What’s Up

Week of 27th November

• Astronomical twilight ends at 18:05 UT at the start of the week and at 18:02 UT by the end of the week.
• The four Giant planets are well placed for observation in our evening sky; from west to east, culmination times (UT) are: Saturn (+0.8) 17:55, Neptune (+7.9) 19:25, Jupiter (-2.8) 22:00 and Uranus (+5.6) 22:53.
• Look out for Io transits of Jupiter on Wednesday starting at 22:00 and Friday at 16:27. The best GRS transit this week starts at 17:28 on Friday.
• The Moon is Full on Monday – The Beaver or Frost Moon.
• The Sun currently has 12 active regions and the sunspot number is 179.
• There are multiple visible evening ISS passes this week.
  (For full details about ISS passes click this link: heavens-above-iss-passes to visit the heavens-above website. If you are not in Marlborough, please ensure that you set your location for the most accurate ISS timings).

Week of 20th November

• Astronomical twilight ends at 18:10 UT at the start of the week and at 18:06 UT by the end of the week.
• Saturn (+0.8) is ever further west in our evening sky, it currently culminates at 18:20 UT and sets at around 23:15 UT. How many of its moons can you spot with a telescope? Look on Monday to see the First Quarter Moon just 3° away from the planet.
• Jupiter (-2.9) culminates at around 22.30 UT through the week and is at a high altitude of around 51°, making it very well placed for observation. Look for transits of the Great Red Spot and follow the orbits of its four Galilean moons.
• The Moon is First Quarter on Monday.
• The Sun currently has 3 active regions and the sunspot number is 39.
• There are multiple visible evening ISS passes this week.
  (For full details about ISS passes click this link: heavens-above-iss-passes to visit the heavens-above website. If you are not in Marlborough, please ensure that you set your location for the most accurate ISS timings).

Week of 13th November

• Astronomical twilight ends at 18:17 UT at the start of the week and at 18:11 UT by the end of the week.
• Uranus (mag +5.6) reaches opposition on Monday. Find the planet 12° to the east of Jupiter (-2.9) in the constellation of Aries. A small telescope will show the small bluey-green disc of the Ice Giant.
• The Leonid meteor shower peaks early on Saturday morning. It produces around 15 meteors per hour and with the Waxing Crescent Moon phase, observing prospects are good. The shower is a result of debris deposited by comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle.
• Saturn (+0.8) and Jupiter (-2.9) remain bright evening objects. Look out for a transit of Io on Wednesday, starting at 18:31 UT, and a transit of Ganymede on Friday, starting at 20:43 UT.
• The Moon is New on Monday.
• The Sun currently has 5 active regions and the sunspot number is 85.
• There are multiple visible evening ISS passes this week.
  (For full details about ISS passes click this link: heavens-above-iss-passes to visit the heavens-above website. If you are not in Marlborough, please ensure that you set your location for the most accurate ISS timings).

Week of 6th November

• Astronomical twilight ends at 18:26 UT at the start of the week and at 18:18 UT by the end of the week.
• The Gas Giants remain well placed in our evening sky. Saturn (mag +0.8) culminates at around 19:00 UT through the week, and Jupiter (-2.9) culminates at about 23:20 UT. Look out for GRS transits starting at 21:49 UT on Monday, 17:40 UT on Tuesday and 23:27 UT on Wednesday.
• Dark skies this week offer excellent deep sky observing opportunities. The selected targets are in the constellations of Cassiopeia and Perseus. Start with three open clusters: NGC 7789, Caroline’s Rose (named after its discoverer, Caroline Herschel), then on to NGC 457, the Owl Cluster, and finishing with C14, the Double Cluster. For those who seek a greater challenge, try to find M76, the Little Dumbbell Nebula, a small faint (+10) planetary nebula in Perseus.
• The Moon is Waning Gibbous all week.
• The Sun currently has 7 active regions and the sunspot number is 95.
• There are no visible evening ISS passes this week.
  (For full details about ISS passes click this link: heavens-above-iss-passes to visit the heavens-above website. If you are not in Marlborough, please ensure that you set your location for the most accurate ISS timings).

Week of 30th October

• Astronomical twilight ends at 18:37 UT at the start of the week and at 18:28 UT by the end of the week.
• Jupiter (mag -2.9) reaches opposition on Friday, when it will be opposite the Sun as seen from Earth and at its closest point to Earth at only 3.98 AU away. It will appear largest (about 50 arcseconds in apparent diameter) and brightest in our sky, best placed for observation. On Monday there is a transit of Io, starting at 20:37 UT.
• Saturn (+0.7) remains well placed for observation, culminating at around 19:40 UT through the week.
• The Taurid meteor shower peaks on Saturday night. It is a modest shower, with only around 5 meteors per hour, but it can produce impressive fireballs. The shower has a northern and southern component, created by two streams of comet debris deposited by Asteroid 2004 TG10 and Comet 2P/Enke.
• The Moon is Last Quarter on Sunday.
• The Sun currently has 5 active regions and the sunspot number is 70.
• There are no visible evening ISS passes this week.
  (For full details about ISS passes click this link: heavens-above-iss-passes to visit the heavens-above website. If you are not in Marlborough, please ensure that you set your location for the most accurate ISS timings).

Week of 23rd October

• Astronomical twilight ends at 19:49 BST at the start of the week and at 18:39 GMT by the end of the week.
• British Summer Time ends on Sunday and we will return to GMT; don’t forget to put your clocks back one hour!
• Venus (mag -4.4) reaches Greatest Western Elongation on Tuesday, when it will be best placed for observation in the morning sky before sunrise.
• There is a partial lunar eclipse on Saturday. From Marlborough, only 12% of the Moon’s surface will be covered by the Earth’s umbra. The eclipse starts at 20:36 BST, maximum eclipse is at 21:15 BST and the eclipse ends at 21:53 BST.
• Saturn (+0.7) and Jupiter (-2.9) remain dominant in our evening sky.
• The Moon is Full on Saturday.
• The Sun currently has 5 active regions and the sunspot number is 65.
• There are no visible evening ISS passes this week.
  (For full details about ISS passes click this link: heavens-above-iss-passes to visit the heavens-above website. If you are not in Marlborough, please ensure that you set your location for the most accurate ISS timings).

Week of 16th October

• Astronomical twilight ends at 20:03 BST at the start of the week and at 19:51 BST by the end of the week.
• Saturn (mag +0.7) and Jupiter (-2.9) remain dominant in our evening sky, while Venus (-4.4) dominates our morning sky, reaching its highest altitude of about 35° at sunrise.
• The Orionid meteor shower peaks on Saturday night. This is a relatively quiet shower with an expected ZHR of about 10 meteors. The shower’s progenitor is comet 1P/Halley.
• The Moon is First Quarter on Sunday.
• The Sun currently has 7 active regions and the sunspot number is 100.
• There are no visible evening ISS passes this week.
  (For full details about ISS passes click this link: heavens-above-iss-passes to visit the heavens-above website. If you are not in Marlborough, please ensure that you set your location for the most accurate ISS timings).

Week of 9th October

• Astronomical twilight ends at 20:18 BST at the start of the week and at 20:05 BST by the end of the week.
• The planets remain dominant in our sky with Saturn (mag +0.6) culminating at about 22:00 BST, Jupiter (-2.9) culminating at 02:30 BST and Venus (-4.5) rising at 03:11 BST.
• This week’s New Moon gives dark skies, perfect for galaxy hunting. Use a telescope to track down four galaxies in our Local Group around Andromeda; starting with M31, the Andromeda Galaxy and its two satellite galaxies M32 and M110, all at about 2.5 million light years from Earth. Then slew south a few degrees to M33, the Triangulum Galaxy, about 2.8 million light years away.
• On Saturday there is an annular solar eclipse, caused when the Moon is around apogee, its furthest orbital point from Earth, so it will not completely cover the Sun, leaving a ring of sunlight around the eclipsed portion of the Sun. Unfortunately for us in Marlborough, it will only be visible from the Americas. The eclipse will travel along its path of totality from 16:05 to 21:55 BST. Look online for live streams.
• The Moon is New on Saturday.
• The Sun currently has 9 active regions and the sunspot number is 145.
• There are no visible evening ISS passes this week.
  (For full details about ISS passes click this link: heavens-above-iss-passes to visit the heavens-above website. If you are not in Marlborough, please ensure that you set your location for the most accurate ISS timings).

Week of 2nd October

• Astronomical twilight ends at 20:34 BST at the start of the week and at 20:20 BST by the end of the week.
• Saturn (mag +0.6) remains well placed in our evening sky, culminating at about 22:30 BST.
• Jupiter (-2.8) is slowly becoming more prominent in our evening sky, reaching an altitude of 22° above the eastern horizon by 22:00 BST. Watch a shadow transit of Ganymede on Thursday, starting at 22:25 BST. This is followed by a transit of Io, starting at 02:56 BST on Friday morning.
• M31, The Andromeda Galaxy, is well placed for observation at this time of year, high in the southeast. Use averted vision from a dark site to spot the most distant object visible with the naked eye at 2.5 million light years away from Earth. A telescope will reveal the bright core and possibly even dust lane details of the spiral arms.
• The Moon is Last Quarter on Friday
• The Sun currently has 7 active regions and the sunspot number is 106.
• There are multiple visible evening ISS passes this week.
  (For full details about ISS passes click this link: heavens-above-iss-passes to visit the heavens-above website. If you are not in Marlborough, please ensure that you set your location for the most accurate ISS timings).

Week of 25th September

• Astronomical twilight ends at 20:52 BST at the start of the week and at 20:37 BST by the end of the week.
• Saturn (mag +0.5) lies at an altitude of about 15° in the southeast with Jupiter (-2.8) in the east, rising at around 20:10 BST, reaching a maximum altitude of 53° as it transits at around 03:45 BST.
• Neptune (+7.8) lies 25° east of Saturn and Uranus (+5.7) is 8° east of Jupiter.
• The Moon is Full on Friday – the Harvest Supermoon
• The Sun currently has 12 active regions and the sunspot number is 198.
• There are multiple visible evening ISS passes this week.
  (For full details about ISS passes click this link: heavens-above-iss-passes to visit the heavens-above website. If you are not in Marlborough, please ensure that you set your location for the most accurate ISS timings).

Week of 18th September

• Astronomical twilight ends at 21:10 BST at the start of the week and at 20:54 BST by the end of the week.
• The September equinox is on Saturday, marking the first day of autumn here in the northern hemisphere. The Sun will cross the celestial equator, decreasing in declination. Day and night length will be almost exactly equal and the Sun will rise due East and set due West, one of only two days in the year when this occurs.
• The Planets: Mercury (-0.3) is at Greatest Western Elongation on Friday, Venus (-4.5) dominates the morning sky, Mars is too close to the Sun to be visible, Saturn (+0.5) culminates at 23:30 BST, Jupiter (-2.7) rises at 20:40 BST, Uranus (+5.7) lies about 7° east of Jupiter, and Neptune (mag +7.8) reaches opposition on Tuesday.
• The Moon is First Quarter on Friday
• The Sun currently has 6 active regions and the sunspot number is 88.
• There are multiple visible evening ISS passes this week.
  (For full details about ISS passes click this link: heavens-above-iss-passes to visit the heavens-above website. If you are not in Marlborough, please ensure that you set your location for the most accurate ISS timings).

Week of 11th September

• Astronomical twilight ends at 21:29 BST at the start of the week and at 21:13 BST by the end of the week.
• Comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) passes perigee (its closest point to Earth) on Tuesday. The comet is reported to be visible by naked eye, though hard to spot. Look to the northeast, close to the horizon around sunrise (which is at about 06:30 BST this week) or in the northwest around sunset (19:30 BST). You will need a clear horizon as the comet is at an altitude of only 10°. [CAUTION: beware of bright sunlight in this area of the sky, especially if using binoculars or a telescope].
• If out comet hunting at dawn, you will certainly see Venus (mag -4.5) at around 26° altitude in the east. A telescope will reveal its crescent phase as it moves towards greatest western elongation on 23rd October.
• Saturn (+0.5) and Jupiter (-2.7) are both clearly visible in our south / southeastern evening sky.
• The Moon is New on Friday
• The Sun currently has 6 active regions and the sunspot number is 119.
• There are multiple visible evening ISS passes this week.
  (For full details about ISS passes click this link: heavens-above-iss-passes to visit the heavens-above website. If you are not in Marlborough, please ensure that you set your location for the most accurate ISS timings).

Week of 4th September

• Astronomical twilight ends at 21:49 BST at the start of the week and at 21:32 BST by the end of the week.
• Saturn (mag +0.4) is well placed in the south, culminating at around midnight this week. Its brighter moons, such as Titan, Rhea and Iapetus can be easily observed in the same plane as the ring system.
• Jupiter (-2.6) is rising ever earlier, now in our evening sky at around 21:30 BST. The Great Red Spot is perfectly placed for observation on Thursday evening.
• Deep Sky hunters can find two globular clusters in the southern evening sky: Messier 2 (+6.5) in Aquarius and Messier 15 (+6.2) in Pegasus. Their distances from Earth are 38 and 34 thousand light years respectively.
• The Moon is Last Quarter on Wednesday
• The Sun currently has 5 active regions and the sunspot number is 77.
• There are no visible evening ISS passes this week.
  (For full details about ISS passes click this link: heavens-above-iss-passes to visit the heavens-above website. If you are not in Marlborough, please ensure that you set your location for the most accurate ISS timings).

Week of 28th August

• Astronomical twilight ends at 22:10 BST at the start of the week and at 21:52 BST by the end of the week.
• Saturn (mag +0.4) has just passed opposition and remains well placed in our evening sky, though the 99% Full Moon will be close by on Wednesday at just 3° separation.
• Jupiter (-2.6) rises at about 22:00 BST through the week. There is a Great Red Spot transit at 22:36 BST on Thursday.
• The Moon is Full on Thursday. As the second Full Moon in the same month it is called a Blue Moon; furthermore, it is at perigee, so it will be a Super Blue Moon!
• The Sun currently has 5 active regions and the sunspot number is 69.
• There are no visible evening ISS passes this week.
  (For full details about ISS passes click this link: heavens-above-iss-passes to visit the heavens-above website. If you are not in Marlborough, please ensure that you set your location for the most accurate ISS timings).

Week of 21st August

• Astronomical twilight ends at 22:32 BST at the start of the week and at 22:13 BST by the end of the week.
• Saturn (mag +0.4) reaches opposition on Sunday when it will be opposite the Sun from Earth, putting it in the optimum position for observation. It will be at a distance of just 8.76 AU and will have an apparent size of 19 arcseconds. Through the week the gas giant rises at about 20:00 BST and culminates at around 01:10 BST.
• Delphinus is the constellation of the week, found just to the east of Altair. It is quite faint with Alpha Delphini only mag +3.8. It contains the lovely double star, Gamma Delphini at the nose of the Dolphin with a separation of 8.8 arcseconds, and two globular clusters, NGC 7006 (+10.6) and NGC 6934 (+8.8); all great telescopic targets.
• The Moon is First Quarter on Thursday.
• The Sun currently has 7 active regions and the sunspot number is 104.
• There are no visible evening ISS passes this week.
  (For full details about ISS passes click this link: heavens-above-iss-passes to visit the heavens-above website. If you are not in Marlborough, please ensure that you set your location for the most accurate ISS timings).

Week of 14th August

• Astronomical twilight ends at 22:56 BST at the start of the week and at 22:36 BST by the end of the week.
• Saturn (mag +0.5) lies at a maximum altitude of 27° this week, rising at about 20:45 BST and culminating at around 01:50 BST. Its rings will appear to brighten as it approaches opposition on 27th August.
• Jupiter (-2.5) rises at about 22:50 BST through this week. This year’s apparition should be impressive as it reaches an altitude of over 50° with opposition on 3rd November.
• The Summer Triangle is high in the dark, Moon free sky this week. Use a telescope to search out its highlight deep sky objects: two planetary nebulae – M27, the Dumbbell Nebula (+7.1) and M57, the Ring Nebula (+8.8), two double stars – Albireo, Beta Cygni and the Double Double, Epsilon Lyrae, two globular clusters – M56 (+8.3) and M71 (+8.2), two open clusters – M29 (+6.6) and Collinder 399 (+3.6), and finally, two nebulae – the North America Nebula (+4.0) and the Veil Nebula (+5.0). Plenty to keep you busy!
• The Moon is New on Wednesday.
• The Sun currently has 4 active regions and the sunspot number is 61.
• There are no visible evening ISS passes this week.
  (For full details about ISS passes click this link: heavens-above-iss-passes to visit the heavens-above website. If you are not in Marlborough, please ensure that you set your location for the most accurate ISS timings).

Week of 7th August

• Astronomical twilight ends at 23:21 BST at the start of the week and at 22:59 BST by the end of the week.
• The Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak on Saturday night. It is one of the finest meteor showers of the year with up to 60 meteors per hour and this year, proximity to the New Moon will provide perfect dark skies for observation. The shower’s progenitor is comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. The period of activity is from 17th July to 24th August, so look out for Perseid meteors either side of the peak too.
• Saturn (mag +0.5) is visible in our evening sky, rising at around 21:15 BST and culminating at about 02:30 BST. It is quite low at a max altitude of about 27°. Jupiter (-2.5) returns to our evening sky, rising at around 23:15 BST this week.
• The Moon is Last Quarter on Tuesday.
• The Sun currently has 7 active regions and the sunspot number is 100.
• There are no visible evening ISS passes this week.
  (For full details about ISS passes click this link: heavens-above-iss-passes to visit the heavens-above website. If you are not in Marlborough, please ensure that you set your location for the most accurate ISS timings).

Week of 31st July

• Astronomical twilight ends at 23:49 BST at the start of the week and at 23:24 BST by the end of the week.
• On Thursday, Saturn (mag +0.6) and the Waning Gibbous Moon (-11.0) will be separated by just 7°. Saturn will rise first at about 22:00 BST, followed by the Moon some 15 minutes later.
• If you have a reasonably low southern horizon, go Wild Duck hunting this week! M11, the Wild Duck Cluster, is well placed for observation with binoculars as it is due south at around 23:00 BST, but being in the constellation of Scutum, just below Aquila, it only reaches about 30° altitude. Whilst in that area, enjoy the plethora of open clusters in the Milky Way.
• The Moon is Full on Tuesday – the Sturgeon Moon. This is the first of two Full Moons in August, so the second one, on the 31st, will be a ‘Blue Moon’.
• The Sun currently has 10 active regions and the sunspot number is 147.
• There are no visible evening ISS passes this week.
  (For full details about ISS passes click this link: heavens-above-iss-passes to visit the heavens-above website. If you are not in Marlborough, please ensure that you set your location for the most accurate ISS timings).

Week of 24th July

• Astronomical twilight ends at 00:31 BST at the start of the week and at 23:53 by the end of the week.
• Mercury (mag -0.1) reaches its highest altitude in the evening sky on Tuesday. Look about 8° above the western horizon just after sunset (21:05 BST) to see the small planet about 5° above and to the west of Venus (-4.4). A telescope will show Mercury in its waning gibbous phase and Venus as a thin crescent at just 10% illumination.
• Saturn (+0.6) is returning to our evening skies, rising at around 22:15 BST this week. It culminates at about 03:00 BST, reaching a maximum altitude of 27°. The ringed planet reaches opposition on 27th August, when it will be best placed for observation.
• The Moon is First Quarter on Tuesday.
• The Sun currently has 6 active regions and the sunspot number is 103.
• There are multiple visible evening ISS passes this week.
  (For full details about ISS passes click this link: heavens-above-iss-passes to visit the heavens-above website. If you are not in Marlborough, please ensure that you set your location for the most accurate ISS timings).

Week of 17th July

• Darkness finally returns on Thursday night when astronomical twilight ends at 01:05 BST on Friday morning, only to start again at 01:22, giving us just 17 minutes of proper astronomical darkness!
• Dwarf planet Pluto reaches opposition on Saturday. It will still be tricky to spot at just 0.1 arcsecond in apparent size and magnitude +14.3. Further to this, it only reaches 15° of altitude as it culminates at 01:12 BST. A hard target to find, but a satisfying catch if successful.
• The New Moon provides sufficient darkness to hunt down faint nebulae in Cygnus this week. The first is NGC 7000, the North American Nebula close to Deneb. This contrasting patch of gas and dust is mag +4.0 and covers about 2° of sky, so low power is recommended. The more challenging Veil Nebula (NGC 6995, 6974 & 6960) is a faint supernova remnant at around mag +5, stretching about 3°. It is notoriously difficult to observe visually, so only the darkest skies and largest optics will do.
• The Moon is New on Monday.
• The Sun currently has 6 active regions and the sunspot number is 96.
• There are multiple visible evening ISS passes this week.
  (For full details about ISS passes click this link: heavens-above-iss-passes to visit the heavens-above website. If you are not in Marlborough, please ensure that you set your location for the most accurate ISS timings).

Week of 10th July

• Astronomical twilight does not end until July 21st.
• Keep an eye out for noctilucent clouds; they have been illusive so far this season, but reports indicate that they are starting to appear now. Look to the northern horizon after sunset and before sunrise for these high altitude, night shining opalescent clouds.
• Search for two planetary nebulae in the Summer Triangle this week. The first is M57, the Ring Nebula in Lyra (mag +8.8), and the second is M27, the Dumbbell Nebula in Vulpecula (+7.1). You will need a telescope to find these remnants of exploded low mass stars. A high contrast filter can help tweak out more detail.
• The Moon is Last Quarter on Monday.
• The Sun currently has 11 active regions and the sunspot number is 197.
• There are multiple visible evening ISS passes this week.
  (For full details about ISS passes click this link: heavens-above-iss-passes to visit the heavens-above website. If you are not in Marlborough, please ensure that you set your location for the most accurate ISS timings).

Week of 3rd July

• Astronomical twilight does not end until July 21st.
• The Earth reaches aphelion on Thursday, the most distant point from the Sun in its elliptical orbit, at a distance of 1.017 AU or a little over 152 million kilometres.
• Despite the Full Moon this week, which is very low in the sky, reaching a maximum altitude of only 13°, it will still be possible to find some of the brighter deep sky objects. Track down two Globular Clusters in the Summer Triangle: M56 (mag +8.8) in Lyra and M71 (+8.1) in Sagitta.
• The Moon is Full on Monday – the Buck Moon.
• The Sun currently has 7 active regions and the sunspot number is 119.
• There are no visible evening ISS passes this week.
  (For full details about ISS passes click this link: heavens-above-iss-passes to visit the heavens-above website. If you are not in Marlborough, please ensure that you set your location for the most accurate ISS timings).

Week of 26th June

• Astronomical twilight does not end until July 21st.
• Venus (mag -4.4) is conspicuous in the west around sunset. Use a telescope to see its waning crescent phase. If you follow it over the coming weeks, you will see it increase in apparent size as it approaches Earth in its orbit.
• The final observing challenge of June is to use a pair of binoculars to explore the Milky Way. Take your time to navigate the myriad stars interspersed with dark nebulous patches. Can you find Brocchi’s Cluster, also called the Coathanger due to the particular shape formed by its stars? Look about two thirds of the way from Vega to Altair in the Summer Triangle.
• The Moon is First Quarter on Monday.
• The Sun currently has 14 active regions and the sunspot number is 200.
• There are no visible evening ISS passes this week.
  (For full details about ISS passes click this link: heavens-above-iss-passes to visit the heavens-above website. If you are not in Marlborough, please ensure that you set your location for the most accurate ISS timings).

Week of 19th June

• Astronomical twilight does not end until July 21st.
• On Wednesday, at 15:54 BST the Sun will reach its maximum declination of +23.5°, creating the longest day and the Summer Solstice here in the northern hemisphere. It is historically important as Eratosthenes observed the difference in altitude of the Sun from Aswan and Alexandria in Egypt on the Summer Solstice in about 240 BC to be the first to calculate the circumference of the Earth.
• Spot the thin crescent Moon (mag -4.8) close to bright Venus (-4.4) on Wednesday evening. Look above the western horizon around sunset to see the pair.
• This week’s observing challenge involves double stars in the Summer Triangle: start with Albireo in Cygnus, a beautiful contrasting colour pair at mag +3.1. Then move your telescope to Epsilon Lyrae (+5.0), better known as the Double Double, which will require good seeing and high magnification to successfully split all four stars.
• The Moon is Waxing Crescent all week.
• The Sun currently has 6 active regions and the sunspot number is 110.
• There are no visible evening ISS passes this week.
  (For full details about ISS passes click this link: heavens-above-iss-passes to visit the heavens-above website. If you are not in Marlborough, please ensure that you set your location for the most accurate ISS timings).

Week of 12th June

• Astronomical twilight does not end until July 21st.
• Venus (mag -4.3) passes by M44, the Beehive Cluster, through the early part of this week. Look for the pair above the western horizon an hour or so after sunset.
• As we approach the Summer Solstice, we enter noctilucent cloud season. Keep an eye out for these magnificent high altitude ‘night shining’ clouds above the northern horizon just after sunset and just before sunrise.
• If you have a good low southern horizon, try this week’s observing challenge: find Antares, the red supergiant in Scorpio and then hunt down three globular clusters about 8° to the east, M19 (+6.8) 29 kly, NGC 6293 (+8.2) 31 kly, and the most distant of the three, NGC 6284 (+8.8) at about 50 thousand light years from Earth!
• The Moon is New on Sunday.
• The Sun currently has 7 active regions and the sunspot number is 116.
• There are no visible evening ISS passes this week.
  (For full details about ISS passes click this link: heavens-above-iss-passes to visit the heavens-above website. If you are not in Marlborough, please ensure that you set your location for the most accurate ISS timings).

Week of 5th June

• Astronomical twilight does not end until July 21st.
• Venus (mag -4.3) continues to dominate our evening sky. Look about 27° above the western horizon at sunset, around 21:15 BST. The two bright stars to its west are Castor and Pollux.
• Ophiuchus provides a rich observing ground this week, with three Messier Globular Clusters to find. Start with M12 at mag +6.7, then on to M10 (+6.6), both are about 14,000 light years away. Finally a little further east to M14, fainter at mag +7.6 as it is twice as far away at 30,000 light years.
• The Moon is Last Quarter on Saturday.
• The Sun currently has 7 active regions and the sunspot number is 112.
• There are no visible evening ISS passes this week.
  (For full details about ISS passes click this link: heavens-above-iss-passes to visit the heavens-above website. If you are not in Marlborough, please ensure that you set your location for the most accurate ISS timings).

Week of 29th May

• Astronomical twilight does not end until July 21st.
• Venus (mag -4.3) reaches Greatest Eastern Elongation on Sunday, when it will be at its furthest separation from the Sun. It is the brightest object (apart from the Moon and Sun!) in the west at sunset and is about 30° above the horizon.
• SN 2023ixf is a new supernova in the galaxy M101 in Ursa Major, about 5° above Alkaid, the star at the end of the Saucepan’s handle. Discovered on 19th May 2023, it is still at peak brightness of about +11, but is expected to start to dim soon and fade away over the coming weeks. It should just be visible in a telescope.
• The Moon is Full on Sunday – the Strawberry Moon.
• The Sun currently has 7 active regions and the sunspot number is 125.
• There are no visible evening ISS passes this week.
  (For full details about ISS passes click this link: heavens-above-iss-passes to visit the heavens-above website. If you are not in Marlborough, please ensure that you set your location for the most accurate ISS timings).

Week of 22nd May

• Astronomical twilight ends at 00:47 BST at the beginning of the week, but from Wednesday onwards, astronomical twilight does not end until July 21st. This is because the Sun does not sink more than 18° below the northern horizon.
• The waxing Crescent Moon will pass by Venus (mag -4.2) on Tuesday and Mars (+1.5) on Wednesday in the western evening sky.
• Despite the temporary end of astronomical darkness, it is still dark enough to observe, though you can’t really start your session until around 23:00 BST. This week we are searching for three galaxies around The Plough. First is M51, the Whirlpool Galaxy (+7.9) a few degrees below the end of ‘the handle’, next is M81, Bode’s Nebula (+6.8) and finally, close neighbour M82, the Cigar Galaxy (+8.0), which are both above and west of ‘the pan’. The most distant is M51 at 28 million light years!
• The Moon is First Quarter on Saturday.
• The Sun currently has 8 active regions and the sunspot number is 138.
• There are multiple visible evening ISS passes this week. Click this link to see full details on the heavens-above website: heavens-above-iss-passes. If you are not in Marlborough, please ensure that you set your location for the most accurate ISS timings.

Week of 15th May

• Astronomical twilight ends at 23:55 BST at the beginning of the week and at 00:34 BST by the end of the week.
• There is a close approach of the Waning Crescent Moon and Jupiter (mag -2.1) on Wednesday afternoon. **Take extreme care of the Sun if trying to spot this conjunction with binoculars or a telescope**. The two objects will be closest at about 15:05 BST. Look at an altitude of around 28° above the western horizon. From more northerly latitudes this will appear as a lunar occultation of Jupiter.
• Venus (-4.2) will be at an altitude of 32° in the west at sunset, around 21:00 BST, throughout this week.
• The New Moon makes conditions ideal for this week’s Deep Sky Challenge, which is a hunt for three globular clusters. First up is M3 (+6.2) in Canes Venatici, next slew south to Serpens to find M5 (+5.6) and finally west to find M13 (+5.8), the spectacular Great Hercules Cluster in Hercules. Good luck with your hunt!
• The Moon is New on Friday.
• The Sun currently has 9 active regions and the sunspot number is 120.
• There are multiple visible evening ISS passes this week. Click this link to see full details on the heavens-above website: heavens-above-iss-passes. If you are not in Marlborough, please ensure that you set your location for the most accurate ISS timings.

Week of 8th May

• Astronomical twilight ends at 23:24 BST at the beginning of the week and at 23:50 BST by the end of the week.
• Venus has brightened slightly to magnitude -4.2 as it moves closer to Earth and increases in apparent size. It now appears about 18 arcseconds across and is at a distance of 0.9 AU. Look to the west in the evening sky to spot the ‘evening star’.
• With the Waning Moon this week, darker skies allow fainter deep sky object hunting. This week’s challenge is the planetary Nebula M97, the Owl Nebula in Ursa Major. Located under the saucepan, close to the star Merak, it is a small and faint object at magnitude +9.8 and just 3.4 arcminutes in apparent size. You will need a telescope to spot the darker ‘eyes’ that give the nebulous remains of this exploded star its name.
• The Moon is Last Quarter on Friday.
• The Sun currently has 5 active regions and the sunspot number is 99.
• There are multiple visible evening ISS passes this week. Click this link to see full details on the heavens-above website: heavens-above-iss-passes. If you are not in Marlborough, please ensure that you set your location for the most accurate ISS timings.

Week of 1st May

• Astronomical twilight ends at 22:59 BST at the beginning of the week and at 23:20 BST by the end of the week.
• Venus (mag -4.1) continues to dominate our evening sky in the west. Its waxing gibbous phase should be clearly visible in a small telescope.
• The Eta Aquariid meteor shower peaks on Friday, but the Full Moon will drown out all but the very brightest meteors in visible wavelengths. Follow the Radio Meteor Detector live feed for your best chance to see a meteor. The parent body responsible for this shower is comet 1P/Halley.
• The Moon is Full on Friday – the Flower Moon.
• The Sun currently has 5 active regions and the sunspot number is 82.
• There are no visible evening ISS passes this week.

Week of 24th April

• Astronomical twilight ends at 22:37 BST at the beginning of the week and at 22:56 BST by the end of the week.
• Venus (mag -4.1) will be at its highest altitude in our evening sky on Friday. Just after sunset, at 20:30 BST, it will be 33° above the western horizon.
• This week’s Deep Sky Challenge is M104, a spectacular galaxy in the constellation of Virgo, the Sombrero Galaxy. It is a tough target to spot at mag +8 and is at quite a low altitude of only 26° when it culminates, but is well worth hunting down with a telescope. If you succeed, you will be viewing light that has taken 28 million years to reach you!
• The Moon is First Quarter on Thursday.
• The Sun currently has 6 active regions and the sunspot number is 87.
• There are no visible evening ISS passes this week.

Week of 17th April

• Astronomical twilight ends at 22:17 BST at the beginning of the week and at 22:34 BST by the end of the week.
• As bright Venus (-4.1) sets in the west through this week, the New Moon gives perfect dark skies to go galaxy hunting. A telescope will be needed to track down ‘faint fuzzies’ in Leo, Virgo and Coma Berenices such as M87 (+8.7) or M104 (+8.1). For an easier target, try M3 (+6.2), a beautiful globular cluster a little further east in Canes Venatici.
• There is a hybrid solar eclipse on Thursday, though it won’t be visible from Marlborough, only observers around Indonesia will be treated to this spectacle.
• The Lyrid meteor shower peaks on Saturday night, but it is not a particularly productive shower, with only around 18 meteors per hour expected. It is noteworthy as one of the oldest recorded meteor showers, featuring in ancient Chinese texts from around 2500 years ago. The shower’s progenitor is comet C/1861 G1 (Thatcher).
• The Moon is New on Thursday.
• The Sun currently has 8 active regions and the sunspot number is 151.
• There are no visible evening ISS passes this week.

Week of 10th April

• Astronomical twilight ends at 21:59 BST at the beginning of the week and at 22:15 BST by the end of the week.
• Mercury (mag -0.1) reaches Greatest Eastern Elongation on Tuesday, when it will be at its furthest separation from the Sun, appearing about 16° above the western horizon just after sunset.
• Venus (-4.1) will appear next to the Pleiades (M45) on Tuesday, separated by just 2° from the Open Cluster, neatly fitting into the field of view of a pair of low power binoculars.
• On Thursday, ESA’s JUICE mission is set to lift off from French Guiana at 12:15 UT. The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) will take 8 years to reach the Jupiter system, where it will visit Callisto and Europa before entering a permanent orbit around Ganymede.
• The Moon is Last Quarter on Thursday.
• The Sun currently has 2 active regions and the sunspot number is 52.
• There are no visible evening ISS passes this week.

Week of 3rd April

• Astronomical twilight ends at 21:43 BST at the beginning of the week and at 21:57 BST by the end of the week.
• Venus (mag -4.0) continues to dominate our early evening sky. It is at an altitude of about 29° above the western horizon just after sunset. A telescope will show Venus in its Gibbous phase.
• Observing highlights this week will be affected by the bright Moon, but more westerly open clusters such as M48 in Hydra and M44 in Cancer are still worth hunting down with binoculars or a telescope.
• The Moon is Full on Thursday – the Pink Moon.
• The Sun currently has 8 active regions and the sunspot number is 23.
• There is one visible evening ISS pass this week:
  Monday: 20:22 (-1.0) WSW, max 12°

Week of 27th March

• Astronomical twilight ends at 21:28 BST at the beginning of the week and at 21:41 BST by the end of the week.
• Venus (mag -4.0) is bright and conspicuous in the evening twilight towards the western horizon at an altitude of around 25°, climbing ever higher through the week. It is followed by Mercury (-1.0) much closer to the horizon at around 8° altitude.
• The Spring sky is dominated by the constellations of Leo and Virgo, home to a plethora of galaxies. Use a telescope to hunt down ‘faint fuzzies’ such as the Leo Triplet of galaxies and Messier 87, the giant elliptical galaxy Virgo A.
• The Moon is First Quarter on Wednesday.
• The Sun currently has 8 active regions and the sunspot number is 105.
• There are multiple visible evening ISS passes this week as follows:
  Monday: 21:06 (-3.6) W to SE, max 60°
  Tuesday: 20:17 (-3.7) W to ESE, max 75° & 21:54 (-1.9) W to SW, max 23°
  Wednesday: 21:06 (-2.6) W to SSE, max 34°
  Thursday: 20:18 (-3.0) W to SE, max 46° & 21:56 (-1.1) WSW to SW, max 12°
  Friday: 21:07 (-1.5) W to S, max 18°
  Saturday: 20:18 (-1.9) W to SSE, max 25°

Week of 20th March

• Astronomical twilight ends at 20:13 GMT at the beginning of the week and at 21:25 BST by the end of the week.
• The Vernal or Spring Equinox occurs at 21:24 on Monday, 20th March. This is when the Sun crosses the celestial equator, heading from south to north. Day and night length are roughly equal at this time and it marks the start of spring in the northern hemisphere.
• The dwarf planet, Ceres, reaches opposition on Tuesday. It will be hard to spot at mag +7.1 and apparent size of only 0.7 arcseconds, but with a telescope you should be able to identify Ceres in the constellation of Coma Berenices.
• Daylight Savings Time or British Summer Time (BST) starts on Sunday at 01:00 GMT – don’t forget to move your clocks forward one hour to become 02:00 BST!
• The Moon is New on Tuesday.
• The Sun currently has 3 active regions and the sunspot number is 35.
• There are multiple visible evening ISS passes this week as follows:
  Monday: 19:14 (-3.3) SW to E, max 44° & 20:50 (-2.4) W, max 38°
  Tuesday: 20:03 (-3.9) WSW to E, max 86° & 21:39 (-0.6) W, max 13°
  Wednesday: 19:15 (-3.8) WSW to E, max 73° & 20:52 (-2.7) W, max 45°
  Thursday: 20:04 (-3.8) W to E, max 84° & 21:41 (-0.7) W, max 14°
  Friday: 19:16 (-3.8) W to E, max 87° & 20:53 (-2.8) W, max 45°
  Saturday: 20:05 (-3.9) W to ESE, max 86° & 21:42 (-0.7) W, max 13°
  Sunday: 20:17 (-3.8) W to E, max 86° & 21:54 (-2.6) W to WSW, max 37°

Week of 13th March

• Astronomical twilight ends at 20:00 GMT at the beginning of the week and at 20:11 GMT by the end of the week.
• Venus (-4.0) is the brightest object in our evening sky this week. Look to the western horizon just after sunset. With binoculars or a small telescope you might be able to make out its gibbous phase.
• As the Moon wanes and the sky remains dark, this is the perfect time to hunt for deep sky objects. For example, open clusters abound in the south, with M36, M37 and M38 in Auriga, M35 in Gemini and M44 in Cancer all excellent targets for binoculars or telescope. You could even attempt the full Messier Marathon over the weekend!
• The Moon is Last Quarter on Wednesday.
• The Sun currently has 10 active regions and the sunspot number is 126.
• There are multiple visible evening ISS passes this week as follows:
  Thursday: 19:13 (-1.6) SSE to SE, max 11° & 20:47 (-0.9) SW to SW, max 11°
  Friday: 20:00 (-2.7) SW to S, max 30°
  Saturday: 19:12 (-2.4) SSW to ESE, max 23° & 20:48 (-1.9) WSW to WSW, max 26°
  Sunday: 20:00 (-3.7) WSW to ESE, max 58° & 21:37 (-0.5) W to W, max 10°

Week of 6th March

• Astronomical twilight ends at 19:47 GMT at the beginning of the week and at 19:58 GMT by the end of the week.
• Venus (-4.0) has now passed Jupiter (-2.1) and is the higher of the two conspicuous bright objects in the west around sunset. It will continue to rise higher and higher in our sky as it moves towards Greatest Eastern Elongation in June.
• The opportunity to observe Jupiter is coming to an end as it sinks further west and ever closer to the Sun. By the end of the month it will be too low to observe easily, so look now before it is too late for this apparition. The planet will be back again in the autumn.
• The Moon is Full on Tuesday – the Worm Moon.
• The Sun currently has 8 active regions and the sunspot number is 122.
• There are no visible evening ISS passes this week.

Week of 27th February

• Astronomical twilight ends at 19:34 GMT at the beginning of the week and at 19:45 GMT by the end of the week.
• Venus (-4.0) and Jupiter (-2.1) finally meet this week, coming to within about half a degree of each other on Wednesday night. Look around 25° above the southwestern horizon just after sunset to see this close approach.
• Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is now a faint and receding fuzzy patch to the west of Orion. It is about mag +9.0 and approaching 1 AU away from Earth.
• The Moon is First Quarter on Monday.
• The Sun currently has 6 active regions and the sunspot number is 129.
• There are no visible evening ISS passes this week.

Week of 20th February

• Astronomical twilight ends at 19:22 GMT at the beginning of the week and at 19:33 GMT by the end of the week.
• On Wednesday, the two day old Waxing Crescent Moon will appear between the planets Venus (-4.0) and Jupiter (-2.1). Look around 20° above the southwestern horizon just after sunset to see this beautiful alignment.
• The Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) show is all but over as the comet dims, currently at mag +8, moving away from Earth, now around 0.75 AU away. It received a sufficient energy boost as it passed the Sun to mean that its orbit has become ‘weakly hyperbolic’ and it is destined to escape the solar system, never to be seen close to Earth again.
• CPRE’s Star Count 2023 continues to run this week, ending on 24th February. Help to monitor levels of light pollution by counting the stars you can see in Orion – full details here: Star Count 2023
• The Moon is New on Monday.
• The Sun currently has 7 active regions and the sunspot number is 109.
• There are no visible evening ISS passes this week.

Week of 13th February

• Astronomical twilight ends at 19:11 GMT at the beginning of the week and at 19:21 GMT by the end of the week.
• Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is now passing through Taurus, heading towards Orion. It has dimmed to about mag +6.7. Take advantage of the waning Moon to spot the comet with binoculars in the darkness this week.
• Three planets are in our evening sky, from west to east: Venus (-3.9) sets at about 19:45 UT, Jupiter (-2.1) sets at around 21:20 UT and Mars (+0.1) transits at around 19:20 UT.
• Dark skies this week offer a great opportunity to explore Orion, with star birth in the Orion Nebula (M42), double star Alnitak, the easternmost star of Orion’s Belt, and a range of star colours in Betelgeuse, Rigel and Bellatrix.
• CPRE’s Star Count 2023 launches this week, running from 17-24 February. Help to monitor levels of light pollution by counting the stars you can see in Orion – full details here: Star Count 2023
• The Moon is Last Quarter on Monday.
• The Sun currently has 12 active regions and the sunspot number is 209.
• There are no visible evening ISS passes this week.

Week of 6th February

• Astronomical twilight ends at 18:59 GMT at the beginning of the week and at 19:09 GMT by the end of the week.
• Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) has passed perigee and is now heading away from Earth. It is decreasing in brightness, currently about mag +5.7. You will find the comet passing through Auriga into Taurus this week. The bright moonlight will hinder the view, so it will be easier to see later in the week, in the relative darkness before the Moon rises.
• Mars (-0.1) is high in our evening sky, though steadily decreasing in apparent size. Jupiter (-2.2) is sinking ever closer to the western horizon, setting at around 21:30 UT this week. Venus (-3.9) is the ‘evening star’ appearing close to the southwestern horizon around sunset.
• The Moon is Waning Gibbous all week.
• The Sun currently has four active regions and the sunspot number is 66.
• There are no visible evening ISS passes this week.

Week of 30th January

• Astronomical twilight ends at 18:48 GMT at the beginning of the week and at 18:58 GMT by the end of the week.
• Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) reaches perigee, its closest approach to Earth on Thursday, when it will be about 0.28 AU away or approximately 42,500,000 km. Travelling at around 57 km/s with respect to the Earth, it is climbing ever higher above our northern horizon, starting the week near Polaris and by the end of the week it will have just passed the zenith to appear near to Capella in Auriga. It has reached a reported brightness of about magnitude +5.5. It could be visible by naked eye, but the bright moonlight will hinder our view. Search for the comet in binoculars or a telescope.
• Mercury (-0.1) reaches Greatest Western Elongation on Monday, appearing a maximum of 10° above the southeastern horizon just before sunrise at 07:48 GMT. Take care of the rising Sun if looking for Mercury in binoculars or a telescope.
• The Moon is Full on Sunday – the Snow Moon.
• The Sun currently has six active regions and the sunspot number is 76.
• There are multiple visible evening ISS passes this week as follows:
  Monday: 17:29 (-3.7) W to ESE, max 86° & 19:06 (-2.4) W to S, max 33°
  Tuesday: 18:17 (-2.8) W to SE, max 46° & 19:55 (-0.6) WSW to SW, max 12°
  Wednesday: 17:28 (-3.2) W to ESE, max 61° & 19:06 (-1.2) W to S, max 18°
  Thursday: 18:17 (-1.6) W to SSE, max 25°
  Saturday: 18:17 (-0.7) WSW to SSW, max 13°

Week of 23rd January

• Astronomical twilight ends at 18:38 GMT at the beginning of the week and at 18:47 GMT by the end of the week.
• Look out for Venus (mag -3.9) around sunset; it is increasing in altitude and can be seen approaching 15° above the southwestern horizon at about 17:00 GMT by the end of the week. It sets by about 18:45 GMT.
• Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is now around mag +6 and increasing in brightness, but is quite difficult to spot in the thicker atmosphere close to the northern horizon. It climbs ever higher this week and by Friday will be at an altitude of about 40°; look just to the east of star Kochab in Ursa Minor, binoculars will help, but it could reach naked eye visibility.
• The Moon is First Quarter on Saturday.
• The Sun currently has ten active regions and the sunspot number is 194.
• There are multiple visible evening ISS passes this week as follows:
  Monday: 18:19 (-3.8) WSW to E, max 76° & 19:56 (-0.6) W, max 15°
  Tuesday: 17:30 (-3.5) WSW to E, max 61° & 19:07 (-3.0) W, max 52°
  Wednesday: 18:19 (-3.8) W to E, max 86° & 19:55 (-0.7) W, max 16°
  Thursday: 17:30 (-3.7) W to E, max 87° & 19:07 (-3.2) W, max 58°
  Friday: 18:18 (-3.8) W to E, max 87° & 19:55 (-0.8) W, max 17°
  Saturday: 17:30 (-3.8) W to E, max 84° & 19:06 (-3.2) W to SW, max 56°
  Sunday: 18:18 (-3.7) W to ESE, max 74° & 19:55 (-0.8) W to WSW, max 17°

Week of 16th January

• Astronomical twilight ends at 18:29 GMT at the beginning of the week and at 18:37 GMT by the end of the week.
• Mars (mag -0.6) and Jupiter (-2.3) continue to dominate our evening sky, but Jupiter is slipping ever further west and sets at around 22:30 GMT this week, so observe the planet while it is still well placed.
• Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is steadily brightening and is now about mag +6.6, close to naked eye visibility. It is low to the northern horizon in the evening, but should be easy to spot with binoculars, especially later in the night as it climbs in altitude.
• On Sunday, Venus (-3.9) and Saturn (+0.8) will appear just under half a degree apart from each other, easily fitting in the same field of view through binoculars or a telescope. Look close to the southwestern horizon just after sunset.
• The Moon is New on Saturday.
• The Sun currently has nine active regions and the sunspot number is 170.
• There are multiple visible evening ISS passes this week as follows:
  Tuesday: 18:21 (-1.4) S to SSE, max 13°
  Wednesday: 19:07 (-1.7) SW to SSW, max 22°
  Thursday: 18:19 (-2.5) SSW to SE, max 26° & 19:55 (-0.4) WSW to WSW max 12°
  Friday: 17:31 (-1.8) S to E, max 18° & 19:06 (-2.5) WSW to SW max 38°
  Saturday: 18:17 (-3.3) SW to ESE, max 47° & 19:54 (-0.5) W max 14°
  Sunday: 17:29 (-2.7) SW to E, max 34° & 19:05 (-2.9) W to WSW max 51°

Week of 9th January

• Astronomical twilight ends at 18:20 GMT at the beginning of the week and at 18:27 GMT by the end of the week.
• Lunar libration in latitude means that the southern polar region of the Moon is tilted favourably towards Earth, allowing a view of some craters that are not normally visible, such as Cabeus and Scott.
• Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) continues to climb higher in the northeastern sky at magnitude +7. It is currently in Corona Borealis and will move into Bootes as the week progresses. Look low to the horizon with binoculars in the late evening to try and spot the comet.
• The planets continue to cover our southern evening sky, with Venus (-3.9) visible close to the horizon in the west just after sunset, Saturn (+0.8) is now very low in the west and sets at 19:17, Jupiter (-2.3) dominates the western sky and Mars (-0.9) dominates the south. Mars appears to standstill on Thursday as its motion moves from retrograde to prograde, when it will appear to move eastwards again.
• The Moon is Last Quarter on Sunday.
• The Sun currently has five active regions: AR 3177, 3180, 3181, 3182 & 3183. The sunspot number is 104.
• There are no visible evening ISS passes this week.

Week of 2nd January

• Astronomical twilight ends at 18:13 GMT at the beginning of the week and at 18:19 GMT by the end of the week.
• The Quadrantid Meteor Shower peaks in the early hours of Wednesday morning. It is one of the more spectacular showers of the year and can produce over 100 meteors per hour. However, this year the nearly Full Moon will block out all but the brightest. The shower’s parent body is asteroid 2003 EH1.
• Earth reaches perihelion at 16:17 GMT on Wednesday, when it will be at its closest point to the Sun in its orbit at just 0.9833 AU away. What little Sun we see that day will be the largest in the sky of the year, but only by about 3%!
• Look out for comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF), which reaches perihelion on Thursday. It is currently about mag +8.0 in the constellation of Corona Borealis, visible in binoculars in the northeast from about 01:00 GMT. It could brighten as an evening object as it heads north through January and into February.
• The Moon is Full on Friday – the Wolf Moon. As the Moon will also be at apogee, its furthest orbital point from Earth, it will be the opposite of a ‘Supermoon’, a ‘Micromoon’.
• The Sun currently has five active regions: AR 3173, 3176, 3177, 3179 & 3180. The sunspot number is 82.
• There are no visible evening ISS passes this week.

Week of 26th December

• Astronomical twilight ends at 18:07 GMT at the beginning of the week and at 18:12 GMT by the end of the week.
• Mercury (mag -0.1) will be at its highest point above our horizon on Monday evening, when it will reach an altitude of 9°. Look just after sunset in the southwest, where you will also find Venus (-3.9).
• Catch Saturn (+0.8) before it is too late… the planet is ever lower to the western horizon in the early evening, setting at around 20:00 GMT. By the end of January it will no longer be visible in our evening sky.
• Jupiter (-2.4) is still well placed in the early evening, setting at around 23:40 GMT and Mars (-1.3) is increasing in altitude, though dropping in apparent size (now about 15 arcseconds) following its opposition.
• On Sunday, the Waxing Gibbous Moon will graze the planet Uranus (+5.7). Look between about 22:00 and 23:30 GMT to see the celestial alignment. From more northerly latitudes, the event will be an occultation.
• The Moon is First Quarter on Friday.
• The Sun currently has six active regions: AR 3168, 3169, 3171, 3172, 3173 & 3175. The sunspot number is 107.
• There are no visible evening ISS passes this week.

Week of 19th December

• Astronomical twilight ends at 18:03 GMT at the beginning of the week and at 18:07 GMT by the end of the week.
• Mercury (mag -0.5) reaches Greatest Eastern Elongation on Wednesday, when it will be at its largest separation from the Sun in our sky. Look low in the south west just after sunset to spot the planet. Venus (-3.9) will be also visible, about 5° further west and closer to the horizon as it climbs higher in our evening sky over the coming weeks.
• The Winter Solstice is on Wednesday, when the Sun will reach its most southerly point in the sky at a declination of -23.5°, appearing at a maximum altitude of just 15.5° at noon here in Marlborough. This is the shortest day of the year, with just under 8 hours of sunlight in the 24 hour day. Christmas borrows this date from the pagan mid-winter festival, though obviously falls a few days later on the 25th December. Happy Solstice / Christmas to you all!
• The Ursid meteor shower peaks on Thursday. It is a relatively quiet shower, with a peak ZHR of just 10 meteors. It is caused by debris from comet 8P/Tuttle
• The Moon is New on Friday.
• The Sun currently has nine active regions: AR 3160, 3162, 3163, 3165, 3166, 3167, 3168, 3169 & 3170. The sunspot number is 139.
• There are no visible evening ISS passes this week.

Week of 12th December

• Astronomical twilight ends at 18:02 GMT at the beginning of the week and at 18:03 GMT by the end of the week.
• The Geminid meteor shower runs from the 4th to 17th December, with its peak around 13:00 GMT on Wednesday. The shower is caused by debris deposited by asteroid 3200 Phaethon. It is one of the finest meteor showers of the year, with a Zenithal Hourly Rate of around 80-100 meteors. The Waning Gibbous Moon means the best observing prospects are before midnight on Tuesday and Wednesday.
• The planets are wonderful evening objects with Saturn (mag +0.8) furthest west, followed by Jupiter (-2.5) in the south and Mars (-1.7) in the east. Neptune (+7.9) is just to the west of Jupiter and Uranus (+5.7) is about half way between Jupiter and Mars. Get out your binoculars or a telescope and try to find all five.
• The Moon is Last Quarter on Friday.
• The Sun currently has seven active regions: AR 3153, 3156, 3157, 3158, 3160, 3161 & 3162. The sunspot number is 111.
• There are no visible evening ISS passes this week.

Week of 5th December

• Astronomical twilight ends at 18:02 GMT at the beginning of the week and at 18:02 GMT by the end of the week.
• There are two lunar occultations this week, the first is on Monday afternoon when Uranus (mag +5.7) will disappear behind the Moon at 16:46 UT and reappear at 17:18 UT. The second is on Thursday morning at 04:57 UT when Mars (-1.9) will be occulted by the Moon, reappearing at 05:59 UT.
• Mars (-1.9) reaches opposition on Thursday, the point in its orbit when it will appear directly opposite the Sun from Earth. This is the best time to observe the planet as it appears at its brightest and largest in our sky. Its close proximity to Earth also makes this the ideal time to travel to Mars! It won’t be at opposition again until January 2027.
• The Moon is Full on Thursday – the Cold Moon.
• The Sun currently has five active regions: AR 3153, 3154, 3155, 3156 & 3157. The sunspot number is 68.
• There are visible evening ISS passes this week as follows:
  Monday 5th: 16:50 (-2.7) W to SE, max 47° & 18:28 (-0.7) WSW to SSW, max 13°
  Tuesday 6th: 17:39 (-0.9) W to S, max 18°
  Wednesday 7th: 16:50 (-1.4) W to SSE, max 26°
  Friday 9th: 16:51 (-0.4) WSW to SSW, max 13°