Tuesday, January 1, 2013Friday, August 6, 2021

2013 – What’s Up

Week of 30th December

Astronomical twilight ends at 18.10 UT at the start of the week and 18.17 UT at the end
The Moon is waning and will be New on New Year’s day
The Quadrantid metoer shower (often one of the best in the year) peaks on Friday 3rd. This is often a narrow 2 hour peak with up to 80 per hour expected. The radiant is in Bootes (follow the handle of the ‘saucepan’) in the old constellation of Quadrans Muralis
Venus is now a bright slender crescent in the SW twilight between 3.30pm and setting soon after 5pm
The Sun is active with 8 seperate groups and 1936 is worth watching for flares
There are no ISS passes this week
There are 3 bright evening Iridium flares: Tuesday at 16.47.34 at 27 degrees altitude in WNE. Wednesday at 16.41.34 at 28 degrees in WNW and Saturday at 16.10.15 at 34 degrees in W

Week of 23rd December

Astronomical twilight ends at 18.06 UT at the start of the week and 18.10 UT at the end
The Moon is waning and will be Last Quarter on Xmas day and New on New Year’s day
The Sun is again active with 8 seperate groups and 1928 is worth watching for flares
The ISS makes final passes this week as follows: Monday at 17.11.20 W to E reaching 89 degrees and 18.48.10 W to WSW to 32 degrees. Tuesday 17.59.40 W to SE to 50 degrees. Wednesday 17.11.11 W to ESE to 65 degrees and 18.48.21 W to SSW to 20 degrees. Thursday 17.59.35 W to SS E to 27 degrees. Friday 17.10.56 W to SE to 38 degrees. Saturday 17.59.54 WSW to S to 14 degrees and Sunday 17.10.47 W to SSE to 21 degrees
There are 6 bright evening Iridium flares this week: Tuesday at 17.06.49 at 15 degrees in SSW. Wednesday 18.08.50 at 10 degrees in WNW. Thursday 17.04.01 at 13 degrees in SW and 17.53.35 at 13 degrees in WNW and 18.11.10 at 32 degreees in SSE and Friday at 17.07.19 at 10 degrees in SW

Week of 16th December

Astronomical twilight ends at 18.02 UT at the start of the week and 18.06 UT at the end<br.
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The Winter Solstice occurs next Saturday when the Sun will rise and set at its furthest Southern extremes and culminate at midday at its lowest elevation of 15.5 degrees (at our Latitude of 51 degrees
The Moon is waxing and will be Full (Yule Moon) on Tuesday
The Sun is again highly active with 9 seperate groups and 1917 and 1918 are worth watching for flares
The ISS makes good passes this week as follows: Monday at 17.59.08 WSW to ESE reaching 71 degrees and 19.35.53 W to W to 11 degrees. Tuesday 17.11.02 WSW to E to 56 degrees and 18.47.41 W to W to 33 degrees. Wednesday 17.59.26 W to E to 88 degrees and 19.36.14 W to W to 10 degrees. Thursday 17.11.10 WSW E to 83 degrees and 18.47.57 W to W to 33 degrees. Friday 17.59.38 W to E to 85 degrees and 19.36.25 W to W to 11 degrees. Saturday 17.11.16 W to E to 84 degrees and 18.48.03 W to W to 35 degrees and Sunday 17.59.39 W to ESE to 78 degrees and 19.36.36 W to W to 11 degrees
There are 2 bright evening Iridium flares this week: Tuesday at 18.41.14 at 33 degrees in SSE and Friday at 17.12.20 at 21 degrees in SSW

What’s Up – Week of 9th December

Astronomical twilight ends at 18.01 UT at the start of the week and 18.02 UT at the end
The Moon is waxing and will be First Quarter on Monday
The Geminid meteor shower peaks at 1am on 14th. The waxing Gibbous Moon will interfere. It will however be worth watching out all through the week
The Sun is again active with 5 seperate groups and 1916 is worth watching for flares
The ISS makes passes this week as follows: Tuesday at 18.02.45 SSE to SSE reaching 11 degrees. Wednesday 18.47.53 SW to SSW to 17 degrees. Thursday 17.59.05 SSW to SSE to 23 degrees. Friday 17.10.34 S to ESE to 16 degrees and 18.45.35 WSW to SW to 28 degrees. Saturday 17.56.26 SW to SE to 41 degrees and 19.32.49 W to W to 11 degrees and Sunday 17.07.24 SSW to E to 30 degrees and 18.43.27 WSW to WSW to 35 degrees
There are bright evening Iridium flares this week

Week of 2nd December

Astronomical twilight ends at 18.03 UT at the start of the week and 18.01 UT at the end
The Moon is New on 3rd December and should be visible as a slender crescent at the end of the week making a nice conjunction with bright Venus on 4th, 5th and 6th
The Sun is again active with 6 seperate groups and 1908 and 1909 are worth watching for flares
The ISS makes no passes this week but will return from 10th
There are 3 bright evening Iridium flares this week: On Thursday at 17.57.12 11 degrees altitude in WNW and Friday at 16.52.36 at 13 degrees in SW and 17.33.19 at 16 degrees in WNW

Week of 25th November

Astronomical twilight ends at 18.06 UT at the start of the week and 18.03 UT at the end
The Moon is waning and will be New on 3rd December
This is the week of ISON’s perihelion on Thursday 28th. Currently at magnitude +3.8 it is only 16 degrees from the Sun in Libra. Its 2km nucleus may not survive temperatures as high as 5000 degrees in its core. Spacecraft will watch for its appearance so by 1st December we should know if it will make a show in our dawn sky. In case, one can plan for 6am pre-dawn viewing in South East before twilight. Best viewing could probably be on 3rd. The Comet will dim steadily after that. We shall see, but the media hype may be premature
The Sun is slightly less active with 4 seperate groups, but 1904 is worth watching for flares
The ISS makes no passes this week
There are no bright evening Iridium flares this week

Week of 18th November

Astronomical twilight ends at 18.11 UT at the start of the week and 18.06 UT at the end
The Moon is waning and will be Last Quarter next Monday
The Sun is still highly active with 8 seperate groups and 1897 covering a huge area and worth watching for flares
ISON suddenly brightened last week and is now officially a naked-eye comet at magnitude +5.5. It appears as a dim greenish smudge in the pre-dawn sky. At the start of the week it is near Spica (follow the arc of the Saucepan’s handle to Arcturus and then continue the arc to the blue brioght star. ISON rises in the East just before Mercury which it will approach during the week. Best timing pre twilight would be 5.30am till 6am. Whether the brightening is a sign of things to come or a sign that the nucleus is breaking up is debatable.We will still have to wait and see. On 28th November ISON will be deep within the Sun’s corona and less than a Solar diameter from the Photosphere. It may well not survive
The ISS makes no passes this week
There is 1 bright evening Iridium flare this week on Nonday at 16.52.08 at 21 degrees altitude in WNW

Week of 11th November

Astronomical twilight ends at 18.19 UT at the start of the week and 18.11 UT at the end
The Moon is waxing and will be Full Moon (Frosty Moon) next Sunday
The Leonids meteor shower peaks next Sunday at 7pm. Unfortunately due to the Full Moon only the most brilliant shooting stars will be visible
The Sun is still active with 4 seperate groups and 1890 is large and active and worth watching for flares
Four comets are visible in binos or small telescopes in the pre dawn sky. ISON is still around 8th magnitude and not an easy target. The brightest at magnitude 6 is Comet Lovejoy, also 2P/Encke and exploding comet Linear X1. ISON is now in Virgo and will be close to Spica on 17th and 18th November. On 28th November ISON will be deep within the Sun’s corona and less than a Solar diameter from the Photosphere. It may well not survive
The ISS makes no passes this week
There are 3 bright evening Iridium flares this week on Thursday at 17.52.13 10 degrees altitude in WNW, Friday 17.37.13 at 13 degrees in WNW and Saturday 17.48.04 at 37 degrees in S

Week of 4th November

Astronomical twilight ends at 18.28 UT at the start of the week and 18.20 UT at the end
The Moon is waxing and will be First Quarter next Sunday
The Sun is still covered with sunspots, 9 seperate groups. 1884 and 1890 are active and worth watching for flares
The Taurid metoer shower peaks on Tuesday and then again on 12th. Taurids are often slow meteors, though the expected number will be low at no more than 5 to 10 per hour. Taurids are the debris from the short period comet 2P/Encke,br>
ISON is now within the Earth’s orbit and only 50 degrees angular seperation from the Sun
The ISS makes no passes this week
There is one superbright evening Iridium flare this week on Wednesday at 18.30.01 at 43 degrees in SSE

Week of 28th October

Astronomical twilight ends at 18.40 UT at the start of the week and 18.30 UT at the end
The Moon is waning and will be New at the end of the week<br.
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The Sun is still covered with sunspots, 9 seperate groups. 1875, 1877 and 1882 are active
ISON is still brightening to around +8 as it approaches the Sun
The ISS makes its last passes as follows: Monday at 18.25.14 WSW to SSW reaching 31 degrees and Tuesday 17.36.15 W to S to 16 degrees
There is one superbright evening Iridium flare this week on Friday at 18.50.56 at 42 degrees in SE

Week of 21st October

Astronomical twilight ends at 19.52 BST at the start of the week and 18.41 UT at the end. Summer time ends next week-end and the clocks go back an hour to UT (GMT) early morning on Sunday
The Moon is waning and will be Last Quarter on Saturday
ISON will be magnitude 8.6 by the end of the week, midway and just below the ‘base’ of Leo. Its coordinats for the entire orbit can be found at http://scully.cfa.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/returnprepeph.cgi?d=c&o=CK12S010
The Sun is covered with sunspots, 10 seperate groups. 1875 is active
The ISS makes passes as follows: Monday at 18.33.07 W tp E reaching 84 degrees and 20.09.55 W to SW to 54 degrees. Tuesday 19.21.40 W to ESE to 70 degrees and 20.58.45 W to WSW to 15 degrees. Wednesday 18.33.25 W to ESE to 84 degrees and 20.10.18 W to SSW to 31 degrees. Thursday 19.21.56 W to SE to 42 degrees. Friday 18.33.35 W to ESE to 57 degrees and 20.11.00 WSW to SSE to 16 degrees. Saturday 19.22.17 W to SSE to 23 degrees and Sunday 17.33.45 W to SE to 32 degrees
There are no evening Tiangong-1 passes
There is one bright evening Iridium flares this week on Saturday at 18.42.14 at 45 degrees in S

Week of 14th October

Astronomical twilight ends at 20.06 BST at the start of the week and 19.54 BST at the end
The Moon is waxing and will be Full (Hunter Moon) on Friday
The Orionid meteor shower peaks next Sunday, but due to the Full Moon only the brightest will be seen. The debris from Comet Halley does sometimes produce bright fireballs and it is worth watching out earlier in the week
ISON is now at magnitude +10. It is currently close to Mars in Leo and at the start of the week will be close to Regulus (alpha Leonis) and should be easy to spot. It will be around 30 degrees elevation in SE at 5am, but will disappear in the dawn twilight. It can be found between Right Ascension 10 hours and 10 hours 18 minutes and Declination 14 degrees 40 minutes and 13 degrees 5 minutes during the week. In some publications it is already being referred to as a Great Comet..we shall see
The Sun is active this week with 2 large active spot groups 1861 and 1865 which are central on the disc and could generate Earthbound flares
The ISS makes passes as follows. Thi is one of the best weeks I can remember for overhead passes. Lets hope for some fine weather: Monday at 19.19.50 SW to E reaching 49 degrees and 20.56.25 W to W to 27 degrees. Tuesday 20.08.22 W to E to 89 degrees. Wednesday at 19.20.19 WSW to E to 78 degrees and 20.57.06 W to W to 25 degrees. Thursday 20.09.01 W to NNE to 84 degrees. Friday 19.20.54 W to E to 85 degrees and 20.57.42 W to W to 22 degrees. Saturday 18.32.46 W to E to 88 degrees and 20.09.34 W to WSW to 78 degrees and Sunday 19.21.25 W to E to 88 degrees and 20.58.14 W to W to 19 degrees
There are no evening Tiangong-1 passes
There are no bright Iridium flare this week

Week of 7th October

Astronomical twilight ends at 20.22 BST at the start of the week and 20.08 BST at the end
The Moon is waxing and will be First Quarter on Friday
The Sun is still relatively quiet with 5 sunspot groups none of which is active
The ISS returns as follows: Wednesday at 20.07.18 SSW to SSE reaching 17 degrees. Thursday 19.20.20 S to ESE to 14 degrees and 20.55.03 SW to SW to 19 degrees. Friday 20.07.20 SW to SSE to 37 degrees. Saturday 19.19.45 SSW to E to 27 degrees and 20.55.47 WSW to WSW to 26 degrees and Sunday 20.07.53 WSW to SE to 65 degrees
There are no evening Tiangong-1 passes
There is one bright Iridium flare this week on Tuesday 20.03.15 at 54 degrees in SE

Week of 30th September

Astronomical twilight ends at 20.38 BST at the start of the week and 20.24 BST at the end
The Moon is waning and will be New on Saturday
Comet ISON is approaching Mars (currently magnitude 13) and will be closest on Tuesday at a distance of only 0.07 AU (2 degrees apart in the sky and rising 2 hours pre dawn) travelling at 72,000 mph. It will come closest to the Sun (Perihelion) on 28th November at a distance of 0.012 AU
The Sun is quiet with barely any sunspots, which is extraordinary for Solar maximum
The ISS will return from 9th October
There are no evening Tiangong-1 passes
There are no bright Iridium flares this week

Week of 23rd September

Astronomical twilight ends at 20.53 BST at the start of the week and 20.38 BST at the end
The Moon is waning and will be Last Quarter on Thursday
Comet ISON is approaching Mars and will be closest on 1st October at a distance of only 0.07 AU travelling at 72,000 mph. It will come closest to the Sun (Perihelion) on 28th November at a distance of 0.012 AU, after which, if it survives, we hope for a bright naked-eye display
The Sun has 5 sunspot regions and 1850 is active
The ISS makes no passes this week nor does Tiangong-1
There are four bright Iridium flares this week, the first two of these are superbright: Wednesday 21.03.13 at 50 degrees altitude in E and Saturday 19.09.34 at 59 degrees in S also on Thursday at 20.57.13 at 50 degrees in E and Friday at 19.15.36 at 60 degrees in S

Week of 16th September

Astronomical twilight ends at 21.14 BST at the start of the week and 20.56 BST at the end
The Moon is waxing and will be Full (Harvest Moon) on Thursday
Next Sunday (22nd) is the Autumnal Equinox and the Sun will rise due East and set due West. From then on the hours of darkness exceed those of daylight as the Sun moves into the southern half of Celestial Sphere
The Sun is still quiet and there is little activity
NASA has announced that Voyager 1 (launched in 1977) is confirmed to have left the Solar System in August 2012 and is now in Interstellar Space. At 121 AU or 17 light hours it is out of influence of both the Sun’s gravity and Solar Wind and thus is no longer shielded from the more powerful interstellar wind of charged particles
The ISS makes no passes this week nor does Tiangong-1
There are a couple of bright Iridium flares this week: Tuesday 22.30.15 at 14 degrees altitude in NE and Friday 21.24.09 at 45 degrees in E and 22.20.40 at 12 degrees in NE

Week of 9th September

Astronomical twilight ends at 21.34 BST at the start of the week and 21.14 BST at the end
The Moon is waxing and will be First Quarter on Thursday
The Sun has quietened down and there is little activity
The ISS makes no passes this week
There are a couple of low Tiangong-1 passes: On Monday at 20.20.01 SSW to SE to 12 degrees. Tuesday 20.43.10 SW to SSE. Wednesday 21.06.48 SW to S to 15 degrees. Thursday 21.30.55 SW to SW to 10 dgrees. Friday 20.18.37 SW to SSE to 15 degrees. Saturday 20.42.45 SW to S to 11 degrees and Sunday 19.54.24 SSW to S reaching 11 degrees<br.
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There is one bright Iridium flare this week: Tuesday 22.05.48 at 36 degrees altitude in ENE

Week of 2nd September

Astronomical twilight ends at 21.54 BST at the start of the week and 21.36 BST at the end
The Moon is waning and will be New on Thursday and visible as a slender crescent in the west at the week end
The Sun has 3 sunspot regions, 1836 is potentially active
Comet ISON is still well beyond the orbit of Mars but at magnitude 14 is nearly within grasp of the 10 inch
The ISS makes no passes this week
There are a couple of low Tiangong-1 passes next week-end but a good pass on 10th September
There is one bright Iridium flare this week: Thursday 22.32.28 at 30 degrees altitude in NE

Week of 26th August

Astronomical twilight ends at 22.15 BST at the start of the week and 21.57 BST at the end
The Moon is waning and will be Last Quarter on Wednesday
The Sun is still peppered with 8 small sunspot regions
The ISS makes no passes this week
There are no Tiangong-1 passes
There is one bright Iridium flare this week: Thursday 22.49.29 at 21 degrees altitude in NE

Week of 19th August

Astronomical twilight ends at 22.37 BST at the start of the week and 22.18 BST at the end
The Moon is waxing and will be Full (Corn Moon)on Wednesday
The Sun is currently still peppered with 9 small sunspot regions. 1818 has the potential to produce flares
The ISS makes its last passes: On Monday 22.10.25 W to S to 24 degrees altitude. Tuesday 21.21.31 W to SSE to 24 degrees. Wednesday at 22.10.34 WSW to SSW to 12 degrees and Thursday 21.21.06 W to S to 18 degrees
There are no Tiangong-1 passes
There is one super-bright Iridium flare this week: Thursday 20.22.03 at 119 degrees altitude in ESE

Week of 12th August

Astronomical twilight ends at 23.01 BST at the start of the week and 22.41 BST at the end
The Moon is waxing and will be First Quarter on Tuesday
The annual Perseid meteor shower caused by debris from comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle(sometimes known as the ‘Tears of St Lawrence’) peaks at 6pm Monday. Given the Moon phase it is worth looking out over the next few nights. Ideally between midnight and dawn. Rates of 30 an hour are already being seen (11th). Fireballs are also likely
The Sun is currently still peppered with small sunspots. None of which are currently active
The ISS continues to make good evening passes: Monday at 21.23.58 W to E reaching 88 degrees altitude and 23.00.44 W to ESE to 84 degrees. Tuesday 22.12.06 W to E to 87 degrees and 23.48.53 W to W to 24 degrees. Wednesday 21.23.27 W to E to 84 degrees and 23.00.12 W to SSW to 56 degrees. Thursday 22.11.33 W to ESE to 72 degrees and 23.48.34 W to W to 14 degrees. Friday 21.22.54 W to ESE to 85 degrees and 22.59.44 W to SW to 30 degrees.Saturday 22.11.00 W to ESE to 44 degrees and Sunday 21.22.18 W to ESE to 59 degrees and 22.59.36 W to SW to 16 degrees
There are no Tiangong-1 passes
There is one super-bright Iridium flare this week: Thursday 20.55.10 at 69 degrees altitude in E

Week of 5th August

Astronomical twilight ends at 23.26 BST at the start of the week and 23.04 BST at the end
The Moon will be New on Tuesday and should be visible in the west at twilight as a slender crescent by the end of the week
There is a gathering of planets in the pre-dawn sky. Jupiter leads Mars then Mercury, which rapidly dissapears in the dawn twilight
The annual Persied meteor shower peaks at 4pm next Monday (12th). Given the Moon phase it is worth looking out this week and over next week-end. Fireballs are already being seen
The Sun is currenlty peppered with small sunspots. None of which are currently active
The ISS makes good evening passes: The first is on Monday at 22.14.35 SSW to E reaching 28 degrees altitude and 23.50.37 WSW to WSW to 51 degrees. Tuesday 21.26.37 SSW to E to 20 degrees and 23.02.06 WSW to E to 20 degrees. Wednesday 22.13.40 SW to E to 50 degrees and 23.50.13 W to NNW to 84 degrees. Thursday 21.25.19 SW to E to 37 degrees and 23.01.38 W to E to 89 degrees. Friday 22.13.04 WSW to E to 78 degrees and 23.49.49 W to W to 64 degrees. Saturday 21.24.32 WSW to E to 63 degrees and 23.01.13 W to E to 84 degrees. Sunday 22.12.36 W to E to 85 degrees and 23.49.22 W to W to 39 degrees
There are no Tiangong-1 passes
There is one super-bright Iridium flare this week: Thursday 21.28.13 at 62 degrees altitude in W

Week of 29th July

Astronomical twilight ends at 23.55 BST at the start of the week and 23.26 BST at the end
The Moon is Last Quarter on Monday and will then wane to New at the start of next week
The Sun has 4 sunspots groups, none of which is currently active
Comet ISON is currently at a distance of 500 million km (between Jupiter and the Asteroid Belt) and already has a 300,000 km tail
The ISS will make evening passes next week. The first is on Sunday at 23.02.27 SW to SSW reaching 28 degree
.There are no Tiangong-1 passes
There is one bright night-time Iridium flare this week: Tuesday 23.11.52 at 20 degrees in W

Week of 22nd July

Astronomical twilight extends ends at 00.35 BST at the start of the week and 23.55 BST at the end
The Moon is Full (Thunder Moon) on Monday and will then wane to Last Quarter at the start of next week
The Sun has 3 sunspots groups, none of which is currently active, though 1793 is large and could flare
There are no ISS evening passes nor Tiangong-1 passes
There are three bright night-time Iridium flares this week: Wednesday 23.20.26 at 29 degrees in W.Thursday 23.15.30 at 29 degrees in W and Friday 22.28.04 at 45 degrees in NE

Week of 15th July

Astronomical twilight extends all night until next Sunday when it ends briefly at 00.44 BST
The Moon is First Quarter on Tuesday and will then wax to Full at the start of next week
The Sun has 4 sunspots groups, none of which are currently active
There are no ISS evening passes this week but Tiangong-1 makes the best evening passes for some time as follows: Monday 22.46.37 up to 13 degrees SSW to S. Tuesday 23.13.33 to 13 degrees SW to SSW. Wednesday 22.05.31 to 14 degrees SSW to SE. Thursday 22.32.26 to 16 degrees SW to SSE. Friday 22.59.45 to 13 degrees SW to SSW. Saturady 21.50.58 to 16 degrees SW to SE and Sunday 22.18.16 to 13 degrees SW to SSE
There are two bright night-time Iridium flares this week: Tuesday 21.41.48 at 21 degrees in NNW and Thursday 23.38.21 at 37 degrees in WSW

Week of 8th July

Astronomical twilight extends all night
The Moon is New on Monday and will then wax to be a slender crescent by the end of the week
The Sun has 4 sunspots groups and 1785 is active and 11 times the Earth’s diameter. There is a chance this week of Earth targetted flares
Neither the ISS nor Tiangong-1 make evening passes this week
There is one bright night-time Iridium flare this week: Thursday at 22.54.54, 20 degrees altitude in WNW

Week of 1st July

Astronomical twilight extends all night
The Moon is waning and will be New at the start of next week
The Sun has 4 sunspots groups and is active with Earth grazing CMEs possible at the start of the week. On Saturday, Aurorae were seen in US as far south as 40 degrees North
Neither the ISS no Tiangong-1 make evening passes this week
There are a number of bright night-time Iridium flares this week: Tuesday at 00.44.38, 53 degrees altitude in NW and 23.12.10, 32 degrees altitude in W. Friday 23.03.18, 29 degrees altitude in W and Sunday 00.23.28, 49 degrees altitude in NNW

Week of 24th June

Astronomical twilight extends all night
The Moon is waning (from its 14% larger Perigee Full Moon)and will be Last Quarter on Sunday
The Sun is again peppered with sunspot groups, a couple of which are likely to give rise to flare activity during the week
Neither the ISS no Tiangong-1 make evening passes this week
There is one bright night-time Iridium flare this week on Saturday at 23.21.03, 36 degrees altitude in W

Week of 17th June

Astronomical twilight extends all night
The Moon is waxing and will be Full (Solstice Moon) on Sunday
The Summer Solstice occurs on Friday, when the Sun rises (and sets) at its furthest North point on the Eastern (and Western) horizon. At noon it culminates at its greatest altitude of 74.5 degrees
The Sun has alare number of sunspot groups appearing at its eastern limb and these could bring activity during the week
The ISS makes its last 3 evening passes as follows: On Monday at 22.36.00 W to SE reaching 36 degrees. Tuesday at 23.24.27 WSW to SSW to 13 degrees and Wednesday at 22.34.41 W to SSE to 19 degrees
Shenzhou-10 has just docked with Tiangong-1 bring another 3 Taikonauts to the Chinese Space Station. This is the 5th manned mission and will last 15 days. Tiangong-1 makes no visible passes this week
There are two bright night-time Iridium flare this week on Monday at 22.49.13, 25 degrees altitude in W and Wednesday at 22.46.29 at 22 degrees altitude in WNW

Week of 10th June

Astronomical twilight extends all night
The Moon is waxing and will be First Quarter on Sunday
The Sun has one active sunspot group 1765
Noctilucent clouds are being sighted earlier than usual and this promises to be a good year. Keep an eye out for electric blue high veils of clouds in the west up to an hour after sunset
The ISS makes its evening passes as follows: On Monday at 22.29.37 W to E reaching 87 degrees. Tuesday at 21.40.31 W to E to 84 degrees. Wednesday at 22.28.07 W to ESE to 74 degrees. Thursday 21.38.59 W to E to 87 degrees. Friday 22.26.34 W to SE to 46 degrees. Saturday 21.37.24 W to ESE to 62 degrees and Sunday at 22.25.07 W to S reaching 26 degrees
There are two bright night-time Iridium flare this week on Wednesday at 23.00.50, 32 degrees altitude in W and Saturday at 21.43.48 at 13 degrees altitude in WNW

Week of 3rd June

Astronomical twilight extends all night
The Moon is waning and will be New on Saturday
2.7km asteroid 1998QE2 and its tiny moon passed the Earth only 5.8 million km away on 31st May. Though now receding it will be brightest on Monday and Tuesday and at 10th magnitude visible in small telescopes. It is moving up through Libra to Ophiucus, low in the south. Follow this link for a finder chart. http://freestarcharts.com/images/Articles/Month/May2013/1998QE2/NEO_1998_QE2_CH1_Finder_Chart.pdf
The Sun has 6 sunspot groups, none are currently active. However, the Earth has been battered by solar storms over the last few days
Noctilucent clouds have been sighted at the end of last week. Keep an eye out for electric blue high veils of clouds in the west up to an hour after sunset
The ISS makes its evening passes as follows: On Monday at 22.47.21 SSW to E reaching 20 degrees. Tuesday at 21.59.23 S to ESE to 13 degrees. Wednesday at 22,45,12 SW to E to 36 degrees. Thursday 23.32.29 WSW o E to 78 degrees. Friday 22.43.32 WSW to E to 62 degrees. Saturday 23.31.07 W to E to 85 degrees and the best on Sunday at 22.42.05 W to E reaching 87 degrees
There is one super-bright night-time Iridium flare this week on Thursday at 00.54.17 53 degrees altitude in SSW

Week of 27th May

Astronomical twilight extends all night
The Moon is waning and will be Last Quarter on Friday
The Sun has 5 sunspot groups, none are currently active
As we approach the Summer Solstice there is a chance of Noctilucent clouds. Electric blue high veils of clouds in the west up to an hour after sunset
The ISS makes its first evening pass on Sunday at 23.38.37 reaching 28 degrees altitude from SE to E
There is one super-bright evening Iridium flares this week on Friday at 23.45.34 42 degrees altitude in WSW

Week of 20th May

Astronomical twilight ends for the last time on Wednesday and then until 21st July the Sun is never more than 18 degrees below the horizon, so Astronomical twilight extends all night
The Moon is waxing and will be Full (Flower Moon) on Saturday
Jupiter, Mercury and Venus are gathering for a superb sunset conjunction (at its best on 26th May when they will form a triangle only 3 degrees wide). This is low in the West twilight and best viewed up to an hour after sunset
The Sun has 9 sunspot groups and 1748 is active
The ISS makes no passes this week
There are 2 bright evening Iridium flares this week on Monday at 23.07.18 29 degrees altitude in W and Thursday at 22.58.28 at 26 degrees in W

Week of 13th May

Astronomical twilight ends at 23.47 BST at the start of the week and 00.20 BST at the end
The Moon is waxing and will be First Quarter on Saturday
Jupiter, Mercury and Venus are gathering for a superb sunset conjunction (at its best on 26th May when they will form a triangle only 3 degrees wide). This is low in the West twilight and best viewed up to an hour after sunset
The Sun is again peppered with sunspots. Emerging spot 1745 among others may well pose a threat of flares during the week
The ISS makes no passes this week
There are 2 bright evening (daylight) Iridium flare this week on Wednesday at 20.10.11 at 25 degrees altitude in N and Thursday 20.04.03 at 26 degrees in N

Week of 6th May

Astronomical twilight ends at 23.18 BST at the start of the week and 23.47 BST at the end
The Moon is waning and will be New on Saturday
The Sun is peppered with sunspots. There are 9 sunspot groups and 1734 is large and active
The ISS makes no passes this week
Tiangong 1 makes no passes this week
There are 2 bright evening Iridium flare this week on Wednesday at 21.53.45 at 15 degrees altitude in NNW and 23.51.54 at 36 degrees in WSW

Week of 29th April

Astronomical twilight ends at 22.54 BST at the start of the week and 23.14 BST at the end
The Cross-Quarter day festival of Beltane falls on Wednesday. This is roughly half-way between the Vernal Equinox and the Summer Solstice
The Moon is waning and will be Last Quarter on Tuesday
The Sun has 6 sunspot regions and 1731 is large and active
Saturn is at Opposition at the start of the week. That is it culminates at midnight (highest in the sky and due South) It is thus at its closest to the Earth for 2013 and well viewed with its rings visible in small telescopes
The ISS makes no passes this week
Tiangong 1 makes no passes this week
There is a bright evening Iridium flare this week on Monday at 23.19.56 at 20 degrees altitude in W

Week of 22nd April

Astronomical twilight ends at 22.32 BST at the start of the week and 22.50 BST at the end
The Lyrid meteor shower peaks on Monday. This shower is normally uneventful, but can sometimes provide higher rates. The debris is that left behind by comet Thatcher
The Moon is waxing and will be Full (Flower Moon) on Thursday
The Sun has 7 sunspot regions and 2 are active. 1726 is 125,000 km from end to end
The ISS makes its last passes this week: On Monday at 21.20.26 W to SSE reaching 24 degrees and Wednesday 21.16.32 WSW to SSW to 13 degrees
Tiangong 1 makes no passes this week
There is a bright evening Iridium flare this week on Friday at 23.28.40 at 21 degrees altitude in W

Week of 15th April

Astronomical twilight ends at 22.10 BST at the start of the week and 22.23 BST at the end
The Moon is waxing and will be First Quarter on Thursday
The Sun has 6 sunspot regions and 3 are active
Comet ISON is some 4AU away and as a first time entrant to the solar system is already losing its outer layers of ice and dust fast (51 tonnes a minute) in its first encounter with solar wind, and hence brightening. But this may give an overestimate of what it will become. We will see
The ISS makes good passes at the start of this week: On Monday at 2o.47.52 W to E reaching 88 degrees and 22.24.30 W to SW to 74 degrees. Tuesday 21.33.56 W to E to 89 degrees and 23.10.37 W to W to 19 degrees. Wednesday at 20.43.19 W to E reaching 84 degrees and 22.19.57 W to SSW to 50 degrees. Thursday 21.29.18 W to ESE to 67 degrees and 23.06.17 W to WSW to 15 degrees. Friday 22.15.23 W to SSW to 29 degrees. Saturday 2.24.35 WSE to E to 42 degrees and Sunday 22.11.03 W to SSW to 16 degrees
Tiangong 1 makes no passes this week
There is a bright evening Iridium flare this week on Friday at 23.52.05 at 24 degrees altitude in WSW

Week of 8th April

All times will now be given in BST (British Summer Time (UT+1). Astronomical twilight ends at 21.55 BST at the start of the week and 22.10 BST at the end
The Moon is waning and will be New on Wednesday and a slender crescent by the week-end
The Sun is peppered with small sunspots and one large spot 1711. 1719 is currently on the Eastern limb and appears to be active
The ISS makes good pases this week: On Monday at 21.51.34 SW to SSW reaching 28 degrees. Tuesday 21.01.35 SSW to ESE to 27 degrees and 22.37.28 WSW to WSW to 23 degrees. Wednesday at 21.47.09 WSW to ESE reaching 63 degrees and 23.23.43 W to W to 11 degrees. Thursday 20.56.53 SW to E to 47 degrees and 22.33.18 W to W to 49 degrees. Friday 21.42.52 W to E to 87 degrees and 23.19.30 W to W to 17 degrees. Saturday 20.52.26 WSW to E to 73 degrees and 22.29.03 W to WNW to 71 degrees and Sunday 21.38.33 W to E to 84 degrees and 22.15.12 W to W to 20 degrees
Tiangong 1 makes its best pass on Wednesday at 21.06.31 SW to SSE reaching 16 degrees
There are no bright evening Iridium flares this week

Week of 1st April

Astronomical twilight ends at 20.39 UT at the start of the week and 20.53 UT at the end
The Moon is waning and will be Last Quarter on Wednesday
The Sun has 7 sunspot regions and one large spot number 1711, but none are currently active little
The ISS will return next week
There are no bright evening Iridium flares this week

Week of 25th March

Astronomical twilight ends at 20.24 UT at the start of the week and 20.39 UT at the end
The Moon is Full (Pascal Moon) on Wednesday and will then wane to Last Quarter early next week
The Sun has little activity on the near side
There are no ISS or Tiangong 1 evening passes
There is one bright evening Iridium flares this week on Friday at 19.28.31,652 degrees altitude in SE

Week of 18th March

Astronomical twilight ends at 20.10 UT at the start of the week and 20.24 UT at the end. The Vernal Equinox this year is on Wednesday 20th. The Sun rises due East and sets due West and the day length is equal to that of the night. From now on the Sun will rise and set progressivley further north on the horizon. Spring should be on the way and indeed the spring marker Arcturus is now rising orange in the early evening in te East (follow the arc of the ‘Saucepan’s handle’, ‘arc to Arcturus’)
The Moon is First Quarter on Tuesday and will then wax to Full early next week
CometPan-STARSS is fading and possibly fragmenting. It was not easy to spot by eye. Fingers crossed for comet ISON in November. Currently ISON has just passed Jupiter’s orbit
The Sun has 5 sunspot regions, 1696 is currently active
There are no ISS or Tiangong 1 evening passes
There is one bright evening Iridium flares this week on Tuesday at 20.10.46, 52 degrees altitude in E

Week of 11th March

Astronomical twilight ends at 19.57 UT at the start of the week and 20.10 UT at the end
The Moon is New on Monday and will then wax to First Quarter next week
CometPan-STARSS will be close to the very new Moon on Tuesday and Wednesday. It is very much in the twighlight and wont be as bright as the 1st magnitude suggests. It can be found by following the left edge of the Square of Pegasus down toward the horizon. I would estimate that it might be visible between 5.40 and 6.00pm. For a finder chart see spaceweather.com
The Sun has 4 sunspot regions, none are currently active
There are no ISS or Tiangong 1 evening passes
There is one super bright evening Iridium flares this week on Saturday at 18.44.12, 61 degrees altitude in SSE

Week of 4th March

Astronomical twilight ends at 19.44 UT at the start of the week and 19.57 UT at the end
The Moon is Last Quarter on Monday and will then wane to New at the start of next week
The Sun has 6 sunspot regions and 1683 could grow in activity
There are no ISS or Tiangong 1 evening passes
There are no bright evening Iridium flares this week

Week of 25th February

Astronomical twilight ends at 19.31 UT at the start of the week and 19.44 UT at the end
The Moon is Full (Lenten Moon) on Monday and will then wane to Last Quarter at the start of next week
The Sun has 4 sunspot regions moving off the Western limb, none of which are currently active. An active region is about to appear on the Eastern limb
The ISS makes 2 last evening passes: On Monday 18.40.40 W to SSE reaching 23 degrees and Tuesday 18.36.48 WSW to SSW to 12 degrees
Tiangong 1 makes its last pass on Monday at 18.21.30 SW to S reaching 12 degrees
There are no bright evening Iridium flares this week

Week of 18th February

Astronomical twilight ends at 19.20 UT at the start of the week and 19.31 UT at the end
The Moon is waxing and will be Full at the start of next week
The Sun has 4 sunspot regions, none of which are currently active
Extraordinary footage of the 15th February Russian meteorite stike (http://say26.com/meteorite-in-russia-all-videos-in-one-place). It would now appear to have been a sizeable 15m asteroid of around 7000 tonnes which exploded some 12 to 15 miles altitude with an energy of 300 kilotons
The ISS makes evening passes: On Monday 18.09.17 W to E reaching 87 degrees and 19.45.54 W to W to 53 degrees. Tuesday 18.55.04 W to ESE to 87 degrees and 20.31.45 W to W to 16 degrees. Wednesday 18.04.13 W to E to 85 degrees and 19.40.50 W to SSW to 48 degrees. Thursday 18.49.57 W to ESE to 65 degrees and 20.26.57 W to WSW to 15 degrees. Friday 19.35.48 W to S to 28 degrees. Saturday 19.35.48 W to S to 28 degrees and Sunday 18.44.46 W to SE to 40 degrees 19.14.54 SW to S to 41 degrees
Thereare no bright Iridium flares this week

Week of 11th February

Astronomical twilight ends at 19.08 UT at the start of the week and 19.20 UT at the end
The Moon is waxing and will be First Quarter on Sunday
The Sun has 3 sunspot regions, none of which are currently active, however there have been 2 large CMEs giving auroral activity at high latitudes
Mercury is on view this week just after sunset at 17.30 UT
On Friday Asteroid 2012 DA14 may be visible in small telescopes or large binoculars at magnitude 8-9, but will be moving at a great speed across the sky, around a degree (2 Lunar widths) a minute, It should be visible from 8pm till 10pm and crosses the handle of the ‘saucepan’ near delta UMa at 9.30pm for a finder chart see http://www.heavens-above.com/2012da14.aspx?Session=kebgfcoijcaakpdjnclieadk
The ISS makes evening passes: On Monday 19.14.54 SW to S to 41 degrees. Tuesday 18.24.23 SSW to E to 30 dgrees and 20.00.32 WSW to WSW to 25 degrees. Wednesday 19.09.53. Thursday 18.19.17 SW to E to 51 degrees and 19.55.43 W toW to 34 degrees. Friday 19.04.58 W to E to 89 degrees and 20.41.36 W to W to 12 degrees. Saturday 18.14.14 WSW to E to77 degrees and 19.50.50 W to W to 43 degrees and Sunday 19.00.03 W to E to 84 degrees and 20.36.40 W to W to 14 degrees
The is one Tiangon 1 pass on Sunday at 19.13.24 SSW to S reaching 13 degrees
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There is one bright Iridium flare on Wednesday at 17.45.58 at 39 degrees in SSW</br

Week of 4th February

Astronomical twilight ends at 18.57 UT at the start of the week and 19.06 UT at the end
The Moon is waning and will be New at the end of the week and a slender crescent by 13th
The Sun has 5 small sunspot regions, none of which are currently active
Asteroid 2012 DA14 a 58m object is being tracked and will make the closest tracked path for such a sizeable object since modern tracking methods began in 1990s. On February 15th it will come as close as 0.09 of the Lunar Distance, some 17,000km, which is only 1.5 Earth diameters and closer than the orbits of many man-made satellites. There is no chance of a collision (luckily) as it is probably around the same size or bigger than the object which caused the 1908 Tunguska explosion. The object may be visible in small telescopes orlarge binoculars at magnitude 7-8, but will be moving at a great speed across the sky, around a degree (2 Lunar widths) a minute
The ISS begins evening passes at the end of this week: On Saturday 19.20.21 SSW to S reaching 19 degrees altitude and Sunday 18.30.30 S to SE to 17 degrees. Next week will be an ISS week
There are two bright Iridium flares: on Tuessday at 18.16.08 at 41 degrees altitude in S and Wednesday at 17.36.44 at 17 degrees altitude in W

Week of 28th January

Astronomical twilight ends at 18.46 UT at the start of the week and 18.57 UT at the end
The Moon is waning and will be Last Quarter on Sunday
The Sun has 3 sunspot regions, none of which are currently active
The first potentially bright Comet PanSTARRS (a visitor from the Oort cloud) is currently 8th magnitude. It could brighten to 3rd magnitude or more at close approach on 10th March (0.3 AU)
There are no evening ISS/Tiangong/FITSAT passes this week
There is one bright Iridium flare on Wednesday at 18.37.19 at 41 degrees altitude in SSE

Week of 21st January

Astronomical twilight ends at 18.36 UT at the start of the week and 18.45 UT at the end
The Moon is waxing and will be Full (Ice Moon) on Sunday
On Monday the Moon and Jupiter are in conjunction getting closer during the evening till closest around 2am, when Jupiter will be vertically above the Moon and less than a degree apart, with red Aldeberan to the left. All three will then set
The Sun has 3 sunspot regions, none of which are currently active
Comet ISON is being tracked, see the filmed sequence at http://www.spaceweather.com/images2013/17jan13/isoninmotion.gif?PHPSESSID=3ehov5cg4nnul2c7nejtsj44f7 at the distance of Jupiter’s orbit at 16th magnitude
There are no evening ISS/Tiangong/FITSAT passes this week
There is one bright Iridium flare on Thursday at 17.35.16 at 30 degrees altitude in SSW

Week of 14th January

Astronomical twilight ends at 18.25 UT at the start of the week and 18.32 UT at the end
The Moon is waxing and will be First Quarter on Friday
Following 10 years of lecturing on Sun-Climate links, the following report makes interesting reading: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2013/08jan_sunclimate
The Sun has 10 active regions and 1654 and 1652 could flare up shortly
Comet ISON is now being tracked at the distance of Jupiter’s orbit at 16th magnitude, 5 times dimmer than the extreme limit of visiblity of the Barclay. As it approaches its sungrazing encounter at the end of 2013, this website will keep you updated
There are no evening ISS/Tiangong/FITSAT passes this week
There is one bright Iridium flare on Tuesday at 17.17.07 at 21 degrees altitude in WNW

Week of 7th January

Astronomical twilight ends at 18.18 UT at the start of the week and 18.25 UT at the end
The Moon is waning and will be New on Friday
The Sun has started the year with a burst of activiy and has 12 spot groups, several are active and flares are likely during the week
There are no evening ISS/Tiangong/FITSAT passes this week
There are three bright Iridium flares on Wednesday at 17.12.24 at 20 degrees altitude in SSW. Friday at 17.09.35, at 17 degrees altitude in SSW and Saturday 18.11.50 at 12 degrees in WNW Friday at 18.50.26 at 34 degrees

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