A monthly look at astronomical events in the sky and on Earth
Compiled and written by Steve Sawyer
Welcome to the December edition of “What’s Up”!
As the nights draw in and the air turns crisp, we reach the finale of another incredible year of astronomy. It feels like no time at all since we started 2025, yet here we are, wrapping up and looking back on twelve months of celestial highlights.
Continue readingA monthly look at astronomical events in the sky and on Earth
Compiled and written by Steve Sawyer
As Bonfire Night come closer and the air gets crisp, we’re all familiar with fireworks lighting up our local skies. But did you know the cosmos puts on its own, much grander, fireworks display every single day? Continue reading
A monthly look at astronomical events in the sky and on Earth
Compiled and written by Steve Sawyer
An artistic impression of The giant radio galaxy Inkathazo (32× size of Milky Way, discovered with MeerKAT)
This month we turn our gaze not to the visible sky, but to the hidden universe revealed by radio astronomy. Where optical telescopes see stars and galaxies shining in light, radio telescopes uncover the cold gas between stars, the jets of black holes, the signals of pulsars, and mysterious bursts from across the cosmos. Continue reading
A monthly look at astronomical events in the sky and on Earth
Compiled and written by Steve Sawyer
This month’s imagery takes us deep into the realm of cosmology, starting with a stunning simulation of two black holes merging—an immense event where their event horizons interact and distort space-time itself. Continue reading
A monthly look at astronomical events in the sky and on Earth
Compiled and written by Steve Sawyer
This month, we’re drawing inspiration from the legendary British space artist David A. Hardy, born in 1936. Hardy has enjoyed a long and pioneering career, creating awe-inspiring depictions of the cosmos. His first published work appeared in 1952, and over the decades, his illustrations have graced the pages of numerous magazines and books including several collaborations with Sir Patrick Moore. Continue reading
A monthly look at astronomical events in the sky and on Earth
Compiled and written by Steve Sawyer
This month we’re being inspired by the art of Robert McCall 1919-2010.
McCall was a renowned American artist celebrated for his visionary space-themed artwork. He gained prominence in the 1960s as an illustrator for Life magazine and as a key artistic contributor to major films, including 2001: A Space Odyssey, Tora! Tora! Tora!, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and The Black Hole.
A monthly look at astronomical events in the sky and on Earth
Compiled and written by Steve Sawyer
This month the images are being inspired by one of England’s most famous artists, John Constable. So we start with a noctilucent skies version of the Hay Wain. more info on the original can be found here.
Welcome to June’s What’s up! I can’t believe we’re halfway through the year already!
We’re well into the lighter nights now, it can be hard to pick out even the brighter stars in the twilight skies of June. One of the compensations is to look out for noctilucent clouds (which I mentioned last month). June is one of the best months for spotting these so keep an eye out around midnight.
A monthly look at astronomical events in the sky and on Earth
Compiled and written by Steve Sawyer
This month the images are being inspired by space artist Chesley Bonestell. More info:- Meet Chesley Bonestell, the most important space artist you’ve probably never heard of | Astronomy.com
Welcome to May’s What’s Up , this month we have the annual Eta Aquariid meteor shower, Mars crossing the beehive cluster and the possibility of more Aurora or even early noctilucent clouds. Continue reading
A monthly look at astronomical events in the sky and on Earth
Compiled and written by Steve Sawyer
This month the images are being inspired by William Turner J. M. W. Turner – Wikipedia
Welcome to April’s What’s Up, where Spring is now well and truly underway. The clocks have gone forward, the evenings are stretching out, and we’re starting to get that magical mix of warmer air and darker skies. Continue reading
A monthly look at astronomical events in the sky and on Earth
Compiled and written by Steve Sawyer
Welcome to March’s Whats Up, the first month of Spring in 2025. The murk of mid February seems to have moved on now and we’re getting some clear nights at the time of writing. Hopefully you’ve been able to make the most of them!
March also brings the spring equinox which is a time of year when the solar wind can interact with Earths magnetic field more easily. We’re also at solar max so fingers crossed for a few X class flares and aurora! Continue reading