Well, were you able to take advantage of that wonderful run of clear, moonless nights during the second half of April? I hope so, because from about May 3rd right through to the end of July, it doesn’t get astronomically dark at all. And this prevents observation of all but the brightest deep sky objects, and even those can only be seen between midnight and 0200 BST.
Continue readingOh dear! Those jobs we’ve put off doing for years and for which we can no longer use the excuse that we haven’t got time to do, will have to be done. There are no excuses left; we’re confined to barracks! So in this era of social distancing, are there any reasons for us astronomers to be cheerful? Well, maybe.
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Best seen from Sunday 1st to Saturday 7th as it waxes from crescent through first quarter on the 2nd to gibbous, high in the sky to the SW and S. It can again be seen as a wafer-thin crescent low in the SW on the 27th through to the end of the month.
Best seen at the beginning of the month (first quarter on the 2nd) through to around the 6th, then again from a wafer-thin crescent low in the SW on the 25th through to the end of the month. As a waxing crescent, it passes some degrees below and to the left of Venus on the 27th.
Continue readingA Happy New Year to all our Readers!
Well, here we go. Another year; another chance to see something you’ve never seen before, or just to re-acquaint yourself with old celestial friends.
Continue readingOne really has to wonder whether we are “poco loco” to choose astronomy as our hobby. We’ve just had the cloudiest and wettest couple of months that I can remember for some time, and although we may have a few clear nights in the first week of December, the Met Office isn’t forecasting much in the way of clear and stable conditions for the rest of the month. Still, mustn’t grumble. Let’s at least take advantage of the odd observing night that happens to come our way and be grateful for small mercies. Important thing is to make sure that telescope is in tip-top condition and ready for action if the opportunity presents itself.
Continue readingWell, it’s arrived: the astronomy season for real. Suddenly, shockingly for some, now the clocks have gone back it’s getting dark by just after 5 p.m. and that’ll be 4:30 p.m. at the end of the month. No longer do we have to wait until after bedtime to see anything. The whole evening is at our disposal. So what’s up there?
Continue readingThe author is taking a break this month but recommends the following Jodrell Bank web site for an excellent run-down of what to observe this month: The Night Sky October 2019.
See What’s Up! for August 2019
After the short and light nights of summer, September is the first month in which the sky goes completely dark every night (i.e. astronomical twilight ends, and the sun dips to more than 18° below the horizon). At the start of the month, total darkness runs from 2211 to 0355 BST, but by month end, it runs from 2043 to 0504 BST. So in addition to other delights of the night sky, we can observe faint and diffuse deep sky objects without having to stay up really late.
Continue readingAugust the 8th is the first night since early May that the sky goes completely dark – for a short time centred on 1 a.m. This increase in the length of the night is noticeable in the late evenings in August and heralds the “shoulder season” for astronomical observations. By the 15th, astronomical twilight ends at 2316 BST, and by the end of the month it’s at 2214. Just taking the dog for its last walk or strolling home from the pub, August is the month when one begins to notice the stars again. And with it being predominantly warm, August is probably the month with the best combination of evening comfort and darkness. So break out those 7 x 50s, dust off that ‘scope and get out there!
Best seen as a thin waxing crescent low in the west after sunset on Mon 5th to late gibbous low in the south on Mon 12th. It doesn’t climb much above 13° altitude throughout this period due to the angle of the ecliptic at this time of year. Jupiter will be seen about 1.5° below it on the 9th.
Mercury may be spotted low (6 – 10°) in the ENE very early in the morning at around 0440 to 0500 between the 8th and 15th of the month.
Are both on the far side of the sun and completely unobservable this month.
Both can be seen low in the south by about 2100 BST. Jupiter is in Scorpio and fairly near the star Antares; Saturn is 30° to its left in Sagittarius. The low altitude of these planets is not conducive to seeing them at their best. However, the YAS has organised a special observing event for Saturday the 31st August where we will be bringing an armoury of high power telescopes to bear on Saturn. This is probably your best chance this year to see this spectacular planet. See the Events page for more details and to book a place.
Visible only after midnight. Wait until later in the year for these two.
Normally the northern hemisphere’s favourite meteor show, the Perseids this year will be a bit of a challenge. The problem is the moon. As the shower reaches its peak, not only date-wise but hour-wise, the waxing gibbous moon will reduce the number of meteors seen. Despite this, if you are prepared to stay up very late or even go to bed then get up very early, the Perseids are definitely worth observing.
The graph below shows the daily Perseid numbers observed in 2017, and this year’s peak will be on the same day – the 13th. The numbers for 2017 were perfectly normal and typical of this shower.
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The zenithal hourly rate (ZHR) is what a single observer would expect to see each hour if the sky was perfectly clear and completely dark and the radiant was overhead. You’ll see the ZHR rises, especially from the 9th, reaches a peak on the 13th then quickly reduces.
From the UK, the radiant – at the northern end of the Perseus constellation – rises in the NE while it’s still light, but by 3 a.m. has risen to a very respectable 60° altitude. After that, the sky begins to brighten as dawn approaches. The number of meteors to be seen is roughly equal to the sine of the radiant altitude.
So there are five one-hour slots centred on the times given when it’s worth giving it a try.
On the 11th, expect to see a meteor every 2½ minutes or so; on the 12th, one every 2 minutes; and on the 13th, if you wait until between 0230 and 0330, one every minute.
You don’t need to identify the constellation of Perseus to see these meteors. The best way is to set your chair or lounger to face north east (the opposite area of sky to where the moon is) and just relax. Good luck!
July was the month to focus on the many nebulae and clusters in Scorpio and Sagittarius. In August we should turn our attention to the summer triangle and surrounding area. In case you don’t know the summer triangle, it is formed by the stars Altair in Aquila, Vega in Lyra, and Deneb in Cygnus. During the first week of August – when the moon is not around – but particularly from the 22nd onwards, this area of sky through which the Milky Way passes on its route northwards is riding high in the south and is peppered with deep sky splendours. The Astronomy Now chart below shows the best of these. Look high in the south at 2300BST. Each object is described in the table below.
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Just lying on a lounger and with binoculars, sweeping the star fields in this area of the Milky Way, stretching right across the sky from SW to NE will reveal many beautiful star clusters. I find doing just that is amazingly relaxing. Do try it; it’s a tonic!
But if you would like the opportunity to see these objects with the array of society telescopes, we’ll be observing them at the event (previously mentioned) on Saturday 31st August. Go to the Event Page on our web site for more info.
The ISS is visible on only four nights in August: on the 1st and 3rd at around 10 p.m. and then on the 29th and 31st at around 5 a.m. See the Heavens-Above web site for more details.
For up-to-date news on space missions, rocket launches etc. scroll https://www.space.com/32286-space-calendar.html
Clear skies and good viewing.
John Rowland 25 July 2019