Week of 10th December

• Astronomical twilight ends at 18.03 UT at the start of the week and at 18.02 UT at the end
  
  
• The Moon is New at the start of the week and will wax to first Quarter on Saturday
  
  
• The Geminid meteor shower peaks in the early hours of Friday 14th. Often this shower, which is relatively recent compared to the Perseids for example, is a good shower to observe and appears to be increasing in activity, with up to 100 per hour rates possible. This year the lack of Moonlight will aid observation. The Geminids are unusual in that unlike all other major meteor showers the debris stream does not arise from a Comet but from an Asteroid (3200 Phaethon)
  
  
• The Sun may be more active this week with the appearance of one of the largest spots this year (978)
  
  
• This is a week of ISS passes as follows: On Monday at 16.46.33 SW to E reaching 31 degrees and 18.21.06 from SW to E reaching 42 degrees. On Tuesday at 17.07.46 WSW to E reaching 56 degrees. Thursday at 17.50.45 W to E reaching 85 degrees. Friday at 16.37.13 WSW to E reaching 80 degrees. Saturday at 16.58.40 W to E reaching 85 degrees and 18.33.42 W to W reaching 29 degrees and Sunday at 17.20.06 W to ESE reaching 84 degrees
  
  
• There are no bright evening Iridium flares

Week of 3rd December

• Astronomical twilight ends at 18.02 UT at the start of the week and at 18.02 UT at the end
  
  
• The Moon is waning and will be New at the start of next week
  
  
• The Sun is blank again
  
  
• The ISS is back at the end of the week with increasingly good passes as follows: On Wednesday at 18.08.46 from SW to SSW reaching 20 degrees. Friday at 17.17.20 from S to ESE reaching 17 degrees. Saturday at 17.38.06 from SW to ESE reaching 33 degrees. Sunday at 17.59.26 from WSW to SSE reaching 61 degrees
  
  
• There is one superbright Iridium flare on Friday at 17.16.20, 62 degrees altitude in NE

Week of 26th November

• Astronomical twilight ends at 18.04 UT at the start of the week and at 18.02 UT at the end
  
  
• The Moon is now waning and will be last Quarter next Saturday, when it will be only 2 degrees from Saturn. On Friday the Moon will pass less than 1 degree from Regulus (alpha Leo). As the temperatures drop, keep an eye out for Lunar Halos caused by ice particles high in the atmosphere. The was an enormous 30 degrees diameter Halo last Thursday
  
  
• The Sun has one tiny spot 975
  
  
• Comet 17/P Holmes is still visible but fading and will be affected by the Moon light this week
  
  
• There are no ISS passes this week, but there is one bright Iridium flare on Monday at 18.14.44 at 45 degrees in NNE

Week of 19th November

• As of last Thursday the Sun is no longer the largest object (diameter) in the Solar System ! The envelope of debris from Comet Holmes has now expanded to more than 1.4 million km. Due to the incredibly low density of matter however, in terms of mass, it is like comparing a bag of sugar to the Earth. The comet has now moved significantly towards alpha Persei, closing the triangle of last week. It will pass in front of the brightest star in Perseus (Mirphak) on Tuesday
  
  
• Astronomical twilight ends at 18.10 UT at the start of the week and at 18.06 UT the end
  
  
• The Moon is waxing and will be Full (Frosty Moon) on Saturday
  
  
• The Sun has one tiny spot 974, the first for some time
  
  
• Mars rises around 7pm in NE brilliant orange
  
  
• There are no ISS passes this week and no bright Iridium flares

Week of 12th November

• Astronomical twilight ends at 18.18UT at the start of the week and 18.11UT at the end
  
  
• The Moon is now Waxing and will be First Quarter next Saturday
  
  
• The Sun is blank
  
  
• Comet Holmes is dimming and is less spherical, being more 'jelly fish' in shape
  
  
• There are no ISS passes this week
  
  
• There are 2 bright Iridium flares: On Tuesday at 17.28.13, 62 degrees altitude in NE and on Thursday at 17.17.04 a super bright flare at 64 degrees altitude in NE

Week of 5th November

• Astronomical twilight ends at 18.26 GMT at the start of the week and 18.18 GMT at the end
  
  
• The Moon is waning and will be New on Friday and visible at the start of next week
  
  
• The exploding comet 17/P Holmes continues to expand and appears currently to be 2/3 of the size of the Full Moon (though only visible as such through a telescope as it is dimming and the outer parts are too dim to see by eye) In the 10 inch it is showing asymmetrical structure though the outer Coma is incredibly circular
  
  
• If the sky is clear watch out for late Taurids
  
  
• The Sun is blank again
  
  
• The Winter sky is now coming into its own with Orion up by 10pm. Mars is now really bright and orange in the North East smack in the middle of Gemini. In the 10 inch it is showing increasing surface detail
  
  
• The ISS makes no evening passes this week
  
  
• There is one superbright Iridium flare on Thursday at 17.56.14, altitude 55 degrees in NNE

Week of 29th October

• Astronomical twilight ends at 18.38 GMT at the start of the week and 18.25 GMT at the end
  
  
• The Moon is waning and will be Last Quarter on Thursday
  
  
• Comet 17P/Holmes which is normally too dim for even large telescopes has brightened to naked eye visibility (comparable to stars in the Plough) and appears to be exploding, showing a disc in small telescopes. It can be found as an extra 'star' in Perseus just North and below alpha Persei (Mirfak)
  
  
• The Taurid meteor shower peaks on Saturday. The debris from 2P/Encke often produces slow bright meteors and a number of fireballs
  
  
• The Sun remains blank but active prominences have been in evidence on the western limb
  
  
• Mars will be visible 3 degrees south of the Moon on Tuesday
  
  
• There are no ISS passes
  
  
• There are 3 bright Iridium flares to watch out for: On Monday at 18.52.29 39 degrees altitude in NNE. Tuesday at 18.46.16 39 degrees in NNE and Saturday at 18.24.18, 47 degrees in NNE

Week of 22nd October

• Astronomical twilight ends at 19.52 BST at the start of the week and 18.36 GMT at the end
  
  
• Note GMT (BST-1) starts next Sunday morning
  
  
• The Moon is waxing and will be Full (Hunters Moon) on Friday
  
  
• Comet 2007 F1 LONEOS is brightening to a naked-eye object. Low in the NW after sunset. Scan below and left from Arcturus soon after 7pm
  
  
• Look out for late Orionids at the start of the week
  
  
• The Sun remains blank
  
  
• The Winter asterisms are rising mid evening, heralded by the Pleiades (M45) and followed by Aldeberan and the Hyades and then from around 10.30pm Orion
  
  
• The ISS makes 1 last pass on Tuesday at 18.13.14 W to SSE reaching 26 degrees altitude
  
  
• There are no bright evening Iridium flares

Week of 15th October

• Astronomical twilight ends at 20.06 BST at the start of the week and at 19.52 BST at the end
  
  
• The Moon is now waxing and will be First Quarter on Friday
  
  
• The Orionid meteor shower peaks on Saturday, though rates are usually below 20 per hour. This is debris from Halley's comet
  
  
• The pre-dawn eastern sky has a beutiful triangle with bright corners of Venus, Saturn and Regulus in that order with Saturn being yellower
  
  
• The Sun is blank again
  
  
• There is a new comet brightening but very low in the West after sunset, below the 'Saucepan' of UMa. LONEOS (C/2007 F1) will brighten to naked eye visibility (just) by the end of the month
  
  
• The ISS is visible this week as follows: Monday at 19.54.15 W to ESE reaching 80 degrees altitude. Tuesday 18.42.16 W to E reaching 83 degrees and 20.17.25 W to WSW reaching 41 degrees. Wednesday 19.05.25 W to ESE reaching 80 degrees and 20.40.43 W to WSW , 18 degrees. Thursday 19.28.32 W to SE recahing 38 degrees. Friday 18.16.29 W to ESE reaching 50 degrees and 19.51.47 W to S , 25 degrees. Saturday 18.39.34 W to SE reaching 49 degrees and 20.15.44 WSW to SSW, 12 degrees and Sunday 19.02.47 W to SSE reaching 25 degrees
  
  
• There are 2 superbright early evening Iridium flares to 'catch' on Thursday at 18.54.30 at 58 degrees altitude in NNE and Friday at 18.48.23 at 60 degrees in NNE

Week of 8th October

• Astronomical twilight ends at 20.21 BST at the start of the week and at 20.05 BST the end
  
  
• The Moon is waning and will be New on 11th. This Sunday morning the Moon will pass in front of Regulus (alpha Leo) from 6.20 to 6.55 BST, this will be the brightest star occultation till 2015
  
  
• The New Moon is unlikely to be visible until next week-end low in the West
  
  
• Mars is rising around 22.00 and is well placed by midnight in SE. Saturn, Venus and the old Moon are nicely gathered at the start of the week
  
  
• The Sun has one growing spot 972
  
  
• Venus is now so bright that it can be spotted in daylight near the crescent Moon in the early morning sky
  
  
• The ISS may be seen this week: Monday at 20.21.52 from WSW to SSW reaching 54 degrees. Tuesday at 19.10.22 SW to E reaching 33 degrees. Wednesday at 19.33.18 WSW to E reaching 62 degrees. Saturday at 20.42.57 W to W reaching 27 degrees
  
  
• There are no bright evening Iridium flares

Week of 1st October

• Astronomical twilight ends at 20.37 BST at the start of the week and 20.20 BST at the end
  
  
• The Moon is waning and will be Last Quarter on Wednesday
  
  
• The Sun has one tiny spot 971
  
  
• Mars is brightening and is 5 degrees south of the Moon on Tuesday
  
  
• The ISS returns to our evening skies at the end of the week with passes at 19.36.37 S to SE on Saturday reaching 17 degrees and on Sunday at 19.59.01 SW to SE reaching 33 degrees
  
  
• There are no bright Iridium flares

Week of 24th September

• Astromnomical twilight ends at 20.55 BST at the start of the week and at 20.40 BST the end
  
  
• The Moon is waxing and will be Full (Harvest Moon) on Wednesday
  
  
• The Sun has now been blank for 14 consecutive days, though prominence activity continues at the limb
  
  
• Uranus is just 2 degrees south of the Moon on Tuesday but will be lost in its glare and certainly its colour will not be so vivid
  
  
• There are no evening ISS passes and no bright evening Iridium flares

Week of 17th September

• Astronomical twilight ends at 21.14 BST at the start of the week and 20.54 BST at the end
  
  
• The Moon is waxing and will be First Quarter on Wednesday
  
  
• The Sun remains completely blank
  
  
• There are no evening ISS passes or bright Iridium flares

Week of 10th September

• Astronomical twilight ends at 21.32 BST at the start of the week and 21.15 BST at the end
  
  
• The Moon will be New on Tuesday and unlikely to be visible till the end of the week low in the SW
  
  
• The Sun is blank again
  
  
• Venus is at maximum brightness in the East prior to sunrise
  
  
• There are no evening ISS passes this week and no bright Iridium flares

Week of 3rd September

• Astronomical twilight (when the Sun has reached 18 degrees below the horizon, and fainter stars should be visible) ends at 21.52 BST at the start of the week and 21.35 BST at the end
  
  
• The Moon is waning and will be Last Quarter on Tuesday when Mars will be 6 degrees south of the Moon
  
  
• The Sun has a growing spot 969 and another emerging spot, so activity may increase
  
  
• Mars is coming closer over the next few months till Opposition on Christmas Eve. However, it will be neither as close or bright as in 2005 nor 2003 Oppositions. The next spectacular Opposition will not occur until 2018
  
  
• There are no ISS passes this week and no bright Iridium flares

Week of 27th August

• The Moon will be Full on Tuesday (Corn Moon)
  
  
• The Sun has one small spot 969, but it is only weakly active
  
  
• There are no ISS passes this week and no bright Iridium flares

Week of 20th August

• The Moon is waxing and will be First Quarter on Tuesday. On Wednesday the Moon will be just South of Antares and Jupiter
  
  
• The Sun is blank again
  
  
• There are no ISS passes this week and there are no bright evening Iridium flares

Week of 13th August

• The Perseids peak at 3am Monday morning but will still be worth watching for the first few days of the week
  
  
• The New Moon is unlikely to be visible till Tuesday, very low just after sunset, due West around 20.40.
  
  
• The Sun still has one tiny inactive spot 966
  
  
• The ISS continues to make evening passes and is currently larger due to the docked Shuttle 'Endeavour': Monday at 22.26.03, W to SSE reaching 48 degrees. Tuesday 21.13.29, W to ESE reaching 81 degrees and 22.48.46 W to SW reching 24 degrees. Wednesday 21.36.02 W to SE reaching 50 degrees. Thursday 21.58.41 W to S reaching 26 degrees and Saturday 21.08.32 W to SSE reaching 27 degrees
  
  
• There are no bright evening Iridium flares

Week of 6th August

• The Moon is waning and will be New at the start of next week
  
  
• The highlight of the week is the approach of the Perseid meteor shower (also known as the tears of San Lorenzo) maximum (debris from comet Swift-Tuttle). Early Perseids can already be seen and rates should build up to around 80 per hour. This year the shower is very well placed at New Moon. The official peak is at 3am on Monday 13th, but good rates can often be seen on days either side of this, so look out (by naked eye) as the weather allows. The radiant in Perseus is about a hand's width down from the left hand edge of the W of Cassiopeia. The best directions to look are 45 degrees to the North and South of this.
  
  
• The Sun is very quiet, though a small spot 966 is emerging on the eastern limb
  
  
• Perseid viewers will also be treated to some really good ISS passes (every evening) as follows: On Monday at 22.57.49 W to E reaching 87 degrees. Tuesday at 21.45.31 WSW to E reaching 64 degrees and 23.20.34 W to NE reaching 84 degrees. Wednesday at 22.08.10 W to E reaching 84 degrees and 23.43.18 W to W reaching 35 degrees. Thursday at 22.30.54 W to E reaching 82 degrees. Friday at 21.18.28 W to E reaching 81 degrees and 22.53.36 W to SE reaching 74 degrees. Saturday 21.41.10 W to E reaching 84 degrees and 23.16.18 W to WSW reaching 34 degrees and on Sunday at 22.03.51 W to ESE reaching 79 degrees.
  
  
• There are no really bright evening Iridium flares this week

Week of 30th July

• The Moon will be Full (Thunder Moon) on Monday and will wane to Last Quarter next Sunday
  
  
• The Sun has one new tiny spot which should grow during the week
  
  
• Jupiter is now prominent in the evening Southern sky near red Antares
  
  
• The ISS returns to the evening skies: On Thursday at 23.02.13 from SW to SW reaching 16 degrees, on Friday at 21.50.46 from SSW to E reaching 18 degrees and 23.24.44 WSW to SW reaching 42 degrees, on Saturday at 22.12.43 from SW to E reaching 36 degrees and 23.47.29 from W to E reaching 41 degrees and Sunday at 22.35.13 WSW to E reaching 65 degrees. The start of next week will see the best passes
  
  
• There is one superbright Iridium flare to watch out for on Monday at 21.52.28, 55 degrees altitude in ENE

Week of 23rd July

• The Moon will wax until Full at the start of next week
  
  
• The Sun is again blank
  
  
• Jupiter will be close to the Moon on Wednesday with red giant Antares less than a degree away from the Moon
  
  
• There are no evening ISS passes this week and no bright iridium flares

Week of 16th July

• The Moon is waxing and will be First Quarter next Sunday
  
  
• The week starts with Venus, Saturn and the Moon close in the West
  
  
• The Sun has a couple of active sunspot regions
  
  
• There are no ISS passes this week. However, there is one bright Iridium flare to watch out for on Wednesday at 22.46.10, 38 degrees in NE

Week of 9th July

• The Moon is waning and will be New next week-end, but is unlikely to be viewed until 9.20pm on Monday week at around 11 degrees in W near Venus and Saturn
  
  
• The Sun has a new active spot 963
  
  
• Venus reaches its maximum illumination on 12th
  
  
• There are no ISS passes and no bright evening Iridium flares

Week of 2nd July

• The Moon will wane to Last Quarter next Saturday
  
  
• On 7th July the Earth reaches Aphelion, its furthest distance from the Sun
  
  
• The Sun has two small spot groups but is not active
  
  
• Venus and Saturn will remain apparently very close and are worth viewing together in the West after sunset, especially in an instrument that will show the waning crescent of Venus and Saturn's rings. The speed of Venus' orbit will be obvious compared to distant Saturn as the two planets seperate
  
  
• There are no ISS passes this week, but there are 2 bright Iridium flares; on Monday at 22.19.50, 48 degrees altitude in NE and Wednesday at 23.40.56, 14 degrees altitude in NNE

Week of 25th June

• The Moon is waxing and will be Full next Saturday. Being low in the sky it will give the illusion of being huge as it risses. This is officially a Blue Moon, the second Full Moon in a single month. Though not perhaps as rare as the saying 'once in a blue Moon' might suggest, the last was in July 2004 and the next will not be till December 2009
  
  
• The Sun is totally blank, though there is still prominence activity at the limb
  
  
• Next Sunday Saturn and Venus are within one degree of each other. Look out after sunset in the West. Venus will seem far brighter and bigger
  
  
• On Wednesday, the supergiant star Antares (300x diameter of Sun) is close to the Moon and on Thursday Jupiter is only 6 degrees away from the Moon
  
  
• There are no ISS passes this week and no bright evening Iridium flares

Week of 18th June

• The Moon will be First Quarter on Friday. On Monday there is a daytime occultation by the waxing crescent Moon of the waning crescent Venus. The planet will disappear at the dark limb of the Moon at 15.07, emerging at 16.26, this should be visible in Binoculars. Venus is 45 degress East of the Sun, but care must be taken not to look towards the Sun. The occultation will occur at 53 degrees altitude. The Moon will be within one degree of Saturn on Tuesday and Regulus on Wednesday
  
  
• The Sun is blank again. Thursday is the Summer Solstice, when the Sun rises and sets at its most Northerly points of the East and West horizons respectively
  
  
• Some vivid Noctiluscent clouds occurred at the end of last week. Clear Summer nights near Solar minimum are often good for these high altitude luminous electric blue clouds
  
  
• There is one last, but low ISS pass on Monday at 22.39.06 WSW to S reaching 17 degrees. There are no bright evening Iridium flares this week

Week of 11th June

• The Moon will be New at the end of next week and may just be visible in its 4% phase around 9.30pm on 16th directly below Castor and Pollux and above Mercury (which is now getting closer to the horizon after sunset and thus is harder to view)
  
  
• Next Sunday (17th) there should be a lovely line-up at sunset of Saturn, the 9% crescent Moon and Venus each 10 degrees or so from the other
  
  
• Spot 960 is breaking up and the Sun is quieter
  
  
• Whilst the Moon is 'dark' it is an excellent opportunity to view Jupiter and Vesta in the southern evening sky both just past Opposition
  
  
• The ISS continues to make passes and to good binos will look a little bigger since the shuttle Atlantis is now docked and post-mission since they are unfolding new Solar Panels. The ISS can be seen at its best: On Monday at 23.24.01 from W to E reaching 81 degrees. On Tuesday at 22.09.43 from W to E reaching 83 degrees and 23.44.41 from W to SE reaching 51 degrees. On Wednesday at 22.30.22 from W to ESE reaching 84 degrees. On Thursday at 22.51.00 from W to ESE reaching 55 degrees. On Friday at 23.11.44 from W to SSE reaching 30 degrees and Saturday at 22.17.58 from W to SE reaching 32 degrees
  
  
• There are no bright evening Iridium flares

Week of 4th June

• The Moon is waning and will be Last Quarter on Friday
  
  
• Mercury reached greatest elongation (angle from the Sun) on 2nd and will remain a good target for naked eye observation low on the NW horizon after sunset. Venus reaches greatest elongation next Saturday and both Venus and Mercury are now seen in Gemini. Venus is nicely aligned with Castor and Pollux at the start of the week and Saturn in Leo adds to the other two showing the plane of the Solar System (the Ecliptic) and the Zodiac constellations of Leo, Cancer and Gemini (with the Sun in Taurus..note not Gemini, for those who read their 'stars' in the papers)
  
  
• The Sun has a new active region (spot 960) emerging on its eastern limb
  
  
• The ISS returns this week with evening passes as follows: Tuesday at 00.09.20 WSW to E reaching 70 degrees and 22.55.27 SW to E reaching 39 degrees. Wednesday at 00.30.09 W to E reaching 86 degrees and 23.16.03 WSW to E reaching 68 degrees. Thursday 22.02.13 SW to E reaching 36 degrees and 23.36.51 W to E reaching 87 degrees. Friday 22.22.47 WSW to E reaching 65 degrees and 23.57.43 W to E reaching 84 degrees and the best on Saturday at 22.43.35 W to E reaching 89 degrees.
  
  
• There is one bright Iridium flare on Thursday at 22.29.20 at 43 degrees altitude in NE

Week of 28th May

• The Moon will be Full (Rose Moon) on Friday when it will be within a few degrees of Jupiter and Antares
  
  
• Vesta reaches opposition and brightest magnitude on Wednesday, but still needs a dark sky for the unaided eye. It will be harder to spot due to the moonlight and thus will be easiest again from June 4th. It can be found a couple of degrees higher in altitude and forming an equilateral triangle with Jupiter and Antares in the evening SE sky. It is moving roughly a quarter of a degree per night
  
  
• The Sun is totally blank again
  
  
• There are no evening ISS passes but one bright Iridium flare on Tuesday at 23.04.44, 29 degrees altitude in NNE

Week of 21st May

• The Moon is waxing to First Quarter on Wednesday. It occults Saturn on Tuesday (but this is during daylight from UK) and then passes within 1 degree of Regulus (alpha Leo) on Wednesday
  
  
• Mercury continues to be visible in the twighlight by heading at 45 degrees down from Venus towards North. It may be spotted as a pink dot in the twighlight glow around 9.45pm
  
  
• The Sun has one large Sunspot 956 which could become active during the week
  
  
• There are no evening ISS passes this week and no bright evening Iridium flares

Week of 14th May

• The Moon will be New on Tuesday and may be glimpsed as a thin sliver in WNW within a couple of degrees of Mercury at about 10 degrees above the horizon at 9.30pm on Thursday and very close to Venus on Saturday
  
  
• This is the month for the best viewing this year of the 77% illuminated planet Mercury. Though it will be dimming, its angle from the Sun is increasing into next month. On Thursday, the 2 day old Moon will be just North of the planet and on Friday should be half-way between Mercury and Venus (waning to about 60% illumination) in a line at 9.30pm. If the evenings are clear Mercury should be easy to spot around 10 degrees altitude, but do not scan with instruments until the Sun has set
  
  
• The Sun has a decaying spot but is nearly blank again
  
  
• Very unusually an asteroid (Vesta) brightens to naked-eye visibility and the next wekk or so over the New Moon is ideal. Vesta is a couple of degrees higher than Jupiter in the late evening sky in Ophiucus and forms a triangle with Jupiter and Antares
  
  
• There is a comet (Lovejoy) passing through Draco at the start of the week and on 14th will be found next to eta Draconis (2nd magnitude star), it is not visble to the naked eye but easy in good binoculars
  
  
• There are no evening passes on the ISS but there is one almost direct beam (- 8th magnitude) Iridium flare on Tuesday at 22.27.08, 41 degrees altitude in NE

Week of 7th May

• The Moon is waning and will be Last Quarter on Thursday
  
  
• The large spot 953 continues across the Solar disc and though the umbra has split into several smaller shapes, the spot is only mildly active
  
  
• The Eta Aquarid meteor shower peaks before dawn this Sunday (6th) but the Moon is not helpful. The debris from Halley's comet has however already produced a -10 fireball yesterday, so if up keep a look out East. The radiant is to the South of the Square of Pegasus and red Mars will also be visible nearer the horizon.
  
  
• There are no ISS passes this week and no bright evening Iridium flares

Week of 30th April

• The Moon will be Full (Flower Moon) on Wednesday and will be within 1 degree of supergiant red Antares on Friday
  
  
• The Sun at last has one very large (Neptune sized) spot number 953 which is midly active
  
  
• Venus continues to dominate the western evening sky incredibly bright in its waning Gibbous phase setting a full 4 hours after the Sun. Jupiter is becoming ever more evident and will be just North of the Moon on Saturday
  
  
• There are no visible evening ISS passes but there is one bright Iridium flare on Wednesday at 23.07.31 at 18 degrees altitude in NNE

Week of 23rd April

• The Moon is waxing to First Quarter on Tuesday and will be only one degree from Saturn on Wednesday and Regulus on Thursday.
  
  
• The Sun remains blank
  
  
• The Lyrid meteor shower which is associated with Comet Thatcher has its radiant just to the right of Vega and is best viewed in the pre-dawn sky this Sunday and Monday morning
  
  
• There are no more good evening ISS passes but there is one bright evening Iridium flare on Tuesday at 20.37.39, 71 degrees in E

Week of 16th April

• The Moon will be New on Tuesday and should be visible for the first time as a slim crescent on Wednesday soon after 8pm at around 15 degrees altitude and on Thursday at 28 degrees about 5 degrees north of Venus
  
  
• The Sun has now been blank for 12 days, the longest period since 1996
  
  
• The Lyrid meteor shower peaks next Saturday and given the phase of the Moon it is worth watching in the late evening. Lyra and the Summer Triangle are rising in the NE around 8.30pm
  
  
• There are some good ISS passes, the best are as follows: On Monday at 20.50.00 W to E reaching 89 degrees altitude, Tuesday at 21.10.03 W to E reaching 83 degrees, Wednesday at 21.30.04 W to ESE reaching 84 degrees, Thursday at 21.50.03 from W to SSE reaching 54 degrees and Saturday at 20.55.00 W to ESE reaching 59 degrees
  
  
• There are 3 bright evening Iridium flares: On Wednesday at20.52.14 at 31 degrees altitude in N, on Thursday at 20.46.01 at 33 degrees altitude in N and the brightest on Friday at 20.39.49 35 degrees altitude in N

Week of 9th April

• The Moon is waning and will be Last Quarter on Tuesday
  
  
• The Sun is still blank
  
  
• The ISS is back and starts making good evening passes on Thursday at 21.04.34 from SW to E reaching 37 degrees. On Friday 13th at 21.24.25 from WSW to E reaching 66 degrees and the two best next week-end on Saturday at 21.44.28 from W to E reaching reaching 88 degrees and Sunday at 22.04.31 from W to E reaching 83 degrees
  
  
• There is one bright Iridium flares this week: On Friday at 21.25.46 at 56 degrees in E.

Week of 2nd April

• The Moon is Full on 2nd (Paschal or Pink Moon) and as the first Full Moon after the Vernal Equinox signals Easter on the following Sunday
  
  
• The Sun is quiet
  
  
• There are no ISS evening passes this week, thouigh it will return from 10th

Week of 26th March

• Note that times will now be BST (ie UT +1)
  
  
• The Moon continues to wax and will be Full at the start of next week. On Thursday the Moon passes less than 1.5 degrees from Saturn and on Friday only 1 degree from Regulus (alpha Leo)
  
  
• On morning of 31st an Asteroid (2km in diameter) 2006 VV2 will pass closer than any sizeable object for some time at 8.8 Lunar distances or roughly 2 million miles. The asteroid will reach magnitude 10 (ie small telescope object) and might be spotted 2.5 degrees East of Regulus in Leo at 20.00 BST on 31st.
  
  
• The Sun has no spots and continues blank
  
  
• There are no evening ISS passes but one bright Iridium flare on Thursday at 22.19.36 BST at 32 degrees altitude in ENE

Week of 19th March

• The Moon is New on 19th and will be visible for the first time on Wednesday around 18.30 UT at 30 degrees altitude in South West only 5 degrees from bright Venus
  
  
• Following half a lunar cycle after the Lunar Eclipse, there is a partial (87%) Solar Eclipse on 19th at 02.30 UT so not visible from Europe (only central Asia)
  
  
• The Sun is blank and not active and will rise due East and set due West on Wednesday, the Vernal Equinox
  
  
• There are no evening ISS passes this week but there is one bright Iridium flare on Friday at 19.59.07, 29 degrees altitude due North

Week of 12th March

• The Moon is Last Quarter on Monday and will wane till New at the start of next week
  
  
• The Sun is currently blank
  
  
• There are no evening ISS passes, but there is one bright evening Iridium flare on Friday at 18.27.25, 58 degrees altitude in N

Week of 5th March

• The Moon will wane to Last Quarter at the start of next week
  
  
• The Sun is almost blank, with no activity forecast
  
  
• There are no ISS passes this week. There is one bright Iridium flare on Wednesday at 19.13.12, 44 degrees altitude in N

Week of 26th February

• This is a week of unusual Lunar events
  
  
• The Moon is waxing and will be Full next Saturday 3rd March (Lenten Moon), when it will pass through the Earth's shadow for a Total Lunar eclipse. All of the eclipse is visible from here weather permitting !
  
  
• Before that on Thursday the Moon will pass within 1 degree of M44 the Beehive Open Cluster and on Friday within 1 degree of the brightest star in Leo (Regulus)
  
  
• A rare event will occur in the early hours of Friday: The Moon will pass in front of Saturn. From here however, none of the planet will disappear but we will see a grazing approach where Saturn (followed by Titan) will appear to roll along the southern edge of the Moon. This will occur in WSW at an altitude of 33.5 degrees. The timing is not ideal in that it is in the middle of the night and will last from 2.40 till 2.50 am
  
  
• Lunar Eclipse timings: The Moon is touched by the penumbra at 20.21 GMT at 24 degrees altitude in E and will then dim, entering the darker umbra at 21.33 at 33 degrees in ESE. Totality starts at 22.49 at 41 degrees in SE and lasts till 23.57 with mid eclipse at 23.25. The Moon will then brighten until resuming normal brightness at 02.25 on 4th. The Total eclipse phase is much longer than in a Solar eclipse primarily due to the size of the Earth's shadow
  
  
• The last decent ISS pass will occur on Monday at 18.24.53 from W to SE reaching 48 degrees
  
  
• There are no bright evening Iridium flares

Week of 19th February

• The New Moon should first be visible on Monday at 17.45 GMT at 21 degrees altitude in WSW. If clear it should be a beautiful sight less than 2 degrees NE of Venus.
  
  
• The Sun remains blank and inactive
  
  
• The ISS will make its best evening passes this week: On Monday at 19.12.33 from W to ENE reaching 84 degrees. Tuesday at 17.58.00 WSW to E reaching 74 degrees and 19.32.57 W to E reaching 58 degrees. Wednesday at 18.18.19 from W to E reaching 85 degrees and 19.53.18 W to E reaching 31 degrees. On Thursday at 18.38.38 from W to E reaching 83 degrees. On Friday at 18.58.53 from W to ESE reaching 74 degrees. On Saturday at 19.19.07 from W to SSE reaching 44 degrees and Sunday at 18.04.19 from W to ESE reaching 74 degrees.
  
  
• There are no bright evening Iridium flares

Week of 12th February

• The Moon will be New on Saturday but will not probably be visible till the 19th (altitude and times to follow)
  
  
• The Sun is blank again
  
  
• Saturn is currently at Opposition and closest to Earth in its orbit. It is now at its best for 2007 and given good seeing, 6 moons can be viewed in the 10 inch
  
  
• Mercury is now disappearing but Venus remains incredibly bright
  
  
• The ISS is back with best passes on Wednesday at 19.05.29 from SSW to S reaching 26 degrees altitude, on Thursday at 19.25.36 from WSW to SSW reaching 36 degrees, on Friday at 18.31.42 SW to E and 19.46.01 from WSW to ESE reaching 26 and 28 degrees respectively, on Saturday at 18.31.42 SW to E reaching 48 degrees and the best of the Week on Sunday at 18.52.00 from WSW to E reaching 78 degrees
  
  
• There is 1 bright Iridium flares ; on Thursday at 18.52.22 at 48 degrees altitude in NNE

Week of 5th February

• The Moon will wane till Last Quarter on Saturday
  
  
• The Sun has two spots but is magnetically quiet
  
  
• Venus and Uranus will be within one degree on Wednesday with Mercury down to the right and Spica will be just over one degree from the Moon on Thursday
  
  
• There are no ISS passes and no bright evening Iridium flares this week

Week of 29th January

• The Moon will be Full (Snow Moon) next Friday when it will be within 1 degree of Saturn on the sickle of Leo
  
  
• The Sun has one large single spot 940 which caused some activity before coming into view
  
  
• Venus is superbly bright in the Western sky in the evening and Sirius dominates the southern sky mid-evening. Saturn will be lost in the Moon's glare at the start of the week
  
  
• There are no evening ISS passes and no bright evening Iridium flares this week

Week of 22nd January

• Perhaps the forecast winter weather this week will bring clear skies!
  
  
• Comet McNaught has now gone after its very brief bright appearance but great pictures exist eg on Astronomy picture of the day (also look at Blackett images !)
  
  
• The Moon is waxing and will be First Quarter next Thursday
  
  
• The Sun remains quiet
  
  
• There are no evening ISS passes and no bright Iridium flares

Week of 15th January

• Comet C/2006 P1 McNaught is now visible in daylight, a few degrees to East of the Sun, but it will go behind the Sun and will soon be too far South of the Celestial Equator for viewing from here. The comet is magnitude -5 and the brightest since Ikeya-Seki in 1965
  
  
• The Moon will be New next Friday and should be a fine sight next to Venus on Saturday
  
  
• The Sun is quiet again
  
  
• Saturn will be well viewed this week with no Moon and Venus is now a bright evening object at magnitude -3.9
  
  
• There are no evening ISS passes but one bright Iridium flare on Saturday at 17.03.12, 71 degrees altitude in ENE

Week of 8th January

• The Moon is now waning and will be Last Quarter on Thursday
  
  
• The Sun is quiet though has two large spots 930 and 933 crossing the disc
  
  
• There is currently a naked eye comet 2006 P1 McNaught (Oort cloud origin) visible just before sunrise (currently around 8.10am)in ESE or sunset in WNW, a clear view of the horizon is needed and it rises after both Jupiter and Mars and a little further North. Care must be taken as it is getting closer to the Sun. Viewing from UK will be impossible after next week-end and probably best at the start of the week but might be visible in daylight on 14th
  
  
• There are no evening ISS passes but 3 bright evening Iridium flares: On Monday at 18.14.56, 11 degrees altitude in WNW, Thursday at 17.49.10, 58 degrees alt. in NE and Friday at 17.15.06, 22 degrees alt. in WNW

Week of 1st January 2007

• The Moon will be Full on Wednesday (Wolf Moon) and will sadly obliterate all but the brightest of the slow moving Quadrantid meteors, the shower peaks also on Wednesday. The Radiant is in the no longer used constellation of Quadrans Muralis which lies between Bootes and Ursa Major.
  
  
• The Sun is currently blank but spot 930 is expected to return during the week
  
  
• Saturn rises around 8pm in Leo and by mid month will be at its best, especially as the Moon wanes. Venus is noticeable now in the West for an hour after sunset and is brightening and moving Eastwards.
  
  
• An unusual transit occurs on the night of 6th to 7th. Saturn's moon Iapetus will transit the planet's disc from 10.45 pm and should be visible all night, travelling slowly as one of the outermost moons. Whereas Jupiter transits are fairly common, this will be worth watching if clear
  
  
• The ISS makes a couple more evening passes: On New Year's Day at 17.00.00 from W to ESE reaching 63 degrees altitude and on Tuesday at 17.22.18 from W to SE reaching 34 degrees
  
  
• There are no bright evening Iridium flares this week

Week of 25th December

• The Moon will be First Quarter on Wednesday
  
  
• The Sun is currently blank but a large sunspot on the far side of the Sun is likely to appear mid-week and should cause increased activity
  
  
• The ISS is visible (fog permitting) in the early evening throughout the week, the best passes are as follows: On Christmas Day at 17.33.36 from WSW to E reaching 82 degrees altitude, Boxing Day at 17.56.00 from W to ENE reaching 82 degrees, on Wednesday at 16.43.20 from WSW to E reaching 80 degrees, on Thursday at 17.05.38 from W to E reaching 83 degrees, Friday at 17.27.55 W to E reaching 88 degrees and Saturday at 17.50.09 W to SE, reaching 62 degrees
  
  
• There is one Christmas Iridium flare to see , on Christmas Day at 16.33.28 in WNW at 29 degrees altitude

Week of 18th December

• The Moon will be New on Wednesday
  
  
• The Winter Solstice is on Friday when the Sun follows its shortest path in the sky from its southern most rising point on the Eastern horizon to its southernmost setting point in the West
  
  
• The Sun is highly active with spot 930 giving rise to X-ray flares. Auroral activity is high and may increase during the week
  
  
• The ISS is back with good evening passes on Friday at 17.59.52 from WSW to SSE reaching 51 degrees and on Christmas Eve at 17.09.31 from SW to E reaching 49 degrees
  
  
• There is 1 bright evening Iridium flare to watch out for: On Tuesday at 17.45.32 14 degrees altitude in WNW

Week of 11th December

• The Geminid meteor shower peaks on Thursday morning 18th at 8.20 UT. It is worth looking out for fast moving meteors on Wednesday and Thursday nights
  
  
• The Moon is waning and will be Last Quarter on Tuesday
  
  
• The Sun has an active spot 930
  
  
• There is a beutiful association of planets in the pre-dawn eastern sky, Mercury, Jupiter and Mars
  
  
• There are no ISS evening passes this week
  
  
• There is one bright evening Iridium flare on Tuesday at 17.10.08, 23 degrees altitude in SSW

Week of 4th December

• The Moon is waxing and will be Full (Frosty Moon) on Tuesday
  
  
• The Sun has suddenly increased in activity with spot 930 producing 2 violent X-ray flares, more activity is likely in the next few days
  
  
• Saturn is now returning (though the Ring system will be less favourable than last year, due to decreasing tilt) to the evening sky in Leo and rises at 22.00hrs preceded by the Beehive Open cluster M44 and the Eskimo planetary nebula (though these are badly effected by the Moon next week)
  
  
• There are no evening ISS passes
  
  
• There is one bright Iridium flare on Monday at 16.28.02, 28 degrees altitude in W

Week of 27th November

• The Moon is First Quarter on Tuesday
  
  
• The Sun is quiet and devoid of spots again
  
  
• The ISS is making early morning passes at present, for those who are up early, the best is on Monday at 06.35.27 from W to E reaching 87 degrees altitude ie almost directly overhead
  
  
• There are 2 bright Iridium flares within 10 minutes of each other on Tuesday: at 17.49.05, 12 degrees altitude in WNW and 17.57.35 at 35 degrees altitude in S

Week of 20th November

• The Moon is New at the start of the week and will be waxing to First Quarter at the start of next week
  
  
• The Sun is quiet as the large spot 923 disappears
  
  
• The November meteor showers are producing some very bright meteors, it is worth watching out if the nights are clear and indeed for any late Leonids
  
  
• There are no evening ISS passes this week
  
  
• There are 2 bright Iridium flares: This Sunday at 17.07.06, 29 degrees altitude in SSW and on Thursday at 18.18.32, 37 degrees altitude in SSE

Week of 13th November

• The Moon is waning till New at the start of next week, so is ideally dark for the Leonids
  
  
• The Leonid meteor shower peaks on Friday at 19.11. This year there is just a chance of increased activity due to the 1933 debris stream predicted to occur at 4.45am on Sunday morning. Though the radiant in Leo does not rise in the East till 22.00 it will be worth watching into the night over the week-end, especially as Leo climbs towards the Zenith
  
  
• The Sun has a large but quiet spot 923
  
  
• There are no evening ISS passes this week and no bright Iridium flares

Week of 6th November

• This is the week for the second in the pair of Mercury transits (the last so beutifully viewed in 2003). Sadly none of this transit will be visible from the UK (next will be in 2049 on 7th May and 2052 on November 9th). However, the transit can be seen on various websites including the SOHO site (see Links). The transit begins at 19.11 GMT and ends at 00.15 GMT on 9th. Note: The next visible transit will be the much rarer transit of Venus (seen in total in 2004) on 6th June 2012, but this will only be seen at its end for the 1st hour of daylight from 5 till 6am local time
  
  
• The Moon will wane during the week to Last Quarter next week-end. Whilst these clear and misty nights are common, look out for Lunar Halos and other rainbow effects caused by water and ice particles at high altitude
  
  
• The Sun still has a large sunspot group (921) which could cause magnetic activity
  
  
• There are no more bright evening ISS passes
  
  
• There is one bright Iridium flare on Tuesday at 17.51.43 at 41 degrees altitude in S

Week of 30th October

• The Moon is waxing and will be Full (Hunter's Moon) on Sunday
  
  
• Tuesday sees the feast of Halloween or All Hallows, this is believed to have developed out of the more ancient feast for the Pleiades (M45), one of the most cross-cultural calendar fixing and cosmologically significant celestial 'objects'
  
  
• The Sun is again active with a fast growing sunspot group (921)
  
  
• The Taurid meteor shower peaks on Friday (though tending not to show a pronounced maximum) this is debris believed to be associated with Comet Encke
  
  
• The ISS makes a few more passes before leaving us again: On Friday at 17.15.08 from W to ESE reaching 59 degrees and on Saturday at 17.36.27 from W to SE reaching 32 degrees

Week of 23rd October

• The Moon will now wax till First Quarter next Sunday
  
  
• The Sun remains quiet
  
  
• Comet Swan continues a good object in Binoculars heading up through Corona Borealis. This week-end it is near the bright star Alkalurops (the left hand of Bootes)
  
  
• The ISS is back for evening passes: The best are Tuesday at 19.04.29 from WSW to ESE reaching 62 degrees altitude, on Wednesday at 19.47.30 from W to E reaching 74 degrees, on Thursday 19.34.12 from WSW to E reaching 59 degrees, on Friday at 18.55.46 from W to E reaching 87 degrees and Saturday at 19.17.23 from W to E reaching 83 degrees
  
  
• There is one ultra bright Iridium flare on Friday at 19.39.41 at 47 degrees altitude in SE

Week of 16th October

• The Orionid meteor shower peaks on Saturday afternoon, though it is worth watching on Friday and Saturday nights. With no Moon this could be a good year, though rarely getting above 25 meteors per hour. The debris stream is that left behind by Halley's comet (last pass 1986)
  
  
• The Moon continues to wane and will be New at the start of next week
  
  
• The Sun is again blank
  
  
• Comet Swan (with a greenish tinge) is still well placed to find with binoculars by following the handle of the Plough
  
  
• The ISS returns to the evening sky on Friday though the passes dont reach high altitude. The best is next week end on 21st at 19.56.15 reaching 27 degrees altitude
  
  
• Two bright Iridium flares could be seen on Monday 16th at 18.52.00 at 50 degrees altitude in S and on Wednesday at 18.24.43 at 12 degrees altitude in W

Week of 9th October

• Comet Swan is now visible in binoculars (not unaided eye at magnitude 6) and is easy to locate by following the handle of the Plough (saucepan) towards orange Arcturus, the small round fuzzy head is about half way
  
  
• The Moon will now wane to Last Quarter next Saturday. With a bright Moon and plenty of moisture in the atmosphere it is a good time to see Lunar halos (circular rainbow around the Moon) or Lunar Aureole (straw coloured circle around the Moon)
  
  
• The Sun has few spots and little activity, though a dark 250,000 km filament is currently visible
  
  
• There are no ISS evening passes this week
  
  
• There is one medium bright Iridium flare on Tuesday at 19.19.02, 54 degrees altitude in SSE

Week of 2nd October

• The Moon is waxing to Full next Saturday (Harvest Moon)Though the October Moon is usually the Hunter Moon, the Full Moon nearest the Autumnal equinox (23rd September) is the Harvest Moon, this year the October Moon is closer. We are ending the Major Lunar Standstill season, with the lowest First Quarter Moon on 30th September (which barely reaches 10 degrees above the horizon). We will have to wait till 2015 for another standstill season (Minor) and till 2024 for the next Major (extremes) of Lunar altitude
  
  
• The Sun has several potentially active and growing spots after some time of inactivity
  
  
• The planet Uranus is currently easy to find being less than 0.5 degrees from 4th magnitude lambda Aquarius
  
  
• ISS passes are all before dawn this week
  
  
• There is one very bright Iridium flare on Wednesday 4th at 19.46.03, 57 degrees altitude in SE

Week of 25th September

• The Moon will now wax to First Quarter next Saturday. For many the New Moon this week-end signifies the start of Ramadan
  
  
• The Sun remains quiet with just one small sunspot
  
  
• This is a poor time for planet watchers, only Uranus is well placed and visible in small telescopes
  
  
• There are no evening passes of the ISS but if you are a dog-walker or insomniac there is a good pass next Sunday at 05.39.37 WSW to E reaching 83 degrees altitude
  
  
• There is one reasonably bright iridium flare on Wednesday at 20.19.05 at 58 degrees altitude in SE

Week of 18th September

• The Moon is waning and will be New next Friday when it will Eclipse the Sun. The Moon is at Apogee (furthest from Earth) in its orbit so will only cause at best an annular eclipse but none of the eclipse will be visible from he UK
  
  
• Spot 904 is about to depart over the Sun's western limb for the second time and is still a site of active prominences.
  
  
• Next Saturday 23rd is the Autumnal Equinox. The Sun will rise due East and set due West before heading into the Southern hemisphere of the Celestial Sphere and our days will become shorter than the nights.
  
  
• There are no evening passes of the ISS this week
  
  
• For Iridium flare watchers there will be a spectacular flare on Monday 18th at 21.04.35 at 55 degrees altitude in E due to satellite Iridium 96

Week of 11th September

• The Moon though still very large and bright is now waning and will be Last Quarter on Thursday
  
  
• The Sun has two large groups of spots which may lead to magnetic activity
  
  
• Bright Arcturus is beginning to set late evening in the West and Taurus is rising before midnight signalling the start of Autumn
  
  
• There are no ISS passes this week and no bright Iridium flares

Week of 4th September

• The Moon will be Full (Corn Moon) on Thursday and will rise at 19.40 BST in Partial Eclipse. The Eclipse is only 18% and the umbra will have left the Moon's surface by 20.40 BST (The Moon will only be a couple of degrees above the horizon and too low for the 10 inch) with the Moon returning to normal brightness by 22.00 BST. The Moon is also at Perigee ie nearest to Earth in its non-circular orbit. This will make it the largest Moon for 2006
  
  
• The Sun has several spots again and the large spot 904 has returned after 2 weeks having rotated right round. There is a chance of some magnetic activity at the end of the week
  
  
• There are no bright ISS passes this wek and no predicted bright Iridium flares

Week of 28th August

• The first week of an 8 planet Solar System since 1930
  
  
• The Moon is waxing and will be First Quarter on Tuesday
  
  
• On Sunday the ESA spaceprobe SMART-1 (the first to test Ion drive) will be crashed into the Moon at the end of its Luna surveying mission, to simulate a meteor impact. The impact site is Lacus Excellentiae a 100 mile wide crater at the tip of the 'leaping Hare's' left foot (as we look at it). For observers in the USA the site will be in the shadow given the phase of the Moon and thus the impact should be visible from small telescopes. The time of impact is 0541 UT (ie 0641 our time) sadly for us the Moon has long set
  
  
• The Sun now has a large bipolar spot (905) which is magnetically reversed, more evidence that the next Solar cycle has begun
  
  
• The ISS continues to make evening passes though these are better at the start of the week: On Monday at 21.08.54 from W to ESE reaching 79 degrees altitude. Tuesday at 21.32.19 from W to SSE reaching 48 degrees. Wednesday at 21.55.51 from W to SSW reaching 25 degrees. Thursday at 20.43.53 from W to SE reaching 48 degrees. Friday at 21.07.23 from W to SSE reaching 25 degrees and Saturday at 21.31.37 from WSW to SSW but only reaching 12 degrees.
  
  
• There will be an extremely bright Iridium flare on Sunday 3rd at 22.06.48 in ENE at 40 degrees altitude

Week of 21st August

• The Moon will be New on Thursday
  
  
• The Sun may retain some activity as sunspot 904 disappears
  
  
• Thursday 24th will see the vote by the IAU as to whether we change from a 9 Planet star (Solar) system to one of 12 (with perhaps more to follow). Friday 25th: The IAU have now voted and have agreed an 8 Planet system, so Pluto has been demoted to a Dwarf Planet with Ceres, UB 313 and potentially many more Trans Neptunian Objects. The critical definition is that a Planet must reign supreme in its neighbourhood ie 'clearing' all similar objects, Pluto fails in this respect
  
  
• Please note that contrary to articles in some areas of the press the planet Mars will not be unusually close and large on 27th, it is in fact at the far side of its orbit and close to the Sun in the sky. This is an Internet generated hoax.
  
  
• There are evening ISS passes as follows: On Monday at 21.37.29 from WSW to E reaching 64 deg. altitude, on Tuesday at 21.59.43 from W to E reaching 85 deg., on Wednesday at 20.47.00 from WSW to E reaching 62 deg. and again at 22.22.02 from W to ENE reaching 82 deg., on Thursday at 21.09.14 from W to E reaching 90 degrees (ie passing through the Zenith), on Friday at 21.31.31 from W to E reaching 83 deg. and Saturday at 21.53.48 from W to ESE reaching 80 deg. and 22.16.05 from W to SW reaching 44 deg.
  
  
• One bright Iridium flare may be seen on Monday at 22.56.35, 23 deg.altitude in NE

Week of 14th August

• The Moon is waning and will be Last Quarter on Wednesday
  
  
• The Sun has been active again and the large sunspot 904 has now broken into two. A Coronal Mass Ejection could cause Aurorae on 18th. More interestingly a small spot appeared on 31st July and has now been analysed to have shown reversed polarity, that is the magnetic poles (N and S) were reversed compared to the spots seen for the last 11 years of cycle 23. This may herald the start of cycle 24 which is predicted to be more active that anything seen in the last 50 years (peaking around 2011)
  
  
• On 24th August the IAU will vote on a new classification for planets and other Solar System objects, this is likely to confirm the planetary status of Pluto (though as a double planet with Charon) and also to elevate newly discovered 2003 UB313 and also Ceres (currently the largest Minor Planet between Mars and Jupiter) to planetary status making the Solar System a 12 planet system. The eccentric and inclined orbit objects will be called Plutons, other objects will be called Small Solar System Bodies and the term Minor Planet is to be dropped
  
  
• The ISS is back and evening passes are visible as follows: On Friday 18th at 22.05.54 from SW to SSE reaching 36 degrees altitude, on Saturday at 22.27.55 from WSW to SSE reaching 62 degrees altitude and on Sunday at 21.15.29 from SW to E reaching 35 degrees altitude. Visible passes will continue through next week
  
  
• There is one bright evening Iridium flare to look out for: On Thursday at 23.10.46 at 17 degrees altitude in NNE

Week of 7th August

• The Moon will be Full on Wednesday (Red Moon or Corn Moon)
  
  
• The Perseid meteor shower peaks next Saturday night just after midnight (NB the Dome here is closed but you should be able to see Perseids from any dark site. Though it is one of the most reliable for good numbers of shooting stars and most pleasant given the Summer temperatures, this year it will be affected by moonlight. Nevertheless if the evening is clear it is worth keeping a watch over next week-end
  
  
• The Sun remains blank
  
  
• There are no evening ISS passes this week and no usually bright Iridium flares

Next Whats' up update 16th August

Week of 31st July

• The Moon is waxing and will be First Quarter on Wednesday when it will be close to Jupiter in the sky. The Moon will also be within 1 degree of Spica on Tuesday and Antares on Friday
  
  
• The Sun remains quiet with just one small spot (901) though a Coronal hole has given rise to Aurorae recently
  
  
• The Delta Aquarid meteor shower peaks on 6th August, though there are not many expected per hour (15 max.)
  
  
• The are no evening ISS passes this week
  
  
• There are two bright Iridium flares: On Thursday at 22.52.01, 34 degrees altitude in NE and on Friday at 21.11.06, 68 degrees alt. in ENE

Week of 24th July

• The Moon continues to wane and will be New on Tuesday
  
  
• The Sun remains blank but is showing some magnetic activity
  
  
• This is a good time of year for Noctilucent clouds. There were some beutiful ones seen here last week. Look out just after sunset, if the sky is totally clear, they appear electric bluish white against a dark blue twighlight sky
  
  
• There are no visible ISS passes this week
  
  
• There is one really bright Iridium flare on Friday at 21.44.09, 59 degrees altitude in ENE

Week of 17th July

• The Moon is now waning and will be Last Quarter on Monday
  
  
• The Sun is totally blank and quiet again
  
  
• There are no ISS passes this week
  
  
• There is just one bright Iridium flare on Wednesday at 23.09.32, 27 degrees altitude in W

Week of 10th July

• The Moon will be Full (Thunder Moon) on Tuesday
  
  
• The Sun is still active from spot 898, which is breaking up, but continues to cause Coronal Mass Ejections (CME) though not towards Earth
  
  
• There are no visible ISS passes this week
  
  
• There is one bright evening Iridium flare on Tuesday at 23.36.19, 38 degrees altitude in WSW

Week of 3rd July

• The Shuttle launch, having been delayed by storms, went ahead sucessfully on Tuesday
  
  
• On the 4th the Earth is at its furthest point from the Sun in its orbit (aphelion)
  
  
• The Moon will be First Quarter on Monday
  
  
• The Sun continues to display a beutifully symmetrical huge spot 898 (Neptune sized) which is at present relatively stable as it slowly traverses the disc
  
  
• The Moon will be close to 3 bright objects this week; The bright blue star Spica on Tuesday, Jupiter on Thursday and the huge Red Giant star Antares on Saturday
  
  
• There are no visible ISS passes this week
  
  
• There are 2 bright evening Iridium flares; at 22.53.27 on 6th July at 16 deg. altitude in WNW and on 7th July at 21.55.17 at 18 deg. alt. in NNW

Week of 26th June

• The Moon will now wax till First Quarter at the start of next week
  
  
• The next Shuttle (Discovery) launch is scheduled for Saturday 1st at 20.48 British Summer Time and will be critical in deciding the fate of the Shuttle programme (and indeed NASA's manned spaceflight programme) should more problems occur
  
  
• The Sun is again devoid of sunspots
  
  
• Saturn, Mars and the New Moon will be close in the evening sky on Wednesday
  
  
• There are 5 good ISS passes to watch out for: On Monday at 22.10.09 from W to E reaching 84 degrees altitude and lasting just under 6 minutes then again at 23.45.17 from W to SSE reaching 45 deg. alt. just under 4 minutes duration. On Tuesday at 22.33.06 from W to ESE reaching 77 deg. alt. for nearly 6 minutes. On Wednesday at 22.56.04 from W to SE reaching 45 deg. alt. for nearly 5 minutes and on Friday at 22.06.48 from W to SE reaching 46 deg. alt. for 5 1/2 minutes
  
  
• There is one bright evening Iridium flare on Tuesday at 23.01.11 at 30 degrees altitude in W

Week of 19th June

• The Moon will continue to wane till New at the start of next week
  
  
• The Sun is now devoid of sunspots again and continues to rise and set further North on the E and W horizons respectively, until Wednesday 21st, the Summer Solstice, when it rises at 4.49am local time almost NE at azimuth 49 degrees (ie compass bearing 049). This is the longest day and the Sun will reach an altitude of 74.75 degrees at noon as seen from Marlborough
  
  
• Mercury reaches its greatest elongation 25 degrees E (angle from Sun) on Tuesday and may be viewed after sunset just south of Pollux in Gemini
  
  
• This is a week for evening ISS passes, there are 8: On Monday at 22.39.47 from SW to E reaching 37 degrees altitude; on Tuesday at 23.02.32 from WSW to E reaching 66 degrees alt.; on Wednesday at 23.25.30 from W to E reaching 87 degrees altitude and taking nearly 6 minutes; on Thursday at 22.13.28 from WSW to E reaching 66 degrees altitude and again at 23.48.32 from W to E reaching 82 degrees altitude taking nearly 6 minutes; on Friday at 22.36.24 from W to E reaching 88 degrees altitude taking nearly 6 minutes; on Saturday at 22.59.24 from W to E reaching 84 degrees altitude taking nearly six minutes and Sunday 25th at 23.22.23 from W to ESE reaching 75 degrees alt.
  
  
• There are no notable bright evening Iridium flares this week
  
  

• As has been credited before, ISS and Iridium data is thanks to www.heavens-above.com

Week of 12th June

• The Moon will wane during the week to Last Quarter next Sunday.
  
  
• The Sun has a number of spots including an active region around spot 892 which could lead to magnetic storms
  
  
• Next Saturday Mars and Saturn will be less than a degree apart in the Western sky
  
  
• The ISS passes are mainly in the early hours though the following may be seen at the end of the week: On 16th at 23.05.30 WSW reaching a max. altitude of 18 degrees above the horizon in total a 2 minute pass. On Saturday at 23.24.51 in SW reaching 35 degrees and taking 5.5 minutes and on Sunday 18th at 23.47.01 in WSW reaching 63 degrees and visible for nearly 6 minutes
  
  
• There are 3 bright evening Iridium flares: On 12th at 22.47.34, 20 degrees altitude in WNW. On 14th at 22.44.54, 17 degrees altitude WNW and 15th at 22.48.15, 15 degrees altitude in WNW

Week of 5th June

• The Moon is waxing to Full (Rose Moon) next Sunday
  
  
• The Sun remains blank but there are still H-alpha flares to see if the skies are clear
  
  
• The Moon this week provides a helpful locator to Jupiter (within 5 degrees on Thursday) and also to two of the brightest and summer only stars, Spica (a giant Blue star) next to the Moon on Wednesday and Antares (an enormous red supergiant) next to the Moon on Saturday
  
  
• There are no evening ISS passes this week, they are all in the middle of the night
  
  
• There are however a couple of evening Iridium flares: On Monday at 22.33.10, 17 degrees altitude in WNW and on Tuesday at 22.55.50, 29 deg. alt. in West

Week of 29th May

• The Moon will be First Quarter on 4th June
  
  
• The Sun has few spots but some activity on the Eastern limb suggesting an active area over the next few days
  
  
• Jupiter is now the first bright object to appear in the evening sky and Mercury is visible low in the West just after sunset
  
  
• There are no ISS passes this week
  
  
• There are no bright evening Iridium flares

Week of 22nd May

• The Moon wanes during the week and will be New next week-end
  
  
• The Sun remains quiet
  
  
• There are no ISS passes visible this week
  
  
• There are 4 bright evening Iridium flares to look out for: On Monday at 22.34.02 at 18 deg. altitude in WNW and at 23.49.26, 41 deg. alt. in WSW; On Tuesday at 22.54.44, 14 deg. alt. in WNW and on Friday at 23.34.29, 38 deg. alt. in WSW.

Week of 15th May

• The Moon is now Waning and will be Last Quarter next Saturday
  
  
• The Sun is quiet again and virtually devoid of sunspots
  
  
• The broken Comet 73P is moving rapidly across the sky and can be seen (in binos) from midnight till dawn. On Monday the two largest and brightest segments will be parallel to the 2 top corner stars in the square of Pegasus and between Pegasus and Cygnus
  
  
• There are no ISS passes visible this week
  
  
• There are a few bright Iridium flares for those up late: On Tuesday at 22.59.28, 23 deg. altitude in W, on Wednesday at 22.43.30, 24 deg. altitude in W and on Thursday at 22.56.42, 21 deg. alt. in W

Week of 8th May

• The Moon will be Full next Saturday (Flower Moon)
  
  
• The Sun is now quieter with few sunspots
  
  
• Comet 73P Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 continues to break up daily, fragment B has now split in two. In total 60 fragments have been seen. B and C are Binocular objects high in the Eastern sky just before midnight. At its closest (25 Lunar Distances or 6 million miles) at less than 0.1 AU, this will be the closest comet approach for 20 years. Just before dawn on Monday one fragment will pass right next to the Ring Nebula in Lyra
  
  
• There are no ISS passes this week
  
  
• There is only one really bright evening Iridium flare on Wednesday at 23.17.03, 28 degrees altitude in W

Week of 1st May

• The Moon is now waxing and will be First Quarter on Friday
  
  
• The Sun has several sunspots, one (875) particularly active and solar flares have continued to erupt, one giving a 10 minute radio blackout in the States at the end of last week
  
  
• The Eta Aquarid meteor shower peaks (Radiant in Aquarius , look East) just before dawn on Saturday 6th. This is the lesser of the two debris streams left behind at the second crossing of Earth's orbit by Halley's comet (rates of 5 to 10 per hour are possible)
  
  
• Jupiter is now rising around 9.30pm and at -2.5 magnitude is very bright as it approaches Opposition, the Galilean moons are also easy in small binos
  
  
• Comet 73P Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 is racing across the sky with its larger 2 segments B and C relatively easy to find in binos as fuzzy patches between Hercules and Corona Borealis at the start of the week and Lyra at the end of the week
  
  
• There are several bright evening passes of the ISS: On Monday at 22.06.51 W to ESE, Tuesday at 22.29.57 W to S, Wednesday at 21.17.48 W to ESE and Thursday at 21.40.53 W to SE.
  
  
• There are 3 bright evening Iridium flares: On Tuesday at 23.46.47 32 degrees alt. in WSW, Thursday at 21.17.08, 25 deg. alt. in NNW and Friday at 21.10.54, 26 deg. alt in NNW

Week of 24th April

• The Moon is still waning and will be a new crescent on Friday, though it may be possible to view it on Thursday 27th. If you have an low western horizon then after sunset at 9pm it may be possible to make out a very slim crescent of the just more than 14 hour old Moon (this young is very rare to sight. Look close to the horizon from 9.40pm. Moonset is roughly 10.10pm.N.B Great care must be taken not to view whilst any part of the Sun is above the horizon.
  
  
• The Sun has few spots but is still producing large flares on its limb
  
  
• Jupiter is approaching Opposition next week and will be well placed for the planned viewing of a transit of Io on 1st May
  
  
• There are several ISS passes: On Monday at 22.35.15 WSW to SW, Tuesday at 21.23.28 SW to E, Wednesday at 21.46.23 WSW to E, Thursday at 22.09.28 W to E, Friday at 20.57.26 WSW to E and 22.32.33 W to E, Saturday at 21.20.27 W to E and 22.55.36 W to WSW and the best (over 5 minutes) next Sunday at 21.43.29 W to E
  
  
• There are 2 bright evening Iridium flares: Tuesday at 23.30.37, 11 degrees altitude in W and Friday at 00.01.42 at 34 deg. alt. in SW

Week of 17th April

• The Moon is now waning and will be Last Quarter next Friday
  
  
• The Sun remains active despite having few spots
  
  
• Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 which has broken into some 20 pieces is now brightening and the brighter segments will be visible in the 10 inch from the end of April into May. At its brightest (May 1st) it should be an easy binocular object reaching perhaps magnitude 3. On 8th May it will pass very close to the Ring Nebula in Lyra
  
  
• The ISS will be visible next week
  
  
• There are two bright evening Iridium flares on Wednesday at 23.38.39 at 15 degrees in W and Friday at 23.35.56, 14 degrees altitude in W

Week of 10th April

• The Moon will be Full (Paschal Moon) on Thursday and is thus followed by Easter Day on Sunday (first Sunday after the first Full Moon after the Vernal Equinox)
  
  
• The Sun has only a few spots but remains active with several large prominences over the last few days
  
  
• The latest ESA probe Venus Express has now gone into orbit around the planet (for its 500 day mission) and hopes to send back first images on Thursday
  
  
• There are no ISS passes visible in the evenings this week and only one notable Iridium flare: On Thursday at 22.56.02, 17 degrees altitude in WSW

Week of 3rd April

• The Moon is waxing to First Quarter on Wednesday
  
  
• The Sun is active at present with strong promninences and possibilities for magnetic storms originating in the largest sunspot this year no.865
  
  
• Venus is a brilliant object in the East just before sunrise
  
  
• There is no current information regarding the ISS and Iridium Flares

Week of 27th March

• The Moon wanes till directly between the Earth and the Sun on Wednesday morning. The Moon is also at Perigee (closest to Earth on Tuesday) so the Eclipse on Wednesday will be Total and of long duration as seen from Central Africa and Turkey. From UK it will be at best 25% partial and no dimming will be noticed. Partial Eclipses are even more dangerous to try and view and only regulated Eclipse filters with the CE mark are safe. The Moon's edge will start to head across the Sun from around 10.45am and will be blocking 25% of the disc around 11.30am
  
  
• The Sun remains at low activity so those seeing the Total eclipse should expect a symmetrical and relatively unstructured Corona
  
  
• Venus is particularly prominent in the early morning sky
  
  
• The are no evening passes of the ISS this week
  
  
• The last bright evening Iridium flare for a while is this Sunday 26th at 19.05.26 at 65 deg. altitude in SE

Week of 20th March

• Monday is the Vernal Equinox, the start of the Astronomical year and the origin of the celestial coordinate system. Only at the 2 Equinoxes does the Sun rise due East and set due West, hence spending equal times above and below the horizon.
  
  
• The Moon is waning and will be Last Quarter on Wednesday
  
  
• The Sun has one active sunspot region which is causing some geomagnetic activity
  
  
• There are no ISS passes this week
  
  
• There are 4 superbright (-8th magnitude)Iridium flares this week but all in the early morning betwen 5.55 am and 6.10 am on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday

Week of 13th March

• The Moon will be Full on Tuesday (Lenten Moon, the last of Winter) Given the proximity of a Solar eclipse on 29th, as we might expect, there will be a Lunar eclipse on Tuesday 14th. This will only be penumbral, ie the Moon does not go into the Earth's central shadow, rather the Moon will be dimmed. The timing is as follows: 1st contact 21.28 GMT, 2nd at 23.29 GMT, 3rd at 00.08 GMT and the Full Moon will be out of the shadow at 02.11 GMT
  
  
• The Sun is blank again with no sunspots, though there has been some auroral activity at high latitudes
  
  
• Jupiter is now rising at 23.15 GMT
  
  
• There are no bright passes of the ISS and we will have to wait another few weeks before it returns
  
  
• There is one extreme Iridium flare to watch out for: On 13th at 20.01.03 at 53 deg. altitude in ESE, magnitude -8 (Iridium 17)

Week of 6th March

• The Moon is waxing and will be First Quarter on Wednesday. It will be near Mars on Monday and Saturn on Friday
  
  
• The Sun remains blank, though is still showing active prominences
  
  
• This is ISS week with 6 bright evening passes: On Sunday at 18.27.56 from W to E, Monday at 18.52.37 from W to E, Tuesday at 19.17.16 W to ESE, Wednesday at 19.41.54 W to S, Thursday at 18.31.15 W to ESE and Friday at 18.55.49 W to SE
  
  
• There is another extreme Iridium flare this week; On Tuesday at 18.48.20 at 57 deg. altitude SSE (mag.-8 from Iridium 13) also on 11th at 20.08.51, 50 deg. altitude ESE and again on 12th at 18.27.07, 58 deg. altitude S. All of these are an incredible -8 magnitude

Week of 27th February

• Comet Pojmanski is visble in the early morning as a small blue smudge and just to the East of Venus on Monday (Binoculars will show a small tail)
  
  
• Mercury is at its greatest elongation ie is most visible and can be seen in Pisces (just below the square of Pegasus) in the pink twightlight just after sunset
  
  
• The Moon continues to wane and will be New mid-week, the dark skies if clear should give good Saturn viewing
  
  
• The Sun remains blank
  
  
• The ISS has returned and gives several bright passes: On Tuesday at 19.34.43 WSW to S, Thursday at 18.49.08 WSW to E, Friday at 19.38.37 W to E, Saturday at 18.28.07 W to ENE and Sunday at 18.52.51 W to E
  
  
• After the incredible flares of last week, there is only one bright flare on Thursday at 19.09.29 at 54 deg. altitude in SE

Week of 20th February

• A comet is now just visible to the unaided eye and shows a small tail in binoculars just before dawn in the eastern sky. On 27th it will be just east of Venus. The comet Pojmanski (C/200 A1) will brighten to around 5th magnitude.
  
  
• The Moon is now waning and will be Last Quarter on Tuesday
  
  
• The Sun is basically devoid of sunspots though there has been some large prominence activity at the limb
  
  
• Jupiter is now making its way into the late evening sky and will be within 5 degrees of the Moon on Monday
  
  
• The ISS will be returning next week-end
  
  
• There are a number of bright evening Iridium flares this week and another 3 spectacular flares on Monday and next Saturday to watch out for. First on 20th at 17.45.57, 13 deg. altitude in W and then at 18.16.09 Iridium 5 will give a near direct beam for a -8th magnitude flare at 47 deg, altitude due S. Then on Tuesday at 19.45.45 at 46 deg. altitude in ESE and Wednesday at 19.38.40 at 48 deg. altitude in SE. Then on 25th at 17.54.59 at 46 deg. altitude in SSW Iridium 37 will give a near direct -8th magnitude flare and at 19.30.39 this will be repeated at 50 deg. altitude in SE by Iridium 83

Week of 13th February

• The Moon will be Full on Monday (Snow Moon)
  
  
• The Sun remains quiet, though there are a few spots on the far side
  
  
• There are no visible ISS evening passes this week
  
  
• There is only one notable Iridium flare this week on 16th at 18.31.16 at 47 deg. altitude in SSE

Week of 6th February

• Contrary to original thoughts that space had proved too cold for the suit-satellite's batteries it is apparently still transmitting though the signal is now weaker.
  
  
• The Moon is waxing during the week and will be full at the start of next week. Tonight (5th) It is close to both Mars and the Pleiades M45
  
  
• The Sun is totally quiet with zero sunspots
  
  
• Saturn continues to be high in the night sky and makes a good image next to the Beehive Open Cluster M44
  
  
• There are no evening passes of the ISS
  
  
• On 11th February (Saturday) at 18.52.26 at 46 degrees altitude, direction SSE we are almost directly under the reflected sunlight beam from Iridium satellite Iridium 4. The resulting flare will be -8 magnitude (over 1500 x brighter than the brightest stars)

Week of 30th January

• A new novel idea for a satellite is about to be launched on Friday. This consists of an old space suit which will be released from the ISS. It has transmiters 'on board' and will transmit its internal temperature as it fluctuates with solar radation to the ground, during its unprotected orbits
  
  
• The Moon will be waxing over the week to First Quarter next Sunday. When Mars will be within 2 degrees of the Moon
  
  
• The Sun currently has no sunspots but a 200,000 mile long filament exists on the near side, which could lead to activity
  
  
• Saturn is now at its best, though due to the inclination of the rings, the Cassini division is now harder to see than last year
  
  
• There are no visible ISS passes this week
  
  
• Information on Iridium flares is not currently available.

Week of 23rd January

• After several delays the New Horizons mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt launched sucessfully on Friday
  
  
• The Moon will be New next Sunday and is close to Jupiter at the start of the week
  
  
• The Sun has a fast developing group of sunspots which may lead to flares and increased activity
  
  
• Saturn is approaching Opposition and is thus well placed for observation. While there is little Moon the Open Cluster M44 (Beehive) may be seen in Binoculars just above and to the West of the Planet
  
  
• There are no evening passes of the ISS this week
  
  
• There are 4 bright evening flares: On 23rd at 18.35.24, 38 Deg. altitude SSE. On 24th at 17.12.28, 21 deg. alt. SSW. On 26th at 18.18.29, 11 deg. alt. WNW. On 27th at 18.03.34, 13 deg. alt. WNW and 18.20.18 at 38 deg.alt in S. and on 28th at 17.48.36 at 16 deg. alt. WNW.

Week of 16th January

• Following the safe landing of the Stardust probe, another milestone in our exploration of the Solar System gets underway on Tuesday with the launch of the several times cancelled (due to Budget) New Horizons mission (originally Pluto-Kuiper express) which will head out to the last unexplored region of our Solar System for a close encounter with Pluto and its large moon Charon (and newly discovered 2 smaller moons) and then travel on into the Kuiper Belt. Arrival at Pluto is scheduled for 2015.
  
  
• The Moon is now waning and will be Last Quarter next Sunday.
  
  
• The Sun is spotless at present and quiet
  
  
• The ISS makes 2 more low passes: On 16th at 17.19.48 W to SSE and 17th at 17.45.27 WSW to SSW.
  
  
• There are 3 bright evening Iridium flares: On 19th at 17.24.13, 27 deg. altitude SSW and at 18.50.30 37 deg. alt. SSE and on 20th at 18.48.50 at 38 deg. alt. SSE

Week of 9th January

• The Moon continues to wax and will be full (Wolf Moon) next Saturday. Having been close to Mars last week-end it will be close to Saturn this coming Sunday
  
  
• The Sun remains quiet with almost no sun-spots
  
  
• Next Sunday just before 10am the Stardust probe returns its samples of debris from the Coma of comet Wild 2, collected on gel-like fly paper it is hoped that the dust collected may give an insight into early Solar System formation
  
  
• The week sees several passes of the ISS (the earlier passes in an evening are better): On 11th at 16.51.04 from W to E. On 12th at 17.15.51 W to ESE. and 18.51.15 W to SW. On 13th at 17.40.38 W to SE and 19.16.48 WSW to SW. On 14th at 18.05.32 W to SSE and 15th at 18.31.07 WSW to SSW.
  
  
• There are 3 bright evening Iridium flares: On 12th at 16.36.39 at 29 deg. altitude in W and 17.48.11 at 31 deg. altitude in South and the best on 15th at 17.39.14 at 29 deg. altitude in SSW

The text from Weeks of December 24th till Week of January 9th is temporarily missing. Apologies

Week of 19th December

• The Moon is now waning and will be Last Quarter on Friday; it continues to dominate the night sky on its unusually high arc. On Monday the Moon will be close to Saturn in the pre-dawn western sky.
  
  
• The Sun remains quiet
  
  
• Venus is brilliant in the early evening dominating the south western sky
  
  
• There are no visible passes of the ISS
  
  
• There are 2 bright evening Iridium flares: On Monday at 17.51.58, 30 deg. altitude in S and on Friday at 17.37.01 at 28 deg. altitude in S

Week of 12th December

• The Moon will be Full (Cold Moon) on Thursday. This is a Major Lunar Standstill. Every 18.6 or 19 years the Full Moon nearest the Winter Solstice (a Week on Wednesday) reaches its maximum Declination (+ 28 degrees) This means that the Moon from here will reach a maximum height of 67 degrees above the Horizon at Culmination
  
  
• The Geminid meteor shower peaks during the night of Tuesday to Wednesday but the nearly Full Moon is likely to obscure all but the brightest meteors
  
  
• Venus is now at its brightest in the early evening, though showing a crescent phase in a telescope with Mars and the Moon again close in the East at the same time
  
  
• The Sun remains quiet
  
  
• There are no evening ISS passes and only one Iridium flare of note: Next Saturday 17th December at 16.51.48 at 67 degress altitude in ENE

Week of 5th December

• The Moon is First Quarter on Thursday
  
  
• Venus and the cresent Moon are close on Sunday
  
  
• The Sun has a fast growing spot on the Earth side which could give rise to activity at the start of the week
  
  
• There are no ISS evening passes but there are two really bright Iridium flares: On Sunday 4th at 18.00.55 50 deg. altitude in NE; Monday 5th at 17.50.05, 52 deg. NE
  
  
• Orion is now high in the evening sky and M42, the Orion nebula, is easy to pick out as a fuzzy patch half way down the sword hanging from the left hand side of the belt
  
  
• If the night is clear and cold expect to see a good number of shooting stars per hour, the Geminids start from 6th and peak on 14th, but there are several minor showers active over the next couple of weeks (the Delta Arietids with a radiant in Aries) for example

Week of 28th November

• The Moon is New on Wednesday
  
  
• Venus is growing brighter by the day and with no Moon this week will dominate the early evening sky
  
  
• The Sun is quiet again
  
  
• There are no visible evening ISS passes
  
  
• There are only two really bright evening Iridium flares: On Sunday at 16.40.17 at 71 deg. ENE and Monday at 16.34.10, 71 deg. altitude, ENE

Week of 21st November

• The Moon is Last Quarter on Wednesday
  
  
• The Sun has an active spot which could lead to activity this week
  
  
• 3 Planets are now visible, though Venus sets soon after dark and Saturn is not yet prominent till late evening
  
  
• The very cold nights (when not foggy) give a superb view of the Milky Way across the sky. By 10pm Orion is rising, a sure sign of approaching Christmas
  
  
• The ISS has passed for the moment and there are only two bright evening Iridium flares: next Saturday at 16.46.25 70 deg. altitude NNE and Sunday at 16.40.17 71 deg. altitude ENE

Week of 14th November

• The Moon will be Full (Frosty Moon) on Wednesday. Look for the bright ray craters Tycho and Copernicus
  
  
• Mars will be 3 degrees South of the Moon on Tuesday
  
  
• Venus now dominates the early evening sky in the West (twice as bright as fading Mars) setting around 6.00pm. Saturn is back in the late evening rising around 10.30pm in the East.
  
  
• The Leonids meteor shower peaks on Thursday afternoon. This year it is predicted to be weak (20 per hour) and will not be very visible due to the Full Moon. there are still some bright late Taurids being seen
  
  
• The Sun has developed a large spot 822 which may lead to some activity
  
  
• There are several ISS passes as follows: Sunday 13th 17.58.08 W to ESE, Monday 16.49.19 W to E and 18.24.42 W to SSW, Tuesday 17.15.50 WSW to SSE and 18.51.30 W to SW, Wednesday 17.42.22 W to SE, Thursday 18.09.10 W to SSE, Friday 16.59.55 W to SE, Saturday 17.26.45 W to S and Sunday 16.46.10 WSW to S
  
  
• The start of the week is good for Iridium flares as follows: The best (100 times brighter than Mars)is on Sunday 17.56.57 at 53 deg. altitude NNE then Monday 17.50.49 54 deg. alt NNE; Tuesday 17.44.51 at 54 deg. NE and Wednesday 17.38.34 55 deg. NE

Week of 7th November

• Mars is at Opposition on Monday and remains dominant in the night sky, in the 10 inch it is almost too bright and requires filters to pick out surface detail
  
  
• The Moon is First Quarter on Wednesday
  
  
• There is still a chance of some bright Taurids at the start of the week
  
  
• There are daily passes of the ISS just after dark as follows: Sunday 18.12.21 WSW to ESE, Monday 18.36.22 W to W, Tuesday 17.25.18 WSW to E, Wednesday 17.49.14 W to E, Thursday 18.13.12 W to E, Friday 17.01.56 W to E Saturday 17.31.35 W to E and Sunday 17.58.08 W to ESE.
  
  
• There are 2 bright Iridium Flares on Saturday at 18.03.04 51 deg. altitude NNE and Sunday early in the morning at 06.37.02 28 deg. altitude ENE

Week of 31st October

• The Taurids appear to be producing some fireballs (meteors brighter than -4)and this may be a swarm year where larger debris is being encountered. Watch out from 3rd November till mid-next week
  
  
• The Moon will be New on Wednesday. This will give good dark skies (weather permitting!) fo