The Sun will have set at 4.24pm so it will already be dark by 6.30pm when the centre opens.
The MOON will rise at 11.39am and will not set until 4.18am the following morning so will be visible all night. It is a spectacular sight through the telescopes with many craters visible. The phase of the moon will be 3 days after first quarter.
As well as the moon MARS will already be high in the sky in the constellation Taurus (see sky chart below showing the constellations on the 18th January 2008 at 9pm). It will be visible all night through the telescopes as a small pinkish orb. Mars reached opposition (click here for an explanation about opposition) on the 24th December 2007 but is now moving further away from Earth and becoming fainter. This means that you will not be able to see very much detail on the surface of Mars.
Sky Chart for the 18th January 2008 at 9pm from Heavens Above www.heavens-above .com
The planet SATURN will rise at approximately 7.45pm under the body of LEO (the reverse question mark) – see star chart above . It will not be visible through the telescopes until later on in the evening due to its position in relation to the horizon, but it will rise higher and higher in the sky as the evening progresses making it easier to see through the telescopes.
Through the telescopes you will easily be able to see the magnificent rings, which are currently tilted to our line of view. Some of Saturn’s moons should also be visible, look out for TITAN the largest and brightest. The orbits of the moons of Saturn lie in the same plane as the tilt of the rings but will appear a little above, below or to the sides of Saturn.
Although the Moon, Mars and Saturn will be a primary focus of the evening, the telescopes will also be trained on other interesting celestial objects.
Because viewing is subject to weather conditions, please phone the centre in advance to check the conditions. If the weather does not permit viewing and there are no visitors in the centre before 8.00pm, open evenings will be cancelled. We recommend warm clothing for all evening events.
The Sun will have set at 5.14pm so it will already be dark by 6.30pm when the centre opens.
The MOON will rise at 10.19am and will not set until 3.28am the following morning so will be visible all night. It is a spectacular sight through the telescopes with many craters visible. The phase of the moon will be 1 day after first quarter. Click here for an explanation of first quarter.
As well as the moon MARS will already be high in the sky in the constellation Taurus (see sky chart below showing the constellations on the 15th February 2008 at 8pm). It will be visible all night through the telescopes as a small pinkish orb. Mars reached opposition on the 24th December 2007 but is now moving further away from Earth and becoming fainter. This means that you will not be able to see very much detail on the surface of Mars.
Sky Chart for the 15th February 2008 at 8pm from Heavens Above www.heavens-above .com
The planet SATURN will rise at approximately 6pm under the body of LEO (the reverse question mark) – see star chart above . It will not be visible through the telescopes until later on in the evening due to its position in relation to the horizon, but it will rise higher and higher in the sky as the evening progresses making it easier to see through the telescopes. Saturn reaches opposition on the 24th February so it is getting brighter and becoming more prominent. You will easily be able to see the magnificent rings, which are currently tilted to our line of view. Some of Saturn’s moons should also be visible, look out for TITAN the largest and brightest. The orbits of the moons of Saturn lie in the same plane as the tilt of the rings but will appear a little above, below or to the sides of Saturn.
Although the Moon, Mars and Saturn will be a primary focus of the evening, the telescopes will also be trained on other interesting celestial objects.
The Sun will have set at 5.52pm so it will already be getting dark by 6.30pm when the centre opens.
The phase of the MOON is NEW MOON so we will not see it at all during the evening.
MARS will already be high in the sky in between the constellation of Taurus and Gemini (see sky chart below showing the constellations on the 7th March 2008 at 9pm). It will be visible all night through the telescopes as a small pinkish orb. Mars reached opposition on the 24th December 2007 but is now moving further away from Earth and becoming fainter. This means that you will not be able to see very much detail on the surface of Mars.
Sky Chart for the 7th March 2008 at 9pm from Heavens Above http://www.heavens-above.com/
The planet SATURN will already have risen by the time the centre opens. It is lying under the body of LEO (the reverse question mark) – see star chart above. Initially it may not be high enough in the sky to be visible through the telescopes but as it rises higher and higher in relation to the horizon it will be easier to see through the telescopes. Saturn reached opposition on the 24th February so it is very bright at the moment. You will easily be able to see the magnificent rings, which are currently tilted to our line of view. Some of Saturn’s moons should also be visible, look out for TITAN the largest and brightest. The orbits of the moons of Saturn lie in the same plane as the tilt of the rings but will appear a little above, below or to the sides of Saturn.
Although Mars and Saturn will be a primary focus of the evening, the telescopes will also be trained on other interesting celestial objects.
The Sun will have set at 6.04pm so it will be getting dark by 6.30pm when the centre opens.
The MOON will rise at 09.11am and will not set until 2.33am the following morning so will be visible all night. It is a spectacular sight through the telescopes with many craters visible. The phase of the moon will be at first quarter.
As well as the moon MARS will already be high in the sky between the constellations of Taurus and Gemini (see sky chart below showing the constellations on the 14th March 2008 at 9pm). It will be visible all night through the telescopes as a small pinkish orb. Mars reached opposition on the 24th December 2007 but is now moving further away from Earth and becoming fainter. This means that you will not be able to see very much detail on the surface of Mars.
Sky Chart for the 14th March 2008 at 9pm from Heavens Above http://www.heavens-above.com/
The planet SATURN will have risen by the time the centre opens at 6.30pm and it is visible under the body of LEO (the reverse question mark) – see star chart above. It should be visible through the telescopes all evening but due to its position in relation to the horizon, it will be better later on as it rises higher and higher in the sky. Saturn reached opposition on the 24th February so it is quite bright. You will easily be able to see the magnificent rings, which are currently tilted to our line of view. Some of Saturn’s moons should also be visible, look out for TITAN the largest and brightest. The orbits of the moons of Saturn lie in the same plane as the tilt of the rings but will appear a little above, below or to the sides of Saturn.
Although the Moon, Mars and Saturn will be a primary focus of the evening, the telescopes will also be trained on other interesting celestial objects.
The clocks will have gone forward and British Summertime begins on the 30th March. The Sun will set at 7.51pm so it will not be dark when the centre opens at 6.30pm. However, the MOON will have risen at 9.10am and will not set until 2.26am the following morning so will be visible all night. It is a spectacular sight through the telescopes with many craters visible even in fading daylight. The phase of the moon will be 1 day before first quarter.
As well as the moon MARS will already be high in the sky in the constellations of Gemini (see sky chart below showing the constellations on the 11th April 2008 at 9pm). It is a first magnitude object which will be visible all night through the telescopes as a small pinkish orb. Mars reached opposition on the 24th December 2007 but is now moving further away from Earth and becoming fainter. This means that you will not be able to see very much detail on the surface of Mars.
Sky Chart for the 11th April 2008 at 9pm from Heavens Above
The planet SATURN will be high in the sky by the time it gets dark and is visible at magnitude 0.5 under the body of LEO (the reverse question mark) – see star chart above. It will be visible through the telescopes all evening. Saturn reached opposition on the 24th February so it is quite bright. You will easily be able to see the magnificent rings, which are currently tilted to our line of view. Some of Saturn’s moons should also be visible, look out for TITAN the largest and brightest. The orbits of the moons of Saturn lie in the same plane as the tilt of the rings but will appear a little above, below or to the sides of Saturn.
Although the Moon, Mars and Saturn will be a primary focus of the evening, the telescopes will also be trained on other interesting celestial objects.
The smaller telescopes of Wealden Astronomical Society will be available for you to look through as will the centre’s own Meade 8-inch LX90 which was kindly donated to the centre by Meade.
The Sun will not be setting until about 8.50pm so it will still be light when the centre opens at 7.30pm. However, the MOON will have risen at 4.22pm and will not set until 2.18am the following morning so will be visible all night. It is a spectacular sight through the telescopes with many craters visible even in fading daylight. The phase of the moon will be 4 days after first quarter.
As well as the moon MARS will already be visible in the constellation of Cancer (see sky chart below showing the constellations on the 16th May 2008 at 10pm). It is at magnitude 1.3 and will be visible all night through the telescopes as a small pinkish orb, descending into the western sky. Mars reached opposition on the 24th December 2007 but is now moving further away from Earth and becoming fainter. This means that you will not be able to see very much detail on the surface of Mars.
Sky Chart for the 16th May 2008 at 10pm from Heavens Above
The planet SATURN will be high in the sky by the time it gets dark and is
visible at magnitude 0.6 under the body of LEO (the reverse question mark) – see
star chart above. It will be visible through the telescopes all evening. Saturn
reached opposition on the 24th February so it is still quite bright. You will
easily be able to see the magnificent rings, which are currently tilted to our
line of view. Some of Saturn’s moons should also be visible, look out for
TITAN the largest and brightest. The orbits of the moons of Saturn lie in the
same plane as the tilt of the rings but will appear a
little above, below or to the sides of Saturn.
Mercury is also above the horizon on the 16th May and sets about 1½ hours after sunset. It is at Greatest Elongation on the 14th May 9at 22o) and so it is a very good time to see this planet even though it is low in the western sky. It will be reasonably bright at about magnitude +0.4.
Although the Moon, Mars and Saturn will be a primary focus of the evening, the telescopes will also be trained on other interesting celestial objects.
The smaller telescopes of the Wealden Astronomical Society will be available for you to look through as will the centre’s own Meade 8-inch LX90 which was kindly donated to the centre by Meade.
