The Astronomy Show 20.12.17

The Astronomy Show 20.12.17

The last astronomy show of 2017, I will be looking at what is going on with the Sun. Is it changing? Very small sunspot cycles and other effects have led astronomers to speculate the something might be going on within our local star, the Sun.

I will be looking at the night sky over the Christmas period including one of the most understudied meteor showers the Ursids which will peak on the night of December 21/22, normally only a few meteors are seen but this shower can and has produced surprisingly large numbers of meteors in the past.

The other regular features include the  Messier Marathon, today  looking at the Whirlpool Galaxy M 51. The A-Z of constellations by comparison is at the rather obscure constellation of Lynx. There will be the latest astronomy news plus the astronomical scrapbook looking at events that happened this week in astronomy including the Barwell Meteorite which landed on Christmas Eve 1965, and the famous bible reading by the crew Apollo 8 crew when they saw Earthrise from the Moon.

The Astronomy Show every Wednesday afternoon between 3.00 pm and 5 .00 pm only on Drystone Radio 103.5FM. You can hear the show on line at www.drystoneradio.com or hear the show later on the Drystone podcast.

The Astronomy Show 29.11.17

The Astronomy Show 29.11.17


There will be a Super Moon on December 3rd, it is the closest full moon of the year and when it rises it will appear larger than normal, the Astronomy Show will be looking at exactly what is going on. In addition as it December full moon it will be the Before Yule Moon, I will explain more this afternoon.

The regular features include the latest astronomy new including the problems of light pollution increasing and that streaks on Martian hills might be dry flows rather than wet ones. There will be all the latest details of what can be seen in the night sky this week. The A-Z of constellations is in the zodiac today with Libra the Scales, the Messier Marathon is at M 49 in Virgo. The astronomical scrapbook looks at events that happened this week in history.  All this plus the round up of the news from astronomical societies in the north.

The Astronomy Show only on Drystone Radio 103.5 FM every Wednesday between 3.00 pm and 5.00 pm. The show is live on line at www.drystoneradio.com or the programme can be heard on the drystone podcast .

The Astronomy Show 22.11.17

The Astronomy Show 22.11.17

On the Astronomy Show today it is planet Earth that is in the news, I will be looking at new research that suggests that a tiny slow down in the speed of the Earth's rotation might be responsible for the increase in the number of earthquakes.

The regular features include visiting the constellation of Lepus the Hare in the A-Z of constellations, the Messier Marathon is now at M 48 in Hydra the Water Snake one of the famous 'missing' messier objects. There will be the astronomical news this week and we dive into the astronomical scrapbook looking at what happened this week in history including the first observation of a Transit of Venus and the discovery of a comet in York by Edward Pigott. There will of course also be our review of what is happening in the astronomical societies in the north.

The Astronomy Show only on Drystone Radio every Wednesday from 3 00 pm to 5.00 pm on 103.5 FM you can hear me live on line at www.drystoneradio.com or hear the show on the drystone podcast.

The Astronomy Show 15.11.17

The Astronomy Show 15.11.17

It's back! The Astronomy Show on Drystone Radio, I have been away for the last few weeks lecturing on a cruise ship in the Arctic Circle where we have be looking  for and seeing some incredible Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights plus I have been doing my normal work with my planetarium in schools teaching astronomy to children.

However back to the hear and now, on Wednesday I will be taking a close look at the Kuiper Belt and discovering what we know about it and what we still have to find out.

I will be taking a look at what is happening in the night sky this week including explaining what happened with  the conjunction of Jupiter and Venus in the morning sky, it was seen by lots of people.

The latest astronomy news includes features on the star that would not die and that the James Webb telescope launch has now been put back until 2019. This week's Messier Marathon is an  amazing double serving with M46 and M47 in Canis Major, by comparison the A-Z of constellations is at Leo Minor which is very faint and obscure group. The astronomical scrapbook this week includes the birth of William Herschel,  Mariner 9 the first probe to enter orbit around a planet and the first  entry in John Goodricke's diary. This plus all the latest news from the astronomical societies in the north.

The Astronomy Show every Wednesday afternoons between 3.00 pm and 5.00 pm only on Drystone Radio, 103.5 FM or listen live on line at www.drystoneradio.com or catch the show on the drystone podcast.

 

The Astronomy Show 04.10.17

The Astronomy Show 04.10.17

The Astronomy Show has been a bit disrupted recently with my work schedule, the last two weeks taken up with me working in schools with my Stardome planetarium and I shall be in the Arctic Circle for a fair part of October lecturing on-board a cruise ship on various astronomy subjects including the Aurora Borealis or the Northern Lights. I will be back on Wednesday November 1st.

However on today's programme I will be looking at the autumn sky, October is the best time to look for the autumnal constellations the transition from summer to autumn is pretty well complete.

In the astronomy news there are lots of stories about asteroids and meteors, plus news of a comet that is the furthest active comet ever seen by astronomers, it could be a monster when it arrives in the inner solar system. 

The astronomy scrapbook is dominated by the anniversary of the beginning of the space age with the launch of Sputnik, the A-Z of constellations is at Leo one of the more spectacular constellations of the spring sky while the Messier marathon has now reached M 45 the Pleiades or Seven Sisters. This plus all the news from the astronomical societies in the north.

The Astronomy Show every Wednesday (usually) between 3 pm and 5 pm on Drystone Radio 103.5 FM, listen on line at www.drystoneradio.com or hear the show on the podcast.

The Astronomy Show 13.09.17

The Astronomy Show 13.09.17

On the Astronomy Show today I will be investigating the Sun, there have been 7 massive flares on the Sun in just 7 days and this is during solar minimum, there should not be this kind of activity. So what is going on?

I will be looking at the night sky this week with the centre of attention moving to the morning sky when there will a dance of the planets with Mercury and Mars passing each other in the sky just before the Sun rises. There will be a much closer look at the constellation Lyra with its bright star Vega being one of the stars of the summer triangle, plus an update on everything else we can see in the sky this week.

The regular features include the A-Z  of constellations this week Lacerta the Lizard another small modern constellation but with a few surprises. The Messier marathon reaches M 44 the Beehive in Cancer. The astronomical scrapbook includes the anniversary of one of the greatest nights in variable star history when two new variable stars were discovered in York in 1784 and the Ulysses probe reached the south pole of the Sun. The latest astronomy news including the discovery of Boron on Mars which is more evidence that Mars could have hosted life in the distant past.  This plus the news from the astronomy societies in the north.

The Astronomy Show every Wednesday only on Drystone Radio 103.5 FM listen on line at www.drystoneradio.com or hear the show on the podcast.

The Astronomy Show 06.09.17

The Astronomy Show 06.09.17

On the Astronomy Show this week I will be looking at the discovery of a nova that occurred over
600 years ago and has been discovered in Chinese and Korean astronomical records. The location of the star has been discovered by astronomers who are now able to study a 600 year long time line for a nova.

There will be the regular weekly features, looking at the night sky this week and with the longer nights starting to make themselves felt  I will be taking a closer look at the three constellations where we find the summer triangle of stars beginning this week with Cygnus as Deneb is virtually overhead at the moment .

The other regular features include the latest astronomy news,in  the A-Z of constellations this week I will be looking at Indus the Indian another modern but faint constellation, to make up for this the Messier Marathon reaches M42 the Orion Nebula one of the most spectacular sights in the sky. The astronomical scrapbook looks at events that happened this week in history including the landing of Viking 2 on Mars in 1976 and the great meteor event of 1511. This plus what's happening in the astronomy societies in the north.

The Astronomy Show only on Drystone Radio 103.5 FM every Wednesday afternoon between 3.00 - 500 pm, the show can be heard live at www.drystoneradio.com or listen to the  show on the Drystone Radio Podcast.

The Astronomy Show 30.08.17

The Astronomy Show 30.08.17

On the Astronomy Show today I will be looking at a report that says scientists have discovered that some stars in the Pleiades or seven sisters seem to be varying in brightness, the Pleiades are an easily seen feature in the winter sky.  I was observing the seven sisters back in the 1980s and it was clear then that something was going on in this cluster!

There will be the regular weekly look at the night sky including a look at the stars that are circumpolar in this country, circumpolar stars never set as seen from Britain.

The astronomical scrapbook which looks at astronomical anniversaries this week and  includes the Great Carrington Solar Flare in 1859 which destroyed communications around the world  and the launch of Mariner 2 the first probe to Mercury.

The latest astronomy news features the beginning of the Aurora season and the revival of the Phoenicid meteor shower. The A-Z of constellations is now at Hydrus the Lesser Snake while the Messier marathon is visiting M 41 in Canis Major. All this plus the latest astronomy news from the northern astronomical societies.

The Astronomy Show only on Drystone Radio 103.5 FM live on line at www.drystoneradio.com or listen later on the Drystone podcast.

The Astronomy Show 23.08.17

The Astronomy Show 23.08.17

On the Astronomy Show today I will be looking at the news that NASA scientists have discovered that Mars may experience snowstorms at night. We have snowstorms here on Earth but they can occur both in the day and night, I will be looking further into this latest news.

I will be taking the regular look at the night sky this week now all the excitement of the solar eclipse has passed,  I watched it on NASA TV and it was just incredible.

The other normal features include the latest astronomy news including  the NASA mission to study the Sun, and a white dwarf that may have survived a supernova explosion. The A-Z of constellations has now reached Hydra which although the largest constellation is not the brightest and has only one brightish star, the Messier Marathon continues with M 40 which is not even a nebula or cluster!

The astronomy scrapbook looks at events this week in history including  lots of voyager anniversaries, plus the great Moon hoax. This and the latest events at the astronomical societies in the north.

The Astronomy Show only on Drystone Radio 103.5 FM with Martin Lunn every Wednesday afternoon between 3 pm and 5 pm, listen on line at www.drystoneradio.com  or hear the programme on the podcast.

The Astronomy Show 16.08.17

The Astronomy Show 16.08.17

Everyone has been talking about it the Great American Eclipse of the Sun which will occur on August 21st and will be seen from the West Coast to the East Coast, sadly we can't see it in Britain but on the  Astronomy Show I will be looking at exactly what an eclipse of the Sun is how it happens and what astronomers can learn, plus the mythology attached to what is probably the most spectacular event that can be seen in the sky.

There will be the weekly look at the night sky and a report on the Perseid meteor shower, despite the brightness of the Moon I was able to see some meteors.

The regular features include the A-Z of constellations which this week looks at Horologium the Pendulum Clock a southern constellation which is faint and obscure. The Messier Marathon is now at M 39 an open cluster in Cygnus.

The latest astronomy news will be featured plus the astronomical scrapbook which looks at astronomical anniversaries this week, and all the news from the astronomical societies in the north.

The Astronomy Show every Wednesday from 3 p to 5 pm with Martin Lunn only on Drystone Radio 103.5 FM, you can listen on line at www.drystoneradio.com or catch the show later on the podcast.

The Astronomy Show 09.08.17

The Astronomy Show 09.08.17

Its meteor season here on the Astronomy Show today, the Perseid's are coming in now and reach their peak on the night of August 12/13, I will be looking all things meteor wise including what we might expect to see and the history of this shower.

I will be looking at the night sky for the next 7 days with the darker nights it is possible to begin to re familiarise ourselves with the night sky,  unfortunately on the only planet side of things only Saturn is really easily seen.

All the regular features will be here with the A- Z of constellations looking at Hercules which might be thought of as being a very bright group, however it is a rather large but faint and formless constellation. The Messier Marathon continues with M 38 the third of the messier objects in Auriga,

The Astronomical Scrapbook looks at events that happened this week in history including the launch of the Echo 1 a predecessor of the famous Telstar, the latest astronomy news plus what is happening in astronomical  societies in the north of England.

The Astronomy Show only on Drystone Radio 103.5 FM every Wednesday afternoon between 3. 00 pm- 5. 00 pm, you can hear the show live on line at www.drystoneradio.com or hear the show later on the Drystone podcast.

The Astronomy Show 02.08.17

The Astronomy Show 02.08.17

On the Astronomy Show today we welcome the fact that truly dark skies return during August .

Today we will be looking at comets or more precisely how many comets are there and where do they come from? We know that in the past comets were regarded as ill omens while today we know they are more like dirty snowballs travelling around the Sun, and right on cue a comet has been picked up that it should be at its brightest in October. How bright? No one is sure yet but comets have been likened to cats, they both have tails and do exactly what they like!

The regular features include the astronomy news with news of yet another miss with an asteroid, the only problem with this one was that it was not found until it had past by the Earth and it was bigger than the Tunguska meteor!

There will be a look at what is in the night sky at the moment, The A-Z of constellations continues with the southern constellation Grus the Crane and the Messier marathon has reached M 37 the second of the trio of Messier objects in Auriga. The astronomy scrapbook looks at events this week in history  including the discovery of the Great White Spot on Saturn by the comedy actor Will Hay in 1933. This plus what is going on in the astronomy societies in the North.

The Astronomy Show only on Drystone Radio 103.5 FM, the show can be heard on line at www.drystoneradio.com or you can hear the show later via the podcast.

The Astronomy Show 26.07.17

The Astronomy Show 26.07.17

It's back! after two weeks of R/R the Astronomy Show returns today from Starbase 82 on Drystone radio.

Today I will be checking on a massive CME or flare from the Sun which occurred on July 23rd,  luckily for us the flare was on the far side of the Sun so it posed no threat to the Earth, the target for this flare appears to be the planet Mars. It appears that there will be another near miss for the Earth, astronomers are watching an asteroid that could come very close to us in October.

I will take a look at what can be seen in the sky during the summer months and in particular take a closer look at the next few days .

All the regular features will be on the show with lots of news including quite a few stories regarding meteorites, the A-Z of constellations continues with Gemini the Twins, the Messier Marathon is now at M 36 which heralds a trio of messier objects in the constellation of Auriga, the astronomical scrapbook looks at events in history this week including the first space walk by a woman astronaut. There will be the regular look at what is happening with the northern astronomical societies.

The Astronomy Show only on Drystone Radio 103.5 FM, you can hear the show live on line at www.drystoneradio.com or listen to the show later on the podcast.

The Astronomy Show 05.07.17

The Astronomy Show 05.07.17

On the Astronomy Show today I will be marking 20 years of NASA continually exploring Mars the red planet. The first successful mission Mariner 4 flew past Mars in 1965 and shattered peoples ideas of how the planet looked. Mars wasn't covered in Tundra it looked more like the Moon. In 1997 NASA landed the Mars Pathfinder on Mars and since then Mars has been constantly monitored by scientists.

As this  is the first show in July I will be looking at what the night sky has in store for us this coming summer. The regular features include the A-Z of constellations which today looks at the rather obscure constellation of Fornax the Furnace to counter this the Messier Marathon I visit M35 a wonderful open cluster in Gemini.

I will also be looking at some detective work by astronomers who have discovered what 'Star' was aligned with the Moon in the poem 'Childe Harold's Pilgrimage' which was written by Lord Byron in Italy in 1817. I will be looking at just what this star was.

There will be the latest astronomy news, the astronomical scrapbook will take its regular look at what happened this week in history including the discovery of the supernova in 1054 that would  form the Crab Nebula. This plus the usual round up of what is happening in the astronomy societies in the north this week.

I will be taking a break for some well earned R/R for the next two weeks. There will be no Astronomy Show on July 12th or July 19th but be advised that I will be back on July 26th.

The Astronomy Show only on Drystone Radio 103.5 FM every Wednesday between 3.00 pm and 5.00 pm. The programme is also available on line at www.drystoneradio.com or you can listen to the programme later on the podcast.

The Astronomy Show 28.06.17

The Astronomy Show 28.06.17

June the 30th is Tunguska day, this is where scientists are trying to bring to people's attention the danger of an asteroid strike. Tunguska day marks the anniversary in 1908 of the last large meteor strike which occurred in the sky above the Tunguska river in northern Siberia. The Astronomy show will be looking at what is being done to search for these potential space killers. We don't know when the next one will arrive, but it will at some time in the future, the trouble is we don't know when, we don't know where! there has also been an interesting development in the monitoring of the asteroid Apopthis which caused a real scare in 2004 when it was announced that it might hit us in the future, Apopthis is named after the Egyptian goddess of Terror if you want more details listen in today to find out more.

The astronomical scrapbook looks at what happened this week in astronomical history including the great Yorkshire eclipse of the Sun in 1927. The Messier Marathon continues with M 34 in Perseus and the A-Z of Constellations has reached Eridanus the River.

I will be looking at what is happening in the night sky this week, the latest astronomy news, plu the weekly round up of what is happening in the astronomical societies in the north, including details of what is now the largest astronomical event in the north of England, the North West Astronomy Festival.

All this plus a little selection of my kind of music on the Astronomy Show with Martin Lunn only on Drystone Radio 103.5 FM on line at www.drystoneradio.com or you can hear the programme on the podcast.

The Astronomy Show 21.06.17

The Astronomy Show 21.06.17

Today is the summer solstice the day of the year when we have the most amount of daylight hours, in the Astronomy Show this week I will be finding out why.

I will also be looking at what has happened to the Noctilucent Clouds this year, they were missing at the beginning of summer, I will be investigating to find out what has gone wrong.

Following on from the Andromeda galaxies over the past two weeks the Messier Marathon reaches M33 the Pinwheel Galaxy in Triangulum, while the A-Z of constellations looks at the the tiny constellation of Equuleus the Little Horse, its the second smallest constellation.

The astronomical scrapbook this week looks at events including the discovery of Charon the largest of the moons that orbit Pluto, and the birth of the Yorkshire astronomer Fred Hoyle, this plus the latest astronomy news, what events are happening in the astronomy societies in the North, and of course what we can see in the night sky this week.

The Astronomy Show with Martin Lunn every Wednesday afternoon between 3.00 pm and 5.00 pm only on Drystone Radio, 103.5 FM. You can listen on line at www.drystoneradio.com or catch the programme later on the podcast.  

The Astronomy Show 14.06.17

The Astronomy Show 14.06.17

On the programme today I will be looking at the Milky Way its very important to us because it is our Galaxy, true it is like many millions of other galaxies but to us  it is home sweet home.

Other news this week includes that astronomers have now worked out how old Jupiter is and we will stay with the largest planet in the solar system as it now has two new moons.

Astronomers watch the sky for  asteroids that could crash into the Earth but  now the situation has become potentially more dangerous because it has been discovered that at least one meteor stream which astronomers believe to be composed of just grains of dust now contain a number of large chunks of rock, I will be looking at this story more closely.

The A-Z of constellations continue with Draco the Dragon which contains Thuban the old North star, the Messier marathon reaches M32 a dwarf galaxy to M31 the Andromeda Galaxy.

This plus  more news stories, the astronomical scrapbook will be looking at what happened in astronomy this week in history together with what can be seen in the night sky, together with what is happening in  astronomical societies in the north.

The Astronomy Show every Wednesday from 3.00 pm to 5.00 pm only on Drystone Radio 103.5 FM you can also hear the programme on line at www.drystoneradio.com or if you cannot listen live then the  show can be heard on the Drystone Radio podcast.  

The Astronomy Show 07.06.17

The Astronomy Show 07.06.17

For astronomers June is the poorest month to observe the night sky, in the north of England we have only about one and half hours of real darkness. So I thought I would begin the first show in June with a look at the proposed NASA mission to the Sun plus a look what we know about the Sun, our local star.

There will of course be a look at the night sky this week despite the lack of darkness, the Noctilucent Cloud season which has already begun, there will be the latest news.

The Messier Marathon continues with one of the most famous of all the Messier objects M 31 the Andromeda Galaxy. There will be a look at the astronomy news this week together with a look into the astronomy scrapbook and see what has happened this week in astronomical history.

The A-Z of constellations continues  with Dorado the Goldfish a southern hemisphere constellation which contains the Large Magellanic Cloud.  This plus a  round up of activities in northern astronomical societies, plus a little selection of the kind of music I like.

The Astrronomy Show every Wednesday afternoon between 3 pm and 5 pm only on Drystone Radio 103.5 FM, you can listen on line at www.drystoneradio.com or hear the programme on the Drystone radio podcast which is available for the next 4 weeks.

The Astronomy Show 31.05.17

The Astronomy Show 31.05.17

Today on the Astronomy Show I will be looking at the latest information from the Juno probe which is at Jupiter and sending back information that has amazed scientists and is changing our views on the giant planet. This plus the findings of the Schiaparelli probe which crashed onto Mars last year, the findings point to a catalogue of failings in planning.  

We are about to enter the Noctillucent Cloud observing season, so this is a good time to explain what these strange night clouds are. In addition there will be a round up of what can be seen in the night sky this week.

The A-Z of constellations will look at the small summer constellation of Delphinus  the Dolphin, while the Messier Marathon today takes us to M 30 in Capricorn. I will dip into the astronomical scrapbook and find out what happened in astronomy this week in the past,plus the latest astronomy news, together with  a round up of what is happening in the  northern astronomical societies.

The Astronomy Show, every Wednesday afternoon form 3 pm to 5 pm on Drystone Radio 103.5 FM, you can also hear the show on line at www.drystoneradio.com or you can hear the show on the podcast.

The Astronomy Show 24.05.17

The Astronomy Show 24.05.17

Today on the Astronomy Show I  will be looking at the North Star I mention it each week but I thought it was a good idea to take a closer look at this most important star.

It is tough looking at the sky this time of year because it is very late before it becomes dark and that period of darkness will continue to get shorter over the next few weeks, but there is still lots to see as I will explain on the show.

The news stories this week include details of the survey of the dusty ring surrounding the star Fomalhaut, with so many new planets being found other stars astronomers are now trying to figure out  how to classify them, and most of the dwarf planets seem to have moons!

A supernova bright enough to be seen in reasonable size telescopes has been discovered in the past few days, bright supernova are rare I will have the details.

The A-Z of the constellations and the Messier Marathon both look at the same constellation, this week its  Cygnus and M 29. The astronomical scrapbook looks at anniversaries including the death of Nicholas Copernicus in 1543. There will also be the weekly review of what astronomical societies in the north are doing. This plus a little bit of my music I like.

The Astronomy Show with Martin Lunn on Drystone Radio on 103.5 FM listen on line at www.drystoneradio.com or hear the show on the podcast.

The Astronomy Show 10.05.17

The Astronomy Show 10.05.17

The Astronomy Show this week will be looking at the X-37B space plane mission. It seems to have been a 2 year mission clouded in secrecy, the conspiracy theories are going into overdrive. However the official line is that the X-37B was used to test new systems for the future. With that in mind I thought it would be a good idea to look at future missions to explore the solar system.

The A-Z of constellations has reached Crater the Cup and the Messier Marathon is now at M 27 the Dumbell nebula. The solar system ramble has reached Pluto and the dwarf planets. There will be the latest astronomical news including the Martian New Year celebrations that happened on May 5th, or maybe you missed that one!! The astronomical scrapbook will be looking at astronomical events in  history this week, plus the round up of events in astronomical societies in the north.

The Astronomy Show every Wednesday between 3.00 pm and 5.00 pm on Drystone Radio 103.5 FM listen on line at www.drystoneradio.com or hear the programme on the Drystone Radio podcast.

The Astronomy Show 03.05.17

The Astronomy Show 03.05.17

On the Astronomy Show this week I will be looking at an event which happened about 14,500 years ago when the last ice age finished and ask, Did a comet hit the Earth and push the humans into a technological overdrive? If you want to find out more listen to the show today.

As this is the first show of the month I will be taking a look at the night sky for May. The night sky this week is still dominated by the planet Jupiter, which is the bright white spot in the evening sky. Jupiter will be around for the rest of spring.

The regular features include the astronomy news with the latest from Cassini at Saturn, the A-Z of constellations continues with Corvus the Crow. The Messier Marathon is now at M 26 in Scutum. The ramble through the solar system has now reached  Neptune the most distant planet from the Sun. There will also be the astronomical scrapbook plus the latest news from the northern astronomical societies.

The Astronomy Show every Wednesday afternoon between 3.00 pm - 5.00 pm on Drystone Radio 103.5 FM, you can also hear the show live on line at www.drystoneradio.com or listen to show on the podcast via the Drystone Radio web site.

The Astronomy Show 26.04.17

The Astronomy Show 26.04.17

On the Astronomy Show this week I will be looking at the close encounter of the Cassini kind as the NASA  probe dives between the atmosphere of Saturn and the rings. The results should be fantastic but it is dangerous. Find out why this afternoon.

I am starting a new monthly feature I will be taking a flick through the pages of the two main British astronomical magazines Astronomy Now and Sky at Night as they become available towards the end of each month to see what they are featuring.

The regular features of the show include the A-Z of constellations this week Corona Borealis the Northern Crown while the Messier marathon continues with M 25 in Sagittarius.The astronomical scrapbook looks at what happened this week in history astronomically speaking. This together with details of astronomy meetings in the North.

The Astronomy Show with Martin Lunn every Wednesday afternoon on Drystone Radio 103.5 FM or listen on line at www.drystoneradio.com or even hear the show on the podcast.

Astronomy Show 19.04.17

Astronomy Show 19.04.17

Assuming that the astronomers have got heir calculations right and the asteroid 2014 JO25 does miss the Earth, I will be presenting the Astronomy Show today.

I will be looking at the crowded space around the Earth with all the satellites either working or non working and the thousands of  small pieces  of satellites that are now causing great problems for people trying to place more satellites including communications satellites in orbit around the Earth. All the suggestions are that there will be vast numbers launched in the near future.

The astronomical scrapbook will be looking at the anniversary of the death of John Goodricke in 1786 he was one of the 'Fathers of Variable Star Astronomy', plus the Titanic eclipse, an annular eclipse of the Sun a few days after the Titanic sunk.

The Messier Marathon continues with M 24 in Sagittarius, the A-Z of constellations takes us to Corona Australis, the ramble around the solar system continues with Saturn the famous ringed planet, this plus the latest astronomy news and a round up of what is going on in the astronomical societies in the north.

The Astronomy Show on Drystone Radio 103.5 FM, if you can't pick up the show on the radio you can also hear me on line at www.drystoneradio.com or listen to the programme on the podcast.

The Astronomy Show 12.04.17

The Astronomy Show 12.04.17

On the Astronomy Show today I will be looking at the Plough or Big Dipper as our American friends prefer to call it. It is high overhead in the spring sky and of course it is one of the main signposts in the sky for for finding our way around the night sky.

The night sky is now being dominated by Jupiter, the largest planet,  it is also the next planet on our journey through the solar system.

The usual features will continue the A-Z of constellations this week looking at Coma Berenices, the Messier Marathon continues with M23 in Sagittarius. The latest astronomy news includes news that there is another asteroid passing by the Earth on April 19th, it will miss us by about 1 million miles which is just as well as it is about 1 miles across.

The astronomical scrapbook looking at historical events this week in history will include the death of Charles Messier on April 12th 1817. There will also be the usual look at what is happening in the astronomy societies in the north.

The Astronomy Show with Martin Lunn on Drystone Radio 103.5 from 3.00 pm - 5. 00 pm every Wednesday afternoon. You can listen on line at www.drystoneradio.com or catch the programme on the podcast.

The Egg Moon

The Egg Moon

This has nothing at all to do with Easter Eggs!

We see a full moon each month of the year. The April full moon occurs on April 11th. They all have  their own names, these can be linked to seasonal changes and can be dated back to the monastic period of history from the 8th century.

April sees with the lengths of daylight increasing and the temperature getting warmer, which means people who keep free range Ducks,Hens and Geese will see them start to lay more eggs.

The monks would have kept these birds and would have been aware that April would have seen the increase in the number of eggs being laid, hence the name of the April Full Moon, the Egg Moon!

The Astronomy Show 05.04.17

The Astronomy Show 05.04.17

The first Astronomy Show on Drystone Radio of April and there is so much going on!

The seasonal change over in the night sky from winter to Spring is almost complete, I will take at look at what can be seen in the spring sky.

In the astronomy news there has been yet another NEO (Near Earth Object) passing close by. The Sun has had a dearth of sunspots recently  but then a behemoth of a spot appears.

I will be looking at the usual features with the A-Z of constellations continuing with Columba the Dove, the Messier marathon is now at M22 the Great Sagittarius Cloud and our ramble through the solar system continues with Mars the Red Planet. This plus the astronomy scrapbook and the latest news from astronomy societies around the north.

The Astronomy Show every Wednesday 3.00 pm-5.00 pm Drystone Radio 103.5 FM listen on line on www.drystoneradio.com or catch the show on the podcast.

The Astronomy Show 22.03.17

The Astronomy Show 22.03.17

On this week's show I will be looking at the lack of sunspots on the Sun as we start to approach the solar minimum. ,

The usual features will include the A-Z of the constellation when I will be looking at Circinus in the southern hemisphere, don't worry if you have not heard of it,  Circinus is one of those little obscure constellations.

There will also be the astronomical scrapbook looking at astronomical anniversaries this week,  our journey through the solar system continues with the planet Venus, there will be the latest news plus what is happening in the astronomical societies in the north. All this plus a little music.

Join me on the Astronomy Show on Drystone Radio 103.5FM, or listen on line  at www.drystoneradio.com or catch up on the show using the podcast.

The Astronomy show 15.03.17

The Astronomy Show 15.03.17

In this week's Astronomy Show  I will be looking at 2 important astronomical events in history this week, on March 13th 1781 the planet Uranus was discovered and on March 14th 1881 the Middlesbrough Meteorite landed.

There will be the usual features looking at with the Messier Marathon looking at M 20 the Triffid Nebula. The A-Z of constellations will be looking at Chameleon in the southern skies. The look at the solar system continues with Mercury,  this plus the latest astronomy news the rest of the astronomical scrapbook and a look at what is happening with astronomical societies in the north of England.

The Astronomy Show every Wednesday on Drystone Radio on 103.5 FM or listen on  line on www.drystoneradio.com or catch the programme on the podcast.

 

The Astronomy Show 08.03.17

The Astronomy Show 08.03.17

On this week's Astronomy Show I will be starting a new feature exploring the solar system I begin   with the Sun,

I will be looking at the life of Thomas Cooke who was born on March 8th 1807  a Yorkshire man Cooke  was one of the greatest of all telescope makers.

The messier marathon continues with M 19 in Ophiuchus, the A-Z of constellations this week features Cetus which started life as a terrible monster but has evolved into a harmless whale.

I will be looking at what can be seen  in the night sky at the moment, plus the latest astronomy news, the astronomy scrapbook and the astronomy society scene.

And there have been some apparently spooky goings on at Drystone Radio so I will be looking briefly at some of the ghost nebula in our galaxy.

The Astronomy Show every Wednesday from 3 - 5 pm on Drystone Radio 103.5 listen on line at www.drystoneradio.com or hear me on the podcast.

The Astronomy Show 22.02.17

The Astronomy Show 22.02.17

On the Astronomy Show this week I will be looking at how scientists have discovered that clay pots made over 2,500 years ago show that the magnetic field of the Earth became temporarily 2.5 times stronger than today. And that is all down to bureaucracy!!

There will be the regular features with the A-Z of constellations looking at Cepheus with an emphasis on Delta Cephei, this plus the Messier marathon looking at Messier 18 in Sagittarius and the final star in the top 20 brightest stars, this time it is Beta Crucis. This together with the latest astronomy news, the astronomy scrapbook plus what is happening in astronomical societies.

The Astronomy Show on Drystone Radio 103.5 FM listen on line on www.drystoneradio.com or catch the Astronomy Show on the podcast.

The Astronomy Show 15.02.17

The Astronomy Show 15.02.17

After spending two weeks in the neutral zone the Astronomy Show is back today.

Dis you know that astronomers thought that a doomsday asteroid might be coming our way in February. No! I didn't either but the good news is that  it won't happen at least this month. You can hear the story this afternoon.

I will also be looking at the regular features with the Messier Marathon continuing with M 17 in Sagittarius, the A-Z of constellations is Centaurus and we are approaching the end of the top 20 brightest stars, this week number 19 is the star Deneb in Cygnus.

There will also be the latest astronomy news, the astronomy scrapbook for this week in history and what's going on in the astronomical society scene.

The astronomy show, Wednesday afternoons from 3 p -5 pm on Drystone Radio 103.5 FM live on line at www.drystoneradio.com or listen later on the podcast.

The Astronomy Show 25.01.17

The Astronomy Show 25.01.17

On the Astronomy Show this week I will be looking at not only how to find Venus in the sky , which is actually very easy but also talking about a gravitational wave that has been observed on the 'Evening Star'

All the normal features are back this week, with the18th brightest star in the sky Fomalhaut being featured, this  together with M 16 in the Messier Marathon and the constellation of the week is Cassiopeia.This plus the latest news, the astronomy scrapbook looking at what happened this week in astronomical history and the round up of astronomical society news.

Join me at Starbase 82, on Wednesday afternoon between 3 pm and 5 pm at Drystone Radio 103.5 FM or on line at www.drystoneradio.com or hear it later on the podcast.

The Craven Star Party and 83 Ursa Major

The Craven Star Party and 83 Ursa Major

Despite the weather being very cloudy on January 18th over 60 people visited the village hall in Cracoe to hear a series of astronomy talks and meet people from the Earby, Bradford and Keighley astronomical societies and have a thoroughly enjoyable evening.

When not looking for astronomical anniversaries as the astrognome I do when ever possible observe the sky. My great interest was always high latitude novae, these are novae which appear 3-4 kpc above the galactic plane. This means that I tend to look at the less fashionable areas  of the night sky.

I have recently been observing the area around the handle of the plough, it is an area I have watched many times in the past. A star which is of great interest to me is the star 83 Ursa Majoris which  is a spectral class M2 III v  and is officially classed as a semi regular long period variable varying between 4.6- 4.7 and has the designation IQ UMa. There appears to be little information available on
 this star.

On January 20th while observing the star using 15 x 70 binoculars I am a very old fashioned kind of astronomer 83 UMa did not look much brighter than either 81 UMa mag 5.6 or 84 UMa mag 5.7 both are A class stars, in fact 84 UMa is a alpha2 CVn type variable with a very small amplitude.

It should be remembered that the vats majority of red giant stars will vary to some extent as they are approaching the end of their time lines.

According to Miss Agness Clerke it was reported that on August 6th 1868 that 83 Ursa Majoris a  6th magnitude star near  Mizar was seen by the Irish astronomer John Birmingham to be equal to delta Ursa Majoris or Megrez which has a mag of 3.3, though for only that night only. Birmingham went on to say that the star was worth an occasional glance at in the future.

What is of interest is that the 83 UMa was classed as 6th magnitude by Flamsteed in his catalog of 1725 and in 1868 where as today it is around mag 4.5 . I wonder what is going on. As I make more observations I will keep you posted.

The Astronomy Show and Craven Star Party

The Astronomy Show 18.1.17

The Astronomy Show this Wednesday will be a shorter programme than normal with only one hour rather the normal two hours. This is due my involvement at the Craven Star Party at Cracoe Village hall in the evening.

During the The Astronomy Show I will look at what can be seen in the night sky on Wednesday evening. Then take a look at the latest astronomy news and an update on what's on at the astronomy societies  The regular features, the Bright Stars, the  A-Z of constellations and the Messier Marathon will be held over to the next Astronomy Show.

The Craven Star Party at Cracoe Village Hall BD23 6LQ will run from 6 pm until 9 pm on Wednesday 18th January , even if the weather does not play ball there will be experts from the Earby, Bradford and Keighley astronomical societies to explain all things astronomical plus some short astronomy talks.

The Craven Star Party will be broadcast live by the  Drystone Radio's outside broadcast team with Steve Brown.

Find Drystone Radio on 103.5 FM or listen live on www.drystoneradio.com

The Craven Star Party

The Craven Star Party

Astronomers will be converging on Cracoe Village Hall Cracoe near Skipton on Wednesday 18^th January for the first Craven Star Party. The event will be organised by the Earby Astronomical Society and will be supported by the Bradford and the Keighley astronomical societies.

The star party will run from 6pm until 9pm. Astronomers will be on hand to show people where they can find the group of stars called The Plough; how to find the North Star; where they can discover the wonders of Orion and how to locate the brightest star in the night sky, Sirius the Dog Star. There will be telescopes available for people to look through to observe the wonders of the winter skies.

In addition, in the village hall there will be short slide shows describing what can be seen in the winter skies. If you have had a telescope given for Christmas and are not sure how to set up and use it, bring it along, as experts will be on hand to show you. 

The Craven Star Party will be broadcast live on Drystone Radio, 103.5 FM and on the internet. The event is free, and there is plenty of free parking. Light refreshments will be available.

The postcode for Cracoe Village Hall is BD23 6LQ. For further information please contact Martin Lunn on 07969 945413. 

Astrognome Scrapbook Aurora 1366

Aurora Jan 12^th 1366

It was reported by John of Reading that during the night of Jan 12^th 1366 that two great auroras were observed from England.

 “It appeared in western parts an excessive redness covered the whole of the sky after sunset to the east, emitting from itself backwards moving rays, now blood red, now fiery and white, it illuminated the land with the buildings on it like the prospect of day, in which the stars twinkled”

Astrognome Scrapbook Titania and Oberon

Titania and Oberon

On January 11^th 1787 William Herschel discovered not one but two new moons orbiting Uranus.

The largest of the moons of Uranus is called Titania it is 981 miles in diameter. Titania is named after the queen of the fairies in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Oberon is much smaller and is the furthest out of the larger moons of Uranus and is named after   the King of the Fairies in A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Their names were in fact suggested by William Herschel’s son John in 1852.

Astrognome Scrapbook NEO close flyby

An asteroid swooped right between the Earth and the Moon on Monday 9^th January

 An asteroid came within half the distance from Earth to the Moon, scientists at the Catalina Sky Survey discovered the asteroid, which is being called asteroid 2017 AG13, on Saturday 7^th January.

The asteroid was between 50-111 feet across and was moving at about 10 miles (16 kilometers) per second, which was the same size as the asteroid that hit Russia in 2013. The size of the asteroid coupled with how fast it was moving and its low albedo (brightness) made it difficult to view through a telescope.

Asteroid 2017 AH13 is particularly interesting to astronomers because of its proximity to Earth in a group called the Aten Asteroids. This asteroid is following an elliptical orbit versus the usual circular orbit, and crosses through the orbits of both Venus and Earth.

Astrognome Scrapbook Ermington Meteorite

Ermington Meteorite

On January 10^th 1623 a meteorite landed at Ermington, Devonshire England.  The meteorite or stone as it was described weighed 23 pounds. The stone was described as making a fearful noise first like the rumbling of a piece of ordnance, canon or culverin which in getting closer to the ground lessened and when upon the ground the noise ended.

It was described as being of matter like a stone singed or half burnt for lime.  It fell in an orchard close to some men who were planting trees there.  It was buried in the ground 3 feet deep, its dimensions were 3.5 feet in length, 2.5 feet in breadth, and 1.5 feet in thickness.

It was reported that pieces were broken off and were in the procession of some of the neighbouring gentry. Sadly nothing of this meteorite survives today and there are doubts as to the accuracy regarding the dimensions and weight of the meteorite.

The Astronomy Show 04.01.17

The Astronomy Show January 4^th 2017

I will be looking at reports of Nacreous Clouds being reported over the Arctic Circle over the New Year weekend; this is quite rare for this part of the world and can lead to holes in the ozone layer.

There will be a tour of the winter constellations that can be seen. This plus what’s in the sky this week together with the latest news, the astronomy scrapbook and what is happening at the local astronomy clubs.

The A-Z of constellations is Carina a wonderful constellation that unfortunately cannot be seen from Britain. The bright star is Pollux in Gemini and the Messier marathon continues with M15.

The Astronomy Show 3.00 pm- 5.00 pm with Martin Lunn on Drystone Radio 103.5 FM, on line at www.drystoneradio.com or listen on the podcast.