by yaska77 Have you noticed it yet? That particular familiar smell in the air that tells you it’s going to be a frosty evening. Festive lights are starting to appear on houses and trees, and the queues of cars trying to get in and out of shopping centres gets longer day by day. It can only…
Category: Stars
Astronomy Events – November 2014
by yaska77 It’s amazing how much turning the clocks back by just one hour can make the world of difference, as we did in the UK recently when British Summer Time officially came to an end. Almost instantly you feel the change from summer to winter, even if temperatures haven’t yet started to plummet, and many…
Astronomy Events – October 2014
by yaska77 The nights are certainly closing in quickly now, and although that confirms summer is most definitely over it also means more hours of darkness for astronomy and sky-watching! There are some nice events this month to get you outdoors, but if all else fails the annual Orionid meteor shower nearly coincides with the new Moon,…
Astronomy Events – September 2014
by yaska77 Don’t get us wrong, we love summertime but we often find we’re busier doing things other than astronomy in the evenings. So as the nights start to draw in and things are cooling down, we find we have more time to get the flasks filled up and out in the dark sky watching again. Last month…
Astronomy Events – August 2014
by yaska77 The British summer is often maligned, and usually for good reason we’ll agree. But this year we’ve had some nice balmy (if often hazy) evenings so we’re hopeful to get some more imaging done soon as it’s been a while… Particularly of interest are some nice upcoming conjunctions and a meteor shower, so…
Astronomy Events – July 2014
by yaska77 Summertime! Long days, short warm evenings, is there a better season to enjoy the night? This is the time of year to have friends round for a barbecue during the day, then fire up the chimenea for a little warmth and light and stay outside long into the night, under a blanket of twinkling stars. Perfect! But what…
Astronomy Events – June 2014
by yaska77 So much of the year has passed already and we would be genuinely depressed at the lack of viewing opportunities we’ve had this year, if we weren’t so sickeningly optimistic! June usually promises much opportunity for stargazing however, so we’ll keep our gear on standby and see what we can do about bringing…
Astronomy Events – May 2014
by yaska77 Now we’re talking, the weather is warming up nicely and hanging around outdoors for the evening is no longer the daunting (and chilly) prospect it was just a few months ago. We admit we’ve not exactly flooded this blog with our images recently, but the impetus is there to rectify that soon so…
Astronomy Events – April 2014
by yaska77 British Summer Time is now in effect, giving us lighter evenings and signalling the approach of actual summertime 🙂 April is a good month for garden astronomers, the warmer evenings allow for longer use of scopes and cameras without as much annoyance from dew and lens fogging (or general freezing!) but it’s still…
Getting back into the swing of things…
by yaska77 Who’d have thought it!? I’ve actually been outside with my telescope and finally got some fresh images to share! Now, in my defence the wet and sodden Winter caused my garage door to seize shut with my telescope mount inside, making it impossible to use my scope for months (and my wife refused…
Astronomy Events – March 2014
by yaska77 The weather is turning! It must be by now!? After the wettest (and probably windiest) winter on record in the UK karma best be ready to give us an amazing Spring!! The layer of dust currently sitting on our telescopes could be used to insulate a small home. So we’re eager for some…
Astronomy Events – February 2014
by yaska77 Well January seems to have passed in a flash! Unfortunately the much reported terrible weather we’ve had in Britain has meant we’ve been afforded no chance whatsoever to get any astronomy done, and have had to content ourselves with a triple dose of Stargazing LIVE and images sent to us on Twitter. There…
Astronomy Events – January 2014
by yaska77 Happy New Year! Firstly, all of us at Sky-Watching would like to wish our visitors a very happy 2014! It’s because you keep visiting and reading our posts that we keep writing, and although weather and circumstance have been against us uploading more of our own images in 2013, we’re fresh faced and…
Astronomy Events – December 2013
by yaska77 How did this happen? One minute we were lauding the approach of Spring and a few sleeps later it’s December. The year has gone all too rapidly for my liking. My telescope must truly think I’ve abandoned it! But, it may get used sooner than it thinks. At the time of writing, comet…
Astronomy Events – November 2013
by yaska77 November is one of the best months for stargazing in my opinion. It’s not so freezing your fingers fall off but the air is cold enough for good seeing conditions, it’s dark already when you get home from work so you can get your gear set up nice and early, and there’s usually…
Astronomy Events – October 2013
by yaska77 With the darker evenings now truly upon us it’s a great time to be out observing (before it gets really cold!). October has historically been our best month for getting our own images too, so we are vowing to get our ‘scopes out again in October and we’ll post some of our results!…
Astronomy Events – September 2013
by yaska77 September is usually a good month for us for observing. It’s not so cold your fingers freeze, but it is dark enough earlier in the evening now to get some good stargazing in before finally falling in to bed. And there are also fewer neighbours sat outside with garden lights on messing up…
Astronomy Events – August 2013
by yaska77 Another new month is here so dust off your telescopes, crane your necks and get outside for the latest of our monthly astronomy guides is upon us! Of specific note this month is the annual Perseid meteor shower. Last year we were really lucky both seeing and photographing many meteors, so we’re crossing…
Astronomy Events – July 2013
by yaska77 It’s been an incredibly frustrating first half of the year. Evening conditions have seen cloud more often than not, and even clear days have been followed by hazy nights. But a new month is upon us and we’re eager to get our telescopes dusted off and in use again, so come back often…
Super-Earths located around nearby star
by yaska77 Scientists have identified three new planets around a star 22 light years away, one already suspected of hosting a trio of worlds. This discovery means that the relatively nearby star, Gliese 667C, now has three so-called super-Earths orbiting in its “goldilocks zone”. This is the habitable region where temperatures allow for the possibility…
Astronomy Events – June 2013
by yaska77 Clouds have been a perpetual feature during the hours of darkness for what seems like weeks now. But with a new dose of optimism and an urge to get imaging again, here’s our guide to a fresh new month of heavenly happenings! What are you most looking forward to? Saturday 1st June – Twilight…
Astronomy Events – May 2013
by yaska77 Hot on the heels of an unexpected break in the weather (allowing us to see April’s partial eclipse of the Moon) we’re eager to get stuck in to another new month of astronomical events! Now spring has finally arrived in the UK we’re hoping to be able to get some new images to…
Ideal SETI-target planets and K-type stars
by tte-77 Its been far too long since I contributed to Sky-Watching on a regular basis. On that sudden note here’s the first post in a while and its exoplanet related. In the search for extraterrestrial life, NASA’s Kepler team have announced the discovery of Kepler-62 – a multiple planet system composed of five Earth…
Astronomy Events – April 2013
by yaska77 Unfortunately for us, since we told you about the visit of comet PANSTARRS our own skies have seen nothing but clouds! It’s been great seeing all the photos on Twitter, but we’re gutted we’ve not had chance to image it ourselves. Still, to be a stargazer you have to keep your chin up,…
Astronomy Events – March 2013
by yaska77 Well here we are at March already! Spring is approaching, the days are getting longer and we’re hoping the weather also improves! This month we have the potential of a comet being visible to the naked eye, so read through below for details. There should be something for everyone to enjoy so keep…
Astronomy Events – February 2013
by yaska77 A new month is upon us which means as usual we’ve highlighted below some great astronomical events throughout February to keep your eyes on the skies! There should be something below for everyone to enjoy 🙂 Sunday 3rd February – Today is a last quarter Moon Thursday 7th February – The Moon is…
Stargazing LIVE returns to BBC on 8th January
by yaska77 Viewers in the UK have a televisual astronomical treat coming up for three evenings this week as Stargazing LIVE returns to BBC 2 (and BBC HD) tomorrow evening. Beginning at 8pm and broadcasting live from the famous Jodrell Bank Observatory, the show is aimed at encouraging everyone – whether complete beginner or enthusiastic…
Astronomy Events – January 2013
by yaska77 We’d like to take this opportunity to wish all our visitors a very happy and prosperous New Year! 2013 has much potential for stargazing and we’ve vowed to bring you more photos and articles than ever before. As usual we’ve highlighted below some great heavenly happenings throughout January to keep your eyes skyward…
Astronomy Events – December 2012
by yaska77 We’re now into advent calendar territory as we venture into December! Another year nearly done but don’t look too far ahead just yet. Listed below are some upcoming astronomical events with something to interest everyone, so we hope you can get out there and get stargazing. If anyone is taking pictures please tweet…
Astronomy Events – November 2012
by yaska77 Dark early evening skies are back with us now British Summer Time has ended, and winter is fast approaching. We’ve had little to no opportunity for much observing or photography in recent months, something we’re hoping desperately to rectify as soon as possible! Listed below are some upcoming astronomical events with something to…
Astronomy Events – October 2012
by yaska77 As it is getting darker earlier and the nights once again have that familiar chilly bite, it can only mean we’ve reached our Astronomy Guide for October already! We were lucky to observe a very active Perseid meteor shower in August, so with two showers reaching peak in October we’d like to get…
Astronomy Events – September 2012
by yaska77 The evenings are drawing in again and already it’s time for another of our monthly guides! Where is the year going? We were very lucky with the Perseid meteor shower last month (despite a lot of August seeing shrouded night skies) but staying ever optimistic we’ve listed below something of interest for everyone…
Astronomy Events – August 2012
by yaska77 Prepare to crane your necks as the Perseid display peaks mid-month. Considered one of the most reliable meteor showers, Perseid spotting is a great way to spend the Summer evenings (British Summer still more or less absent) and with sightings already being reported it’s a good chance to get kids interested by going…
Astronomy Events – July 2012
by yaska77 The year marches ever onward and already July is upon us! Where is the year going!? Noted below we’ve listed some interesting upcoming Astronomy Events for July, with a little something for everyone so keep watching the skies! Sunday 1st July – Tonight the Moon is at Perigee at a distance of 362,360…
Astronomy Events – June 2012
by yaska77 The rains of early May soon departed but sunnier days ended with hazy skies. So we’ve not seen much at all recently to be honest! Ever the optimists though, below you’ll find some interesting upcoming Astronomy Events for June where we’ve tried to list something of interest to everyone to keep you all…
Astronomy Events – May 2012
by yaska77 Despite a relatively good start to April, the proverbial showers soon set in and the second half of the month has been a washout under one rainstorm after another! It can’t rain all the time though (can it!?), and with May now upon us there’s a whole new list of astronomical events coming…
Venus in the Pleiades – 4th April 2012
by yaska77 As per usual our skies were cloudy last night. I’m beginning to believe the clouds wait to roll in just before particular astral events, usually the ones I most want to see! Last night (as noted in our Astro Guide for April) the planet Venus appeared as if part of the Pleiades star…
Astronomy Events – April 2012
by yaska77 March was a good month for sky watching! The conjunction of Venus and Jupiter, followed closely by the appearance of the crescent Moon sparked a lot of interest. So what is happening in April to keep that enthusiasm going? To help out we’ve listed some astronomical happenings of note for the next month,…
Venus, Moon and Jupiter conjunction photos
by yaska77 Following on from our last post which featured a couple of conjunction images from the middle of March, we’ve been out snapping again to capture the conjunction with the new crescent Moon! The photograph above was taken on Saturday 24th March. Venus shines at the top of the image above Jupiter with three…
Jupiter and Venus conjunction images
by yaska77 There has been a fair amount of coverage in the media recently about the conjunction between Jupiter and Venus. Typically when they appeared closest (on 13th March) the clouds settled in firmly overhead and refused to move. Thankfully yesterday and this evening it has been relatively clear by comparison! A little bit of…
Astronomy Events – March 2012
by yaska77 February saw some nice astronomical activity, but what can we look forward to in March? Evenings are slowly getting warmer while remaining nicely dark, so here are some upcoming astronomy events for the next month to keep you looking skyward! Thursday 1st March – First Quarter Moon Saturday 3rd March – Mars is…
My own night spent stargazing live
by yaska77 When it comes to astrophotography, occasionally I get a break and things go well. I should probably state from the offset that getting perfect scope alignment is nigh on impossible due to my house being in the way of Polaris! That doesn’t mean I haven’t got close but it does mean I still…
Astronomy Events – February 2012
by yaska77 January was packed with astronomy interest, partly due to a little program called Stargazing LIVE! But what to fuel the fires of interest ongoing? Maybe we can help you there. Here are some upcoming astronomy events during February to help keep us all watching the skies! Wednesday 1st February – We love the…
BBC’s Stargazing LIVE inspires the UK
by yaska77 Short of avoiding TV, radio, newspapers and magazines you can’t have failed to notice the success of the recent TV run of Stargazing LIVE. The explosion of interest it caused saw UK telescope sales jump up over 500% in the week the three shows aired, and with organised Stargazing events all around the…
Astronomy Advent Calendar – 24th December
by yaska77 Well here we are! Our final astronomy advent calendar image for 2011 is here, and we’re just one sleep away from Santa’s visit… It seemed appropriate therefore that the Christmas Eve image be one with a certain magical, mystical quality, and few come more striking than this! Day 24 Scan your channel guide…
Astronomy Events – November 2011
by yaska77 It’s been a little quiet here of late, but we’re hoping better weather is on the way. It can’t be cloudy all the time right?! That said, October was actually one of our best ever months for observing, we even got the best images we’ve taken with our own equipment so far! Most…
Orionids show was worth staying up for
by yaska77 It’s been well documented on this blog that we always seem to suffer bad luck whenever one of the bigger astronomy events happens. We missed the lunar eclipse and both Perseid and Draconid meteor showers thanks to cloud. But by midnight last night on the peak evening of the Orionid meteor shower, the…
Spying on the Universe – A good night stargazing
by yaska77 Just over a week ago I posted our monthly guide for October, and as it was clear that night I set up my scope looking forward to a long session. After alignment I pointed it at Jupiter (which looked fantastic) and went to make a drink. Usually (as I can’t actually see Polaris…
Astronomy Events – October 2011
by yaska77 Here is a list of upcoming Astronomy events for October. The recent clear warm nights at the end of September have given us the chance to get a look at a few things, but the sky is so big! How do you choose!? Well, this latest guide might just have a few suggestions…
Night Motion Timelapse: Tempest Milky Way
by yaska77 Hot on the heels of tte-77’s ISS filmed timelapse of the Earth from space is another earth-bound masterpiece from maestro Randy Halverson. Give your eyes a treat and go fullscreen HD 🙂 Tempest Milky Way from Randy Halverson on Vimeo. Tempest Milky Way by Randy Halverson About this video: One of the challenges…
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