March 2015 – Page 3 – Astronomy Now

When can I next see a solar eclipse from the British Isles?

21 March 2015 Ade Ashford

Did you know that there can be up to five solar eclipses in a year, or that there can be three eclipses (solar and lunar) in a single month? For those still on an eclipse-induced high, here’s your fact-filled guide to forthcoming eclipses visible from the British Isles.

Can you find a shy sliver of the Moon after its starring role in the eclipse?

21 March 2015 Astronomy Now

Just a day after producing a spectacular solar eclipse over the North Atlantic and Arctic, the Moon is making a more subtle return to our evening sky just after sunset. See if you can see a sliver of the New Moon this evening.

Public invited to help name features on Pluto and its largest moon, Charon

21 March 2015 Astronomy Now

On July 14th, NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft will flyby Pluto, offering the first close-up look at that small, distant world. You can help decide what names will be used on subsequent maps of the dwarf planet and its largest moon, Charon, as the SETI Institute announces the launch of its “Our Pluto” campaign.

Clouds fail to spoil the eclipse party

20 March 2015 Keith Cooper

While clouds did their best to obscure the solar eclipse, many observers have still been able to witness the Moon moving in front of the Sun.

Missing link between supernovae and planet formation found

19 March 2015 Astronomy Now

An international scientific team using NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) has discovered a cloud produced by a supernova explosion 10,000 years ago that contains enough dust to make 7,000 Earths, showing that supernovae are capable of producing a substantial amount of the material from which planets can form.

Eclipse safety tips video

19 March 2015 Astronomy Now

Astronomy Now’s Greg Smye-Rumsby offers tips on how to safely view the partial solar eclipse of 20 March 2015.

Mysterious Martian dust cloud and aurora detected by NASA spacecraft

19 March 2015 Astronomy Now

Unlike the Earth, Mars lost a global protective magnetic field billions of years ago, so solar particles can directly strike the atmosphere. NASA’s MAVEN spacecraft recently detected extensive auroral activity in the Red Planet’s northern hemisphere, plus an unexplained high-altitude dust cloud.

Your minute-by-minute solar eclipse timeline for the British Isles

18 March 2015 Ade Ashford

If you wish to see in detail how the eclipse will appear from where you live and the exact times that the key stages will occur, we’ve prepared this specially illustrated minute-by-minute timeline to how Friday’s big event will roll out over the British Isles.

Getting into the groove of Saturn’s rings

18 March 2015 Astronomy Now

In this image from the Cassini probe orbiting Saturn we see that there are varied structures in the planet’s rings at almost every scale imaginable.

Eclipse dos and don’ts

18 March 2015 Astronomy Now

How not to observe a solar eclipse! Do not risk permanent damage to your eyesight by using unsafe methods. Make sure the solar eclipse is not the last thing you see!