Iapetus, a nearly full moon, and Pythagoras

On 26th a clear sky had me out with the scope as usual. It’s a bit late these days before it gets dark, so a bright day 12 moon made a welcome target.

The mini-meadow blooms

Things are starting to look good in the front garden.

Hadley Rille and Apollo 15

For a lunar observer, seeking out the Apollo landing sites is an inevitable pilgrimage. The easiest, and most rewarding, site to locate is the Apollo 15 site at Hadley Rille on the edge of the Apennine mountains.

Sir Isaac Newton (but not Mr Alderman Ptolemy Tortoise).

Took the kids newting down the cycle path past Naburn, where there’s a ditch-like pond full of reedmace. In it, lots of frogspawn in process of hatching and we spotted eight smooth newts. I am glad to say that the old skills didn’t let me down.

Did a volcano spoil my stargazing?

Last night was cloudless and moonless: it should have been perfect galaxy hunting weather. But it wasn’t: was the icelandic volcanic eruption to blame?

A Butter-fly, a cuckoo bee and some mini-meadow fritters.

Wow…..blazing sunshine from dawn to dusk today, spent entirely in the garden/kitchen (picking and cooking rhubarb).

Veteran oaks of Sherwood

On our way south this week we stopped by the Sherwood forest visitor centre at Ollerton to take in some of the veteran trees.

The lesser of two celandines

Spring really hit the road today: wow; it was shorts and teashirts weather. Great.

A stunning conjunction, and a whale of a galaxy hunt

On the evening of 7th April, a gorgeous sunset had me out on the cycle path with my binoculars to spot the conjunction of Venus and Mercury in the fading light.

Revisiting old friends

One of the best things about stargazing is how everything comes up just for a month or two a year, and by the time it comes around again, memory has faded just enough.