Comet C/2017 T2 PANSTARRS
Comet C/2017 T2 PANSTARRS is getting brighter. It will come to perihelion in early May, when it will be in the constellation of Camelopardalis. It will be at…
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Penumbral Lunar Eclipse – 10th January.
The day of the penumbral lunar eclipse was bright and sunny, so it looked quite hopeful that it would be clear to catch the penumbral lunar eclipse that…
Pale Blue Dot – 30th Anniversary Celebration
The 14th of February marks the 30th anniversary of Voyager 1’s Pale Blue Dot Image. The image below is the image in question, showing the distant speck of…
What a Stupid Hobby.
So, the social media frenzy starts again! We have had an ideal Christmas and New Year break for doing astronomy. Lots of spare time, and no Moon to blot…
Moon and Venus – 29th December 2019
As the final days of 2019 count down, later this evening The Moon and Venus are still fairly close together. So as the sky darkens, look towards the…
Starlink – What’s all the fuss about?
Tonight there will be an opportunity to see the last set of launched Starlink satellites passing over the UK skies. The last couple of launches have stirred up…
Dimming of Betelgeuse – Supernova or not?
When I’m doing my planetarium shows, the children really love the fact that Betelgeuse is so huge if it were in the same position as our Sun, it…
Betelgeuse Fades – But not likely to go supernova.
When the weather gives you a chance, get out and have a look at the bright red giant star Betelgeuse in the right shoulder of Orion. It looks…
Comet 289P (Blanpain).
Comet 289P (Blanpain) is heading northwards and should become a better placed object for us in the UK during December and January. It will at it’s brightest on…
Starlink – Latest launch visibility.
On November the 11th, Elon Musk’s SpaceX launched the second cluster of Starlink satellites. This launch saw another 60 satellites go into orbit, making it “largest commercial telecommunications…
Lincoln Astronomical Society – 3rd December 2019
On Tuesday the 3rd of December, The Flat Tim and Dave roadshow will be bringing fun and games for all ages once again for my very last evening…
Sky Diary for December 2019
My very last free monthly sky diary for December 2019 showing the events of the night sky visible from the UK is now available in a printable pdf…
I’m a serious astronomer you know!
After a recent astronomy event, I heard some people were making comments about people not being serious about the hobby and their attitudes dumbing it down. Added to…
Apollo 12 – 50th Anniversary: Reentry and Splashdown.
50 years ago today is the day the three Apollo 12 astronauts, Pete Conrad, Dick Gordon and Alan Bean return to Earth. Unfortunately, I am not able to…
Apollo 12 – 50th Anniversary: Almost Home.
50 years ago today the three Apollo 12 astronauts continue their coast back home today. They perform a mid-course correction to keep their angle towards Earth correct for…
Alpha Monocerotids – Possible Meteor Storm
It is predicted that there could be an outburst, or even a storm of the Alpha Monocerotids meteor shower tomorrow morning. The outburst is predicted to be at…
Apollo 12 – 50th Anniversary. The Journey home.
21st of November 1969. 50 years ago today, in orbit around The Moon, the three Apollo 12 astronauts performed a great deal of landmark tracking and photography from…
Apollo 12 – 50th Anniversary. Last day on The Moon.
Today is the last day of Apollo 12 exploring the surface of Oceanus Procellarum. There was a second EVA (Moonwalk) in the early hours of this morning. The…
Apollo 12 – 50th Anniversary. Landing in Oceanus Procellarum
50 years ago today, Alan Bean and and Pete Conrad successfully landed the lunar module Intrepid onto the surface of Oceanus Procellarum (Ocean of Storms). Dick Gordon continued…
Apollo 12 – 50th Anniversary. The Day before Landing
50 years ago today, the day before landing, in the early hours the 18th of November 1969, Apollo 12 met The Moon and the engine was fired to…
International Astronomy Show – 16th November
Tomorrow I will be attending the International Astronomy Show at Stoneleigh in Warwickshire. I will be bringing in my books and 3D cards for sale. (The 3D Cards…
Apollo 50th Anniversary – Apollo 12: The first day.
It’s a busy day for the 3 astronauts aboard Apollo 12, 50 years ago today – 14th November 1969. The crew are: Pete Conrad – Commander. Dick Gordon…
Mercury Transit – 11th November 2019
The morning of the predicted Mercury transit on Monday the 11th of November looked bleak. In fact it was absolutely pouring with rain. However, the forecast was for…
A Day of Two Halves. – 11th November 2019
Well today could be a great day (or not). But it could be a day of two halves. If the rain clouds flooding the country relent, we could…
Walsall Astronomical Society – Solar Astronomy
On the evening of the 7th of November I will be re-visiting Walsall Astronomical Society. http://www.walsallastronomy.co.uk Nicely timed just before the Mercury Transit next Monday (11th November) I…
Sky Diary for November 2019
My penultimate free monthly sky diary for November 2019 showing the events of the night sky visible from the UK is now available in a printable pdf version…
Transit of Mercury – 11th of November.
A transit of Mercury occurs on the 11th of November. We see the very start of the transit and the fleet-footed planet will be visible as a very,…
Abington Camera Club – 28th October 2019
On Monday the 28th of October I will be visiting Abington Camera Club https://wpsite.clubabington.org.uk to present: A Whistle-Stop Tour of the Universe (Hitch-Hiking on a Ray of Light).…
Luton Astronomical Society – 24th October 2019
This evening I will be returning to Luton Astronomical Society to present: The SPACE RACE This presentation overviews the events leading up to Apollo, what went on afterwards…
Aylesbury AS – 7th October 2019
On the 7th of October I will be re-visiting Aylesbury Astronomical Society. Talking about: Aylesbury AS meet at the 9th Aylesbury Scout Hut. Oakfield Road, Aylesbury. HP20 1LJ…