Beginner’s Diary
June 4 2013 It got light this morning at 3.30am – and you could still go roaming in the gloaming at 10.30 last night. So, in the interests of getting some sleep, I am declaring it close season for stargazing until night returns and going back to my summer pursuits of birdwatching and walking. With… Read the full article
February 28th – however hard I try to be upbeat, there’s no disguising the fact that the last 10 days have been nothing but overcast skies and gloom. The sun came out last Saturday, but after 10 minutes, decided it was all a dreadful mistake. That was its only appearance out our way for 10… Read the full article
February 12th – now, where was I? Ah yes, Orion. The trouble with Orion is it’s so bewitching at this time of year, it stops you from progressing to the next constellation. Once you’ve achieved the triumph of spotting it, once you’ve found your way round the neighbourhood (Sirius, Jupiter etc.,), you just want to… Read the full article
2 January 2013 – Happy New Year Stargazers! Not a great Christmas for stargazing – so yesterday I decided to start the New Year with my daytime hobby (birdwatching – more binocular work). Driving to Minsmere before dawn, I was making towards a planet setting in the southeast. Must be Venus, I decided when I… Read the full article
16 December 2012 – What a gorgeous evening. First it was positively warm. I sat on my garden seat, pretending it was a summer’s night (well no, not quite). So this was the plan. According to my Philip’s Planisphere (quick plug there) Cassiopeia should have been right overhead at 8pm. A sort of ‘W’ shaped… Read the full article
14 December 2012 – I got home to La Suffolk profonde after a day in London at about 1.00 am this morning. Last night was billed as one of the most exciting in the astronomical calendar. Up to 50 meteor showers an hour were reported. But not if there’s 100% cloud cover. Oh the frustration.… Read the full article
12 December 2012 – It’s my first foray into the field outside my house. It’s freezing cold, of course. But it’s amazingly clear. They’re all there. I can see the Milky Way running across the sky and there’s almost no moon. There’s just one problem. There are thousands of stars up there. Where to start? A… Read the full article