Observing

6 June 2023

Boldly gone, but we can still see your asteroid, Mr. Spock

13 March 2015 Ade Ashford

As a nice way to celebrate the memory of the late Leonard Nimoy, over the coming week astrophotographers have a chance to image the 13-mile-wide minor planet named after Mr. Spock, the Star Trek character he shall always be most closely associated with.

The Moon meets Saturn in the claws of the Scorpion

11 March 2015 Ade Ashford

The 20-day-old waning gibbous Moon has a close encounter with ringed planet Saturn in northern Scorpius in the pre-dawn hours of Thursday, March 12th.

Planets Mars and Uranus meet in the evening sky

11 March 2015 Ade Ashford

Exactly a week after its close encounter with dazzling Venus, outer planet Uranus lies close to Mars on the evening of Wednesday, March 11th — but you’ll need to time your observation carefully in the dusk twilight twilight to ensure success.

See the smallest Full Moon of 2015 tonight

5 March 2015 Ade Ashford

If you feel that tonight’s rising Full Moon is that bit smaller than usual then you’d be right, for this is a so-called Micromoon — one that occurs close to the point in the Moon’s orbit where it is furthest from the Earth.

Planets Venus and Uranus in close conjunction

4 March 2015 Ade Ashford

On Wednesday, March 4th, planets Venus and Mars will be easy naked-eye objects in the western sky at dusk, but in a telescope you’ll have the added bonus of spotting gas giant Uranus very close to Venus.

The Moon meets Jupiter in the evening sky

2 March 2015 Ade Ashford

The waxing gibbous Moon passes close by the Solar System’s largest planet, Jupiter, on the nights of March 2nd and 3rd. Jupiter was at opposition last month, but it’s still big, bright and offers much to see in a telescope.

See Comet Lovejoy in Cassiopeia throughout March

1 March 2015 Ade Ashford

Now that the Moon has returned to evening skies, observers have to wait a little longer to view Comet Lovejoy in a dark sky. Fortunately, it’s a circumpolar object for observers in the British Isles, near the familiar W-shaped constellation asterism of Cassiopeia during March.