A Comet's Tale

By now, everyone with any interest has seen pictures of the Rosetta Comet Chaser meeting its target: the odd-shaped comet known to its friends as '67P'.  But do you know why Rosetta is making a triangular orbit, or that it has a chameleon coma?

Physics Professor Ed Copeland of Nottingham University brings you a little more detail than you've seen on the TV news reports in this video... [Read more about A Comet's Tale]

Regatta Star Party

The end-of-month updates will surely give much more detail on the Regatta events, but in there mean time here are some pictures from Saturday's Solar Viewing and Star Party, before the storm which put pay to Sunday's planned events... [Read more about Regatta Star Party]

Regatta Solar Viewing

WDAS Members joined in daytime Whitby Regatta activities with two solar viewing events.  In that rare regatta combination of clear skies and an active sun, this year's visitors saw plenty of sun spots... [Read more about Regatta Solar Viewing]

With the latter part of the summer stuck in vintage unsettled weather mode, it’s a case of making every opportunity of a fine evening when it comes along. Wednesday 6th of June was such an occasion, and an unscheduled star party was held on the cliff. How often do such events turn out to be rather successful? Quite often. [Read more about WDAS August Star Parties]

In this month's edition:

  • Planetary Skylights: Autumnual equinox, Mars and Saturn in the evening, Jupiter and Venus in the dawn sky, and Comet C/2012K1 PANSTARRS becomes a binocular object near Jupiter - maybe...
  • Meteor Watch: Tail end of the Piscids
  • September 2014 Sky Charts