Astronomy in the UK

By Stephen Cheatley

Astronomy is a fascinating subject to learn as it opens up a vast range of interesting things that are beyond the earth that we all live on. There are many questions as to how things in the universe are the way they are, and how our own planet and life on it got started.

These are the big questions that got me into astronomy in the first place. Since as long back as I can remember, I was always interested space, possibility of life on other worlds including aliens and UFOs. Blackpool Airport after seeing an advert in an astronomy magazine. The 90 minute flight was booked full, and we flew up to the far north of Scotland, and circled around the Shetland Islands so that the passengers might get a sighting of the famous Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights. The fact that we were flying at 35,000ft altitude over a dark part of the UK and all the lights in the plane were turned off really helped us to see the amazing night sky outside much easier because our eyes could adapt to the darkness. This is where I learned how important it is to avoid light pollution and how to let my eyes adapt to darkness, so I could see faint things, like the Milky Way easier. We did not get a very strong aurora, unfortunately, but I was blown away by the sight of the Milky Way and the sheer amount of stars I could see through little window of the plane. I had never seen so many stars in my life, and it was this sighting that really got me interested in taking astronomy much more seriously.

Orion Constellation Venus & Zodiacal Light - Silecroft, Cumbria

In early 2010 I watched the first series of BBC Stargazing Live, which was the first interactive astronomy program I had seen. After watching this program and following some of the advice, I decided I would join an astronomy society, and later that year I joined

Blackpool & District Astronomical

Society (BADAS for short!). Joining the society was the best thing I ever did because we got to see different speakers at the monthly meetings who spoke on different subjects about astronomy, but the best thing about going the society was that I got to go to my first star party in August 2010, which was timed for the peak annual Perseid Meteor Shower. 

Society Star Party - Pilling, Lancashire

 I got to see quite a few amazing ‘shooting stars’ zip across the sky on that night and I learned that they are actually caused by specks of dust entering the earth’s atmosphere and burning up. If you are reading this before August 12th, you may have a good chance to spot some of these amazing meteors yourself as they reach peak on the evening of the 12th into the morning of the 13th. Unfortunately this year the moon is full around that time and this will affect the amount of meteors we can see, usually up to about 20-30 per hour if you have perfect conditions and are watching constantly.

I recommend highly that anyone interested in astronomy, and wants to learn more, that they join a local society like I did. There are many throughout the UK. Members of astronomy societies have all different interests within the field and are always happy to help new members learn how to navigate the sky or maybe how to setup a telescope. The star parties are even better because people get chance to meet outside, usually in a dedicated area as far away from light pollution as possible, so it gives them a better chance of seeing the night sky. It certainly is different from spending an evening in front of the TV, and you also get to learn amazing things about the universe and how it all works.

As we are now in the month of August, its a great time to be getting into astronomy as the nights are getting longer after the lingering twilight of June & July. Spotting the Milky Way is difficult during June & July, especially if you live in northern UK as the twilight overpowers the faint light of the galaxy. Good news! August through September is also a great time to see the Milky Way as the brighter part of the galaxy is visible and the silvery glow of the galactic plane rises overhead in the evenings. Look out for the Summer Triangle as Milky Way passes right through this large group of stars. It is an amazing sight from dark places such as the Lake District, Snowdonia National Park in Wales, Kielder Forest in Northumberland and Galloway Forest Park in Scotland. All of these places have recognised dark sky areas which are great for Milky Way spotting, especially Galloway, as this area was the first to become a designated international Dark Sky

Aurora Borealis over Glencoe, Scotland - February 2019

Park in the UK due to the night sky lacking light pollution and steps by the local authority to protect the night sky from man made light.

There is so much to take on board with astronomy, but the moon & planets are very popular subjects among astronomers, and are great sights to see with your own eyes or maybe through a telescope. I have photographed many full moons since I started astronomy, and there is nothing more amazing than seeing a huge, full moon rising above the landscape. The moon tends to look much bigger when it is close to the horizon, but this is an optical illusion.

Milky Way over Durdle Door, Dorset - June 2018

Galactic Core - Lulworth Cove, Dorset - April 2018

Andromeda Galaxy

Full Moonrise, St Annes Beach Huts

The moon is the same size wherever you see it in the sky, although it does change size slightly depending on how close it is to earth during it’s elliptical orbit which takes 27.3 days. When the moon is at it’s closest to earth it is given the name supermoon, but although the moon is around 12% bigger than it looks when it is at it’s farthest, the size difference is not really noticeable by eye. We had two supermoons this year in June and July, did you spot them?

The bright planets like Jupiter, Venus, Mars and Saturn are another great sight to see in our night skies as they stand out very well compared with much more distant background stars, but due to their different orbits there are good times to see a particular planet, but sometimes it may not be visible at all. We are in luck in 2022 as Saturn, Jupiter and Mars all being well placed to see in the evening/ morning skies for the rest off the year, particularly Jupiter and Mars will be very prominent & easy to see as they rise higher in the sky. Saturn is visible for the rest of the year although fairly low down. To see Saturn, pick a spot with an unobstructed view to the south to give yourself the best chance of spotting it. It only rises to around 1/4 of the way up the sky, but it will be bright and easy to spot if you have the right conditions. Planets all reach their highest positions due south. You may even be able to tick off the www.lancmag.com

Milky Way and the planets in one go as they are all easily visible during August to October.

As we approach winter we will see the return of the famous constellation of Orion, and Orion has a famous nebula which is easy to see with the naked eye and makes for an amazing photograph. Photographing the Orion Nebula, which is a star forming region 1,300 light years away, is classed as Deep Space Astrophotography, another aspect of astronomy which some people specialise in. I don’t specialise in Deep Space, but I have touched on it a few times in my YouTube videos, including photographing distant galaxies using a regular camera. I recommend that anyone interested in astronomy/astrophotography joins a local club as it is the best way to learn about all things night sky. If you cannot join a club, make sure you go out with a friend to view the night sky as going alone to a remote location is not a good idea. You can also follow my channel on YouTube where I give tips on many aspects of astronomy photography. Good luck and clear skies! n

D stephencheatleyphotography.co.uk Y Starman Astro F stephencheatleyphotography T Stephencheatley I starman_1969

The Orion Nebula