Week of 26th December
- Astronomical Twilight ends at 18.08 UT at the start of the week and at 18.13 UT at the end
- The Moon will be New on Thursday and will then wax to First Quarter next week. Jupiter domninates the pre dawn sky with the decrescent Moon
- The Sun is blank
- The ISS makes no passes this week
- There are no bright evening Iridium flares this week
Week of 19th December
- Astronomical Twilight ends at 18.04 UT at the start of the week and at 18.08 UT at the end. The Winter Solstice is on Wednesday, when the Sun rises and sets at its southerly extrems on the horizon, only reaching 15.5 degrees altitude at midday due South
- The Moon will be Last Quarter on Wednesday and will then wane to New next week
- The Sun is inactive with one tiny sunspot group
- The ISS makes one evening pass this week on Wedmesday at 17.01.32 from WSW to S reaching 14 degrees altitude
- There is one superbright evening Iridium flare this week on Christmas Eve at 17.54.37, 53 degrees altitude in ESE
Week of 5th December
- Astronomical Twilight ends at 18.02 UT at the start of the week and at 18.02 UT at the end. We are approaching the Winter Solstice
- The Moon will be First Quarter on Tuesday and will then wax to Full (Solstice Moon) at the start of next week
- Venus continues to dominate the evening twilight sky in the SW and familar Orion rises in the ESE mid evening, with bright red Betelgeuse at the top left ‘shouler’
- The Sun has 4 sunspot groups and 2615 is active
- The ISS makes good evening passes: Monday at 18.00.39 from SW to SE reaching 49 degrees. Tuesday 17.08.58 SW to E reaching 34 degrees and 18.45.00 W to W to 33 degrees. Wednesday 17.53.03 WSW to E to 73 degrees and 19.29.33 W to W to 11 degrees. Thursday 17.01.09 WSW to E to 55 degrees and 18.37.32 W to W to 39 degrees. Friday 17.45.31 W to W to 89 degrees and 19.22.03 W to W to 13 degrees. Saturday 16.53.31 WSW to E to 79 degrees and 18.30.01 W to W to 49 degrees and Sunday at 17.38.00 W to E to 84 degrees and 19.14.31 W to w to 16 degrees
- There are no bright evening Iridium flares this week
Week of 28th 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 New on Tuesday and will then wax to First Quarter at the start of next week
- The Sun has 1 sunspot group but is innactive
- The ISS returns from Thursday making eveningpasses: Thursday at 18.16.42 from S to S reaching 14 degrees. Friday 17.26.25 from SSE to SE reaching 11 degrees and 18.59.58 from SW to SW to 15 degrees. Saturday at 18.08.22 from SSW to SSE to 29 degrees and Sunday at 17.17.02 from SSW to ESE reaching 20 degrees and 18.52.20 from WSW to WSW to 25 degrees
- There are no bright evening Iridium flares this week
Week of 21st November
- Astronomical Twilight ends at 18.09 UT at the start of the week and at 18.05 UT at the end
- The Moon is waning and will be New at the start of next week (Frost Moon) on 14th and will then wane to Last Quarter at the start of next week
- The Sun has 2 sunspot groups but is very innactive
- There are no evening ISS passes this week
- There is one bright evening Iridium flares this week on Saturday at 18.23.11 at 43 degrees altitude in NNE
Week of 14th November
- Astronomical Twilight ends at 18.15 UT at the start of the week and at 18.09 UT at the end
- The Moon is Full (Frost Moon) on 14th and will then wane to Last Quarter at the start of next week. The Moon will be at its closest point to Earth in its elliptical orbit (Perigee) and will thus be a ‘supermoon’. It has not been so close (and hence apparently large diameter (14% larger than at Apogee, its furthest) and thus brighter (30%)) since 1948 and won’t be closer till November 2034!Of course no telescope is required (in fact, without filters, it could be damaging for the eyes)
- The Leonid meteor shower peaks on Thursday. This year the bright Moon will interfere with sighting. Only 15-20 meteors are expected an hour. The next storm quality Leonids is not expected till 2033
- Sirius dominates the pre-dawn sky in the West and Jupiter in the East
- The Sun has 3 sunspot groups but is very innactive
- There are no evening ISS passes this week
<li<>There are 3 bright early evening Iridium flares this week on Tuesday at 17.25.30 at 62 degrees altitude in NE. Thursday at 16.36.44 at 24 degrees in W and a superbright flare on Friday at 17.07.07 at 66 degrees altitude in NE</li<>
Week of 7th November
- Astronomical Twilight ends at 18.24 UT at the start of the week and at 18.16 UT at the end
- The Moon is waxing to Full (Frost Moon) on 14th. The Moon will be at its closest point to Earth in its elliptical orbit (Perigee) and will thus be a ‘supermoon’. It has not been so close (and hence apparently large diameter (14% laregr than average) and brighter (30%)) since 1948 and won’t be closer till November 2034!Of course no telescope is required (in fact, without filters, it could be damaging for the eyes)
- The Sun has 2 sunspot groups but is very innactive
- There are no evening ISS passes this week
- There is one bright early evening Iridium flare this week on Friday at 16.39.51, 21 degrees altitude in SW
Week of 24th October
- Astronomical Twilight ends at 19.46 BST at the start of the week and at 18.34 UT at the end. The clocks go back one hour to UT (GMT) in the early morning of Sunday 30th
- The Moon is waning to New on Sunday
- The Sun has 2 sunspot groups, neither of which is currently active
- There are no evening ISS passes this week
- There are two bright evening Iridium flares this week on Tuesday at 17.52.55 at 18 degrees altitude in W and Saturday at 18.20.43 at 39 degrees altitude in SSW
Week of 17th October
- Astronomical Twilight ends at 20.00 BST at the start of the week and at 20.02 BST at the end
- The Moon is waning to Last Quarter on Saturday
- The Orionid meteor shower (debris from Halley’s comet) peaks over 21st to 24th, possibly best on 22nd.The Moon is particularly favourable. Due to the lack of Moon more may be visible though rates are unlikely to reach more than 20 an hour
- The Sun has 3 sunspot groups, none of which is currently active
- The ISS makes its last passes: Monday 19.02.32 W to SSE reaching 27 degrees and Wednesday 18.54.46 WSW to S to 16 degrees<br.
</br. - There is one bright evening Iridium flare this week on Wednesday at 19.02.36 at 49 degrees altitude in S
Week of 10th October
- Astronomical Twilight ends at 20.14 BST at the start of the week and at 20.02 BST at the end
- The Moon is waxing to Full (Hunter Moon) on Sunday
- The Sun has 3 sunspot groups, none of which is currenlty active, though 2599 is large
- The ISS continues to make good passes this week: Monday at 20.19.02 W to S reaching 75 degrees altitude. Tuesday 19.26.49 W to E to 89 degrees and 21.03.23 W to W to 22 degrees. Wednesday 20.11.06 W to S to 51 degrees. Thursday 19.18.52 W to ESE to 69 degrees and 20.55.41 W to WSW to 18 degrees. Friday 20.03.13 W to S to 31 degrees. Saturday 19.10.52 W to SE to 45 degrees and 20.48.41 WSW to SW to 12 degrees and Sunday 19.55.32 W to S to 18 degrees
- There are no bright evening Iridium flares this week
Week of 3rd October
- Astronomical Twilight ends at 20.30 BST at the start of the week and at 20.17 BST at the end
- The Moon is waxing to First Quarter on Sunday
- The Sun is blank with no sunspot groups
- The ISS makes good passes this week: Monday at 19.58.28 SW to E reaching 45 degrees and 21.34.43 W to W to 16 degrees. Tuesday 20.42.33 WSW to WSW to 69 degrees. Wednesday 19.50.24 WSW to E reaching 69 degrees and 21.26.51 W to W to 20 degrees. Thursday 20.34.39 W to NW to 80 degrees. Friday 19.42.25 W to E to 89 degrees and 21.18.56 W to W to 22 degrees. Saturday 20.26.42 W to NNW to 87 degrees and Sunday 19.34.27 W to E to 84 degrees and 21.10.57 W to W to 23 degrees
- There are two bright evening Iridium flares this week on Monday at 18.36.01 at 52 degrees altitude in SSW and Friday at 19.56.35 at 55 degrees in SE
Week of 26th September
- Astronomical Twilight ends at 20.47 BST at the start of the week and at 20.35 BST at the end
- The Moon is waning to New on Saturday
- The Sun has 3 sunspot groups. 2597 is growing. Auroral activity is high as usual near the Equinox, but only at high latitudes
- The ISS returns at the end of the week: Thursday 20.15.30 from S to SSE reaching 14 degrees. Friday 20.58.24 from SW to SSW reaching 20 degrees. Saturday 20.06.40 fro SSW to SE reaching 27 degrees and 21.42.26 WSW to WSW to 11 degrees and Sunday 19.15.13 from S to E to 18 degrees and 20.50.22 WSW to SW to 43 degrees
- There is one superbright evening Iridium flares this week on Saturday at 20.23.20 at 55 degrees altitude in ESE
Week of 19th September
- The Autumnal Equinox is on Thursday. The Sun rises due East and sets due West
- Astronomical Twilight ends at 21.05 BST at the start of the week and at 20.47 BST at the end
- The Moon is waning to Last Quarter on Friday
- The Sun has 1 sunspot groups. There is no activity at the moment
- The ISS makes no evening passes this week
- There are three bright evening Iridium flares this week on Monday at 21.17.37 at 47 degrees altitude in E. Tuesday ay 19.35.56 at 64 degrees in SSE and Wednesday at 19.30.09 at 63 degrees in SSE
Week of 12th September
- Astronomical Twilight ends at 21.24 BST at the start of the week and at 21.24 BST at the end
- The Moon is wanxing to First Quarter on Friday
- The Sun has 3 sunspot groups. None is active at the moment but 2585 is larger and growing
- The ISS makes no evening passes this week
- There is one bright evening Iridium flare this week on Tuesday at 20.42.06 at 64 degrees altitude in ESE
Week of 5th September
- Astronomical Twilight ends at 21.24 BST at the start of the week and at 21.24 BST at the end
- The Moon is wanxing to First Quarter on Friday
- The Sun has 3 sunspot groups. None is active at the moment but 2585 is larger and growing
- The ISS makes no evening passes this week
- There is one bright evening Iridium flare this week on Tuesday at 20.42.06 at 64 degrees altitude in ESE
Week of 29th August
- Astronomical Twilight ends at 22.05 BST at the start of the week and at 21.44 BST at the end
- The Moon is waning to New on Thursday
- The Sun has four sunspot groups. None is active at the moment
- The ISS makes no evening passes this week
- There is one bright evening Iridium flare this week on Saturday at 22.26.02 at 32 degrees altitude in NE
Week of 22nd August
- Astronomical Twilight ends at 23.27 BST at the start of the week and at 22.08 BST at the end
- The Moon is Last Quarter on Wednesday
- Jupiter and Venus are in Conjunction and very close on Friday but only visible in the western twilight just befoe they set around 7.45pm. By 9pm Saturn, Mars and Antares are also in close conjunction in South
- The Sun has three sunspot groups. None is active at the moment
- The ISS makes no evening passes this week
- There are two bright evening Iridium flares this week on Tuesday at 23.03.21 at 17 degrees altitude in NNE and Wednesday at 21.36.14 at 54 degrees in ENE
Week of 15th August
- CEB on Queen Mary 2 mid-Atlantic
Week of 8th August
- Astronomical Twilight ends at 23.14 BST at the start of the week and at 22.53 BST at the end
- The Moon is First Quarter on Wednesday and will wax to Full next week
- .The famous Perseids meteor shower (Tears of St Lawrence) peaks at noon (BST) on 12th, but already some early Perseids may be seen. A larger than normal peak is predicted. It is worth observing on Thursday night as well. Look North East after sunset and towards Cassiopeia. The Moon will be rather bright till after midnight. The early hours of Friday morning could be best
- There are 5 naked-eye planets visible: Venus, Mercury and Julpiter low in the WNW twighlight just after sunset and Saturn and Mars low in the South. On Thursday The Moon, Saturn, Mats and Antares form a tight parallelogram
- The Sun has two sunspot groups. Neither is active at the moment
- The ISS makes last passes this week: Monday 21.40.41 W to ESE reaching 64 degrees altitude and 23.17.34 W to SW to 18 degrees. Tuesday 22.24.17 W to S to 28 degrees. Wednesday 21.31.10 W to SE to 42 degrees and 23.09.26 SW to SW to 10 degrees. Thursday 22.15.08 W to S to 17 degrees. Friday 21.21.45 W to SSE to 25 degrees and Sunday 21.12.41 WSW to S to 15 degrees
- There are two bright evening Iridium flares this week on Monday at 22.50.30 at 32 degrees altitude in NE and Friday at 22.35.59 at 38 degrees in NE
Week of 1st August
- Astronomical Twilight ends at 23.41 BST at the start of the week and at 23.18 BST at the end
- The Moon is New on Tuesday and will then wax to First Quarter next week
- Monday is the mid-Summer Cross-Quarter day, half-way between the Solstice and the Equinox. This is the Feast of Lughnasa
- The famous Persieds meteor shower peaks on 12th, but already some early Persieds may be seen. Look North East after sunset and towards Cassiopeia. The Sun is almost blank again
- The ISS make excellent evening passes: Monday 23.02.10 W to E reaching 84 degrees. Tuesday 22.09.12 W to E to 87 degrees and 23.45.40 W to SSW to 74 degrees. Wednesday 22.52.43 W to E to 89 degrees. Thursday 21.59.44 W to E to 84 degrees and 23.36.12 W to SW to 47 degrees. Friday 22.43.13 W to ESE to 69 degrees. Saturday 21.50.16 W to ESE to 85 degrees and 23.26.48 W to SW to 29 degrees and Sunday 22.33.45 W to SSE to 46 degrees
- There is one bright evening Iridium flares this week on Wednesday at 23.10.57 at 25 degrees altitude in NE
Week of 25th July
- Astronomical Twilight ends at 00.14 BST at the start of the week and at 00.45 BST at the end
- The Moon is waning and will be Last Quarter on Tuesday
- The Sun is almost blank again
- The ISS returns with evening passes: Tuesday 21.56.24 S to ESE reaching 13 degrees and 23.30.42 SW to E to 49 degrees. Wednesday 22.38.03 SW to E to 34 degrees. Thursday 21.45.38 SSW to E to 23 degrees and 23.21.06 WSW to E to 73 degrees. Friday 22.28.16 WSW to E to 54 degrees . Saturday 21.35.34 SW to E to 38 degrees and Sunday 22.18.42 WSW to E to 78 degrees and 23.55.09 W to E to 89 degrees
- There are no bright evening Iridium flares this week
Week of 18th July
- With lengthening nights Astronomical Twilight ends on Thursday at 00.52 and by the end of the week at 00.20 and we get brief period (30 minutes) of ‘true’ darkness
- The Moon is Full on Tuesday (Thunder Moon) and will then wane to Last Quarter at the start of next week
- The Sun has 3 large sunspot groups, 2567 is active
- The ISS returns with evening passes next week
- There are no bright evening Iridium flares this week
Week of 11th July
- The Moon is waxing and will be First Quarter on Tuesday
- The Sun has 4 spot groups, none of which is active
- The ISS makes no evening passes this week
- Thereare two superbright evening Iridium flare this week on Thursday at 23.08.58 at 30 degrees altitude in NNE and Saturday at 21.22.18 at 66 degrees in ENE
Week of 27th June
- The Moon is Last Quarter on Monday and will wane to New at the start of next week
- 3 naked-eye planets are visible in the evening sky after sunset with Jupiter appearing brght yellow in the West in Leo and Mars bright redish in SSE in Libra. Saturn is yellow and a little dimmer and to the East of Mars in Ophiucus. Below Mars, closer to the horizon is red Antares (in Scorpio). Arcturus is high in SW and if you follow the arc from the handle of the ‘saucepan’ down you reach blue Spica (alpha Virgo)
- The Sun is still blank after 4 days and activity is very low
- The ISS makes no evening passes this week
- There is one superbright evening Iridium flare this week on Monday at 21.48.58 at 38 degrees altitude in NE
Week of 20th June
- The Summer Solstice occurs on 20th and the Sun rises at 4.45am at the furthest North point on the Eastern horizon in the year. At noon shadows will be the shortest for your location with the Sun culminating at its highest altitude (62.5 degrees in Marlborough)
- The Moon is Full on the Solstice (Strawberry Moon) and will then wane
,li>3 naked-eye planets are visible in the evening sky after sunset with Jupiter appearing brght yellow in the West in Leo and Mars bright redish in SSE in Libra. Saturn is yellow and a little dimmer and to the East of Mars in Ophiucus. Below Mars , closer to the horizon is red Antares (in Scorpio). Arcturus is high in SW and if you follow the arc from the handle of the ‘saucepan’ down you reach blue Spica (alpha Virgo)
- The Sun has 4 spot groups, none of which is active
- The Noctilucent Cloud (NLC) season has started. Look West 30 to 60 minutes after sunset. These electric blue wispy ‘clouds’ are seeded by meteorites and occur at 80km altitude
- The ISS makes no evening passes this week
- There is one superbright evening Iridium flare this week on Monday at 21.37.53 at 61 degrees altitude in NE
Week of 12th June
- The Moon is waxing to Full at the start of next week
- The Sun has 3 spot groups, none of which is active
- The Noctilucent Cloud (NLC) season has started. Look West 30 to 60 minutes after sunset. These electric blue wispy ‘clouds’ are seeded by meteorites and occur at 80km altitude
- The ISS makes its last evening pass for a while on Monday 22.10.35 WSW to SSW reaching 12 degrees altitude
- There is one bright evening Iridium flare this week on Saturday at 23.23.53 at 23 degrees altitude in NNE
Week of 6th June
- The Moon is waxing to First Quarter next Sunday
- Solar Minimum is on the way. The Sun has had a second day completely blank and devoid of sunspots
- The Noctilucent Cloud (NLC) season has started. Look West 30 to 60 minutes after sunset. These electric blue whispy ‘clouds’ are seeded by meteorites and occur at 80km altitude
- The ISS makes its last evening passes for a while this week: Monday 23.28.28 W to SSE reaching 39 degrees altitude. Tuesday 22.35.36 W to ESE to 56 degrees. Wednesday 23.19.28 W to S to 23 degrees. Thursday 22.26.27 W to SE to 35 degrees. Friday 23.10.55 WSW to SSW to 13 degres and Saturday 22.17.28 W to SSE to 21 degrees
- There is one bright evening Iridium flare this week on Wednesday at 22.31.42 at 43 degrees altitude in NE
Week of 30th May
- The Moon is waning to New next Sunday
- The Sun has 2 sunspot groups neither of which is active
- The Noctilucent Cloud (NLC) season has started. Look West 30 to 60 minutes after sunset. These electric blue whispy ‘clouds’ are seeded by meteorites and occur at 80km altitude
- The ISS makes good evening passes this week every evening as follows: Monday at 23.12.12 from WSW to E reaching 84 degrees altitude. 22.19.28 WSW to E to 68 degrees and 23.55.53 W to E to 85 degrees. Wednesday 23.03.06 W to E to 85 degrees. Thursday 22.10.19 W to E to 88 degrees and 23.46.48 W toESE to 83 degrees. Friday 22.54.00 W to E to 86 degrees. Saturday at 22.01.12 W to E to 61 degrees and 23.37.41 W ti SE to 61 degrees and Sunday 22.44.53 W to ESE to 79 degrees
- There is one bright evening Iridium flare this week on Monday at 23.00.02 at 11 degrees in WNW
Week of 23rd May
- There is no Astronomical darkness till 20th July
- The Moon is waning to Last Quarter on Saturday
- The Sun has 2 sunspot groups neither of which is active
- The ISS makes evening passes this weekas follows: Thursday at 23.30.40 SW to E reaching 40 degrees. Friday 22.38.18 SSW to E to 27 degrees. Saturday at 23.21.19 WSW to E to 62 degrees and Sunday 22.28.43 W to E to 44 degrees
- There are 4 bright evening Iridium flares this week on Thursday at 21.47.32 at 56 degrees altitude in NE. Friday 22.17.26 at 11 degrees in NNW and 22.49.53 at 17 degrees in WNW and 23.15.33 at 23 degrees in NNE
Week of 16th May
- Astronomical twilight ends at 00.03 BST at the start of the week and at 00.42 BST on Saturday, after which there is no astronomical darkness till 20th July
- The Moon is waxing to Full (Flower Moon) on Saturday
- The Sun has 4 sunspot groups none of which is active
- The ISS makes no evening passes this week
- There are 4 bright evening Iridium flares this week on Monday at 22.29.18 at 40 degrees altitude in NE. Wednesday at 23.06.49 at 28 degrees in W and Saturday at 22.08.28 at 47 degrees in NE and 22.58.03 at 25 degrees in W
Week of 9th May
- Astronomical twilight ends at 23.31 BST at the start of the week and at 23.58 BST at the end
- The Moon is waxing to First Quarter on Friday
- The Sun has 3 sunspot groups none of which is active
- Mercury will make its first of the pair of Transits this decade on Monday. The Transit starts at 12.12 BST and ends at 19.42 BST. Mid Transit is 15.57 BST. The observatory will be open throughout weather permitting. Next Transit is November 11th 2019
- The ISS makes no evening passes this week
- There is one superbright evening Iridium flares this week on Wednesday at 22.44.05 at 34 degrees altitude in NE
Week of 2nd May
- Astronomical twilight ends at 23.04 BST at the start of the week and at 23.31 BST at the end
- The Moon is waning to New on Friday
- The Sun is peppered with 6 sunspot groups, none of which is active
- Mercury is moving towards its first of the pair of Transits this decade next Monday. The Transit starts at 12.12 and ends at 19.42. Mid Transit is 15.57. The observatory will be open throughout weather permitting. Next Transit is November 11th 2019
- The ISS makes no evening passes this week
- There are 4 bright evening Iridium flares this week on Monday at 23.17.21 at 13 degrees altitude in WNW. Tuesday at 23.09.39 at 18 degrees altitude in NNE and 23.20.47 at 11 degrees in WNW and Wednesday at 22.05.53 at 12 degrees altitude in N
Week of 25th April
- Astronomical twilight ends at 22.42 BST at the start of the week and at 23.04 BST at the end
- The Moon is waning to Last Quarter on Saturday<br.
</br. - Next Sunday is the Pagan festival of Beltane. Half-way between the Vernal Equinox and the Summer Solstice and marks mid-Spring
- The Sun has one inactive spot group
- Mercury is now in its Decrescent phase, reaching inferior conjunction (and Transit)on 9th May<br.
</br. - The ISS makes no evening passes this week
- There is one bright evening Iridium flare this week on Friday at 23.16.44 at 17 degrees altitude in W
Week of 18th April
- Astronomical twilight ends at 22.22 BST at the start of the week and at 22.42 BST at the end
- The Moon is waxing to Full (Grass Moon) on Friday
- The Sun has three spot groups and 2529 is active
- Jupiter dominates the evening sky still and is close to the Moon at the start of the week
- The ISS makes no evening passes this week
- There is one bright evening Iridium flare this week on Thursday at 23.36.57 at 22 degrees altitude in WSW
Week of 11th April
- Astronomical twilight ends at 22.03 BST at the start of the week and at 22.22 BST at the end
- The Moon is waxing to First Quarter on Thursday
- The Sun has one large Neptune sized spot 2529 so far its magnetic field is simple and so the activity is low. The number of spots is declining even more rapidly than normal as we head towards the next Solar minimum. The current Cycle 24 has been one of the weakest for over a century and bears resemblance to Cycle 5 which led to the Dalton miminum at the start of the 19th Century. With the demise in Solar activity the Cosmic Ray flux is rising noticeably
- The ISS makes its last passes this week: Monday 20.29.21 W to ESE reaching 85 degrees and 22.05.55 W to SSW to 31 degrees. Tuesday 21.12.55 W to SE to 45 degrees. Wednesday 21.56.42 W to SSW to 18 degrees. Thursday 21.03.08 W to SSE to 28 degrees. Friday 21.47.59 SW to SW to 10 degrees and Saturday 20.52.55 W to S to 17 degrees
- There are no bright evening Iridium flares this week
Week of 4th April
- Astronomical twilight ends at 21.47 BST at the start of the week and at 22.01 BST at the end
- The Moon is New on Thursday and will then wax to First Quarter next week
- The Sun has just 1 spot group. The number of spots is declining even more rapidly than normal as we head towards the next Solar minimum. The current Cycle 24 has been one of the weakest for over a centrury and bears resemblance to Cycle 5 which led to the Dalton miminum at the start of the 19th Century. Whether lower global temperatures will result will remain to be seen. With the demise in Solar activity the Cosmic Ray flux is rising noticeably
- The ISS makesgood passes this week: Monday 21.47.37 W to E reaching 89 degrees. Tuesday 20.55.12 WSW to E to 77 degrees and 22.31.40 W to W to 35 degrees. Wednesday 21.39.13 W to E to 84 degrees and 23.15.42 W to W to 12 degrees. Thursday 20.46.45 W to E to 87 degrees and 22.23.14 W to W to 46 degrees. Friday 21.30.47 W to E to 88 degrees and 23.07.19 W to W to 14 degrees. Saturday 20.38.18 W to E to 84 degrees and 22.14.48 W to SW to 45 degrees and Sunday 21.22.18 W to ESE to 68 degrees and 22.59.07 W to WSW to 13 degrees
- There is one bright evening Iridium flare this week on Monday at 20.02.36 at 46 degrees altitude in N
Week of 28th March
- Astronomical twilight ends at 21.31 BST at the start of the week and at 21.47 BST at the end
- The Moon is Last Quarter on Wednesday and then continues to wane
- The Sun has 2 spot groups, neither of which is active
- The ISS makes new passes this week: Wednesday at 21.21.34 from SSW toS reaching 11 degrees. Thursday 20.30.22 from SSE to SE to 12 degrees and 22.04.34 SW to SW to 15 degrees. Friday 21.12.27 SW to SE to 33 degrees and 22.48.25 W to W to 10 degrees. Saturday 20.20.35 SSW to E to 22 degreesand 21.56.03 WSW to SW to 53 degrees and Sunday 21.03.44 WSW toE to 53 degrees and 22.40.05 W to W to 22 degrees
- There are no bright evening Iridium flares this week
Week of 21st March
- Astronomical twilight ends at 20.16 UT at the start of the week and at 20.29 UT at the end. The Sun will now rise and set progressively further north on the horizon
- The Moon is Full (Pascal Moon)on Wednesday> Since this is fter the Vernal Equinox, next Sunday is Easter Day
- The Sun has 2 small spot groups, none of which is active
- There are no evening ISS passes this week
- There are two bright evening Iridium flares this week: Monday at 20.20.22 at 22 degrees altitude in N and Wednesday at 20.07.44 at 26 degrees in N
Week of 14th March
- Astronomical twilight ends at 20.03 UT at the start of the week and at 20.16 UT at the end. Next Sunday (20th) this year is the Vernal Equinox (4.30pm). The Sun will rise due East in the morning and set due West
- The Moon is First Quarter on Tuesday and will then wax to Full next week
- The Sun has 4 small spot groups, none of which is active
- Jupiter is now dominating the evening sky in the SE just below the Sphinx shaped constelltion of Leo
- There are no evening ISS passes this week
- There are no bright evening Iridium flares this week
Week of 29th February
- Astronomical twilight ends at 19.37 UT at the start of the week and at 19.4 UT at the end
- The Moon is Last Quarter on Monday and will then wane to new next week
- The Spring marker Arcturus can now be seen rising bright orange in the East after sunset
- The Sun has 2 spot groups, neither of which is active. The Sun is very quiet at the moment
- A 30m asteroid 2013 TX68 will make a close pass (less than 17000km) to Earth on March 5th
- There are no evening ISS passes this week
- There are no bright evening Iridium flares this week
Week of 22nd February
- Astronomical twilight ends at 19.25 UT at the start of the week and at 19.37 UT at the end
- The Moon is Full (Snow Moon) on Moday and will then wane
- On Tuesday there is a conjunction between the Moon and Jupiter below the constellation of Leo
- The Spring marker Arcturus can now be seen rising bright orange in the East after sunset
- The Sun has 3 spot groups, none of which is active
- A 30m asteroid 2013 TX68 will make a close pass (less than 17000km) to Earth on March 5th
- There are no evening ISS passes this week
- There are two superbright evening Iridium flares this week: Thursday at 20.21.46 at 15 degrees altitude in N and on Friday one of the brightest possible at 18.08.32 at 63 degrees in NNE
Week of 15th February
- Astronomical twilight ends at 19.13 UT at the start of the week and at 19.25 UT at the end
- The Moon is First Quarter on Monday and will then wax to Full next week
- The Sun has 2 spot groups, 2497 is currently active
- A 30m asteroid 2013 TX68 will make a close pass (less than 17000km) to Earth on March 5th
- The ISS (with Tim Peake on board) makes last evening passes this week: Monday at 17.52.51 W to ESE reaching 83 degrees and 19.29.27 W to SSW to 29 degrees. Tuesday 18.36.30 W to SE to 42 degrees and 20.14.38 WSW to SW to 10 degrees. Wednesday at 19.20.36 W to S to 17 degrees. Thursday 18.27.21 W to SSE to 26 degrees and Saturday 18.18.27 WSW to S to 15 degrees
- There are thre superbright evening Iridium flares this week: Tuesday 19.00.46 at 45 degrees altitude in NNE. Wednesday 17.24.27 at 35 degrees in SSW and the brightest at 18.54.36 at 48 degrees in NNE
Week of 8th February
- Astronomical twilight ends at 19.02 UT at the start of the week and at 19.13 UT at the end
- The Moon is New on Monday and will then wax to First Quarter next week
- Comet C/2013 US10 Catalina is currently still in Camelopardalis and heading Perseues and Auriga
- The Sun has 4 spot groups, none of which is currently active
- The ISS (with Tim Peake on board) makes more evening passes this week: Monday at 19.12.28 W to W reaching 82 degrees. Tuesday 18.19.53 WSW to E to 80 degrees and 19.56.21 W to W to 24 degrees. Wednesday at 19.03.43 W to ENE to 84 degrees. Thursday 18.11.04 W to E to 86 degrees and 19.47.34 W to W to 32 degrees. Friday 18.54.54 W to ESE to 86 degrees and 20.31.28 W to W to 11 degrees. Sturday 18.02.13 W to E to 85 degrees and 19.38.42 W to WSW to 40 degrees and Sunday 18.45.59 W to ESE to 65 degrees and 20.22.52 W to WSW to 13 degrees
- There are several superbright evening Iridium flares this week: Tuesday 17.54.35 at 39 degrees altitude in S and 19.34.57 to 32 degrees in NNE. Wednesday 19.28.42 to 34 degrees in NNE and Saturday at 17.39.28 at 38 degrees in SSW
Week of 1st February
- Astronomical twilight ends at 18.48 UT at the start of the week and at 18.59 UT at the end
li>The Moon will be New next week
- The pre-dawn planetary alignment continues and the waning Moon joins them, working its way towards the Sun. It will make Conjunctions with Mars on Monday, Saturn on Wednesday and Venus (which is closing with Mercury) on Saturday
- Comet C/2013 US10 Catalina is currently near Polaris in Camelopardalis about half way from UMa to Cassiopeia, thus almost due N
- The Sun has 3 spot groups, none of which is currently active
- The ISS (with Tim Peake on board) returns with evening passes this week: Tuesday at 19.38.49 from SW to SSW reaching 12 degrees altitude. Wednesday 18.46.55 SSW to SSE to 21 degrees. Thursday 17.55.29 S to ESE to 14 degrees and 19.29.57 SW to SW to 26 degrees. Friday 18.37.42 SW to ESE to 35 degrees and 20.13.44 W to W to 12 degrees. Saturday 17.45.41 SSW to E to 24 degrees and 19.21.16 WSW to WSW to 50 degrees and Sunday 18.28.50 WSW to E to 57 degrees and 20.05.11 W to W to 18 degrees
- There are no particularly bright evening Iridium flares this week
Week of 25th January
- Astronomical twilight ends at 18.39 UT at the start of the week and at 18.49 UT at the end
- The Moon will be Last Quarter on 1st February
- The pre-dawn planetary alignemnt will be spectacular this week with (from the rising Sun in the East) Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Mars and Jupiter in an arc along the Ecliptic plane and through the Zodiac constellations from Sagitarius to Leo, all visible around 6.40am if you have a clear Southern horizon
- Comet C/2013 US10 Catalina is currently near k Draco and heading towards UMi. It is nearly 1.5 AU from the Sun. It is a faint grey blur in binoculars but should be a little better once the Moon has waned further
- The Sun has 3 spot groups, none of which is currently active
- There are no ISS evening passes this week
- There is one bright evening Iridium flare this week on Wednesday at 17.19.39 at 26 degrees altitude in SSW
Week of 18th January
- Astronomical twilight ends at 18.31 UT at the start of the week and at 18.39 UT at the end
- The Moon will be Full (Snow Moon) next Friday
- Comet C/2013 US10 Catalina is currently near Mizr in the handle of the ‘Saucepan/Plough’. It reached perigee on 17th January. So far it has reached a maximum brightnes of +6 and is now +7, so just not naked eye, but binoculars should show a grey/greenish smudge
- The Sun has 3 spot groups, none of which is currently active
- There are no ISS evening passes this week
- There are two bright evening Iridium flares this week: Tuesday at 16.29.14 at 31 degrees in W and Wednesday at 17.43.39 at 31 degrees in S
Week of 11th January
- Astronomical twilight ends at 18.21 UT at the start of the week and at 18.28 UT at the end
- The Moon will be First Quarter next Saturday
- Comet C/2013 US10 Catelina which has been a pre-dawn object since November comes into the evening skies and over the next couple of week heads up from Arcturus towards Polaris covering more than 2 degrees a day and accelerating. From 13th to 16th it will be just left of Alkaid (the last star in the handle of the Saucepan/Plough). It reaches perigee on 17th January. So far it has reached a maximum brightnes of +6 and is now +7, so just not naked eye, but binoculars should show a grey/greenish smudge
- The Sun has 6 spot groups, none of which is currently active
- There are no ISS evening passes this week
- There are four bright evening Iridium flares this week: Monday at 18.02.15 at 13 degrees in WNW. Tuesday at 17.47.22 at 16 degrees in WNE. Wednesday at 17.09.39 at 11 degrees in SW and 17.32.24 at 19 degrees in WNW
Week of 4th January
- Astronomical twilight ends at 18.15 UT at the start of the week and at 18.21 UT at the end
- The Moon will be New next Sunday
- An Oort cloud comet C/2013 US10 Catelina which has been a pre-dawn object since November comes into the evening skies and over the next couple of week heads up from Arcturus towards Polaris covering more than 2 degrees a day and accelerating. From 13th to 16th it will be just left of Alkaid (the last star in the handle of the Saucepan/Plough). It reaches perigee on 17th January. So far it has reached a maximum brightnes of +6 and is now +7, so just not naked eye, but binoculars should show a grey/greenish smudge
- The Sun has 4 spot groups, 2473 is still active and produced New Years Eve aurorae in Edinburgh
- The Quadrantid meteor shower (2nd most prolific in the year) peaks in the early 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 three bright evening Iridium flares this week: Monday at 18.43.52 at 33 degrees altitude in SSE and Friday at 17.11.59 at 19 degrees in SSW and 18.28.47 at 34 degrees in SSE