The evening delight continues for happy stargazers on 17th June. The three naked-eye planets visible are Jupiter, Venus and Mercury. They appear in the constellation of Gemini. Can you see the two brightest stars of Gemini, Pollux and Castor, below the three planets...
You’ve probably heard about ‘Supermoons’, but what about ‘Micromoons’? In the strictest sense, these aren’t astronomy terms — ‘supermoon’ was coined by an astrologer, and some people are still convinced that the extra...
It’s Star Wars Day. May the fourth be with you! Of course it’s a wonderful turn of the phrase “May the force be with you” from the Star Wars movies! And it’s a great time to get out under the stars and gaze into our wonderful Universe. On...
This year, the conditions aren’t quite perfectly dark for viewing the Eta Aquariid meteor shower. The waning Moon will illuminate the night sky at the time of the shower, reducing your visibility of faint meteors: you could still catch some brighter ones,...
From 19 May to mid-June, stargazers are in for stunning evening night sky views: we think it’s the best stargazing all year! The planets Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury will put on a nightly show, and if you watch from evening to evening, you’ll see our Solar...
The term blue moon has two definitions, depending on who you ask. In the 1930s, the Maine Farmers’ Almanac invented the name blue moon when it divided the year into four seasons, separating them with the equinoxes and solstices, giving a name to the three full...
On an early morning on the first day of December, there’s a special view of the Moon with Jupiter, Mars and the bright star, Regulus. It is early, but if you happen to be up or have set the alarm especially, find a place where you can see clearly to the eastern...
The Phoenicids meteors are a minor meteor shower and were first observed in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the Indian Ocean in December 1956. The shower’s radiant point in the Phoenix constellation is high on the south west horizon, so it will be if...
You’ve probably heard about ‘supermoons’, but what are they? In the strictest sense, supermoon isn’t an astronomy term — the name was coined by an astrologer, and even today, some people are still convinced that the extra gravitational...
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