international Gravitational-wave Optical Transient Observer (GOTO) project; a member of the UK consortia involved in building the detectors for Inouye Solar Telescope (IST); LOFAR (Low Frequency Array) radio telescope project and a consortium member of the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) gamma-ray observatory and the BlackGem project which conducts optical surveys from Chile. Finally, AOP is in a leadership position for nearly a quarter of all the observing time dedicated to Large Programs run by the 15-meter diameter James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) in Hawaii.

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The European Southern Observatory Very Large Telescope, with its array of 8-metre diameter telescopes in Chile.

These facilities can be extremely expensive to run so that, through the award of their use, the international astronomical community essentially entrusts astronomers at Armagh to make effective use of the data. For instance, the running cost of one observing night at VLT is about £50,000 whereas the cost of one HST orbit worth of observing time is around $75,000. This year alone, AOP researchers secured 12 nights at VLT and over 50 HST orbits. Furthermore, by leveraging on South African collaborations AOP researchers secured over 50 hours of SALT telescope time, or ten times the guaranteed time that AOP secures through its yearly contribution to SALT.

AOP research staff also play a full role in the international astronomical community. For instance, they serve on committees of bodies such as the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), STFC, the International Astronomical Union (IAU), ESO time allocation panels, assess grant and research proposals on behalf of external funding agencies, review scientific papers and edit international academic journals, and act as external PhD examiners in the UK and beyond. AOP researchers also sit on scientific advisory panels or lead specific projects with future ground-based observing facilities (Vera Rubin Observatory, ELT-METIS, VLT-BlueMUSE), space satellites and missions (European Space Agency’s future Plato and Comet Interceptor missions) and large-scale surveys (MOONs).

At the XXXII General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union, held in Cape Town in August 2024, three AOP astronomers were elected as Presidents of IAU Commissions. They were (i) Stefano Bagnulo, President of Commission B6 – Astronomical Photometry and Polarimetry – part of Division B (Facilities, Technologies & Data Science), (ii) Michael Burton, President of Commission C4 – World Heritage and Astronomy – part of Division C (Education, Outreach & Heritage and (iii) Simon Jeffery, President of Commission G5 – Stellar and Planetary Atmospheres – part of Division G (Stars and Stellar Physics).

The international reputation of AOP research staff is also underscored by their ability to attract their international peers to Armagh either on research visits or organising international conferences and workshops at the Planetarium. For instance, in September 2024 AOP welcomed over 44 delegates for the UK Star Formation Conference, thanks to the initiative and coordination of AOP’s staff and student’s efforts by AOP’s Öpik fellow and to funding from the RAS. A well-attended public talk was part of the itinerary, given by Professor Derek Ward-Thompson of the University of Central Lancashire. As another example of AOP’s reputation, this year has been the second in a row when AOP has been able to secure all its top candidates for the appointment of PhD students and research fellows, including the recruitment of AOP’s new Öpik fellow starting in October 2025.

AOP research staff are also involved in the training of PhD students who also play a key part in AOP outreach and public engagement activity. AOP students are usually registered at Queen University Belfast (QUB), through an advantageous student fee arrangement that over time has allowed AOP to attract students from all over the world and achieve a vibrant diversity in our cohort that in turn prepares our students to be STEM champions, promoting equal opportunities in physics when they help at the Planetarium. In this respect, AOP’s students will now play an important role as STEM ambassadors in Northern Ireland, with AOP now being the coordinating organisation for this initiative.

In this last respect, we note that this year saw several research-led public sessions at the Planetarium in AOP’s data visualisation laboratory, where staff and students use its large screen as well as immersive technologies such as the Cobra panoramic, curved screen and VR sets to instigate discussion around astronomy data and research. The arrival at AOP of a Leverhulme-funded PDRA previously based at Inter-university Institute for Data Intensive Astronomy in South Africa has allowed AOP to further investigate the use of immersive technologies not only in outreach but also in research. For instance, a particularly promising avenue concerns the agile exploration of the result of complex cosmological simulations for galaxy formation.

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Immersive visualisation for both stars (purple) and gas (yellow) particles (several millions) for a simulated galaxy cluster, showing an array of gravitational and hydrodynamical processes affecting galaxy formation.

Finally, AOP continues to be committed to promoting the career development of its researchers, the integrity of its research as well as inclusion, diversity and equal opportunities in research. For this AOP has followed up on several actions for the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers (see 2023-24 Annual Report), including reaching out to QUB to receive the latest training in research integrity, continuing to offer AOP’s Öpik fellowship as an opportunity for progression towards independent research, supporting students and researchers development through travel funding to conferences and workshops and promoting their research with contributions to AOP’s Management Committee. Besides the aforementioned QUB training opportunities, in terms Research Integrity Concordat AOP has also updated its own policies on research integrity and misconduct to the standard needed by UKRI, had internal student training on plagiarism and discussion on personal experiences of research misconduct. Finally, AOP research staff and students continue to be involved in the organisation wide Equality Diversity &Inclusion working group, and already participated in the Institute of Physics (IoP) meetings outlining the path for AOP in the new Physics Inclusion Award run by the IoP.

Research Highlights

To provide a practical understanding of how the work of AOP research contributes to the region’s international reputation and understanding of the cosmos, the following provides some highlights of the research undertaken at AOP in the financial year. This draws from international collaborations and the award of observing time on highly competitive facilities, as well as direct support from the Department allowing AOP to participate in several key international projects (such as SALT, GOTO, IST, I-LOFAR, Comet Interceptor, CTA and BlackGem). Full bibliographic references can be found in the publication list appended to this report.

Stellar and Galaxy Evolution

Introduction

When we look up on a dark night, we may think that stars are immutable and isolated. Yet, although stars can live for as long as the age of the Universe, they can also undergo dramatic changes in a matter of seconds. They are also not isolated from other stars. Some are found in pairs or tight groups and more generally stars are related to each other through the very way in which they form and evolve. Stars are born from giant clouds of gas and return matter to those clouds, seeding the birth of new stars as they fade away or sometimes explode in dramatic events. Furthermore, stars produce the heavy elements necessary for the formation of rocky planets and of life as we know it.

In turn, the formation history of stars relates to the formation and evolution of the galaxies that contain them. Some galaxies no longer appear to form stars, unlike the case of the Milky Way. This may depend on whether fresh gas is available around them, on whether they have collided with other galaxies in the past or possibly also on whether their central supermassive black hole suddenly becomes active and pours out tremendous amounts of energy capable of clearing its host galaxy of any star-forming gas material. Finally, galaxies are carried by the general expansion of the Universe and the evolution of the dominant, yet unknown dark-matter material in which they themselves are embedded. Understanding the formation and evolutions of stars and galaxies therefore ultimately means understanding our origin in relation to the very fabric of the Universe.

Recent results

AOP stellar studies range from the most massive and brightest young stars to the faintest and ageing stars or stellar remnants such as white dwarfs and black holes.

The research led by Professor Jorick Vink is both theoretical and observational in nature and is supported by grants from STFC. The theoretical work is focused on understanding the formation and evolution of the most massive stars

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and stellar black holes in the Universe - objects that can shine up to ten million times brighter than our Sun. A key area of investigation concerns pair-instability supernovae, a rare type of stellar explosion in which the entire star is disrupted. These events play a crucial role in enriching galaxies with heavy elements, potentially contributing more to galactic chemical evolution than all lower-mass stars combined. Recent work led by Professor Vink, together with PhD student Ethan Winch and postdoctoral researcher Gautham Sabhahit, has revealed that the most massive stars in our Milky Way undergo significant mass loss through strong stellar winds, effectively "evaporating" over time (Vink et al. 2024). However, in more pristine, metal-poor galaxies - such as those probed via gravitational wave detections - these stars retain far more of their mass (Winch et al. 2024), with important implications for the formation of massive black holes. On the observational front, Professor Vink is the Principal Investigator of the ESO-VLT Large Programme X-Shooting ULLYSES (XShootU) . This international collaboration brings together around 100 experts in massive star astrophysics to study the stellar properties of massive stars in the low-metallicity environments of the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. These galaxies serve as nearby analogues to the early Universe, offering critical insights into the nature of the very first stars, which are thought to have been extremely massive. In the past year alone, the XShootU programme has produced 10 peer-reviewed publications.

More than 90% of stars will end their lives as white dwarfs - stellar remnants with a mass comparable to the Sun but compressed to the size of Earth. These objects are incredibly dense (imagine compressing a car down to the size of a coin) and they exert an intense gravitational force. We know that remnants of planetary systems once orbiting these stars eventually fall onto the white dwarf’s surface. Many white dwarfs also have strong magnetic fields. A team led by staff astronomer Stefano Bagnulo previously discovered a case in which the magnetic field was channelling the accreting planetary debris onto specific regions of the white dwarf. Building on that work, the same team led by Bagnulo has now shown that this magnetically guided accretion is common in the universe. Bagnulo, together with visiting astronomer John Landstreet, also studied the magnetic field properties of white dwarfs and made another important finding: as magnetic white dwarfs age, their magnetic fields tend to align with their rotational axis. While unexpected, this result confirms a theoretical prediction from the early 1970s that had never been observed before.

An artistic impression of a magnetic white dwarf surrounded by the remnants of a planetary system.

Stars may pass through several stages after leaving the long-lived hydrogen-burning phase and becoming white dwarfs. Many become red giants, and a few become hot subdwarfs. Professor Simon Jeffery and his team study the latter, including stars that are in transition from one to another. Some hot subdwarfs evolve to become white dwarfs and show large-amplitude pulsations; AOP is at the forefront of theoretical studies of these stars; including hydrodynamical simulation of their oscillations ( Jeffery 2025 ) . An AOP survey using SALT to study peculiar hot subdwarfs has discovered stars with surfaces which are excessively rich in unusual elements such as lead, extremely deficient in hydrogen and most metals ( Jeffery et al. 2024 ), or show extremely strong magnetic fields of a few hundred kiloGauss ( Dorsch et al. 202 4) (30 times that of an MRI scanner). The team is working to discover whether the chemical excesses are of nuclear origin or due to the formation of thin clouds in their atmospheres ( Scott et al. 2024).

Looking further in the Milky Way, the Carina Nebula complex is a spectacular star-forming region located at 2.3 kpc, which is close enough to observe different size scales in detail. With more than 65 O-stars and more than 900 young stellar objects identified it is also the nearest analogue of more extreme star forming regions, such as 30 Doradus. The results of a major effort to study the relationship between the different gas phases in the Carina region

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from 100 pc to 0.01 pc using the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA), the Mopra telescope in Australia and the ALMA telescope in Chile were presented at the IAU General Assembly in Cape Town in August 2024. This is a collaboration between Chilean astronomers David Rebolledo and Guido Garay, Australian astronomer Anne Green, and Professor Michael Burton at Armagh. At large scales, CO images combined with far-infrared data from Herschel revealed the overall molecular mass and its distribution across the Carina complex. An extremely detailed map of the HI 21-cm line across the whole nebula revealed a complex filamentary structure in the atomic gas, which allowed the identification of regions where phase transition between atomic and molecular gas is happening. An ATCA 1-3 GHz radio continuum image across the whole Carina region revealed a complete and spectacular view of the ionized gas in the region. At small scales, ALMA high spatial resolution observations of molecular line tracers and dust showed that the level of stellar feedback effectively influences the fragmentation process in clumps, and provides further evidence for a higher level of turbulence in the material with a higher level of massive stellar feedback.

This work is also close to the research of AOP’s previous Öpik Fellow, Dr David Eden, who was in post until December 2024. He was utilising data from multiple JCMT Large Programs to investigate the causes of star formation in the Milky Way. These Large Programs investigate multiple stages of the star-formation process from the formation of new molecular clouds (the sites of star formation; Rani, Li, Moore, Eden et al., 2024 ) to the role dense-gas (the gas most closely aligned to star formation) takes in the earliest stages of star formation; ( Eden et al., 2024 ). Eden et al. (2024) calculated the physical properties cold cores identified by the Planck survey and determined that they were indeed tracing the youngest sites of star formation and are a distinct population of Galactic Plane surveys. Rani et al. (2024) investigated the kinematics of molecular clouds in the Galactic Plane and their findings suggested that the Galaxy was not impacting the rotation of these clouds, but instead it was the imprint of the processes that formed these clouds. Further JCMT data was utilised to investigate the star-forming conditions in the Galactic Centre and the amount of star formation was found to be low ( King, Moore, Henshaw, Longmore, Eden, et al., 2024 ), with the magnetic fields hinted at as the cause of this ( Yang, Lai, Karoly, Pattle, Lu, Eden, et al., 2025 ).

Finally, linking to external galaxies, Professor Marc Sarzi’s long standing interest in central supermassive black holes (SMBHs) resulted in several papers within the WISDOM collaboration, which focuses on the study of galactic nuclei using ALMA observations for the molecular gas in these regions. This particularly cold phase of the interstellar medium can indeed lead to accurate black-hole mass measurements as it is often found in relaxed and regularlyrotating gaseous disks, allowing us to follow very well the gravitational pull that stars and supermassive black holes have on such gas clouds near the centre of a galaxy. Taken together with the spectacular angular resolution of ALMA, comparable if not superior to that of HST, these observations allow to trace molecular gas clouds moving around central SMBHs as the planets do around the Sun, leading to relatively straightforward and very precise measurements for their mass. This was further demonstrated In Zhang et al. (2025) , which set the current record for the accuracy for the mass measurement of a SMBH in external galaxies, to just 5% and exceeding the gold standard set by measurements based on rare water mega-masers disks. Considering how common nuclear disks of molecular gas are, this is a promising avenue for completing the census of nearby SMBHs and further elucidate their role in galaxy evolution.

The role of SALT

The Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) is the largest telescope in the Southern Hemisphere, providing unparalleled access to the skies for its shareholders. Participation in this major international facility brings visibility throughout the worldwide research community and AOP is presently the only UK research institution to engage in collaborations with other SALT international partners, as the last holder of shares in UK SALT Consortium. Through such partnerships, AOP receives a return in terms of telescope time allocation that is equivalent to roughly 10 times its contribution. For instance, over the years a unique programme led by Professor Simon Jeffery at AOP has obtained over 1000 observations of nearly 700 objects, targeting some of the most exotic stars in the Universe and exploring their abundance in key elements such as hydrogen, helium, carbon, oxygen, and iron, as well as rarer elements such as lead and zirconium. These data contribute to a growing series of discovery papers and to the training of postgraduate research students at AOP. As the last standing organisation in the UK with shares in SALT, AOP has now a unique opportunity to promote both scientific and economic advantages in using this telescope to both the UK and Irish astronomical communities, creating further partnerships opportunities for AOP.

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The 10-metre diameter Southern African Large Telescope (SALT), in the semi-desert region of the Karoo, South Africa.

Transient stars and Transiting exoplanets

Astronomers from the ancient world detected new stars, “novae” or “supernovae”, which suddenly appeared in the night sky and then gradually faded from view over weeks or months. We now know that many of these “transient” events occur when one star circling a companion star unloads enough matter through the process of “accretion” to its companion to make it explode. These Supernovae ‘Ia’s have now been used to show the universe is expanding at an accelerating rate. However, astronomers are not sure what kind of star the companion is in these events.

It is now 30 years ago that the first planet was discovered around a regular star – an exoplanet. We now know that most stars host planets. The most common means for discovering new exoplanets is a called the transit method where an exoplanet has the right orbit inclination to cause a slight dip in a star’s brightness once every exoplanet year. To determine the mass of the transiting body, high resolution spectroscopy is required to determine its radial velocity since the body could be a very low mass companion star or a brown dwarf whose mass is not quite high enough to start nuclear burning in its core.

Recent results

AOP is a founding partner of the international project the Gravitational-wave Optical Transient Observer (GOTO) whose prime goal is to detect the optical counterpart of gravitational wave events such as the neutron star binary merger GW170817. AOP’s contributions are led by Professor Gavin Ramsay. Since April 2023, the GOTO telescopes have been operating remotely and routinely from the island of La Palma in the Canaries and New South Wales in Australia. GOTO images the whole observable sky every few nights and is ready and waiting for new gravitational wave events made by Ligo and Virgo. In the meantime, GOTO has discovered more than 2000 supernovae in distant galaxies as well as outbursts from Galactic compact binaries and other variable stars. In Warwick et al (2025) GOTO reported on SN 2023tsz which is a rare sub-type of stripped-envelope core-collapse supernovae in a very low-mass galaxy; and in Pursiainen et al (2025) the discovery of AT 2024wpp which is a very luminous supernova with high velocity outflows.

The GOTO Consortium have also developed an education programme called Kilonova Seekers where people around the world can gain insight to how science is done but also make contributions to astronomical research. Kilonova Seekers have already discovered several dozen new supernova but have also made a spectacular discovery of an outburst from a previously unknown large amplitude accreting binary, GOTO0650, in our Galaxy. With the help of amateur astronomers, we were able to detect a series of ten echo outbursts after the main outburst had ended. Such observations allow theoretical models of accretion discs to be tested in detail. Other wide field surveys such as ZTF have been used to study the outburst characteristics of another class of accreting binaries called VY Scl stars Duffy et al (2024) and X-ray observations have been used to confront the number of accreting binaries with theoretical models Rodriguez et al (2025).

Ramsay also works with colleagues in the New Generation Transient Survey (NGTS located in Chile) project together with data obtained from the TESS satellite to discover and characterise exoplanets. These include NGTS-29b which orbits its Solar analogue star every 69 days Gill et al (2024) ; NGTS-33b which is a young super-Jupiter planet orbiting every 2.8 days around a rapidly rotating hot star Alves et al (2024) and NGTS 31b and 32b which are two hot Jupiter-

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like planets orbiting evolved sub-giant stars (Vines et al 2025). Ramsay is also the ESA Plato Community Scientist and member of the Plato Science Working Team whose main goal is the detection of Earth sized planets around the habitable zone of Solar type stars and is due to be launched towards the end of 2026.

GOTO0650: Showing how the brightness of this newly discovered accreting binary evolved since its discovery in October 2024. These repeat outbursts provide important tests of models which predict how accretion discs change over an outburst.

Stellar Activity

We have known for many years that the number of sunspots varies on an eleven-year timescale. We can also infer the presence of spots on other stars (starspots) because as spots rotate into view, the star appears to dim since these spots are cooler than the rest of the star. The Suns’ changing activity can also be traced by other means including measuring the characteristics of specific spectral lines. As timescales are expected to be years, finding evidence for stellar activity cycles on other stars takes time to emerge. Systematic and regular spectroscopic observations of Solar-like stars began during the 1960’s with a focus on using the Calcium lines as an activity indicator. Subsequent studies using data such as these showed that other stars exhibit activity cycles on a similar ∼ timescale to the Sun. For lower mass stars, an activity cycle of 7 yr was detected in the star nearest to the Sun, Proxima Centauri using optical, UV and X-ray observations.

Gavin Ramsay, Professor Gerry Doyle and colleagues continue to study activity on low-mass stars and Solar type stars using data from the TESS satellite and ground-based telescopes such as the 10.4m Gran Telescopio Canaries on La Palma. Recently they have used data from TESS to search for activity cycles on low mass stars (less than half the Sun’s mass). In particular, they measured the amplitude of the rotational modulation over time of several thousand stars which were observed in the TESS continuous viewing zones and searched for evidence that stars showed a systematic trend in the amplitude of rotation over time. They found 26 low mass stars which showed such a variation making them candidates for exhibiting stellar activity cycles of several to many years (Ramsay, Hakala & Doyle 2024). In another paper, Ramsay along with colleagues, King et al (2025) used X-ray observations to search for long term variations in the X-ray brightness of the binary DS Tuc which has two active stars.

Solar System Studies

Introduction

Our Solar System is an extraordinary natural laboratory to study the formation and evolution of planetary systems around the Sun and other stars. AOP feeds into fundamental questions about how the Solar System and the Earth formed and the development of life in the Universe. Our study of comets, asteroids and planets impacts on models of solar system formation, the ever-present hazard to civilization if asteroids or comets hit our planet and on the origin of water and organic compounds necessary for life to exist. The space industry benefits from improved detailed knowledge and understanding of the near-Earth and interplanetary environment.

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Recent results

The Rubin telescope, seen here under the glittering light of the Milky Way at the Atacama Desert in Chile. The facility is expected to begin commissioning operations in 2025.

Dr Apostolos Christou reported the successful recruitment of a PDRA to work on a project funded by a Leverhulme Trust research grant. The project aims to develop advanced Artificial Intelligence tools that will be used to sift through the huge volume of asteroid data expected from the Rubin telescope. Dr Alexander Sivitilli joined AOP on the 1 January 2025 and has been working to develop software for AOP’s Data Visualisation Laboratory facility and to incorporate the latest datasets on asteroid properties into the DVL astrophysical databases suite. Sivitilli has also been working closely with PhD student Andrew Marshall-Lee in developing Artificial Neural Network (ANN) algorithms, with a view to apply them to the problem of finding families of asteroids created by ancient collisions in the main Belt of asteroids between Mars and Jupiter. Collisions are a fundamental driver of planetary system evolution and applying the new algorithms to the Rubin data promises to reveal the 4 billion year history of our solar system in unprecedented detail.

The 15,000 asteroids known to cross the Earth’s orbit – known as near-Earth asteroids – are as prone to breaking up as their counterparts between Mars and Jupiter. However, their orbits frequently bring them close to the Earth and the gravity of our planet scatters them onto completely different orbits like a cluster being struck by the cue ball in a pool table, creating an additional challenge to the problem of finding families among near-earth asteroids. In a paper published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, PhD student Alice Humpage and Apostolos Christou carried out numerical simulations on the in-house Sirius computer cluster with the aim to quantify the scattering rate for NEAs. An important finding of the work is that this rate varies across the different orbit types, with orbits strongly tilted to the ecliptic plane being the least prone to the scattering and suggesting that a search for families should prioritise asteroids in the less-affected orbits. Another significant outcome of the work is that the scattering growth over time can be approximated by a simple mathematical function, potentially providing a method to date the families.

Shooting stars, also known as meteors, are caused by bits of debris from space burning up high in the atmosphere. Their observation allows astronomers to map out the debris distribution along the Earth’s orbit and even determine which comet or asteroid they may have come from, a ‘poor man’s sample return’. Since the time of Ernst Öpik, Armagh has been a leading centre of meteor research. In a recent study published in the journal Icarus, Apostolos Christou and Maria Gritsevich (University of Helsinki, Finland) ask the question whether meteors could be observed in the atmosphere of the neighbouring planet Venus. In the study, Christou and Gritsevich found that, on average, an observer would see about twice the number of meteors on Venus than on Earth, making our neighbouring planet the better place to do meteor astronomy. In the future, cameras placed in orbit around Venus and looking down on the nightside would allow astronomers to study the space debris populations at two different locations in the solar system. This work also generated a popular article in Universe Today, a space and astronomy news site.

Finally, polarimetry is a special technique that analyses the light and can be used as a powerful remote sensing tool and which, when it comes to Solar system studies, can reveal the size and composition of asteroids. Bagnulo secured funding from the European Space Agency (ESA) to use polarimetry for the monitoring Near-Earth Asteroids (NEAs), a key component of ESA's planetary defence strategy. Understanding the size and trajectory of NEAs is critical, as these objects could potentially impact Earth. Funding was used to recruit a PhD student who will start in October 2025.

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Education and Community Outreach

Planetarium

AOP is a unique institution that brings together cutting-edge research and public engagement, all within a heritagerich environment steeped in scientific legacy. Its public programme is built on four foundational pillars: education, inspiration, entertainment and outreach. Established in 1968, the Planetarium is internationally recognised as a pioneering centre of excellence dedicated to advancing public understanding of science.

At the heart of the Planetarium’s mission is the education and dissemination of scientific and astronomical knowledge. It serves a broad and diverse audience – from young children to older adults – through its comprehensive school’s programme and dynamic public outreach initiatives. Whether onsite or offsite, AOP is committed to making astronomy and science accessible, engaging and inspiring for all.

AOP offers a comprehensive education programme designed to inspire and inform individuals about astronomy and space science. This includes an onsite school’s programme tailored for all educational levels from Nursery through to Third Level, engaging students with interactive workshops and immersive fulldome experiences. These sessions explore Earth, space, and the physical sciences, sparking interest in STEM subjects. For schools in the Republic of Ireland, a Junior Cycle programme provides modular content aligned with the national curriculum, allowing teachers to select topics that best suit their classroom needs.

In recent years, AOP has significantly expanded its outreach efforts, supported by external funding and the establishment of a dedicated Tours and Outreach Officer role. During 2024-25, we delivered a wide-reaching outreach programme across Ireland’s border counties, fully funded by Science Foundation Ireland. A parallel initiative, supported by the UK Space Agency, brought science engagement to schools across Northern Ireland. These efforts resulted in our highest-ever offsite engagement figures, reaching approximately 25,000 individuals through school visits, science festivals, and community events including sessions for groups such as Scouts. This represents a marked increase from the 11,000 people reached during 2023-24. We are committed to continuing outreach as a core activity, particularly for schools unable to visit our facilities due to geographical constraints. Outreach will also remain a key part of our involvement in science festivals and special events. Special credit goes to Dr Rok Nežič, AOP’s Tours and Outreach Officer, who coordinated and delivered the majority of the programme, travelling across Ireland in our electric van to make science accessible to communities far and wide.

In 2024-25, AOP launched Space Cadets , an after-school STEM education programme designed for children aged 7 to 11. Delivered as themed, one-hour weekly sessions, the initiative aims to spark curiosity and build lasting interest in space science. Initially funded by the International Astronomical Union, Space Cadets has proven highly successful, and we now aim to sustain and expand it beyond the original funding period. The education team also ran Little Astronomers , a monthly club for pre-school children, which consistently sold out, highlighting the strong demand for early years science engagement. AOP also took part in global initiatives such as One Hundred Hours of Astronomy , hosting afternoon solar viewing sessions that attracted a wide range of visitors. This experience underscored the untapped potential of afternoon programming for families and special interest groups.

With our education programme at full capacity and bookings consistently high, there is clear scope to grow our afternoon offerings, catering to both after-school audiences and adult learners. However, it is worth noting that while school visitor numbers remained strong overall, we did experience a number of cancellations due to teacher strikes and disruptions in public transport services provided by Translink. Additionally, the education team hosted two placement students from Stranmillis University College. These placements not only support teacher training but also enrich our programme by bringing in fresh ideas and new approaches from future educators. We also had a Tourism and Hospitality placement student from Monaghan Institute with us for two weeks.

Another key funding source in 2024-25 was the ASDC Bold Futures programme, through which the Planetarium partnered with local autism support groups to make astronomy more accessible for neurodiverse students. This initiative builds on the success of our 2023-24 project and reinforces our ongoing commitment to inclusive science education. In addition, we offer tailored shows in Makaton, British Sign Language (BSL), Irish Sign Language (ISL), Irish and Ulster Scots, ensuring that diverse linguistic and communication needs are met.

A milestone this year was the hosting of our first fully Accessible Day in March 2025 which was an event designed to welcome visitors that need quieter spaces, lower volumes and reduction of people on the premises to ensure queuing is at a minimum. Due to its success, a new series of Accessible Sundays will now take place quarterly as a regular feature of our public programming.

Accessibility remains a core priority at AOP. Our goal is to be as inclusive as possible, ensuring everyone has the opportunity to experience the wonder of the cosmos making us a “space for all.” We host monthly dome shows in both BSL and ISL, including our popular CapCom Go film. This year, we expanded our interpreted content to include Perfect Little Planet , a children's tour of the solar system, offering greater value for both school groups and public audiences. In addition, we provided BSL and ISL interpretation for our live Christmas experience Mission Santa , as

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well as our festive dome show The Alien Who Stole Christmas . Further advancing our accessibility, we added Makaton signing to Astronaut George , a dome show that launched in May 2024. Thanks to ASDC funding, Education Officer Mark Grimley also introduced Makaton signage throughout the building, improving communication support for non-verbal visitors.

Monthly relaxed dome show sessions are now a standard part of our programme, alongside relaxed workshop sessions designed to create a welcoming and supportive environment for all visitors, particularly those with sensory sensitivities. We have renewed our JAM (Just A Minute) Card registration, and all front-line staff are now trained to recognise and support JAM Card users. In addition, our team has completed Level One Makaton training, further enhancing our ability to communicate inclusively. Our sensory bags which were developed in collaboration with the Bold Futures forum and made possible through funding from the ASDC Bold Futures initiative have been very well received. These resources have proven invaluable for schools and families, helping to create a more comfortable and accessible experience for neurodiverse visitors.

Our stargazing nights continued to be a major success in 2024-25, regularly reaching full capacity. Prominent astronomical events such as the planetary alignment, generated high public interest and provided valuable insights into audience demand. While many nights were affected by cloudy weather, we maximised the visitor experience by offering alternative activities, including simulated night sky sessions in the dome.

This year also marked the pilot of corporate dome hire for music and wellness events, with highly positive outcomes. Mesmerica , an immersive audiovisual experience, delivered by an external company, has expanded our corporate hire portfolio and attracted return visitors to other AOP programmes. Sound Journey Under the Stars , a relaxation and sound therapy session hosted by another external provider, has further showcased the Planetarium as a distinctive venue for alternative experiences. These external events are scheduled in addition to AOP’s core programming and represent a growing area of opportunity. While we receive support via an events tender, it is important to acknowledge that coordination of both public events and corporate hire which is overseen by Senior Education Officer Ria McDonnell. Ria plays a vital role in maintaining communication, overseeing existing plans, and proactively seeking innovative new event opportunities to enhance the Planetarium’s offerings.

To enrich the visitor experience and make greater use of our outdoor space, we launched a new children’s Eco Trail featuring a workbook, sculptures, interactive clues, and an augmented reality (AR) app. In addition, an adult-focused AR app offers a guided tour of the grounds and Observatory, providing a more in-depth educational experience. This new initiative was a cross-departmental effort developed over the past year, and it has already proven successful in increasing visitor dwell time and engagement particularly on sunny days with positive feedback from both locals and tourists and the grounds are highly active! We also arranged a successful series of public events centred around the Calver Dome, which was opened to visitors for the first time in this format. These fully booked sessions included presentations and Q&A opportunities led by our PhD students, offering the public a rare chance to engage directly with current astronomical research and the people behind it.

Although our summer season did not meet projected targets or match the figures from the previous year, it remains encouraging when compared to pre-Covid benchmarks. Visitor numbers were 20% higher than those recorded in 2019, demonstrating sustained long-term growth. In contrast, many other visitor centres across the UK and Ireland reported an average decline of around 8% compared to 2019 levels. Insights shared at recent Tourism Northern Ireland (TNI) and ASDC conferences confirmed that this dip in summer 2024 attendance was part of a broader trend affecting the wider visitor attraction sector throughout 2024-25. In this context, our performance remains strong and resilient.

We are pleased to report the successful outcome of a funding application for the Northern Ireland STEM Ambassadors programme, securing a two-year contract to establish AOP as the official STEM Ambassador Hub for Northern Ireland. This funding, which totals approximately £200,000 over two years, has enabled the recruitment of a dedicated Project Manager and Admin Officer, both now in post to support effective programme delivery. As the regional hub, AOP will play a central role in connecting schools and community groups with STEM Ambassadors, offering pupils opportunities to engage with real-world professionals and explore the diverse range of STEM careers available. This initiative will significantly enhance our links with industry and raise AOP’s profile within the STEM education and outreach sector across Northern Ireland. Over the course of the two-year programme, we aim to strengthen and support a growing network of thousands of volunteers, who will help bring STEM to life in classrooms, colleges, and universities. Through inspiring careers events, hands-on activities and inclusive outreach, we will work to challenge stereotypes and open young minds to the endless possibilities of a future in STEM.

This year, the Education Team experienced the temporary and permanent departure of three senior staff members due to maternity leave, a career break, and relocation for new employment opportunities. In response, we successfully completed recruitment for two key roles: Operations Manager and Education Assistant. Additionally, we introduced a new post of Theatre Producer and Astronomy Communicator to support the development of innovative programming and storytelling within the dome. We are delighted to welcome Jessica Moon as our new Operations Manager, Emma-Jayne Malcolmson as Education Assistant, and Kerem Çubuk to the newly created role of Theatre

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Producer and Astronomy Communicator. Their appointments bring fresh energy, ideas, and expertise to the team, and we look forward to the contributions they will make to AOP’s continued growth and success.

The addition of a dedicated Digital Theatre role with expertise in dome content creation and collaboration with external partners has already proven to be a significant asset to AOP. In his new role, Kerem Çubuk has actively contributed to revenue generation through external dome show production, most notably with the development and sale of the Sound Journey Under the Stars dome experience. AOP was also commissioned by the European Space Science Committee (ESSC) to produce a bespoke planetarium show celebrating 50 years of European space exploration. This commemorative show marks the anniversary of the formation of the European Provisional Space Science Advisory Board in April 1974, which ultimately led to the creation of the European Space Agency (ESA). The show premiered at the Strasbourg Planetarium on 16 April 2024 as part of a high-profile gala event.

In addition to external productions, Kerem has significantly enhanced AOP’s internal offerings. He reimagined our flagship presenter-led show, Look Up: Our Night Sky , by designing a new user interface featuring custom control panel pages. This innovation offers greater flexibility for presenters and allows for a more tailored, dynamic delivery of content. Furthermore, Kerem collaborated with Lovisa Redpath to create a brand-new toddler dome show titled Our Wee Planets , which has quickly become a favourite with our pre-school audiences. This charming and engaging programme is now a staple of our weekend and school holiday schedule and proudly a home-grown AOP original.

One of the standout moments of the year was the visit of NASA astronaut Cady Coleman on 19th September, made possible through our valued connection with the US Consulate in Belfast. A distinguished chemist and engineer, Dr. Coleman has flown on two Space Shuttle missions in 1995 and 1999 and spent 159 days aboard the International Space Station during her 2011 mission. Notably, she played a key role in deploying the Chandra X-ray Observatory during her 1999 flight. We were honoured to welcome students from four local schools to attend her inspiring talk, delivered under the Planetarium dome. Her first-hand accounts of life in space and the future of exploration captivated the audience and left a lasting impression on all who attended. Dr. Coleman also made a surprise appearance at the UK Star Formation Workshop taking place at AOP that same day, where she gave a brief but impactful presentation. Remarkably, several of the visiting scientists at the workshop had used data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory in their own research, creating a special moment of connection between astronaut and astronomers.

A range of other inspiring events took place throughout the year with highlights including the Engineers Open House Weekend, featuring hands-on rocket-making activities, and the Our World from Space Saturday Club, a monthly programme engaging young people with space science and environmental themes. We collaborated with Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council for events as part of the Food and Cider Festival, and welcomed families to take part in orienteering in the Astropark during February Half-Term. Special public events such as First Light: 230 Years of Observations from Armagh and the European Open Heritage Day, which gave visitors a chance to experience the historic Calver Telescope, were particularly well received. We also hosted Our Planet and the Universe , an event held as part of the IAU’s 100 Hours of Astronomy global celebration, and continued our Data Visualisation Laboratory (DVL) sessions with the astronomers interacting with visitors to the Planetarium, bringing data-driven learning to life. Other standout events included a full-day Scouts Takeover, during which the organisation booked the Planetarium exclusively and delivered a bespoke programme of shows and workshops for its members.

Finally, our staff proudly participated in the ASDC Annual Meeting, delivering presentations that showcased the innovative and impactful work being carried out at AOP and reinforcing our position as a leading science communication centre.

History and Heritage

History and Heritage Policy

AOP boasts a collection of over 34,000 historic documents, rare and antiquarian books, scientific instruments and photographs, up from 33,000 entries at the start of the financial year. This collection is unique on the Island of Ireland and one of the best-preserved observatory collections in the United Kingdom. The heritage policies implemented ensure that the collection is cared for in accordance with best practice and has allowed ongoing historical research. AOP remains represented on the Board of Directors of the Northern Ireland Museums Council by the Museum Collections Officer who began their three-year term in September 2023.

The eMuseum has 16,406 objects available for public viewing on the armagh.space website and also on the newly launched Museum Data Service. The Planetarium display cases have hosted one loaned in exhibition ‘The Drawings of the 3rd Earl of Rosse’, which launched on 30 January 2025, and was made possible by collaboration within the Astronomical Observatories of Ireland. Two additional exhibitions based on the AOP Historical Collection, ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’ (curated by students from QUB History after workshops with AOP Museum Staff) and ’From the Library’ ran during the year. AOP accepted three donations in 2024-25 including the return of the 1912 Ellison Reflector, made possible by a grant from the Esme Mitchell Trust.

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In accordance with AOP’s policy of making our collection available for the public and researchers to use we have continued to facilitate public information requests. The 2024-25 financial year brought 31 requests facilitated by the Museum Collections Officer. This included a three week stay by a MA Student at QUB, and several visits by academics from around the world to access the Historical Collection for their own research. AOP has continued to work with the Geography Department of QUB and was awarded funding for a third Northern Bridge Collaborative Doctoral Award PhD to begin in October 2025.

2024-25 saw the final year of the National Lottery Heritage Fund project ‘Wisdom Begins with Wonder’. This project was funded to run from May 2022 and it was extended to run until the end of December 2024 and has seen the successful implementation of a volunteer program. Since launching, the volunteer program facilitated over 1,234 hours of voluntary work in AOP, with more volunteers awaiting projects. The position of Museum Collections Officer, which was funded from June 2022 – December 2024 by the project, has been retained on temporary contract to continue the volunteer program, provide access to researchers and maintain the collection. At present the five active volunteers are working on varied projects including academic research, archival work, and preventative conservation. In total volunteers have accessioned 1,148 new objects to the AOP Historical Collection in 2024-25.

AOP continues to publish history related research throughout the 2024-2025 period. This has included the publication of a book commissioned by the International Planetarium Society, ‘100 Years of Planetaria’ (2025). This book featured contributions from four AOP staff members and one AOP PhD Student, as well as one retired staff member. In addition, one academic article and one non-peer reviewed article featured in publications.

Library and Archives

AOP’s suite of technical equipment and historic collection is complemented by the finest astronomical study library on the Island of Ireland. The library provides an essential reference resource for AOP research, and especially for its student and young researcher cohort. It contains approximately 3,400 textbooks, monographs, special reports, and conference proceedings covering nearly all disciplines in astronomy. Some 17,000 volumes from nearly two hundred scientific journal titles including nearly complete runs of all the major astronomy journals, as well as journals of significant historical interest.

During 2024-25 the collection has been supplemented by 41 new books on topics relevant to AOP research. Some 20 texts and conference proceedings were purchased with end-of-year funds. Acquisitions also include student theses completed in recent years, and donations by staff and associates of AOP.

The AOP library is a reference library, with materials primarily consulted in situ , for which records are not currently maintained. Longer term loans are managed using a digital loan form; such materials are still expected to remain on AOP premises. There were 30 recorded loans in 2024-25. Library returns are maintained by the Museum Collections Officer. No journal binding was undertaken. 12 books have featured in 3 temporary exhibitions.

Whilst still under enormous pressure for space, the AOP library remains an attractive space and a more effective research tool, with potential for further development and revenue generation. It is increasingly demonstrating its potential for historical discovery as well as astronomical research. It has been used for the weekly Student Discussion and for the weekly Research Seminar. It has been used monthly by the Armagh and District History group for their meetings.

Meteorological Record

As part of AOP’s primary research role, staff and students take daily readings of a wide range of meteorological parameters at Armagh and maintain the Observatory’s unique 230-year meteorological record and databank. This is believed to be the longest daily climate series in the UK and Ireland from a single site (though the log book for the period June 1825 to December 1832 appears to have been lost), as well as being one of the longest in the world. The climate station has been continuously maintained since July 1795 with readings currently taken every day at 09:00 (GMT). The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has recognised Armagh with Centennial Station status for its longevity and importance in contributing to the climate record.

The automated weather station (AWS) was installed by the Met Office in 2019, sampling the weather every minute. This now provides the primary source of weather data in the Met Office records (e.g., temperature, pressure, rain fall, windspeed) since it is automatically uploaded to the Met Office. The instruments are inside a second Stevenson Screen within an expanded meteorological enclosure to ensure that the AWS enclosure is identical to those used by the Met Office in their UK-wide network. Manual collection still continues and provides the only source for some of the data collected (e.g. sunshine) at Armagh.

Calibration of these data has enabled researchers and government agencies to use the Armagh series for reports and research into global warming. The data contributes to the UK Meteorological Office’s main climate database and are released to the general public on a monthly basis through press releases and on our climate website (https://weather.armagh.space) whilst also contributing to the UK Meteorological Office’s main climate database.

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Climate change is a subject of strategic importance for Northern Ireland in this era of climate variability. Armagh’s unique climate record provides an exceptionally long historical baseline, enabling better informed judgements to be made as to how Northern Ireland’s climate has responded and is responding to climate change world-wide. AOP has a movable exhibition on the climate change in the Copernicus Hall, centred around an interactive Puffersphere presentation, together with supporting exhibits which expand on local impacts.

A series of python scripts store, analyse and provide access to the weather data base via the weather webpage listed above. This includes both the manual data as well as the automated weather station data. This takes the monthly observers log, provides a means of entering the information via an online log, and in addition automatically downloads the data received from the automated station, to ingest these data sets into a new database. Analysis scripts then allow this database to be interrogated, e.g. to find climate extrema over any date range of interest. This includes enquiring about weather on any single day (as might be used in a visitor display in the Planetarium), as well as examining the data set over any period of interest and searching for climate records (extrema) over a period of interest. The automated weather station data is available to inspect online, in addition to the manual data. Plotting tools allow the user to see the weather over any time period, as well as to find when extrema in the various measured parameters occurred.

The two new PhD students (Michael Stroet and Ciarán Furey) were trained in October 2024 on undertaking weather observations, and then accredited as Level 1 Met Observers by the Director. This forms part of their PhD training in the techniques of scientific data measurement and analysis. A list of qualified Meteorological Observers, as well as those observers who participated in the daily weather measurements each year, has been added to AOP’s weather webpages (see https://www.armagh.space/weather/weather-observers-acknowledgements).

The highest and lowest dry bulb air temperatures recorded from 01/04/24 to 31/03/25 were 25.0°C on 07/09/24 and -5.3°C on 10/01/25, respectively, with the warmest and coldest days (derived from the average of the daily max & min temperatures) being 24/06/24 (19.3°C) and 08/01/25 (-2.6°C). The lowest grass minimum temperature, of -9.9°C, was also recorded on 08/01/25. The wettest day for the year was on 22/11/24 when 35.8mm of rain fell, whereas the sunniest day was 10/05/24 when 13.0 hours of sunshine were recorded.

Armagh experienced two severe winter storms, Storm Darragh on 06/12/2024 - 07/12/2024 and Storm Éowyn on 24/01/2025. While we were spared some of the damage experience elsewhere on the island, nevertheless it had significant impact at AOP, especially in our woodland. A magnificent three-stemmed beech tree lost one of its stems in Storm Darragh and then further major branches in Storm Éowyn, necessitating the need to remove the tree as the remaining trunk was rotten and presented a safety hazard. We estimate that this beech tree was about 300 years old, so pre-dating the foundation on the Observatory.

During Storm Éowyn the maximum wind speed recorded by AOP’s Automated Weather Station was 35 m/s, which occurred at both 08:08 and 08:28 on 24/01/2025. Winds speeds in excess of 15 m/s were recorded virtually continuously from 03:45 in the morning to 15:15 in the afternoon. These are measured using the station’s Robinson Cup anemometer. The pressure fell to 969.6 hPa that day, the second lowest recorded during the year (with the lowest reading of 965.9 hPa recorded 2 days later on 27/01/2025).

A meteorological event of a quite different nature was recorded in February 2025 with a near absence of sunshine over an extended period. From 08/02/2025 to 18/02/2025 less than 0.2 hours/day of sunshine was recorded each day by the Campbell-Stokes sunshine recorder, with a grand total of just 30 minutes sunshine measured over this entire 11 day period.

Support

AOP is committed to ensuring fit for purpose governance and support services to support the delivery of organisational objectives.

Information and Communications Technology (ICT)

ICT is fundamental to the delivery of AOP’s mission as a leading scientific organisation and its operational and strategic goals. ICT operates in a fast-changing environment and it will always be the aim to provide the best service and equipment within the resources available.

An ICT Strategy 2024-2028 was approved in March 2025. Progress against the targets will be reported to Audit and Risk Assurance Committee (ARAC) each quarter.

At an organisational level, the ICT Strategy will pursue the following outcomes to support this delivery:

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ICT is required to provide an overarching support structure to ensure fit for purpose technology and systems that facilitate the needs of research, education, heritage and corporate services, planning for the future, whilst at the same time protecting against risk.

AOP continues to modernise and improve its centralised ICT hub. All devices are now managed using Intune and are secured using multi-factor authentication and device registration. Auto patching of all Linux, Windows and Mac devices has reduced our exposure to cyber-attack. The focus now moves to software run on the devices as the next level of risk develops.

The biggest risk to AOP still remains user error through clicking on malicious links in emails. AOP mitigates this through regular reinforcement of messaging and a focus on continuing to educate users in best practice and system etiquette.

Finance

AOP has a well-established finance function. Financial policies and procedures are continually being enhanced to ensure that AOP meets the governance standards required. This includes the application of public sector procurement controls, meeting prompt payment targets and providing regular and ad hoc financial information within AOP and to DfC.

AOP continues to experience significant cost pressures within a core budget that has remained relatively static for 7 years.

Human Resources

A Human Resources Strategy 2022-26 has been developed and approved and is supported by an annual Human Resources Action Plan. The 2024/25 plan has been implemented to include:

Diversity and Inclusion

AOP has an obligation under Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act to ensure that equality of opportunity and good relations are central to policy making, policy implementation and review as well as service delivery. AOP monitors the composition of its workforce in terms of community background and sex and uses an equal opportunities monitoring form questionnaire. AOP submits an annual Fair Employment Monitoring return to the Equality Commission detailing staff composition and that of job applicants to AOP posts.

In the AOP Strategic Plan 2021-26 we state that having Fair and Equitable Employment Policies and Procedures is one of our key elements in delivering high standards. AOP has a number of policies in place including an Equal Opportunities Policy. We have also agreed a new ED&I Strategy & Action Plan 2025-2028 which incorporates a number of actions including reviewing, monitoring and training in policies and practices.

AOP retained Juno Practitioner status in August 2023. This is an award scheme that recognises and rewards university physics departments, schools of physics, and related institutes and organisations that can demonstrate

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they have taken action to address gender equality at all levels and to foster a more inclusive working environment. In June 2024 AOP became a signatory to the new Institute of Physics Inclusion Award that is currently being developed.

Governance

Governance and accountability continue to be strengthened and improved and risks reduced as demonstrated by external and internal audit reviews. Actions arising from effectiveness reviews undertaken by both ARAC and the Management Committee have also resulted in enhanced arrangements.

Future Redevelopment Project

AOP manages an extensive property estate which includes nine separate buildings, including the Grade A listed Observatory and a circa 20-acre historic estate. There are also several leases associated with land and property.

An Outline Business Case (OBC) for the AOP Estate Redevelopment Project, as approved by the Management Committee at its 125[th ] meeting, was approved by the Board of Governors at the 2023 Annual Visitation and submitted to DfC in July 2023. To support the project a funding bid was made to the Heritage Lottery, “ Wisdom Begins with Wonder at the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium: where the past meets the future ” for c£6m. This was successful and AOP were awarded the funding in March 2024, to come in two stages, a Development and a Delivery phase. However it has proved not possible for DfC to provide the necessary match component for AOP to be able to accept these funds. AOP was asked to update and re-submit the OBC. This was done with the help of the Strategic Investment Board who were engaged to assist, and the updated case (now known as OBC1) was approved by the Management Committee at a special meeting on 3 March 2025, endorsed by Archbishop McDowell on behalf of the Board of Governors, and re-submitted to DfC. This will be progressed in the 2025-26 financial year.

Funding required for the Outline Business Case (OBC1), which relates to the redevelopment of the AOP site, was approved by the Minister of Communities on 30 June 2025. In terms of the funding application, a total amount of £3,973k has been approved for the three years ending 31 March 2028.

Previously, The National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) had allocated funding in the amount of £ 1,324k which was dependent on funding procured from other sources amounting to three-fold the funding allocated by NLHF. The funding grant from DfC is therefore 75% of the total funding grant of £5,297k, with the balance of 25% being funded by NLHF .

The redevelopment project is imperative to future proof AOP’s role into the next generation. The case for change is predicated by an estate that is outdated and misaligned to the expectations of modern day visitors; a restricted footprint on challenging topography that limits incremental or add-on extensions to increasing its capacity; and a dome technology that is on the precipice of transformational change that will render the existing visitor experience technically unsustainable within the next decade.

The case made in the OBC is centred around five spending objectives:

NetZero

AOP’s international research standing, and unique record of uninterrupted meteorological observations has allowed it to effectively communicate on the issue of climate change (CC) to the public, thanks also to the design and installation of a temporary CC exhibition in the Planetarium and of a CC Puffersphere display demonstrating AOP’s own commitment to reducing its carbon footprint.

Moving in this direction, AOP are now using more efficient LED lights, following the standards of the International Dark Sky Association, and installed two new green energy power generation stations based on wind and solar power, the Smartflower and Windtree, with a respective nominal peak power of 2.5 and 16 kW (see figure below). Whereas the Windtree still needs to be connected to the main grid as AOP awaits NIE grid permission to do so, the Smartflower has produced 1.25 mega Watts since its installation in June 2024. Furthermore, an analysis of its energy production demonstrates its high efficiency, showing how it can reach its peak power even early in the morning when the Sun is still low in the sky. While these installations do not generate sufficient power to cover all the needs of the Planetarium, they will serve to illustrate the role that renewable energy technologies can play in harnessing energy from wind and the Sun, also adding to AOP’s education offering.

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AOP’s Smartflower and Windtree. The Smartflower follows the movement of the Sun in the sky thus always maximising the flux of solar energy received. The WindTree can harness the power from even a light breeze of wind and unlike standard wind turbines it is silent and visually appealing.

Despite these efforts, AOP remains aware of its significant challenges in decarbonising its research and education activities, both internal and external, and as informed from AOP’s 2022 carbon baseline review and decarbonization strategy. Reducing energy consumption in the planetarium remains complicated due to technical difficulties in monitoring electricity consumption, while installing solar panels on its roof would not make financial sense while AOP awaits confirmation of possible redevelopment plans for the Planetarium. In the Observatory, better insulation or more sustainable forms of heating clash with the need to retain the Georgian character of this building. Finally, reducing indirect, scope 3 emissions due to our own visitor travel to Armagh and due to our own international, mostly research-related travel also proves very difficult. In this respect, AOP is aware that other visitor centres in the UK are adopting more realistic, albeit still ambitious and transparent decarbonisation plans, and will engage with them to better understand our own NetZero direction of travel.

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Achievements and Performance

The targets set for AOP in the 2024-25 Business Plan are shown in the following table. Actual performance achieved is shown along with the corresponding achievement in the previous financial year, where applicable.

Targets were achieved or exceeded in many areas; however, three out of four targets were not met. Whilst the total visitors target was exceeded the target in respect of school visitors was not achieved due to a number of school cancellations as a result of education and bus strikes and also snow. Failure to meet the remaining two targets is beyond AOP’s control in that they are reliant upon external factors.

KPI Description Target As at 31
March 2025		 As at 31
March 2024
(where
applicable)		 Comments
1 Maintain overall on-
site visitor numbers:
Public
Schools		 72,000
60,000
12,000		 Public 60,097 Total 63,903 visitors
There were a number of school
cancellations due to teacher and
bus strikes and disruptions due
to snowfalls.
52,245
School 11,808
11,658
2 5% uplift in off-site
engagement
numbers		 11,500 n/a
24,484
3 Achieve a 90% overall
customer satisfaction
rating of 4 or above
out of 5		 90%+
evaluation
ratings ≥
4		 90.83%
90.92%
4 Achieve £644,550
income from
admissions and sales		 £644,550 £592,494
£528,671

Progress Key: Complete, Not Achieved

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19

Financial Review

Operating Results

In the financial year to 31 March 2025, the value of charity funds decreased by £0.041m, summarised below:

Total incoming resources
Total outgoing resources
Net deficit
Gains on the revaluation of fixed and heritage assets
Actuarial gains on defined benefit pension scheme
Net movement in funds for the year
Movement in Unusable Funds
Capital financing
Capital grants received
Government grant fund
Revaluation reserve
Pension reserve
Movement in Usable Funds
Restricted
Unrestricted		 2025
£
3,546,337
(3,914,671)
(368,334)
283,841
43,000		 2024
£
3,354,210
(3,978,546)
(624,336)
500,740
(121,000)
(41,493) (244,596)
140,000
(788,014)
46,935
-
72,681
486,905		 435,000
(826,567)
271,372
(158,000)
(100,091)
133,690
(41,493) (244,596)

The total income for the year was £3.546m, an increase of £0.192m from 2023-24, mainly due to an increase in DfC resource of £0.420m less a reduction in capital grant income of £0.295m, together with an increase in other grants of £0.149m, offset by an decrease in operating income of £0.071m.

Expenditure was £3.915m, a decrease of £0.064m from the previous year. Staff costs continue to be the largest component of operational expenditure, comprising 61% of all direct costs.

Unrestricted operating costs are funded primarily by DfC grant-in-aid. The balance of such unrestricted operating costs is funded by contributions from external grants, operating income, trading activities and miscellaneous income. We continue to seek other funding streams to maintain this important source of funds. In 2024-25 the Department provided 70% of the total income through recurrent and capital grant allocations (2023-24: 71%).

Net Assets

Net assets at 31 March 2025 were £12.434m (31 March 2024: £12.476m).

Reserves

The AOP reserves policy is included in note 1 of the accounts. Total accumulated funds are as follows:

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Funds at 31 March
Restricted funds
Unrestricted funds
Revaluation Reserve
Total Charity Funds		 2025
2024
£
£
120,618
47,937
4,591,583
4,752,692
7,722,181
7,675,246
12,434,382
12,475,875

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Going Concern

The Trustees are satisfied that the organisation is a going concern on the basis that it has a reasonable expectation that it will continue in operation for the foreseeable future. The financial statements are therefore prepared on a going concern basis.

Pension Reserve

AOP is a member of Northern Ireland Local Government Officers’ Superannuation Committee (NILGOSC) which manages Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) Northern Ireland, which in turn provides a defined benefits pension to employees. At 31 March 2025 the surplus was calculated by independent actuaries at £2,888,000 (2024: surplus £1,175,000). The assets, defined benefit obligation and current service cost shown in note 19 to the accounts have been calculated based on the data and results of the 2022 triennial actuarial valuation. AOP has applied the principles of IFRIC14 in relation to pension surplus restriction. IFRIC14 requires allowances to be made for a minimum funding requirement, which limits the amount of economic benefit available to the excess of the value of prospective current service costs above the funding requirement.

Key Risks and Uncertainties

At year end, the key risks were identified as:

Integral to AOP’s Risk Management Strategy of AOP, management regularly review the inherent level of risk for each of the above aspects and how the risk is currently managed. An Action Plan is documented to reduce the level of risk, mindful of the risk appetite or risk aversion of the organisation. This Risk Register is reviewed on a quarterly basis by the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee and approved by the Management Committee. A separate Risk Register is also used to identify and track risks associated with ICT. Many of the above risks derive from the uncertainty relating to funding. Until AOP has adequate funding appropriate to its needs and long-term security of funding, this situation is likely to continue. In managing these funding risks, the organisation has developed and maintained close communication links with the Department of Communities and submitted in-year monitoring bids for additional funding while carefully monitoring spend and financial resources. For many of the above risks all reasonable steps within AOP’s control are being taken to mitigate the risk.

The above risks also take account of recommendations from internal and external audit reports. Significant progress has been made in addressing the weaknesses identified in previous years and considerable effort has been put into the management of these risks going forward.

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Plans for Future Periods

In 2021, AOP published a Strategy for 2021-26 with the four key themes of Enduring Relevance, National and International Standing, Offering More and Pursuing our Priorities.

Leading on from this AOP has prepared a Business Plan for 2025-26 for consideration by the Department. The business plan has been developed in the context of an unclear and uncertain financial environment, however AOP remains focused and optimistic towards continued achievements within its key priority areas. The Business Plan also emphasises the importance of furthering the redevelopment project while also maintaining the active research, education and outreach programmes conducted by AOP.

The Astronomical Observatories of Ireland Partnership

Drawing upon the deep links between the historic observatories of Armagh, Birr and Dunsink, AOP has formed a strategic partnership to strengthen our relationship – the Astronomical Observatories of Ireland (or AOI).

Three broad thematic areas are covered by the partnership:

  1. Research: collaborative approaches to research which draw on the strengths of the partners to add value to our contributions to scientific knowledge.

  2. Education, Heritage and Cultural Programming: building capacity across our three sites, including local and national relationships, to progress a UNESCO World Heritage application as a transnational property.

  3. Impact and Place Making: developing complementary approaches that leverage the impact of our institutions in the areas of environment, community engagement, economy and tourism.

The first meeting of the AOI Oversight Board took place in the Armagh Observatory Boardroom on 9 September 2024. Representing AOP were Archbishops John McDowell and Eamon Martin, for Birr Scientific Heritage Foundation Maria McGovern and Councillor John Carroll and for Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies Professors Mary Fowler and Janet Drew.

AOI also received €250k through Shared Island funding from the RoI Government, distributed via Fingal Council, for projects at each of the three observatories.

Following feedback received from a preliminary application made in 2023, a full application was made in 2024 for the AOI to join the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List for Ireland. The Director, along with the Registrar of DIAS (Eucharia Meehan) and the Director of Dunsink Observatory & Chair of the Birr Scientific and Heritage Foundation (Peter Gallagher), were then interviewed on 23 January 2025 by the Expert Advisory Group appointed by the Irish Government to consider our application.

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Structure, Governance and Management

Armagh Observatory and Planetarium is a single statutory corporation and arms-length body (ALB). ‘The Governors of The Armagh Observatory and Planetarium’ are as described in The Armagh Observatory and Planetarium (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 .

This 1995 Order superseded the original 1791 Act of the Irish Parliament entitled ‘ An Act for Settling and Preserving a Public Observatory and Museum in the City of Armagh For Ever’ , and an Amendment of the 1938 Act (‘The University and Collegiate and Scientific Institutions Act [Northern Ireland], 1938’).

AOP is a registered charity under the title “The Armagh Observatory and Planetarium”.

Board of Governors

AOP is governed by a Board of Governors. Membership of the Board of Governors consists of:

The Order places a statutory duty on “the Governors of Armagh Observatory and Planetarium” to maintain and manage AOP with the purpose of “developing and improving the knowledge, appreciation and practice of astronomy and related sciences.”

The Board of Governors (the Board) has retained a role to ensure that the culture and character, history and patrimony embodied in AOP are protected and preserved and that the institution is managed in line with the statutory purpose outlined in the Order. This role will normally be fulfilled through an Annual Review meeting (visitation) where the Board will receive assurance as to the management and performance of AOP from the Management Committee.

Management Committee of Armagh Observatory and Planetarium

The Board has delegated primary responsibility for the governance and management of AOP to a Management Committee. The Management Committee has corporate responsibility for ensuring that AOP fulfils the aims and objectives set by the Department and approved by the Minister and for promoting the efficient, economic and effective use of resources. The Management Committee provides leadership, challenge, oversight, support and encouragement to the Director and staff.

The Management Committee comprises:

The following committees are established as sub-committees of the Management Committee.

Audit and Risk Assurance Committee (ARAC)

The ARAC is a sub-committee of the Management Committee established in accordance with DAO (DoF) 02/25 Corporate governance in central government departments: Code of good practice NI (2025) and NIAO Effective Audit and Risk Assurance Committees Good Practice Guide (2025) (superseding DAO (DFP) 06/13 - Corporate governance in central government departments: Code of Good Practice NI 2013, and in line with the HM Treasury

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24

Audit and Risk Assurance Committee Handbook (DoF 03/18)) to advise the Board of Governors, the Management Committee and the Director of AOP as Accounting Officer and to support them in their responsibilities for issues of organisational risks, internal control, governance and their associated assurances and in reviewing the reliability and integrity of these assurances.

Staffing Policy and Remuneration Committee

The Staffing Policy and Remuneration Committee is a sub-committee of the Management Committee and provides advice and recommendations to the Management Committee on employment issues.

Research and Education Advisory Committee

The Research and Education Advisory Committee is a sub-committee of the Management Committee and advises it on research and education issues.

Redevelopment Committee

The Redevelopment Committee is a sub-committee of the Management Committee and was established to develop an Outline Business Case for redevelopment proposals.

Strategic Oversight Committee

The Strategic Oversight Committee is a sub-committee of the Management Committee, to oversee the work of the Project Board for AOP development (yet to be established). It has delegated authority to make decisions in relation to operations issues.

Further details on the membership of these Committees are set out in the Governance Statement on pages 32 to 42.

Reference and Administrative Details

Name of the Charity

The charity is registered and operates under the title of The Armagh Observatory and Planetarium.

Charity number

Registered with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland 103948.

Principal Office

College Hill, Armagh, BT61 9DG

Trustees

Archbishop J McDowell, (Board Chair) The Very Revd S Forster The Venerable E Cairns The Venerable Dr P Thompson Revd Canon W M Adair BEM Revd Canon M Hagan MBE Revd Canon D Hilliard Revd Canon B Paine (to 31 July 2024) Revd Canon R J N Porteus (to 31 March 2025) Revd Canon A Totten OBE (from 20 October 2024) Revd Canon G McMurray (from 20 October 2024) Mr G Cox Professor A Fitzsimmons (to 1 May 2025) Mr R Wilson OBE Archbishop E Martin Ms S Leslie Mr J Briggs (Management Committee Chair) Professor L Harra (to 30 April 2024) Mr S Brown (to 30 April 2024) Professor M Mathioudakis

Armagh Observatory and Planetarium Annual Report and Accounts for 2024-25

25

Professor C Jackman Professor M Dam18y Mr P Kennedy Dr K Lemon Mr E Rooney Professor R Hunter (from 1 Juno 2024) Ms G Mcveigh (from 1 June 2024) Mr R O'Hara (from 1 June 2024) Professor G Cotter (from 1 October 2024) DAS S Leverment (from 1 October 2024) Dlr•ctor and Accountlng Officer Professor Michael Burton Audllor• Northem Ireland Audit Office. 106 University Street. BELFAST. BT7 1 EU Int•rnal Audltor8 Cavanagh Kelly. 3&38 Northland Row, Dungannon. BT716AP Bank•rn Danske Bank, Done9al Square West, Belfast, BT16JS R•gl•t•r of Interests A Reglster of Interests is malntain8d for Board and Commlttee Members and Senlor Management 8nd Is Avallable for Inspection al the Princlpal Address. Declared Inlerests by Board and Commlttee Members and the Director are avallable on the AOP webslte- W4VW.amiagh,space, Related paty transactlons are shown In note 23 of the accoun18. Glft• AOP adheres to the Ilmlts and rules lald out In Its Partnership Agreement approved by the Department and the guldance In ManagiTrJ Publlc Money Northern Ireland (MPMNI). There were no glfts made or accepted during the 2024-25 financial ya8r that oxceaded thèsè limits. P•rsonal Data Rolatsd Incld•nt• AOP has consldered the requlrement to report personal data related Inddents. It Is content that there were no 8u¢h Incldents In the year ended 31 March 2025. DIscI￿ure of Audlt Informatlon So far as the Accounting Officer is aware, there is no relevant audil infomiation of which AOP'S aud6lor8 are unaware, The Accountlng Offlcer has taken all necessary steps lo make hlmseff aware of any relevant audit information and to eslablish that AOP'S auditors 8r8 awar8 of thal information. Evonts aft•r th• •nd of lh• Mportlng p•rlod There have been no events slnce the end of the financlal year requlrlng dls¢losure. Mr John Briggs Tru8to0 Date: 12 November 2025 • Professor Mlchaol Burton Director l Accountlng Offlcer Date: 12 Nov8mber 2025 Amagh Obs&rvatory and Planelarturn Annual Report #nd A¢¢ounts 202425

Remuneration and Staff Report

The remuneration and staff report sets out AOP’s remuneration policy for Board members and senior managers, reports on how that policy has been implemented and sets out the amounts awarded to the Director. In addition, the report provides details on remuneration and staff that users see as key to accountability.

Remuneration Policy

Annual NICS pay awards are made in the context of the wider public sector pay policy. On 26 March 2025, NICS People and Organisational Development division confirmed that trade unions had accepted a pay which sees the majority of staff receiving a 9% increase on salaries over the 20 months from 1 August 2024 to 31 March 2026; this is made up of a 3% consolidated increase with effect from 1 August 2024 and a 6% consolidated increase with effect from 1 August 2025. Those who are eligible for progression will also receive that increase.

AOP staff remuneration is aligned with NICS pay scales. The Accounting Officer is authorised by DfC to approve its pay remit and business case, notifying same to DfC, prior to implementation of the pay award. Staff received the pay award, including backpay, in May 2025.

Trustees

Trustees do not receive any remuneration. They receive travel and subsistence allowances at rates and on conditions determined by AOP, subject to Departmental approval. No Trustee receives pension benefits or makes pension contributions in their capacity as a Board member. Management Committee members who were not trustees during the financial year received travel and subsistence expenses of £Nil (2024: £2,287).

Service Contracts

The Director of AOP, Professor Michael G. Burton, is the person in a senior position having authority and responsibility for directing and controlling the activities of the organisation. The service contract of the Director commenced on 1 August 2016.

Current terms and conditions for staff are those set out in various policies and individual employment contracts. Senior staff are permanent employees of AOP. The notice period for senior staff is three months. Termination payments are in accordance with contractual terms and those of the principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (NI).

Director’s Remuneration (including Salary and Pension Entitlements) (Audited Information)

The following tables provide details of the remuneration and pension entitlements of the Director of the organisation.

Single Total Figure of Remuneration of Director Figure of Remuneration of Director Figure of Remuneration of Director Figure of Remuneration of Director
Salary (£’000) Pension Benefits
(£’000)*		 Total (£’000) Percentage
Change
Official 2024-25 2023-24 2024-25 2023-24 2024-25 2023-24
M.G. Burton 90-95 85-90 44 35 135-140 120-125 (9.7%)

* The value of pension benefits accrued during the year is calculated as (the real increase in pension multiplied by 20) plus (the real increase in any lump sum) less (the contributions made by the individual). The real increases exclude increases due to inflation and any increase or decrease due to a transfer of pension rights.

** Accrued pension benefits included in this table for any individual affected by the Public Service Pensions Remedy have been calculated based on their inclusion in the legacy scheme for the period between 1 April 2015 and 31 March 2022, following the McCloud judgment. The Public Service Pensions Remedy applies to individuals that were members, or eligible to be members, of a public service pension scheme on 31 March 2012 and were members of a public service pension scheme between 1 April 2015 and 31 March 2022. The basis for the calculation reflects the legal position that impacted members have been rolled back into the relevant legacy scheme for the Remedy Period and that this will apply unless the member actively exercises their entitlement on retirement to decide instead to receive benefits calculated under the terms of the alpha scheme for the period from 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2022.

‘Salary’ includes gross salary (on an accruals basis) to the extent that it is subject to UK taxation. There was no overtime, benefit-in-kind, bonus or other allowances. The salary of the Director shown above is based on the Northern Ireland Senior Civil Service Grade 5 pay scale.

Compensation on early retirement or for loss of office

No payment for compensation on early retirement or for loss of office has been made (2023-24: £nil).

AOP Fair Pay Disclosures (Audited Information)

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27

AOP is required to disclose the relationship between the remuneration of the Director and the lower quartile, median and upper quartile remuneration of the organisation’s workforce. The banded remuneration of the Director in the financial year 2024-25 was £90,000 - £95,000 (2023-24: £85,000 - £90,000). The relationship between the mid-point of this band and the remuneration of AOP’s workforce is disclosed below.

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2024-25 25th percentile Median 75th percentile
Total remuneration £23,177 £33,791 £41,998
Payratio 4:1 2.7:1 2.2:1
2023-24 25th percentile Median 75th percentile
Total remuneration £21,053 £27,913 £33,780
Payratio 4.2:1 3.1:1 2.6:1

Total remuneration includes salary, overtime and performance-related bonuses. It does not include severance payments, employer pension contributions and the cash equivalent transfer value of pensions. Remuneration ranged from £23,177 to £92,500. The 25[th ] percentile remuneration increased following a 10% increase in the NICS AA pay scale. The 75th percentile remuneration increased following backpay attributable to a remuneration increment. Because overall employment numbers are low, small changes in the staffing structure can appear disproportionate.

The percentage changes in respect of AOP are shown in the following table. It should be noted that the calculation for the Director is based on the mid-point of the band within which their remuneration fell in each year.

Percentage change for: 2024-25 v 2023-24 2023-24 v 2022-23
Average employee salaryand allowances -1.2% 8.6%
Director’s salaryand allowances 5.7% 6.1%
Average employeeperformancepayand bonuses 100.0% -7.2%

No performance pay or bonus was payable to the Director in these years.

Pension Entitlements (Audited Information)

Official Accrued
pension at
pension
age as at
31/03/25		 Real
increase in
pension at
pension
**age **		 Accrued
Lump
Sum at
31/03/25		 Real
Increase
in Lump
Sum		 CETV at
31/03/25		 CETV at
31/03/24		 Real
Increase
in CETV
£’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000
M.G. Burton 17 3 - - 301 247 42

The figures enclosed are based on the previous year’s guidance from the Department of Finance on the pension information that should be disclosed in accounts for 2024-25. Please note, that the CETV figures now incorporate the McCloud Underpin into calculations for eligible members, where possible. Where relevant, any additions to a CETV because of an underpin will be included. The real increase in CETVs are based on the factors in force from 30 June 2023. There have been no changes to CETV factors between 31 March 2024 and 31 March 2025. When calculating the real increase in CETV and the pension benefits accrued during the year 2024-2025 for the single total figure of remuneration, NILGOSC takes account of inflation. The CPI increase for September 2024 was 1.7%. The in-service revaluation rate for the Career Average Revalued Earnings Scheme was also 1.7%.

Pension Scheme

Pension benefits are provided through the Northern Ireland Local Government Officers’ Superannuation Committee Pension Scheme (NILGOSC). For members, 1/49[th ] of pensionable pay will be added to their pension account each year and retirement pension is based on career average earnings. Details can be obtained at http://www.nilgosc.org.uk.

Active members of the pension scheme will receive an Annual Benefit Statement. The accrued pension quoted is the pension the member is entitled to receive when they reach their scheme pension age, or immediately on ceasing to be an active member of the scheme if they are at or over pension age.

Employee contribution rates for all members for the period covering 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 are as follows:

bution rates for all members for the period covering1 Ap
Pensionable Pay Contribution Rate
£0 to £18,000 5.5%
£18,001 to £27,700 5.8%
£27,701 to £46,300 6.5%
£46,301 to £56,300 6.8%
£56,301 to £111,700 8.5%
More than £111,700 10.5%

Armagh Observatory and Planetarium Annual Report and Accounts for 2024-25

29

Employer contribution rates are determined by the Scheme’s actuary every three years. Following the results of the 2022 actuarial valuation, the Committee agreed with its actuary the employer contributions of 19% for the following three years, effective from 1 April 2023. The next triennial valuation will take place as at 31 March 2025 with revised employers contribution rates set from 1 April 2026.

Cash Equivalent Transfer Values

A Cash Equivalent Transfer Value (CETV) is the actuarially assessed capitalised value of the pension scheme benefits accrued by a member at a particular point in time. The benefits valued are the member’s accrued benefits and any contingent spouse’s pension payable from the scheme. A CETV is a payment made by a pension scheme or arrangement to secure pension benefits in another pension scheme or arrangement when the member leaves a scheme and chooses to transfer the benefits accrued in their former scheme. The pension figures shown relate to the benefits that the individual has accrued as a consequence of their total membership of the pension scheme, not just their service in a senior capacity to which disclosure applies. The CETV figures include the value of any pension benefit in another scheme or arrangement which the individual has transferred to the NICS pension arrangements. They also include any additional pension benefit accrued to the member as a result of their purchasing additional years of pension service in the scheme at their own cost. CETVs are calculated in accordance with The Occupational Pension Schemes (Transfer Values) (Amendment) Regulations 2015 and do not take account of any actual or potential benefits resulting from Lifetime Allowance Tax which may be due when pension benefits are taken.

Real increase in CETV

This reflects the increase in CETV effectively funded by the employer. It does not include the increase in accrued pension due to inflation, contributions paid by the employee (including the value of any benefits transferred from another pension scheme or arrangement) and uses common market valuation factors for the start and end of the period. However, the real increase calculation uses common actuarial factors at the start and end of the period so that it disregards the effect of any changes in factors and focuses only on the increase that is funded by the employer.

Total Permanently Employed Staff Costs (Audited Information)

Total Permanently Employed Staff Costs (Audited Information)
Permanent
staff Others1 2024-25 2023-24
£ £ £ £
Wages and salaries 1,253,979 147,921 1,401,900 1,446,683
Social security costs 141,026 12,702 153,728 150,822
Employer’s pension contributions 236,879 23,821 260,700 259,240
Defined benefitpension additional service cost 50,000 - 50,000 51,000
1,681,884 184,444 1,866,328 1,907,745

1 “Others” includes £31,158 for agency staff

Average staff numbers (Audited Information)

Permanent 2024-25 2023-24
staff Others2 Total Total
Number Number
Average staff numbers 27.9 6.4 34.3 35.2

2 “Others” includes 3.59 fixed term, 2.43 casuals and 0.37 agency staff

Staff Composition – permanent employees (full time equivalent)

Staff Composition –permanent employees(full time equivalent)
Male Female
Directors/senior managers 2.6 2.0
Other employees 11.5 11.8

Staff Turnover

Staff Turnover
2024-25 2023-24
Leavers as apercentage of average staff inpost 17.3% 1.5%

Sickness Absence (Audited Information)

Staff sickness for the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 totalled 41 days (2024: 94 days) which equates to an average per FTE of 0.56% (2024: 1.24%).

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30

Expenditure on External Consultancy (Audited Information)

Expenditure on external consultancy during the year was £nil (2023-24: £nil).

Off-payroll Engagements (Audited Information)

There were no “off-payroll” engagements in place as at 31 March 2025, nor were any arrangements entered into between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025.

Exit Packages (Audited Information)

Exit package cost band No of
compulsory
redundancies		 No of other
departures
agreed		 Total no. of exit
packages by
cost band		 Total no. of exit
packages by
cost band
2024-25 2024-25 2024-25 2023-24
Total no. of exitpackages - - - -
Total resource cost Nil Nil Nil Nil

Armagh Observatory and Planetarium Annual Report and Accounts for 2024-25

31

Statement of the Responsibilities of the Governors and Accounting Officer eee ee EM et Reee

In accordance with The Armagh Observatory and Planetarium (Northern Ireland) Order 1995, The Governors shall prepare and submit to the Department a statement of accounts in respect of each financial year, and that statement i shall be in such form and contain such information as the Department may direct and shall give a true and fair view a.Fe@=,kot.8 eoa=e moeo5 Qa eer=Pre=)" ]Oe= _e tae= 6 = =5 of the state of the Governors' affairs at the end of the financial year and of the income and expenditure of the m= fio bane 8 i Pe ee eeee ee | i a om of = Governors in the financial year. | if “. ot oo In preparing the accounts, the Accounting Officer is required to comply with the requirements of the Government si g =i eeee Bee tkean mm eo oso) 6G oo eeefs " "= 8 Financial Reporting Manual and in particular to: TeaBoe LE Le hel ee ll L al

Statement of Disclosure of Information to the Auditors PaMien IP 2h". Be” Fs "1."

As the Accounting Officer, I have taken all the steps that I ought to have taken to make myself aware of any mE a Pe

relevant audit information and to establish that Armagh Observatory and Planetarium's auditors are aware of that esr information. So far as I am aware, there is no relevant audit information of which the auditors are unaware. =e | = hki ee«te ee seomam8eeeyeee[ ime[a] og a

Signed: . ,.. olif? 4, Professor Michael Burton » mL SL= Dont Accounting Officer for Armagh Observatory and Planetarium ra. "= zl Pao te * = = " = “SS

Date: 12 November 2025 - mi

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Governance Statement

AOP is a Non-Departmental Public Body established under The Armagh Observatory and Planetarium (Northern Ireland) Order 1995.

1. Compliance with Corporate Governance Code

In 2013 the Department of Finance and Personnel published Corporate Governance in Central Government Departments: Code of Good Practice NI. The Code draws on best practice in the public, private and charity sectors by: reinforcing the importance of corporate governance as a pre-requisite to achieving good financial management; reflecting changes in governance best practice, including increased emphasis on good leadership; and promoting better governance arrangements within departmental families.

The Code is written for departments, concentrating throughout on key principles which will have wider application for other parts of the public sector. Such bodies (including arms-length bodies (ALBs)) are encouraged to consider and adopt the practices set out in the Code wherever it is relevant, practical and suits their business needs.

AOP in so far as they are relevant for an arms-length body, complies with the principles of good practice in the Corporate Governance Code.

2. Governance Framework

Accounting Officer

Name Accounting Officer
Professor Michael Burton – Director and Chief Executive From 1 September 2016 onwards

Board of Governors

AOP is governed by a Board of Governors. Membership of the Board of Governors consists of:

During 2024-25, two new Members were appointed to the Chapter of the Church of Ireland Cathedral of Armagh and two Members retired; Professor Fitzsimmons’ term of office was extended for a year to facilitate discussions regarding succession planning and Mr Wilson’s term was extended for a 5-year term. There are currently two vacant positions.

BOARD OF GOVERNORS BOARD OF GOVERNORS
GOVERNOR DATE OF
APPOINTMENT		 DATE OF EXPIRY MEETINGS
ATTENDED
(max. 1)
Archbishop J McDowell
(Chair)		 28 April 2020 None 1
The Very Revd S Forster
Deanof Armagh		 14 February 2021 None 1
The Ven E Cairns
Archdeaconof Ardboe		 13 December 2020 None 0
The Ven Dr P Thompson
Archdeacon of Armagh		 13 January 2019 None 1
Revd Canon W M Adair BEM 10 September 2008 None 0
Revd Canon D Hilliard 13 March 2016 None 1
Revd Canon W B Paine 7 May 2017 31 July 2024
(Retired)		 0
Revd Canon R J N Porteus 1998 31 March 2025
(Retired)		 0
Revd Canon M Hagan MBE 23 April 2023 None 1
Revd Canon A Totten OBE
(from 20 October 2024)		 20 October 2024 None 0 from 0

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Revd Canon Gary McMurray
(from 20 October 2024)		 20 October 2024 None 0 from 0
VACANT(from 31 July2024)
VACANT(from 1 April 2025)
Professor A Fitzsimmons 18 April 2019 1 May2025 1
Mr R Wilson OBE 1 December 2019 30 November 2029 1
ArchbishopE Martin 1 January2021 31 December 2025 1
Ms S Leslie 1 June 2021 31 May2026 1
Mr G Cox 1 March 2021 28 February2026 1

During the Annual Visitation on 7 May 2024 the Board of Governors:

The Chairs of the Management Committee and Audit and Risk Assurance Committees provided verbal reports to the Board and the minutes of both meetings between June 2023 and April 2024 (draft) were provided.

The Board retrospectively approved the Annual Report and Accounts 2022-23 and approved the draft Annual Report and Accounts 2023-24, delegating authority to the Management Committee to sign them off.

The Board noted the Management Report for 2023-24 which included the Director’s Report and a presentation on Research Highlights; Corporate Plan Objectives; Key Performance Indicators; Corporate Risk Register as at 26 March 2024 and ICT Risk Register as at 26 March 2024.

The Board considered the Mid-Term Review of the Strategic Business Plan 2021-24 and delegated authority to the Management Committee to take forward and approve the Business Plan 2024-25.

The Board noted the Code of Conduct for Board Members which had been reviewed, with no changes.

The Board confirmed that it was satisfied that comprehensive arrangements were in place to ensure that high-quality information was received to enable it to make informed decisions. Internal controls were in place to validate the accuracy and completeness of information presented to the Board.

Minutes of the meeting record the business carried out and actions agreed.

Management Committee of Armagh Observatory and Planetarium

The Management Committee comprises:

During 2024-25, there were eight changes to the Membership of the Management Committee. Professor Harra and Mr Brown retired on 30 April 2024; Professor Hunter, Ms McVeigh and Mr O’Hara were appointed as DfC nominees to the Management Committee from 1 June 2024; Professor Cotter and Ms Leverment were appointed as Board of Governors’ co-optees to the Management Committee on 1 October 2024 and Revd Canon Totten replaced Revd Canon Hagan as one of the Board of Governors’ nominees to the Management Committee. During the year Mr Wilson appointment to the Management Committee was extended for a further 5 year term.

There are currently no vacancies on the Management Committee.

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MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
MEMBER DATE OF
APPOINTMENT		 DATE OF EXPIRY MEETINGS
ATTENDED
(max. 6)
Mr J Briggs(Chair) 1 January2018 31 December 2027 5
Professor L Harra 1 November 2014 30 April 2024 0 from 1
Mr S Brown 1 November 2014 30 April 2024 1 from 1
Professor M Mathioudakis 11 November 2016 10 November 2026 2
Mr R Wilson OBE 1 December 2019 30 November 2029 4
Dr C Jackman 1 January2021 31 December 2025 3
Dr M Darnley 1 January2021 31 December 2025 6
Mr P Kennedy 1 March 2021 28 February2026 4
Dr K Lemon 1 March 2021 28 February2026 5
Mr E Rooney 1 March 2021 28 February2026 6
Mr G Cox 19 May2021 28 February2026 6
Revd Canon M Hagan
MBE		 17 May 2023 18 November 2024 2 from 3
Professor R Hunter 1 June 2024 31 May2029 1 from 5
Ms G McVeigh 1 June 2024 31 May2029 5 from 5
Mr R O’Hara 1 June 2024 31 May2029 4 from 5
Professor G Cotter 1 October 2024 30 September 2027 3 from 3
Ms S Leverment 1 October 2024 30 September 2027 1 from 3
Revd Canon A Totten OBE 18 November 2024 NONE 2 from 3

In April 2024, the Management Committee approved a revised draft Partnership Agreement between DfC and AOP, signed by DfC Accounting Officer on 22 May 2024 and the draft 2024-25 Business Plan, which was subsequently approved by the Minister on 16 September 2024.

The Management Committee reviewed the Terms of Reference for both the Board of Governors and the Management Committee and approved their presentation to the Board of Governors. It also agreed that the ability to enable delegation to Sub-Committees be sought at the Board of Governors.

A two-day meeting took place in June 2024. In addition to routine business over the two days the Management Committee; held a session with staff; received presentations from PhD students; and undertook Boardroom training.

The Committee considered and was content with the summary of its annual Effectiveness Review in September 2023.

In September 2024, the Management Committee considered revised Committee Structure proposals and the draft Programme for Government.

At each of its meetings throughout the year the Committee received a report from the Director, a presentation from Research or Education, updates from each of its standing sub-committees and approved relevant reports. Regular governance reports such as the Bi-Annual Assurance Statement, the Corporate Risk Register, ICT Risk Register, Key Performance Indicators and Finance reports were reviewed and approved. The Committee considered and noted amendments to policies that had been reviewed in line with the policy review process and approved new policies as appropriate.

Throughout the year, the Management Committee also considered progress on AOP’s Vision and redevelopment which included updates from the Redevelopment Sub-Committee / Strategic Oversight Committee.

Internal controls are in place to validate the accuracy and completeness of information presented to the Management Committee.

Minutes of the meetings record the business carried out and actions agreed.

Audit and Risk Assurance Committee

The Audit and Risk Assurance Committee is drawn from the Management Committee and comprises a minimum of four and maximum of five members.

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During 2024-25 there were four changes to membership. Professor Harra and Mr Brown retired on 30 April 2024; Ms McVeigh was appointed from 24 June 2024 and Professor Darnley was appointed from 16 December 2024. Mr Kennedy was appointed Chair from June 2024.

AUDIT AND RISK ASSURANCE COMMITTEE AUDIT AND RISK ASSURANCE COMMITTEE
MEMBER MEETINGS ATTENDED
(max. 5)
Mr S Brown Chair(to 30 April 2024) 1 from 1
Professor L Harra(to 30 April 2024) 0 from 1
Mr P Kennedy
Chair(from June 2024)		 4
Mr E Rooney 5
Dr K Lemon 1
Ms G McVeigh(from 24 June 2024) 3 from 3
Professor M Darnley (from 16
December 2024)		 0 from 1

During 2024-25 the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee considered the Internal Audit Report 2023-24; Internal Audit Plan 2024-25; reports from Internal Audit on progress against the audit plan and on outstanding recommendations; ICT Strategy Action Plan Progress Reports; ICT Risk Register; Accounting Officer’s Assurance Statements; Finance Reports; updated policies; Business Continuity; Annual Report and Accounts 2023-24 and the Report to Those Charged With Governance in respect of the 2023-24 Accounts.

A dedicated Risk Management Workshop was held on 21 October 2024.

The Committee is satisfied that the integrated approach, the frequency of meetings, the breadth of the business undertaken, the skills of Members and the range of attendees at meetings of the Committee has allowed the Committee to meet the governance requirements of the organisation and assisted the Management Committee to demonstrate its stewardship of the public resources with which it is charged.

The Committee is satisfied that the organisation has robust risk management arrangements in place which are in line with the good practice in the HM Treasury ‘Orange Book’ and are reviewed regularly by the Management Committee.

There were five Internal Audit recommendations outstanding from prior years, three of which have been completed during 2024-25. The Committee is satisfied that progress is being made to complete the remaining outstanding recommendations. There were 15 new internal audit recommendations identified during 2024-25, 11 of which have been implemented.

Minutes of the meetings record the business carried out and actions agreed.

Staffing Policy and Remuneration Committee

The Staffing Policy and Remuneration Committee is drawn from the Management Committee and comprises a minimum of four and maximum of five members. A Special Meeting took place in September 2024 to consider SPRC’s effectiveness.

During 2024-25 there were two changes to membership. Mr Brown retired on 30 April 2024 and Mr O’Hara was appointed from 24 June 2024.

STAFFING POLICY AND REMUNERATION COMMITTEE STAFFING POLICY AND REMUNERATION COMMITTEE
MEMBER MEETINGS ATTENDED
(max. 6)
Mr E Rooney (Chair) 6
Mr S Brown(to 30 April 2024) 1 from 1
Mr J Briggs 5
Dr K Lemon 4
Mr P Kennedy 4
Mr R O’Hara (from 24 June 3 from 4
2024)

In 2024-25, amongst other matters, the Committee considered:

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Research and Education Advisory Committee

The Research and Education Advisory Committee is drawn from the Management Committee and comprises a minimum of four and maximum of five members.

During 2024-25 there were four changes to membership. Professor Harra (Chair) retired on 30 April 2024, Professor Hunter was appointed from 24 June 2024 and Professor G Cotter and Ms S Leverment were appointed to the Committee from 31 March 2025. Dr Lemon was appointed Chair from 1 May 2024.

RESEARCH AND EDUCATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE RESEARCH AND EDUCATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE
MEMBER MEETINGS ATTENDED
(max. 4)
Professor L Harra(Chair to 30 April 2024) 0 from 0
Professor M Darnley 4
Dr K Lemon(Chair from 1 May2024) 4
Professor M Mathioudakis 3
Professor R Hunter(from 24 June 2024) 1 from 3
Professor G Cotter(from 31 March 2025) 0 from 0
Ms S Leverment(from 31 March 2025) 0 from 0

In 2024-25, amongst other matters, the Committee considered:

A Local Organising Committee (LOC) comprising members from across AOP ensured the smooth delivery of one Conference held at the Planetarium in September 2024.

Redevelopment Sub-Committee

The Redevelopment Sub-Committee’s membership is drawn from the Management Committee and comprises of six members.

REDEVELOPMENT SUB-COMMITTEE REDEVELOPMENT SUB-COMMITTEE
MEMBER MEETINGS ATTENDED
(max. 2)
Mr S Brown(Chair) 2
Mr J Briggs 1
Mr G Cox 0
Mr P Kennedy 2
Dr K Lemon 0
Mr E Rooney 2

The primary purpose of the Sub-Committee was to drive the AOP’s Redevelopment Project and oversee the delivery of the outcomes and benefits, most notably initially an Outline Business Case (OBC), which was submitted to DfC on 1 June 2023.

The Redevelopment Sub-Committee met twice and considered a range of issues associated with project governance including the funding applications; planning / design issues; stakeholder engagement; risks and opportunities; programme / key milestones; project board structures and procurement of design team options.

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All members of the Management Committee were invited to attend its last meeting which took place on Wednesday 11 September 2024 and Revd Canon Hagan, Mr Wilson, Professor Darnley, Professor Mathioudakis, Mr O’Hara and Professor Hunter did so.

The ‘task and finish’ Sub-Committee was intended to continue until the OBC was approved, however, it was replaced by a Strategic Oversight Committee which first met in June 2024.

Strategic Oversight Committee

The Strategic Oversight Committee’s membership is drawn from the Management Committee and comprises 9 members.

STRATEGIC OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE STRATEGIC OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE
MEMBER MEETINGS ATTENDED
(max. 6)
Mr J Briggs 4
Professor M Burton 6
Mr G Cox 4
Mr P Kennedy 5
Dr K Lemon 3
Mr R O’Hara 5
Mr E Rooney 6
Mr R Wilson 5
Ms G McVeigh (from 10
December 2024)		 3 from 3

As outlined in the draft Terms of Reference, the purpose of the Strategic Oversight Committee (SOC) is to oversee all strands of AOP activity during the development phase of the redevelopment project to ensure there is a focus and consistency of approach towards achieving the organisation’s objectives. It is intended to be more agile than the quarterly Management Committee meetings, with delegated authority to make decisions in relation to operations issues consistent with the shared vision. The Committee will also oversee the work of the Project Board for AOP development.

In 2024-25, amongst other matters, the Committee considered:

Finance Sub-Committee

An interim task and finish Finance Sub-Committee was established in December 2023 to consider the potential budget constraints faced for 2024-25 and possible actions to be taken. It last met in May 2024, culminating in a letter from the Accounting Officer to the DfC Permanent Secretary setting out identified savings and inescapable costs.

Conflicts of Interest

The organisation maintains a register of interests to ensure that potential conflicts of interest can be identified and addressed in advance of Board, Management Committee and other Committee discussions. The register is formally revisited on an annual basis. Where conflicts exist, they are recorded in the Committee minutes and the Chair of the meeting decides the most appropriate way of managing the conflict. This may include that member not taking part in discussions or making decisions on certain matters or being excluded for part or all of that meeting.

The Register of Interests for Board of Governors, Management Committee and senior staff is published on the AOP website in accordance with central government guidance.

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Directors and Secretary

Professor Michael Burton is Director and Chief Executive of AOP.

The Corporate Manager provides a range of secretarial support services to the Board of Governors, Management Committee, Audit and Risk Assurance Committee and Strategic Oversight Committee; the HR and Policy Officer provides secretarial support to the Staffing Policy and Remuneration Committee and Executive Officers to the Research and Education Advisory Committee and Redevelopment Sub-Committee.

3. Business Planning and Risk Management

Business Planning

‘Our mission is the pursuit of knowledge and understanding of the cosmos, and the sharing of that knowledge in order to inspire future generations and enrich the intellectual, economic, social and cultural life of all.’

‘Our vision is to be recognised as an international centre of scientific excellence for the pursuit of astronomy and the public understanding of science, for our capacity for innovation and our extraordinary heritage, a place our community can be proud of.’

The pillars that support us are – Knowledge, Legacy, People and Engagement.

The five-year strategy is built around four strategic themes - Enduring Relevance, National and International Standing, Offering More and Pursuing our Priorities.

The Strategic Plan aligns closely with the aims and objectives of the Observatory and Planetarium’s sponsor - the Department for Communities (DfC) – and with the broader aims and objectives of the Northern Ireland Executive’s Programme for Government. The organisation’s Strategic Plan 2021-26 received Departmental approval on 17 August 2021.

The work of the Observatory encompasses both internationally acclaimed research and a unique cultural heritage — scientific, historical, architectural — as well as maintaining the unique daily climate series (the longest daily series from a single site in the UK and Ireland) and undertaking a world-class programme of science in the community, which complements the Planetarium’s main business of education.

The Planetarium’s main business is education, and all age and social groups are welcome to visit. The educational programmes and demonstrations are designed to include participation by children of pre-nursery age up to senior citizens and all age groups in between. The primary educational aim of the Planetarium is to endorse and promote the Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) agenda which promotes scientific careers to young people. All of the ancillary activities support the primary aim, with the additional target of offering excellent value for money, both to the visitors taking part and to the public purse. The Planetarium maintains a focus on being inclusive so that all children can enjoy the Planetarium experience.

Full details of all the Observatory and Planetarium’s activities are provided in comprehensive Annual Reports which are available online at: www.armagh.space.

No Ministerial Directions have been given regarding the work of AOP during 2024-25.

Risk Management

Risk Management is an essential element of AOP’s corporate governance framework and is closely linked to the system of internal control and business planning process. HM Treasury Orange Book establishes the concept of risk management and provides a basic introduction to its concepts, development and implementation of risk management process in government organisations. A robust risk management process assists AOP in identifying and managing issues which may hinder the achievement of objectives. The arrangements are regularly reviewed.

As well as ensuring that there is an effective system in place to deal with threats to AOP’s aims and objectives, the organisation encourages a proactive approach to innovation and well-managed risk taking where there is potential to realise sustainable improvements in the organisation's research and educational services. For this reason, the organisation’s Risk Appetite is ‘Open’.

The Management Committee sets the risk appetite for AOP. The Accounting Officer, Senior Management Team and other staff are responsible for ensuring that residual risks are reduced to a level as low as reasonably practicable and wherever possible consistent with the level of risk appetite established by the Management Committee.

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Updates are provided to the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee on the development and implementation of the risk management process across AOP. The Audit and Risk Assurance Committee provides the Accounting Officer with objective advice on issues concerning the risk, control and governance of the organisation and the associated assurances. An update on the main points considered by the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee is provided to the Management Committee following each meeting and the Management Committee has access to all papers for the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee.

4. Fraud and Information Risk

The Accounting Officer has overall responsibility for managing the risk of fraud including:

Risks to data and information held by the organisation are owned and managed by individuals designated as information asset owners. The Corporate Policy and HR Officer responds to requests for information under the Data Protection and Freedom of Information Acts following consultation with the Accounting Officer and the organisation’s governing Committees, as appropriate.

AOP operates a Whistleblowing Policy which informs all members of the organisation of the standards of behaviour expected of them in carrying out their duties, and to provide information on the procedures to follow if a situation arises in which they are required to act in a way which is believed by them to be illegal, improper, or in breach of the Nolan Principles.

5. Governance and Accountability

AOP seeks to achieve excellence in good governance, in particular the precepts: (1) leadership; (2) effectiveness; (3) accountability and (4) sustainability.

The Chair of the Board of Governors has a particular leadership responsibility for securing the sustainability and vitality of the organisation in the long term; giving advice and direction in formulating AOP’s forward look and overall strategy; ensuring that account is taken of guidance provided by the Minister or the Department; promoting the efficient and effective use of staff and other resources; encouraging high standards of probity amongst staff and Board and Committee members alike; and ensuring that the Board and its Committees meet at regular intervals throughout the year and that the Minutes of meetings accurately record the decisions taken and, where appropriate, the views of individual Board members.

Within AOP, the Director, supported by his Senior Management team, has responsibility for the management and effective operation of their organisation. Their operational responsibilities include:

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Members of the Board of Governors and of the Management Committee and their various Sub Committees exercise an effective challenge function on the leadership team in accordance with their respective roles in the organisation. They also provide guidance and advice on strategic and operational matters such as Human Resource issues, accountability and relationships with stakeholders.

The members of these Committees are drawn from a very wide community background within, and beyond, Northern Ireland, and provide the organisation with a correspondingly wide range of expert knowledge and advice. All the Committees of AOP operate with full transparency and accountability, and over the last year have proved effective in the discharge of their duties and responsibilities.

It was agreed by the Board of Governors and the Management Committee that the governance arrangements in place removed the need for the current Board of Governors to complete an internal self-assessment of its effectiveness.

The Board of Governors and supporting Committees receive assurances from the Director and his Senior Management Team and Internal Audit that the governance and accountability processes are being managed effectively.

During 2024-25 two members of the Senior Management Team – the Head of Corporate Services and the Head of Finance and Income Generation – tendered their resignations with effect from 30 April 2025 and 31 May 2025 respectively. The two positions have temporarily been combined into the post of Interim Head of Finance and Corporate Services pending a permanent appointment in due course.

6. Sources of Independent Assurance

Internal Audit

CavanaghKelly was reappointed as Internal Auditors for the 3 years 2023-24 – 2025-26 using CPD as the Centre of Procurement Expertise. Their work was carried out in accordance with the Public Sector Internal Audit Standards.

The three year Audit Strategy was approved by the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee in June 2023.

During 2024-25 the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee considered reports on the following areas:

Audit Assignment Assurance Rating
IT Systems and Security Satisfactory
Human Resource Management Satisfactory
Financial – Income & Procurement Satisfactory
Internal Audit Follow Up2024-25 N/A

An overall satisfactory internal audit assurance opinion has been provided.

External Audit

The Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) is required to audit the financial statements under The Armagh Observatory and Planetarium (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 . The C&AG is responsible for reporting whether in her opinion the financial statements give a true and fair view and whether they and the part of the Remuneration Report to be audited have been properly prepared in accordance with the Order and DfC directions made thereunder and applicable law and United Kingdom accounting standards. The C&AG is required to report whether, in her opinion, in light of the knowledge and understanding of AOP and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, she has identified any material misstatements in the Trustees’ Annual Report and whether the information which comprises the Statement of the Responsibilities of the Governors and Accounting Officers and Governance Statement, as included within the Annual Report, is consistent with the financial statements. She also reports on whether, in her opinion, in all material respects, the expenditure and income presented in the financial statements have been applied

Armagh Observatory and Planetarium Annual Report and Accounts for 2024-25

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to the purposes intended by the Assembly and whether the financial transactions conform to the authorities which govern them.

A representative from the Northern Ireland Audit Office is invited to all Audit and Risk Assurance Committee meetings.

7. Review of the Effectiveness of the System of Internal Governance

The system of internal governance is designed to manage risk to a reasonable level, rather than to eliminate all risk of failure to achieve certain policies, aims and objectives; it can therefore only provide reasonable and not absolute assurance of effectiveness. The system of internal governance is based on an ongoing process designed to identify and prioritise risks to the achievement of the AOP policies, aims and objectives; to assess the likelihood of the events occurring and the impact should they be realised; and to manage the risks effectively, efficiently and economically. The system of internal governance has been in place in AOP for the year ended 31 March 2025 and up to the date of approval of the annual accounts, and accords with Department of Finance guidance.

As previously detailed in Section 2, the responsibilities of the Accounting Officer include the need to maintain a sound system of internal control which supports the achievement of the organisation’s policies, aims and objectives. The review of the effectiveness of the system of internal governance has been informed by the assurances provided by relevant parties such as: Internal Audit and the Senior Management Team. Where weaknesses have been identified these have been promptly drawn, through normal reporting mechanisms, to the attention of the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee, Management Committee and/or Board of Governors, as appropriate.

The main procedures in place to monitor the effectiveness of the system of internal governance are as follows:

All reports based on the internal and external audits include opinions on the adequacy and effectiveness of risk management and the control framework in place. These matters are considered by the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee and are reported by the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee Chair to the Management Committee and the Board of Governors.

Weaknesses identified in AOP’s control systems and internal governances are set out within the next section. Upon identification, plans were immediately put into place to addresses these issues.

8. Internal Governance Divergences

Update on Prior Years:

There are currently two outstanding internal audit recommendations from prior years, which are still being implemented, namely Education and Outreach activities - educational programme, a new target date set of December 2025; and Health and Safety where the risk management policy was to be updated to include the new risk assessment template – this has now been completed.

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Identification of New Issues:

Of the new issues identified by internal audit during 2024/25 there remain four outstanding recommendations - two that are being implemented and two that have not yet reached the implementation date.

During its audit for 2024-25, NIAO identified no priority 1 issues to be addressed by management in their areas of responsibility. On!y 1 priority 3 issue was raised. Recommendation Priorit Status Our testing identified one declaration of interest 3 Requests for members of the Board of which had not been completed by a member of the Governors and members of the Management Committee. We understand that AOP Management Committee to declare conflicts remind members of the Board of Governors and of interest were sent on 09 April 2025, and Management Committee of the policy in respect of reminders again on 12 June 2025 and 27 Conflicts of Interest and follow up on declarations June 2025. which are not returned by members. Declarations were not received from three This matter was also raised as a finding in the prior members of the Board of Governors or year Report to Those Charged with Governance. Management Committee during the period We recommend that AOP remind members of the ended 31 March 2025, but who had all Board of Governors and Management Committee of resigned by 15 August 2025. the importance of completing declarations of interest forms on an annual basis and submitting these for records. male 9. Conclusion AOP has an effective governance structure and is operating to a high standard of integrity and probity. In signing this report, I have taken assurances, where available, from the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee and I will continue to monitor the Internal Audit and Northern Ireland Audit Office recommendations to ensure that all issues are appropriately addressed.

To the best of my knowledge this report provides a fair and accurate reflection of the business of AOP and of the status of he contr • d checks that have been put in place to regulate and inform the organisation's committees.

.

Signed:

Date: 12 November 2025

Professor Michael Burton Accounting Officer Armagh Observatory and Planetarium

43

Annagh Observatory and Planetarium Annual Report and Accounts for 2024-25

Armagh Observatory and Planetarium Refereed Journal Publications: April 2024 – March 2025

Abe S., et al., inc. Burton M. G. , 2024a, Dark matter line searches with the Cherenkov Telescope Array, Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, 2024, 047, doi:10.1088/1475-7516/2024/07/047, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024JCAP...07..047A

Abe K., et al., inc. Burton M. G. , 2024b, Prospects for γ-ray observations of the Perseus galaxy cluster with the Cherenkov Telescope Array, Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, 2024, 004, doi:10.1088/14757516/2024/10/004, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024JCAP...10..004A

Abe S., et al., inc. Burton M. G. , 2024c, Prospects for a survey of the galactic plane with the Cherenkov Telescope Array, Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, 2024, 081, doi:10.1088/1475-7516/2024/10/081, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024JCAP...10..081A

Alves D. R., et al., inc. Ramsay G. , 2025, NGTS-33b: a young super-Jupiter hosted by a fast-rotating massive hot star, Monthly Notices Royal Astronomical Society, 536, 1538, doi:10.1093/mnras/stae2582, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2025MNRAS.536.1538A

Antolin P., Auchère F., Winch E. , Soubrié E., Oliver R., 2024, Decomposing the AIA 304 ̊A Channel into Its Cool and Hot Components, Solar Physics, 299, 94, doi:10.1007/s11207-024-02337-4, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024SoPh..299...94A

Backs F., et al., inc. Vink J. S. , 2024, X-Shooting ULLYSES: Massive stars at low metallicity: VI. Atmosphere and mass-loss properties of O-type giants in the Small Magellanic Cloud, Astronomy & Astrophysics, 692, A88, doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202451893, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024AA...692A..88B

Bagnulo S. , Belskaya I., Cellino A., Kwon Y. G., Muñoz O., Stam D. M., 2024a, Polarimetry of Solar System minor bodies and planets, Astronomy & Astrophysics Review, 32, 7, doi:10.1007/s00159-024- 00157-w, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024AARv..32. .... 7B

Bagnulo S. , Landstreet J. D. , 2024, Strong magnetic fields of old white dwarfs are symmetric about the stellar rotation axes, Astronomy & Astrophysics, 692, A174, doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202451386, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024AA ... 692A.174B

Bagnulo S. , Landstreet J. D. , Farihi J., Folsom C. P., Hollands M. A., Fossati L., 2024b, Metal accretion scars may be common on magnetic, polluted white dwarfs, Astronomy & Astrophysics, 688, L14, doi:10.1051/00046361/202451215, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024AA...688L..14B

Bailey, M. E. , Butler, C. J. , Finnegan J. A., Kelly, S. T. , 2024, A Note on the Cut Benchmarks at Armagh Observatory: Marking Two Hundred Years of the Ordnance Survey of Ireland, Irish Geography, 56, 123–135

Berdyugin A., Landstreet J. D. , Bagnulo S. , Piirola V., Berdyugina S. V., 2024, Searching for magnetic fields in featureless white dwarfs with the DIPOL-UF polarimeter at the Nordic Optical Telescope, Astronomy & Astrophysics, 690, A10, doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202450527, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024AA...690A..10B

Bernini-Peron M., et al., inc. Vink J. S. , 2024, X-Shooting ULLYSES: Massive stars at low metallicity: VII. Stellar and wind properties of B supergiants in the Small Magellanic Cloud, Astronomy & Astrophysics, 692, A89, doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202450475, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024AA...692A..89B

Bestenlehner J. M., et al., inc. Vink J. S. , 2025, X-Shooting ULLYSES: Massive stars at low metallicity: XI. Pipeline-determined physical properties of Magellanic Cloud OB stars, Astronomy & Astrophysics, 695, A198, doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202452491, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2025AA .. 695A.198B

Boehnhardt H. , Lara L., Gray Z. , Bagnulo S. , 2024, Coma and tail of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko during the 2021-2022 apparition, Monthly Notices Royal Astronomical Society, 531, 3912, doi:10.1093/mnras/stae1412, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024MNRAS.531.3912B

Borisov G. , Todorović N., Vchkova-Bebekovska E., Kostov A., Apostolovska G., 2024, The possible dual nature of the asteroid (12499) 1998 FR47, Contributions of the Astronomical Observatory Skalnate Pleso, 54, 57, doi:10.31577/caosp.2024.54.4.57, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024CoSka..54d..57B

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Buttitta C., et al., inc. Sarzi M. , 2025, Looking into the faintEst WIth MUSE (LEWIS): Exploring the nature of ultradiffuse galaxies in the Hydra-I cluster: II. Stellar kinematics and dynamical masses, Astronomy & Astrophysics, 694, A276, doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202452915, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2025AA...694A.276B

Callingham J. R., et al., inc. Rigney J. , 2024, Radio signatures of star-planet interactions, exoplanets and space weather, Nature Astronomy, 8, 1359, doi:10.1038/s41550-024-02405-6, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024NatAs ... 8.1359C

Choi Y., et al., inc. Eden D. , 2024, The JCMT BISTRO Survey: The Magnetic Fields of the IC 348 Star-forming Region, Astrophysical Journal, 977, 32, doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ad88ed, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024ApJ...977 .... 32C

Christou A. A. , Gritsevich M., 2024, Feasibility of meteor surveying from a Venus orbiter, Icarus, 417, 116116, doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2024.116116, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024Icar..41716116C

Dawson H., et al., inc. Jeffery C. S. , 2024, A 500 pc volume-limited sample of hot subluminous stars. I. Space density, scale height, and population properties, Astronomy & Astrophysics, 686, A25, doi:10.1051/00046361/202348319, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024AA...686A..25D

Decleir M., Gordon K. D., Misselt K. A., Günay B. , Roman-Duval J., Zeegers S. T., 2025, A First Taste of MEAD (Measuring Extinction and Abundances of Dust). I. Diffuse Milky Way Interstellar Dust Extinction Features in JWST Infrared Spectra, Astronomical Journal, 169, 99, doi:10.3847/1538- 3881/ada147, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2025AJ....169. 99D

Dorsch M., et al., inc. Jeffery C. S. , Philip Monai A. , Snowdon E. J. , Scott L. J. A. , 2024, Discovery of three magnetic helium-rich hot subdwarfs with SALT, Astronomy & Astrophysics, 691, A165, doi:10.1051/00046361/202451306, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024AA .. 691A.165D

Duffy C. , Wu K., Ramsay G. , Wood M. A., Mason P. A., Hakala P., Steeghs D., 2024, Characterizing high and low accretion states in VY Scl CVs using ZTF and TESS data, Monthly Notices Royal Astronomical Society, 535, 3035, doi:10.1093/mnras/stae2554, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024MNRAS.535.3035D

Eden D. J. , et al., 2024, A study of Galactic Plane Planck Galactic cold clumps observed by SCOPE and the JCMT Plane Survey, Monthly Notices Royal Astronomical Society, 530, 5192, doi:10.1093/mnras/stae1179, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024MNRAS.530.5192E

Gill S., et al., inc. Ramsay G. , 2024, TOI-2447 b / NGTS-29 b: a 69-day Saturn around a Solar analogue, Monthly Notices Royal Astronomical Society, 532, 1444, doi:10.1093/mnras/stae1256, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024MNRAS.532.1444G

Gill S., et al., inc. Ramsay G. , 2024, Correction to: TOI-2447 b / NGTS-29 b: a 69-day Saturn around a Solar analogue, Monthly Notices Royal Astronomical Society, 533, 109, doi:10.1093/mnras/stae1804, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024MNRAS.533..109G

Gómez-González V. M. A., et al., inc. Vink J. S. , 2025, X-Shooting ULLYSES: Massive stars at low metallicity: X. Physical parameters and feedback of massive stars in the LMC N11 B star-forming region, Astronomy & Astrophysics, 695, A197, doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202451366, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2025AA ... 695A.197G

Gray Z. , et al., inc. Bagnulo S. , Boehnhardt H. , Borisov G. , Nežič R. , 2024, Imaging polarimetry of comet 67 P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko: homogeneous distribution of polarization and its implications, Monthly Notices Royal Astronomical Society, 531, 1638, doi:10.1093/mnras/stae1284, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024MNRAS.531.1638G

Groot P. J., et al., inc. Duffy C. , Ramsay G. , 2024, The BlackGEM Telescope Array. I. Overview, Publications Astronomical Society Pacific, 136, 115003, doi:10.1088/1538-3873/ad8b6a, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024PASP..136k5003G

Hagedorn B., et al., inc. Sarzi M. , 2024, Molecular gas scaling relations for local star-forming galaxies in the low-M ∗ regime, Astronomy & Astrophysics, 687, A244, doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202449773, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024AA...687A.244H

Hawcroft C., et al., inc. Vink J. S. , 2024, X-Shooting ULLYSES: Massive stars at low metallicity. III. Terminal wind speeds of ULLYSES massive stars, Astronomy & Astrophysics, 688, A105, doi:10.1051/0004- 6361/202245588, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024AA...688A.105H

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Henderson B. A., et al., inc. Ramsay G. , 2024a, NGTS-28Ab: a short period transiting brown dwarf, Monthly Notices Royal Astronomical Society, 530, 318, doi:10.1093/mnras/stae508, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024MNRAS.530..318H

Henderson B. A., et al., inc. Ramsay G. , 2024b, TOI-2490b - the most eccentric brown dwarf transiting in the brown dwarf desert, Monthly Notices Royal Astronomical Society, 533, 2823, doi:10.1093/mnras/stae1940, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024MNRAS.533.2823H

Higgins E. R. , Vink J. S. , Hirschi R., Laird A. M., Sander A. A. C., 2024, New Wolf-Rayet wind yields and nucleosynthesis of Helium stars, Monthly Notices Royal Astronomical Society, 533, 1095, doi:10.1093/mnras/stae1853, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024MNRAS.533.1095H

Hsu S.-Y., et al., inc. Eden D. J. , 2024, ALMASOP. The Localized and Chemically Rich Features near the Bases of the Protostellar Jet in HOPS 87, Astrophysical Journal, 976, 29, doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ad7e25, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024ApJ...976...29H

Humpage A. , Christou A. A. , 2024, A numerical study of near-Earth asteroid family orbital dispersion, Monthly Notices Royal Astronomical Society, 533, 1412, doi:10.1093/mnras/stae1874, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024MNRAS.533.1412H

Jeffery C. S. , Scott L. J. A. , Philip Monai A. , Miszalski B., Woolf V. M., 2024, EC 19529-4430: SALT identifies the most carbon- and metal-poor extreme helium star, Monthly Notices Royal Astronomical Society, 530, 1666, doi:10.1093/mnras/stae961, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024MNRAS.530.1666J

Jin S., et al., inc. Vink J. S. , 2024, The wide-field, multiplexed, spectroscopic facility WEAVE: Survey design, overview, and simulated implementation, Monthly Notices Royal Astronomical Society, 530, 2688, doi:10.1093/mnras/stad557, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024MNRAS.530.2688J

Johnston C., et al., inc. Sabhahit G. , 2024, Modelling Time-dependent Convective Penetration in 1D Stellar Evolution, Astrophysical Journal, 964, 170, doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ad2343, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024ApJ...964..170J

Kalari V. M., Salinas R., Andersen M., De Marchi G., Rubio M., Vink J. S. , Zinnecker H., 2025, Discovery of Metalpoor and Distant Pre–Main Sequence Candidates in WLM with JWST, Astrophysical Journal, 980, L16, doi:10.3847/2041-8213/adafa5, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2025ApJ...980L..16K

Karoly J., et al., inc. Eden D. J. , 2025, The JCMT BISTRO Survey: Magnetic Fields Align with Orbital Structure in the Galactic Center, Astrophysical Journal, 982, L22, doi:10.3847/2041-8213/adbc67, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2025ApJ...982L..22K

Killestein T. L., et al., inc. Ramsay G. , 2024, Kilonova Seekers: the GOTO project for real-time citizen science in time-domain astrophysics, Monthly Notices Royal Astronomical Society, 533, 2113, doi:10.1093/mnras/stae1817, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024MNRAS.533.2113K

King S. M., et al., inc. Eden D. J. , 2024, CHIMPS2:[13] CO J = 3→2 emission in the central molecular zone, Monthly Notices Royal Astronomical Society, 533, 131, doi:10.1093/mnras/stae1854, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024MNRAS.533..131K

King G. W., Corrales L. R., Bourrier V., Dos Santos L. A., Doyle L., Lavie B., Ramsay G. , Wheatley P. J., 2025, Stellar X-Ray Variability and Planetary Evolution in the DS Tucanae System, Astrophysical Journal, 980, 27, doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ada948, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2025ApJ...980...27K

Klaassen P., et al., inc. Eden D. J. , 2024, Atacama Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope (AtLAST) science: Our Galaxy, Open Research Europe, 4, 112, doi:10.12688/openreseurope.17450.1, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024ORE ..... 4..112K

Kongsathitporn N., et al., inc. Ramsay G. , 2024, Leveraging Movement Representation from Contrastive Learning for Asteroid Detection, Publications Astronomical Society Pacific, 136, 124507, doi:10.1088/1538- 3873/ad8c83, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024PASP..136l4507K

Kwon Y. G., Bagnulo S. , Markkanen J., Kolokolova L., Agarwal J., Lippi M., Gray Z. , 2024, The Pre-perihelion Evolution of the Activity of Comet C/2017 K2 (Pan-STARRS) during the Water Ice-line Crossover, Astronomical Journal, 168, 164, doi:10.3847/1538-3881/ad6b15, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024AJ....168..164K

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Lanza A. F., Rui N. Z., Farihi J., Landstreet J. D. , Bagnulo S. , 2024, Atmospheric heating and magnetism driven by[22] Nedistillation in isolated white dwarfs, Astronomy & Astrophysics, 689, A233, doi:10.1051/00046361/202449947, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024AA...689A.233L

Liu C.-F., et al., inc. Eden D. J. , 2025, ALMA Survey of Orion Planck Galactic Cold Clumps (ALMASOP): Nested Morphological and Kinematic Structures of Outflows Revealed in SiO and CO Emission, Astrophysical Journal, 979, 17, doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ad9275, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2025ApJ...979...17L

Martins F., et al., inc. Vink J. S. , 2024, X-Shooting ULLYSES: Massive stars at low metallicity: V. Effect of metallicity on surface abundances of O stars, Astronomy & Astrophysics, 689, A31, doi:10.1051/00046361/202449457, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024AA...689A..31M

Mason P. A., et al., inc. Ramsay G. , Duffy C. , 2024, TESS Photometry of AM Her and AR UMa: Binary Parameters, Cyclotron Emission Modeling, and Mass Transfer Duty Cycles, Astrophysical Journal, 965, 96, doi:10.3847/1538- 4357/ad27d7, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024ApJ...965...96M

McMahon M. , Bailey M. E. , Roberts Seager J. C., 2024, William John Roberts (1867–1942): Science communicator, astronomer, and engineer, The Antiquarian Astronomer, 18, 94, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024AntAs..18...94M

Nascimbeni V., et al., inc. Ramsay G. , 2025, The PLATO field selection process: II. Characterization of LOPS2, the first long-pointing field, Astronomy & Astrophysics, 694, A313, doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202452325, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2025AA...694A.313N

Nonhebel M., et al., inc. Burton M. G. , 2024, Disruption of a massive molecular cloud by a supernova in the Galactic Centre: Initial results from the ACES project, Astronomy & Astrophysics, 691, A70, doi:10.1051/00046361/202451190, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024AA...691A..70N

Pursiainen M., et al., inc. Ramsay G. , 2025, Optical evolution of AT 2024wpp: the high-velocity outflows in Cowlike transients are consistent with high spherical symmetry, Monthly Notices Royal Astronomical Society, 537, 3298, doi:10.1093/mnras/staf232, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2025MNRAS.537.3298P

Ramachandran V., et al., inc. Vink J. S. , 2024, X-Shooting ULLYSES: Massive stars at low metallicity: VIII. Stellar and wind parameters of newly revealed stripped stars in Be binaries, Astronomy & Astrophysics, 692, A90, doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202449665, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024AA...692A..90R

Ramsay G. , Hakala P., Doyle J. G. , 2024, Searching for the stellar cycles of low-mass stars using TESS data, Astronomy & Astrophysics, 689, A288, doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202450523, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024AA...689A.288R

Rani R., Li J.-L., Moore T. J. T., Eden D. J. , Rigby A. J., Park G., Lee Y.-N., 2024, The impact of shear on the rotation of Galactic plane molecular clouds, Monthly Notices Royal Astronomical Society, 532, 2501, doi:10.1093/mnras/stae1624, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024MNRAS.532.2501R

Rigby A. J., et al., inc. Eden D. J. , 2025, PAMS: The Perseus Arm Molecular Survey-I. Survey description and first results, Monthly Notices Royal Astronomical Society, 538, 198, doi:10.1093/mnras/staf278, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2025MNRAS.538..198R

Rigney J., Gallagher P. T., Ramsay G. , Doyle J. G. , Long D. M., Stepanyuk O., Kozarev K., 2024, Tracking the motion of a shock along a channel in the low solar corona, Astronomy & Astrophysics, 684, L7, doi:10.1051/00046361/202348452, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024AA...684L...7R

Rodriguez A. C., et al., inc. Ramsay G. , 2025, Cataclysmic Variables and AM CVn Binaries in SRG/eROSITA + Gaia: Volume Limited Samples, X-Ray Luminosity Functions, and Space Densities, Publications Astronomical Society Pacific, 137, 014201, doi:10.1088/1538-3873/ada185, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2025PASP..137a4201R

Sabhahit G. N. , Vink J. S. , 2025, Stellar expansion or inflation?, Astronomy & Astrophysics, 693, A10, doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202451976, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2025AA...693A..10S

Salcedo C., Mori K., Bridges G., Hailey C. J., Buckley D. A. H., Lopes de Oliveira R., Ramsay G. , van Dyk A., 2024, A Broadband X-Ray Investigation of Fast-spinning Intermediate Polar CTCV J2056–3014, Astrophysical Journal, 976, 115, doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ad7feb, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024ApJ...976..115S

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Sana H., et al., inc. Vink J. S. , 2024, X-Shooting ULLYSES: Massive stars at low metallicity. II. DR1: Advanced optical data products for the Magellanic Clouds, Astronomy & Astrophysics, 688, A104, doi:10.1051/00046361/202347479, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024AA...688A.104S

Sander A. A. C., et al., inc. Vink J. S. , 2024, X-Shooting ULLYSES: Massive stars at low metallicity: IV. Spectral analysis methods and exemplary results for O stars, Astronomy & Astrophysics, 689, A30, doi:10.1051/00046361/202449829, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024AA...689A..30S

Schlagenhauf S. , Mugrauer M., Ginski C., Buder S., Fernández M., Bischoff R., 2024, Search for Stellar Companions of Exoplanet Host Stars with AstraLux/CAHA 2.2 m, Monthly Notices Royal Astronomical Society, 529, 4768, doi:10.1093/mnras/stae520, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024MNRAS.529.4768S

Scott L. J. A. , Jeffery C. S. , Byrne C. M., Dorsch M., 2024, Spectroscopic diagnostics of lead stratification in hot subdwarf atmospheres, Monthly Notices Royal Astronomical Society, 530, 2039, doi:10.1093/mnras/stae908, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024MNRAS.530.2039S

Selmi E., et al., inc. Borisov G. , 2025, Cross Validation of Albedo Determination for 1627 Ivar from Three Different Techniques, The Planetary Science Journal, 6, 26, doi:10.3847/PSJ/ada563, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2025PSJ.....6...26S

Shen X., et al., inc. Eden D. J. , 2024, JCMT 850 μm Continuum Observations of Density Structures in the G35 Molecular Complex, Astrophysical Journal, 974, 239, doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ad6a5f, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024ApJ...974..239S

Shenar T., et al., inc. Vink J. S. , 2024, Binarity at LOw Metallicity (BLOeM): A spectroscopic VLT monitoring survey of massive stars in the SMC, Astronomy & Astrophysics, 690, A289, doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202451586, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024AA...690A.289S

Smith Castelli A. V., et al., inc. Sarzi M. , 2024, The S-PLUS Fornax Project (S+FP): A first 12-band glimpse of the Fornax galaxy cluster, Monthly Notices Royal Astronomical Society, 530, 3787, doi:10.1093/mnras/stae840, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024MNRAS.530.3787S

Snowdon E. J. , Jeffery C. S. , Schlagenhauf S. , Dorsch M., 2025, A search for close binary systems in the SALT survey of hydrogen-deficient stars using TESS, Monthly Notices Royal Astronomical Society, 537, 2079, doi:10.1093/mnras/staf152, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2025MNRAS.537.2079S

Verhamme O., et al., inc. Vink J. S. , 2024, X-Shooting ULLYSES: Massive Stars at low metallicity: IX. Empirical constraints on mass-loss rates and clumping parameters for OB supergiants in the Large Magellanic Cloud, Astronomy & Astrophysics, 692, A91, doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202451169, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024AA...692A..91V

Vines J. I., et al., inc. Ramsay G. , 2025, NGTS-31b and NGTS-32b: two inflated hot Jupiters orbiting sub-giant stars, Monthly Notices Royal Astronomical Society, 536, 2011, doi:10.1093/mnras/stae2616, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2025MNRAS.536.2011V

Vink J. S. , Sabhahit G. N. , Higgins E. R. , 2024, The maximum black hole mass at solar metallicity, Astronomy & Astrophysics, 688, L10, doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202450655, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024AA...688L..10V

Warwick B., et al., inc. Ramsay G. , 2025, SN 2023tsz: a helium-interaction-driven supernova in a very low-mass galaxy, Monthly Notices Royal Astronomical Society, 536, 3588, doi:10.1093/mnras/stae2784, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2025MNRAS.536.3588W

Winch E. R. J. , Vink J. S. , Higgins E. R. , Sabhahit G. N. , 2024, Predicting the heaviest black holes below the pair instability gap, Monthly Notices Royal Astronomical Society, 529, 2980, doi:10.1093/mnras/stae393, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024MNRAS.529.2980W

Wu J., et al., inc. Eden D. , 2024, A Tale of Three: Magnetic Fields along the Orion Integral-shaped Filament as Revealed by the JCMT BISTRO Survey, Astrophysical Journal, 977, L31, doi:10.3847/2041-8213/ad93d2, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024ApJ...977L..31W

Zabel N., et al., inc. Sarzi M. , Chawla A. , 2024, A resolved, multiwavelength study of gas-rich dwarf galaxies in the Fornax cluster using MUSE, MeerKAT, and ALMA, Monthly Notices Royal Astronomical Society, 535, 2538, doi:10.1093/mnras/stae2495, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024MNRAS.535.2538Z

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Zhang H., et al., inc. Sarzi M. , 2025, WISDOM Project - XXII. A 5 per cent precision CO-dynamical supermassive black hole mass measurement in the galaxy NGC 383, Monthly Notices Royal Astronomical Society, 537, 520, doi:10.1093/mnras/staf055, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2025MNRAS.537..520Z

Armagh Observatory and Planetarium Non Refereed Journal Publications: April 2024 – March 2025

Burton, M & Mackle, S ., 2024, Teaching Secondary School Physics in the Planetarium Dome, in The International Planetarium Society 2024 Conference Proceedings, Stiftung Planetarium Berlin, 18-25 July 2024, Editor S Mitchell. URL https://www.ips-planetarium.org/page/proceedings

Christou A. , Gritsevich M., 2024, in European Planetary Science Congress. Characterising the meteoroid environment at 0.7 au from the sun with a Venus-orbiting meteor camera: a feasibility study. pp EPSC2024–204, doi:10.5194/epsc2024-204

Dyer M. J., et al., inc. Ramsay G. , 2024, in Marshall H. K., Spyromilio J., Usuda T., eds, Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) Conference Series Vol. 13094, Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes X. The Gravitational-wave Optical Transient Observer (GOTO). p. 130941X (arXiv:2407.17176), doi:10.1117/12.3018305

Gray Z. , 2024, in European Planetary Science Congress. Double Trouble: Polarimetric Insights into the DidymosDimorphos post-DART Evolution. pp EPSC2024–458, doi:10.5194/epsc2024-458

Humpage A. , Christou A. , 2024, in European Planetary Science Congress. A Numerical Study of Near-Earth Asteroid Family Orbital Dispersion. pp EPSC2024–910, doi:10.5194/epsc2024-910

Joo A. P., Eden D. , Tóth L. V., 2024, in IAU General Assembly. Pre- and protostellar cores in the 200 brightest

Planck compact sources. p. 2397

Khamrat S., et al., inc. Ramsay G. , 2024, in Lee H. W., Chang S. J., Leung K. C., eds, Astronomical Society of the Pacific Conference Series Vol. 536, The Twelfth Pacific Rim Conference on Stellar Astrophysics. Galactic Novae in the GOTO Database. p. 35

Kolokolova L., Markkanen J., Ludet Q., Ivanova O., Gray Z. , Opitom C., 2024, in European Planetary Science Congress. Characterizing the dust in active asteroids by modeling their photometric and polarimetric images. pp EPSC2024–567, doi:10.5194/epsc2024-567

Mandl L., Christou A. , Windisch A., 2024, in EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts. A machine learning approach to meteor light curve analysis, EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts. p. 21463, doi:10.5194/egusphere-egu24-21463

Marshall-Lee A. , Delbo M., Christou A. , Deienno R., Walsh K., 2024, in European Planetary Science Congress. The Efficiency of the Hierarchical Clustering Method. pp EPSC2024–980, doi:10.5194/epsc2024-980

McMahon M. , 2025, The Imagined Planetarium, History Armagh, 5(4)

Mugrauer M., Michel K.-U., Schlagenhauf S. , Ginski C., 2024, in EAS2024, European Astronomical Society Annual Meeting. The impact of stellar multiplicity on the formation and evolution of planets. p. 715

O’Neill D., et al., inc. Ramsay G. , 2024, in Benn C. R., Chrysostomou A., Storrie-Lombardi L. J., eds, Society of Photo- Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) Conference Series Vol. 13098, Observatory Operations: Strategies, Processes, and Systems X. GERry: A code to optimise the hunt for the electromagnetic counter-parts to gravitational wave events. p. 1309818 (arXiv:2407.18642), doi:10.1117/12.3018319

Penttilä A. , Muinonen K., Granvik M., Gray Z. , Bagnulo S. , Kolokolova L., Moreno F., 2024, in European Planetary Science Congress. Modeling linear polarization of the Didymos-Dimorphos system before and after the DART impact. pp EPSC2024–301, doi:10.5194/epsc2024-301

Rebolledo D., Green A., Burton M. , Garay G., 2024, in IAU General Assembly. A resolved view of the impact of massive star formation in the atomic, molecular and ionized gas in the Carina Nebula. p. 1878

Schipani P., et al., inc. Bagnulo S. , 2024, in Bryant J. J., Motohara K., Vernet J. R. D., eds, Society of PhotoOptical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) Conference Series Vol. 13096, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy X. VSTPOL: making the VST a large survey telescope for optical polarimetry. p. 130967L, doi:10.1117/12.3019695

Armagh Observatory and Planetarium Annual Report and Accounts for 2024-25

49

Winch E. , Vink J. , Higgins E. , Sabhahit G. , 2024, in IAU General Assembly. Predictions for the Maximum Masses of Black Holes below the PI Boundary. p. 1014

During the reporting year, G Ramsay published many reports related to the discovery of transients, and is directly related to his work on the GOTO and BlackGem projects. The Transient Name Server (TNS) is an IAU supported service which reports newly discovered extragalactic transients. He led or was co-I on 1093 TNS Discovery Reports and 8 TNS AstroNotes. In addition, he led or was co-I on 34 GRB Coordinates Network Circular Service (GCNs), which report the results of optical followup of Gravitational Wave and Gamma-ray Burst events.

Books and Other Publications Not Listed Above: April 2024 – March 2025

McMahon M. , Raposo P.M.P., Smail M., Boyce-Jacino K., (eds), 2025, 100 Years of Planetaria: 100 Stories of People, Places, and Devices. Springer.

Features contributions from Michael Burton, Heather Alexander, Terence Murtagh, Arjun Chawla and Kerem Çubuk

Armagh Observatory and Planetarium Annual Report and Accounts for 2024-25

50

Armagh Observatory and Planetarium Presentations: April 2024 – March 2025

Date AOP Speaker Title Location/Mode Category
04 Apr 2024 J. Landstreet Magnetic White Dwarfs — An
Unfinished Story		 Colloquium, Department of
Physics and Astronomy, University
of Western Ontario, London,
Ontario, Canada		 Research
08 Apr 2024 S. Bagnulo Night Time Astronomy with
Sunglasses		 Northern Ireland Amateur
Astronomy Society, Ballyclare, Co.
Antrim		 Outreach
17 Apr 2024 A. Christou Mercury vs the Taurids: A
Continuing Saga		 Department Seminar, Meteor
Physics Group, University of
Western Ontario, London ON,
Canada		 Research
24 Apr 2024 M. McMahon PhD at a Museum QUB/Ulster Museum Meeting,
Belfast, Co. Antrim		 Outreach
25 Apr 2024 D. Eden MAJORS: First Results from
W49		 Raising the Veil on Star Formation:
Near and Far Conference,
Cambridge, England
Research
30 Apr 2024 K. Trakakis Determining the Physical
Conditions of the Interstellar
Medium and the Structure of
the MilkyWayGalaxy		 PhD Student Discussion Meeting,
Armagh Observatory and
Planetarium, Co. Armagh		 Research
07 May 2024 A. Chawla Astrophysical Data
Visualisation		 PhD Student Discussion Meeting,
Armagh Observatory and
Planetarium,Co. Armagh		 Research
07 May 2024 K. Çubuk Our Wee Planet and the Size
of the Universe		 Slemish College, Ballymena, Co.
Antrim		 Outreach
07 May 2024 K. Çubuk Our Wee Planet and the Size
ofthe Universe		 St. Patrick’s College, Ballymena,
Co. Antrim		 Outreach
07 May 2024 K. Çubuk Our Wee Planet and the Size
of the Universe		 Castle Tower School, Ballymena,
Co. Antrim		 Outreach
07 May 2024 A. Philip Monai Groups in SALT Data PhD Student Discussion Meeting,
Armagh Observatory and
Planetarium,Co. Armagh		 Research
18 May 2024 S. Bagnulo Auroral Phenomena and
Metal Scars at the Surface of
White Dwarfs		 Irish Astronomical Association
50th Anniversary Event at the
Armagh Planetarium,Co. Armagh		 Outreach
22 May 2024 M. Burton A Short History of Armagh
Observatory		 Glasgow Philosophical Society
Visit, Armagh Planetarium, Co.
Armagh		 Internal
Outreach
22 May 2024 D. Eden What Causes Stars to Form? Seminar, University of
Hertfordshire,Hatfield,England		 Research
23 May 2024 C.S. Jeffery The SALT / GAIA Survey of
Hydrogen-Deficient Hot
Subdwarfs.		 The 3rd LAMOST-Kepler/TESS
Workshop, Beijing Normal
University,Beijing,China		 Research
23 May 2024 A. Philip Monai Unsupervised Approach to
Spectral Classification of Hot
Subdwarfs		 The 3rd LAMOST-Kepler/TESS
Workshop, Beijing Normal
University,Beijing,China		 Research
24 May 2024 C.S. Jeffery Synergies Between Ground-
based Spectroscopic Surveys
and Space-based
Photometric Missions
The 3rd LAMOST-Kepler/TESS
Workshop, Beijing Normal
University, Beijing, China		 Research
24 May 2024 C.S. Jeffery Theoretical Models for Blue
LargeAmplitudePulsators		 Stellar Physics Group, Beijing
NormalUniversity,Beijing, China		 Research
29 May 2024 K. Trakakis Where Could the Aliens Be? PhD Day at Armagh Planetarium,
Co. Armagh		 Outreach
07 Jun 2024 K. Çubuk Our Wee Planet and the Size
ofthe Universe		 ASE Conference, Teacher CPD
Session,W5,Belfast, Co. Antrim		 Outreach
10 Jun 2024 S. Schlagenhauf S-PLUS MUSE -
STARLIGHT and Revelations
on Star Formation History of
NGC 1436		 S-PLUS Collaboration Meeting,
Instituto de Astronomia, Geofísica
e Ciências Atmosféricas,
University of São Paulo, Rio de
Janeiro,Brazil(online)		 Research
12 Jun 2024 D. Eden MAJORS: First Results from
W40		 JCMT Users’ Meeting 2024, Kuala
Lumpur,Malaysia		 Research
19 Jun 2024 A. Marshall-Lee Re-writing the HCM as a
Neural Network		 British Planetary Science
Conference,Leicester,England		 Research

Armagh Observatory and Planetarium Annual Report and Accounts for 2024-25

51

Date AOP Speaker Title Location/Mode Category
21 Jun 2024 J.S. Vink What is New with Black
Holes		 Astrobytes, Armagh Observatory
and Planetarium,Co. Armagh		 Internal
Outreach
24 Jun 2024 M. Burton Armagh 2031 – 250 Years
Since the Discovery of
Uranus		 AOP Board Dinner, Armagh
Planetarium, Co. Armagh		 Internal
Outreach
03 Jul 2024 J.S. Vink XShootU Science Goals XShootU III Collaboration Meeting,
KU Leuven,Belgium		 Research
08 Jul 2024 J.S. Vink 50 Years of CAK Stanfest, Fundamentals of Stellar
Outflows: Celebrating and
Amplifying the Scientific Life of
Stan Owocki,Leuven,Belgium		 Research
16 Jul 2024 D. Eden Galactic Plane Star
Formation withthe JCMT		 National Astronomical Meeting
2024,Hull,England		 Research
17 Jul 2024 A. Philip Monai Unsupervised Approach to
Spectral Classification of Hot
Subdwarfs		 Poster Presentation, STFC School
on Data Intensive Science 2024,
University of Liverpool/Liverpool
John Moores University, Liverpool,
England		 Research
18 Jul 2024 K. Trakakis How to be a Star - Everything
You Need to Know		 Space to Learn Summer Camp,
Armagh Observatory and
Planetarium,Co. Armagh		 Outreach
23 Jul 2024 S. Schlagenhauf Update on S-PLUS MUSE -
STARLIGHT and Revelations
on Star Formation History		 PhD Student Discussion Meeting,
Armagh Observatory and
Planetarium,Co. Armagh		 Internal
Outreach
25 Jul 2024 M. Burton with S.
Mackle		 Teaching Secondary School
Physics in the Planetarium
Dome		 International Planetarium Society
Conference, Grosse-Planetarium
Berlin,Germany		 Teaching/
Research
08 Aug 2024 J.S. Vink Very Massive Stars and N-
emitting Galaxies		 International Astronomical Union
General Assembly, Cape Town,
South Africa (online)		 Research
09 Aug 2024 M. Burton World Heritage and
Astronomy		 International Astronomical Union
General Assembly, Cape Town,
South Africa		 Research
09 Aug 2024 J.S. Vink X-Shooting Ullyses: Massive
Stars at Low Z		 International Astronomical Union
General Assembly, DIV G, Cape
Town,South Africa(online)		 Research
23 Aug 2024 C.S. Jeffery The Analysis of Stellar
Spectra (3 Lectures)		 ICESUN Summer School 2024:
Stellar Explosions and Related
Objects, Yunnan Observatory,
Kunming, China		 Teaching
27 Aug 2024 C.J. Bulter Trends and Cycles in the
Armagh Observatory
Meteorological Series		 Session Historical Climatology,
35th International Geographical
Congress, 2024, Dublin, Co.
Dublin,Ireland		 Research
27 Aug 2024 C.S. Jeffery The Populations and
Products of Merging Double
WhiteDwarfs		 The Progenitors of Supernovae
and their Explosions Conference,
Dali, China		 Research
28 Aug 2024 K. Trakakis Determining the Physical
Conditions of the Interstellar
Medium and the Structure of
the MilkyWayGalaxy		 Poster Presentation, Irish National
Astronomy Meeting (INAM),
University of Galway, Co. Galway,
Ireland		 Research
29 Aug 2024 A. Philip Monai Unsupervised Approach to
Spectral Classification of Hot
Subdwarfs		 Poster Presentation, Irish National
Astronomy Meeting (INAM),
University of Galway, Co. Galway,
Ireland		 Research
30 Aug 2024 A. Chawla Astrophysical Data
Visualisation		 Online Talk at Irish National
Astronomy Meeting (INAM),
University of Galway, Co. Galway,
Ireland		 Research
30 Aug 2024 S. Schlagenhauf S-PLUS MUSE -
STARLIGHT and Revelations
on Star Formation History		 Irish National Astronomy Meeting
(INAM), University of Galway, Co.
Galway,Ireland		 Research
02 Sep 2024 J.S. Vink Carbon from Massive Star
Winds		 Carbon in Universe Workshop,
Tokyo, Japan(online)		 Research
04 Sep 2024 M. Burton A Celebration of the Career
of Tom Ray		 After Dinner Speech, Jets and
Beyond Conference, Knockranny
House Hotel, Westport, Co. Mayo,
Ireland		 Outreach

Armagh Observatory and Planetarium Annual Report and Accounts for 2024-25

52

Date AOP Speaker Title Location/Mode Category
09 Sep 2024 A. Marshall-Lee Characterising the Efficiency
of the Hierarchical Clustering
Method		 European Planetary Science
Congress, Freie Universität Berlin,
Germany		 Research
10 Sep 2024 M.E. Bailey Armagh Observatory -
Societal Impacts and
Longterm Climate Archive		 Aughnacloy Historical Society,
Aughnacloy, Co. Tyrone		 Outreach
13 Sep 2024 A. Christou Characterising the Meteoroid
Environment at 0.7 au from
the Sun with a Venus-orbiting
Meteor Camera: A Feasibility
Study		 Europlanet Science Congress
2024, Berlin, Germany (virtual)		 Research
17 Sep 2024 D. Eden MAJORS: First Results from
W40		 UK Galactic Star Formation
Workshop 2024, Armagh
Observatory and Planetarium,
Armagh,Co. Armagh		 Research
18 Sep 2024 M. Sarzi The Scientific Power of IFS
Observations		 Irish Astronomical Association
Seminar, Queen's University
Belfast,Co. Antrim		 Outreach
18 Sep 2024 K. Trakakis Determining the Physical
Conditions of the Interstellar
Medium and the Structure of
the MilkyWayGalaxy		 UK Galactic Star Formation
Workshop 2024, Armagh
Observatory and Planetarium, Co.
Armagh		 Research
20 Sep 2024 A. Marshall-Lee Protecting Ireland’s Dark
Skies for Future Generations		 Culture Night, Wild Nephin
National Park, Ballycroy Visitor
Centre, Ballycroy, Co. Mayo,
Ireland		 Outreach
20 Sep 2024 S. Schlagenhauf Showcase on the Importance
of Dark Skies with a Mobile
Planetarium		 Culture Night, Wild Nephin
National Park, Ballycroy Visitor
Centre, Ballycroy, Co. Mayo,
Ireland		 Outreach
24 Sep 2024 M. Burton with
M. McMahon		 A History of the Armagh
Planetarium		 Designing a Planetarium
Workshop, Armagh Planetarium,
Co. Armagh		 Education
25 Sep 2024 G. Ramsay Stellar Activity and the Digital
Telescope		 Royal Astronomical Society,
London,England		 Research
25 Sep 2024 G. Ramsay Galactic Transients and the
Digital Telescope		 Royal Astronomical Society,
London,England		 Research
02 Oct 2024 J.S. Vink The Heaviest Black Holes in
the Universe		 Irish Astronomical Association
Seminar, Queen's University
Belfast,Co. Antrim		 Outreach
04 Oct 2024 M. Burton Armagh Observatory Alliance of Historic Observatories,
Specola Vaticana, Vatican		 Research/
Education/
Outreach
04 Oct 2024 K. Trakakis The Universe - A Journey
Through Time		 Stargazing Evening, Armagh
Planetarium, Co. Armagh		 Outreach
07 Oct 2024 M.E. Bailey Giant Comets and Their
Impacts Through Time: The
Most Recent Giant Comet
and its Impact on Civilization		 Causeway U3A, Portstewart, Co.
Antrim		 Outreach
08 Oct 2024 A. Chawla HI for a Simulated Galaxy
Using TNG-50		 Seminar, Meerkat Fornax Group,
INAF, Osservatorio Astronomico di
Capodimonte,Naples,Italy		 Research
08 Oct 2024 M. McMahon The History of Astronomical
Observatories in Ireland		 Craigavon Historical Society, Co.
Armagh		 Outreach
10 Oct 2024 J.S. Vink How Massive is the Most
Massive Star		 Seminar, Armagh Observatory and
Planetarium, Co. Armagh		 Research
05 Oct 2024 J.S. Vink The B Supergiant Problem
and the Main Sequence
Width		 Hot Stars with Dust Conference,
Almaty, Kazakhstan		 Research
17 Oct 2024 S. Bagnulo Strong Magnetic Fields of Old
White Dwarfs are Symmetric
about the Stellar Rotation
Axes
Seminar, Armagh Observatory and
Planetarium, Co. Armagh		 Research
26 Oct 2024 S. Bagnulo The Magnetic Field of
IsolatedWhiteDwarfs		 ESO, Santiago, Chile Research

Armagh Observatory and Planetarium Annual Report and Accounts for 2024-25

53

Date AOP Speaker Title Location/Mode Category
30 Oct 2024 G. Ramsay Hunting for the Optical
Counterparts of GW Events
UsingGOTO and BlackGem		 Irish Astronomical Association
Seminar, Queen's University
Belfast,Co. Antrim		 Outreach
31 Oct 2024 G. Ramsay Searching for the Optical
Counterpart of Gravitational
Wave Events Using GOTO
and BlackGem		 Seminar, Armagh Observatory and
Planetarium, Co. Armagh		 Research
01 Nov 2024 A. Philip Monai Visualising the Universe DVL, Armagh Planetarium, Co.
Armagh		 Outreach
13 Nov 2024 J.S. Vink How Massive is the Most
Massive Star		 Seminar, Liverpool John Moores
University,Liverpool,England		 Research
21 Nov 2024 M. Burton From the Discovery of
Uranus to the Astronomical
Observatories of Ireland: An
Astronomical Adventure
Story		 Herschel Society, Bath Royal
Literary and Scientific Institution,
Bath, England		 Outreach
11 Dec 2024 M. McMahon The Exhibited Planetarium Seminar, Science and Culture
Research Group, Queen’s
UniversityBelfast,Co. Antrim		 Research
16 Dec 2024 K. Çubuk Unlocking New Opportunities
for Visibility and Growth		 Management Committee Meeting,
Armagh Observatory and
Planetarium,Co. Armagh		 Internal
Outreach
16 Dec 2024 J.S. Vink The Search for the First
Stars		 Management Committee Meeting,
Armagh Observatory and
Planetarium,Co. Armagh		 Internal
Outreach
14 Jan 2025 J.S. Vink The Heaviest Stars and Black
Holes in the Universe
Seminar, Institut de Ciències del
Comos, Universitat de Barcelona,
Spain		 Research
16 Jan 2025 J.S. Vink The Heaviest Black Holes
Below PI		 Lisa Meeting, University College
Dublin, CoDublin,Ireland		 Research
20 Jan 2025 S. Schlagenhauf S-PLUS MUSE -
STARLIGHT and Revelations
onStar Formation History		 ING Journal Club, Isaac Newton
Group, Santa Cruz de La Palma,
La Palma,Canaries,Spain		 Research/
Outreach
23 Jan 2025 M. Burton The Historic Astronomical
Observatories of Ireland		 Presentation to the Expert Review
Panel for the Irish World Heritage
Unit,Dublin,Co Dublin		 Outreach
28 Jan 2025 M. Burton AOP, AOI & QUB – History
and Collaboration		 Queen’s University Belfast, Co.
Antrim		 Research/
Education
03 Feb 2025 C.S. Jeffery SALT, Stellar Mergers and
the Super-Hot Zombie Stars		 Northern Ireland Amateur
Astronomical Society, Ballyclare,
Co. Antrim		 Outreach
20 Feb 2025 C.S. Jeffery Highlights form the SALT
Survey of Hydrogen-Deficient
Hot Subdwarfs		 School of Physics, Trinity College
Dublin, Co. Dublin, Ireland		 Research
11 Feb 2025 A. Philip Monai PCA + Neural Networks for
Identification and
Classification of Hot
Subdwarfs in LAMOST
Sample		 PhD Student Discussion Meeting,
Armagh Observatory and
Planetarium, Co. Armagh		 Research
27 Feb 2025 M. Burton Molecular Clouds and Star
Formation in the Milky Way		 Topics in Astrophysics, AOP/QUB
PhD Programme, Armagh
Observatory,Co. Armagh		 Teaching
06 Mar 2025 M. Burton The Historic Astronomical
Observatories of Ireland – An
Update on our UNESCO
World Heritage Application		 Seminar, Armagh Observatory and
Planetarium, Co. Armagh		 Research
06 Mar 2025 G. Ramsay Superflares on the Sun and
Other Stars		 Topics in Astrophysics, AOP/QUB
PhD Programme, Armagh
Observatory,Co. Armagh		 Teaching
06 Mar 2025 G. Ramsay Multi-Messenger Astronomy
and Wide Field Surveys		 Topics in Astrophysics, AOP/QUB
PhD Programme, Armagh
Observatory,Co. Armagh		 Teaching
07 Mar 2025 A. Marshall-Lee The History of Our Solar
System		 Stargazer Evening, Armagh
Planetarium,Co. Armagh		 Outreach
13 Mar 2025 J.S. Vink The Most Massive Stars Topics in Astrophysics, AOP/QUB
PhD Programme, Armagh
Observatory, Co. Armagh		 Research/
Outreach
17 Mar 2025 G. Ramsay High Amplitude Galactic
Transients		 BlackGem Consortium Meeting —
Universityof Barcelona,Spain		 Research

Armagh Observatory and Planetarium Annual Report and Accounts for 2024-25

54

Date AOP Speaker Title Location/Mode Category
20 Mar 2025 C.S. Jeffery Stellar Pulsation — Theory
and Applications		 Topics in Astrophysics, AOP/QUB
PhD Programme, Armagh
Observatory,Co. Armagh		 Teaching
27 Mar 2025 A. Christou How to Travel from A to B in
the Solar System: A Brief
Introduction to Interplanetary
Flight		 Topics in Astrophysics, AOP/QUB
PhD Programme, Armagh
Observatory, Co. Armagh		 Teaching

Armagh Observatory and Planetarium Annual Report and Accounts for 2024-25

55

Armagh Observatory and Planetarium Education and Outreach: April 2024 – March 2025

Date Event Description
Apr 2024 – Mar
2025		 Outreach at various locations with the portable dome through AOP bookings or RI bookings
Apr 2024 – Mar
2025		 The Legendary Telescope Tours at Armagh Observatory
Apr 2024 – Mar
2025		 DVL sessions seasonally
Apr 2024 – Mar
2025		 Little Astronomers (Monthly)
Apr 2024 – Mar
2025		 Our World from Space Club (Monthly)
April 2024 – Mar
2025		 STEM Cadets Afterschools Club (Weekly)
8-10 Apr 2025 Meet the Buyer (outreach) Belfast
20 Apr – 12 May
2024		 ec(h)o, A Digital Film Poem by Csilla Toldy
27 Apr 2024 ec(h)o, A Digital Film Poem by Csilla Toldy. Artist’s Talk
4 May 2024 International Star Wars Day: May The 4thBe With You
7 May 2024 Day of the Planetaria: 100 Years of Eternity Dome show
11 May 2024 Action Deaf Youth Event for Launch of PLP in BSL
27 May 2024 Meet our PhD Students: Learn More About Aliens and Exo-Planets
29-30 June 2024 Makaton Dome Shpw Launch
Jul – Aug 2024 Robot Exhibition – An Exhibition of Robots, Cyborgs and Androids
12 Jul-23 Aug
2024		 Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon (50thAnniversary Dome Show), Planets 360, Queen Mercury with
Love – Music Show Fridays
21 Aug 2024 BBC Conor Phillips Show at AOP
7 Sep 2024 Armagh Food and Cider Weekend 2024 Event: Edible Experiments Workshop
14 Sep 2024 European Heritage Open Day
Experience the Calver Telescope
14 Sep 2024 International Observe The Moon Day
19 Sep 2024 Public Lecture and Pink Floyd Dome Show
How to Take a Picture of a Black Hole by Professor Derek Ward Thompson
UK Galactic Star Formation Workshop
2 Oct 2024 100 Hours of Astronomy, 100 Years of the Planetarium 2 – 5 October 2024 – Stargazing Evening
4 Oct 2024 Stargazing Evening
29 – 30 Oct
2024		 Halloween at Armagh Planetscarium – Spooky Activities and Varied Meet and Greets with Popular
Characters.
1 Nov 2024 Stargazing Evening
23 Nov – 23 Dec
2024		 Mission Santa: An Immersive Christmas Experience
30 Nov 2024 Georgian Day Legendary Telescopes Tour
6 Dec 2024 Stargazing Evening
10 Jan 2024 Exhibit at Holiday World
24 Jan 2025 Stargazing Evening – Cancelled due to Storm Ėowyn
Jan – Apr 2025 Historic Rosse Drawings Exhibition
13 – 15 Feb
2025		 NI Science Festival 2025 Event: The Ultimate Bubble Show
14 Feb 2025 Stargazing Evening
16, 22 – 23 Feb
2025		 NI Science Festival 2025 Event: Orienteering at the AOP
18 – 28 Feb
2025		 1pm dome show Mysteries of your Brain
18 Feb 2025 NI Science Festival 2025 Event: NI Engineering Goes Into Space
21 Feb 2025 NI Science Festival 2025 Event: Little Astronomers

Armagh Observatory and Planetarium Annual Report and Accounts for 2024-25

56

Date Event Description
22 Feb 2025 NI Science Festival 2025 Event: Life Beyond Earth Talk
23 Feb 2025 NI Science Festival Event – The Magical Sounds – Sound Spa for Families
7 Mar 2025 Stargazing Evening
8 Mar 2025 Experience the Calver Telescope: Irish Astronomy Week
13 Mar 2025 Outreach with ABC Council: Dublin
15 – 23 Mar
2025		 National Lottery Open Week Event
30 Mar 2025 Accessible Sunday – For a Relaxed Day of Exploring the Cosmos

Armagh Observatory and Planetarium Annual Report and Accounts for 2024-25

57

THE ARMAGH OBSERVATORY AND PLANETARIUM

THE CERTIFICATE AND REPORT OF THE COMPTROLLER AND AUDITOR GENERAL TO THE NORTHERN IRELAND ASSEMBLY to be inserted here

Armagh Observatory and Planetarium Annual Report and Accounts for 2024-25

58

Armagh Observatory and Planetarium - Draft

Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 31 March 2025

Unrestricted Restricted Total Unrestricted Restricted Total
Funds 2025 Funds 2025 Funds 2025 Funds 2024 Funds 2024 Funds 2024
Note £ £ £ £ £ £
Income from:
Charitable activities 2 2,726,531 635,118 3,361,649 2,348,511 810,084 3,158,595
Other tradingactivities 4 184,688 - 184,688 195,615 - 195,615
Total incoming resources 2,911,219 635,118 3,546,337 2,544,126 810,084 3,354,210
Expenditure on:
Charitable activities 5 3,641,021 186,411 3,827,432 3,670,849 200,797 3,871,646
Other tradingactivities 7 87,239 - 87,239 106,900 - 106,900
Total outgoing expenditure 3,728,260 186,411 3,914,671 3,777,749 200,797 3,978,546
Net income / (expenditure) )817,041( 448,707 )368,334( )1,233,623( 609,287 )624,336(
Transfers between funds 15 376,026 )376,026( - 709,378 )709,378( -
Other recognised gains/(losses):
Gains/(losses) on the revaluation of 10 & 11 283,841 - 283,841 500,740 - 500,740
fixed assets and heritage assets
Actuarial gains less provisions on 15 & 19 43,000 - 43,000 )121,000( - )121,000(
defined benefitpension scheme
Net Movement in Funds )114,174( 72,681 )41,493( )144,505( )100,091( )244,596(
Reconciliation of funds
Total funds brought forward at 1 April 2024 12,427,938 47,937 12,475,875 12,572,443 148,028 12,720,471
Total funds carried forward at 31 March 2025 12,313,764 120,618 12,434,382 12,427,938 47,937 12,475,875

All amounts above relate to continuing operations of the organisation. The notes on pages 64 to 76 form part of the financial statements.

Armagh Observatory and Planetarium Annual Report and Accounts for 2024-25

61

Arniagh Observatory and Plan•tarlum Balanc• Sh•81 a8 at 31 March 2025 No 202S 2024 FIA•d lmana￿l0 a$801 Tntybl• as￿$ 8rftag•A8getS Totsl fix•41 J•M¢• 125.047 9.386.826 2,996.570 12,478.443 20&627 9.607.418 2.995,970 12.810.Q15 10 ¢urr•ntM••ts Stocka D•blorn ¢￿h at bank and In hnd T•ll ¢Ufr•nl Cr•dllorn.' arnounts l•llln9 du• wAthln y••r N•t¢umnt Il•bllS11•• T4)tsl •••t• IM• ¢urn•nt Il•blllM•• Cr•dttor¥.' amount• f•nlng du• aft•r rn¢w• th•fi on• y•r N•t ••tx •xoludlw P•Mlon B•t D•lln•¢l b•n•fft P•Ml¢n •¢h•m• ••••t 12 13 19 17.469 25.152 104.982 113.140 225.583 2KI.949 348.014 42>241 (392.0751 1763,3811 144.0611 1334.1401 12.434.382 12.475176 14 12.434,382 12.475￿75 12A¥382 12.47V76 Pynd• Restr*ted 10 15 15 15 120,018 4.591,$8J 7.722,181 47.937 4.752A92 7.875.246 R•valu•lon R¢•eN P•nilon Tol•l ¢h•rfty Fund 12.4J4.312 12h7U75 Th• finanrlal statsments on pllgn 81 to 76 r• •ppr¢Jv•d by th• B¢Mrd ol TN•h•• of mgh oh9r4•￿ aTwJ Planthurn on 12 t40¥grnbor 2￿5 and r• ilgn•d on It• b•halfty Offlc4r Prol•Mor eurton Mr JOM 8th1 nmgh Obsemtory and PLrtum AJI￿41 Rep)rt and kcc4Jrts Icff 202+25

Armagh Observatory and Planetarium

Statement of cash flows for the year ended 31 March 2025

2025 2024
Note £ £
Net cashprovided by operating activities 17 172,824 242,341
Cash flows from investing activities:
Interest received 1,556 4,831
Purchase of tangible fixed assets )239,766( )335,434(
Sale of tangible fixed assets - -
)238,210( )330,603(
Increase /(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents )65,386( )88,262(
Further detail is reported in Notes 17 and 18.
Reconciliation of net cashflow to movement in net cash funds
2025 2024
£ £
Increase / (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents in the year )65,386( )88,262(
Cash and cash equivalents at 1 April 2024 290,949 379,211
Cash and cash equivalents at 31 March 2025 18 225,563 290,949

The notes on pages 64 to 76 form part of the financial statements.

Armagh Observatory and Planetarium Annual Report and Accounts for 2024-25

63

Armagh Observatory and Planetarium

Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025

1 Summary of significant accounting policies

(a) Basis of accounting

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the historical cost convention as modified by the revaluation of certain assets. The accounts comply with relevant accounting standards and disclosure requirements issued by the Department of Finance. In all other aspects the financial statements comply with the Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS102) (Charities SORP (FRS102)).

The Trustees of Armagh Observatory and Planetarium (AOP) confirm that they have complied with their duty to have regard to the guidance on Public Benefit produced by the Charities Commission of Northern Ireland under section 4 of the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008 (the public benefit requirement statutory guidance) and that this has informed the activities of the organisation in the year to 31 March 2025.

The Trustees are satisfied that there are no material uncertainties related to events or conditions which cast significant doubt on the ability of Armagh Observatory and Planetarium to continue as a going concern.

(b) Incoming resources

Grant income from Department for Communities (DfC) is shown in the Statement of Financial Activities (SOFA) in the year in which it is received. Grants that relate to specific capital expenditure are initially recognised in the SOFA and transferred to a restricted fund, Government Grant for Fixed Assets. Where no restriction on the use of the assets exists the value is transferred to an unrestricted fund. Grants that relate to specific research projects are recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities and transferred to a restricted fund. Once the relevant conditions for recognition (entitlement and certainty of value) have been met, they are transferred to funds to match the relevant expenditure. Other grants are credited to the Statement of Financial Activities when receivable.

(c) Resources expended

Resources expended are accounted for on an accruals basis. Expenditure is classified under the principal charitable activities of Research, Education and Governance & Support.

(d) Pension scheme

The organisation provides pension benefits to its employees by participating in the Local Government Pension Scheme for Northern Ireland, administered by Northern Ireland Local Government Officers' Superannuation Committee (NILGOSC), which is a defined benefit scheme. Annual contributions to the NILGOSC scheme are determined by the scheme and based on actuarial advice. The operating costs of providing retirement benefits to the organisation's employees are recognised in accounting periods in which the benefits are earned by employees, and the related finance costs and other changes in value of the assets and liabilities are recognised in the period in which they arise. AOP applies the principles of IFRIC 14 in relation to pension surplus restriction. IFRIC 14 requires allowances to be made for a minimum funding requirement, which limits the amount of economic benefit available to the excess of the value of prospective current service costs above the funding requirement.

(e) Intangible fixed assets

Intangible fixed assets represent contributions to international astronomical research projects, financed by capital grant. They are identifiable, for example, as part of a major telescope installation. The organisation benefits in the form of research participation or collaboration, which in turn contributes to the research outputs. Intangible fixed assets are stated at cost and amortised over the expected life of the project.

(f) Tangible fixed assets

The cost of tangible fixed assets is their purchase cost or valuation together with any incidental costs of acquisition. Depreciation is calculated so as to write off the cost or valuation of tangible fixed assets, less their estimated residual values, on a straight-line basis over the expected useful economic lives of the assets concerned. Land is not depreciated.

The principal annual depreciation rates used are as follows:

The principal annual depreciation rates used are as follows:
Buildings Remaining asset life as valued
Digistar 20%
Fixtures and fittings 20 - 25%
Office equipment 20 - 25%
Scientific equipment 10 - 25%
Exhibits 10 - 50%
Motor Vehicles 20%

Land and buildings are included in the balance sheet at depreciated replacement cost, estimated value in use or market value. Land and buildings are professionally revalued at least every 5 years in accordance with accounting guidance. Land and buildings were last revalued as at the 31 March 2025 by Lynsey Allen MRICS on behalf of Land and Property Services. Revaluation gains (losses) are transferred to a revaluation reserve.

The valuations of Land and Buildings have been undertaken having regard to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) as applied to the United Kingdom public sector and in accordance with HM Treasury guidance, International Valuation Standards and the requirements of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Valuation Global Standards 2025.

Other fixed assets (non Land & Buildings) with a life estimated over 5 years have a net book value of £45,274 at 31 March 2025. This accounts for 0.5% of the net book value of fixed assets. The Trustees do not consider it appropriate to carry out an annual indexation of such assets on grounds of immateriality.

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Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

(g) Heritage Assets

Armagh Observatory was founded in 1789 and from this date the Observatory has collected through its operations scientific items, books, furniture and other artefacts which would be considered heritage assets. It is not the policy of Armagh Observatory and Planetarium to acquire heritage assets but has collected such assets through donations and operations. As at 31 March 2024, heritage assets were re-valued for insurance purposes with reference to auction estimates for replacement. Antique books were valued by Doerr Dallas Valuations Limited. Meteorites were valued by Ulster Museum. Coram James Limited carried out a desktop valuation of clocks, scientific instruments, fine art, furniture and sculptures. The remainder were valued by experienced members of management. It is policy to regularly review the valuation of heritage assets. The heritage assets are being documented on the Collections Database and environmental controls were further improved in 2023/24.

Heritage assets are summarised in these accounts in four categories: Books; Clocks and watches; Scientific instruments; and Furniture, Artworks, etc, and are recorded in catalogues and on databases. Historic buildings which have heritage value are included within operational assets. These were included within the recent property revaluation as operational assets and continue to be used for operational purposes.

(h) Stocks

Stocks are stated at the lower of cost and net realisable value. In general, cost is determined on a first in first out basis. Provision is made where necessary for obsolete, slow moving and defective stocks.

(i) Debtors

Debtors comprise amounts due from customers, grants due, prepaid expenses and value added tax refunds.

(j) Cash at bank and in hand

Cash held in bank accounts payable on demand and cash floats.

(k) Creditors

Creditors comprise payments due to suppliers and accruals for other amounts due but not invoiced at the year end.

(l) Fund accounting

The organisation has various types of funds for which it is responsible, and which require separate disclosure, totalling £12,434,382 at 31 March 2025 (£12,475,875 at 31 March 2024).

Restricted funds

Grants or donations received which are earmarked by the donor for specific purposes. Such purposes are within the overall aims of the organisation.

Unrestricted funds

Unrestricted funds, comprising designated funds and undesignated funds, are those which are expendable at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the objectives of the organisation. In addition to expenditure on the provision of services, such funds may be held in order to finance capital investment and working capital.

Designated funds include the donated assets fund, the government grants fund and the general fund. The general fund is the day to day operating fund.

Donated assets are the buildings and grounds donated to the organisation in 1790 by its founder Archbishop Richard Robinson. The value is adjusted annually by any revaluation of the underlying assets.

The government grant fund represents the capital financing of the Charity's tangible fixed assets. The fund is reduced annually by a value equivalent to depreciation charged on the related assets.

Undesignated funds - These represent the revaluation reserve which records the movement from the revaluation of the Charity's assets and a pension reserve which matches the long term liability of an underfunded defined benefits pension scheme.

(m) Reserves policy

Armagh Observatory and Planetarium adopts a risk-based approach to establishing a sound system of control covering all types of risks to the aims and objectives of the organisation. There is a need to retain a sufficient level of unrestricted cash reserves to meet the risks associated with short term financial contingencies, uncertainties and demands. The Trustees do not believe there are any key assumptions or key sources of estimation uncertainty which could cause a material adjustment to the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities within the next reporting period. Armagh Observatory and Planetarium budgets to operate on an annual basis within a balanced funding formula of grant-in-aid and self-generated income.

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Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

2 Income from charitable activities

Unrestricted Restricted Total Total
Funds 2025 Funds 2025 Funds 2025 Funds 2024
Note £ £ £ £
Grant Income
DfC Recurrent grant-in-aid 2,352,000 - 2,352,000 1,932,000
DfC In-year capitalgrant-in-aid - 140,000 140,000 435,000
Totalgrant-in-aid from the DfC 2,352,000 140,000 2,492,000 2,367,000
Income from other grants and receipts 3 - 489,548 489,548 340,637
Total Grant Income 2,352,000 629,548 2,981,548 2,707,637
Operating Income
Admissions 355,797 - 355,797 408,680
Profit/(loss) on disposal of fixed assets - - - -
Miscellaneous income 18,734 5,570 24,304 42,278
Total Operating Income 374,531 5,570 380,101 450,958
Total Income from Charitable Activities 2,726,531 635,118 3,361,649 3,158,595

3 Income from other grants and receipts

Unrestricted Restricted Total Total
Funds 2025 Funds 2025 Funds 2025 Funds 2024
Note £ £ £ £
STFC Research and Studentship grants - 225,202 225,202 270,259
Europlanet 2024 RI grant - - - 8,895
UKRI Open Access block grant - 5,848 5,848 5,668
Science Foundation Ireland grant - 46,166 46,166 4,576
ASDC grants - 9,167 9,167 9,583
IAU grant - - - 4,270
Tourism NI grants - 2,413 2,413 15,872
Royal Astronomical society grant - 2,500 2,500 5,000
National Lottery Heritage Fund - 39,995 39,995 -
DfC Sign Language Partnership grant - - - 3,450
Museums Association - - - 9,500
JobStart scheme - - - 3,364
STEM Ambassadors grant - 27,774 27,774 -
UKSA Space For All grant - 10,601 10,601 -
Leverhulme grant - 41,753 41,753 -
Shared Island grant - 75,782 75,782 -
Sundry grants and donations - 2,347 2,347 200
Total othergrants and receipts 2 - 489,548 489,548 340,637

4 Income from other trading activities

Unrestricted Restricted Total Total
Funds 2025 Funds 2025 Funds 2025 Funds 2024
£ £ £ £
Shop income 154,050 - 154,050 174,419
Rental income 30,638 - 30,638 21,196
Total Income from other trading 184,688 - 184,688 195,615

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Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

5 Expenditure on charitable activities

Unrestricted Restricted Total Total
Funds 2025 Funds 2025 Funds 2025 Funds 2024
Note £ £ £ £
Research 6 1,103,090 186,411 1,289,501 1,299,196
Education 6 1,446,180 - 1,446,180 1,509,701
Governance and Support 6 1,091,751 - 1,091,751 1,062,749
3,641,021 186,411 3,827,432 3,871,646

6 Expenditure on charitable activities

Unrestricted Restricted Total Total
Funds 2025 Funds 2025 Funds 2025 Funds 2024
Note £ £ £ £
Research
Staff costs 536,876 96,894 633,770 666,291
Direct costs 191,219 89,517 280,736 253,359
Support costs 140,399 - 140,399 144,004
Depreciation 234,596 - 234,596 235,542
5 1,103,090 186,411 1,289,501 1,299,196
Education
Staff costs 500,831 - 500,831 513,774
Direct costs 162,583 - 162,583 129,890
Support costs 260,259 - 260,259 304,978
Depreciation 522,507 - 522,507 561,059
5 1,446,180 - 1,446,180 1,509,701
Governance and Support
Staff costs 731,727 - 731,727 727,680
Direct costs 21,987 - 21,987 8,166
Support costs 307,126 - 307,126 296,935
Depreciation 30,911 - 30,911 29,968
5 1,091,751 - 1,091,751 1,062,749

Included within Governance and Support costs are the following governance costs:

Unrestricted Restricted Total Total
Funds 2025 Funds 2025 Funds 2025 Funds 2024
£ £ £ £
Management Committee expenses 6,911 - 6,911 3,613
Internal Audit 14,743 - 14,743 15,254
External Audit 27,400 - 27,400 26,700
49,054 - 49,054 45,567

The cost of audit shown above includes £26,700 fees payable to Northern Ireland Audit Office for statutory audit. NIAO does not provide any other service.

7 Expenditure on trading activities

Unrestricted Restricted Total Total
Funds 2025 Funds 2025 Funds 2025 Funds 2024
£ £ £ £
Trading
Direct costs 87,239 - 87,239 106,900
87,239 - 87,239 106,900

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Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

8 Average staff numbers and related costs

Permanent 2025 2024
staff Others Number Number
Average staff numbers 27.9 6.4 34.3 35.2
Staff costs comprise: Permanent
staff Others 2025 2024
£ £ £ £
Wages and salaries 1,253,979 147,921 1,401,900 1,446,683
Social security costs 141,026 12,702 153,728 150,822
Employer's pension contributions 236,879 23,821 260,700 259,240
Defined benefitpension additional service cost 50,000 - 50,000 51,000
1,681,884 184,444 1,866,328 1,907,745
The number of employees whose employee benefits (excluding employer pension costs) exceeded £60,000 The number of employees whose employee benefits (excluding employer pension costs) exceeded £60,000 was:
2025 2024
Number Number
£60,001 - £70,000 6 1
£70,001 - £80,000 1 -
£80,001 - £90,000 - 1
£90,001 - £100,000 1 -

The key management personnel of the organisation comprise the trustees and the Executive Director.

The total amount of employee benefits (including employer pension contributions) received by the Executive Director for his services to the organisation was £107,893 (2024: £105,154).

There was no remuneration paid to trustees during the year (2024: Nil). Travel and subsistence expenses reimbursed to trustees amounted to £3,293 (2024: Nil).

Average student numbers and related costs (not included above)

2025 2024
Number Number
PhD students 8.4 7.0
2025 2024
£ £
Student maintenancegrants & stipends 186,776 135,617

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Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

9
Intangible fixed assets
2025 2024
£ £
Cost
At 1 April 622,018 622,018
Additions - -
Disposals - -
At 31 March 622,018 622,018
Depreciation
At 1 April 415,391 333,811
Charge for year 81,580 81,580
Disposals - -
At 31 March 496,971 415,391
Net book value
At 31 March 2025 125,047 206,627
At 31 March 2024 206,627 288,207
10
Tangible fixed assets
Freehold Assets Digistar Other
Land & Exhibits
Under		 Projection Scientific Equipment Total
buildings Construction System Equipment & Vehicles
£ £ £ £ £ £ £
Cost or valuation
At 1 April 2024 8,717,982 1,194,456 6,000 500,351 723,698 1,316,484 12,458,971
Asset revaluation 46,935 - - - - - 46,935
Additions 70,015 4,626 - - - 97,360 172,001
Transfers 6,000 - )6,000( - - - -
Disposals - )2,624( - )4,192( )51,073( )44,548( )102,437(
At 31 March 2025 8,840,932 1,196,458 - 496,159 672,625 1,369,296 12,575,470
Depreciation
At 1 April 2024 - 719,115 - 401,119 653,020 1,078,299 2,851,553
Adjustment for asset revaluation )236,906( - - - - - )236,906(
Charge for year 236,906 184,749 - 99,232 41,637 143,910 706,434
Disposals - )2,624( - )4,192( )51,073( )44,548( )102,437(
At 31 March 2025 - 901,240 - 496,159 643,584 1,177,661 3,218,644
Net book value
At 31 March 2025 8,840,932 295,218 - - 29,041 191,635 9,356,826
At 31 March 2024 8,717,982 475,341 6,000 99,232 70,678 238,185 9,607,418

Tangible fixed asset additions of £172,001 as shown above were funded by DfC in-year capital grant-in-aid.

If the land and buildings had not been valued, they would have been included at the following amounts:

2025 2024
£ £
Cost 3,961,818 3,885,803
Aggregate depreciation )1,339,413( )1,260,455(
Net book value based on historic cost 2,622,405 2,625,348

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Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

10 Tangible fixed assets (continued)

Depreciation on tangible fixed assets for the year was £706,434 (2024: £744,987).

Land and buildings include grounds and buildings with a net book value of £2,193,642 (2024: £2,132,515) which were donated to the organisation in 1790 by Archbishop Richard Robinson, the founder of the organisation.

Armagh Observatory and Planetarium includes in fixed assets any expenditure over £1,500 (on an item or group of related items) which is expected to be used for more than a year.

11 Heritage assets

11
Heritage assets
Books Clocks & Scientific Furniture, Total
Watches Equipment Artworks, etc
At Valuation £ £ £ £ £
Carrying Amount at 1 April 2024 644,075 625,600 1,435,900 290,395 2,995,970
Additions - - 600 - 600
Revaluation - - - - -
Disposals - - - - -
Depreciation / impairment - - - - -
Carrying Amount at 31 March 2025 644,075 625,600 1,436,500 290,395 2,996,570

It is policy to regularly review the valuation of heritage assets and to carry out a formal revaluation at least once every five years. The most recent valuation took place in 2024.

Summary of heritage asset transactions

There were no charges for impairment or disposals of heritage assets in the five years ended 31 March 2025. Through a donation, there was a single purchase costing £600 in 2024/25. Ordnance Survey maps of Ireland and map chests owned by Armagh Observatory & Planetarium but held in Robinson Library, Armagh, were valued for the first time in 2021-22 at £100,000.

12 Stocks
2025 2024
£ £
Goods for resale 17,469 25,152
13 Debtors
2025 2024
£ £
Trade debtors 36,976 35,002
Prepayments and accrued income 56,402 51,578
Other debtors 11,604 26,560
104,982 113,140

14 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

2025 2024
£ £
Trade creditors 31,641 150,577
Accruals and sundry creditors 328,581 580,562
Taxation and social security 31,853 32,242
392,075 763,381

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Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

15 Statement of Funds

15
Statement of Funds
At 1 April Income Expenditure Revaluation Transfers At 31 March
2024 2025
£ £ £ £ £ £
Restricted Funds
Government grant for fixed assets - 140,000 - - )140,000( -
Other grants for fixed assets - - - - - -
Restricted resourcegrants 47,937 495,118 )186,411( - )236,026( 120,618
Total restricted funds 47,937 635,118 )186,411( - )376,026( 120,618
Unrestricted Funds
Designated Funds
Donated assets reserve 1,720,283 - - - - 1,720,283
Government grant for assets 1,830,326 - - - )648,014( 1,182,312
General fund 1,202,083 2,911,219 )3,728,260( - 1,303,946 1,688,988
4,752,692 2,911,219 )3,728,260( - 655,932 4,591,583
Undesignated Funds
Revaluation reserve - Land & Buildings 5,986,397 - - 283,841 )236,906( 6,033,332
Revaluation reserve - Heritage Assets 1,688,849 - - - - 1,688,849
Pension reserve - - - 43,000 )43,000( -
7,675,246 - - 326,841 )279,906( 7,722,181
Total Unrestricted Funds 12,427,938 2,911,219 )3,728,260( 326,841 376,026 12,313,764
Total Funds 12,475,875 3,546,337 )3,914,671( 326,841 - 12,434,382
Details of Transfers between funds
Release of restricted resource grant available to offset overheads
Release of deferred capital grant
Transfer of defined benefit pension service and interest cost
Transfer of depreciation adjustment on asset revaluation to general fund
General fund		 £
)236,026(
)788,014(
)43,000(
)236,906(
1,303,946

16 Analysis of net assets between funds

Pension Revaluation Unrestricted Restricted Total
Reserve
Reserve		 Funds Funds Funds
£ £ £ £ £
Tangible fixed assets - 6,033,332 3,448,541 - 9,481,873
Heritage assets - 1,688,849 1,307,721 - 2,996,570
Current assets - - 227,396 120,618 348,014
Creditors: amounts fallingdue within oneyear - - )392,075( - )392,075(
Net assets/(liabilities) - 7,722,181 4,591,583 120,618 12,434,382

17 Reconciliation of net expenditure to net cash flow from operating activities

2025 2024
£ £
Net expenditure for the year per statement of financial activities )368,334( )624,336(
Adjustments for:
Depreciation 788,014 826,567
Interest received )1,556( )4,831(
Defined benefit pension scheme service and interest cost less contributions payable 43,000 37,000
Decrease/(increase) in stock 7,683 )5,300(
Decrease in debtors 8,158 67,885
Decrease in creditors )304,141( )54,644(
Net cashprovided by operating activities 172,824 242,341

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Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

18 Analysis of cash and cash equivalents

31 March 31 March
2025 2024
£ £
Cash at bank and in hand 225,563 290,949
Total cash and cash equivalents 225,563 290,949

19 Pension scheme

Introduction

The disclosures below relate to the funded liabilities within the Northern Ireland Local Government Officers' Superannuation Pension Fund (the “Fund”( which is part of the Local Government Pension Scheme (Northern Ireland) (the "LGPS") and certain related unfunded liabilities which have been separately disclosed. The LGPS is a funded defined benefit plan with benefits earned up to 31 March 2015 being linked to final salary. Benefits after 31 March 2015 are based on a Career Average Revalued Earnings scheme. Details of the benefits earned over the period covered by this disclosure are set out in 'The Local Government Pension Scheme Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2014' (as amended) and ‘The Local Government Pension Scheme (Amendment and Transitional Provisions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2014' (as amended). The unfunded pension arrangements relate to termination benefits made on a discretionary basis upon early retirement in respect of members of the Local Government Pension Scheme under the 'Local Government (Early Termination of Employment) (Discretionary Compensation) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2007'.

Funding / Governance Arrangements of the LGPS

The funded nature of the LGPS requires participating employers and their employees to pay contributions into the Fund, calculated at a level intended to balance the pension liabilities with investment assets. Information on the framework for calculating contributions to be paid is set out in 'The Local Government Pension Scheme Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2014' and the Fund's Funding Strategy Statement. The last actuarial valuation was at 31 March 2022 and the contributions to be paid until 31 March 2026 resulting from that valuation are set out in the Fund’s Rates and Adjustment Certificate. NILGOSC as the Scheme manager is responsible for the governance of the Fund.

Assets

The assets allocated to the Employer in the Fund are notional and are assumed to be invested in line with the investments of the Fund for the purposes of calculating the return over the accounting period. The Fund holds a significant proportion of its assets in liquid investments. As a consequence there will be no significant restriction on realising assets if a large payment is required to be paid from the Fund in relation to an employer's liabilities. The assets are invested in a diversified spread of investments and the approximate split of assets for the Fund as a whole is shown in the disclosures. NILGOSC may invest a small proportion of the Fund's investments in the assets of some of the employers participating in the Fund if it forms part of their balanced investment strategy.

The NILGOSC actuary, Aon Solutions UK Ltd (Aon), has provided the following details for the purposes of accounting for the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium's joint share of the Scheme in accordance with FRS 102 at 31 March 2025.

Key assumptions used by the actuary were:
31 March 31 March
2025 2024
Discount rate 5.8% 4.8%
CPI inflation 2.5% 2.6%
Pension increases 2.5% 2.6%
Pension accounts revaluation rate 2.5% 2.6%
Salaryincreases 4.0% 4.1%
Mortality assumptions
31 March 31 March
2025 2024
Years Years
Males
Pensioner member aged 65 at accounting date 21.6 21.7
Active member aged 45 at accounting date 22.2 22.7
Females
Pensioner member aged 65 at accounting date 24.5 24.6
Active member aged 45 at accountingdate 25.2 25.6

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Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

19 Pension scheme (continued)

Asset Allocation

Asset Allocation
Value at Value at
31/03/2025 31/03/2024
Equities 41.3% 43.7%
Property 9.5% 9.7%
Government bonds 15.7% 17.4%
Corporate bonds 3.9% 4.2%
Multi Asset Credit 13.0% 13.3%
Cash 10.7% 5.6%
Other 5.9% 6.1%
Total 100.0% 100.0%

Reconciliation of funded and unfunded status to balance sheet

Reconciliation of funded and unfunded status to balance sheet
Value at
Value at
31/03/2025
31/03/2024
£'000
£'000
Fair value of assets
Present value of funded defined benefit obligation
Funded status
Unrecognised asset
Present value of unfunded defined benefit obligation
Asset/(Liability)recognised on the balance sheet		 12,173
11,787
)9,285(
)10,611(
2,888
1,176
)2,888(
)1,175(
-
)1(
-
-

The split of the liabilities at the last valuation between the various categories of members is as follows:

Active members 36%
Deferred pensioners 20%
Pensioners 44%

Amounts recognised in statement of financial activities

Amounts recognised in statement of financial activities
Year to Year to
31/03/2025 31/03/2024
£'000 £'000
Operating cost
Current service cost )313( )303(
Financing cost
Interest on net defined benefit liability 63 14
Interest on unrecognised asset )56( -
Pension expense recognised in statement of financial activities )306( )289(
Allowance for administrative expenses included in Current Service Cost 7 7

Amounts recognised in statement of funds

Amounts recognised in statement of funds
Year to Year to
31/03/2025 31/03/2024
£'000 £'000
Asset gains/(losses) arising during the period )131( 617
Actuarial gains/(losses) due to changes in financial assumptions 1,749 354
Actuarial gains/(losses) due to changes in demographic assumptions 78 164
Actuarial gains/(losses) due to liability experience 4 )81(
Adjustmentgains/(losses)due to restriction of surplus )1,656( )1,175(
Total amount recognised in statement of funds 44 )121(

Changes to the present value of defined benefit obligation

Changes to the present value of defined benefit obligation
Year to Year to
31/03/2025 31/03/2024
£'000 £'000
Opening defined benefit obligation 10,612 10,532
Current service cost 313 303
Interest expense on defined benefit obligation 502 488
Contributions by participants 119 130
Actuarial gains/(losses) due to changes in financial assumptions )1,749( )354(
Actuarial gains/(losses) due to changes in demographic assumptions )78( )164(
Actuarial gains/(losses) due to liability experience )4( 81
Net benefitspaid out )430( )404(
Closingdefined benefit obligation 9,285 10,612

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Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

19 Pension scheme (continued)

Changes to the fair value of assets
Year to Year to
31/03/2025 31/03/2024
£'000 £'000
Opening fair value of assets 11,787 10,690
Interest income on assets 565 502
Remeasurement gains/(losses) on assets )131( 617
Contributions by the employer 263 252
Contributions by participants 119 130
Net benefitspaid out )430( )404(
Closingfair value of assets 12,173 11,787
Actual return on assets
Year to Year to
31/03/2025 31/03/2024
£'000 £'000
Interest income on assets 565 502
Gain/(loss)on assets (131) 617
Actual return on assets 434 1,119
Sensitivity Analysis
Funded LGPS benefits
Discount rate assumptions
Adjustment to discount rate +0.1%pa Base Figure -0.1%pa
Present value of total obligation (£m) 9.155 9.285 9.415
% change in present value of total obligation -1.4% 1.4%
Projected service cost (£m) 0.202 0.212 0.222
Approximate % change in projected service cost -4.5% 4.6%
Rate of general increase in salaries
Adjustment to salary increase rate +0.1%pa Base Figure -0.1%pa
Present value of total obligation (£m) 9.304 9.285 9.266
% change in present value of total obligation 0.2% -0.2%
Projected service cost (£m) 0.212 0.212 0.212
Approximate % change in projected service cost 0.0% 0.0%
Rate of increase to pensions in payment and deferred pension assumption, and rate of revaluation of
pension account assumptions:
Adjustment to pension increase rate +0.1%pa Base Figure -0.1%pa
Present value of total obligation (£m) 9.396 9.285 9.174
% change in present value of total obligation 1.2% -1.2%
Projected service cost (£m) 0.222 0.212 0.202
Approximate % change in projected service cost 4.6% -4.5%
Post retirement mortality assumption
Adjustment to mortality age rating assumption -1 year Base Figure +1 year
Present value of total obligation (£m) 9.499 9.285 9.071
% change in present value of total obligation 2.3% -2.3%
Projected service cost (£m) 0.219 0.212 0.278
Approximate % change in projected service cost 3.5% -3.5%

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Armagh Observatory and Planetarium

Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

19 Pension scheme (continued)

Pension Surplus Restriction

AOP has applied the principles of FRS 102 in relation to pension surplus restriction. FRS 102 outlines that a defined benefit plan asset can only be recognised to the extent that the plan surplus can be recovered through reduced contributions in the future or through refunds from the plan. Aon has assessed that at 31 March 2025 the defined benefit plan asset is restricted to nil as no plan surplus can be recovered by these means.

Pensions Increase/Revaluation experience

Aon have adjusted the defined benefit obligation to reflect the impact of actual inflation being higher (or lower) than previously assumed. They have made allowance for the actual (and expected) impact of inflation on the active (CARE) liabilities, deferred liabilities and pensioner liabilities. They have allowed for inflation up to the month ending prior to the accounting date, to reflect the published CPI index at the accounting date.

Pay settlements for local government workers

The Local Government pay agreement for 2024/25 was an increase of £1,290 per annum. For a typical employer this is unlikely to be materially different to the pay increase that was assumed at the start of the accounting period. Therefore, Aon have not made an explicit allowance for any gain (or loss) from pay awards this year.

20 Capital commitments

Capital commitments at 31 March 2025 totalled £0 (2024: £58,000) in respect of expenditure on projects commenced during the year. DfC has not agreed funding for 2025/26.

21 Contingent liabilities

There were no contingent liabilities at the 31 March 2025 (2024: Nil).

22 Remote contingent liabilities (Audited)

There were no remote contingent liabilities at the 31 March 2025 (2024: Nil).

23 Related-party transactions

None of the members of the Board of Governors, the Management Committee, the Director or other related parties have undertaken any material transactions with the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium during the year. The Armagh Observatory and Planetarium has had various material transactions with a number of Government Departments, Executive Agencies and Non-Departmental Public Bodies in Northern Ireland. Most of these transactions have been with DfC, Construction and Procurement Delivery (CPD), Strategic Investment Board (SIB), Tourism NI, and the Education Authority (EA). DfC provides recurrent and capital grant-in-aid (note 2), SIB provides professional advisory and consultancy services, Tourism NI provides marketing and capital grants (note 3), and CPD and EA are the Centres of Procurement Expertise for the organisation. The Royal School Armagh leases land for playing fields at a nominal rent.

No other related party transactions took place in the year, other than certain trustees' expenses already disclosed in note 8.

24 Losses and special payments (Audited)

There were no losses or special payments during the year (2024: Nil).

25 Fees and charges (Audited)

AOP generates income from admissions, shop income and grant income. These income streams are disclosed in Notes 2, 3 and 4.

26 Financial instruments

As the cash requirements of the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium are met through grants from DfC and other grant funding bodies, financial instruments play a more limited role in creating risk than would apply to a non-public sector body of a similar size. The majority of financial instruments relate to contracts to buy non-financial items in line with the Observatory’s expected purchase and usage requirements and the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium is therefore exposed to little credit, liquidity or market risk.

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Armagh Observatory and Planetarium

Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

27 Additional disclosures to comply with the Financial Reporting Manual (FReM)

FReM requires non-departmental public bodies to regard grant-in-aid received as contributions from controlling bodies giving rise to a financial interest in the residual interest of the body and hence accounting for as financing, that is by crediting them to income and expenditure reserve. In addition FReM requires grant-in-aid to be accounted for on a cash basis.

However, as the organisation is required to prepare accounts in accordance with the SORP for charities, DfC has given AOP permission to continue to treat grants as income. If AOP were required to comply with the FReM the result of this compliance would be as follows:

Statement of Financial Activities prepared under FReM

Statement of Financial Activities prepared under FReM
2025 2024
Note £ £
Incoming resources
Incoming resources from research and other non-DfC grants 2 489,548 340,637
Operating income 2 380,101 450,958
Tradingincome 4 184,688 195,615
Total incomingresources 1,054,337 987,210
Resources expended
Direct expenditure of the organisation 3,914,671 3,978,546
Total Resources expended 3,914,671 3,978,546
Net deficit for the year )2,860,334( )2,991,336(
Loss/(gain) on revaluation of Fixed Assets and Heritage Assets 283,841 500,740
Actuarial(loss)/gain onpension scheme 43,000 )121,000(
Amount transferred to funds )2,533,493( )2,611,596(

Analysis of funds prepared under the FReM

Analysis of funds prepared under the FReM
2025 2024
£ £
Balance at 1 April 12,475,875 12,720,471
Grant-in-aid received in the year 2 2,492,000 2,367,000
Net operatingcosts for theyear )2,533,493( )2,611,596(
Balance at 31 March 12,434,382 12,475,875

28 Events after the Reporting Date

1) Adjusting Events:

There were no events after the reporting date which would require adjustment to the financial statements.

2) Non-adjusting Events:

Funding required for the Outline Business Case (OBC1), which relates to the redevelopment of the AOP site, was approved by the Minister of Communities on 30 June 2025. In terms of the funding application, a total amount of £3,973k has been approved for the three years ending 31 March 2028.

Previously, The National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) had allocated funding in the amount of £1,324k which was dependent on funding procured from other sources amounting to three-fold the funding allocated by NLHF.

The funding grant from DfC is therefore 75% of the total funding grant of £5,297k, with the balance of 25% being funded by NLHF.

The Accounting Officer authorised the issue of these financial statements on xx xxxx 2025.

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