Illustration by @VirtualAstro
Comet 246P/Wirtanen: December 2018 is packed full of objects and events for the casual stargazer. Comet 46P/Wirtanen being another one of them this month.
Read on to find out more about this fabulous object and how to see it in December’s night sky.
December 2018 Night Sky – December is a fantastic month for stargazing, especially in 2018. The nights are long and dark. With darkness falling late afternoon/ early evening and sunrise later in the mornings. December has cold dark nights heralding fantastically clear night skies. As long as the clouds stay away and the skies are clear!
There are some fantastic sights to see in December 2018’s night sky. So read on and lets see what you can see…
Learn how to take awesome pictures of the night sky with an iPhone and this simple app.
Out of all the constellations in the night sky, one of the most well known and obvious is Orion. Anyone just looking up at the winter sky can’t help but notice this celestial wonder. Orion is probably the most striking of all the constellations. Let’s explore it some more. (more…)
Geminid Meteor Shower Eye Of the Needle Credit: David Kingham Photography – @davidkingham
The Geminid meteor shower is the grand finale of astronomical events in 2018. It’s also the most reliable and prolific meteor shower of the year.
This year, the Moon won’t be present on the evening of the Geminids peak. Therefore, the sky will be dark which will reveal even more of the fainter meteors.
The Geminids are well known for having plenty to see with the brighter meteors/ fireballs being spectacular! Read on to find out when, how, and more. (more…)
Santas ISS: For the past few years, we’ve had some great festive fun in the UK with International Space Station passes in December.
Many Parents, grandparents and guardians have told their little ones that the ISS is actually Santa on his practice runs. This sounds silly to some, but many small children with playful adults found it magical and really thought they could see Santa!
Will your children see Santa on his practice runs this year? Perhaps they are too old now and know it’s the Space Station. Regardless, the ISS is an amazing sight to behold and we can use it to spread some extra magic and inspire them to find out more about Space this Christmas. Read on to find out more.
Venus and Mercury Credit: Szabolcs Nagy from the VirtualAstro Flickr group
Morningstar Venus: If you’re up early before sunrise this winter, you will notice the unmissable Morningstar Venus. Venus will be shining brightly in the eastern sky before the sun rises. It will also be visible for a short time after sunrise due to being so bright!
Venus became the “Morningstar” early in November and will become more and more spectacular. Read on to find out more.
Christmas Presents: Tis the season to be jolly and Christmas presents are foremost on our minds. Therefore the Meteorwatch team have put together a fine collection of children’s Christmas presents which are out of this world. Instead of the usual guides and articles, we have simply put some space-related gift ideas together for you – It’s Christmas! There are Christmas presents to please the tiniest Space Cadets and gifts to impress the more grown up Space Rangers. It can be hard work thinking about what Christmas presents to buy friends and loved ones. So we made this gift list so you don’t have too.
There is also a full list of Kids Gift Ideas on amazon here. It should help find that perfect gift or stocking filler.
Space Christmas Presents for Grown Ups: Tis the season to be jolly and consequently Christmas Presents are foremost on our minds.
Following on from the very popular “50 Awesome Space Christmas present Ideas for Kids.” The Meteorwatch team have put together a fine collection of grown-ups Christmas presents which are out of this world. Instead of the usual guides and articles, we have simply put some space-related gift ideas together for you – It’s Christmas! There are Christmas presents to please armchair astronomers and gifts to impress wannabe astronauts and more! It can be hard work thinking about what Christmas presents to buy friends and loved ones. So we made this gift list so you don’t have too. (more…)
Pleiades over Weatherly Pennsylvania. Credit: Tom Wildoner
The Pleiades star cluster is the jewel of winter skies. It is an object with many names. It is also referred to as the Seven Sisters, or Messier 45 (M45). The Japanese have their own name for this prominent star cluster also. “Subaru” – meaning to unite.
Read more about this amazing object and how to see it in the night sky.
ISS Long Exposure photo of a visible ISS pass Credit: Mark Humpage
The International Space Station (ISS) is back over UK skies with some great evening passes during November/ December 2018.
The ISS is the largest Space Station/ laboratory ever built! it can be spotted with the naked eye at certain times as it orbits Earth at 17500mph at an altitude of roughly 200 miles.
Spotting the station is very easy and you don’t need any special equipment. You only need your eyes! Read the rest of this post to find out when and how you can spot the station this November/ December.
Credit Freepik
Have you seen lights in the night sky recently? Or what you may think is a UFO flash, streak, or fly across the heavens in the dead of night?
If you have, read on!
Long Exposure Image of ISS pass. Credit: VirtualAstro
The International Space Station (ISS) is a huge space station orbiting Earth that serves as an orbital laboratory, factory, testing ground and home; Crew members conduct experiments from biology to astronomy. Including experiments for prolonged exposure to life in space for future missions to the Moon and beyond.
The ISS is major accomplishment for NASA (US), ESA (Europe), JAXA (Japan) CSA (Canada) and all the countries involved (16 in all). The space station is just over 72 m long by 108 m wide and 20 m high. Maintained at an orbital altitude between 330 km (205 mi) and 410 km (255 mi). It travels at an average speed of 27,724 kilometres (17,227 mi) per hour. Completing 15.7 orbits per day.
One of the best things about the ISS is that you can see it with your own eyes from Earth! Therefore, it’s very easy to watch the International Space Station pass over your own backyard! (more…)
Live streaming video by Ustream
Aurora Photography: The aurora is an amazing sight, and if you’re lucky enough to see the Lights you’ll want a photo or video to remember the occasion. With NightCap it’s easy! There’s just one important rule:
Stargazing For Dummies. If you have a passing interest in the night sky. Are just starting out in astronomy, or are already a seasoned astronomer. Then this is the book for you.
Read on to find out even more about this brilliant guide book. For sky watchers of all levels.
Kids Books For Christmas: Tis the season to be jolly and Christmas Presents are foremost on our minds. Kids Books have always been the perfect Christmas gift and a gift for all seasons.
For Christmas this year, the Meteorwatch team have put together a fine collection of kids books which are out of this world. There are books to please stargazers and books to impress wannabe astronauts and more! It can be hard work thinking about what Christmas presents to buy friends and loved ones. So we made this kiss book list to help you.
There is also a more general list of Space and Astronomy books here You can also check out Space Gift Ideas for kids here.
Please read on for some great kids book ideas for Christmas. There are no spammy pop-ups, spammy articles, or the need to click through endless pages. Just scroll down the list effortlessly. (more…)
