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).
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