Thursday, January 1, 2015Friday, August 6, 2021

2015 – What’s Up

Week of 28th December

Astronomical twilight ends at 18.09 UT at the start of the week and at 18.15 UT at the end
The Moon will be Last Quarter on Saturday
The Earth reaches Aphelion on Saturday
There is a good pre-dawn planetary alignment at the start of the week of Jupiter, Mars, Venus and Saturn
The Sun has 2 spot groups, 2473 is currently active
The Quadrantid meteor shower (2nd most prolific in the year) peaks on the morning of Monday 4th. Up to 80 per hour are possible at the narrow peak
There are no ISS evening passes this week
There are two bright evening Iridium flares this week: Thursday at 16.02.31 at 36 degrees in W and Sunday at 17.23.40 at 24 degrees in SSW

Week of 21st December

Astronomical twilight ends at 18.04 UT at the start of the week and at 18.09 UT at the end. Monday is the Winter Solstice and the Sun rises at its extreme southerly point on the horizon and only reaches an altitude of 15.5 degrees at Noon. Days will then start to lengthen
The Moon will be Full (Solstice Moon) on Friday
The Sun has 3 spot groups, 2470 is currently active
The ISS makes its last evening passes this week: Monday at 16.44.12 from W to ESE reaching 65 degrees and 18.21.04 from W to S to 19 degrees. Tuesday at 17.27.44 W to SSE to 29 degrees. Wednesday 18.12.41 from WSW to SSW to 11 degrees and Thursday 17.18.24 W to S to 17 degrees
There are two bright evening Iridium flares this week: Monday at 18.05.36 at 11 degrees in WNW and Wednesday at 17.04.35 at 10 degrees in SW

Week of 14th December

Astronomical twilight ends at 18.02 UT at the start of the week and at 18.04 UT at the end. Next Monday is the Winter Solstice
The Moon will be First Quarter on Saturday
The Geminids meteor shower is probably the most prolific in the year(up to 120 per hour) and peaks on 13th/14th, it is worth watching out if the sky is clear or you can listen to http://spaceweatherradio.com for the radar signatures of the meteors
The Sun has 7 spot groups, none of which is currently active, though 2470 could produce flares
The ISS continues to make good evening passes this week: Monday at 18.05.28 W to ENE reaching 84 degrees. Tuesday 17.12.40 W to E to 87 degrees and 18.49.09 W to W to 29 degrees. Wednesday 17.56.21 W to E to 89 degrees and 19.32.52 W to W to 10 degrees. Thursday 17.03.31 W to E to 84 degrees and 18.40.00 W to WSW to 38 degrees. Friday 17.47.10 W to ESE to 70 degrees and 19.23.57 W to W to 13 degrees. Saturday 16.54.20 W to ESE to 85 degrees and 18.30.53 W to SSW to 32 degrees and Sunday 17.37.58 W to SE to 46 degrees and 19.15.38 WSW to SW to 12 degrees
There are three bright evening Iridium flares this week: Monday at 17.12.22 at 23 degrees in SSW. Tuesday at 18.32.28 at 33 degrees in SSE and Wednesday at 18.26.28 at 32 degrees in SSE

Week of 7th December

Astronomical twilight ends at 18.02 UT at the start of the week and at 18.02 UT at the end
The Moon will be New on Friday
The Geminids meteor shower is probably the most prolific in the year and peaks on 13th/14th, already one or two are being seen
The Sun has 2 spot groups and both have the potential to be active
There ISS makes good evening passes this week: Monday at 17.49.50 reaching 20 degrees SSW to SE and 19.25.08 WSW to WSW to 10 degrees. Tuesday at 16.58.22 SSE to ESE to 13 degrees and 18.32.40 SW to SSW to 33 degrees. Wednesday 17.40.19 SW to ESE to 34 degrees and 19.16.17 W to W to 15 degrees. Thursday 16.48.11 SSW to E to 23 degrees and 18.23.40 WSW to SW to 56 degrees.Friday 17.31.07 WSW to E to 54 degrees and 19.07.26 W toW to19 degres. Saturday 16.38.39 SW to E to 38 degrees and 18.14.44 W to W to 80 degrees and Sunday 17.22.02 WSW to E to 778 degrees and 18.58.30 W to W to 23 degrees
There are three bright evening Iridium flares this week: Monday at 17.36.02 at 30 degrees in S. Wednesday 16.03.08 at 33 degrees in W and Friday at 17.21.10 at 26 degrees in SSW

Week of 30th November

Astronomical twilight ends at 18.04 UT at the start of the week and at 18.02 UT at the end
The Moon will be Last Quarter on Thursday
The Sun has 4 spot groups and none of these are active
There ISS returns with evening passes this week: Friday at 18.00.36 reaching 10 degrees altitude SSE to SSE. Saturday at 18.42.13 reaching 17 degrees SSW to SSWand Sunday at 17.50.20 reaching 20dgerees SSW to SE
There are four bright evening Iridium flares this week: Monday at 17.51.23 at 11 degrees in WNW and 17.59.50 at 34 degrees in S. Wednesday at 16.49.44 at 12 degrees in SW. Thursday at 17.06.27 at 20 degrees in WNW and Friday at 17.44.55 at 32 degrees in S

Week of 23rd November

Astronomical twilight ends at 18.08 UT at the start of the week and at 18.04 UT at the end
The Moon will be Full (Frost Moon) on Wednesday. As far as the weather forecast goes, this may be the only clear night this week
The Sun has 3 spot groups and only 2454 is slightly active
There are no ISS evening passes this week
There is one bright evening Iridium flare this week: Friday at 16.51.52 at 21 degrees altitude in SSW

Week of 16th November

Astronomical twilight ends at 18.14 UT at the start of the week and at 18.08 UT at the end
The Moon will be First Quarter on Wednesday
The Leonid meteor shower (debris from comet Swift-Tuttle) peaks early on Wenesday morning. If clear, Tuesday and Wednesday should provide good chances of catching these often bright meteors. Large rates are not however expected
The Sun has 4 spot groups none of which are currently active
There are no ISS evening passes this week
There is one super bright evening Iridium flare this week: Friday at 18.41.44 at 37 degrees altitude in SE

Week of 9th November

Astronomical twilight ends at 18.22 UT at the start of the week and at 18.14 UT at the end
The Moon will be New on Wednesday and will then wax to First Quarter in the middle of next week
The Leonid meteor shower peaks next week, but the lack of Moon may enable some early meteors to be seen
By late evening the great winter constellations of Taurus and Orion are rising in the East
The Sun has 5 spot groups none of which are currently active
There are no ISS evening passes this week
There are three bright evening Iridium flares this week: Tuesday at 17.31.30 at 11 degrees altitude in WNW. Wednesday at 16.34.25 at 17 degrees in SW and Thursday 17.01.25 at 19 degres in WNW

Week of 2nd November

Astronomical twilight ends at 18.32 UT at the start of the week and at 18.23 UT at the end
The Moon will be Last Quarter on Tuesday and will then wane to New at the start of next week
The Taurid meteor shower is already producing a few bright fireballs. Only a few an hour are expected but possible till 10th. The debris is from Comet Encke (3.3 year period)
The Pleiades (M45), the winter marker, are now high in the sky in the evening and a beutiful target in binoculars. They reached their heighest at midnight this week-end, the ‘Feast of the Pleiades’ (forerunner of Halloween?)
The Sun is active with 4 spot groups and 2443 is huge and active enough for flares. The Earth will pass through a strong solar wind stream on Monday/Tuesday night
There are no ISS evening passes this week
There are two bright evening Iridium flare this week: Wednesday at 18.14.58 at 44 degrees in SSE and Saturday at 16.39.55 at 24 degrees in SSW

Week of 26th October

We are now on Universal Time (UT or GMT). Astronomical twilight ends at 18.44 UT at the start of the week and at 18.34 UT at the end
The Moon will be Full (Hunter’s Moon) on Monday and will then wane
Venus, Jupiter and Mars are closely grouped in the pre-dawn twilight sky over the next few days and are within 5 degrees of each other
The Sun is quite active with 5 spot groups and 2436 is active enough for flares
There are no ISS evening passes this week
There is one bright evening Iridium flare this week: Wednesday at 17.12.25 at 38 degrees in SSW

Week of 19th October

Next Satruday/Sunday night the clocks go back one hour to Universal Time (UT or GMT). Astronomical twilight ends at 19.57 BST at the start of the week and at 18.44 UT at the end
The Moon will wax from First Quarter on Wednesday to Full next week
The Orionids meteor shower (debris from Halley’s Comet) peaks in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Up to 20 per hour are expected. It is worth watching any dark clear night this week
The Sun is quite active with 5 spot groups and 2434 is active enough for flares
The ISS makes a few last passes: Monday 19.33.02 W to SSE reaching 38 degrees. Tuesday 18.40.26 W to ESE to 55 degrees and 20.17.37 WSW to SSW to 15 degrees. Wednesday 19.24.35 W to SSE to 23 degrees. Thursday 18.31.48 W to SE to 34 degrees and Friday 19.16.34 WSW to SSW to 13 degrees
There are two bright evening Iridium flare this week: Friday at 20.08.57 at 47 degrees in SE and Saturday 20.02.56 at 47 degrees altitude in SE

Week of 12th October

The Moon will wax to First Quarter at the start of next week
The Sun is quiet with only 2 innactive spot groups
There is a conjunction of planets in the pre dawn sky from 4.30am. Bright Venus rises followed by dimmer and redder Mars and the yellow Jupiter. They are within a few degrees in a line
The ISS makes super evening passes: Monday 19.14.11 WSW to E reaching 83 degrees and 20.50.40 W to W to 35 degrees. Tuesday 19.58.17 W to E to 85 degrees and 21.34.48 W to W to 11 degrees. Wednesday 19.05.54 W to E to 85 degrees and 20.42.24 W to W to 37 degrees. Thursday 19.50.01 W to ESE to 83 degrees and 21.26.37 W to W to 11 degrees. Friday 18.57.36 W to E to 86 degrees and 20.34.07 W to WSW to 36 degrees. Saturday 19.41.40 W to SE to 61 degrees and 21.18.40 W to W to 11 degrees and Sunday 18.49.14 W to ESE to 78 degrees and 20.25.53 W to SW to 26 degrees
There is one bright evening Iridium flare this week: Tuesday 19.15.17 at 53 degrees altitude in SSE

Week of 5th October

Astronomical twilight ends at 20.30 BST at the start of the week and at 20.14 BST at the end
The Moon is waning from Last Quarter on Monday and will be New at the start of next week
The Sun has only 3 spot groups with number 2427 producing activity
The ISS returns with evening passes: Monday 20.31.16 SW to S reaching 27 degrees altitude. Tuesday 19.39.23 SSW to ESE to 22 degrees and 21.14.53 WSW to WSW to 18 degrees. Wednesday 20.22.32 WSW to ESE to 54 degrees. Thursday 19.30.16 SW to E to 38 degrees and 21.06.22 W to W to 26 degrees. Friday 20.13.49 WSW to ESE to 78 degrees. Saturday 19.21.17 WSW to E to 60 degrees and 20.57.39 W to W to 32 degrees and the best on Sunday 20.04.58 WSW to ESE to 87 degrees and then 21.41.26 W to W to 11 degrees
There is one superbright evening Iridium flare this week on Wednesday at 18.59.49 at 59 degrees altitude in N

Week of 28th September

Astronomical twilight ends at 20.44 BST at the start of the week and at 20.30 BST at the end<br.
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The Moon is Full (Harvest Moon)tomorrow (28th) and is also at Perigee (closest point in its elliptical orbit to Earth. The media have coined the phrase ‘supermoon’ to indicate the apparent increased size and 30 percent extra brightness. The Sun, Earth and Moon are also exactly alligned thus the Moon will pass into the Earth’s shadow which itself is particularly large. The eclipse which will start at 1.12 am will thus be very long with 1 hour 12 minutes of Totality. The darkest phase, where the refractive effects of the Earth’s atmosphere will turn the Moon a shade of red, will last from 3.11 to 4.23am, with maximum eclise at 3.47am. The forecast is good and it will be worth looking out. The next Total Lunar eclipse visible from the UK will be in 2019
The Sun is peppered with spots (7 groups) and 2422 is active
The ISS returns with evening passes next week
There are two bright evening Iridium flares this week: Wednesday at 20.15.20 at 57 degrees altitude in SE and Friday at 19.30.21 at 50 degrees in N

Week of 21st September

Astronomical twilight ends at 21.00 BST at the start of the week and at 20.44 BST at the end
Wednesday 23rd at 9.21am is the Autumnal Equinox. On Wednesday the Sun will rise due East and set due West
The Moon is waxing and will be Full at the start of next week
The Sun is quite active with 3 spot groups. Spot 2415 could produce activity and produce Equinox aurorae
There are no ISS evening passes
There is one bright evening Iridium flare this week: Monday at 20.38.17 at 31 degrees altitude in

Week of 14th September

Astronomical twilight ends at 21.21 BST at the start of the week and at 21.02 BST at the end
The Moon is waxing and will be First Quarter at the start of next week
The Sun is not very active though it has 6 spot groups. 2414 could produce flares
There are no ISS evening passes
There are 3 bright evening Iridium flares this week: Wednesday at 22.27.42 at 17 degrees altitude in NE. Thurday at 21.15.18 at 51 degrees in E and Friday at 29.56.58 at 26 degrees in N

Week of 7th September

Astronomical twilight ends at 21.41 BST at the start of the week and at 21.18 BST at the end
The Moon is waning and will be New on Sunday
Venus and Mars are now bright morning ‘objects’ in E before sunrise with Mars quickly disappearing in the twilight
The Sun is not active with 3 quiet spot groups
There are no ISS evening passes or evening Iridium flares this week

Week of 24th August

Astronomical twilight ends at 22.23 BST at the start of the week and at 22.24 BST at the end
The Moon is waxing and will be Full (Harvest Moon) on Saturday
The Sun is active with 2 spot groups. 2403 is enourmous and highly active, greater than Jupiter in extent, and could lead to Earth bound storms at the start of the week
There are no ISS evening passes this week
There are 4 bright evening Iridium flares: On Monday at 22.52.54 at 23 degrees altitude in NE. Wednesday at 21.12.59 at 26 degrees in N. Friday at 22.38.27 at 29 degrees in NE and Saturday 23.57.22 at 16 degrees in WSW.

Week of 17th August

Astronomical twilight ends at 22.46 BST at the start of the week and at 22.26 BST at the end
The Moon is waxing and will be First Quarter on Friday
The Sun is barely active with 3 small spot groups
The ISS makes 2 last passes: On Monday at 21.15.08 W to SSE to 23 degrees and Wednesday at 21.05.34 WSW to S to 14 degrees
There are a number of bright evening Iridium flares: On Monday at 23.15.09 at 13 degrees in W and 23.29.09 at 12 degrees in W. Thursday 22.09.34 at 11 degrees in N and 23.07.10 at 18 degrees in NNE

Week of 10th August

Astronomical twilight ends at 23.10 at the start of the week and at 22.46 at the end
The Moon is waning and will be New on Friday. It should be visble as a slender crescent at the start of next week
The Perseids metoer shower (Tears of St Lawrence) peaks in the early hours of Thursday 13th. From Monday night onwards it hshould be possible to see plenty of meteors after twilight. At the peak we may hope for 60 or so per hour. The debris is from comet Swift-Tuttle and this year the phase of the Moon makes it a very favourable shower to view, weather permitting
The Sun is active with 6 spot groups and spot 2396 is 150,000 km in extent and will potentially lead to magnetic storms over the week
The ISS continue to make passes: On Monday at 22.38.15 W to SE reaching 64 degrees altitude. Tuesday at 21.45.08 W to ESE to 82 degrees and 23.21.43 W to WSW to 25 degrees. Wednesday 22.28.27 W to SSE to 42 degrees. Thursday 21.35.16 W to ESE to 59 degrees and 23.12.16 W to SW to 16 degrees. Friday 22.18.44 W to S to 26 degrees. Saturday 21.25.24 W to SE to 38 degrees and Sunday 22.09.19 WSW to SSW to 15 degrees
There is one bright evening Iridium flare on Wednesday at 23.28.55 at 23 degrees altitude in W

Week of 20th July

Darkness returns for an hour or so by the end of the week as Astronomical Twilight ends at 00.49 on Wednesday and at 00.13 by Sunday
The Moon is now waxing to First Quarter on Thursday
The Sun is still inactive despite 4 sunspot groups
There are no ISS passes this week
There are two bright evening Iridium flares this week; on Tuesday at 23.11.45 at 27 degrees altitude in W and Thursday 23.08.54 at 24 degrees in W

Week of 13th July

Astronomical Twilight lasts all night until 21st July
The Moon is waning to New on Thursday
New Horizons mission is approaching Pluto after 3460 days since launch. Only 2.5 Mkm to go. The histric flyby will occur 12.50 BST on Tuesday. Already complex surface details are being resolved
The Sun is inactive again and though there are 6 spot groups, none of these is active
There are no ISS passes this week
There is one bright evening Iridium flare this week on Thursday at 23.23.34 at 34 degrees altitude in W

Week of 6th July

Astronomical Twilight lasts all night until 21st July
The Moon is waning to Last Quarter on Wednesday
The Sun is active again and peppered with 9 spot groups. 2381 is likely to produce flares this week
There are no ISS passes this week
There are a number of bright evening Iridium flares this week on Tuesday at 22.52.20 at 18 degrees altitude in WNW. Wednesday at 22.55.38 at 16 degrees in WNW and 23.53.33 at 42 degrees in WSW. Thursday 22.58.56 at 14 degrees in WNW and Friday at 21.51.24 at 19 degrees in NNW

Week of 29th June

Astronomical Twilight lasts all night until 21st July
An extra (leap) second is being added to June, so on Tuesday 23.59.59 will go to 23.59.60 before going to 00.00.00. This is to bring clocks in line with atomic clocks, due to the Earth’s rotation slowing down. This is the 26th extra second since first used in 1972
The Moon is waxing to Full (Thunder Moon) on Thursday<br.
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The Sun is quiet again, there is only one departing sunspot group
The western sky after sunset continues to be dominated by Venus and Jupiter. They will slowly approach to within a third of a degree on Tuesday. Venus reaches an incredible super-bright m = -4.36 at the start of next week
There are no ISS passes this week
There is one bright evening Iridium flare this week on Monday at 23.03.26 at 31 degrees altitude in W

Week of 22nd June

Astronomical Twilight lasts all night until 21st July
The Moon is waxing to First Quarter on Wednesday
The Sun is again active, though with only 2 sunspot groups. 2371 has 2 enormous spots and could produce X-class flares
The western sky after sunset continues to be dominated by Venus and Jupiter. They will slowly approach to within half a degree by 1st July
Saturn is visible low in the sky in the South late evening. Bright red super-giant Antares (the eye of Scorpio) is visible near the horizon below and left of Saturn, culminating at 23.20 BSTat the start of the week. Bright blue Spica can be seen to the west of Saturn and found by following the arc of the saucepan’s handle down and beyond Arcturus
There are no ISS passes this week
There are two bright evening Iridium flares this week on Monday at 23.27.16 at 38 degrees altitude in WSW and Friday at 23.12.20 at 34 degrees in W

Week of 15th June

Astronomical Twilight lasts all night until 21st July
The Moon is New on Tuesday and will then wax to a slender crescent by the end of the week; on Saturday it will join Venus and Jupiter in a triangle
The Summer Solstice occurs next Sunday at 5.39pm. At sunrise the Sun will be at its furthest North on the horizon. At noon the Sun culminates at its highest point due South, an altitude of 62.5 degrees
The Sun is active with 6 sunspot groups. 2360 is currently producing flares
The western sky after sunset is dominated by Venus and Jupiter. They will slowly approach to within half a degree by 1st July
Saturn is visible low in the sky and due South at 11pm at the start of the week
The ISS makes its last pass this week: On Tuesday at 22.38.10 WSW to SSW reaching 13 degrees
There is one super-bright evening Iridium flare this week on Thursday at 23.42.13 at 43 degrees altitude in WSW

Week of 8th June

Astronomical Twilight lasts all night until 21st July
The Moon is Last Quarter on Tuesday and will then wane to New at the start of next week
The Sun is becomming more active with 8 sunspot groups. 2361 is currently producing flares.has 2 sunspot groups at the moment, neither of which is active
The noctilucent cloud (NLC) season has begun and will last till a few weeks after the Solstice. Look West if clear 30 to 60 minutes after sunset. The electric blue high shimmering clouds are unmistakable (formed at 80km altitude and seeded by meteorites). Given the Earth is passing through an intense stream of meteoroids (Arietids) , the next few days might be a good time to look
The ISS makes more passes this week: On Monday at 23.18.07 W to ESE reaching 80 degrees. The best on Tuesday 22.24.45 W to E to 88 degrees. Wednesday 23.07.48 W to SE to 57 degrees. Thursday 23.14.24 W to ESE to 76 degrees and 23.51.02 W to SSW to 24 degrees. Friday 22.57.29 W to SSE to 36 degrees. Saturday 23.41.14 WSW to SSW to 14 degrees and Sunday 22.47.18 W to SSE to 22 degrees
here is one super-bright evening Iridium flare this week on Saturday at 22.46.31 at 22 degrees altitude in WNW

Week of 1st June

Astronomical Twilight lasts all night until 21st July
The Moon is Full (Rose Moon) on Tuesday and will then wane to Last Quarter at the start of next week
On Monday there is a conjunction between the Moon and Saturn. They will be less than 2 degrees apart. The Moon rises around 8pm and Saturn a few minutes later. Though low to the Southeastern horizon, they should make a nice view. They reach due south at 00.30
The Sun has 2 sunspot groups at the moment, neither of which is active
The noctilucent cloud (NLC) season has begun and will last till a few weeks after the Solstice. Look West if clear 30 to 60 minutes after sunset. The electric blue high shimmering clouds are unmistakable (formed at 80km altitude and seeded by meteorites)
The ISS returns with many good high passes this week: On Monday at 23.05.55 SW to E reaching 45 degrees and 00.45.21 W to E reaching 86 degrees. Tuesday 22.12.58 SW to E to 31 degrees and 23.48.48 WSW to E to 85 degrees. Wednesday 22.55.33 WSW to E reaching 68 degrees. Thursday 22.02.24 SW toE to 49 degrees and 23.38.37 W to E to 85 degrees. Friday 22.45.18 W to E to 88 degrees and 00.21.45 W to ESE to 83 degrees. Saturday 23.28.25 W to E to 86 degrees and Sunday 22.35.05 W to E to 84 degrees
There is one super-bright evening Iridium flare this week on Friday at 23.06.55 at 32 degrees altitude in W

Week of 25th May

Astronomical Twilight now lasts all night until 21st July
The Moon is First Quarter on Monday and will then wax to Full on 2nd June
The Sun has 5 sunspot groups at the moment, none of which is active
The ISS returns with two passes at the end of this week: On Saturday at 23.17.19 from SSW to E reaching 28 degrees and Sunday 22.23.32 S to E reaching 63 degrees
There are two bright evening Iridium flares this week on Thursday at 23.36.45 at 39 degrees in WSW and Friday at 23.30.45 at 39 degrees in WSW

Week of 11th May

Astronomical Twilight ends at 23.36 BST at the start of the week and 00.11 BST at the end
The Moon is First Quarter on Monday and then will wane to New next Sunday
The Sun has 7 sunspot groups at the moment and 2339 is potentially active
There are no ISS passes this week
There is one bright evening Iridium flare this week on Sunday at 00.21.45 at 26 degrees in W

Week of 4th May

Astronomical Twilight ends at 23.09 BST at the start of the week and 23.32 BST at the end
The Moon is Full (Beltane or Flower Moon) early on Monday and then will wane to Last Quarter by the start of next week
The Sun has 1 sunspot and is relatively quiet
There are no ISS passes this week
There is one bright evening Iridium flare this week on Saturday at 23.28.17 at 31 degrees in WSW

Week of 27th April

Astronomical Twilight ends at 22.46 BST at the start of the week and 23.02 BST at the end
The Moon is waxing and will be Full (Beltane or Flower Moon) early on Monday 4th<br.
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Friday 1st May is the Celtic feast of Beltane, one of the cross-quarter days, roughly half-way between the Equinox and the Solstice and really marks the mid-Spring season
The Sun has 5 sunspot groups, 2331 is potentially active
There are no ISS passes this week
There is one bright evening Iridium flare this week on Friday at 23.58.00 at 34 degrees in SW

Week of 20th April

Astronomical Twilight ends at 22.25 BST at the start of the week and 22.43 BST at the end
The Moon is waxing and will be First Quarter on Saturday<br.
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The Sun has 5 sunspot groups, 2321 is potentially active<br.
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There are no ISS passes this week
There is one superbright evening Iridium flare this week on Thursday at 21.36.16 at 55 degrees in ENE

Week of 13th April

Astronomical Twilight ends at 22.06 BST at the start of the week and 22.22 BST at the end
The Moon is waning and will be New on Saturday
Venus dominates the Western evening sky and is close to M45 The Pleiades at the start of the week and Jupiter the South. Saturn rises just before midnight
Orange Arcturus is now in the East in the evening signifying Spring and if you follow the curve of the ‘Saucepan’s’ handle onwards you will find blue Spica
The Sun has 2 sunspot groups, 2320 is potentially active
There are good ISS passes this week. Monday 21.23.13 W to E reaching 87 degrees and 22.59.42 W to W to 19 degrees. Tuedsay 22.06.01 W to SSW to 49 degrees. Wednesday 21.12.20 W to ESE to 68 degrees and 22.49.05 W to WSW to 17 degrees. Thursday 21.55.10 W to S to 31 degrees. Friday 21.01.22 W to SE to 46 degrees and 22.39.01 WSW to SW to 11 degrees. Saturday 21.44.26 W to S to 19 degrees and Sunday 20.50.23 W to SSE reaching 29 degrees
There is one superbright evening Iridium flare this week on Wednesday at 20.30.24 at 71 degrees in ESE

Week of 16th March

Astronomical Twilight ends at 20.05 UT at the start of the week and 20.17 UT at the end as we approach the start of the Astronomical Year when the Sun rises due East and sets due West. The Vernal Equinox this year occurs at 22.45 UT on Friday<br.
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The Moon is waning and will be New on Friday as it exactly aligns with the Sun
The deepest Partial Solar Eclipse since 1999 and till 2026 will occur on Friday morning. The Eclipse will start at 8.29am here and last 2 hours and at maximum at 9.34am will leave a ‘smiley’ in the SE sky with only 18% of the bright photosphere remaining. At NO stage can the Sun be viewed directly safely. For details see the brochure ‘How to observe an eclipse safely’ at https://www.ras.org.uk/images/solar_eclipse_leaflet.pdf. The 10 inch will be used to time first contact and the Dome will remain open for external guests. If weather allows the whole College community will gather from 9.15am on Hamersley for an aerial photoThe Sun has 3 sunspot groups, 2297 is still active
There are no ISS passes this week
There are no bright evening Iridium flares this week

Week of 9th March

Astronomical Twilight ends at 19.52 UT at the start of the week and 20.05 UT at the end
The Moon is waning and will be Last Quarter on Friday
The Sun has 3 sunspot groups, 2297 is likely to bring raised activity this week
There are no ISS passes this week
There are three bright evening Iridium flares this week; on Monday at 18.50.31 at 57 degrees in SSE and Friday at 18.35.27 at 59 degrees in S and 20.10.59 at 49 degrees in ESE

Week of 2nd March

Astronomical Twilight ends at 19.39 UT at the start of the week and 19.50 UT at the end
The Moon is waxing and will be Full (Lenten Moon) on Thursday. We thus have just over 2 weeks to the next New Moon and the solar eclipse
The Sun has 4 sunspot groups, 2 of which are potentially active
There are no ISS passes this week
There is one superbright evening Iridium flare this week; on Wednesday at 19.11.46 at 55 degrees in SE

Week of 23rd February

Astronomical Twilight ends at 19.27 UT at the start of the week and 19.36 UT at the end
The Moon is waxing and will be First Quarter on Wednesday
Bright Venus and dim red Mars above it make a lovely pair in the western twilight
The Sun has 4 minute sunspot groups and is at its least active for a while
The ISS makes one final pass on Monday at 18.14.59 W to SSE to 20 degrees
There are two superbright evening Iridium flares this week; on Friday at 19.32.53 at 51 degrees in SE and Saturday at 19.28.50 at 52 degrees altitude in SE

Week of 16th February

Astronomical Twilight ends at 19.15 UT at the start of the week and 19.25 UT at the end
The Moon is waning and will be New on Wednesday
The Sun has 4 sunspot groups, 2282 is potentially active
The ISS makes final passes this week: Monday 18.00.20 W to W to 88 degrees altitude and 19.36.47 W to WSW to 51 degrees. Tuesday 18.43.49 W to ESE to 76 degrees and 20.20.29 W to WSW to 16 degrees. Wednesday 19.27.17 W to S to 36 degrees. Thursday 18.34.11 W to SE to 22 degrees and 20.11.25 WSW to SW to 14 degrees. Friday 19.17.47 W to S to 22 degrees. Saturday 18.24.25 W to SE to 33 degrees and Sunday 19.08.38 WSW to SSW to 13 degrees
There is one superbright evening Iridium flare this week; on Friday at 19.38.58 at 47 degrees in SE

Week of 9th February

Astronomical Twilight ends at 19.04 UT at the start of the week and 19.14 UT at the end
The Moon is waning and will be Last Quarter on Thursday
Venus is now dominating the Western sky for a couple of hours after sunset
The Sun has 3 sunspot groups, 2280 is potentially active
The ISS makes good passes this week: Monday 17.45.19 SSW to E reaching 19 degrees and 19.20.33 WSW to SW to 54 degrees. Tuesday 18.28.05 SW to E to 47 degrees and 20.04.20 W to W to 21 degrees. Wednesday 19.11.41 W to ESE to 87 degrees. Thursday 18.19.02 WSW to E to 71 degrees and 19.55.28 W to W to 28 degrees. Friday 19.02.44 W to E to 84 degrees and 20.39.12 W to W to 10 degrees. On Saturday there is a rare Valentine’s Day treat with a Zenith pass 18.09.58 W to E reaching 90 degrees altitude and then 19.46.26 W to W to 40 degrees and Sunday 18.53.38 W to E to 88 degrees and 20.30.08 W to W to 14 degrees
There are three bright evening Iridium flares this week; on Monday at 17.39.20 at 36 degrees in SSW. On Wednesday at 17.31.14 at 35 degrees in SSW and Friday at 18.54.40 at 47 degrees in SSE

Week of 2nd February

Astronomical Twilight ends at 18.51 UT at the start of the week and 18.59 UT at the end
The Moon is waxing and will be Full on Tuesday
Jupiter will be only 5 degrees from the Moon on Wednesday and will reach Opposition on Friday
The Sun has 8 sunspot groups, 2268 and 2277 are potentially active
The ISS returns with low passes this week: Thursday 19.38.34 SSW to SSW reaching 10 degrees. Friday 18.46.54 S to SE to 17 degrees. Saturday 17.56.06 SSW to ESE to 11 degrees and 19.29.35 SW to SSW to 26 degrees and Sunday 18.37.26 SSW t ESE to 29 degrees and 20.13.15 WSW to WSW to 14 degrees
There are two bright evening Iridium flares this week; on Tuesday at 18.01.27 at 39 degrees altitude in S and Saturday at 17.46.20 at 37 degrees in SSW

Week of 26th January

Astronomical Twilight ends at 18.41 UT at the start of the week and 18.48 UT at the end
The Moon is waxing and will be First Quarter on Tuesday
Comet Lovejoy 2014 Q2 is now visibly fading as it reaches Perihelion
The Sun has 4 sunspot groups, none of which are active
There are no ISS passes this week
There are two bright evening Iridium flares this week; on Tuesday at 17.32.25 at 67 degrees altitude in NE

Week of 19th January

Astronomical Twilight ends at 18.33 UT at the start of the week and 18.40 UT at the end
The Moon is waning and will be New on Tuesday
As the Moon wanes the chances to see Comet Lovejoy 2014 Q2 increase. The Comet is best found by sweeping up the right side of the Pleiades with wide angle low magnification binoculars. It is a grey smudge and large (0.5 degrees) and hence diffuse. It is moving so fast against the background (around 0.1 degrees an hour) that using a telescope and inputting coordinates is not easy. Though it has passed its closest approach to the Earth it has yet to reach Perihelion. As it recedes from us its magnitude will fade quickly as it climbs higher in the sky through Taurus and Aries. It is just visible by eye over the next couple of weeks (best using averted vision) if away from light polution. Photography and image stacking is needed to see its tail (which is now some 7 degrees long)
The Sun has 5 sunspot groups, none of which are active
Venus and Mercury still form a nice pair bright and low in the western twilight just after sunset around 4.30pm and as they set, by 5pm, Mars appears behind them
Jupiter rises around 7.30pm and is becoming a super bright object as it approaches opposition. It is also approaching Equinox and the orbital plane of the moons will cross our line of sight leading to multiple eclipses and transits. There is a triple shadow transit (Io, Callisto and Europa) on Saturday morning at 6.05am, though Jupiter will be low in the western dawn sky
There are no ISS passes this week
There are two bright evening Iridium flares this week; on Monday at 18.12.18 at 54 degrees altitude in NE and Wednesday at 18.52.44 at 38 degrees in SSE

Week of 12th January

Astronomical Twilight ends at 18.24 UT at the start of the week and 18.31 UT at the end
The Moon is waning and will be Last Quarter on Tuesday<br.
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As the Moon wanes the chances to sees Comet Lovejoy 2014 Q2 increase. The Comet is best found by sweeping up the right side of Orion towards the Pleiades with wide angle low magnification binoculars. It is a grey smudge and quite large (0.3 degrees) and hence diffuse. It is moving so fast against the background that using a telescope and inputting coordinates is not easy. Though it has passed its closest approach to the Earth it wont reach perihelion till 14th February. As it recedes from us its magnitude will fade quickly as it climbs highr in the sky through Taurus (passing close to the Pleaides on Friday and Saturday) and Aries. It is visible by eye over the next couple of weeks (best using averted vision) if away from light polution. Photography and image staking is needed to see its tail<br.
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The Sun has 8 sunspot groups; 3 are potentially active<br.
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Venus and Mercury are visible low in the western twilight just after sunset around 4.30pm and as they set, by 5pm, Mars appears behind them<br.<br.
Jupiter rises around 7.30pm and then dominates the southern sky<br.
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There are no ISS passes this week
There are two bright evening Iridium flares this week; on Monday at 18.46.15 at 42 degrees altitude in NNE and Wednesday at 16.38.01 at 73 degrees in E

Week of 5th January

Astronomical Twilight ends at 18.16 UT at the start of the week and 18.22 UT at the end
The Moon is waxing and will be Full (Cold Moon) on Monday
The Sun has 7 sunspot groups; 2253 is active
Venus and Mercury are now visible low in the western twilight just after sunset around 4.30pm
Jupiter rises around 7.30pm and then dominates the southern sky, though will be much more impressive once the Moon wanes
There are no ISS passes this week
There is one bright evening Iridium flare on Monday at 17.23.58 at 63 degrees altitude in NE

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