Mark Armstrong – Page 13

Observe the Moon occulting Porrima, Virgo’s celebrated second star.

11 May 2022 Mark Armstrong

On the morning of 13 May (12/13), the Moon occults Porrima (gamma Virginis), Virgo’s celebrated binary star, in an event that’s visible across the UK.

Catch a bright supernova in Virgo

27 April 2022 Mark Armstrong

Supernova 2022hrs was discovered by amateur astronomer Koichi Itagaki on April 16.619 (14:50h UT) in NGC 4647, an intermediate spiral galaxy in the constellation of Virgo.

Watch Venus and Jupiter as they converge for this weekend’s great conjunction

27 April 2022 Mark Armstrong

Venus and Jupiter now lie close together in the pre-dawn eastern sky, providing a marvellous albeit lowly sight just before sunrise.

Phobos transits the Sun, captured by Mars Rover

27 April 2022 Mark Armstrong

NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover’s Mastcam-Z camera has captured Phobos, the larger of Mars’ two small moons (27 x 22 x 18 kilometres), as it transited the Sun’s disc on 2 April

Don’t miss Mercury, now at its evening’s best for the year

24 April 2022 Mark Armstrong

Mercury is now visible soon after sunset in the west-north-western sky.

Link-up with the Lyrids

20 April 2022 Mark Armstrong

The return of the yearly April Lyrids meteor shower is very welcome for meteor observers, breaking the roughly 15-week hiatus since the maximum of the Quadrantids meteor shower on 3 January.

Markarian’s Chain -the eyes have it!

19 April 2022 Mark Armstrong

The Virgo Cluster of galaxies reigns supreme for galaxy enthusiasts on spring nights.

Observe the iconic Sombrero Galaxy

18 April 2022 Mark Armstrong

If you were to take a poll of the top galaxies that amateur astronomers can observe and image, I bet you wouldn’t need to look far to see the name of the magnificent and striking Sombrero Galaxy (Messier 104 in Virgo).

Observe a great globular – Messier 3

15 April 2022 Mark Armstrong

Messier 3 (NGC 5272), which shines brightly at magnitude +5.9, is easily seen through 10 × 50 binoculars and is a stunning sight through a telescope.

Observe spring’s radiant sunflower in April

14 April 2022 Mark Armstrong

Messier 63 (NGC 5055), the Sunflower Galaxy in Canes Venatici, sits comfortably with its reputation as one of the great galaxies visible in the night sky at springtime.