Seo Wulf-mona

The Wolf-moon Tonight, given that the weather forecast is cloudy and rainy, there is a slim chance that you might be able see the full beauty of the January full moon, also known as the ‘Wolf moon’ or ‘Old moon’. The Northwest of England has several dark sky discovery sites in and around it, theseContinue reading “Seo Wulf-mona”

The Sky in September

The next few days are very eventful for observers of the sky and its many machinations, to begin with early tomorrow morning (Wed the 18th of September as of writing) a partial eclipse of the moon may be visible from the British Isles. The eclipse will occur from 1.41am to 5.47am with the best time to observeContinue reading “The Sky in September”

The March, or ‘Worm’ Moon

The March full moon occurs this year on Friday the 14th, here are some facts about the astrological phenomenon of full moons and how often they happen. Syzygy Syzygy is a real scientific term believe it or not and is pronounced “siz-a-gee”, and it’s worth 21 points in Scrabble, it’s an astronomical position that isContinue reading “The March, or ‘Worm’ Moon”

The Spring Equinox and the constellations of Vulpeculae, Anser and Delphinus

The Vernal Equinox On the 20th of March falls the spring, or vernal, equinox, this is the date when the day and night both last 12 hours, so are almost but not entirely equal in length, giving it the name equinox, originating from equi, meaning ‘equal’, and nox, meaning ‘night’, this date marks the beginningContinue reading “The Spring Equinox and the constellations of Vulpeculae, Anser and Delphinus”

Sirius, the Bright and Ever-changing Dog Star

On clear cloudless nights it is always worth chucking your big coat on and popping outside to see what you can spot in our night skies, especially if you are lucky enough to live somewhere clear of light pollution. Earlier in the year offers the best opportunities to observe the brightest star that is visibleContinue reading “Sirius, the Bright and Ever-changing Dog Star”

“Ring Around The Moon Means Rain Soon”

If you look up to the sky tonight you cannot help but notice a large ring of light around the moon, this is known by meteorologists as a 22º halo, this is because the radius of the halo is always approximately 22 degrees. An old saying has it that a “ring around the moon meansContinue reading ““Ring Around The Moon Means Rain Soon””

The Old Moon

Tomorrow night, given that the weather forecast is a bit sketchy, you might be able see the full beauty of the January full moon or the ‘Old moon’ as it’s also called. The British Isles has many dark sky discovery sites which are largely free from light pollution, making them perfect places to observe astronomicalContinue reading “The Old Moon”