Midsummer skies are not ideal for stargazing as it doesn’t get dark until late in the UK. But this is the time of year when spectacular clouds can appear at the edge of space.
Read moreLook out for noctilucent clouds
Top stories
Nova Herculis fades
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.
Read moreNova in Hercules
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.
Read moreGet ready for the eclipse of the year
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.
Read moreNova Cas 2021 increases in brightness
The nova in Cassiopeia that appeared on 18 March has provided another surprise – an outburst of over five times its brightness in a matter of a few days, to become bright enough to be visible with the naked eye.
Read moreMercury rising
The mercury might not be rising as much as we’d like in early May in the UK, but Mercury is certainly doing so. The closest planet to the Sun is in the evening sky right now, in the north-west just after sunset.
Read moreNova in Cassiopeia
Page updated 17 April 2021
A nova has appeared in the constellation of Cassiopeia. Novae are stars that suddenly undergo an increase in brightness of typically over a thousand-fold, so what looks like a new star appears. In this case, the nova is 8th magnitude, which is visible using binoculars. But while the star was expected to fade, it has remained almost constant in brightness.
Read moreGet to know your stars
Want to learn the spring sky in less than ten minutes? Take a look at our new video, recorded in a real sky, showing the spring sky as you’ll see it during late March into April as seen from the UK.
Read moreMeteorites from the 28 February fall recovered
About 300 grams of meteorites have been collected in Gloucestershire following the fireball of 28 February, which was widely reported from around the UK and even from the Netherlands. And the meteorite was one of the rarest and most scientifically valuable of all types, a carbonaceous chondrite.
Using reports and photographs from dedicated fireball cameras, as well as security and doorbell cameras, it was quickly established that any meteorites from the event would have landed to the east of Cheltenham, with Winchcombe at the centre of the suspected fall area.
Within a day, a suspected meteorite was found embedded in a driveway. It was taken to the Natural History Museum for analysis, and a team of researchers began combing the area for more. More fragments were located in this way.
Chondrites are the most primitive and most pristine form of meteoroid, and can provide unique information about the conditions in which our Solar System was born, where our water came from, how the building blocks of life were formed and how the planets originated.
Read the full story on our Meteor Section website.
Bright fireball seen over UK on 28 February
Over 1000 reports have now been received about the fireball that occurred over the UK on Sunday 28 February. Experts are predicting that any meteorites from the event would have fallen near Cheltenham.
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