Observing

Catch Comet 2022 E3 (ZTF) this month

20 January 2023 Mark Armstrong

Comet 2022 E3 (ZTF) is of special interest this January as at the time of writing (mid-November) it appears well on-course to be an easy binocular object and perhaps a marginal naked-eye comet.

The red planet’s very well placed

18 January 2023 Mark Armstrong

Mars, still relatively fresh from last month’s brilliant opposition, remains the main planetary interest.

Rein in the iconic Horsehead Nebula

28 December 2022 Mark Armstrong

The Horsehead Nebula is one of a handful of select deep-sky objects that down the decades have acquired legendary, almost mystic status within the deep-sky community.

Observe NGC 2403; an M33 lookalike

21 December 2022 Mark Armstrong

NGC 2403 (Caldwell 7) is a large, bright galaxy that serves up good views for small telescopes but it’s position in the rather obscure northern constellation of Camelopardalis has stunted its popularity.

Geminid meteors burst out!

13 December 2022 Mark Armstrong

Watch out tonight (13th/14th) and tomorrow night (14th/15th) for the welcome return of the Geminid meteor shower.

Home in on the Hyades

12 December 2022 Mark Armstrong

The outline of the Hyades open star cluster in Taurus is one of the best naked-eye landmarks in the winter sky. It’s brightest stars form into a ‘V’- or wedge-shaped-asterism, or star pattern that’s an easy spot around 25 degrees to the upper-right (north-west) of Orion’s famous ‘Belt’.

Catch Comet 2022 E3 (ZTF) this month

The red planet’s very well placed

Rein in the iconic Horsehead Nebula

Observe NGC 2403; an M33 lookalike

Geminid meteors burst out!

Home in on the Hyades

The Crab Nebula: shreds of a supernova

Mars comes to opposition and is occulted by the Moon!

Uranus occulted by the Moon

Majestic Messier 45: take a peak at the Pleiades!