Whitby & District Astronomical Society

The next instalment of Paul Money's Night Scenes almanac is now available on PDF or Kindle e book format. Details are as follows..

We have had the first 'successful' star party on the West Cliff for well over a year. At least we called it successful...  [Read more about Summer star parties - update ]

In this month's edition:

• Planetary Skylights 
• Partial solar eclipse review
• July Meteors  
• Noctilucent cloud season -peak month
• July 2021 Sky Charts

Located high to south in the northern celestial sky during the summer months, a small and pleasing circlet of stars to the west of Bootes (highlighted by Arcturus), marks the distinctive northern crown of Corona Borealis. It normally contains only one reasonably conspicuous star and no obvious deep sky objects. It does however harbour two of the more remarkable variable stars in the heavens.  [Read more about The Northern Crown - Corona Borealis ]

The next instalment of Paul Money's Night Scenes almanac will shortly be available, again on PDF or Kindle e book format only. Details are as follows..

It’s almost becoming crowded on Mars with yet another rover arrival, the first from China. The Zhurong rover is already sending its first images back to Earth. Meanwhile, NASA's helicopter drone Ingenuity has now completed 6 flights, just! Percy starts to rove doing real science... [Read more about Tidings from Mars ]

In this month's edition:

• Planetary Skylights 
• Strawberry Super Moon
• Partial Solar Eclipse
• June Meteors  
• Noctilucent cloud season 
• June 2021 Sky Charts

It looks as though lockdown restrictions are being eased as planned; so far. As we continue to take tentative steps to some form of normality, it is time to map out a likely summer Star Party events schedule.  [Read more about Summer Star Party Schedule - in Brief]

High up in the sky, almost overhead at this time of year, two dogs are snapping at the heels of a bear, held in check by a man with hook and leads in hand. Has the author been out picking mushrooms, or is there a strange tale to tell here.  [Read more about Canes Venatici - the Hunting Dogs ]

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

In this month's edition:

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

In this month's edition:

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

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

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

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