Author Archives: Derek

Tonight Graham Jones and me spotted the four of the planets; Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and Mars to a naked eye, meanwhile Brenda Jones captured us to spot the planet, Mercury. (In this photo, Jupiter & Mars are at higher altitude.) … Continue reading →

Mercury and Saturn will appear very close to each other in the evening sky, creating a striking visual near the horizon.

Jupiter’s moon Europa’s shadow will be cast on Jupiter’s Great Red Spot will create a dark spot on the Jupiter’s atmosphere – definitely it will be good opportunity for astrophotography.

Mars is stationary – the second bend occurs in the constellation Gemini on 24th February 2025, when the planet reverses direction and heads east again.

Antares, often referred to as the “heart” of the Scorpion, is a bright red supergiant star and a key feature in the constellation Scorpius.ooooThe sight of the Moon near Antares and Messier 4 during the morning twilight must be quite … Continue reading →

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 … Continue reading →

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 … Continue reading →

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.