Whitby & District Astronomical Society

"We have lift off", or so it might have been said in days gone by, but such a phrase could aptly have been coined when Ingenuity - NASA's small helicopter drone, took to the thin Martian air on April 18th - 2021...around breakfast time BST. Having located a suitable piece of Martian ground in proximity to the initial landing site, Percy dropped off its small 'cling on' companion late last month. Since then scientists have been conducting tests in readiness for the first flight. [Read more about Ingenuity Takes One small Flight]

In this month's edition:

• Planetary Skylights 
• Meteors: The Eta Aquarids
• Noctilucent cloud season 
• Comet 2020 ATLAS R4
• May 2021 Sky Charts

In this month's edition:

• Planetary Skylights 
• Meteors: The Lyrids
• Comet 2020 ATLAS R4
• April 2021 Sky Charts

NASA's Mars rover, Perseverance, or Percy for short, has now been on Mars for almost 40 Sols and appears to be functioning satisfactory. Attention, however will soon turn to the small 'helicopter drone'- Igenuity, attached to Percy in readiness for the first unmanned flight on another world.  [Read more about Perseverance - Update ]

I guess so...for the foreseeble future.  [Read more about Still the Way Ahead?]

NASA's latest Mars rover, Perseverance, has successfully landed on Mars following a nail biting descent into Jezero crater; hope you watched it. Its mission will shortly commence in earnest, but what will Perseverance discover? Will it stay the distance?  Will its clingon fly? All these questions, and hopefully numerous others, are going to be answered over the coming year...or so.  [Read more about Will Perseverance Pay Off?]

The roadmap to freedom has been laid out by the government, but will we be able to meet sooner ... or later. [Read more about The Way Ahead]

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. [Read more about The Heavenly Twins - Gemini]

There will be no formal society meeting in March or April ... [Read more about Spring Society Meetings and Observatory Open Nights. ]

In this month's edition:

• Planetary Skylights 
• Meteors
• March 2021 Sky Charts
• Vesta at opposition in Leo

  [Read more about Sky Notes - March 2021]

Having had a retrospective look back at 2020 last month, it's time to look at some of the planetary skylights ahead in 2021; March to June. [Read more about Planetary Skylights: A look ahead; March-June]

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, and so it is on this group our spotlight shall be directed; Auriga the Charioteer.  [Read more about The Charioteer - Auriga ]

You can still download Paul Money's excellent Night Scenes almanac for 2021, but on PDF or Kindle e book format only. Details are as follows..

Due to the ongoing Covid lockdown restrictions there will be no society meeting in February and most likely March.   [Read more about Society Meetings and Observatory Open Nights. ]

In this month's edition:

• Planetary Skylights 
• Meteors
• February 2021 Sky Charts

  [Read more about Sky Notes - February 2021]