Derekscope

Change your clocks
Spring forward

In the United Kingdom at 1am
when you put the clocks forward one hour
from Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) to
2am British Summer Time (BST).

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This adjustment is intended to make better
use of daylight can make stargazing tricky, as
the later sunsets and shorter nights reduce the
window of darkness needed for observations.
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Rare partial solar eclipse of Sun was visible across the UK this morning, the next one will be on on Wednesday 12th August 2026 in the evening duration for one hour and 49 minutes from 6pm.

Eclipse Watch (Lunar & Solar) – find out what a eclipse is in the UK will occur between 2025 and 2027.

2025 Solar Partial Eclipse all over in the UK
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People across the UK will be treated
to the captivating sight of a
partial solar eclipse on Saturday 29 March 2025.
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The Moon will pass across the disc of the Sun
during a two-hour period, beginning shortly
after 10am GMT and ending at about 12 noon.
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Without any solar filters aids
never attempt to point
a pair of binoculars or a telescope
at an object close to the Sun.
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Doing so may result
in immediate and permanent blindness.
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My last previous photography of 2022 Partial Solar Eclipse, now it is back on this Saturday – best time for maximum eclipse at 11am.

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Begins at 10:07am
The moment the edge of the Moon touches the edge of the Sun is called first contact at 10.07am.
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Maximum eclipse at 11am
The deepest point of the eclipse, with the Sun at its most hidden at 11:03pm.
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Partial eclipse ends at 12 noon
The edge of the Moon leaves the edge of the Sun at 12.01pm

On Wednesday morning around 01.20am, Graham Jones and I spotted the Northern Lights display spotted in skies above North Norfolk, and we were treated to a spectacular Northern Lights display.

Mercury’s inferior conjunction in 2025 occurred on 24th March – this means that Mercury passed between the Earth and the Sun, making it not visible to the naked eye.

Venus reaches its inferior solar conjunction, passing between Earth and the Sun, and transitioning from an evening to a ‘Morning Star’.

The spring equinox in 2025 will take place today at 09:01am (usually around 23rd March) – day and night will be nearly equal in length as the Sun crosses the celestial equator from south to north. It marks the official start of spring in the Northern Hemisphere.

How to sign equinox in BSL?

Neptune will pass close to the Sun in the sky as its orbit carries it around the far side of the solar system from the Earth.

How to sign Neptune in BSL?

Fact about the Porrima star system consists of six planets and fifteen moons – it provides an exciting setting for exploration in the vastness of space.
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Venus and Mercury will share the same right ascension tonight – the pair will be too widely separated to fit within the field of view of a telescope or pair of binoculars, but will be visible to the naked eye.

How to sign conjunction in BSL?