The Natural Navigator» mars

Mars in the East

admin — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 07:23:50 +0000

For much of the UK, tonight promises to be a good night for some stargazing. With a bit of luck the only clouds for many will be from our breath. The moon, which is four days off full, will outshine many of the stars but should not spoil the party.

If the sky is clear we will get a very good view of Mars in the east in the early evening. Sitting between the constellations of Leo (easy to find) and Cancer (hard to find), it will be rising about thirty degrees north of east at dusk and pass through due east at 8.30pm. By then Orion, below the high moon, will have moved to occupy a large part of the southern sky. If you follow Orion’s belt down to nearer the horizon then low in the southeast you will see the brightest star of them all, Sirius.

If you do happen to be awake late, then Mars will have moved to be due south and high in the sky by 1am. By this time the moon will have begun its steep descent in the west. If you are enjoying this in fresh air then you will either be very cold, or the owner of some excellent outdoor kit.

Moonlight Pyjama Mayhem

admin — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 06:59:05 +0000

For better or worse I seem to have a sixth sense for when conditions are great very early in the morning. I woke at 5.30am and was instantly drawn out into the neighbouring field to take in the scene and to take a picture. The snow was being lit up from the south by the waning crescent moon, the stars were out in force and Mars was peering down in red confidence from high in the west.

I stepped over the style into the field, camera in one hand, tripod in another and then it all went wrong. To avoid waking anyone I had not stumbled around for my clothes in the dark, but opted for the worryingly standard kit for this time of day: pyjamas, thick coat and wellies. My left foot slipped a bit on the style’s ice and a successful bid to save my skin and camera led to the tripod taking a big hit. It’s knackered. A fair price for escape though, not unlike the sad loss of my Land Rover Defender before Christmas. There is a saying in aviation, ‘Any landing you walk away from is a good one’. I suspect that this is not an expression that will have those with a fear of flying racing to the airport.

Starting to shiver in cold wet pyjamas, this picture was the best I could manage. The light pollution from the south coast is clearly visible, but it cannot quite drown out Virgo’s brightest star, Spica, in the top right of the picture. The lights in the bottom right are from my local village, Eartham.

Corvus and Crater

admin — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 07:00:24 +0000

First thing this morning our bathroom was bright with diffused light from the blinds that had been filled with moonlight from the west. I put on a thick jacket and pair of Ugg boots and wandered outside. Looking up I was spoilt. The moon was indeed throwing her weight around and this can sometimes make for imperfect stargazing, but the cold air was clear enough that between the first glow of dawn in the east and the moon’s light in the west there were riches to choose from. Gemini, Leo and Virgo were high in the sky. The dark spaces between them were punctured with Saturn and the reddish Mars. In the east another tinge of red was clear in the form of Arcturus. (It was less than two months ago that I was wondering at Arcturus and Bootes in the western evening sky.) Low in the southern sky were Corvus, the Crow, and Crater, the Cup, two constellations that I have not seen for a long time. If that were not enough, a satellite passed from north to south overhead to cap it all off.