Skymania Log: Events in amateur astronomy

Venus and Moon play hide-and-seek

2008-11-30T18:17:00.005Z

A cosmic encounter between the Moon and Venus must be one of the more spectacular events in amateur astronomy. So on the eve of tomorrow's planetary occultation, here is some more about the event.The UK, Ireland and much of Europe are ideally placed to view it. Easiest to spot will be the moment when brilliant Venus slides out from behind the Moon because it happens during the "rush hour".In the

Venus and Jupiter in evening show

2008-11-27T18:30:00.005Z

Two bright planets are closing in for a spectacular conjunction with the Moon in the evening sky. Venus, which is steadily moving away from the Sun, meets Jupiter as it prepares to leave the night-time stage.Both are brilliant objects, with Venus at magnitude -4 and Jupiter at magnitude -1.9, and visible soon after sunset in the south-west. If the sky is clear where you are, you can't miss them

Free fireworks for credit crunch

2008-11-04T17:55:00.006Z

November 5 is Fireworks Night in the United Kingdom when families burn effigies of Guy Fawkes, the man who tried to blow up Parliament in 1605. No doubt some will be set off this year to celebrate the US election too.But this year we will be able to enjoy credit-crunch fireworks for free, thanks to nature, if a prediction by leading meteor scientists comes true.The Taurids are an annual show that

Mercury bright in morning sky

2008-10-27T17:17:00.005Z

Mercury is currently putting on an appearance in the morning sky for northern hemisphere observers, so if you've never seen the innermost planet then now is your chance.Don't hang around though because these opportunities only last a few days before the planet retreats once more into the glare close to the Sun. You may be surprised at how easy it is to spot, shining at magnitude -1.I spotted

Watch the partial eclipse of the Moon

2008-08-13T19:37:00.004+01:00

Two weeks after the solar eclipse, there is a chance to see a very large partial eclipse of the Moon from the UK and Europe on the evening of Saturday 16 August.The Moon rises over Britain with the eclipse already underway. First contact with the pale outer shadow, the penumbra, takes place at 18:25 UT (7.25 pm BST) when the Moon is still below the horizon for UK observers.When the Moon finally

Perseid meteors are gold medal event

2008-08-08T15:18:00.003+01:00

After the spectacular opening fireworks of the Chinese Olympics comes one of nature's own finest displays - the Perseid meteor shower. In fact Earth began entering the dust stream that produces these shooting stars in July. But they will build to a peak in mid August when a single observer might see one or more a minute.The Perseids are dust particles ejected from Comet Swift-Tuttle which flare

Planets change spring sky

2008-04-23T14:15:00.009+01:00

Familiar star patterns in the evening sky have been dramatically changed by the presence of two bright planets in the neighbourhood.You could be forgiven for thinking you were seeing double when glancing at Leo where Saturn lies very close to its brightest star, Regulus.And just a short distance away, Mars has distorted the shape of Gemini, making a sharp dog's leg angle with that constellation's

Binocular nova flares in Cygnus

2008-04-12T08:19:00.005+01:00

A faint star in the Milky Way has exploded and become visible with binoculars in the constellation of Cygnus the Swan. The nova was first spotted on April 10 from Japan by on 10 April by observers Koichi Nishiyama and Fujio Kabashima.They reported it at mag 7.7. Its position is RA: 19h43m01s.96, Dec: +32°19'13".8.This area of the sky is crowded with stars, but the map here should help you

Look out for a young, slim Moon

2008-04-05T16:41:00.004+01:00

Tomorrow evening (6 April) will offer an excellent chance from the UK to view an extremely young Moon, as long as the weather plays ball. With an age of less than 17 hours, just the merest sliver of a crescent will be displayed.However, a combination of circumstances will boost your chances of seeing it.As pointed out in the April issue of the British magazine Astronomy Now, the Moon will stand

Eclipse of the Moon is widely seen

2008-02-21T13:43:00.003Z

Hopefully many of you managed to observe the total eclipse of the Moon this morning or last night depending on where in the world you live.Much of the UK was covered with cloud after a run of nights when skies had been crystal clear.Skymania's Paul Sutherland was observing from Broadstairs in South-East England, where Moon was veiled by thin cloud up to a few minutes before totality when thicker

Your chance to spot doomed spy in sky

2008-02-16T11:08:00.006Z

A spy satellite has hit the headlines because it is due to crash back to Earth over the next few weeks. But you may not realise that you can easily spot this "top secret" craft for yourself.USA 193 regularly flies over Europe and the Americas. It will be clearly visible this week from Skymania's part of the world when it flies several times through UK skies - providing it has not been shot down

Total eclipse of the Moon - Feb 20-21, 2008

2008-02-14T20:10:00.005Z

A total lunar eclipse this month will be visible from Europe, Africa, western Asia, South America and most of North America. The eclipse occurs when the Full Moon glides through the shadow of the Earth in space.Update: You can view our report and photo of the event here.From Britain, the entire event happens in the early hours of February 21st, meaning you will have to wait up on the night of

Space station offers new target

2008-02-13T18:53:00.002Z

Amateur astronomers are taking up a new observing challenge - the International Space Station. Despite its distance of more than 220 miles, some are capturing detailed images of the orbiting outpost.A fine example, taken only this week from the UK using a webcam, shows the space shuttle Atlantis attached and the vast solar panels that provide power to the station, currently home to ten

Venus and Jupiter in double dazzle

2008-01-31T13:27:00.000Z

Two bright planets, Venus and Jupiter, will come together for a spectacular pairing in the sky this Friday morning. They will lie less than two moon's widths apart when they rise in the early morning sky before dawn.The rare conjunction means that early risers will be able to hide both behind the tip of a finger held at arm's length.Best time to look from the UK and Ireland will be around 7am as

Watch Earth dodge a cosmic bullet

2008-01-28T16:31:00.000Z

Telescopes around the world will be watching over the next 24 hours as a giant asteroid skims past the Earth. The cosmic missile, which is estimated to be up to 2,000 ft long, will be closest at 8.33 UT at a distance of only 334,000 miles - less than one and a half times the distance of the Moon.That is our closest shave with a large space rock for 22 years and will bring it close enough to be

Comet in spectacular flare-up

2007-10-24T19:40:00.000+01:00

Reports are coming in of a major outburst by a normally faint comet, P/Holmes (17P). It would normally now be expected to be around magnitude 17 but it appears to have undergone a huge eruption.Amazingly, the comet has become a million times brighter, and has reached magnitude 2.5. It is starlike in appearance and so an easy object to see with the unaided eye, distorting the shape of the

Deluge of dust from Halley's Comet

2007-10-22T17:09:00.000+01:00

The Earth is currently ploughing through a river of dust cast off long ago by Halley's Comet. First impressions indicate that they are putting on an excellent show.The cosmic debris reveals itself as bright meteors, or shooting stars, as particles stream into the Earth's atmosphere from space and vaporize in an instant.This shower is known as the Orionids because the meteors all appear to radiate

How to find Venus in daylight

2007-10-06T19:11:00.000+01:00

A daylight Venus and the Moon in JuneThe planet Venus is currently shining brilliantly in the pre-dawn sky. This world, the next closest to the Sun after the Earth, is fascinating to view through a small telescope because it shows phases like the Moon.You will not see anything of its surface, however, because Venus is permanently shrouded in cloud. By all accounts that surface is as close a place

Watch out for a meteor outburst

2007-08-30T21:48:00.000+01:00

Astronomers will be watching tomorrow for a possible outburst by a meteor shower. The alpha Aurigids are usually one of the year's minor displays. But short-lived, strong peaks of 30-40 were seen in 1935, 1986 and 1994.According to the Society for Popular Astronomy's Meteor Section, another strong return may occur on September 1. The meteors are bright yellow, so the presence of a gibbous moon

Total eclipse favours the Pacific

2007-08-26T13:03:00.000+01:00

The second total eclipse of the Moon of the year occurs this week - but few populated parts of the planet will be able to view the entire show.The Moon's passage through the Earth's dark shadow on Tuesday, 28 August, may be seen in full from the Pacific region stretching from the western half of the USA to the eastern side of Australia.The whole of both countries, plus most of Canada and Asia,

Will Google Sky kill stargazing?

2007-08-22T18:52:00.000+01:00

A remarkable new tool for astronomers was launched with much fanfare today - a new feature within the Google Earth program that allows users to view and zoom in on the night sky.I cannot recall a space story causing quite as much excitement with a flurry of press releases appearing from the many different observatories and institutions that contributed to Google Sky.I've written in the news

Great year to catch Perseid fireworks

2007-07-14T08:15:00.000+01:00

Meteor watchers in the northern hemisphere are in heaven during the summer months when generally warmer nights coincide with a good period of meteor activity.The most famous annual shower, the Perseid shows its first signs in the next few days, building to a climax around August 12th. When at its peak, you should not have to watch a clear sky for very long before seeing one of its fast-moving "

Venus and Saturn in close encounter

2007-06-30T10:53:00.001+01:00

Two bright planets are closing in for a spectacular rendezvous in the evening sky this weekend. Ringed wonder Saturn and the more brilliant Venus will be just two-thirds of a degree apart - a little more than the width of the Moon - at their closest.Catch the pair in the darkening twilight.You will find them just to the west of the sickle shape that forms the head of the Zodiacal constellation

Space rock set to hide bright star

2007-06-22T22:34:00.000+01:00

A naked-eye star is expected to blink out briefly early on Sunday morning when a faint asteroid passes in front of it.The rare event is predicted to happen along a narrow track of the UK that is just 16km (ten miles) wide - the estimated diameter of the asteroid, named 502 Sigune, which is only magnitude 14, close to the brightness of Pluto.The star it will cover, 74 Ophiuchi, is not a very

Vesta puts on a great rock show

2007-05-14T15:33:00.000+01:00

Have you ever seen an asteroid? One of the largest in the solar system is putting on its brightest show for 18 years over the next couple of months - and you don't need a telescope to see it.Vesta becomes brighter than any other of these interplanetary vagabonds, due to its reflective surface. It can be seen with the unaided eye in perfect circumstances.Vesta become brighter in May and June than