Where we belong… There’s a moment astronauts talk about, one that no training simulation, no photograph, no documentary can fully prepare them for. They call it the Overview Effect. It happens when you finally see Earth not as a place you live… but as something you belong to. A glowing, fragile sphere suspended in endless...
January Stargazing Blog
To see the stars and the Aurora at their best, your eyes need 15 minutes to adjust to the dark. Avoid white lights and phone screens during this time. At Battlesteads Observatory, we use red lights to preserve our night vision, and we recommend you use a red-light torch at home, too. 🔭 Aurora Update:...
The January 2025 Parade of Planets
This might be controversial but if you heard about the incredible planet parade occurring on 25th of January, we have some great news for you…. Social media is buzzing with the news of a “once in 396 billion years” planetary alignment on Saturday, January 25th. We are going to answer the questions: What is a...
Spooky Space! Halloween and Things You Can See This Autumn
Where did Halloween Come from By Jacob Hunter. Many cultures have some kind of autumnal celebration, with a lot of them connected to the dead. For example, the Japanese, who celebrate by hanging lanterns to guide spirits back to their homes. However, it is suspected that these autumnal celebrations are actually related to the sun...
101 Things – a Stellar Nova, the New Nova in Cassiopeia
Discovered on the 18th of March, nova Cas 2021 was shining at approx magnitude +9.6, but it has quickly brightened to magnitude +7.5 over the weekend. Nova Cas 2021 should be visible through a pair of 10 x 50 binoculars or a small telescope and is set to be a great target for professional and...
101 Things – The Northumberland Dark Sky Festival
A new virtual festival is being organised this February to celebrate Northumberland as one of the best places to stargaze and take in the majesty of the Milky Way on a clear night. Officially, Northumberland has ‘the most pristine dark skies in England’ and in 2013 the National Park and most of Kielder Water and...
Are We Nearly There Yet by Carol Davenport – A Review
This is a lovely childrens book about the Rosalind Franklin Rover, (previously known as the ExoMars Rover) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosalind_Franklin_(rover) Written by the physicist and educator Dr. Carol Davenport, which tells the story of a number of robotic missions in our solar system from the perspective of the story teller, Mission Control, talking with an impatient Mars...
Geminids Meteor Shower
Have you ever wished upon a star? Well with the Geminids Meteor Shower you’ve got the best opportunity to do so (cloud permitting) because the peak lasts for two days and you can see dozens and dozens of shooting stars each hour. The Geminids is one of the best meteor showers of the year and...
APPG for Dark Skies – Light Pollution
Light Pollution affects society and habitats in several ways; stargazing and astronomy are just the tip of the iceberg. Animals affected by light pollution include migrating birds, butterflies and moths, wasps, diurnal insects, plankton, (fresh water and sea water), sea turtles, many nocturnal animals and insects. In particular, insects whose visual range includes Ultraviolet and...
101 Things – COMETS!
Comets are (essentially) massive dirty, icy snowballs thought to mostly originate from the “Oort Cloud” at the far reaches of the solar system. 2,000 to 200,000 AU distant from the sun, this great big spherical(ish) cloud of objects, leftovers from the creation of our solar system, bimble about minding their own business, until a passing...