October Night Sky 2023
Autumn is now upon us and we have passed the Equinox with the Sun heading south, make good use of any clear evenings.
Solar System:- the Sun, Moon and Earth.
The Sun is still active, so look north any clear night you might catch a view of the Aurora Or check out www.spaceweather.com.
The Earth. The important thing is that the clock fall back one hour on the 29th of the month, the good bit is that it gives one hur extra in bed. Thereafter we will be on Greenwich Mean Time.
The Moon. The Full Moon partially eclipsed on the evening of the 28th, start looking out at around 8pm and enjoy the view for an hour or two, not too bad for bed time.
Last Quarter 6th
New Moon 14th
First Quarter 22nd
Full Moon 28th
This Full Moon is either the Harvest Moon or the Hunters Moon
The Planets;-
Mercury, too close to the Sun this month.
Venus, very bright in the evening sky, in the constellation of Leo
Mars, too close to the Sun.
Jupiter, pretty bright in Aries.
Saturn, fairly bright in Aquarius.
News;- Sample return from asteroid Bennu, the capsule has been opened and all is well with in. (dust brought back from space). Some of the material is coming to London to be examined in the Natural History Museum. This investigation will be led by Prof. Sara Russell, along time contact of mine.
The Sky at Night comes from Exeter University, this time, and is the annual question and answer session. It will be shown on BBC Four on the 9th Oct at 10.00pm and repeated 17th Oct at 7.00pm After that it will be on iPlayer.
Roseland Observatory is also on www.facebook.com/roselandobservatory
Brian Sheen runs the Roseland Observatory which is based in Truro High School for Girls.
The April Night Sky 2023
It missed us! Just as well a large meteor shot passed Earth only 150,000 miles away. It was not huge only 50 metres across but moving at a rate of 8 kilometres per second. We only had a couple of days notice !
Solar System. The Sun, Moon and Earth.
The planet Mercury is centre stage this month – see below.
The Sun, The aurora are likely to put on a good show this month as the Sun remains very active. How far south is another matter! Keep an eye on the northern horizon.
The Moon;- Full Moon 6th Last Quarter 13th New Moon 20th First Quarter 27th
The Full Moon in April is known as the Pink Moon in the US and UK.
Easter Day – (moveable feast) is the first Sunday after the first Full Moon after the equinox hence it falls on the 9th this year.
The Earth;- nothing special this month.
The Planets;-.
Mercury is so close to the Sun that is rarely seen, however this month it is highest on April 11th so look out for an “intruder” in the western sky after sunset...A lot of people have never seen this bright planet!
Venus is very bright in the SW after sunset, it should be possible to see that it has phases. NB you may want to put a Moon filter on your telescope eyepiece to reduce the glare. . A telescope will reveal Saturn very close by.. Find a place where the Sun sets into the sea , make sure it has actually set before turning a telescope on Venus.
Mars Is best at the start of the month and fades throughout April, however it can be found in Gemini
Jupiter & Saturn not visible this month, .too close to the Sun
Meteor shower;- The Lyrids peak on the 22nd and as that is close to the New Moon conditions are very good – so watch out for first shower since January.
The Sky at Night on TV – its back! After a break of several months the April edition focuses on “Searching for Alien Life”. It includes of course Mars,. BBC Four 10th April at 10pm repeated BBC Four 13th April at 7.00pm then on I Player..
Roseland Observatory is on line www.roselandobservatory.co.uk and also on www.Facebook.com/roselandobservatory
Brian Sheen runs the Roseland Observatory which is based in Truro High School for Girls.
The March Night Sky
Launcher One;- The official cause of the failure is down to a displaced in line filter, all such filters I have seen cannot be dislodged so we will have to see what happens later in the year.
Solar System. The Sun, Moon and Earth.
Of course the dark nights will mean that younger astronomers will be able to appreciate the wonders of the winter night sky.. Especially the Orion group of constellations.
The Sun reaches the celestial equator on the 20th meaning that it rises and sets at 6.00 O’clock sh From the Hurlers it rises close to Kit Hill – almost due East. In the evening it sets behind a special tor – see if you can find it. The aurora are likely to put on a good show this month as theSun is very active. How far south is another matter! Keep an eye on the northern horizon.
The Moon;- Full Moon 7th Last Quarter 15th New Moon 21st First Quarter 29th The Full Moon in March is known as the Worm Moon in the US and UK.
The Earth;- British Summer Time starts on the 26th March
The Planets;-.
Venus is very bright in the SW after sunset, it should be possible to see that it has phases. NB you may want to put a Moon filter on your telescope eyepiece to reduce the glare. Best at the end of the month. A telescope will reveal Saturn very close by.. Find a place where the Sun sets into the sea , make sure it has actually set before turning a telescope on Venus.
Mars Is best at the start of the month and fades throughout March. It passes just north of star cluster M35 between 27th and 31st March
Jupiter It is too close to the Sun to be easily visible this month.
A night on the beach Date Sat 25th An Open evening organised by the Friends of Par Beach starts at 7.00pm. Plenty of good stuff to see given a clear sky, indoor programme if not.
Roseland Observatory is on line www.roselandobservatory.co.uk and also on www.Facebook.com/roselandobservatory
Brian Sheen runs the Roseland Observatory which is based in Truro High School for Girls.
The February Night Sky
Launcher One;- Cosmic Girl duly roared down the run way at Newquay on a cold dark night, surely nothing could go wrong! However it did, somewhere over the Irish Sea the second stage cut out and the satellites failed to get into orbit. We still don’t know what went wrong, but we suspect an outside source over which Virgin Orbit had no control. Still there is always next time.
Solar System. The Sun, Moon and Earth.
Of course the dark nights will mean that younger astronomers will be able to appreciate the wonders of the winter night sky.. Especially the Orion group of constellations.
.The Moon;- Full Moon 5th Last Quarter 15th New Moon 20th First Quarter 27th The Full Moon in January is known as the Snow Moon in the US and UK.
The Planets;-.
Venus makes a is in the SW after sunset, it should be possible to see that it has phases. NB you may want to put a Moon filter on your telescope eyepiece to reduce the glare. Best at the end of the month. A telescope will reveal Saturn very close by.
Mars Is best at the start of the month and fades throughout February.
Jupiter is still very bright, and is heading towards the western horizon
Saturn is in the west, is close to the Sun It sets very soon after, can be picked up by telescope after Sun set – take care to ensure the Sun has set!!
Neptune A great opportunity to see this elusive planet occurs on the 15th when the ice giant is very close to Venus just 20 arc minutes away. 30 arc mins. is half a degree ie the diameter of the Full Moon. So just about far enough apart to be able to see past the glare of Venus. A good telescope will show it as a blue dot. Have your Moon filters to hand anyway.
Comet C/2022 E3 ZTf could reach naked eye visibility this month in the constellation of Ursa Minor. Check out the exact position each night via website search. Good binoculars are the best way forward Clear sky and an absence of the Moon are more important than proximity to Earth. The green colour is due to the presence of C2. Diatomic carbon
Sky at Night;- No programme this month however you can keep up via the website and of course repeats are on I Player
Open Day with Telescope Clinic. Date:~? We are looking at the 18th, the Saturday afternoon and evening. A very popular event Keep and eye and ear on the media
A night on the beach Date Sat 25th An Open evening organised by the Friends of Par Beach starts at 7.00pm. Plenty of good stuff to see given a clear sky, indoor programme if not.
Roseland Observatory is on line www.roselandobservatory.co.uk and also on www.Facebook.com/roselandobservatory
Brian Sheen runs the Roseland Observatory which is based in Truro High School for Girls.
The December Night Sky
Artemis It has taken off at last, a spectacular launch and fingers crossed will continue to go well through out. The empty Crew module is scheduled to return on the 11 th Dec,.
Launcher One After months of waiting it seems that Cosmic Girl will hurtle down the Newquay runway this month and be the first rocket to launch into orbit ever from the UK. If all goes well we will no longer be the only country to have launched a single satellite
Solar System. The Sun, Moon and Earth.
Of course the earlier darker nights will mean that younger astronomers will be able to appreciate the wonders of the winter nigh sky. Make the most of the few clear nights.
.The Moon;- Full Moon 8th Last Quarter 16th New Moon 23rd, First Quarter 30th The Full Moon in December is known as the Cold Moon in the US and UK.
The Planets;-.
Venus makes a reappearance in the SW after sunset, it should be possible to see that it has phases.NB you may want to put a Moon filter on your telescope eyepiece to reduce theglare
Mars is good this month and at its brightest. On the 8th the Moon passes in front of it. Get organised at 4.00AM The actual occultation lasts about an hour
Although we are losing Saturn in the west Jupiter is still very bright.
Meteor Shower 3rd & 4th the Geminids another good shower.
Sky at Night;- No programme this month however you can keep up via the website and of course repeats are on iPlayer
Do Not Miss Our Back to the Moon and on to Mars our big space show on Dec 10th at Truro High School for Girls. Special Stands inside and telescopes and activities outside time 3.00pm – 7.00pm - second only to the Stargazing Live events we ran at Eden Project years ago.
Roseland Observatory is on line www.roselandobservatory.co.uk and also on www.Facebook.com/roselandobservatory
Brian Sheen runs the Roseland Observatory which is based in Truro High School for Girls.
The November Night Sky
Launcher One After months of waiting it seems that Cosmic Girl will hurtle down the Newquay runway this month and be the first rocket to launch into orbit ever from the UK. If all goes well we will no longer be the only country to have launched a single satellite
Artemis
Standing on the old Saturn V launch pad actually back in its shed at the time of writing is a bright shiny new launch system – Artemis. Now awaiting the latest launch window some time this month.
Solar System. The Sun, Moon and Earth.
Of course the earlier darker nights will mean that younger astronomers will be able to appreciate the wonders of the winter nigh sky. Make the most of it.
The Moon;- First Quarter 1st Full Moon 8th Last Quarter 16th New Moon 23rd, First Quarter 30th The Full Moon in November is known as the Beaver Moon in the US and UK.
The Planets;-. The naked eye planets are now to be seen before midnight, Mars rises in Taurus and doubles its brightness though the month, Jupiter is the brightest of them all and is above the horizon most of the month Saturn is ahead of Jupiter and much fainter can be found in Capricornus. It is a good month to find Uranus it is now in Aries and it at opposition on the 9th.
Meteor Shower 18th Nov Leonids 24 per hour. At the turn of the century the Leonids were were a really big event as the Earth went through dense clouds of dust left behind by comet Temple –Tuttle. I got to see part of it once till the clouds rolled in.
Sky at Night;- The programme covers “Do Multiverses exist”
Times BBC Four, 14th Nov @ 10.00pm Repeated on BBC Four , 16th Nov @ (tbc)Then on iPlayer. Check bbc.co.uk/sky at night for the latest updates.
Roseland Observatory is on line www.roselandobservatory.co.uk and also on www.Facebook.com/roselandobservatory
Brian Sheen runs the Roseland Observatory which is based in Truro High School for Girls.
The October Night Sky
Artemis
Standing on the old Saturn V launch pad (at the time) of writing is a bright shiny new launch system – Artemis. Except that it should have flown the nest long ago. It seems that there s hydrogen leak! This is principally down to the small size of the hydrogen molecule, The tiny size of that molecule that causes the gas to escape through pores small enough to block other gases!. The answer, they hope is to fill the hydrogen tank at a lower pressure and rate,
Solar System. The Sun, Moon and Earth.
25th Partial Solar eclipse
Starts at about 10.00am and lasts until 11.45 am. ALL the usual rules apply wrt to not looking directly at the Sun.!
30th British Summer Time ends, an hour longer in bed and winter begins
The Moon;- First Quarter 3rd Full Moon 9th Last Quarter 17th New Moon 25th
The Full Moon in Oct is known as the Hunter’s Moon in the US and UK.
The Planets;-. The naked eye planets are now to be seen before midnight, Saturn as soon as it gets dark enough, followed by Jupiter, Mars is in Taurus and can be seen most of the night.
Sky at Night;- The programme focuses on answering questions from a live panel !
Times BBC Four, 10th Oct @ 10.00pm Repeated on BBC Four , 13th Oct @ (tbc)Then on iPlayer. Check bbc.co.uk/sy at night for the latest updates.
Roseland Observatory is on line www.roselandobservatory.co.uk and also on www.Facebook.com/roselandobservatory
Brian Sheen runs the Roseland Observatory which is based in Truro High School for Girls.
The September Night Sky
Stars to look out for;-
The Summer Triangle The three bright stars of the Summer Triangle are dominant now just East of centre. They are Vega in Lyra, The Harp; Deneb in Cygnus The Swan; and Altair in Aquila The Eagle. They become easier to spot as the summer goes through.into autumn.
The Plough and onward down! It is well known that if you extend the curve of the handle of the Plough down towards the horizon you come to bright star called Arcturus – on again and close to the horizon is bright white star Spica in Virgo. Look along the horizon towards the south and red star Antares becomes obvious. Then there is a star rarely noted Formalhaut. This is really an intruder from the southern skies so nice to see. We of course get the best views of it in the UK due to our Southerly location. By this time everyone will have noticed that is gets dark much earlier than June, however it is still pretty warm.
Solar System.
The Sun is getting active now with a lot of Sun spots. The best way to observe the Sun is via www.spaceweather.com and it will even give you alerts when something special is occurring. The 23rd of the month marks the Equinox – when the length of day and night are equal. If you want to step back in time nip smartly up to the Hurlers at 6.00pm GMT 7.00pm BST, The Sun will be setting behind a small tor when viewed from well south of Stow Hill. This has been a marker for autumn since the Bronze Age.
The Moon;- First Quarter 3rd Full Moon 10th Last Quarter 17th New Moon 25th
The Full Moon in Aug is known as the Harvest Moon in the US and UK. This Full Moon rises at a similar time for several consecutive days. This allows farmers more time to get the harvest home.
The Planets;-. The naked eye planets are now to be seen before midnight, Saturn as soon as it gets dark enough, followed by Jupiter is at its closest to Earth on the26th. Mars is in Aries and can be seen in the early hours. .Most people will not have seen Uranus but this month it is very easy because on the 14th – start looking at 10.15pm. Just to the East of the lit side of the Moon there will be a tiny blue-green disc. This will suddenly vanish as the Moon passes in front of it for about an hour! This is a very rare event.
Sky at Night;- The programme focuses on photography of the night sky.
Times BBC Four, 12h Sept @ 10.00pm Repeated on BBC Four , 15th Sept @ (tbc)Then on iPlayer. Check bbc.co.uk/sy at night for the latest updates.
Roseland Observatory is on line www.roselandobservatory.co.uk and also on www.Facebook.com/roselandobservatory
Brian Sheen runs the Roseland Observatory which is based in Truro High School for Girls.
The August Night Sky
Cornwall Spaceport is about to launch its first satellite this summer maybe as early as September Keep eyes and ears open for updates,
The James Webb Telescope delvers the goods at last. After 30 years some fantastic images are coming from the super scope.. Gravitational lensing is the new buzzword, it is an outcome of Einstein’s theory of General Relativity nuff said!
The Summer Triangle of bright stars. The three bright stars of the Summer Triangle are dominant now just East of centre. They are Vega in Lyra, The Harp; Deneb in Cygnus The Swan; and Altair in Aquila The Eagle. They become easier to spot as the summer goes through.
Solar System.
The Sun is getting active now with a lot of Sun spots. The best way to observe the Sun is via www.spaceweather.com and it will even give you alerts when something special is occurring.
.The Moon;- First Quarter 5th Full Moon 12th Last Quarter 19th New Moon 27th
The Full Moon in Aug is known as the Sturgeon Moon in the US.
Full Moon illusion if you look at a Full Moon when it is rising is always seems huge.
However if you observe it by putting a kitchen towel roll to one eye it promptly shrinks before your very eye.
The Planets;-. The naked eye planets are now to be seen before midnight Saturn as soon as it gets dark enough, Jupiter after 10.00pm. Mars is in Aries and can be seen in the early hours.
Meteors:- August is the home of the most reliable meteor shower of the year peaking on the 12th, equally reliable is the Full Moon on the same date and also a Super Moon! This shower is often called the August meteors or more properly the Perseids . Naturally few shooting stars will be seen when the Moon is around but fortunately this shower has a broad peak and more should be observed after the official peak on the 12th.
Sky at Night;- Updates our information on the James Webb Telescope and gives an indication as to the sort of scientific outcomes expected
Times BBC Four, 15h July @ 10.00pm Repeated on BBC Four , 18th Aug @ (tbc)Then on iPlayer. Check bbc.co.uk/sy at night for the latest updates.
Roseland Observatory is on line www.roselandobservatory.co.uk and also on www.Facebook.com/roselandobservatory
Brian Sheen runs the Roseland Observatory which is based in Truro High School for Girls.
The June Night Sky
The Black Hole – imaged at last, the rather strange orange fuzz around the black disc is really the Event Horizon. Consider a 30 cm diameter sphere as a Black Hole completely surrounded by 15 cm of orange smoke. Look at the BH face on and the black disc is where the BH is lurking. It is thin enough to see right through, it to left and right the smoke is up to 60 cm from top to bottom and is therefore sufficient to be seen. The Event Horizon is caused by the last gasp of matter falling into the Black Hole. Current thinking is that every galaxy has a Black Hole at its centre to hold the entire thing together. .Ours is called Sagittarius A*
The Summer Triangle of bright stars. The three bright stars of the Summer Triangle are starting to make their presence felt just East of centre. They are Vega in Lyra, The Harp; Deneb in Cygnus The Swan; and Altair in Aquila The Eagle. They become easier to spot as the summer goes through.
Solar System.
The Sun is getting active now with a lot of Sun spots. The best way to observe it is via www.spaceweather.com and it will even give you alerts when something special is occurring. Watch out for Noctilucent clouds although these look a bit lie cirrus clouds they are much higher in the atmosphere. They are caused by rays of the Sun striking high dust particles after the Sun is below our horizon so look north and hopefully you will be amazed. Well seen through a binocular.
Earth & Sun .Of course on the 21st of June it is the Summer Solstice which marks the date when the Sun is over the tropic of Cancer, is at its highest for the year. Also, the greatest length of daytime. Indeed it does not really get proper dark this month.
The Moon;- First Quarter7th Full Moon 14th Last Quarter 21st New Moon 29th
The Full Moon in June is known as the Strawberry Moon in the US.
The Planets;-. There are no planets in the evening sky this month.
Sky at Night;- Features the Astronomer Royal at 80 he looks back at some of the biggest discoveries of the last 50 years.
Times BBC Four, 13th June @ 10.00pm Repeated on BBC Four , 16th June @ (tbc)Then on iPlayer.
Its back Roseland Observatory is on the web again log on to www.roselandobservatory.co.uk and also on www.Facebook.com/roselandobservatory
Brian Sheen runs the Roseland Observatory which is based in Truro High School for Girls.