Events & Highlights

Upcoming Celestial and Eddington Lodge Events

January 2024

3rd January, 2024	Quadrantids Meteor Shower - This is an above average shower, with up to 40 meteors per hour at its peak. This year the nearly full moon will block out most of the fainter meteors. But if you are patient you may still be able to catch a few good ones.
11th January, 2024	New Moon - This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.
12th January, 2024	Mercury at Greatest Western Elongation. This is the best time to view Mercury since it will be at its highest point above the horizon in the morning sky.
25th January, 2024	Full Moon - The first Full Moon of the year is colloquially known as the Wolf Moon in many northern cultures.

February 2024

9th February, 2024	New Moon - This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.
24th February, 2024	Full Moon.

March 2024

10th March, 2024	New Moon - This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.
20th March, 2024	March Equinox - The Sun will shine directly on the equator and there will be nearly equal amounts of day and night throughout the world. This is also the first day of spring (vernal equinox) in the Northern Hemisphere.
22nd March, 2024	Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks - Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks is 30 days from reaching perihelion, its closest approach to the Sun. The comet might become visible with the naked eye
24th March, 2024	Mercury at Greatest Eastern Elongation - This is the best time to view Mercury since it will be at its highest point above the horizon in the evening sky. Look for the planet low in the western sky just after sunset.
25th March, 2024	Full Moon.

April 2024

8th April, 2024	New Moon - This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.
21st April, 2024	Lyrids Meteor Shower - The Lyrids is an average shower, usually producing about 20 meteors per hour at its peak though the nearly full moon will hamper those that are visable.
23rd April, 2024	Full Moon.

September 2024

3rd September, 2024	New Moon - This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.
5th September, 2024	Mercury at Greatest Western Elongation. This is the best time to view Mercury since it will be at its highest point above the horizon in the morning sky.
8th September, 2024	Saturn at Opposition - The ringed planet, Saturn, lies on the opposite side of Earth to the Sun, and is visible from sunset to sunrise
17th September, 2024	Partial Lunar Eclipse
18th September, 2024	Full Moon, Supermoon - This moon is also known as the Harvest Moon. The Moon will be near its closest approach to the Earth and may look slightly larger and brighter than usual.
22nd September, 2024	September Equinox - The Sun will shine directly on the equator and there will be nearly equal amounts of day and night throughout the world. This is also the first day of fall (autumnal equinox) in the Northern Hemisphere.

October 2024

2nd October, 2024	New Moon - This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.
8th October, 2024	Draconids Meteor Shower - The Draconids is a minor meteor shower producing only about 10 meteors per hour. Dark skies in the early evening for what should be a good show.
17th October, 2024	Full Moon.
20th October, 2024	Orionids Meteor Shower - This is an average shower producing up to 20 meteors per hour. The nearly full moon may block the more dim meteors.

November 2024

1st November, 2024	New Moon - This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.
15th November, 2024	Full Moon.
16th November, 2024	Mercury at Greatest Eastern Elongation - This is the best time to view Mercury since it will be at its highest point above the horizon in the evening sky. Look for the planet low in the western sky just after sunset.
17th November, 2024	Leonids Meteor Shower - Fast bright meteors with fine trains. Associated with Comet Tempel-Tuttle. The Bright moon will block the more dim meteors.

December 2024

1st December, 2024	New Moon - This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.
7th December, 2024	Jupiter at Opposition - The giant planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. This is the best time to view and photograph Jupiter and its moons.
14th December, 2024	Geminid Meteors - Normally one of the best meteor showers of the year, the Geminids peak around the night of December 14 and early morning hours of December 15. This year, alas, a bright Full Moon will reduce the number of meteors that can be spotted.
15th December, 2024	Full Moon.
21st December, 2024	December Solstice. The South Pole of the earth will be tilted toward the Sun. This is the first day of winter (winter solstice) in the Northern Hemisphere.
22nd December, 2024	Ursids Meteor Shower. Catch the shooting stars of the last major meteor shower of the year, the Ursids, when it peaks in the night between December 22 and 23.
25th December, 2024	Mercury at Greatest Western Elongation, For the 7th and final time this year, Mercury reaches its farthest distance from the Sun in the sky. The only other planet that has greatest elongations (as viewed from Earth) is Venus—but in 2024 it doesn’t have any
30th December, 2024	New Moon - This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.

The Best Time to Stay

The best time to observe the stars is when the skies are at their clearest and darkest, and the nights are at their longest. This means that the months of late August to mid April provide a better chance to see more and visitors have a longer window each night in which to observe the night sky. Different times of year also offer a different perspective of the sky with some constellations and objects only visible in certain seasons. This means that returning guests will often have new objects and sights to observe.

Moon Phases

The phases of the moon can make a big difference to astronomy. The bright reflective light of a full moon can drown out most of the fainter objects in the night sky so staying when the moon is full should be avoided if possible. The best time for astronomy would be around a new moon when the night is at its darkest, leading to the best conditons for observation. The lead up to the first quater can also be a great time for stargazing, especially with younger childern as the moon will be available and is always a great sight for young minds. As a general rule, avoiding one week either side of the full moon would be best. That's not to say that we can't do astronomy during those times but there may be more of a limit on what can be seen.

Planets

Finding and observing the planets of the Solar System in the night sky isn’t as tricky as you think. You just need to know where to look. When a planet is in a particularly favourable position in the evening or morning sky, it will look like a bright ‘star’, the most obvious point of light visible to the naked eye. Planets are not always viable at all times of the year due to the movement of their orbit agaisnt ours however mid to late 2022 is shaping up to be a great planet season with most of our planets visable.

Meteor Showers

There are several well known, predictable and sometimes very strong meteor showers during the year. These are a great time to get out into our dark skies and spot the fireballs hurtling through our atmosphere, some of which will also leave trails or trains in the sky. Meteor showers that also coincide with or are close to a new moon are usually the most spectacular. Meteor showers generally last between a few days and a couple of weeks. We have provided the peak shower dates opposite - this is when the amount of meteors should be at its maximum rate.

Conjunctions and eclipses

From time to time we do get treated to conjunctions and eclipses, both the rare solar and the more common lunar. A conjunction is when two objects in the night sky appear together. This is most often two of our own solar system planets, a combination of a planet and a deep sky object or a combination of a planet and our moon. Although rare, having the opportunity to view two of our closest neighbours together, or seeing a planet disappear behing the the view of our moon, is not to be missed. A lunar eclipse is when the Earth is positioned between the Sun and the Moon, turning the Moon a deep red colour in the night sky. The rarer solar eclipse is when the Moon is positioned between the Sun and the Earth, turning day into an eerie twilight. Eclipses can happen as either a total or a partial eclipse.

Comets

All through the year comets make their way through our solar system, brightening and darkening as they are affected by the Sun. These can be both great visual and astrophotography targets for guests and we aim to provide details of when they might be at their best to see.