Pete Lawrence

2 weeks ago | skyatnightmagazine.com | Iain Todd |Pete Lawrence |Iain Lawrence

From 12 June onwards, if you catch Mars in the sky during the darkening evening twilight, you'll see the planet pass closer and closer to bright star Regulus each night. Regulus is the brightest star in the constellation Leo, often known as the 'lion's heart'. It's also at the bottom of the Sickle star pattern, which looks rather like a backwards question mark.

Jan 7, 2025 | skyatnightmagazine.com | Pete Lawrence

Mars reaches opposition on 16 January 2025, the moment when the planet sits on the opposite side of the sky to the Sun. Technically the planet is separated from the Sun by 180° of ecliptic longitude. At opposition, the distance between a superior planet (those with larger orbits than Earth’s) and planet Earth is minimised for the current period of observation. This leads to the opposition planet appearing at its largest and brightest for that period, making it the best time to observe the planet.

Jan 3, 2025 | skyatnightmagazine.com | Pete Lawrence

Mars reaches opposition on 16 January 2025, making it one of the key planets to observe this month. The Red Planet will be at its best in January 2025 and is a great target to observe through a telescope. Venus is a beautiful, bright naked-eye object shining brightly in the early evening sky. It will be joined in the sky by Saturn throughout January 2025. The two planets will be close together on 10 January, getting closer and closer until they're right next to one another on 18 January.

Dec 10, 2024 | lanacion.com.ar | Pete Lawrence

La lluvia de meteoros Gemínidas, una de las más espectaculares del año, alcanzará su punto máximo de visibilidad en la noche del viernes 13 de diciembre y las primeras horas del sábado 14 de diciembre, según información proporcionada por la NASA. Sin embargo, la brillantez de la luna llena este año dificultará un poco su apreciación. A pesar de ello, la agencia espacial señala que será posible disfrutar del espectáculo días antes del pico, cuando las condiciones lumínicas sean más favorables.

Dec 5, 2024 | skyatnightmagazine.com | Pete Lawrence

Minor planet 15 Eunomia reaches opposition on 13 December 2024, when it can be found shining at mag. +8.1 among the stars of Auriga. At this brightness, it’s best viewed using a small or medium telescope. Its monthly track has it starting just east of the Cheshire Cat asterism, a pattern that consists of a smiling mouth and two stars representing the eyes and, if you have a good imagination, a tail too. 15 Eunomia initially passes between mag. +6.0 M36 and mag.