Written by Education Assistant Mark Grimley Looking At The Stars Festive lights to starlight might be the setting for us to relax to at the end of the year. During these darker months we might get the chance to see some stars a little more clearly with less light pollution Read more…
It’s the shortest month of the year, although some may argue that it can feel just as long as January. We’re still seeing the winter constellations in the night sky, and hopefully we will get some nice clear nights to go stargazing. Remember you need to wrap up warm when you are stargazing, Read more…
So the nights are drawing in and in as we get closer to the festive season, and though Christmas might not be quite the same as usual this year, there’s still plenty to celebrate. One great socially distanced activity you can do is stargazing! It’s outdoors and doesn’t require a group, and so you can easily go out and have a wee look up at the stars – just make sure to wrap up warm at this time of year!
50 years ago, humankind took its first steps on the moon, and the world celebrated. However, 47 years ago, the last human walked on the moon, and we have not been back since. Until now. The new programme that will take humans back to the moon is called Artemis, who Read more…
This is the first Night Sky blog article of the new decade and hopefully I’ll be able to point out some interesting things for you all to see in the night sky this month.
Article written by: Helen McLoughlin, Education Officer Let’s face it, New Year’s Resolutions like ‘I’m going to the gym three times a week’ or ‘I’m going on a diet’ are all well and good but fizzle out after a week or two. Why not take up stargazing once a month Read more…
The long cold dark nights have well and truly settled in, and now that it’s December it’s officially acceptable to say the C word. Christmas, Christmas is coming! And so is Santa Claus! Decorations are going up, there’s mad panic to buy Christmas presents and families are organising who’s having dinner and where. Ahh I love this time of year.
Some good news folks! If you fancy a few free ‘sparklers’ to get you celebrating, you could fill a bag with the number of fabulous looking stars that will appear their prettiest again this month against the darkest seasonal drape of the year as it stretches in all directions above Read more…
Hello again Planetarichums! It’s Stephen here, ready to do my very best to explain some of the upcoming wonders in our night sky as we head into winter and the Christmas holidays. So, first things first, we’ll talk a little about our celestial neighbour, the Moon. On December 3rd our Read more…
Happy New Year! Welcome to January 2016, and if you haven’t made a New Year’s resolution yet (or you have made one but want to sneakily change it,) why not challenge yourself to star gaze this year. Star gazing is a brilliant past time and is a wonderful activity that Read more…
What’s that we hear? Sleigh bells? It’s the month that hosts the Christmas holidays, it’s December. We’re getting into the heart of winter and the night sky is likely to be crisp and clear and we get into the colder nights. When you’re out stargazing this month, Jack Frost may Read more…
As we head into spring it’s time for dusting off those telescope lenses and brushing up on some constellations. With the warmer weather coming in there’s also hope to see some meteors as April finishes off with the Lyrids meteor shower and a glimpse at the gas giants. Starting of Read more…
January is the marmite of every year, individuals either love it or hate it as it brings the beginning of a New Year and new opportunities yet marks the end of the festive Christmas season and a previous year filled with memories. Whilst most people make New Year’s resolutions to Read more…
The December skies mark my favourite time of the year for stargazing. Despite the cold weather, the skies promise the best opportunities to see what lies beyond the Earth’s atmosphere. So pour yourself a hot chocolate, wrap up in warm clothes and head outside to witness the night sky’s wonders. Read more…
October is an interesting month for astronomers as World Space Week falls from 4 October until 10 October and coincidentally it’s a good month for keen astronomers to take to the skies. This time of the year is perfect for spotting the Milky Way’s sister galaxy, M31 in Andromeda. It Read more…
Since March means “Mars’ month” in Latin, we should find it a minor coincidence that Earth’s red terrestrial neighbour plays a more major role in the sky over the next few weeks. With continued astronomical twilight, an exploration of the centre ground astrology and astronomy share, and great opportunities to Read more…
The Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure’s “Creativity Month” is an annual celebration which takes place each March. It inspires creative and collaboration amongst many industries from theatre to astronomy! Throughout the month of March there are exciting events and workshops aimed at stimulating new thinking to help artistic people, Read more…
While the winter sky may be the ‘Aladdin’s cave’ for skywatchers, and we may already have plundered deeply one of its greatest celestial treasures, the constellation of Orion, we forge ahead undeterred as February reveals yet another vault of celestial wonders awaiting exploration… No northern stargazer would wish to run Read more…
With an eventful stargazing year behind and us teetering on the brink of 2014 wondering what it may have in store, we can plunge in with confidence knowing that the night sky promises to reveal no less than some of its most distinctive and exciting constellations to us over the Read more…
So, last year I compiled a top 10 list of the best Space/Astronomy gifts which you can view by clicking here. I was so looking forward to receiving my Sheldon bobble head but it looks like those close to me did not take the hint! So this year I have Read more…
We live in an age when dazzling astronomical imagery is everywhere. We are privileged to have immediate access to close ups of the worlds of the Solar System thanks to interplanetary probes and stunning panoramas of nebula and galaxies thanks to hi-tech observatories. But to experience and to feel completely Read more…
Now hopefully any January blues are well and truly dispersed by now and you are prepared to take full advantage of the dark February night sky. Although special events may be sparse within the shortest month of the year, maybe we can use February as you would a favourite book Read more…
January sees the beginning of a New Year with everyone’s New Year’s resolutions to be healthier, to be happier and many people deciding to take up or return to a fun hobby from the past! With that I guarantee many are toying with the thought of lifting up those binoculars Read more…
Have you ever found yourself staring up into the sky wishing you knew the name of that odd shaped star pattern, or had an endless debate with someone about what exactly that really bright object was; a planet or a star but never went as far to find out?Well that Read more…
Autumn is well and truly settled in and we are in the ‘Hallowed’ month of October so many exciting things grace our sky!This month we can try and see what spooky sightings usually turn out to be, as well as some frightful objects that roam the October sky!The longer dark Read more…
This image of the reflection nebula Messier 78 (NGC 2068) includes the soft glow of submillimetre-wavelength (infra red) radiation from clouds of interstellar dust grains running through the nebula.Dense clouds of gas and dust like this are the birthplaces of new stars. M78 is found in Orion, and appropriately Read more…
At the beginning of March look west just after sunset to see three of the ‘wandering stars’. Mercury will be close to the horizon, with Venus and Jupiter shining brightly above it. Mercury will quickly set below the horizon and by the middle of the month will have disappeared from Read more…
If you look towards the west just after sunset this February you will see a very bright star in the darkening sky. Known as the Evening Star, brilliant Venus steals the celestial show. After the Moon, Venus is the next brightest object in the sky. Higher in the heavens and Read more…
It’s BBC Stargazing Live month, so even more of us will be looking skyward this January. What is there to see in the heavens these winter evenings? We are treated to several naked eye planets are this month. These “wandering stars”, as they were called by the ancients are easily Read more…
Which is the brightest star in the sky (apart from the Sun)? Many non-astronomers believe that the Pole star (Polaris) is the brightest star but there are at least forty brighter stars. The correct answer is Sirius, a wonder of the winter sky. Finding Sirius in the winter sky Read more…
The giant star Betelgeuse will soon perish in a titanic explosion. Could this happen in the mythical “doomsday” year of 2012? Could dying Betelgeuse take us with it? “Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice!” was the chant which summoned the obnoxious ghost played by Michael Keaton in Tim Burton’s 1988 movie. Keaton’s character Read more…
Orion the Hunter is the easiest to recognise constellation in the skies of the Northern Hemisphere. Big, and full of bright stars and interesting objects, Orion is a favourite amongst stargazers. Best of all, Orion is one of the tiny minority of constellations that actually looks like what is supposed Read more…
The long and dark nights of December feature some spectacular and easy to spot treats for the stargazer. In our regular guide to the night sky, Martina Redpath tells us all about the celestial wonders of December 2010’s night sky. As the year draws to a close, preparation for the Read more…