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After seeing tonight's (11/11/18) close encounter I had a little browse to see if there were any occultations due. There are a few others in the meantime but this one is the first one due that's at a decent altitude. Hope this is enough warning

At around 7am, the waning crescent Moon will be at 14 degrees above the horizon and between Venus and Jupiter. Given some clear skies, this should make quite a spectacle. The 25 day old moon will be 17.8% illuminated, and about 4 degrees from Jupiter and 4.5 degrees from Venus. Well worth a look in binos or a widefield photo opportunity. Related article here at Astronomy Now magazine, including details of an occultation of Xi Ophiuchi if you are far enough North. https://astronomynow.com/2019/01/22/see-a-dawn-triple-conjunction-and-a-lunar-occultation-on-31-january/

A new moon so good conditions if the skies allow. Mars and Neptune will be separated by only 8 arcminutes so could make a colourful double in the eyepiece. Note: it may also be a good opportunity to look for Comet 46P/Wirtanen.

Mid-transit 15:20. UK sunset 16:72. Not particularly well positioned for UK observers, but some of us might not get to November 2032 to see the next one ...

A fabulously friendly and informal STAR CAMP with lots of education and lots of fun! visit www.solarsphere.events for details of the whole event plan!

We have another event coming up on the 11th August. This one is at Swillington Farm. It is an event run by a company called This Green Moon, you can check them out on Facebook. It is an overnight event but we would finish at approx. 11pm. Soupy will do some presentations and we would also need some telescopes set up for observing. They also have a few pitches kept in reserve for speakers so if any members want to come and do the event they have offered pitches free for us to stop over. (They are currently selling these pitches for £50 for a small pitch and £100 for a large pitch). Please let Soupy know as soon as possible if you are able to attend, (and certainly by Wednesday if you would like a pitch) so he can liaise with Paul the owner. It promises to be a great night with darkening skies and early Perseids!

On April 3rd 2020 Venus sits within the M45 star group

Main talk: The variable Hubble Nebula by Dr John Lightfoot of the Royal Observatory Edinburgh. Plus what's in the sky for September and occasional short presentations from members. Refreshments afterwards. Open to all, admission free. You don't have to be a member to come along and we're always happy to see new faces.