Derekscope

• Both planets will be visible low in the western sky after sunset.
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• Venus will shine brilliantly as the “Evening Star,” while Mercury will be fainter but still noticeable nearby.
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• Mercury lower down, and the crescent Moon between them – a perfect outreach opportunity.
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• Use binoculars to help after the sky fades.
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• BSL Version

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• Annual Solar Eclipse today
  Not visible from the UK but worth saving the date in August this year.
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• Although today’s annual solar eclipse can’t be seen from Britain, our next UK visible solar eclipse is on Wednesday 12 August 2026.
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• It will be a large partial eclipse across the UK, with the Sun taking a dramatic bite in the evening.
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• BSL Version

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• A vertical straight‑line alignment occurs when three of the Galilean moons — usually Io, Europa, Ganymede, or Callisto — appear in a single straight line.
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• Callisto and Europa both produce visible shadow transits.
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• The Moon will indeed appear close to Antares in the early morning of 11th February.
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• Antares is the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius, a red supergiant often called the “heart of the scorpion.”
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• The Moon reaches apogee ~ the farthest point in its orbit from Earth.
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• The Moon appears slightly smaller and dimmer in the sky compared to perigee.
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• The Moon reaches its exact Last Quarter phase at 12:43pm this early afternoon.
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• Moonrise at 01:24am on 9th February, Transit at 05:31am and moonset at 09:38am.
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• The British Deaf Astronomical Association gathered in London on Saturday 7th February 2026 for a day being involved in discovery at AstroFest.

• Click here to see the full report and photos.
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• Though it looks like one star to the naked eye, Spica is actually a close double star ~ two massive blue‑white stars orbiting each other every 4 days.
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• Both stars are hotter and larger than our Sun.
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• Binoculars
  – Spica always looks like a single bright point of bluish‑white light.
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• Telescope
  – Even with good backyard telescopes, Spica still appears as one star.
  – The two components are separated by less than 0.1 arcseconds (far below the resolving power of amateur instruments).
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• On Saturday 7th February 2026 at 6am, the Moon will appear very close to Spica, the brightest star in Virgo.
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• Telescope 80–100 mm
  Enough to see Ganymede, its shadow, and the GRS, though with limited detail.
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• Increase magnification (Telescope)
  Around 120×–180× gives a good balance of detail and stability.
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• Wait for steady moments:
  The shadow is easiest to see when the atmosphere briefly calms.
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• Look for contrast
  Ganymede’s shadow appears as a small, sharp dark dot on Jupiter’s cloud tops.
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• GRS timing
  The Great Red Spot is easiest when it’s near the centre of Jupiter’s disc.
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