This month there will be a spectacular total lunar eclipse partially visible from the UK. The date for your diaries is the evening of Friday, 27 July. Read more
The great lunar eclipse of 2018
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Vesta at its brightest for 58 years
The minor planet (asteroid) Vesta is currently bright enough just to be seen with the naked eye – and won’t be quite as bright again for 11 years. Read more
Spot Jupiter tonight
There are two bright planets in the evening sky at the moment – Venus, visible in the west after sunset, and Jupiter, which you can see in the south-east in the evening sky. Read more
Nova in Perseus
A new transient object has appeared in the constellation of Perseus, with the most recent observations putting it at magnitude 6.2. Read more
Lovely Lyrids
SPA member Paul Sutherland took some excellent photos of April’s Lyrid meteor shower from his home in Walmer, Kent. His balcony overlooks the English Channel, and offers good skies despite an LED streetlight in full view! Here are some of his results, taken with a Fuji X-M1 camera equipped with a Samyang 12 mm lens. Exposure times were 20 seconds each shot at ISO 2000.
Venus graces the evening sky
Venus is displaying her beauty in the evening sky this spring – but don’t leave it too late to glimpse her, as she retires by the time it gets properly dark! Read more
A good year for Lyrids?
The spring is not usually the best time for meteors – shooting stars – but a welcome exception is the Lyrid meteor shower. These appear around the third week of April, with their peak on 22 April, and this will be a good year to view them, given clear skies, and as long as you’re prepared to wait until the early hours of the morning! Read more
Spot Mercury and Venus
Planet-spotters have had a lean time for several months, with no bright planets to be seen in the evening sky. But right now there are two to be seen, one of which is the elusive Mercury, making its best appearance in the evening sky for the year. Read more
Find the Orion Nebula
It’s one of the highlights of the sky, but many beginners have trouble locating the Orion Nebula. This is probably because photos such as the one at the top make it look brilliant and vivid, while the real thing is really quite pale and colourless as seen visually. Read more
Spot the Space Station
The International Space Station (ISS) is in our evening skies again between 26 January and 13 February. You’ll be able to see it every clear night until 11 February from anywhere in the UK, gliding through our skies as a brilliant star. It appears brighter than most planes, despite being hundreds of kilometres away, and on good passes you can watch as it passes well over central Europe. Amaze your friends with your predictive powers! Read more