The big three

1 Sunday Ganymede disappears into Jupiter’s shadow at 19:48 UT, reappearing again at 23:11 UT. 5 ◀ Thursday From now until 26 March is the optimum time for this month’s Deep-Sky Tour (page 56) of obje

The angle the ecliptic makes with the western horizon around sunset is maximised at this time of year, which gives us a good view of any of our Solar System neighbours positioned on the eastern side o

When to use this chart 1 Feb 00:00 AEDT (31 Jan, 13:00 UT) 15 Feb 23:00 AEDT (12:00 UT) 28 Feb 22:00 AEDT (11:00 UT) The chart accurately matches the sky on the dates and times shown for Sydney, Austr

1 Mar 00:00 AEDT (28 Feb, 13:00 UT) 15 Mar 23:00 AEDT (12:00 UT) 31 Mar 22:00 AEDT (11:00 UT) The chart accurately matches the sky on the dates and times shown for Sydney, Australia. The sky is differ

Our astronomical adventure in the hills of mid-Wales starts on an unlucky note. The autumnal sunshine of earlier has been swept away by a persistent drizzle rolling across the valleys and hilltops of

The Moon’s early phases are particularly well placed for observing at this time of year, thanks to the steep angle of the ecliptic relative to the western horizon. This puts the waxing crescent Moon h