Astronomy Events

Neptune at Opposition - Tue 19th Sep 2023

At opposition, Neptune is directly opposite the sun in the sky, as seen from Earth. This means that Neptune is at its closest approach to Earth and is visible in the sky all night long. When a planet is at opposition, it rises in the east as the sun sets in the west and sets in the west as the sun rises in the east.

Neptune will appear brighter and larger in the sky than at other times of the year. This is because the planet is closer to Earth and more of its reflected sunlight is reaching our planet. It is a good time to observe Neptune with telescopes or binoculars, as the planet will be visible all night and will be at its best for viewing.

Latest Event - Geminid Meteor Shower – Dec 4th to 17th

The Geminid meteor shower is an annual meteor shower that occurs in mid-December. It is called the Geminid meteor shower because the meteors appear to radiate from the constellation Gemini in the night sky. The Geminid meteor shower is usually one of the best meteor showers of the year, with up to 120 meteors visible per hour at its peak. The Geminids are caused by debris from an asteroid called 3200 Phaethon, which orbits the Sun once every 1.4 years.

The meteors are visible from around December 4th to 17th each year, with the peak of the shower occurring on the night of December 13th and the early morning of December 14th. To see the Geminids, you should go to a location with a clear, dark sky and look up towards the constellation Gemini. The best time to view the meteor shower is from around 10:00 p.m. to dawn.