Events & Highlights

Upcoming Celestial and Eddington Lodge Events

November 2022

2nd November, 2022	Jupiter double transit - Tonight two of Jupiter's moons (Ganymede and Europa) will pass over the face of the planet casting shadows onto its surface.
4th November, 2022	Taurids Meteor Shower. The Taurids is a long-running minor meteor shower producing only about 5-10 meteors per hour. This year the nearly full moon will block out all but the brightest meteors.
8th November, 2022	Full Moon.
9th November, 2022	Uranus at Opposition. This is the best time to view Uranus. Due to its distance, it will only appear as a tiny blue-green dot in all but the most powerful telescopes.
17th November, 2022	Leonids meteor shower peak - Fast bright meteors with fine trains. Associated with Comet Tempel-Tuttle. The second quarter moon will block many of the fainter meteors this year, but Leonids can be unpredictable so there is still a potential for a good show
23rd November, 2022	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.

December 2022

8th December, 2022	Mars at Opposition. The red planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. It will be brighter than any other time of the year and will be visible all night long. This is the best time to view Mars.
8th December, 2022	Full Moon.
13th December, 2022	Geminids meteor shower peak - Plenty of bright meteors, few trains. The waxing gibbous moon will block out most of the fainter meteors this year. But the Geminids are so numerous and bright that this could still be a good show.
21st December, 2022	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.
21st December, 2022	Ursids Meteor Shower. The Ursids is a minor meteor shower producing about 5-10 meteors per hour. This year, the nearly new moon will leave dark skies allowing for a good chance to see the infrequent meteors.
23rd December, 2022	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.

January 2023

3rd January, 2023	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.
6th January, 2023	Full Moon.
21st January, 2023	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.
30th January, 2023	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.

February 2023

5th February, 2023	Full Moon.
20th February, 2023	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.

March 2023

7th March, 2023	Full Moon.
20th March, 2023	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.
21st March, 2023	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.

April 2023

6th April, 2023	Full Moon.
11th April, 2023	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.
20th April, 2023	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.
22nd April, 2023	Lyrids Meteor Shower - The Lyrids is an average shower, usually producing about 20 meteors per hour at its peak. The thin crescent moon will set early in the evening leaving dark skies for what should be an excellent show.

September 2023

15th September, 2023	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.
19th September, 2023	Neptune at Opposition - The blue giant planet will be at its closest approach and its face will be fully illuminated. This is the best time to view and photograph Neptune. Due to its extreme distance from Earth, it will only appear as a tiny blue dot.
22nd September, 2023	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.
23rd September, 2023	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.
29th September, 2023	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.

October 2023

7th October, 2023	Draconids Meteor Shower - The Draconids is a minor meteor shower producing only about 10 meteors per hour. The second quarter moon will dark skies in the early evening for what should be a good show.
14th October, 2023	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 October, 2023	Orionids Meteor Shower - This is an average shower producing up to 20 meteors per hour. The first quarter moon may block some of the dim meteors, but it will set shortly after midnight. This will leave dark skies for what could be a good morning show.
23rd October, 2023	Venus at Greatest Western Elongation - This is the best time to view Venus since it will be at its highest point above the horizon in the morning sky. Look for the bright planet in the eastern sky before sunrise.
28th October, 2023	Full Moon.
28th October, 2023	Partial Lunar Eclipse - A partial lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes through the Earth's partial shadow, or penumbra, and only a portion of it passes through the darkest shadow, or umbra.

November 2023

3rd November, 2023	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.
4th November, 2023	Taurids Meteor Shower - The Taurids is a long-running minor meteor shower producing only about 5-10 meteors per hour. The moon will block most of the dim meteors this year. But if you are patient, you may still be able to catch a few good ones.
13th November, 2023	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.
13th November, 2023	Uranus at Opposition - The blue-green 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 Uranus. Due to its distance, it will only appear as a tiny blue-green dot.
17th November, 2023	Leonids Meteor Shower - Fast bright meteors with fine trains. Associated with Comet Tempel-Tuttle. The crescent moon will set before midnight leaving dark skies for what should be a great early morning show.

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.