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
A monthly look at astronomical events in the sky and on Earth
Compiled and written by Steve Sawyer
Hi and welcome to Februarys What’s Up. Well January seems have whistled by very quickly despite being the month associated with the post Christmas / winter blues. I hope you’ve managed to enjoy some of the clear nights we’ve had, and fingers crossed for a few more in the coming month. Continue reading
A monthly look at astronomical events in the sky and on Earth
Compiled and written by Steve Sawyer
Happy New Year and welcome to the first “What’s Up”! of 2025
To kick off this month, let’s have a look at some of the major events happening in 2025. Continue reading
[Take the December 2024 Quiz – Christmas Special]
So what’s on this month?
A monthly look at astronomical events in the sky and on Earth
Compiled by Steve Sawyer
Welcome to December’s “What’s Up”!
Well first I can’t believe the year has passed so quickly. I just looked back at last December’s What’s Up and it seemed like 5 minutes since I wrote it!
I hope everyone has had a fantastic year filled with the excitement and wonder of exploring astronomy! Continue reading
A monthly look at astronomical events in the sky and on Earth
Compiled by Steve Sawyer
Welcome to November’s “What’s Up”!
I always like this time of year with the darker evenings. I’m more of a morning person than a night owl so the earlier dark skies are great. Hopefully we get some clear skies too.
This month, aside from the sparkle of fireworks, we can look forward to the Leonids and Northern Taurids meteor showers. The planets are also becoming easier to view again. Continue reading
A monthly look at astronomical events in the sky and on Earth
Compiled by Steve Sawyer
Hi and welcome to Octobers What’s up. The nights are certainly drawing in now and will soon extend with the advent of daylight saving ending on the 27th. Hopefully the clear skies we’ve enjoyed during September will continue.
This month we can hope to see comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS (shorter comet names please!) and several meteor showers. Continue reading