Don't forget this Friday!

If the skies are clear, I'll open up the observatory at 8pm this Friday evening. Drop me a line if you feel like coming, but keep an eye on this website, just in case the weather doesn't deliver the viewing we need.

Coronal Mass ejection (CME) on the way

At about 2pm on tuesday afternoon the biggest solar storm to hit the Earth since 2005 will arrive. It is possible that we may get a showing of the Northern Lights on Tuesday night, so check in with this page to see what the aurorawatch status is. If you see red, go outside at once and look for aurorae!!!



this picture was taken by Bjørn Jørgensen from Tromsø, Norway on the night of the 22nd.

Sorry folks, we need to cancel.

It is now pouring with rain, and I don't think there is any possibility of the weather improving in the next few hours, so with great regret I am cancelling tonight's observing session. Next Friday, the school will be closed for leave weekend, so the next good opportunity will be on Friday 3rd Feb, at 8.00pm. This clashes with a chamber choir concert, so please continue to support that event if you were planning to go - there will be other observatory sessions during the term.

Oh dear - the weather looks terrible

As I peer from my office window, the clouds seem to be gathering ever more thickly, and the thin band of clear sky that had held sway in the north-east all morning has finally vanished. I'll make a final call on tonight's observing evening at 5.00pm this evening, so that you get a chance to see a note in the school's reception area, as well as posting here.

New link in the useful links table

Breaking news from NASA can now be found at Nasa science News.

Not so clear after all.

The sky was strangely obscured last night, with a soft haze that trapped an awful lot of street lighting and made "seeing" (the quality of the view) poorer than I had hoped. Jupiter delivered however, with lovely views of the cloud belts, and a nice wide display of all four moons. We were also able to do a bit of star-cluster gazing, enjoying good views of the Pleiades cluster.

Last night's session was very sparsely attended, and I wonder if these messages get through in time for you to act on the invitation. Therefore, I would like to invite everyone to an observing night on Friday 20th January, from 8.00pm onwards. There will be no Moon, but Jupiter remains a good target, and we can do some binocular astronomy for interesting winter sky objects. It would be very helpful if you could send me an email to say that you are coming and as ever, check this site on the evening to see if the weather is going to let us go ahead.

Clear skies!

The weather looks good, so I will be opening up the observatory tonight for an hour from 8pm to 9pm. Come and see Jupiter, and perhaps the glories of the winter constellations too! The Moon will rise at about 8.50pm, and will be well worth a look.