Seen a very bright star low down in the south-west just after sunset recently? A bright star at Christmastime! What could it be? It’s Venus, but at this time of year it makes us think of the stories of the Star of Bethlehem. So could the appearance of such a star have once persuaded three wise men to trek across the desert…?
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There’s a new comet on the block – Comet Leonard. It’s not bright, so you won’t see it without good equipment, but for the keen observers and photographers it’s looking promising in the early morning sky.
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A partial lunar eclipse takes place in the early morning of 19 November 2021. It could be spectacular over much of the northern and western UK – but you need to know just where and when to look.
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Noticed a bright star over in the south or south-west and wondered what it is? You aren’t alone, and it’s a question that every astronomer gets asked! Could it be the Pole Star, or the Space Station, perhaps?
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Have you seen a really bright star in the south over the past few days and wondered what it is? Could it be Jupiter, or Venus, or Sirius maybe? Take a look at our new night sky video which identifies this and many of the other objects you can see in the autumn night skies as seen from the UK.
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We’ve got a new updated video of the sky for August 2021 as seen from the UK. It gives a quick look at some of the more easily overlooked constellations, so make the most of any clear spells, look for Jupiter down in the south-east or south, and get stargazing!
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We’ve produced a new video guide to the stars and constellations that you can see from the UK during June and July 2021. It takes you on a tour of the sky using a low-light video camera in real time.
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After only a few hours of glory, the nova in Hercules has faded considerably to about magnitude 8.5 as of 23h UT on 13 June.
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Update 13 June 2021, 19h UT
A fairly bright nova has been discovered in the constellation of Hercules by Japanese observer Seiji Ueda. The star is now about seventh magnitude and is visible in binoculars.
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A partial eclipse of the Sun takes place on the mid-morning of Thursday, 10 June as seen from the UK. Although this won’t be anything like as spectacular as a total solar eclipse, it will be interesting to watch – but you need to take precautions to observe it safely.
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