This is the mid point of the year and the night sky is never quite getting dark, especially in Yorkshire. It’s not the greatest month for spotting faint stars. Only the brightest stars can be seen. You can take advantage of the soft, warm weather to acquaint yourself with the summer constellations of Hercules, Scorpius, Lyra, Cygnus and Aquila. Jupiter...
Read MoreMapping and naming the Moon
Mr Kevin Kilburn FRAS, from Manchester Astronomical Society was the guest speaker at the May monthly meeting of Keighley Astronomical Society. Four centuries of depiction of the lunar surface, confusion and eventual clarification, was the subject matter of his presentation entitled Mapping and naming the Moon. His presentation is based on the work of Ewen...
Read MoreIndia and China – A new Space Race?
‘India and China – A new space race ?’ was the title of the Presentation given by Mr Gurbir Singh at the April meeting of Keighley Astronomical society, Mr Singh described how the first tentative steps towards a space programme started in the early 1960s in both countries and initially developed at a similar pace. Today China is way ahead of India...
Read MoreThe May night sky
May is the first month when the constellation of Orion is absent from the night sky altogether, and of the prominent winter stars only Capella in Auriga the Charioteer and Castor and Pollux in Gemini remain above the western horizon. The Plough or Ursa Major (the Great Bear) is still more or less overhead with the pointers pointing to the North Star. The...
Read MorePlanetary Atmospheres
Every time you take a breath of fresh air, it’s easy to forget you can safely do so because of Earth’s atmosphere. Guest speaker Mr Keith Berrington presented to another packed monthly meeting his lecture on ‘Planetary Atmospheres’. Mr Berrington explained that life on Earth could not exist without that protective cover that keeps us warm, allows us...
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