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Sep 20, 20231 min read
What is Precession?
Precession is a change in the orientation of the rotational axis of a rotating body. The Earth wobbles on its rotational axis as it...
Sep 2, 20231 min read
What is Skyglow?
This is the diffuse luminance of the night sky. It involves any scattered light seen at night, including natural ones like starlight,...
Sep 1, 20231 min read
What is the Ecliptic?
The ecliptic is the orbital plane of the Earth around the Sun or, it is the circular path on the celestial sphere that the Sun appears to...
Aug 30, 20231 min read
What is Gegenschein?
Gegenschein or counterglow is a faint bright spot in the night sky centred at the antisolar point, ie. the abstract point on the...
Aug 28, 20232 min read
What is zodiacal light?
The zodiacal band is zodiacal light extending along the whole ecliptic. It is thought to be caused by the reflection of the sunlight from...
Aug 4, 20233 min read
What is an Asteroid?
Asteroids are small, rocky objects that orbit the Sun. They are much smaller than planets. Although most of them reside in the main...
Jul 1, 20233 min read
What is a planet?
A planet is an astronomical body orbiting a star or a stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, but is not...
Mar 31, 20232 min read
Solar system, galaxy and the universe; what's the difference?
What is the Universe? The universe contains everything that we have discovered; it is the whole cosmos, which is believed to have been...
Feb 5, 20232 min read
What is a comet?
Comets are insubstantial balls of frozen gas mixed with smaller amounts of dust & rock, and most are less than a few kilometres across....
Jan 28, 20231 min read
COMET C2022 E3 (ZTF)
Recently, when the sky is clear, my family and friends have all been very interested in seeing this comet. It is a long period comet that...
Jan 14, 20231 min read
What is a solar eclipse?
Solar eclipses happen only when there is a new moon, and when the Moon is between the Earth and the Sun. The Moon casts a shadow on...
Jan 4, 20231 min read
What is a lunar eclipse?
Lunar eclipses can occur during the full moon. When the Earth is in the position between the Moon and Sun, Earth’s shadow falls on the...
Dec 21, 20222 min read
Partial Solar Eclipse - 25/10/22
On October 25th 2022, a partial solar eclipse occurred, that I was lucky enough to witness with my family. We found a park on a hill that...
Dec 4, 20222 min read
The Moon's Positions
On the 24th November 2022, I went to Gran Canaria as part of a team taking part in a gymnastics display and festival, which allowed me to...
Oct 27, 20222 min read
What is a supermoon?
The term 'supermoon' was thought up in 1979 and it describes the occurrence when the Moon's orbit is closest to Earth (perigee) at the...
Oct 27, 20221 min read
Planetary alignment - 24/06/22
On the 24th June 2022, we got up at 3am and drove the short distance to the beach to witness the planetary alignment, when most of the...
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