Finally, the skies are dark in the evenings

As the evening twilight gets earlier, we can reopen the observatory for visits.

I would like to invite all of you to join me for an autumn constellation tour from 7.00pm - 8.30pm on Tuesday 16th October. Please remember to check this website closer to the time - if the weather is poor, I may have to post a cancellation notice on the day, but hopefully the sky will be clear!

Dress warmly!

all go for GCSE Astronomy launch!

We are very excited at Bootham this week, as we are launching our first ever teaching group for edexcel's astronomy course. We're running the course over two years, at two hours per week on Wednesdays and Fridays, using the school's extra-curricular activity slot to make the necessary time available. as an additional bit of adventurous living, we have opened the class to three different year-groups in the school, so that we can try out vertical teaching with students of different ages working together. The course is being delivered by Russell Newlands, who specialises in space-science and cosmology, and Mike Shaw, who will take on planetary science and astrobiology. Other parts of the course (celestial trig, observational practice etc) are being shared out between the two. Our first group comprises around a dozen students, chosen by competition from a large field of applicants.

If you are not currently a student at Bootham  and would like to know more about our entry requirements, contact us via the main school website (click on the badge at the top of this page).

If ever the sky clears, you might see some interesting clouds

No really. Mid-summer is the time for noctiluctant clouds. These are very high altitude clouds that appear to glow electric blue in the dark. You have to stay up very late to see them, and they seem to switch on for just a short period every year. Nobody really knows yet what causes them, but theories include space dust or possibly global warming. They are not the northern lights, but they are very special and rather lovely to catch in the midnight summer sky.

this picture was taken by Brian Whittaker as he flew his plane over Newfoundland on the 13th June.

source: spaceweather.com

Mega Moon rising

This weekend, the Moon will be closer to the Earth than it normally is, and will seem bigger in the sky than usual. On the evening of the 6th it will rise very big and full at about 8pm BST. If you can find a spot with a clear view of the south eastern horizon, this is a spectacle you should not miss!

Triple conjunction in wonderful viewing conditions

I hope you've all been enjoying this view this evening! You can see Venus (top) and Jupiter (lower) against a well-lit young Moon. Tomorrow's show should be just as good if you missed it tonight!