Derekscope

Moon & M45 (Open Cluster)

The Moon and the Pleiades (M45) will appear close together in the UK sky, visible in the pre-dawn hours.
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The two will be very close, within a degree of each other, making for a beautiful sight, especially with binoculars. (The Pleiades, also known as the Seven Sisters.)
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Neptune & Saturn will appear very close together.

The Moon, Neptune, and Saturn will form a tight grouping in the early morning sky, just before dawn, making them visible in the same binoculars or low-power telescope field.
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Best viewing time around 3am, when the planets are high enough above the southern-eastern horizon for a clear view.
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This rare alignment offers a perfect opportunity for the stargazers and astrophotographers.

Skygazers across the UK are in for a treat this week as the Moon rises and it’s not one to miss.
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A huge orange rises in Milton Keynes.

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Moon illusion which makes the moon appear larger than it actually is.

The Buck Moon – this name comes from Native American traditions. July is when male deer (bucks) begin to grow new antlers, symbolizing growth and regeneration – see Full Moon names and meaning.
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So if you step outside that evening and find yourself marvelling at a moon that looks like it’s been super-sized at the low horizon ~ this’s called Moon illusion.
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Moon illusion – why does the Moon look so big happens?
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– the trick of your brain makes the Moon appear larger when it’s on the horizon.
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– The Moon’s apparent size change during its rise is an optical illusion called the Moon illusion.
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– The Moon appears larger on the horizon than when it’s higher in the sky.
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– This is not a change in the Moon’s actual size, but rather how our brains perceive it.
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Venus will be the “Morning Star” in the east.

At 5am, Venus reaches at 90º azimuth and Altitude +23º in the eastern sky but it will be visible before sunrise, rising shortly before 3 a.m. local time and remaining visible until sunrise – it will be located between the star Aldebaran and the Pleiades star cluster in the constellation Taurus.
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How to sign Venus in BSL?

Mercury reaches its greatest eastern elongation – that’s meaning it will be most visible in the evening sky, so at these times ~ Mercury will be at its farthest apparent distance from the Sun as viewed from Earth.

Earth at aphelion

Earth reaches aphelion ~ its farthest point from the Sun in its yearly orbit. At that moment, Earth will be about 94.5 million miles (or 152.1 million kilometres) from the Sun.
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Despite being farther away, it’s still summer in the Northern Hemisphere – that’s because seasons are caused by Earth’s axial tilt, not its distance from the Sun.

Lunar X is optional features on the moon, visible through a telescope for several hours around the time of the first quarter moon (See my pervious photos of Lunar X).

The next one for Lunar X again will be on Friday 1st August at 10:30 / 10:30am BST.

The landscape was illuminated by the noctilucent clouds over the city at Milton Keynes that remained low in the sky between northwest and northeast.

At midnight, Noctilucent clouds are thin, wispy clouds that glow with a silvery hue at night when illuminated by sunlight from below the horizon – see diagram below.

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How to sign Noctilucent clouds (NGLs) in BSL?