Derekscope

Moon at Last Quarter

• At the exact moment of Last Quarter, the Moon is in the constellation Aries.
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• It rises around midnight, is highest near sunrise, and sets around midday.
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• This is an excellent time to observe the Moon through binoculars or a telescope because the line between lunar day and night (the terminator) highlights craters and mountains with dramatic shadows

Solar Eclipse in the UK!

• 90% Solar Eclipse
  – Here’s your preparing to find your clear unobstructed because the eclipse occurs at the low horizon.
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• Recommended Viewing Spots
  – BSL explanation by Derek Rowley.

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• High hilltops or ridges
  Elevated terrain clears the immediate visual clutter of trees and buildings, extending your line of sight to the true horizon.
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• Multi-storey car parks
  The top open-air deck of a city car park can provide an excellent, elevated urban platform to clear the local skyline.
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• Beaches and coastlines
  Coastal shores looking out over the ocean offer a completely flat, zero-obstruction horizon at water level.
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• Large open fields: Expansive farmland or rural plains offer wide, panoramic views if a waterfront or hill is unavailable.
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The Moon and Saturn rising together.

• Look toward the eastern to southeastern sky after midnight as the morning progresses, the pair will climb higher.
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• A waning gibbous Moon will rise with Saturn nearby, making the ringed planet easy to locate by using the Moon as a guide.
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• Saturn will appear as a steady, yellowish point of light. With binoculars it remains star-like, but even a small telescope will reveal its famous rings.
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Mercury at greatest elongation west (morning apparition)

• Mercury reaches its greatest western elongation, making it one of the best opportunities to observe the planet in the morning sky.
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• Best time to observe around 45–60 minutes before sunrise.
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• Low above the eastern to east-northeastern horizon with an unobstructed view.
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Your guide to the night sky this month,
and a guide for binoculars, and telescope deaf owners,
compiled by Derek Rowley

(Click the blue link below for more information)

2026 August

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Full Moon

• Capricornus is a faint zodiac constellation, so the bright Full Moon will outshine most of its stars.
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• You won’t see many stars close to the Moon because its light washes them out.
  Capricornus is a faint zodiac constellation, so the bright Full Moon will outshine most of its stars.
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Jupiter at Solar Conjunction

• Solar conjunction marks the point when Jupiter transitions from being hidden by the Sun to beginning a new season of morning observations.
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• After a few weeks, you can spot it again in the morning sky before sunrise.
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Delta Aquariid Meteor Shower

• The Full Moon on Wednesday 29th will make many of the fainter meteors difficult to see because its bright light washes out the night sky.
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• You may still catch the brighter meteors, but conditions won’t be ideal.
  
• The Southern Delta Aquariids is active every year from mid-July to mid-August, with its peak expected around Tuesday 28th – Wednesday 29th July 2026;
  
  – Beginning to ending date: 12th July to 19th August
  – Peak Date: Tuesday 28th July (best time ~ after midnight until dawn)
  – Rating: Strong
  – Zenith Hourly Rate (ZHR): around 20 per hour
  – Radiant Position: RA: 22h 36m / DEC: -16°
  – Degrees: 342º (Face:- North)
  – Note: Meteors tend to be faint / Favourable.
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Moon at apogee

• 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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Moon below Antares

• Near the Moon, look for a reddish-orange star ~ that star is Antares.
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• Antares is huge ~ if placed in our Solar System, it could stretch out past the orbit of Mars (and possibly Jupiter depending on estimates)
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• It is a supergiant, meaning it is near the end of its life.
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• It is hundreds of times brighter than the Sun, but it is very far away, so it looks like just a bright star to us.
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