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Lots of exciting things are happening at Kielder Observatory, use this page to browse the latest stories. We’ll have updates on the events we run, fantastic images our team have taken up at the observatory and occasionally science updates that our team would like to share!
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What's Up? March 2024
Spring is almost upon us! As day and night start to equalise, let’s take a look at what’s parading across our skies this month.
Read Time
3 minutes
Spring is almost upon us! As day and night start to equalise, let’s take a look at what’s parading across our skies this month.
[fulltext] =>
Spring Equinox
Tuesday 19th March marks the first day of Spring, and the days getting longer than the nights again. A sad day for us Astronomers in the North! This is the day that Earth is neither tilted towards nor away from the Sun, so both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres get approximately the same amount of night and day. Equinox derives from the Latin for "equal night".
Figure 1: The Earth not being tilted towards or away from the Sun meaning equal illumination for all. Images from TheAlmnac.com and timeanddate.com
Constellations
As Spring approaches, Leo the lion is coming back. This glorious constellation is sometimes described as a mouse, or a coat-hanger but is a really easy spot in the southern Sky this month.
Figure 2: Leo the lion and the moon in the High Southern sky March 20th 10pm.
As the moon waxes up to a full moon it eventually will pass through Leo, making it look like a cat playing with a ball of string. A good chance to add this big cat constellation to your spotting repertoire.
Planets
Venus still precedes the morning sun, though with the Sun catching up you’ll have to get up earlier to catch it around 6am to 7am this month.
Jupiter is in prime position throughout the night over the course of the Month, moving through Aries. However, Saturn, who has been making a nice double act with Jupiter for planet gazing this winter, is moving on. It is barely visible before passing over the horizon around sunset.
If you’ve got some binoculars then find Jupiter and trace up, trailing not too far behind should be Uranus, a little pale blue dot like us, as shown in the photo below.
Figure 3:Jupiter and Uranus in the western sky, March 19th, 9:30pm
Moon Phases
3rd March: Half Moon
10th March: New Moon
17th March: Half Moon
25th March: Full Moon
The full moon this month is known as the Worm Moon. The origins come from multiple cultures such as Native American and European. It is often thought to have derived from earthworms that spring birds start to feast on, but it may have actually originated from the beetle larvae that emerge from the thawing of trees in the spring.
Clear skiesd and happy stargazing!
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Aurora Adventures
Our astronomer Ishbel goes to Norway to image and research the Northern Lights.
Read Time
2 minutes
Our astronomer Ishbel goes to Norway to image and research the Northern Lights.
[fulltext] =>
By Ishbel Carlyle
So as part of my PhD studying the Northern lights, I need to set up a few cameras to film them, so at the start of January I got on a plane and headed up to the artic circle. Specifically, Skibotn observatory, about an hour from Tromsø in Norway. I spent a week with some colleagues from Southampton University building the frame to hold the cameras, aligning the cameras to the stars and setting up the computers. The days were long (if very short in light. The Sun didn't come above the horizon till the 3rd day we were there!) But I also got to see the Aurora in magnificent splendour not once but twice!
The first night they started as just a band of light moving slowing from North to South overhead. A few swirls were discernible, and a bit of colour stared to show. This is known as the growth phase of the aurora. It then got cloudy. Even in Norway we get thwarted by the occasional cloud when stargazing. However, on night two I got the expansion phase (the bit where it goes bang). They started off similarly to the night before and then BOOM. They got bright and fast and swirling and twirling, ripples of light going all across the sky. The colours came out too. Minty greens and pinks and purple hues. I'd describe it as a ghost. Definitely coloured and sharp shapes, but still transparent.
Cameras always pick up more signal than our eyes do so the pictures look a bit more dramatic than by eye, but I've have provided a few from different cameras so you can see it was all the same aurora, just different cameras. Tune into our next newsletter where I will be talking more about photography of the Aurora.
Our astronomer Ishbel goes to Norway to image and research the Northern Lights.
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What's Up? February 2024
Love is in the air, it must be Feburary! Astronomer and Science Communicator Rosie Braunholtz gives us an overview of what we can see in the night skies this season of lovers.
Read Time
6 minutes
Love is in the air, it must be Feburary! Astronomer and Science Communicator Rosie Braunholtz gives us an overview of what we can see in the night skies this season of lovers.
[fulltext] =>What's Up February
Hello, it’s time for another What’s Up in the month of February. Our shortest month of the year, quieter astronomically speaking than other months, but there’s still plenty to see!
Of course we still have many of the winter showstoppers that were mentioned in January and December’s What’s Up’s, such as the Orion Nebula and the Andromeda galaxy. But let’s look at some of the other gems in the sky that maybe you might not know so well.
The Daughters of Atlas
Two star clusters: The Pleiades and the Hyades in Taurus. Two lovely open clusters, visible to the naked eye but perhaps best seen with a small pair of binoculars or a small telescope. Both of these clusters have been known for thousands of years all over the world. In Greek mythology the Hyades and the Pleiades were daughters of Atlas, though had different mothers. Both groups of sisters were transformed into a cluster of stars that was afterwards associated with rain.
[Picture 1: Taurus]. Image credit: Pete Lawrence, Sky at Night Magazine, BBC
The Pleiades, also known as the seven sisters, is probably the most famous star cluster, as it’s the one most easily visible to spot, even without a telescope. In Japan, the cluster is named Subaru! And the car company chose this name after the joining of five companies together. To the naked eye you will see a little fuzzy patch to the right of Taurus the bull, if you let your eyes focus you might be able to count about 7 stars. However, if we were to zoom in on this patch, we would see around a thousand stars! All these stars are grouped together and gravitationally bound to one another. This is because they all formed from the same gas cloud at the same time, so calling them sisters is pretty accurate. Looking at the size of star and blueish colour, we can tell they were born fairly recently! Only 100 million years old or so (basically still a toddler in star terms).
[Picture 2: Pleiades] Image credit: Manfred_Konrad via Getty Images
The Hyades, is perhaps the lesser well-known sibling to the Pleiades. It’s actually closer to us – being only 150 light years away (440ly for Pleiades). But because it’s so close, the star cluster (which spans about 10 light years across) looks more scattered around the sky rather than in one small clump, so you might not have noticed it before. To find it you need to go to the eye of the bull: Aldebaran, the bright red star in the middle of Taurus. And you’ll see it’s part of a “V” shape. This “V” is the Hyades! Though Aldebaran is not actually part of the cluster, it’s even closer – around 65 or so light years away. There are about 500 stars in the Hyades and a few of them we have even found exoplanets going round!
Love is in the air..
It is the month of love, for any romantics out there, let us look at some love themed objects in the sky.
[Picture 3: Heart Nebula] Credit: Flickr Commons/s58y
Venus, the goddess of love, ironically isn’t in the sky that much. Except in the first few days in February just before sunrise, say at about 7am and look to the south-east.
While not anatomically correct, show your valentine the Heart Nebula in the constellation of Cassiopeia! This is a beautiful cloud of ionized gas that is emitting predominantly red light, giving the appearance of a heart <3. Amongst the core of this cloud of gas are many stars in a cluster that were born out of this stellar nursery. It’s about 7500 light years away! And the nebula itself spans 165 light years across. It’s best to look at faint objects like nebula and galaxies when there is little to no moon in the sky, so aim for the second week of February when it’s New Moon.
We also have the Caroline Rose Cluster also within Cassiopeia. This star cluster was discovered in 1783 by Caroline Herschel. It gets it’s name from the looping stars and dark shadows which look like the swirling pattern of rose petals.
[Pictue 4: rose] Image Credit: Caroline's Rose by Jaspal Chadha, London, UK
The Wanderers
February is definitely the very last chance of seeing Saturn this year (from the UK). The first week of February is your best bet as it’s still dark enough in the early evening to catch it. You’ll need to have a clear horizon in the south-west and look for a bright spot in the sky at about 18:00.
Jupiter is still visible though it’s getting closer and closer to that western horizon, and visible only in the first part of the night now. For a good astrophotography shot, the 14th and the 15th the moon and Jupiter are close together.
Shooting Stars & other objects
If you’re looking to spot meteors in February, I’m afraid the only shower is visible from the southern hemisphere. On February 9th the α-Centaurid (“alpha Centaurid”) meteor shower will peak. The α-Centaurids usually occur from January 28th to February 21st each year. The peak will be on February 9th where you can expect to see roughly 5 meteors per hour radiating from the constellation of Centaurus. So if you’re on holiday in Aus – have a look outside!
We have a few ISS pass overs at the very start of February. When looking for the ISS look to the west for a very bright satellite that’s moving slowly towards the south/south-east. On the 1st of February we can expect two ISS passes, one starting at 17:50, and another very low on the horizon starting at 19:26. The 2nd will have a passes starting at 18:39, and the 3rd will have one starting at 17:49.
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What's Up? January 2024
Let's start 2024 as we mean to go on- looking up! Astronomer and Science Communicator Rosie Braunholtz gives us an overview of what we can see in the night skies this January.
Read Time
3 minutes
Let's start 2024 as we mean to go on- looking up! Astronomer and Science Communicator Rosie Braunholtz gives us an overview of what we can see in the night skies this January.
[fulltext] =>
Happy New Year!
I hope your celebrations were delightful and you’re excited to get back into stargazing after some festivities. Here is what’s up in the sky in January.
Orion takes center stage once again this January, rising in the east as night falls. By 20:00 it stands well clear of the horizon in the south-east. Orion's Belt, marked by three stars in a row, points downward to Sirius in Canis Major, the brightest nighttime star.
Betelgeuse, one of the most luminous stars in the sky makes up the eastern shoulder of Orion. The names is derived from rom the Arabic term bat al-jawzāʾ, which means “the giant’s shoulder.” Orion’s brightest star, the blue supergiant Rigel, sits on the bottom right of the constellation.
A highlight for amateur astronomers is the Orion Nebula, visible to the naked eye and captivating through binoculars or a telescope. This stellar nursery, located in the sword of Orion beneath the belt, consists of glowing gas and dust, providing a glimpse into a region of massive star formation 1,350 light years away.
Image Credit: Natasha Lund, Kielder Observatory
We have a few planets still in sight this month: Venus, Jupiter and Saturn.
Jupiter outshines every star with a magnitude of -2.5 on average this month. You’ll see it from when the sun sets around 17:00 against the stars of Aries to the south and will set at 1:00 in the west. If you have a telescope, it will show it’s four main moons and orange bands.
Saturn is still visible but for a shorter period. It’s dimmer than Jupiter with a magnitude of 0.96 so it will appear at around 17:30 and will only be visible for a few hours until it sets in the southwest at around 20:00.
Venus is the brightest planet at magnitude -3.9 but only the early birds will be able to catch it. Rising at 6am and setting only an hour or two later depending on when in January. It will also be easy to miss unless you have a clear view low into the south-west.
If you want to catch Mercury, you must be a real fiend (and also be lucky). Aim for the start of the month, round about the 5th-13th when the planet is at it’s turning point from being in apparent retrograde to normal motion. You will be wanting to look southeast between the hours of 7:00 and 8:00, just when the Sun is rising. It’s a short window! It’ll be a dimmer looking star to the left of Venus.
Moon enthusiasts can catch a stunning sight on the 18th of January when Jupiter aligns with the moon.
Lastly, The Quadrantid meteor shower will peak on 3-4 January 2024. The total period of this shower is from 28 December 2023 – 12 January 2024. Unlike other meteor showers that tend to stay at their peak for about two days, the peak period of the Quadrantids is only a few hours long. In dark skies you may see up to 100 meteors per hour. Luckily for us the moon doesn’t rise until midnight on the 3rd, giving us plenty of time (weather permitting) to see some meteors. The shower gets its name from the former constellation Quadrans Muralis which is now part of the constellation Boötes.
Image Credit: Image: Greg Smye-Rumsby, Astronomy Now (https://astronomynow.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Quadrantids2artworkv2_940x796.jpg)
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Dazzling December Delight: Let's Talk Geminids Meteor Shower!
Hey starry-eyed readers! It's that time of the year again when the heavens put on a celestial show just for us. It’s the Geminids Meteor Shower! This annual extravaganza is a cosmic party you don't want to miss.
Read Time
3 minutes
Hey starry-eyed readers! It's that time of the year again when the heavens put on a celestial show just for us. It’s the Geminids Meteor Shower! This annual extravaganza is a cosmic party you don't want to miss.
[fulltext] =>
What’s in a name?
So, why are they called Geminids? The shower gets its name from the constellation Gemini, the radiant point where the meteors seem to originate. It's like celestial fireworks show with Gemini playing the role of the launchpad. This constellation rises in the east and crosses over head throughout the night so there’s a great chance of seeing the twins launching some flaming arrows across the night.
Cool facts about the hot rocks!
Did you know that Shooting stars are not stars at all? They’re little bits of space rock burning up in our atmosphere. For meteor showers they usually come from Comet trails, but the Geminids is special as their progenitor is not a Comet but an Asteroid, 3200 Phaethon, a big rock in space orbiting around us within the asteroid belt. Comet are big dirty snowballs that come from beyond Neptune in the Oort cloud.
When and Where to Catch the Show
Hold your telescopes, folks! The best time to catch these shooting stars in action is during the darkest hours of the night, typically between midnight and dawn.
Pro tip: Find a cozy spot away from city lights, lay back, and let the cosmic magic unfold. Remember to dress warmly—space is cold, but your meteor shower-watching experience doesn't have to be! Can I recommend an astronomer’s best friend-a flask of Hot chocolate!
Make it a Stellar Party
Why not turn this celestial spectacle into a full-fledged stargazing party? Grab your friends, pack some cosmic snacks (think star-shaped cookies and galaxy popcorn, flying saucers?), and bring along your favourite stargazing playlist. Who knew space could be so delicious and melodic?
Shooting Star Wishes
As you marvel at the Geminids streaking across the night sky, don't forget to make a wish! According to ancient lore, catching a glimpse of a shooting star grants you the opportunity to make a wish. Whether it's for world peace, a pony, or just a good cup of coffee in the morning, let your imagination run wild. With up to 150 per hour you’re going to get more chances than a genie can offer that’s for sure!
Snap, Share, and Stargaze
In this digital age, why not capture the beauty of the Geminids and share it with the world? Take your best meteor shower snapshots and share them on social media and tag us! You might just inspire someone else to look up and appreciate the wonders of the cosmos. The best way to capture shooting stars is with time lapses or videos- they’re so fast, maybe only a split second, that trying to snap a shot your self is going to be hard.
So, there you have it, fellow stargazers! Get ready to witness the Geminids Meteor Shower—nature's way of wrapping up the year with a dazzling display of cosmic brilliance. Whether you're an avid astronomer or just someone who enjoys a good meteor shower, this celestial spectacle is sure to leave you starstruck. Happy meteor watching and may all your wishes come true under the twinkling tapestry of the Geminids! ?✨ My main wish is for it to be cloud free!
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New film celebrates dark sky park’s 10th anniversary
ONE of the region’s beloved tourist attractions featuring the most ‘pristine dark skies’ in England is celebrating its 10th anniversary.
Read Time
4 minutes
ONE of the region’s beloved tourist attractions featuring the most ‘pristine dark skies’ in England is celebrating its 10th anniversary.
[fulltext] =>
A major swathe of rural Northumberland was given dark skies status on December 9, 2013 by the International Dark Sky Association, which is committed to tackling light pollution.
Since then, The Northumberland International Dark Sky Park, which covers Northumberland National Park and most of Kielder Water and Forest Park, has brought wonder to thousands of visitors through dark sky experiences and £25m per year into the local economy.
To commemorate its 10th anniversary, the Northumberland International Dark Sky Partnership, which comprises tourist and parks partners, commissioned a film which talks about the importance of the dark skies and what needs to be done to protect them for the future.
Tony Gates, Chief Executive of Northumberland National Park Authority, said:
“The 10th anniversary of Northumberland International Dark Sky Park is a time to celebrate the designation but also the many guardians who have overseen the conservation of our majestic dark skies since 2013.
“Northumberland International Dark Sky Park has been a game-changer in terms of the impact it has had on Northumberland’s visitor economy, resulting in the development of new observatories, dark sky experiences and a longer visitor season in the county.
“As we look forward to the future of Northumberland International Dark Sky Park with our partners, we are committed to furthering our conservation efforts, not only in the National Park but hopefully by inspiring others, from organisations and businesses to people at home, encouraging everyone to adopt dark sky friendly lighting.
“We want people of all ages and abilities to have the opportunity to experience the health and wellbeing benefits that dark skies offer, and for nature and wildlife which rely on the dark to thrive.”
The park was deemed to have the most ‘pristine dark skies’ in England according to the CPRE (Campaign to Protect Rural England) in its Night Blight Report. On a clear night, thousands of stars can be seen, the Milky Way and even the Andromeda Galaxy (2.5 million light years away, with the naked eye.
Hannah Matterson, Operations and Marketing Director at Kielder Observatory, said: “We’ve been fortunate to welcome thousands of visitors over the years who have come to enjoy all this natural beauty. We’ll be working with our partners to continue to protect our dark skies so that future generations can star gaze and more in future.”
As part of the anniversary celebrations, Northumberland National Park is looking forward to celebrating the anniversary with the hosting of artist Bethan Maddock’s Noctalgia: Dark Skies Matter exhibition at The Sill: National Landscape Discovery Centre from December 9 to March 2024. Visitors can find more information here: https://bit.ly/3Rn3rls
The film, which can be seen here, Dark Skies 10 • Northumberland National Park, was funded by Northumberland National Park, Kielder Forest and Water Park Trust, Northumberland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Kielder Observatory.
People are also being asked to recall their fondest memories of the park and what its meant to them over the last 10 years by using the hashtag DARKSKIES10 on social media.
Here are some more Northumberland International Dark Sky Park facts:
1. The park covers 1400 km2
2. Following the building of Kielder Observatory in 2008, three more public observatories opened - Battlesteads Observatory, Stonehaugh Observatory and Twice Brewed Stargazing
3. More than 40 self-catering and accommodation providers are now accredited as ‘Dark Sky Friendly’ offering exceptional visitor experiences from their own venues. The accreditation system has been copied and emulated elsewhere across the UK since.
4. Hundreds of local businesses have attended ‘Star Tips for Profit’ training workshops, making them aware of the business potential to develop astro-tourism and to help conserve our dark skies with appropriate outside lighting.
5. In 2018, an Economic Impact Assessment was commissioned by the Dark Sky Steering Group to calculate the economic value of ‘astro’ or ‘dark sky’ tourism, which said it was valued at £25 million to the local visitor economy per year, supporting around 450 jobs
6. Northumberland IDSP is regarded as a global leader in the development of dark sky tourism, with recent invites to Mayo and Outer Hebrides to share our experience with other destinations.
7. NPA is focusing its events programme more on celebrating the value of our dark sky environment on nature recovery and our sense of health and wellbeing, as well as for stargazing
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What's Up? December 2023
It's the darkest month of the year, so let's hear from Ishbel about what you can expect from the dark skies this December
Read Time
5 minutes
It's the darkest month of the year, so let's hear from Ishbel about what you can expect from the dark skies this December
[fulltext] =>What’s up December 2023
It’s the darkest month of the year! This month the Sun only rises at 8:06 (from the latitude of Newcastle) and sets by 15:43 on December 1st, but by the end of the month its 8:31 and 15:47, so as you can see from the times the sun is beginning to set later, if only by 4 minutes. It is rising later too but for the last week in December so are most of us as well! So, let’s see what we’ve got in store this month.
Winter Solstice:
Friday 22nd December 2023 marks the shortest day of the year and the first day of Winter- yes that's right folks. Winter doesn't start until 22nd December. Though I think we can agree it's quite wintery already and I am writing to you from November. On the Winter Solstice the Sun is barely up before it goes back to sleep again. It rises at 8:29 and gets to 12 degrees above the northern horizon at 12:04 before setting at 15:40. Only 7 hours and 10 minutes of daylight, which is a whopping 10 hours 12 minutes shorter than the summer solstice.
Meteor showers:
Geminid’s peak 15th-16th December:
Gemini, the constellation from which this shower emanates from, crosses the horizon by 17:30 so you don’t even have to stay up late for this one! Pack a lot of blankets and an astronomer’s best friend: a flask of hot chocolate! This shower is one of the better one, with an average of 100+ meteors per hour. Fun fact about this shower is it does not emanate from a comet like other meteor showers (See our previous What’s up posts for more on that!) but instead this shower is caused by an Asteroid, called 3200 Patheon. Asteroids are remnants of rock from the formation of the inner solar system that missed getting picked to be a part of Planet, and orbit the Sun in a fairly circular regular orbit, in 3200 Patheon’s case 1.4 years to orbit the Sun. This is opposed to Comets which originate from the outer reaches of the Solar system and can take hundreds of years to complete their very elliptical orbits of the solar system.
Figure 1. Diagram of the Radiant point of the Geminids in the pre-midnight sky. Gemini sits to the left of Orion, the easiest constellation to spot in that region of the sky.
Constellations:
Let’s have a focus on Tauris, the Bull who graces our skies for much of the night over the month and is home to not 1 but 2 stellar clusters, both very visible and accentuated by the fact they line up nicely with Jupiter as well right now.
The Hyades and the Pleiades, both situated in the constellation Taurus, offer intriguing celestial insights. The Hyades, the nearest open cluster at approximately 153 light-years from Earth, forms a roughly spherical group of stars sharing common age, origin, chemical characteristics, and motion through space. Its brightest stars create a distinctive "V" shape, aligning with the nearby but unrelated Aldebaran, which is situated about 65 light-years away. The V shape makes up the face of the Bull. On the other hand, the Pleiades, located about 444 light-years away, is a prominent open star cluster consisting of hot, younger stars born from the same cosmic cloud of gas and dust. The Pleiades showcase not only a shared birthplace but also similar motion through space, adding to their allure in the Taurus constellation. Their position and extra luminous glow grant them the nickname “heart of the Bull”. These clusters contribute significantly to our understanding of stellar evolution and the dynamics of cosmic structures in the universe, and they are just so pretty to look at.
Figure 2: The night sky facing southeast mid-December with highlighted Stellar cluster.
Planets:
With it being so dark in the mornings now Venus is a sure spot in the morning Eastern sky, given the nickname the morning star as since it is the brightest object in the sky (Bar eventually the rising Sun). However, it is not a star but the planet Venus you are spotting.
Jupiter is in prime position throughout the night over the course of the Month as show in the previous picture. Saturn is about a wide hand spread preceding it going towards the west but get out early in the month to see it as it will be getting and further west earlier and earlier until it is engulfed by the daylight and the horizon.
Neptune sits midway between Saturn and Jupiter, and Uranus sits between Jupiter and the Pleiades, but you need binoculars or a telescope to spot those little blue dots.
Moon Phases:
5th: Half Moon
12th: New Moon
19th: Half Moon
27th: Full Moon
Clears Skies and Happy Stargazing!
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North East Culture Awards announces shortlist
Kielder Observatory’s partnership project with Novus at HIMP Northumberland nominated for top culture award!
Read Time
2 minutes
Kielder Observatory’s partnership project with Novus at HIMP Northumberland nominated for top culture award!
[fulltext] =>
We’re delighted to announce that our Look Up project with Novus at HMP Northumberland has been shortlisted for a North East Culture Award!
Funded by The Joicey Trust, Look Up saw astronomers from Kielder Observatory delivering astronomy sessions and cell-based learning resources for residents at HMP Northumberland who then worked with award-winning writer, Bridget Hamilton, to explore creative writing using astronomy as inspiration. The learners created a zine of their work, which can be viewed on our website or picked up at the observatory.
There were over 400 nominations for this year’s awards across 11 categories, demonstrating the high calibre of creative activity across the North East. Look Up has been shortlisted in the Best Arts and Business Partnership Award.
Kielder Observatory Arts Lead, Heather Woodfine said:
“Our mission is to bring the inspiration of the cosmos and night sky to everyone and this was a great new project for us – combining our usual talks on astronomy with the creative conduit of poetry, to bring the universe down to a personal level. The learners of HMP Northumberland created some sincere, expressive poems that have been collected into a terrific anthology. The project involved the work of many people from different institutions coming together to start something new, so it’s great this is being recognised.”
You can view a full list of nominee here: Finalists for the North East Culture Awards 2023 revealed - Chronicle Live
Wish us luck!
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What's Up? November 2023
We're in the heart of stargazing season now and there is plenty to be looking up at in our skies this November. Hear from Ishbel, Astronomer and Science Communicator at Kielder about what should be on your must-see list!
Read Time
4 minutes
We're in the heart of stargazing season now and there is plenty to be looking up at in our skies this November. Hear from Ishbel, Astronomer and Science Communicator at Kielder about what should be on your must-see list!
[fulltext] =>
It’s truly stargazing season, as this month the Sun sets by 16:30 on November 1st and 15:45 by November 30th. Now you can star gaze all evening and still go to sleep at a decent time! Let’s have a look at what to expect this month:
Meteor showers:
Leonid’s peak 17th-18th November:
Only one meteor shower this month after the exciting two of last month, though the weather was not on many of our sides for catching the shooting star shows. This month offers another chance, though it is not a very active shower, predicted to be approximately 10 to 15 meteors an hour. Leo, the constellation from which this shower emanates from, crosses the horizon just after midnight so you’re going to have to be committed to a cold late night for this one. Pack a lot of blankets and an astronomer’s best friend: a flask of hot chocolate! This shower has been historically known to roar, with extreme numbers of meteors recorded in the past, but the lion sleeps most years now.
Figure 1. Diagram of the Radiant point of the Leonid meteor shower, Credit; EarthSky.org
Constellations:
Orion is back, with his trusty dog Canis Major (Literal translation = Big Dog) not far behind. Sirius is the shining collar of the dog, known also as the Dog star. It is the Brightest star in our sky, and as such is an excellent bino or telescope target. Due to its brightness, we witness the diffraction of its light through our atmosphere very well, leading to it continuously flashing all the colours of the rainbow. The lower it is on the horizon the more it twinkles.
Sirius, along with Betelgeuse, and Procyon (one of the two stars that make up Canis Minor) mark the Winter triangle, and for us mark the coming of winter. Throughout the rest of the year this triangle of stars will get higher and higher every night till come spring they will have crossed over the sky and start to disappear into the daytime sky again.
Planets:
Figure 2. Screenshot taken from Stellarium of evening sky in mid-November, showing planet positions.
Saturn and Jupiter are both of great visibility throughout the month, Saturn rising first and Jupiter following. Jupiter reaches opposition on November 3rd meaning it is a fantastic opportunity for viewing and photographing as it is reaching its biggest and brightest.
To learn more about opposition see:
What is a planet in opposition? Explanation and dates | Royal Observatory (rmg.co.uk)
Between the two bright wandering stars of Jupiter and Saturn, Neptune is hiding, only visible with a strong pair of binoculars or a telescope. And trailing behind Jupiter, in between the gas giant and the Pleiades, or seven Sisters cluster, is Uranus. Uranus is also at opposition on the 13th so that is a great time to try and spot it as it’s going to be trying its very best to be bright and beautiful.
Venus is also visible but during the daytime, leading the Sun across the sky, which since the Sun is not rising till beyond 7am, we should have a good chance to see the “Morning star” this month.
Venus is not just dancing with the Sun this month though, it is also going to have a Lunar Occulation. This means it is going to pass behind the moon on the morning of the 9th November. The moon will be in its crescent phase so it should be interesting to see the planet disappear behind the illuminated side of teh moon and then pop out beyong the unilluminated side. As we've discussed before, Venus being an interior planet to us also appears to have phases and will look like a little half-moon itself. A very pretty sight to behold indeed!
Figure 3. A rare lunar occultation of Venus can be seen during the day on 9 November 2023. Venus will be showing a 58%-lit phase and appear 1/90th the apparent size of the Moon. Credit: Pete Lawrence, Sky at Night
Moon Phases:
5th November: Half moon
13th November: New Moon
20th November: Half Moon
27th November: Full Moon
Clears Skies and Happy Star-Gazing!
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Grant for observatory’s astro imaging mission
A MAJOR North East tourist attraction has secured a grant towards developing its successful astro imaging academy.
Read Time
2 minutes
A MAJOR North East tourist attraction has secured a grant towards developing its successful astro imaging academy.
[fulltext] =>
Grant for observatory’s astro imaging mission
Kielder Observatory, in Northumberland, has received £75,000 from the Mindsets + Missions programme to encourage more diverse communities to be inspired by the night sky and help people understand the universe better. The funding will be part of a programme capturing images at the observatory's Gillian Dickinson Astroimaging Academy which will then be used for knowledge and research purposes.
Catherine Johns, CEO of Kielder Observatory, who participated in a leadership programme run by Mindsets + Missions, said: “ Our existing outreach work tells us there is interest within under-represented groups but the means to participate is lacking.
"We're going to be co-creating content with them so it can empower them to participate in the generation of imagery and data to enrich academic research and further our understanding of the universe."
Mindsets + Missions is a pilot learning and grants programme designed to support museums, science centres and vibrant individuals from the sectors to realise new and creative approaches to serving their communities through inclusive, research-related projects.
The astro imaging programme at Kielder is one of 12 projects by museums and science centres across the country receiving grants totalling £827,945.
Mindsets + Missions is funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) in partnership with the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and delivered by Museums Association in partnership with The Liminal Space and the Association for Science and Discovery Centres.
Tom Saunders, head of public engagement at UKRI, said: "UKRI's ambition is to break down the barriers between research, innovation and society. We're excited to be working with these 12 organisations to explore the diverse ways that museums and science centres can open up research and innovation and connect with underrepresented groups."
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What’s up October 2023
Here's your monthly round up of what's going on in the night skies. Ishbel Carlyle talks us through October's highlights.
Read Time
4 minutes
Here's your monthly round up of what's going on in the night skies. Ishbel Carlyle talks us through October's highlights.
[fulltext] =>
Meteor showers:
Not one but two meteor showers this month! The Draconids and the Orionids
Draconids peak 8th-9th October:
Due to the radiant point- the point in the sky which all the shooting stars seem to radiate from, being so high up this show is best viewed in the early evening just after sunset whilst the constellation is high in the sky. It can be quite a quiet shower, maybe ten per hour estimations say, but it has been known to be much more active, so fingers crossed! The Moon will only be 22% illuminated so will not interfere with viewing.
Orionids peak 21st-22nd October:
Around midnight this shower should kick off, just as the moon sets- talk about perfect timing. This should be a bigger shower than the Draconids, ten to twenty an hour. The Orionids have also been known to produce quite a few fireballs, so named because they look like balls of fire. These are particularly large meteors and so create a more bright and brilliant show. You can sometimes even see them breaking up in the atmosphere, a streak followed by remnant flashes. Fun Fact: the meteors from this shower come from the tail of the famous Halley’s comet. It’s not returning to our skies until 2061 so this is as close as you’ll get for a while.
Constellations:
The summer triangle is setting, and the Winter constellations are coming back – namely my favourite Orion is coming back, by the end of the month he’ll be fully up by x time.
Orion is a lovely constellation to point your binoculars or telescope at, full of interesting stars: His left shoulder, the media famous Betelgeuse: a gloriously red supergiant star near the end of its life. It is over 16 times the mass of our sun, and maybe as much as 2000 times as wide so when it dies it won’t be going quietly, it will be a supernova explosion that will light up our night sky (if it goes during the night) like the full moon, and will remain visible to the naked eye in the sky for two or three month before fading to being a fantastic bino and telescope object for the rest of our lives. The chances of this happening in our lifetimes are the same as winning the Euromillions, anywhere between the next few years, or the next one hundred thousand years. His right foot is the gorgeous and bright Rigel, the 6th brightest star in the sky and a stark contrast in colour to Betelgeuse. It is a about the same age, eight million years old, but is just at the beginning of the end as a blue supergiant, one day becoming red like Betelgeuse once it cools down. This colour change, however, will take millions of years.
In his sword is a wonderful bright nebula, not just a single star but a birthplace of stars. A stellar nursery. The closest one to earth at around one thousand five hundred light years away. In the darkest conditions it is easily visible to the naked eye.
If you want to learn more about Orion’s origins and its stars cultural relevant throughout history and continents check out: Figures in the Sky (visualcinnamon.com)
Planets:
Saturn and Jupiter both of great visibility throughout the month, Saturn rising first and Jupiter following. Between them Uranus is hiding, only visible with a strong pair of binoculars or a telescope.
Venus is also visible, but during the daytime, leading the Sun across the sky.
Moon Phases:
6th October- Half Moon
14th October - New Moon
22nd October- Half Moon
28th October- Full Moon
Partial Lunar Eclipse:
Beginning around 7pm and ending 11.30pm the full moon will be partially hidden by the Earth's shadow. It will only be maximum 12% covered so it's not a brilliant show but it is still a worthwhile reason to look up, given that the next full lunar eclipse we'll get to witness from the UK will be in 2090. The next two diagrams show how the shadow, known as the umbra, can cross the moon, and what the eclipse will look like as seen from Newcastle area 21:44.
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Here's your monthly round up of what's going on in the night skies. Ishbel Carlyle talks us through October's highlights.
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North East skies alight with colourful aurora
Photographers across the North East were lucky enough to capture a beautiful aurora on the 13th September as dark skies glimmered pink, yellow and green.
Read Time
2 minutes
Photographers across the North East were lucky enough to capture a beautiful aurora on the 13th September as dark skies glimmered pink, yellow and green.
[fulltext] =>
Staff and volunteers at Kielder Observatory in Northumberland were among many who photographed the aurora borealis as it illuminated parts of the North East and beyond.
Image: Northern Lights captured by Kielder Observatory volunteer Michael Auton
Dan Pye, Director of Astronomy and Science Communication at the observatory said:
"It was thought that the peak of activity would be in the afternoon, but it came back again throughout the night until around four am. It was a rare treat to have such a colourful display, but they do happen.
"It happens when there have been ejections of material from the sun that enter Earth's magnetic field and interact with gases in our atmosphere. During the equinox, or close to it, we can get stronger aurora which have more chance of being seen from the UK as happened the other night.
"If the weathers clear, it's best to be on standby for such occasions and keep an eye on aurora hunting websites and social media channels."
Image: Nothern Lights captured by Kielder Observatory volunteer Julie Winn at Sycamore Gap in Northumberland
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Photographers across the North East were lucky enough to capture a beautiful aurora on the 13th September as dark skies glimmered pink, yellow and green.
)
Frank's Fellowship Round Two Concludes
The second round of Frank's Fellowship concluded on 25th August with a visit to the observatory by the particpants to share their work and meet each other.
Read Time
3 minutes
The second round of Frank's Fellowship concluded on 25th August with a visit to the observatory by the particpants to share their work and meet each other.
[fulltext] =>
Friday 25th August saw the final visit to Kielder Observatory by Eve, Jessica and Elizabeth as part of our Frank's Fellowship arts bursary.
At the beginning of summer we opened applications for our final round of Frank's Fellowship arts bursary. Those successful would receive £250 each towards art supplies and access costs to Kielder over the summer 2023, the bursary was open to all young artists aged 14-18 resident in Northumberland, with funding kindly donated by the Fortescue family in memory of their relative Frank Fortescue. Recipients this year were Jessica Hillsley, Elizabeth Hedley, Eve Macdonald and Georgia Hutchinson.
The successful applicants were then invited to visit the observatory on the evening of Friday 25th August to meet each other and share the artwork they had created over the summer, exploring new creative processes and the inspiration of Kielder and the observatory. One participant was unable to attend due to illness but we had three fantastic, original pieces of art brought along by three talented artists. Jessica had created a bespoke night sky-inspired dress showcasing a wide range of textiles skills, featuring a moon centrepiece and a black cloak flush with constellations. Elizabeth brought with her a brilliant painting of the observatory, featuring the red light of the Sir Pat turret glowing in the night sky and an astronaut floating into the cosmos above. Eve had painted and constructed an atmospheric, unique diorama featuring a traditional painter's box with a painting of moonlit Kielder and a figure capturing the moment.
Elizabeth Hedley said: “I absolutely loved visiting the observatory because I learned a lot about our solar system and the wider universe. This inspired my acrylic painting, which symbolises the feeling of being in space while still grounded in the observatory. The bursary has allowed me to buy oil painting supplies and an easel, and I'm excited to start learning this medium. I can't thank you enough for this experience as it has helped me so much with my artwork.”
Jessica Hillsley said “This experience allowed me to explore techniques that I don't use as much in my school textiles and gain confidence in creating larger-scale pieces.”
Well done to all the recipients and best of luck with your future studies and creative journey. This second round concludes our Frank's Fellowship programme, but there are plenty more arts projects around the corner, so watch this space!
By Heather Woodfine
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)
Look Up! Project at HMP Northumberland
Joicey Trust enables an astronomy outreach and poetry project with learners at HMP Northumberland
Read Time
5 minutes
Joicey Trust enables an astronomy outreach and poetry project with learners at HMP Northumberland
[fulltext] =>
A project has been underway this year seeing Kielder Observatory astronomers and local creative practitioner Bridget Hamilton visit HMP Northumberland to bring the inspiration of the cosmos to residents of the prison.
Our charitable mission is to create opportunities for people of all backgrounds and abilities to experience moments of inspiration and hope through observing the cosmos. We believe directly observing the universe by looking up at night is the pivotal experience that sparks this learning and transformational moment, but we recognise that not all have access to unpolluted nights skies. Our outreach work in urban or deprived communities, and with other marginalised or vulnerable people, helps further our goal to share the awe and insight that learning about the universe can bring to everyone’s lives.
The Joicey Trust has funded a pilot project to bring this inspiration of astronomy to the residents of HMP Northumberland located 10 miles north of Morpeth. Working with Novus, who provide education and support services to people in custody, and the education team at the prison, we arranged our first visits in March and May. Two of our astronomers, Finn and Ishbel, gave an in-depth cosmology presentation to two groups, taking learners on a tour to the far reaches of the universe. Response from the groups was enthusiastic with lots of in-depth questions, and interest in further sessions. We delivered two factsheet booklets written by our astronomers, on the topics of the solar system and the aurora borealis, for further independent reading.
Then, local creative producer Bridget Hamilton delivered a series of interactive workshops over six weeks to explore poetry on the subjects of stargazing and understanding our place in the world. The learners used creative writing to explore their responses to astronomy and put into words their feelings and hopes. In recent years we have explored a few different ways of incorporating the creative arts in astronomy learning such as photography, fine art, dance and creative writing. The infinite inspiration of our universe can catalyse beautiful art, and the creative world can be a more welcoming door into STEM learning for those who may have negative preconceptions about science education. This format also has the benefit of supporting literacy skills and collaborative working skills. What learners have said:
“My favourite activity was using the poems Bridget read to spark my imagination to write my own poems. The programme has given me something to look forward to weekly.”
“Session four for me was my favourite; light - as I was taken back in time to a very happy memory”.
The writings of the groups have been collated into a Zine, including a thoughtful poem by Bridget the summarises the experience, this is now in print and available at the observatory.
Finally, another visit from our astronomers Ishbel and Ellie will set the learners away with an array of resources for independent learning, book recommendations and helping the groups set up on Zooniverse. This is a portal that allows anyone to contribute to citizen science projects - where simple data analysis can help further our latest research in space science.
We hope to build on the work of this project to do further collaboration with Novus and at HMP Northumberland and bring the inspiration of the dark skies of Kielder and science education to new audiences. We’ll leave you with a poem that was created for us by Bridget Hamilton, reflecting her time working on the project, we hope you enjoy it:
Taking the Stars Inside
with thanks to learners at HMP Northumberland
I collect the stars from Kielder Forest
driving two miles down a single-track road
to the observatory.
I fill my pockets,
fold hot stars into the pages of poems
and later, pour them into grey trays
to be searched for banned substances.
It depends on your block, they tell me.
Whether in those nights of frantic, broken sleep
you see floodlights or galaxies.
Sat around a table in a room lined with barbers’ chairs,
we unpick constellations dot by dot,
drawing million-mile lines between them and us,
likening the universe to an hourglass
where we are all, I guess, doing time.
One man describes a night at camp
where the stars felt so close
it was as if they hung on strings.
Another, our resident philosopher,
describes knowledge as
a justified belief -
that the impact something makes
is what makes it real.
Like all of the astronomers before us,
these men are trying to find order
in the chaos.
And as we work, an oystercatcher,
unfazed by the barbed wire,
makes her yearly nest
in the drain outside the education block;
the chicks, the lads say
look like tennis balls with legs,
the eggs white
but speckled black, as if with interstellar dust.
I guess I thought
people who had experienced such darkness
might try to steal your light,
not knowing you can take it to them
and become brighter,
burning up as you enter
their atmosphere
And though very few would consider themselves free
And though when they watch the stars they are looking back
light years into their past,
there’s a sense that it also gives them
a future
that is free
for them to imagine.
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Joicey Trust enables an astronomy outreach and poetry project with learners at HMP Northumberland
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What's Up? September 2023
Welcome to another addition to What's Up? with a look at September with Astronomer, Rosie Braunholtz! Let's hope the weather will be better than it was for July or August and we can do some actual stargazing...
Read Time
5 minutes
Welcome to another addition to What's Up? with a look at September with Astronomer, Rosie Braunholtz! Let's hope the weather will be better than it was for July or August and we can do some actual stargazing...
[fulltext] =>
What's Up? September
September is a wonderful time to be stargazing, as it's getting truly dark. Instead of the handful of hours of night that we got in August, we're starting to get 6-8 hours of darkness. And it should be fairly mild weather still, so you won't be shivering even if you do spend the entire evening outside. You also won't be having to stay up until silly o'clock as it will get nice and dark by 9/10pm.
Milky Way
So, what's good to see up in the night sky? First of all the Milky Way! Our own galaxy is at its highest in the sky in May and June, where the galactic centre is more visible than normal, but because it barely gets dark during these summer months the Milky Way is hidden. By September, with its dark nights and the Milky Way still being at a high altitude, it is a great time to view it.
Constellations
As the year goes by the sky is slowly moving from our summer constellations to the autumnal ones. The Pleiades also known as the Seven Sisters in Taurus is becoming quite visible now. We are starting to see the glorious constellation of Orion, destined to become the centrepiece of our winter nights, rising just below Taurus in the east.
However, we still see the Summer Triangle, the heart of the summer night sky: Vega, Deneb and Altair high up in the south as darkness falls and making its ways towards the west during the month. Later on in the evening, the Summer Triangle will make way for the Square of Pegasus and Andromeda.
Andromeda Galaxy
At midnight the Andromeda galaxy will be sitting around 70 degrees above the horizon. Objects are always better to view if they are high up as there is less atmosphere for the light to get through. So, if you've got a pair of binoculars or a small telescope that's sitting in the attic, this month is a great time to whip them out, go into the garden and try and get a glimpse of our closest galaxy (which is still a hefty 2.5 million years away!) If you live in a place with really dark skies, you'll be able to make out the small oval glow of the Andromeda Galaxy with your naked eye. Here's how to find it:
Image 1: How to find Andromeda Constellation. Credit: Stellarium
Firstly, try and find Cassiopea- the big 'W' towards the east. Using the two stars on the right side of the 'W', line them up and follow the line down until you hit the first bright star. This is Almach, one of the stars of the Andromeda constellations.
Image 2: How to find Andromeda Galaxy. Credit: Stellarium
Planets
Jupiter and Saturn, our two big gas giants, are rising earlier and earlier. By the middle of September you should be able to see Saturn by 8pm and Jupiter by 9pm.
Jupiter is currently sitting in Aries and Saturn in Aquarius. Both are visible to the naked eye. But those with binoculars or a small telescope can really be treated to their beauty. Saturn, arguably the most photogenic planet, has its characteristic icy rings, visible from earth. We believe the rings might only be around another 100 million years or so- so get a quick look before it's too late! Saturn will have passed opposition at the end of August, meaning it will still be slightly closer, brighter and larger at the beginning of September than at other times of the year.
I should also mention that Neptune (currently in Pisces) the last planet in our solar system will be in opposition on September 19th. It will be brighter then at any other time of year and is visible through the night. However, you'll need a telescope with a fairly large aperture.
Jupiter, the largest planet, is over 1000 x bigger than Earth but it rotates about once every 10 hours. Because of this, there are massive winds and storms which cause these colourful bands to appear and famously, its red spot.
If you can keep your binoculars stable enough, you should be able to see the four Galilean moons of Jupiter which move around the planet every few days. The closest moon is Io, which has an orbit of 1.8 Earth days. You can often see Io's shadow on the surface of Jupiter when it's in transit. The first transit of Io in September which is visible at night in the UK will be Wednesday September 6th at 01:00 UT, but the shadow will be visible from about an hour before then.
You can find out the transition times of all Jupiter's Galilean moons, Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto using this website: https://skyandtelescope.org/wp-content/plugins/observing-tools/jupiter_moons/jupiter.html
Image 3: Jupiter with transiting moons. Credit: Damian Peach.
Moon Phases
Lastly, here are the moon phases and also other astronomical events which might be of interest to astrophotographers:
- 1st September- Moon between Jupiter and Saturn
- 4th September- Moon is near Jupiter
- 6th September- Moon last quarter
- 15th September- New Moon
- 22nd September- Moon first quarter; Mercury at greatest western elongation- best time is shortly before sunrise
- 23rd September- Autumn Equinox, best time to try and photograph the zodiacal light
- 29th September- Harvest full moon
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Welcome to another addition to What's Up? with a look at September with Astronomer, Rosie Braunholtz! Let's hope the weather will be better than it was for July or August and we can do some actual stargazing...
)
What's Up? August 2023
Welcomne to your monthly guide on what astronomical objects you can find in the skies this August!
Read Time
4 minutes
Welcomne to your monthly guide on what astronomical objects you can find in the skies this August!
[fulltext] =>
What's Up? August 2023
Astronomer and Science Communicator Ishbel Carlyle talks us through what we can see in the skies this August, and there's plenty to keep your telescopes busy...
Astronomical darkness returns! We get official “night” come August 6th when the Sun will dip low enough beyond the horizon to make it dark enough to be worthy of the definition of night.
And it’s a good thing too, because in August we have the Perseid meteor shower! So, what is a meteor shower and why is this one Perseids?
Meteor showers are made up of little bits of space rock entering our atmosphere really fast, so fast that they can ignite the air around them, just like when you strike a match and get the spark before the flame, and the result is a bright light flashing across the sky. These are what we call Shooting Stars! Which is a big misnomer as they are actually really little. On average the size of rock coming through our atmosphere is the size of a grain of sand, the bigger flashes maybe produced by rock up to a tennis ball in size, so no need to worry about being hit by one. Space rocks can land on Earth but that’s a story for a different day. Meteors can be sporadic, coming in randomly, but meteor showers are caused by something special. They come from the tails of comets. A comet is a large ball of rock and ice that orbit in huge elliptic (oval) motions around our solar system, sometimes going from beyond Neptune to the inner solar system. Of course, this takes hundreds to thousands of years. As a comet orbits around the Sun, it does what most things that are ice do, it melts, and deposits a trail of rocks behind it. We then orbit into this trail, usually on a yearly basis. I’ve found a diagram to show this.
Figure 1. Image credit kqed.org
So why are they called the Perseids? If you look up a list of meteor showers you will hopefully start to recognise that their names coincide with names of constellations. This is because, as the meteors are all approaching from the same direction as the Earth goes through the comet trail, the patch of the sky they go through is the same year on year and seems to emanate from one direction known as the radiant point. Since the sky is a jigsaw of constellations, which ever constellation the radiant point lines up with is the showers name. Now all you need to do is find the constellation, lie back, and count the “stars” streaming across the sky. The Perseids is a particularly good shower as it can produce up to one hundred shooting stars an hour! And this year we are in luck as the peak (August 13th) falls on the run up to New Moon (August 16th) so there will a completely dark sky.
Figure 2. A night sky map looking northeast throughout August.
Speaking of moons, the other exciting night sky feature August is offering is not just one but two Full moons. That’s right- a Blue Moon! A Blue Moon is the second full moon in one month, as usually since the lunar cycle is about 28 days long there is only one full moon every month. This month we’ve got a full moon on the 1st and the 31st. Unfortunately, this means a Blue Moon is not actually blue, it is just like any other full moon.
Happy stargazing!
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What's Up? July 2023
We hear from Astronomer and Science Communicator, Ishbel Carlyle, who takes us through what you could see in the skies this July.
Read Time
3 minutes
We hear from Astronomer and Science Communicator, Ishbel Carlyle, who takes us through what you could see in the skies this July.
[fulltext] =>
What's Up? July 2023
So, we are past the summer solstice- the longest day and so shortest night of the year. The nights are getting longer and darker! By the end of the month the Sun will be setting by 9.11pm and not rising until 5:13am. We won’t be experiencing Astronomical darkness until we get into August as the Sun still skirts the northern horizon however this means we are deep in noctilucent cloud season.
Noctilucent clouds- noctilucent translating as “night shining”- are a phenomenon caused by clouds of ice crystals and debris being lit by the Sun from beyond the horizon. The clouds sit about 80km up in the atmosphere so if you are situated between 45 and 80 degrees north on Earth you get treated to a beautiful display of glowing bright wispy clouds. I’ve made a little diagram to help explain, and we’ve also got a beautiful picture of these twilight joys over Kielder reservoir taken by one of our astronomers, Liam Reid, this past month.
Figure 1. Diagram showing how high up clouds of ice and dust from meteors and space junk in our atmosphere can be illuminated in the night sky by the Sun in Summer. Ishbel Carlyle
Figure 2. Photograph of Noctilucent clouds over Kielder reservoir in June 2023. Liam Reid.
So, besides bright clouds and light nights what have we got? Well, the full Moon this month occurs on the 3rd and the new moon happens on the 17th. Venus is still up and shining, following the Sun across the sky- a real post sunset treat to see. Due to its interior position to us, Venus experiences phases just like the moon and is becoming a crescent shape so a good telescope target. The next two best planets to see with a telescope or even just binoculars are also coming back to grace us with their presence in the pre-sunrise sky. Saturn and Jupiter are on their way! By the end of the month Saturn will be visible well before midnight, and Jupiter will be just popping over the north-eastern horizon by this time.
And finally, the Perseids meteor shower is building up. However, the peak isn’t until august 12th - 13th so more on that next month but don’t be surprised if you see a few more shooting stars!
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We hear from Astronomer and Science Communicator, Ishbel Carlyle, who takes us through what you could see in the skies this July.
)
Best-selling author in observatory naming honour
A best-selling author whose love of the Northumberland dark skies is often reflected in her suspense-filled novels has officially renamed part of a major tourist attraction.
Read Time
3 minutes
A best-selling author whose love of the Northumberland dark skies is often reflected in her suspense-filled novels has officially renamed part of a major tourist attraction.
[fulltext] =>
Best-selling author in observatory naming honour
A best-selling author whose love of the Northumberland dark skies is often reflected in her suspense-filled novels has officially renamed part of a major tourist attraction.
LJ Ross, a keen champion of the North East, was chosen by supporters of Kielder Observatory to unveil the newly named Caroline Herschel Turret in a ceremony which celebrated women in science.
The turret has been renamed to honour the British astronomer, Caroline, who was the first woman to receive a salary as a scientist and who discovered several comets. Alongside her brother, William, who was Court Astronomer to George III, they uncovered more than 2,400 astronomical objects over 20 years. Caroline was later awarded a gold medal from the Royal Astronomical Society and was elected an Honorary Member in 1835 for her pioneering work.
Said LJ Ross: "The Dark Sky area is a place that carries a special significance for me. The magical Kielder Forest and its stunning observatory have played a huge part in nurturing my fascination of the night sky and has inspired my writing and career- both as the location for my 2017 DCI Ryan mystery Dark Skies, which was a #1 bestseller in the UK, and as the name of my publishing house, Dark Skies Publishing.
"I was extremely honoured to be invited to officially rename the turret and particularly enthused by their decision to pay tribute to such an inspirational and iconic figure. Beyond her many contributions to astronomy, Caroline Herschel was a trailblazer of women's rights who battled against prejudice her whole life to earn her rightful place among her peers. I can't think of a more fitting homage to one of astronomy's pioneering female heroes."
The ceremony formed part of celebrations for the observatory's 15th anniversary. The charity now puts on more than 700 events per year, carries out extensive outreach projects in schools across the North East and attracts around 20,000 visitors per year.
Hannah Matterson, Director of Operations and Marketing at Kielder Observatory, said:
"We're an organisation which actively supports women in STEM and we love to inspire the next generation to get involved in astronomy and science. Caroline Herschel was one of the most prominent female scientists in the country in the late 1700s, and she seemed the perfect person to name our second turret after and to celebrate her contribution to science.
"LJ Ross's name came up again and again when we asked our supported who should officially rename the turret. We know she has a love of the dark skies around Northumberland and is passionate about the North East, as we are. We're so pleased she would be with us for the ceremony."
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A best-selling author whose love of the Northumberland dark skies is often reflected in her suspense-filled novels has officially renamed part of a major tourist attraction.
)
Every Child Deserves Stars
Education Lead, Adam Shore, reflects on Kielder Observatory's educational outreach programmes and what the future holds
Read Time
3 minutes
Education Lead, Adam Shore, reflects on Kielder Observatory's educational outreach programmes and what the future holds
[fulltext] =>Every Child Deserves Stars
Over the past few years, Kielder Observatory has proudly embarked on several educational projects, aiming to inspire and engage young minds across the North East. As we look back on the previous years, we are delighted to see how far we have come and excited about the journey ahead.
Two notable projects, both concluding in March 2023, include a partnership with schools across the North of Tyne Combined Authority and our innovative "From STEM to Stars" programme, funded by The Reece Foundation. Despite the inevitable adaptations required due to the pandemic, our commitment to engaging pupils with STEM remained steadfast. As a result, we've accomplished over 43,000 pupil engagements from around 180 schools through a combination of online sessions, in-person workshops, and interactive sessions in our inflatable planetarium under the North of Tyne contract.
Running concurrently over the last year, the second phase of our From STEM to Stars project, initiated in Spring 2022, successfully introduced astronomy, engineering, and other STEM fields to over 7,000 students from 44 different schools. Through a unique blend of studying the Carrington Event, a historical solar superstorm, we provided students with a tangible context for STEM subjects. Additionally, we established 41 Star Groups, after-school astronomy clubs that provided safe, inclusive spaces where over 900 students continued their education and exploring the cosmos.
As we venture into the next phase of our educational journey, we are currently delivering a pilot of our new initiative, "Bold Futures", funded by Association of Science and Discovery Centres, Museums Association and Liminal Space. This programme is specifically designed for children who are at risk of exclusion from mainstream education. We seek to harness the awe-inspiring power of astronomy to ignite their interest in STEM and unlock the life opportunities that come with studying these subjects.
Recognising the unique challenges faced by these children, we are committed to developing a programme tailored to their needs. In partnership with Jackie Edwards, a creative practitioner based in the North East, our ambition is to build a comprehensive, scalable programme that not only inspires excluded children but also contributes to reducing future exclusions.
At Kielder Observatory, we firmly believe that everyone should have the opportunity to look up at the night sky and feel a connection to the cosmos. Our mission is to ensure that no child falls by the wayside due to circumstances beyond their control. Our ongoing projects represent steps towards ensuring a more inclusive and accessible future - a future where every child, regardless of their background or challenges, can dream about the stars and witness a universe of possibilities unfolding before them.
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Education Lead, Adam Shore, reflects on Kielder Observatory's educational outreach programmes and what the future holds
)
Culture Recovery Fund Evaluation Report Published By DCMS
Kielder Observatory recognises the value of Government Culture Recovery Fund
Read Time
2 minutes
Kielder Observatory recognises the value of Government Culture Recovery Fund
[fulltext] =>Culture Recovery Fund Evaluation Report Published By DCMS
Culture creates jobs, supports livelihoods, and brings joy to everyone. The UK leads the world in the creative industries and we can all feel pride in that.
As one of the recipients of the Government's Culture Recovery Fund, we are happy to see that a new, independent report has revealed that the Government's unprecedented £1.57 billion package of emergency cultural funding during the pandemic was delivered efficiently, helping support nearly 220,000 jobs and 5,000 organisations.
This groundbreaking funding not only allowed cultural organisations to reopen after coronavirus, but also empowered them to come back stronger. The evaluation found that once organisations were able to reopen as normal, they often did so with a new and improved offering thanks to the support they received from the Culture Recovery Fund, which was delivered in partnership with Arts Council England, the British Film Institute, The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Historic England.
For Kielder Observatory it:
- Allowed us to invest in the maintenance and upkeep of the Observatory buildings with significant improvements being made to the Gillian Dickinson Astro-Imaging Academy.
- Allowed us to safely reopen the Observatory with refreshed safety signage and markers, sanitation supplies and PPR for staff.
- Allowed us to invest time in digital outputs, particularly putting staff time into our podcast and AR app which is now published.
- Allowed us to complete refresher training events, and health and safety before we opened as the staff had been away from their usual roles for several months.
- Allowed us to take advantage of some publicity opportunities that we would not have been able to without the grant.
- Allowed us to maintain regular payments to service providers.
#HereForCulture is a movement that unites the public, government and cultural organisations in support of our fantastic cinemas, theatres music venues, museums, galleries and heritage.
By being #HereForCulture, we aren't just supporting the people in the industry, we're also supporting communities across the country.
You can read more about the report here: Culture Recovery Fund evaluation report
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Kielder Observatory recognises the value of Government Culture Recovery Fund
)
Frank's Fellowship Round Two Opens
Calling all young Northumberland artists
Read Time
2 minutes
Calling all young Northumberland artists
[fulltext] =>
Applications now open for Frank's Fellowship
Calling all young Northumberland artists!
We are delighted to announce applications are now open for round two of our arts bursary scheme Frank’s Fellowship.
Frank’s Fellowship will support young artists in Northumberland aged 14-18 to develop work inspired by Kielder Observatory. Each artist will receive a bursary of £250 plus access to Kielder Observatory to help with their work. We would encourage anyone eligible to apply and are keen to see the diversity of young artists the region has to offer. There are no restrictions on your artform, you do not need to be formally studying your preferred artform, and we’d actively encourage everyone from visual artists to musicians, dancers to digital artists and all those in between to apply!
It is established in memory of Frank Fortescue, who loved nothing more than being in the forest and loved the night sky.
Applicants must be aged between 14 and 18 and resident in any part of Northumberland. It is not required that they are studying art or design at school or college. The bursary can be used to cover materials, travel to Kielder and other expenses.
No outcome is necessarily expected - while the creation of work is welcomed, this is a development opportunity for young people to experience new inspiration for their artistic practice.
To see a summary of round one recipients and their work achieved, take a look here: https://kielderobservatory.org/news/latest-news/246-frank-s-fellowship-supports-artists-night-sky-inspiration
Sarah, one of the 2022 cohort, said: “I was so grateful to receive the fellowship. It allowed me to buy new art materials and explore new approaches to being creative. I really enjoyed visiting the observatory and exploring its interrelationship with the landscape and the sky, which inspired my mixed media painting.”
To enter the 2023 round, all you have to do to apply is submit up to 300 words or a 2-minute video describing what this opportunity would mean to you. Application form here: https://forms.gle/NEFynQES8kxpxZGRA, application deadline is Sunday 30th April. Successful applicants will be able to attend a Fellowship day at the Observatory, have access to Observatory events for themselves and a legal guardian (subject to ticket availability) and be connected to the Observatory's professional artist network.
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Calling all young Northumberland artists
)
Bold Futures Grants Announcement
Bold Futures Grants awarded to seven Science and Discovery Centres across the UK- and we're one of them!
Read Time
3 minutes
Bold Futures Grants awarded to seven Science and Discovery Centres across the UK- and we're one of them!
[fulltext] =>
The Association for Science and Discovery Centres, the Museums Association and The Liminal Space have collaborated on a new national STEM engagement programme: Bold Futures. This project builds on the Inspiring Science Fund and the Science and Discovery Centre Futures report by The Liminal Space, commissioned by Wellcome as ISF legacy.
Bold Futures brings together a science centre cohort of activity champions for community representation and public engagement. The programme aims to undertake values-led work that involved underrepresented audiences and explores how this can affect future purpose and financial sustainability.
As part of Bold Futures, ASDC is facilitating capacity building grants of £10,000-£25,000 across the science and discovery centre network. We are delighted to announce that seven organisations from across the UK have been awarded grants to deliver thier own Bold Futures programme, starting January 2023.
"At an ongoing time of uncertainty and challenge for science centres and museums, our purpose-driven members are steadfast in their vision for a more equitable and sustainable future for science and science engagement in the UK. Through this programme, we are both humbled and delighted to be able to support these seven members along their journey." - Shaaron Leverment- Chief Executive, ASDC.
The seven selected organisations are:
- Armargh Observatory and Planetarium, Northern Ireland
- Cambridge Science Centre
- Centre for Alternative Technology, Wales
- Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh
- Kielder Observatory
- Science Oxford
- Wonderseekers, Winchester Science Centre
The successful projects represent a diverse mix of public engagement, involving and collaborating with specific chosen community partners to increase their opportunities to engage with STEM. These include collaborating with local underrepresented audiences such as SEN groups, excluded children, and children and families from socio-economically deprived areas. Each programme contains a strong element of co-creation with the chosen community group, with the aim to develop programmes that meet the needs and interests of these groups, leading to broader audiences overall and longer term sustainability and resilience for the organisations.
"We at Wellcome are thrilled that the Inspiring Science Fund was able to offer these legacy grants through the Bold Futures scheme, to enable more of the UK's amazing science and discovery centres to develop their engagement offers and relationships with lcoal communities and underserved audiences.
There was a fantastic range of applications for these grants which made the decisions on which programmes to fund very difficult, but we believe that these seven centres will make lasting impact by enabling positive changes for the future for their organisations and audiences alike.
Congratulations to all the awardees; I look forward to seeing how your ideas progress." - Sarah Dellar- Culture & Society Manager at Wellcome.
For more information on each of the Bold Futures programme please visit the ASDC website
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Bold Futures Grants awarded to seven Science and Discovery Centres across the UK- and we're one of them!
)
The Women of Kielder Observatory lead the way
Kielder Observatory celebrates success from the WIN Awards 2022!
Read Time
2 minutes
Kielder Observatory celebrates success from the WIN Awards 2022!
[fulltext] =>
Lessons in Leadership
We had a great night at the recent WIN Awards - winning the Women in STEM Award and being highly commended for the Leadership Award. Our CEO writes some lessons in leadership and culture in this blog. In essence, leaders don't suddenly emerge fully-formed, it's the work of a lifetime and anyone can be a great leader.
1. Study
Immerse yourself in stories of leadership as much as you can, books, podcasts, conference talks, and so much more. You don't have to learn everything from scratch.
2. Be you
Except, of course, that you do have to learn everything from scratch because you can only be the leader that you can be. Self-awareness, understanding what impact you have on others is critical. Being comfortable with who you are, while striving to always do better, allows everyone else to do the same.
3. Set the example
We're all human and we have good days and bad days. But overall, be clear on the culture, values and behaviours you expect in the organisation, and be a good example of them.
4. Don't expect steady state
Ever. Everyday, you'll be managing change, sometimes major, often minor. Your antennae should always be working - what does the team need, what does the organisation need? Develop those instincts, reflect on your development.
5. Leave a good wake
Try and leave a good wake behind you. I'm driven by a belief that, if you have talent it should be put into service, in a way that positively affects others.
6. Collaborate
Create and nurture a supportive network and culture, it is instrumental to being a successful leader. It's about how we work together as best we can - that's my leadership style. I will make the final decision but it's a consensus-led organisation.
Last thought...
Contrary to popular belief, it is not lonely at the top. One of the team asked if I thought being a CEO was isolating and I said not in the least. But you must have people around whom you trust, not just to do their job, but to put the effort in with you to develop an open, collaborate culture.
You can see all of the WIN Awards 2022 winners here
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Kielder Observatory celebrates success from the WIN Awards 2022!
)
Welcome Accolade awarded to Kielder Observatory
We are delighted to share the news that Kielder Observatory has been awarded a VisitEngland Welcome accolade.
Read Time
2 minutes
We are delighted to share the news that Kielder Observatory has been awarded a VisitEngland Welcome accolade.
[fulltext] =>VisitEngland has announced the 2021-2022 winners of its Visitor Attraction Accolades highlighting the quality and diversity of visitor experiences on offer across the country... and we're one of them!
Kielder Observatory has been awarded a VisitEngland Welcome accolade as a testament to the high standards achieved, which the assessors felt were truly deserving of recognition.
We are in excellent company with our Northumberland friends at Roman Army Museum, The Vindolanda Trust and The Alnwick Garden who have all received accolades.
The winning attractions have gained the accolades based on scores received following their annual VisitEngland Visitor Attraction Quality Scheme assessments. Marks were allocated to the 97 attractions for the outstanding experiences they provide to visitors across categories including Welcome, Best Told Story, Quality Food and Drink, Hidden Gem and Gold for overall winners.
VisitEngland Director Andrew Stokes said:
"It's so exciting to see our brilliant attractions providing experiences for visitors and to recognise and showcase the variety and quality across the country.
England has unmissable visitor attractions and experiences that deliver world-class customer service. They also provide the warmest of welcomes and unforgettable storytelling that connects the whole experience, including retail and food and drink offers that exceed expectations."
Introduced in 2014, the accolades are available to VisitEngland's Visitor Attraction Quality Scheme participants across a wide range of tourism experiences in England from museums and galleries, farm attractions, historic houses and gardens to churches, cathedrals and country parks. Participating attractions are supported by a network of highly trained experienced assessors who advise them on improving and promoting the quality, accessibility and sustainability of their offer.
Wee the full list of attractions to recieve VisitEngland 2021-2022 Visitor Attraction Accolades here.
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We are delighted to share the news that Kielder Observatory has been awarded a VisitEngland Welcome accolade.
)
Crowdfunding campaign launched for new wind turbine
We’re putting our energy into this campaign...
Read Time
2 minutes
We’re putting our energy into this campaign...
[fulltext] =>
Kielder Observatory needs a new wind turbine!
As we reach our 15th year as an outreach observatory, our fantastic site has faced all the elements, and it's taken its toll on our wind turbine. We are completely off-grid with our energy supply, and we rely on a wind turbine to help keep the observatory running- it is invaluable to our organisation.
That's why we're crowdfunding to raise over £30,000 to buy a new one.
Our new wind turbine will help us deliver over 700 events every year, improve the work we do and engage more people with the dark skies and provide memorable moments. It will enable us to continue to provide the best experience for visitors, ensuring they get the opportunity to explore the Dark Skies above Northumberland, reaching new audiences to give them their own 'Kielder Moment'.
Being based in Kielder Forest, we want to minimise any environmental impact- our wind turbine allows us to do this. It means we use a renewable energy source as well as having minimal impact on the amazing wildlife and landscape we are surrounded by. Without it, we would need to install a power supply which would cause disruption to the area. This will keep our energy costs low and we can invest our money into engaging more people with astronomy.
We pride ourselves on offering visitors the best experience we can, and we hope that those who have made the trip to us in the past, will help us sustain our observatory for the future.
Any pledge towards our target is much appreciated and we know not everyone is able to donate at this time. You can donate as little as £2 via our project page, and if you're not able to do that but do wish to support our campaign, then you can share our page on social media and encourage your friends and family to do the same!
Thank you for your ongoing support, and fingers crossed we hit our target!
You can donate now via our Spacehive Project Page : https://www.spacehive.com/kielder-observatory-wind-turbine
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We’re putting our energy into this campaign...
)
Frank’s Fellowship supports artists’ night sky inspiration
YOUNG artists inspired by the night sky have showcased their work after receiving bursaries from a special fellowship.
Read Time
2 minutes
YOUNG artists inspired by the night sky have showcased their work after receiving bursaries from a special fellowship.
[fulltext] =>
Four artists, aged between 14 and 18, were given £250 each and access to Kielder Observatory for inspiration thanks to Frank’s Fellowship, which was established following a generous legacy from the late Frank Fortescue. There were no restrictions on which artform could be the subject of a bursary and entrants did not need to be formally studying their chosen artform.
Ethan Jewitt, 15, Sarah Dickinson, 14, Jacob Harrison, 17 and Jemima Green, 17 all live in Northumberland, attended a ‘fellowship day’ where they showcased their finished work and met with each other to talk about their art, which took the form of acrylic paint, mixed media and textiles.
Sarah said: “I was so grateful to receive the fellowship. It allowed me to buy new art materials and explore new approaches to being creative. I really enjoyed visiting the observatory and exploring its interrelationship with the landscape and the sky, which inspired my mixed media painting.”
A statement from Frank’s family said: “Frank loved nothing more than being in the forest and loved the night sky so we’re sure he would be pleased that his money is helping to support the next generation as they too are inspired by the dark skies above them.”
Catherine Johns, CEO of Kielder Observatory, said: “We’re incredibly grateful to the family of Frank Fortescue for allowing us to set up this fellowship in his name. It was lovely to see how the artists were inspired by visits to the observatory and the skies and landscape around us and how that translated into their wonderful work.”
The next round of Frank’s Fellowship will be open for applications in 2023.
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)
Kielder Observatory: A New Strategy
Kielder Observatory Astronomical Society launches its new strategy for 2022-2025
Read Time
2 minutes
Kielder Observatory Astronomical Society launches its new strategy for 2022-2025
[fulltext] =>Kielder Observatory: A New Strategy
We're delighted to publish the strategy for Kielder Observatory: a strategy that will guide our development for the next two years. It is the result of listening to myriad voices- our partners and stakeholders, our visitors, our trustees and staff.
Early on in the process, it became clear that we were very clear on our mission: to create opportunities for people of all backgrounds and abilities to experience moments of inspiration, revelation, wonder and hope through observing the cosmos. However, we needed to articulate the outcomes more clearly to capture who we want to be as an organisation, what we want to contribute to place and how we want people to feel. If we deliver our mission, these are the outcomes we hope to achieve:
- People: Everyone feels represented, welcomed, enriched and inspired, enabling equality of access to opportunities in science, whether as a one-off engagement, participation in study (formal or informal), and/or a career
- Place: We consistently inspire more people of all backgrounds and abilities to reflect upon their place in the universe and the fragility of the Earth, and catalyse individual and collective action in response to the need to protect our dark skies, and wider natural heritage
- Organisation: We welcome the uncertainty of fresh challenge and continuously improve our offer as opportunities emerge from new technologies, new audiences and evolving practice.
The strategy goes into more detail about how we will achieve that. At the heart of everything we do is inspiration. A clear sky at Kielder is truly special: the air is crisp, the silence is bewitching, the stars are mesmerising. It is a reminder of how lucky we are to be alive on this tiny little planet near one of the billions of stars in one of the billions of galaxies that exist in the known universe. That's the Kielder moment, and it can transform people's lives.
We are proud of what we have achieved to date, but it feels as though we are just getting started. We hope you'll join us as we develop new activities, projects and programmes that convey that very special "Kielder moment" to as many people as possible. C
Catherine Johns, CEO
Please visit our Vision page to access the full strategy and read more about our aims and priorities
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Kielder Observatory Astronomical Society launches its new strategy for 2022-2025
)
