Usually I’ll defend the infamous British weather, telling people it’s not as bad as the rest of the globe believes, but if bad weather can ruin a “must see” astronomical event most of the time it won’t fail to disappoint.
Tag: astronomy
Astronomy Events – May 2016
by Adam Welbourn Summer is just around the corner, you can almost feel it in the tingles of warmth you get from the Sun, for those few moments when the wind drops… After an unusually cold April the forecasts finally show some sign of improvement, and it’s about this time of year that stargazing becomes even…
Astronomy Events – April 2016
by Adam Welbourn Ah… finally there’s a hint of a little warmth to that sunlight! I know I must have been warm outdoors at some point in the past, but I’m struggling to remember an example of when… The clocks have gone forwards, evenings are lighter for longer, but with so much to see in the night sky…
Astronomy Events – March 2016
by Adam Welbourn If Spring is on the way it seems to have neglected to let the temperature know! The wind has been bitter recently, meaning the few crystal clear evenings we were afforded in February were too frosty for any serious viewing. But with British Summer Time virtually upon us, nothing heralds the onset of more favourable outdoor…
Astronomy Events – February 2016
by Adam Welbourn As much as dark skies are what stargazers crave, and the longer the darkness the more gazing that can be done, it’s nice that afternoons are now noticeably lighter for longer! Apart from a week or so of cold snowy weather affecting most of the northern UK it has been one of the mildest…
Astronomy Events – January 2016
by Adam Welbourn A new year is once again upon us, and like nearly everyone else you find us smiley faced and full of hope as to what 2016 will bring! There’s a lot happening in January from an astronomical viewpoint, and as usual we’ve cherry picked some happenings of interest so hopefully there will be something for everyone….
Astronomy Events – December 2015
by Adam Welbourn And in the blink of an eye December is once again upon us, and another year of Sky-Watching guides is all but complete. It’s been another good year for amateur stargazers and already some are looking to 2016. But don’t miss what’s happening in front of you by looking only towards the future……
Astronomy Events – November 2015
by Adam Welbourn Blimey it’s getting colder now isn’t it!? A few clearer evenings at the end of October and you don’t half notice the chill in the air. Great conditions for observing the heavens then! November sees some great sights to behold (and image!) and with a meteor shower thrown into the mix it’s a…
Astronomy Events – October 2015
by Adam Welbourn Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last few days you can’t have helped but notice the sudden spike in interest astronomy has enjoyed. The Super Blood Eclipse Moon at the end of September had more people outdoors at unsociable hours than a midnight launch of a new iPhone*. And so…
Astronomy Events – September 2015
by yaska77 Summer obviously found somewhere better to be this year, after promising early hints of it looking to impose itself for a long stay. Plans of weekends spent outdoors with the BBQ going remain unfulfilled, and our night sky observing was limited to a single cloudy evening of Perseid meteor spotting! For amateur stargazers however…
Astronomy Events – August 2015
by yaska77 Where is the summer going? I literally write up one of these fabulous guides (I’m nothing if not modest), work and sleep a couple of times and suddenly it’s time for the next one! A lesson perhaps in the need to slow down, to take time to appreciate the simple things and most…
Astronomy Events – July 2015
by yaska77 Summer is finally here! We’ve had some nice hot days recently, which I’ll be honest has made a really nice change. I will also apologise now for any potential minor mis-keys that may appear in this guide, it’s been so nice today I cracked open a beer as soon as I got home…
Astronomy Events – June 2015
by yaska77 It would seem that the UK’s infamous “April Showers” were a little tardy this year, eventually turning up fashionably late in May… Clear evenings were sadly few and far between which meant any serious observing was very difficult to arrange! But weather forecasters are hopeful for June, and we’ll take any piece of…
Astronomy Events – May 2015
by yaska77 I am so eager to dust off the scope and have another night out under the stars imaging away it’s starting to make me twitchy. The plan is to get some of the Sky-Watching founders (that makes us sound far grander than we could ever hope to be) together the first clear evening…
Astronomy Events – April 2015
by yaska77 As much as I love the longer dark winter evenings I’ll admit I am now thoroughly bored of the cold. The clocks going forward an hour at the end of March has helped give us the first hints of the lighter summer evenings to come, and it’s a good feeling! So while dreaming of…
Astronomy Events – March 2015
by yaska77 We’re now heading into one of my two favourite times of year. Spring and Autumn are perfect for some long evenings out under the stars, you still get the benefit of longer nights without the downside of frostbite! There’s quite a lot to get excited about in March, plenty of the usual spotting opportunities…
Astronomy Events – February 2015
by yaska77 Another month ticked off then, it really feels like I sit down to compile these guides every other week at the moment, time seems to be passing so quickly. Modern lives can keep us so busy we rarely treat ourselves to a good look at the beauty of the night sky, and even…
Astronomy Events – January 2015
by yaska77 Another year has been ticked off and a squeaky clean and shiny new one is upon us, all fresh faced and full of promise and optimism. Many start off the new year with plans, aspirations or resolutions, but all too soon most of us will become complacent and slip back into routine, forgetting why…
Astronomy Events – December 2014
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…
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…
April showers of the Lyrid kind
by yaska77 Beginning now until the 25th of this month we see the April Lyrid meteor shower (peaking on April 22nd before dawn). The meteors in this shower tend to be bright and leave persistent trails as they enter the Earth’s atmosphere. In recent years the shower has seen anything from 10 to 20 meteors…
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 – 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…
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,…
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…
ESO Top 100 Images – 10-6
by tte-77 Only ten images to go now in this amazing image series and there are some crackers in the final two installments. Here are numbers 10 to 6 for your viewing pleasure. To view the previous images from the countdown visit the links below. 15-11 | 20-16 | 25-21 | 30-26 | 35-31 |…
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 Advent Calendar – 23rd December
by yaska77 Well here we are, our penultimate astronomy advent calendar image for 2011 already. It seems to have passed in a blur! This year saw the end of something that I’ve been aware of for pretty much my entire life. A regular memory throughout my childhood was the thrill of seeing one of NASA’s…
Astronomy Advent Calendar – 22nd December
by yaska77 The holidays are so close now I can almost smell ’em 🙂 Today’s astronomy advent calendar image is another of ours taken this year. Stacking images is a great way of improving the clarity of individual photos, bringing out far more detail than the individual shots alone could capture. Day 22 The Andromeda…
Astronomy Advent Calendar – 21st December
by yaska77 Really into the home stretch now, so here is today’s astro advent calendar image with only a few more to come! If you have ever stood in your garden and watched the ISS pass overhead (a bright, relatively quick moving light across the sky) you’ve probably wondered just what sights they see from…
Astronomy Advent Calendar – 20th December
by yaska77 Keeping it seasonal, today’s astro advent calendar image bears more than a passing resemblance to a Xmas time favourite. It’s a bit of a break from featuring images we’ve posted throughout the year too (as this is brand new) but the great thing about space being so vast is we keep being brought…
Astronomy Advent Calendar – 19th December
by yaska77 Yet another fantastic image we featured earlier this year to continue our astronomy advent calendar image count-down. There aren’t many days left until we get to Christmas eve now, so the images we’re highlighting now are the ones that most took our breath away in 2011 🙂 Day 19 This amazing picture was…
Astronomy Advent Calendar – 18th December
by yaska77 Today’s astro advent calendar count-down image came from one of tte-77’s ESO Top 100 Image posts. We’re really reaching the business end of this count-down, so it’s probably time we turned up the heat a bit and selected some real crackers! Day 18 Eta Carinae is a stellar system in the constellation Carina,…
Astronomy Advent Calendar – 17th December
by yaska77 Another of our shots from this year makes our astro advent calendar image count-down. Part of probably the most recognisable Winter month constellation, it was also the first deep sky object we ever got an image of. This pic however was the result of a much closer look! Day 17 The Orion Nebula…
Astronomy Advent Calendar – 16th December
by yaska77 Our astro advent calendar image count-down returns to Earth for today’s image, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less striking. If any type of image can better demonstrate the apparent movement of the stars across the sky I’ve not seen one yet! Day 16 The stars rotate around the southern celestial pole during…
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