Derekscope

Antares, often referred to as the “heart” of the Scorpion, is a bright red supergiant star and a key feature in the constellation Scorpius.
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The sight of the Moon near Antares and Messier 4 during the morning twilight must be quite a breath-taking view.

When Venus reaches perihelion, it is at the closest point in its orbit to the Sun ~ this event occurs roughly every 225 Earth days, as Venus completes its orbit around the Sun. At perihelion, Venus is approximately about 66.5 million miles away from the Sun.

Gamma Virginis , officially named Porrima is a binary star system in the constellation Virgo ~ it consists of two almost identical main sequence stars at a distance of about 38 light-years.

The “greatest illuminated extent” of Venus shows its largest illuminated area is the moment when the illuminated portion of the planet appears largest as seen from Earth ~ it’s at a point in its orbit where the illuminated portion visible from Earth is largest and it’s also closer to Earth, making it incredibly bright in the evening sky.

The Sickle in Leo looks like a backward question mark and represents the head and shoulders on the lion in the constellation Leo – Regulus is the brightest star in Leo and the Sickle.

The moon will pass the Beehive Cluster or Praesepe, a collection of stars also known as Messier 44 (M44).

Guides to the night sky
Deep Sky Object: M44 (Messier 44 / NGC2632 / Beehive Cluster / Praesepe)
Constellation: Cancer (Cnc)

From Milton Keynes, the Moon & Mars will be too widely separated to fit within the field of view of a telescope, but will be visible to the naked eye or through a pair of binoculars in the constellation Gemini (The Twin)
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Unfortunately the occultation will not be visible from Inverness to Cornwall, though it will be visible from Orkney Islands & Shetland Islands.

Good news for the deaf people

Live subtitles – that’s fantastic to hear
It’s heartening to see steps being taken
to make such events more inclusive.

For the first time, they provided live subtitles for the talks, making the event more accessible to a wider deaf audience, featuring 16 talks from leading astronomers and space scientists took place the weekend of 7th & 8th February 2025 at the conference hall – watch this space for next year (Friday 6th & Saturday 8th February 2026).

It was a great day to place the European AstroFest in London, most of deaf astronomers have considered coming along to see me for the guide, and they have made up to purchase their new equipment such as AM5N, SeeStar S50, filters and others.

Even if some don’t buy at the show, leaving a lasting impression is considering future purchasing decisions and when they are ready for that next purchase that is what the place is for.

Next one will be held at Practical Astro Show in Warwickshire on Saturday 15th March 2025, click here for more information.

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(more photos)

The view was spectacular and there is even the Jewelled Handle, which can be seen only once a month for some hours.