Derekscope

• With the Moon still crescent, its glow won’t overwhelm Saturn, so you should be able to spot the planet clearly with the naked eye all night.
  o
• Saturn will appear as a steady golden “star” just below the Moon.
  o
• Binoculars will enhance the view, but even without them, the pairing will be obvious.
  o
• At 8 pm, look to the southwest to see the Moon alongside Saturn.
  o

• Friday 27th February
  – The Moon will indeed pass close to Jupiter in Gemini.
  o
• Saturday 28th February
  – The Moon approaches to the Beehive Cluster (M44) in Cancer.
  o
• Binoculars may reveal the Beehive Cluster despite the Moon’s brightness.
  o

oooo
Whatever the skies bring,
may your heart be open to wonder.

Merry Christmas
from Derek

Titan transits Saturn all night

• Saturn is visible from the UK with a telescope.
  o
• The transit begins around sunset and continues into twilight, offering a rare and poetic view of Saturn’s largest moon crossing the planet’s disk.
  o

Algol
o

• The bright variable star Beta Persei (Algol) reaches its minimum brightness at 18:27pm in the early evening on Tuesday 23rd December and will be visible from the UK.
  o
• Here’s a list of upcoming minimum brightness times for Algol – read more.
  o

• The Ursid meteor shower will peak on the night of Sunday 21st thru Monday 22nd December 2025, with the best viewing hours from late evening through dawn.
  o
• Look northward – Meteors can appear anywhere, but they radiate from near the Little Dipper in the constellation Ursa Minor.
  o

• The 2025 winter solstice occurs on Sunday 21st December at 15:02 GMT (3:02 PM) in the UK ~ this marks the official start of astronomical winter and the shortest day of the year.
  o
• The winter solstice happens when the Sun reaches its lowest point in the sky at noon, resulting in the shortest daylight period of the year.
  o

Algol Minima
o

• The bright variable star Beta Persei (Algol) reaches its minimum brightness at 21:38 pm in the evening on Saturday 20th December and will be visible from the UK.
  o
• Here’s a list of upcoming minimum brightness times for Algol – read more.
  o

Algol
o

• The bright variable star Beta Persei (Algol) reaches its minimum brightness at 00:49 am in the early morning on Thursday 18th December and will be visible from the UK.
  o
• Here’s a list of upcoming minimum brightness times for Algol – read more.
  o

• The Moon and Mercury will be in conjunction, sharing the same right ascension.
  o
• However, they will not be easily visible from the UK due to low altitude and daylight timing.
  o