Scruton Sky at Night

Clear night skies in December will bring a few things for us to enjoy.

Watch out for the Leonid Meteor Shower throughout most of November (at its peak on the 18 Nov) between midnight and dawn

Whilst there is always something happening in the night skies, March will be relatively quiet from a viewing point.

There are planets-a-plenty throughout 2022 and in February, Uranus, the seventh planet from the Sun, will be visible in the night sky above the first-quarter Moon on the 7th of the month.

On 7 January the planet Mercury reaches its greatest eastern elongation, which means that it appears to us to be in the furthest part of its orbit from the Sun.

This month there will be a magnificent parade of planets after dark.

The constellation of Orion (The Hunter) is a familiar sight during winter months and is a fine spectacle in the southern sky as it climbs up around midnight.

A New Moon on 6 Oct. means a dark, clear sky compared with the Full Moon on 20 Oct. which will impede viewing, due to its brightness.

Skies are gradually getting darker, and a New Moon on 7 September means there will be a better opportunity to view the sky since there will be no moonlight to interfere.

The night skies are still very light, making celestial viewing difficult. But with the passing of the Summer Solstice in June we will be gradually getting shorter days and hence darker nights.