Shooting Stars tonight

Today (Oct 21) and tomorrow night are the best times to see the peak of the Orionid meteor shower. The name comes from the constellation from which the Shooting Stars, or meteors, appear; in this case, Orion the Hunter.

The later at night you look the better - from 10:30pm you should begin to see the odd streak of light across the sky appearing anywhere in the sky zooming in an east to west direction.

With clear, dark skies and good horizons you may be able to catch about 20 shooting stars per hour.

The Moon rises after midnight and will be a natural light-polluting nuisance by washing out the light of the fainter meteors by about 2am - so I'd go to bed about then. ;-)

Time for a new star

If the evening is clear take a look in the direction of where the sun set (that's roughly west-ish) at about 8pm. In that part of the sky you'll see a bright star - it's called Arcturus. Closer examination, especially once it is really dark, will reveal that Arcturus has a slightly golden tinge. In fact many of the brighter stars show their true colours - they are not all white. Indeed, there are even some blue stars out there.

To the right of Arcturus also see if you can locate the famous Plough. This is a group of seven stars that look remarkably like a saucepan as seen from the side, with its handle outstretched to the left. The Plough is about the size of your outstretched hand (any one) at arm's length.

W & NW shown on the chart indicate the compass points around your horizon

More Space at my site: www.vamplew.co.uk including school presentations

The best time of year to see the Milky Way

The chart shows the Milky Way's position at about 8pm (yes indeed, it is the diagonal wobbly thing going from the top-left to the bottom right of the chart). The centre of the chart represents the point directly above your head, known as the zenith. The circle represents the horizon: notice the points of the compass around the outside. If you're wondering why E and W seem to be flipped, it is because this is a chart for the sky and therefore your view looking upwards and not downwards as you would look at an ordinary road map. In other words, if you hold it (or the computer screen!) above your head and orientate "W" to where the sunset then all will be well with the heavens.

*********

General background stuff for your additional viewing pleasure

This is a great time to look for the Milky Way. This faint band of meandering light stretches up from the north-east horizon over and down into the south-west, but the best part for most of us will be overhead due to the light-pollution.

The Milky Way is made of millions upon millions of stars that are just too far away to be seen individually, but their light together merges to form this misty river of light.

It's best seen from countryside locations away from house security lights, buildings in general, cows and tress. If you have never seen the Milky Way before and want to have a go, and especially if you live near a town or city, do give yourself a good five minutes outside to get your eyes used to the dark and you'll have a much better chance of seeing it.

Tonight in general and beyond

Dear Stargazers,

And a special welcome to listeners of BBC Radio Kent.

When it's dark, a good way off to the left of where the sun set and a fair way above the horizon sits the planet Jupiter. It appears to be an ordinary, but very bright looking, star. In fact, it is the brightest "star" in the entire night sky at the moment. Planets are so far away that you never see them more than a point of light unless you start using binoculars for some or a telescope for others.

If you do have a handy pair of binoculars then peering at Jupiter will reveal up to four tiny points of light close by. These are the four main moons of Jupiter: Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto.

Don't worry if it's cloudy as Jupiter will be around for a good couple of months in this part of the sky.

Next, this is a great time of year to look for the Milky Way. This faint band of meandering light stretches up from the north-east horizon over and down into the south-west, but the best part for most of us will be overhead due to the light-pollution. The Milky Way is made of millions upon millions of stars that are just too far away to be seen individually, but their light together merges to form this misty river of light. It's best seen from countryside locations.

Finally, the night of 21/22 October sees the peak of the Orionid meteor shower. The name comes from the constellation from which the Shooting Stars, or meteors, appear; in this case, Orion the Hunter. The later at night you look the better - from 10:30pm you should begin to see the odd streak of light across the sky. With clear, dark skies and good horizons you may be able to catch about 20 shooting stars per hour.

Good Luck and Starry Skies!

A bright thing next to the Moon tonight: 7 October 2008

Around 8pm tonight (7 Oct) take a wander outside and gaze into the night sky. Have a look for the half-Moon which will be sitting over the southern horizon. Just to the right of the Moon is a particularly bright star - that is actually the planet Jupiter.

If you have a handy pair of binoculars then peering at this planet will reveal up to four tiny points of light close by. These are the four main moons of Jupiter: Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto.

Don't worry if it's cloudy as Jupiter will be around for a good couple of months in this part of the sky. The Moon, however, will continue its journey around the Earth and will move off to the left day by day.

UK International Space Station viewing details for 6, 7 and 8 October 2008

Date	Appears			Max Height			Vanishes
	Time	Alt.	Az.	Time	Alt.	Az.	Time	Alt.	Az.
6 Oct	20:00	10	WSW	20:02	16	SW	20:04	10	S
7 Oct	18:50	10	W	18:53	30	SSW	18:55	10	SE
8 Oct	19:17	10	WSW	19:19	14	SW	19:20	10	S

Alt is Altitude in degrees above the horizon. 0 degrees is the horizon up to 90 degrees which is the point directly above your head.
Az is Azimuth (basically the compass bearing).
As ever, the actual times will vary (up to a few minutes) depending on your location.

Currently on board are the crew of Expedition 17. Why not give them a wave as they fly over?

Dear space fans, these are the last viewings for the moment, so do bid the crew a fond "au revoir" as the Station finally vanishes into the night.

UK International Space Station viewing details for 5 October 2008

Date	Appears			Max Height			Vanishes
	Time	Alt.	Az.	Time	Alt.	Az.	Time	Alt.	Az.
5 Oct	20:43	10	W	20:44	17	SW	20:44	17	SW
5 Oct	19:33	10	W	19:36	33	SSW	19:38	12	SE

Alt is Altitude in degrees above the horizon. 0 degrees is the horizon up to 90 degrees which is the point directly above your head.
Az is Azimuth (basically the compass bearing).
As ever, the actual times will vary (up to a few minutes) depending on your location.

Currently on board are the crew of Expedition 17. Why not give them a wave as they fly over?

UK International Space Station viewing details for 4 October 2008

Date	Appears			Max Height			Vanishes
	Time	Alt.	Az.	Time	Alt.	Az.	Time	Alt.	Az.
4 Oct	19:07	10	W	19:10	63	SSW	19:12	10	ESE

Alt is Altitude in degrees above the horizon. 0 degrees is the horizon up to 90 degrees which is the point directly above your head.
Az is Azimuth (basically the compass bearing).
As ever, the actual times will vary (up to a few minutes) depending on your location.

UK International Space Station viewing details for 3 October 2008

Date	Appears			Max Height			Vanishes
	Time	Alt.	Az.	Time	Alt.	Az.	Time	Alt.	Az.
3 Oct	18:41	10	W	18:44	87	NNE	18:46	10	E
3 Oct	20:16	10	W	20:19	35	SSW	20:19	32	S

Alt is Altitude in degrees above the horizon. 0 degrees is the horizon up to 90 degrees which is the point directly above your head.
Az is Azimuth (basically the compass bearing).
As ever, the actual times will vary (up to a few minutes) depending on your location.

UK International Space Station viewing details for 2 October 2008

Date	Appears			Max Height			Vanishes
	Time	Alt.	Az.	Time	Alt.	Az.	Time	Alt.	Az.
2 Oct	19:49:24	10	W	19:52:20	67	SSW	19:53:44	27	ESE
2 Oct	21:25:10	10	W	21:25:19	11	W	21:25:19	11	W

Alt is Altitude in degrees above the horizon. 0 degrees is the horizon up to 90 degrees which is the point directly above your head.
Az is Azimuth (basically the compass bearing).
As ever, the actual times will vary (up to a few minutes) depending on your location.