2012 – What’s Up

Week of 31st December

 

• Astronomical twilight ends at 18.12 UT at the start of the week and 18.17 UT at the end as daylight time begins to lengthen noticeably
• The Moon is waning and will be Last Quarter on Saturday
• On Thursday at midday the Quadrantid metoer shower peaks. Meteors should be visible from 1st till 6th, but Thurdsay evening should be best. The Radiant (named after the now defunct constellation Quadrans Muralis) is in the constellation of Bootes (northwest of the Saucepan’s handle) The shower is often plentiful (100 ph at peak) with bright white meteors
• The Sun has a four spot groups, none are currently active
• There is one last ISS pass this week: On New Year’s Eve at 16.50.12 W to SSE reaching 24 degrees
• Tiangong-1 makes passes on Monday at 17.55.41 SSW to SSE reaching 13 degrees. Tuesday at 18.21.58 SW to S reaching 16 degrees. Wednesday 17.13.28 SSW to SE to 14 degrees and 18.48.45 SW to SSW to 14 degrees. Thurdsay at 17.39.48 SW to SE to 16 degrees. Friday 18.06.34 SW to SSE to 14 degrees. Saturday 16.57.26 SW to SE to 16 degrees and Sunday 17.24.13 SW to SSE to 13 degrees
• There is one superbright Iridium flare on Friday at 18.50.26 at 34 degrees
• FITSAT-1 the Japanese flashing Cube-satellite is not visible this week

 

Week of 24th December

 

• Astronomical twilight ends at 18.04 UT at the start of the week and 18.06 UT at the end as daylight time begins to length
• The Moon is waxing and will be Full (Cold Moon) on Friday
• The Sun has a three spot groups and 1635 is currently active
• On Christmas Day evening Jupiter and the waxing Gibbous Moon are in conjunction and Jupiter will appear to roll around the top limb of the Moon being closest around 1am on 26th. Red Aldeberan follows close to the East and then Orion
• There are ISS passes this week: On Christmas Eve at 17.49.58 W to ESE reaching 80 degrees and 19.26.45 W to W to 13 degrees. The best is on Christmas Day 16.59.39 W to E to 89 degrees and then 18.36.19 W to SW to 37 degrees. Boxing day 17.45.56 W to SE to 53 degrees and 19.23.20 WSW to WSW to 12 degrees. Thursday 16.55.34 W to ESE reaching 70 degrees and 18.32.29 W to S to 21 degrees. Friday 17.41.54 W to SE to 44 degrees. Saturday 16.51.24 W to SE to 44 degrees and 18.29.28 WSW to SSW to 11 degrees. Sunday 17.38.06 W to S to 17 degrees
• There are two superbright Iridium flares on Monday at 18.02.55 at 31 degrees in SSE and Thursday at 16.41.35 at 69 degrees in ENE
• FITSAT-1 the Japanese flashing Cube-satellite developed by students at Fukuoka Institute of Technology, which was released from the ISS and is, via LED arrays on each face, flashing visible morse code messages to the ground should be visible this week. Monday 16.44.53 W to E reaching 83 degrees altitude, 18.21.07 W to ESE to 55 degrees and 19.58.04 WSW to S to 15 degrees. On Tuesday at 17.25.02 W to ESE to 76 degrees and 19.01.29 W to SSE to 24 degrees. Wednesday 18.05.09 W to SE to 37 degrees. Thursday 17.08.52 W to ESE to 56 degrees and 18.45.46 WSW to S to 15 degrees. Friday 17.48.58.W to SSE 24 degrees. Saturday 16.42.24 W to SE to 38 degrees and Sunday 17.32.43 WSW to S to 16 degrees. The brightness has yet to be estimated

 

Week of 17th December

 

• Astronomical twilight ends at 18.02 UT at the start of the week and 18.04 UT at the end. The Winter Solstice falls on Friday (when the end of the World is not expected!)
• The Moon is waxing and will be First Quarter on Thursday
• The Sun has a four spot groups though none particularly active
• The pre dawn sky has a super alignment of 3 planets: From West to East Saturn, Venus and Mercury (which disappears in the Sun’s glow by 7.20am)
• There are ISS passes this week: On Monday at 17.15.16 SW to E reaching 34 degrees and 18.51.25 W to W to 27 degrees. Tuesday 18.01.04 WSW to ESE to 75 degrees. Wednesday 17.10.45 WSW to E to 58 degrees and 18.47.16 W to W to 31 degrees. Thursday 17.56.50 W to E reaching 87 degrees. Friday 17.06.25 WSW to E to 83 degrees and 18.43.02 W to W to 35 degrees. Saturday 17.52.36 W to E to 85 degrees and 19.29.13 W to W to 11 degrees and Sunday 17.02.07 W to E to 84 degrees and 18.38.44 W to W to 42 degrees
• There is one superbright Iridium flare on Thursday at 18.17.54 at 33 degrees in SSE

 

Week of 10th December

 

• Astronomical twilight ends at 18.02 UT at the start of the week and 18.03 UT at the end, really no change as we approach the Winter Solstice
• The Moon is waning and will be New on Thursday
• The Sun has no active areas and is nearly blank for the beginning of the week
• Jupiter is at Opposition on Monday and at its closest to the Earth till 2021. With no Moon it is at its very best and dominates the sky all night
• There are ISS passes this week starting on Wednesday at 18.15.08 S to SSE reaching 12 degrees. Thursday 18.59.54 SW to SW to 14 degrees. Friday 18.09.58 SSW to SSE to 27 degrees. Saturday 17.20.18 S to ESE to 19 degrees and 18.55.39 WSW to WSW reaching 22 degrees and Sunday the best at 18.05.28 SW to SSE reaching 48 degrees
• There are two superbright Iridium flares on Monday at 16.11.42 at 72 degrees in E and Tuesday 16.05.36 at 72 degrees in E

 

Week of 3rd December

 

• Astronomical twilight ends at 18.02 UT at the start of the week and 18.02 UT at the end, really no change as we appraoch the Winter Solstice
• The Moon is waning and will be Last Quarter on Thursday
• The Sun has 4 active areas, 1623 could flare up later in the week
• Jupiter is at Opposition on Monday and as the Moon wanes will only become a better target
• There are no ISS passes this week but there is one bright Iridium flare on Friday at 18.25.58 at 15 degrees altitude in NNE

 

Week of 26th November

 

• Astronomical twilight ends at 18.05 UT at the start of the week and 18.03 UT at the end
• The Moon is waxing and will be Full on Wednesday when, following the Solar eclipse 2 weeks ago, it will enter the Earth’s penumbra for a partial Lunar eclipse. This will occur during Wednesday afetrnoon and the northern limb will darken to a maximum at 2.30pm
• The Sun has quietened down and the active regions of last week are all but gone
• Jupiter is at its best for some years and reaches Opposition next Monday, though affected by moonlight. It will be in fact be in Conjunction with the Moon only 1 degrees to its North on Thursday
• There are no ISS passes this week but there is one superbright Iridium flare on Saturday at 17.00.06 at 66 degrees altitude in NE

 

Week of 19th November

 

• Astronomical twilight ends at 18.10 UT at the start of the week and 18.05 UT at the end
• The Moon is waxing and will be First Quarter on Tuesday
• The Sun much more active and has 7 sunspot regions, 2 of which harbour activity that will likely result in flares during the week
• There are no ISS passes this week but there is one superbright Iridium flare on Monday at 16.06.20 at 76 degrees altitude in E

 

Week of 12th November

 

• Astronomical twilight ends at 18.18 UT at the start of the week and 18.11 UT at the end
• The Moon is waning and will be New on Wednesday (a Total eclipse will be visible in Australia just after their dawn on 14th)
• Orion now rises by 9pm following Jupiter in Taurus just above red Aldeberan
• The asterism of the Square of Pegasus is high in the South in the evening and if you use the 2 right-hand stars as pointers one can find the bright it is reltively close at 25 light years) southern star Fomalhaut just above the southern horizon. Using the 2 left-hand stars as pointers, come down about their seperation and with a pair of binoculars one can find the blue-green disc of Uranus. From Alpheratz (alpa And) at the top left corner it is relatively easy to find M31 (Andromeda Galaxy)high and a best visibility whilst the Moon is New
• The Sun is still relatively quiet with 5 sunspot regions, none are active
• There are no ISS passes this week nor bright Iridium flares

 

Week of 5th November

 

• Astronomical twilight ends at 18.27 UT at the start of the week and 18.19 UT at the end
• The Moon is waning and will be Last Quarter on Wednesday
• From Monday a few Taurid meteors an hour may be seen. The shower has 2 small peaks, the second is on 12th November. Though small in number, Taurids (from Comet Encke) tend to be slightly larger fragments, slow and reach lower altitudes (40km). The prediction is for a couple of bright fireballs (brighter than -3 magnitude) an hour over the next 10 days
• The Sun is relatively quiet with 3 sunspot regions, none are active
• There are no ISS passes this week
• There is an usual chance to see a -6.6 magnitude Iridium flare during the day on Friday at 10.54.20 at 43 degrees altitude in South

 

Week of 29th October

 

• Astronomical twilight ends at 18.36 UT at the start of the week and 18.28 UT at the end. All times will now be in UT (GMT) till 31st March 2013
• The Moon is Full on Monday (Hunter Moon) it will then wane to Last Quarter at the start of next week
• With the colder weather and ice crystals in the upper atmosphere, keep an eye out for lunar halos
• The Sun has 3 sunspot regions one, 1598 is still potentially active
• Arcturus sets in the North just after sunset then M45 (Pleiades) rises at 18.00 UT and Jupiter and the Hyades and Aldeberan at 19.00 UT with Betelgeuse at 21.00 UT; all a sure sign that winter is on the way
• The ISS makes its last passes for a while: On Monday at 18.44.54 WSW to SSW reaching 11 degrees and on Tuesday at 17.54.23 W to S reaching 17 degrees
• There is a bright evening Iridium flare on Thursday at 17.47.19 at 58 degrees altitude in NNE

 

Week of 22nd October

 

• Astronomical twilight ends at 19.50 BST at the start of the week and 18.36 UT at the end
• The clocks go back to GMT (UT) next Saturday night
• The Moon is First Quarter on Monday and will then wax to Full at the start of next week
• The Sun has 6 sunspot regions one, 1598 is currently active and poses a flare threat over the next few days
• Jupiter rises in the East late in the evening for the first time at the end of the week and dominates the pre-dawn sky in the South
• The ISS makes more good passes this week. On Monday the best is at 19.02.21 W to E reaching 85 degrees and then 20.39.06 W to W to 27 degrees. Tuesday 19.49.48 W to SSE to 66 degrees. Wednesday 19.00.28 W to ESE to 81 degrees and 20.37.20 W to WSW to 22 degrees. Thursday 19.47.52 W to S to 39 degrees. Friday 18.58.25 W to SE to 54 degrees and 20.35.52.WSW to SW to 14 degrees. Saturday 19.45.58 W to S to 22 degrees and on Sunday 17.56.16 W to SSE reaching 31 degrees
• There are no bright evening Iridium flares

 

Week of 15th October

 

• Astronomical twilight ends at 20.04 BST at the start of the week and 19.50 BST at the end
• The Moon is New on Monday and will then wax to First Quarter at the start of next week
• The Sun has 4 sunspot regions one, 1589, is currently active
• The Orionid meteor shower peaks from 20th to 23rd and usually produces up to 25 fast mteors per hour. This year later in the evening the Moon will be setting. The Orionids are due to the dbris streams left over by Halley’s comet
• Jupiter rises in the East late in the evening for the first time at the end of the week
• The ISS makes good passes this week. On Monday 19.56.25 WSW to ESE reaching 59 degrees and 21.33.03 W to W to 10 degrees. Tuesday 19.07.27 SW to E to 44 degrees and 20.43.54 W to W to 33 degrees. Wednesday 19.54.44 WSW to E 85 degrees and 21.31.28 W to W to 10 degrees. Thursday 19.05.34 WSW to E to 71 degrees and 20.42.16 W to W to 32 degrees. Friday 19.53.02 W to ENE to 84 degrees. Saturday 19.03.47 W to E to 88 degrees and 20.40.32 W to W to 30 degrees and the best on Sunday 19.51.15 W to E reaching 89 degrees
• There are no bright evening Iridium flares

 

Week of 8th October

 

• Astronomical twilight ends at 20.19 BST at the start of the week and 20.06 BST at the end
• The Moon is Last Quarter on Monday and will wane to New at the start of next week
• The Sun has 3 sunspot regions one, 1582, is currently active
• The Draconid meteor shower peaks in the early hours of 8th. Normally inconsequential it sometimes storms
• The ISS starts to make passes this week. On Thursday 20.00.40 S to SSE reaching 17 degrees altitude. Friday 19.12.47 SSE to ESE to 13 degrees and 20.47.10 to 19 degrees. Saturday 19.58.24 SW to SSE to 34 degrees and Sunday 19.09.48 SSW to E to 24 degrees and 20.45.38 WSW to WSW to 29 degrees
• There are no Tiangong evening passes this week
• There are no bright evening Iridium flares

 

Week of 1st October

 

• Astronomical twilight ends at 20.35 BST at the start of the week and 20.21 BST at the end
• The Moon will wane and will be Last Quarter at the start of next week
• The Sun has 4 sunspot regions one, 1577, is currently active
• There are no ISS or Tiangong evening passes this week
• There are no bright evening Iridium flares

 

Week of 24th September

 

• Astronomical twilight ends at 20.53 BST at the start of the week and 20.35 BST at the end
• The Moon is waxing this week and will be Full on Sunday (Harvest Moon)
• The Sun has 3 sunspot regions but none are currently active
• There are no ISS evening passes this week
• There are no Tiangong passes this week each day
• There are three bright evening Iridium flares. Monday 20.26.33 at 34 degrees altitude in N. Wednesday 20.14.09, 38 degrees in N and Thursday 20.07.59 at 39 degrees in N

 

Week of 17th September

 

• Astronomical twilight ends at 21.11 BST at the start of the week and 20.55 BST at the end
• Saturday is the Autumnal Equinox. The Sun will rise due East and set due West (after that it will rise and set progressively further south). From next week-end night will be longer than day, as the Sun spends more time in the southern hemisphere
• The Moon is waxing this week and will be First Quarter on Saturday
• The Sun has 3 sunspot regions but none are currently active
• There are no ISS evening passes this week
• Tiangong makes a pass each day. None of these are very bright however at magnitude 3. Monday at 20.40.11 SSW to SSE reaching 15 degrees altitude. Tuesday 21.07.21 SW to SSW to 15 degrees. Wednesday 19.59.04 SW to SE to 16 degrees. Thursday 20.26.14 SW to SSE to 15 degrees. Friday 20.54.03 SW to SSW to 11 degrees and Saturday 19.44.56 SW to SSE to 14 degrees
• There are no bright evening Iridium flares

 

Week of 10th September

 

• Astronomical twilight ends at 21.30 BST at the start of the week and 21.14 BST at the end
• The Moon is waning and will be New next Sunday
• The Sun has several active regions and spot 1564 is likely to flare during the week
• There are no ISS evening passes this week
• Tiangong makes 1 evening pass next Sunday, low and no brighter than 2.3 magnitude at 20.12.32 S to SE reaching 12 degrees
• There are no bright evening Iridium flares

 

Week of 3rd September

 

• Astronomical twilight ends at 21.50 BST at the start of the week and 21.33 BST at the end
• The Moon is now waning from the Full Blue Moon last Friday (next in July 2015) and will be Last Quarter on Saturday
• The Sun is growing in activity and spot 1560 is now very extensive and likely to flare during the week and there is a chance of Earth directed flares at the start of the week. There are 4 other sunspot regions, though none of these are active
• There are no ISS evening passes this week
• Tiangong does not make evening passes this week
• There are no bright evening Iridium flares

 

Week of 27th August

 

• Astronomical twilight ends at 22.11 BST at the start of the week and 21.53 BST at the end
• The Moon is waxing and will be Full on Friday
• The Sun has 4 sunspot regions, none of which are currently active
• There are no ISS evening passes this week
• Tiangong does not make evening passes this week
• There are no bright evening Iridium flares

 

Week of 20th August

 

• Astronomical twilight ends at 22.33 BST at the start of the week and 22.14 BST at the end
• The Moon is waxing and will be First Quarter on Friday
• Venus and Jupiter shine bright in the East in the pre dawn sky
• The Sun has 3 active and has flared recently but these have not been directed towards Earth
• The ISS makes its last few passes: On Monday at 21.18.06 W to SSE reaching 60 degrees and 22.55.10 W to WSW to 16 degrees. Tuesday 22.03.12 W to S to 26 degrees. Wednesday 21.11.25 W to SE to 37 degrees. Thursday 21.57.03 WSW to SSW to 14 degrees. Friday 21.04.53 W to SSE to 22 degrees and Sunday 20.59.02 WSW to SSW to 12 degrees
• Tiangong does not make evening passes this week
• There is one bright evening Iridium flare on Friday at 21.41.39 at 18 degrees in N

 

Week of 13th August

 

• Astronomical twilight ends at 22.57 BST at the start of the week and 22.33 BST at the end
• The Moon is waning and will be New on Friday
• The Perseid meteor shower will still produce meteors early in the week
• Venus, Jupiter and the decrescent Moon make a fine conjunction in the pre dawn sky
• The Sun has been active and has 5 active regions which could flare again this week
• The ISS makes passes all this week: On Monday at 22.32.37 W to E reaching 84 degrees. Tuesday 21.39.26 W to E to 87 degrees and 23.15.53 W to WSW to 58 degrees. Wednesday 22.22.41 W to E to 87 degrees and 23.59.11 W to W to 14 degrees. Thursday 21.29.28 W to E to 84 degrees and 23.05.55 W to WSW to 42 degrees. Friday 22.12.40 W to ESE to 69 degrees and 23.49.25 W to W to 11 degres. Saturday 21.19.25 W to ESE to 86 degrees and 22.55.57 W to WSW to 28 degrees and Sunday 22.02.36 W to SSE to 47 degrees
• Tiangong does not make evening passes this week
• There is one bright evening Iridium flare on Monday at 23.29.15 at 20 degrees in W

 

Week of 6th August

 

• Astronomical twilight ends at 23.22 BST at the start of the week and 23.00 BST at the end
• The Moon is now waning and will be Last Quarter on Thursday
• Red Mars and yellow Saturn and blue star Spica are forming a fine conjunction in the evening SW sky
• The Sun has been active and has 5 active regions which could flare again this week
• The ISS makes passes all this week: On Monday at 22.19.43 SSW to S reaching 17 degrees. Tuesday 23.02.08 SW to S to 48 degrees. Wednesday 22.09.21 SW to S to 35 degrees and 23.45.20 W to W to 42 degrees. Thursday 21.16.47 SSW to E to 23 degrees and 22.52.17 WSW to E to 57 degrees. Friday 21.59.17 WSW to E to 55 degrees and 23.35.35 W to WNW to 70 degres. Saturday 22.42.28 W to E to 89 degrees and Sunday 21.49.20 WSW to E to 78 degrees and 23.25.46 W to W to 70 degrees
• Tiangong does not make evening passes this week
• There is one bright evening Iridium flare on Thursday at 23.35.06 at 27 degrees in WSW

 

Week of 23rd July

 

• Astronomical Twighlight ends at 00.26 BST at the start of the week and at 23.50 BST at the end
• The Moon is waxing and will be First Quarter on Thursday
• The Sun has two sunspot regions, neither are currently active
• There are 6 Tiangong passes this week: On Monday at 22.12.09 SSW to SSE reaching 13 degrees. Tuesday 22.38.50 SW to S reaching 16 degrees. Wednesday 23.06.02 SW to SSW reaching 13 degrees. Thursday 21.57.35 SW to SE reaching 16 degrees. Friday 22.24.48 SW to S to 14 degrees and Sunday 21.43.24 SW to SSE to 14 degrees
• There are no evening ISS passes this week
• There is one bright evening Iridium flare this week on Friday at 23.09.38, 19 degrees altitude in W

 

Week of 16th July

 

• As we move away from the Summer Solstice darkness returns, albeit briefly, at the end of the week with Astronomical Twighlight ending at 00.52 BST on Friday for 40 minutes or so. At the start of next week it will end at 00.26 BST
• The Moon is waning and will be New mid-week. By next week end it will be a slender crescent in the West at sunset
• Following the week-end conjunction of the waning Moon and Jupiter, the dawn sky will be a fine sight with Jupiter, Venus and the Moon over the next couple of days
• The Sun has three active regions and spot 1520 released an X class (X1.4) flare at the week end with an associated Earth bound CME. There are good prospects of Aurorae at high latitudes at the start of the week
• There are no Tiangong or ISS passes this week but both space stations should return to evening skies next week
• There is one bright evening Iridium flare this week on Thursday at 23.21.03, 31 degrees altitude in W

 

Week of 25th June

 

• The Moon is First Quarter on Wednesday and will then continue to wax to Full mid next week
• The Sun is currently remarkably blank with no sunspot groups
• There are no Tiangong or ISS passes this week
• There are no bright evening Iridium flare this week

 

Week of 18th June

 

• The Moon will now wax to First Quarter mid next week. It will grow from a fine slender crescent over the Solstice
• The Summer Solstice (longest day) occurs on Thursday 21st. The Sun will rise at its most northerly position on the Eastern horizon and set in its most northerly position on the Western horizon, hence spending longest in the sky and reaching its greatest elevation at noon of 62.5 degrees
• The Sun has 1 decaying active sunspot group, number 1504, which launched CMEs Earth bound last week-end There are no Tiangong passes this week, but the station will soon be manned. 3 Taikonauts (including the first Chinese woman) will dock on 19th
• There are 4 remaining ISS evening passes this week: On Tuesday at 22.42.16 W to SSE reaching 32 degrees. Wednesday 23.25.02 WSW to SSW to 13 degrees. Thursday 22.29.54 W to SSE to 20 degrees and the last on Saturday 22.17.57 WSW to SSW to 12 degrees
• There is one superbright evening Iridium flare this week on Wednesday at 22.25.22 at 41 degrees altitude in NE

 

Week of 11th June

 

• The Moon wanes this week to New on 18th. It should then be a fine slender crescent for the Solstice on 21st
• The Sun has 5 sunspot groups, number 1504 is producing M-class flares
• There are no Tiangong passes but the ISS makes good passes as follows: On Monday at 23.31.35 W to E reaching 84 degrees. Tuesday 22.37.19 W to E to 65 degrees. Wednesday at 23.19.26 W to E reaching 88 degrees, Thursday at 22.24.34 W to E to 84 degrees. Friday 23.07.08 W to ESE to 76 degrees. Saturday 22.12.48 W to E to 89 degrees and Sunday 22.54.47 W to SE to 54 degrees
• There are no bright evening Iridium flares this week

 

Week of 4th June

 

• The Moon wanes this week from Full (Strawberry Moon) at the start of the week, when it undergoes a Partial Eclipse (not visible from UK)
• Venus wll transit the disc of the Sun for the last time this Century and for only the 7th time since first viewed by telescope in 1639. The transit is not well placed for the UK. Only the final hour is visible, but the Sun is very low. The transit itself starts at 22.03 BST with 1st Contact. 2nd Contact is at 23.21 BST and 3rd at 05.37 BST on 6th, then the planet will leave the transit at 05.54 BST till December 2117. Under no circumstances should the Sun be viewed directly without professional filters. Only a projected image should be used
• The Sun has 7 sunspot groups none particularly active
• There are four Tiangong passes: On Monday at 23.01.38 SW to SSW reaching 14 degrees. Tuesday 23.21.59 SW to SW to 10 degrees. Wednesday at 22.06.09 SW to SSE reaching 14 degrees and Thursday at 22.26.19 SSW to S to 12 degrees
• The ISS makes evening passes as follows: Monday 23.30.24 ESE to E reaching 15 degrees. Tuesday 22.35.13 SE to ESE to 13 degrees. Wednesday 23.13.58 SW to E to 33 degrees. Thursday 22.20.24 SSW to E to 22 degrees and 23.55.42 WSW to E to 71 degrees. Thursday at 23.01.43 SW to E to 52 degrees. Friday 22.07.46 SW to E to 35 degrees and 23.43.45 W to E to 89 degrees and Sunday 22.49.34 WSW to E to 74 degrees
• There are two bright evening Iridium flares this week on Tuesday at 21.56.08 at 53 degrees in NE and Saturday at 23.15.25 at 25 degrees altitude in NNE

 

Week of 28th May

 

• The Sun dips only 17 degrees below the Northern horizon
• The Moon waxes this week from First Quarter at the start of the week to Full on 4th June
• Venus is now only 15 degrees from the Sun and too close to view safely
• The Sun has 4 sunspot groups, 1492 which is just emerging is active and already giving flare activity
• There are three Tiangong passes at the end of this week on Saturday at 22.35.33 from SSW to S reaching 13 degrees and Sunday at 22.57.01 from SW to S reaching 14 degrees
• The ISS returns for late evening passes at the start of next week
• There are no bright evening Iridium flares this week

 

Week of 21st May

 

• Astronomical twilight ends at 00.42 BST on Monday and then the Sun does not go far enough below the horizon for true astronomical darkness till July 20th
• The Moon waxes this week and will be a slender crescent mid-week and First Quarter at the start of next week
• Venus is approaching its 5/6th June Transit and in medium sized telescopes is now a slender crescent. As it disappears into the twighlight it will leave bright Mars in southwest and Saturn and blue Spica will be left in south, whilst in southeast red Antares in Scorpio rises
• The Sun has 5 sunspot groups, though none show significant activity
• There are no Tiangong passes this week nor ISS passes
• There are no bright evening Iridium flares this week

 

Week of 14th May

 

• Astronomical twilight ends at 23.53 BST at the start of the week and 00.41 BST at the end
• The Moon wanes this week and will be New at the start of newt week
• Venus sets just before 11pm leaving red Mars in southwest and yellow Saturn and blue Spica culminating due south whilst to the southeast red supergiant Antares in Scorpio rises
• The Sun has 4 sunspot groups and a giant active sunspot 1476. A CME is due to give a glancing blow to the Earth on Monday afternoon
• There are no Tiangong passes this week nor ISS passes
• There is one bright evening Iridium flare this week on Monday at 23.15.23 at 19 degrees altitude in NNE

 

Week of 7th May

 

• Astronomical twilight ends at 23.22 BST at the start of the week and 23.48 BST at the end
• The Moon will now wane this week and will be Last Quarter on Sunday
• Venus dominates the whole western sky after sunset at its maximum brightness of magnitude -4.7 (nearly 100 times as bright as the very brightest evening stars)
• The Sun is growing in activity again and a large active sunspot group is emerging at the eastern limb(surface)
• There are no Tiangong passes this week nor ISS passes
• There are no bright evening Iridium flare this week

 

Week of 30th April

 

• Astronomical twilight ends at 22.19 BST at the start of the week and 22.58 BST at the end
• The Moon is waxing and will be Full (Beltane Moon) on Sunday
• The Celtic feast of Beltane falls on Tuesday May 1st. This is one of the Cross-Quarter days as this week marks the point half-way between the Vernal Equinox and the Summer Solstice
• Venus is now visible in daylight, nearly 40 degrees East of the Sun and setting 2.5 hours later. It is at its maximum brightness of magnitude -4.7 (nearly 100 times as bright as the very brightest evening stars)
• The Sun’s photosphere (surface) is peppered with sunspot groups. As yet this week the activity is still low however
• There are no Tiangong passes this week nor ISS passes
• There is one superbright evening Iridium flare this week on Saturday at 20.48.18 at 71 degrees altitude in ENE

 

Week of 23rd April

 

• .Astronomical twilight ends at 22.36 BST at the start of the week and 22.24 BST at the end
• The Moon is waxing and will be First Quarter on Saturday. It will make a good twilght pairing with Venus as a slender crescent at the start of the week
• The Sun has 5 active sunspot regions and there is a good chance of flares during the week
• There are no Tiangong passes this week but the ISS makes 4 final passes: On Monday at 22.23.24 W to WSW to E reaching 16 degrees. Tuesday at 21.26.35 W to SSE reaching 26 degrees. Wednesday 22.08.09 SW to SW to 8 degrees and Thursday 21.10.10 W to S reaching 16 degrees
• There are no bright evening Iridium flares this week

 

Week of 16th April

 

• Astronomical twilight ends at 22.16 BST at the start of the week and 22.33 BST at the end
• The Moon is waning and will be New on Saturday and visible as a slender crescent with Venus at the start of next week
• Next week-end the Lyrid meteor shower peaks. Though normally giving only 10 to 20 meteors per hour occasionally mny more are seen. The shower will peak during Saturday night. There is no Moon and the Radiant just south of bright Vega is high all night. The shower is the debris from Comet Thatcher
• The Sun has 2 sunspot regions and 1455 is growing in activity
• There are 5 Tiangong passes this week: On Monday at 20.41.57 SSW to SE reaching 14 degrees and 22.17.09 SW to SW to 10 degrees. Tuesday 21.07.43 SW to SSE to 16 degrees. Wednesday 21.33.54 SW to S to 14 degrees and Friday 20.50.27 SW to SSE to 14 degrees
• The ISS continues to make good passes: On Monday at 20.55.50 WSW to E reaching 78 degrees and 22.32.03 W to WNW reaching 79 degrees. Tuesday at 21.35.55 W to E reaching 84 degrees and 23.12.09 W to W to 24 degrees. Wednesday 22.15.57 W to SE to 77 degrees. Thursday 21.19.46 W to E reaching 88 degrees and 22.56.00 W to WSW to 28 degrees. Friday 21.59.46 W to SE reaching 58 degrees. Saturday 21.03.30 W to ESE to 78 degrees and 22.39.56 W to SW to 25 degrees and Sunday 21.43.29 W to SSE reaching 40 degrees
• There is one bright evening Iridium flare this week on Friday at 23.05.41 at 11 degrees altitude in NNE

 

Week of 9th April

 

• Astronomical twilight ends at 21.58 BST at the start of the week and 22.14 BST at the end
• The Moon is waning and will be Last Quarter on Friday
• The Sun has only 1 sunspot region, though there is still some chance of geomagnetic disruption at the start of the week
• There are 2 Tiangong passes this week: On Saturday at 21.24.50 SSW to S reaching 13 degrees and Sunday at 21.50.23 SW to SSW reaching 14 degrees
• The ISS returns: On Tuesday at 21.44.19 SSW to SSW reaching 18 degrees. Wednesday at 20.49.09 S to ESE reaching 17 degrees and 22.23.52 WSW to SW to 24 degrees. Thursday 21.28.04 SW to ESE to 40 degrees and 23.03.56 W to W to 16 degrees. Friday 20.32.28 SSW to E reaching 26 degrees and 22.07.54 WSW to ESE to 79 degrees. Saturday 21.11.55 WSW to E reaching 59 degrees and 22.48.01 W to W to 41 degrees and Sunday 21.51.55 W to E reaching 88 degrees and 23.28.08 W to W to 16 degrees
• There are super bright evening Iridium flares this week: Wednesday 20.52.16 at 65 degrees altitude in E and 22.22.12 at 36 degrees in NE

 

Week of 2nd April

 

• Astronomical twilight ends at 21.42 BST at the start of the week and 21.56 BST at the end
• The Moon is waxing and will be Full (Paschal Moon) on Friday, when it is close to Saturn and though hard to see in its glare forms a line of 3 with Saturn and Spica in Virgo. On Tuesday the Moon is close to Mars
• Mars continues its westerly progress just below the body of Leo, heading towards Regulus, until it reaches its stationary point mid month when it begins its retrograde easterly motion
• The Sun has 4 sunspot regions and 1429 has returned after 2 weeks, but has decayed to minimal actvitiy. The disc is thus quiet
• There are no Tiangong or ISS evening passes this week (The ISS returns to the evening skies on 10th
• There is one super bright evening Iridium flare on Friday at 21.13.23 BST at 57 degrees altitude in E

 

Week of 26th March

 

• Astronomical twilight ends at 21.27 BST at the start of the week and 21.40 BST at the end
• The Moon is waxing and will be First Quarter on Friday as it moves past first Jupiter then Venus then the Pleiades in the western twilight sky
• Bright red Mars nestles just below the trapezium, of Leo (Lion), perhaps the most identifyable ‘animal’ among the Zodiac constellations, being in the shape of the Eqyption hyroglyph the right facing Sphinx
• The Sun has 4 sunpot regions and 1445 is active. The giant spot 1429 which caused the magnetic disturbances 2 weeks ago is still highly active and errupting on the far side of the Sun. It ios not impossible that it will survive to make a second near side rotation and hence bring Earth into the firing line again
• There are no Tiangong or ISS evening passes this week
• There is one superbright evening Iridium flare on Friday at 22.42.47 BST at 12 degrees altitude in NNE

 

Week of 19th March

 

• Astronomical twilight ends at 20.12 UT at the start of the week and 20.25 UT at the end. The Vernal Equinox this year falls on Tuesday when the Sun will rise due East (and set due West in the evening). At noon the Sun will be directly overhead on the Equator and the Astronomical Year begins with the Sun spending more time above the horizon than below (in the Northern hemisphere)
• The Moon is will be New on Tuesday and will then wax to First Quarter at the end of the month
• Venus is now East of Jupiter and heading out of Aries towards Taurus and will reach the Pleiades at the start of April. Bright red Mars heads south during the evening and yellow Saturn rises in the East around 9.30pm just to the east of bright blue Spica
• Following the arc of the saucepan’s handle (Plough) down to the horizon finds orange giant Arcturus rising in the East, as sure sign of Spring
• Spot 1429 has now gone and the Sun’s activity is dropping. There are just 3 small sunspot groups on the disc
• There are no Tiangong or ISS evening passes this week
• There is one superbright evening Iridium flare on Thursday at 19.15.26 at 42 degrees altitude due N.

 

Week of 12th March

 

• Astronomical twilight ends at 19.59 UT at the start of the week and 20.12 UT at the end
• The Moon is waning and will be Last Quarter on Thursday
• Venus and Jupiter converge to within 3 degrees on Tuesday, Venus will then head East of Jupiter towards Taurus and will reach the Pleiades at the start of April. Bright red Mars heads South during the evening and yellow Saturn rises in the East around 9.30pm just to the Easty of bright blue Spica
• Following the arc of the saucepan’s handle (Plough) down to the horizon finds orange giant Arcturus rising in the East, as sure sign of Spring
• After a week of solar storms, spot 1429 is still active and could yet release more X-class flares, though it is now moving to the Western hemisphere of the Sun so flares will not be so Earth directed
• There are no Tiangong or ISS evening passes this week
• There is one superbright evening Iridium flares on Tuesday at 20.11.21 at 50 degrees altitude in E

 

Week of 5th March

 

• Astronomical twilight ends at 19.46 UT at the start of the week and 19.57 UT at the end
• The Moon is waxing and will be Full (Lenten Moon) on Thursday
• Venus and Jupiter are converging and will be less than 3 degrees apart at the start of next week, making a very bright display in the West. In the East Mars is at its brightest and culminates at midnight (Opposition) on Monday. Small to medium telescopes should show some detail and colour variation

  ,li>A large (4 Earth diameter) and potentially active spot 1429 is emerging on the eastern limb and may bring active flares this week

• There are no Tiangong or ISS evening passes this week
• There are no bright evening Iridium flares this week

 

Week of 27th February

 

• Astronomical twilight ends at 19.34 UT at the start of the week and 19.44 UT at the end
• The Moon is waxing and will be First Quarter on Thursday
• Venus, Jupiter and the Moon form changing triangles in the West after sunset
• Mars is brightening in the East just below the beutiful asterism of Leo and to the North of Regulus. Mars reaches Opposition next Saturday and is at its closest to Earth on the 5th. Mars will be significantly larger than usual and some features may be visible in medium sized telescopes
• The Sun is temporarily quiet again with 3 sunspot regions after an Earth directed CME this last week-end
• This is a week for Tiangong evening passes: On Monday at 18.38.10 SSW to SE reaching 14 degrees. Tuesday 19.03.39 SW to SSE to 16 degrees. Wednesday 17.54.17 SSW to SE to 16 degrees and 19.29.34 SW to S to 15 degrees. Thursday 18.19.45 SW to SE to 16 degrees and 19.56.11 SSW to SSW to 11 degrees and Friday 18.45.38 SW to SSE to 14 degrees
• The ISS makes its last passes as follows: Monday 19.10.41 W to SSE reaching 28. Tuesday 18.13.28 W to SE to 44 degrees and 19.51.07 WSW to SSW to 11 degrees. Wednesday 18.52.54 W to S to 18 degrees. Thursday 17.55.26 W to SSE to 30 degrees and Friday 18.35.31 WSW to SSW to 12 degrees
• There is one bright evening Iridium flares this week on Thursday at 18.54.28 49 degrees altitude in NNE

 

Week of 20th February

 

• Astronomical twilight ends at 19.22 UT at the start of the week and 19.34 UT at the end
• The Moon is New on Tuesday and should be visible as a slender crescent by the end of the week. It will then wax to First Quarter next week
• Superbright Venus and Jupiter are converging and will form a beutiful conjunction with the crescent Moon on Saturday
• The Sun is suprisingly quiet, withn no flares for 5 days. Though there are 3 sunspot regions
• There are two Tiangong evening passes next week-end. Saturday 19.21.31 SSW to S reaching 12 degrees and Sunday 18.37.36 SSW to SE reaching 13 degrees
• The ISS makes passes as follows: Monday 17.48.34 WSW to E reaching 55 degrees and 19.24.36 W to NNE to 83 degrees. Tuesday 18.27.45 W to E to 89 degrees and 20.03.55 W to W to 29 degrees. Wednesday 19.07.02 W to E to 87 degrees and 20.43.14 W to W to 11 degrees. Thursday 18.10.06 W to E to 83 degrees and 19.46.16 W to WSW to 48 degrees. Friday 18.49.20 W to ESE to 81 degrees and 20.25.39 W to W to 16 degrees. Saturday 17.52.21 W to E reaching 86 degrees and 19.28.32 W to S to 42 degrees and Sunday 18.31.29 W to ENE to 62 degrees and 20.08.07 W to SW to 17 degrees
• There are no bright evening Iridium flares this week

 

Week of 13th February

 

• Astronomical twilight ends at 19.10 UT at the start of the week and 19.20 UT at the end. Day length is perceptibly increasing
• The Moon is Last Quarter on Tuesday and then wanes to New at the start of next week
• The Sun has a large and active region 1416, which is central on the disc and thus has the potential for Earth directed flares this week. Watch the activity bars on the front web page
• There are no Tiangong 1 passes this week
• The ISS makes passes as follows: Monday 19.37.46 SSW to SSW reaching 13 degrees. Tuesday 18.41.59 S to SE to 16 degrees. Wednesday 19.20.13 SW to S to 34 degrees. Thursday 18.24.00 SSW to ESE to 25 degrees and 19.59.24 WSW to WSW to 22 degrees. Friday 19.02.47 WSW to ESE to 57 degrees. Saturday 18.06.18 SW to E to 38 degrees and 19.42.07 W to W to 46 degrees. The best is on Sunday at 18.45.24 WSW to E reaching 77 degrees and then 20.21.33 W to W to 17 degrees
• There is one bright evening Iridium flare this week on Friday at 17.59.51, 65 degrees altitude in NNE

 

Week of 6th February

 

• Astronomical twilight ends at 18.59 UT at the start of the week and 19.10 UT at the end. Day length is perceptibly increasing
• The Moon is Full (Snow Moon) on Tuesday and then wanes to Last Quarter at the start of next week
• The Sun has 2 sunspot regions, though large, 1410 is mature and neither spot poses a threat of activity
• There are no Tiangong 1 or ISS passes this week (ISS returns next week)
• There ar no bright evening Iridium flares this week

 

Week of 30th January

 

• Astronomical twilight ends at 18.48 UT at the start of the week and 18.57 UT at the end
• The Moon is First Quarter on Tuesday and then waxes to Full at the start of next week
• The Sun having unleashed major flares this week and caused southerly lattitude aurorae has now calmed down. The most active regions have rotated around the western limb. There are still 2 sunspot regions but as yet neither of these show particular activity
• There are no Tiangong 1 or ISS passes this week
• There is one super bright evening Iridium flare on Friday at 19.07.39 at 40 degrees in NNE

 

Week of 23rd January

 

• Astronomical twilight ends at 18.38 UT at the start of the week and 18.48 UT at the end
• The Moon is New on Monday and then waxes to First Quarter at the start of next week at the start of next week
• Mars is now rising bright red in the East at 9.30pm and will double in apparent diameter as it reaches Opposition in early March
• The Sun has 4 active sunspot regions with 2 particularly active regions already producing Earth-bound CMEs. Watch out for another week of flares
• There are no Tiangong 1 or ISS passes this week
• There are no bright evening Iridium flares

 

Week of 16th January

 

• Astronomical twilight ends at 18.28 UT at the start of the week and 18.36 UT at the end
• The Moon is waning. It will be New at the start of next week
• Major planets are now gathering in the evening sky. Venus brilliantly dominates the West in the early evening. Jupiter continues bright high in the South West and Mars is now appearing from 9.45pm on in the East, almost doubling in apparent diameter as it approaches Opposition in March
• This is Stargazing Live week with Brian Cox doing his stuff on BBC2 Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. Local events are ‘Bring your Own Binos’ at MCBO on Monday at 8pm. A major family event at Lacock run byb the national trust and BBC on Wednesday 4.30pm till 9.30pm and in Oxford, Astrofest Oxford, run by Oxford Astrophysics, 2pm till 10pm on Saturday
• The Sun has 6 active sunspot regions with 2 particularly active regions emerging over the eastern limb. Watch out for a week of flares
• There are no Tiangong 1 or ISS passes this week
• There is one superbright evening Iridium flare on Thursday at 18.25.05 at 51 degrees altitude in NNE

 

Week of 9th January

 

• Astronomical twilight ends at 18.19 UT at the start of the week and 18.27 UT at the end
• The Moon is Full on Monday night and then wanes to Last Quarter at the start of next week
• The Sun has 5 active sunspot regions with 1393 expanding rapidly
• There are a number of low Tiangong 1 passes this week: On Monday at 17.52.51 SSW to SE reaching 14 degrees. Tuesday 16.46.52 S to SE to 12 degrees and 18.21.36 SW to SSE to 15 degrees. Wednsday at 17.14.59 SW to SE to 15 degrees and 18.50.51 SW to SSW to 13 degrees. Thursday 17.43.47 SW to SE to 15 degrees. Friday 16.36.57 SW to SE to 16 degrees and 18.13.10 SW to SSE to 12 degrees. Saturday 17.05.47 SW to SSE to 14 degrees and Sunday at 17.35.36 SW to S to 10 degrees. None of these are brighter than magnitude 2.3
• There are no ISS passes this week
• There are no bright evening Iridium flare this week

 

Week of 2nd January

 

• Astronomical twilight ends at 18.12 UT at the start of the week and 18.18 UT at the end
• At midnight on Thursday the Earth is at perihelion, the closest point in its orbit to the Sun
• The Moon is waxing and will be Full at the start of next week
• The Quadrantid meteor shower peaks (sharply) in the early morning of 4th. The Radiant is in Bootes (defunct Quadrans Muralis – the Mural Quadrant). This is usually a reliable shower with an expected maximum rate of some 80 per hour
• The Sun has 3 active sunspot regions
• There are a number of low Tiangong 1 passes starting next Sunday at 18.30.22 SSW to S reaching 13 degrees at magnitude 2.4
• The ISS makes its last passes for a while at the start of the week; on Monday at 16.57.10 W to SE reaching 45 degrees and 18.34.33 WSW to SSW to 12 degrees. Tuesday 17.37.05 W to SSE to 20 degrees. Wednesday at 16.40.09 W to SE to 31 degrees. Thursday at 17.20.36 WSW to S to 13 degrees and the last on Friday at 16.23.09 W to SSE to 21 degrees
• There are no superbright Iridium flares