This is Mark's page for adding in-depth articles to include in the newsletter.

  • India Lands Near Lunar South Pole
    (31/Aug/2023)
    India have successfully landed the Chandrayaan-3 mission near the south pole of the Moon, making history in doing so. .    
  • The Hertzsprung Russell Diagram
    (24/May/2023)
    In last month’s ‘In Focus’ article we explored how the system of stellar classification evolved over the early part of the 20th Century, to the systems used today.  In this article we shall look how stellar classification is employed in the most important diagrammatical tool in Astrophysics, the H-...
  • Stellar Classification
    (21/Apr/2023)
    Stars come in many flavours, temperature, luminosity, mass, size, element composition, all are factors which combine to indicate what sort of a star it is and where it lies on its evolutionary journey.  A glance at a stars classification 'ID nameplate' can therefore tell us a great deal about that...
  • The Stellar Baker's Dozen Challenge - 2023
    (19/Mar/2023)
    The lighter evenings of April offer up an interesting stellar challenge, testing the observing dexterity of star gazers - casual or otherwise.   
  • The Tartan Unicorn
    (20/Jan/2023)
    The seasonal Winter night sky is a wonderful sight to behold, adorned with conspicuous constellations, dripping in stellar jewels and rich in associated mythology.  Yet, next to the very epicentre of this sparkling tableau; Orion, there lies a star group with little pedigree, its faint stars...
  • There and Back Again - Artemis 1 Mission successful
    (12/Dec/2022)
    The unmanned Artemis 1 mission to the Moon and return to Earth came to a satisfactory conclusion when the Orion capsule safely splashed down on Dec 12th 2022.
  • Blast Off! - Artemis at the Moon
    (11/Nov/2022)
    We have lift off!... After two scrubbed attempts and two more rescheduled due to hurricane threats, the Artemis 1 mission is ... GO for the Moon, and is already breaking records, heralding the dawn of new era of human lunar exploration. 
  • NASA Proposes New Artemis Launch Window Date
    (23/Oct/2022)
    Will it be fourth time lucky for the Artemis 1 SLS rocket launch. NASA hope so after two scrubbed attempts and a enforced roll back... 
  • Artemis Battens Down -Whilst Dart Hits the Bullseye
    (21/Sep/2022)
    After two scrubbed launches due to fuelling leaks, Artemis 1 had been given the green light for another launch attempt, then Ian intervened, no not the chief controller, but the named hurricane that caused widespread destruction across Florida. On a more positive note NASA's Dart mission crashes...
  • Artemis Foul(ed) Up
    (28/Aug/2022)
    It is almost 50 years since man last walked on the Moon, but on August 29th NASA's Artemis 1 mission stood ready on launch pad 39B - the same pad used for the Apollo missions, ready to make that initial step in returning humans back to the Moon and beyond. However ...
  • James Webb - Initial Images
    (24/Jul/2022)
    Following a three month initial instrument shakedown period the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) science team have released the first slew of images from the $10 billion telescope... and boy, was the wait worth it. 
  • The Summer Triangle Stars
    (28/Jun/2022)
    By late July, evenings gradually become darker once again, allowing more time for observers to explore and appreciate the summer night sky.   The brightest stars emerge around 22:15h: isolated jewels dotted around the heavens.  Of these, three form a large asterism known as the 'Summer Triangle',...
  • Scorpius
    (29/May/2022)
    The constellation of Scorpius is not surprisingly one of Ptolomy's original 48 being one of the brighter, more distinctive patterns visible in the sky. It is also littered with many fine deep sky objects. It is however best appreciated from more southerly latitudes. 
  • Coma Berenices - The Amber Tresses
    (21/Apr/2022)
    Coma Berenices is one of those constellations visible in the spring sky perhaps not on the radar of some astronomers as much as it should.  It is ill-defined, rather faint and sometimes mistakenly considered as a modern group.  It is not, and further more is rich in interest for the deep sky and...
  • The Window on the Wider Universe - Virgo
    (28/Mar/2022)
    With the introduction of BST (British Snow Time) it is after 21:30hrs before twilight deepens to astronomical levels in April. Spring constellations occupy much of the sky to the south and east...a direction which at this time of year offers a window onto the wider universe. 
  • Charles Messier - The Comet Ferret'
    (28/Feb/2022)
    Born in 18th century France, Charles Messier devoted most of his astronomical career hunting for comets, the discovery of which could bring fame and fortune. In the persuit of doing so, Messier stumbled across numerous 'nebulae', cataloguing their celestial location with descriptive text. Messier...
  • James Webb Successfully Deployed
    (15/Jan/2022)
    The JWST is now parked safely in the Lagrange 2 point after a critical 28 day period which could turn out to be one of the most important in NASA's history. The Space Observatory is fully deployed and now ready to begin shake down commissioning testing. 
  • Postcards from Mars
    (28/Dec/2021)
    It's been a while since we called in on Mars, so here is a year's end update of all that is trundling or flying over the Martian surface. 
  • James Webb Launched
    (26/Dec/2021)
    After yet one more delay - this one down to meteorological circumstances rather than IT or engineering ones, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) finally launched on Christmas Day. A month long deployment schedule has now commenced, coupled with an extremely nervous wait for scientists before JWST...
  • James Webb Space Telescope- Ready for Launch
    (30/Nov/2021)
    One of THE most important launch dates in space, perhaps scientific exploration is almost upon us. Even at the last minute an 'incident' on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has put back the date to no earlier than December 22nd. So is the £7.5 ($10) billion project price tag worth it ... 
  • Livestock and Shapes
    (18/Sep/2021)
    Amongst the large and sometimes less distinctive stellar patterns about to hold centre stage in the autumn night sky, two smaller, but important groups, reside in a patch of sky encircled by both autumn and early winter constellations. One is a farm animal the other a shape: Aries and Triangulum.
  • The Dolphin and Little Horse
    (14/Aug/2021)
    Having visited Vulpecula and Sagitta (Fox and arrow) in the last 'In Focus' article, we shall complete our tour of the region close by the Summer Triangle with a look at Delphinus - the Dolphin and Equuleus the little horse. 
  • The Fox and Arrow
    (19/Jul/2021)
    No, not a pub, but two small constellations within the confines of the summer triangle asterism; Vulpecula and Sagitta .  
  • The Harp - Lyra
    (14/Jun/2021)
    Summer evenings from the UK are annoyingly light throughout July, with bright twilight persisting until after 2200hrs. Overhead, the sky is dominated by the large asterism known as the 'summer triangle', three prominent stars each marking an apex of this large shape, the brightest of which is the...
  • The Northern Crown - Corona Borealis
    (29/May/2021)
    Located high to south in the northern celestial sky during the summer months, a small and pleasing circlet of stars to the west of Bootes (highlighted by Arcturus), marks the distinctive northern crown of Corona Borealis. It normally contains only one reasonably conspicuous star and no obvious deep...
  • Canes Venatici - the Hunting Dogs
    (23/Apr/2021)
    High up in the sky, almost overhead at this time of year, two dogs are snapping at the heels of a bear, held in check by a man with hook and leads in hand. Has the author been out picking mushrooms, or is there a strange tale to tell here. 
  • The Heavenly Twins - Gemini
    (15/Feb/2021)
    Having ridden with the charioteer-Auriga in last month's edition, this time we are going to take a stroll with the celestial brothers in arms; the heavenly twins of Castor and Pollux, otherwise known as Gemini, one of the oldest of constellations.
  • The Charioteer - Auriga
    (24/Jan/2021)
      February is perhaps the best month to appreciate the magnificence of the winter night sky. With so many impressive constellations to choose from it's hard to know where to begin. One very important northern constellation sometimes overlooked is located above the 'hub of attention' to the south,...
  • The Stellar Baker's Dozen Challenge
    (31/Mar/2020)
    The start of April offers up an interesting stellar challenge, testing the observing dexterity of astronomers; casual or otherwise in a race against time..  This is all about spotting first magnitude stars; those ranked brightest in the sky. Piercing the spring twilight dotted around the sky, no...
  • 'One Small Step': one large anniversary
    (30/Jun/2019)
    July sees the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing, quite an alarming fact for many over a certain age, whilst for many more it is just a milestone event in the annals of the history books, which barely relates today. For those who can remember, we watched in awe when Apollo 11 blasted off...
  • Our Neighbour in Space: The Moon
    (26/May/2019)
    Next month sees the 50th anniversary of the first Moon landing, which I shall be covering in greater detail in July’s notes, but for this month I thought perhaps to take a look at The Moon from an observing standpoint, especially as June ‘nights’ are so short...
  • Hercules et al
    (30/Aug/2017)
    The origin and true identity of this constellation was lost even to the ancient Greeks, who knew the figure as Engonasi, which literally means ‘the kneeling one’.  Mark recounts the mythology and describes the constellation of Hercules...
  • Bootes – The Herdsman
    (30/Jun/2017)
    The origin of the name Boötes is a little unclear, but may be derived from a Greek word meaning ‘noisy’ or ‘clamorous’, referring to the herdsman’s calling his animals or alternatively from the ancient Greek meaning ‘ox-driver’, from the fact that Ursa Major was sometimes visualized as a cart...
  • Corona Borealis
    (30/Jun/2017)
    In mythology Corona Borealis is said to represent the crown of Dionysus tossed into the heavens to prove his love for Ariadne, daughter of King Minos of Crete.  She had played an instrumental role in helping Theseus slay the Minotaur, a creature with the head of a bull on a human body.  Ariadne’s...
  • Messier - the man, the menagerie and the marathon
    (25/Feb/2017)
    The Man: Born into aristocracy in 18th century France, Charles Messier stood at the threshold of a great observational age. Comets were the fascination of astronomers - their discovery and subsequent observation occupying many observatories; bringing fame and fortune to their discoverer... The...
  • The Stellar Baker's Dozen Challenge 2017
    (25/Feb/2017)
    The lighter evenings of April offer up an interesting stellar challenge, testing the observing dexterity of astronomers - casual or otherwise - in a race against time.  Fear not, this is not a 'faint fuzzy blob' hunt, like the Messier marathon, the exact opposite in fact, more of a sprint really...
  • A Winter Sky Ramble (Part 2)
    (29/Dec/2016)
    In the second part of our tour through the winter sky we shall look at some more deep sky celestial treats to tempt you outside.  To begin, locate the constellation of Gemini, the twins, whose two leading stars, Castor and Pollux ride quite high in the South-East sky.  The object we are seeking is...
  • A Winter Sky Ramble (Part 1)
    (29/Nov/2016)
    In the first of this two-part feature we shall take a look at some of the celestial winter wonders located in or near the asterism sometimes referred to as the Celestial “G”, whether using the naked eye, binoculars or a telescope. But first let us familiarise ourselves with the celestial “G”.  This...
  • The Demon’s Head and the Glittering Sword
    (31/Oct/2016)
    Look high to the northeast where you will locate one of the northern skies more important constellations, the great hero of Greek mythology, Perseus.  Legends associated with Perseus exist in various cultures; some may be traced back as far as the 5th century BC.  One tale in particular, his quest...
  • The Square
    (29/Sep/2016)
    Having shown how the familiar star pattern of the Plough may be used to locate other constellations in the north and west part of the sky, another highly useful arrangement of stars currently visible in the autumn sky may be utilised to pick out aspects of the South and East...
  • Bear Tails and Tiaras
    (29/Sep/2016)
    I always view early autumn with a certain amount of nostalgia as it was around this time I first became interested in identifying the stellar patterns visible in the night sky.  As it turns out early October is almost ideal to do so;- summer constellations remain well placed as soon as darkness...
  • This Island Universe
    (31/Aug/2016)
    Many amateur astronomers regard September as one of ‘the special’ months in which to explore the night sky. Evening conditions remain conducive for prolonged observation, yet skies are fully dark by 22:00h. During September the summer Milky Way is at its most conspicuous to the naked eye, though...
  • A Magnificent Summer Seven
    (30/Jun/2016)
    From mid-July, evenings gradually become darker once again, allowing more time for observers to explore and appreciate the summer constellations.  The brightest stars emerge around 22:15h, isolated jewels dotted around the heavens.  Of these, seven in particular catch the eye and three; Arcturus,...
  • The Summer Solstice
    (31/May/2016)
    The official start of summer in the northern hemisphere commences on June 21st – the date of the summer solstice this year, when the Sun reaches its greatest altitude on the ecliptic; the path it takes across the sky during a year.  From our latitude this equates to almost 59 degrees above the...
  • Transits
    (30/Apr/2016)
    As inferior planets, on occasion Mercury and Venus can transit across the Sun as seen from the vantage point of Earth.  Transits of Venus are extremely rare, occurring in pairs 8 yrs apart separated by intervals of over 100 yrs.  A transit of Mercury is less rare, but still only around 13 can occur...
  • Spring Tales
    (31/Mar/2016)
    With the introduction of BST it is after 21:00h before skies grow fully dark, by which time many of the seasonal constellations associated with winter are on the verge of departing. Spring groups now occupy much of the sky to the south and east.  Of the star groups arranged in the south, three are...
  • The Lion and the Serpent
    (30/Mar/2016)
    Compared to the departing stellar canopy of winter, at first glance the spring sky may seem rather less inspiring.  Yet, appearances can be deceptive and there is much to wonder at amongst the constellations now arranged across the South and East...
  • February Tales - A Tale of Two Dogs
    (31/Jan/2016)
    Given a clear and dark sky, February is a great time to become acquainted with the winter celestial dome.  The southern aspect is especially studded with stellar jewels. Of these no star catches the eye more than Sirius, brightest in the entire night sky. Also known as the ‘Dog star’, Sirius lies...
  • Brit in Space - again!
    (31/Dec/2015)
    Hope you all managed to watch UK astronaut Tim Peake safely reach the ISS.  Whether you caught it live on the news, or the Stargazing Live Special, I thought the coverage was quite extensive and actually rather tense and exhilarating. Of course Major Tim is not the first Britain in space, that...
  • Jewels of the Winter Sky
    (31/Dec/2015)
    One of the most impressive stellar panoramas is the jewelled canopy of the winter night sky, in particular the southern aspect, adorned as it is with imposing constellations and studded with an array of brilliant stars.  Rich in both mythology and observational interest, there is plenty here to...

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