This time round I’m going to steer away from the easier targets I usually mention (planets, Messier and Caldwell objects, for example), and concentrate instead on some more challenging targets. I was listening to an astronomy podcast recently (@Awesomeastropod), and, when the discussion swung round to the subject of...
Hoping to hit the right note with shoppers and diners alike, the Wessex Consort is ready to sing for its supper twice in one day. The super choir of 12 young professional singers is staging an afternoon ‘Flash Mob’ performance at 2pm on Saturday 18 February in Poole High...
Apologies for the hiatus, but moving house, Xmas preparations (and the aftermath), have meant an almost complete lack of stargazing. Now, though, with the decks (mostly) cleared, I'm starting to think about what there is to look forward to in the early part of 2017. Leo Nicely positioned in...
Gemini (the Twins), is ideally placed for viewing in the East at this time of year, and there’s lots to observe. It’s one of those constellations that actually resembles what it’s said to be: twin brothers, arm in arm. Starting at the left of the constellation, two stars represent...
Steve plans to sail round the world on a boat like this A central Dorset sailor is planning to break the record for sailing solo the wrong way round the world next November. Steve White is an experienced solo sailor having come 8th of the 9 skippers to complete...
With the clocks having just gone back, I thought I’d take a look at what there is to look forward to in the evening sky over the next couple of months. The next full moon, on the 14th, will be one of those ‘supermoons’. It’ll be at it’s closest...
This time I’m featuring a guest post by friend, fellow astronomer, and AstroCamp regular, Tony Horton. Twitter handle / website / blog address: @mountainmadman / www.astromadness.co.uk How, when and why did you get in to astronomy in the first place?: I grew up in South Wales, and developed a...
A few nights ago I went out with my 10x50 binoculars for a quick session (tired, and with work in the morning, I couldn’t stay out late). Despite the brevity of the session, though, I was amazed at how much there was to see: open and globular clusters M11,...
You can’t miss the great square of Pegasus in the eastern sky at this time of year; it’s one of the most recognisable asterisms up there. The flying horse of Greek mythology, upon which Perseus rode when he freed the princess Andromeda, and later, upon which Bellerophon rode when...
I know I’ve said it before, but this really is a fantastic time of year for stargazing, and so, flushed with the success of the session on the bank holiday Monday (see my last piece), I couldn’t resist going out again the following night (August the 30th). Completing the...
