has been recently discovered. The Global Meteor Network was set up in 2018 to monitor - amongst other things - meteor activity, collect data to discover new meteor showers, and aid with the recovery of meteorites when they land on Earth. Recently enough data was collected to confirm a new meteor shower which has been named the Gamma Draconids. The data was collated from 3rd - 5th April so perhaps it will be one to look out for next year. Shining a light on Astro Jargon Baily's Beads This month we focus on a phenomenon which can occur during a Solar eclipse. When the three bodies - the Sun, Earth and the Moon – align, a total eclipse will be visible. The Sun is the largest of these and is 400 times larger than the Moon. Is it a coincidence that the Sun is also 400 times further away (that isn't for this article methinks!). These two facts mean that they appear almost exactly the same size. So during the 'totality' of an eclipse the Moon just about covers the Sun. At the beginning and end of the eclipse, the bumpy, irregular, mountainous surface of the Moon lets little bursts of sunlight through. These are known as 'Baily's beads'. They are named after the English astronomer Francis Baily, who explained the effect in 1836.
constellation forms a kite shape, sitting above this star. Mid-month Bootes can be seen high up in the sky facing a southerly direction. Bootes is the 13th largest constellation in the modern catalogue of 88. Object of the Month - The Sun The Sun is the star closest to the Earth and was formed around 4.5 billion years ago from a cloud of dust and gas and is classed as a yellow dwarf star. The mass of the Sun is made from 70.6 % Hydrogen and 27.4% helium. It is thought to be about halfway through its life. Eventually in several billion years' time - it will expand into what is known as a red giant star. When looking safely (through special solar scopes or filters) at the Sun we are seeing its photosphere - light sphere which has a temperature of 5,500 degrees
centigrade. At its core though the temperature is 15.5 million degrees centigrade. Compared to many other stars in the universe our Sun is unremarkable. For us however it plays a central role in that it holds the planets in orbit around it and provides us with life-giving energy. It accounts for 99.86% of the mass of the solar system. If it were empty, over 1 million Earths could fit inside it. The Sun produces nuclear fusion energy at its core and is travelling at 220 km per second! A simple way to view an eclipse or partial eclipse, is to use two pieces of card. Make a small hole in the top one and hold it above the other. If you adjust the distance between the two pieces of card a sharp image of the eclipse will appear on the lower one when the sun shines through the small hole. Happy Stargazing!
Constellation of the Month - Bootes This is a great time of the year to observe the constellation of Bootes, the Herdsman or ox-driver. There are many mythological stories surrounding this constellation but it is usually thought to depict a herdsman with his two hunting dogs following the Plough around the pole star. You can identify Bootes - pronounced boo-OH-tees - by following the arc from the base of the Plough (Ursa Major) until you arrive at one of the brightest stars in the sky, Arcturus. This is 'alpha bootis' or the lead star of the constellation and is a bright and beautiful golden colour. It is also known as a red giant star and is currently 25 times the diameter of our Sun (about 40 million kilometers!). The rest of the
Bootes, the herdsman of the sky
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