DSW Astronomer Martin Griffiths takes a look at the February sky. The bright winter constellations still dominate the evening but by midnight and into early morning the spring constellations of Leo, Hydra and Bootes become visible and the galaxies of the Virgo cluster become prime objects for study. Moon in February: New: 26th February First […]
As we approach the festive period and look forward to enjoying the company of family and friends let us consider the potential astronomical origins of the ‘Christmas Star’. In Christian tradition the star indicated the direction in which the three wise men had to travel to discover the newly born king Jesus Christ. However, if […]
Dark Sky Wales astronomer Martin Griffiths once again looks at the month ahead highlighting those astronomical must for you to go and see. The fantastic constellations of winter begin to dominate the sky with Taurus, Orion, Perseus and Auriga being the main features. By the end of the month the brightest star in the sky, […]
This December 13/14th sees another great meteor shower! Radiating from the constellation of Gemini this annual meteor shower is one of the years best! Best yet, there is no moon to obscure the 2015 Geminid shower. The meteors are plentiful, rivaling the August Perseids, with perhaps 50 to 100 meteors per hour visible at the […]
With all the media hype about this evenings ‘Supermoon’ what is actually happening? Well, first thing to consider is what is actually happening to the moon? The short answer is nothing! The moon is doing what it always does, orbiting the Earth. It’s orbit is not circular rather it orbits the planet in an elliptical […]
As Winter rapidly approaches and the Summer Milky Way sets below the horizon Dark Sky Wales Astronomer Martin Griffiths takes his monthly look at the night sky! The nights are now well drawn in and the Autumn constellations dominate the sky high overhead whilst the great stars of summer fade away. Winter is fast on […]
Dark Sky Wales Astronomer Martin Griffiths takes a look at the Night Sky in October 2016 The nights are now well drawn in and at the end of the month darkness comes early. The Autumn constellations dominate the sky and Summer fades as the milky way descends to the west. There are still plenty of […]
As the winter skies approach there is one constellation above all others that dominates the sky, that is Orion the great hunter. The constellation easily recognisable by its three belt stars Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka, contains some of the most enigmatic deep sky objects that are within easy reach of all, no matter what your […]
Last weekend Dark Sky Wales were honoured to host Col. Alfred Worden Command Module Pilot, Apollo 15 at the Park and Dare Theatre, Treorchy, RCT. Crowd of nearly 400 would be enthralled by the story that unfolded during Col Worden’s talk and subsequent Q&A. During the event Al Worden looked back at his distinguished career […]