Prior to some of the public lectures, we have an Observing Section talk, the purpose of which is to highlight topical items of interest in the night sky over the following few weeks - planets that will be above the horizon, nebulae, interesting stars and asterisms, etc.

Delivered by the supremely knowledgeable Charles Cavanagh, for the 2018 - 2019 session these talks are scheduled for:

  • Thursday 18th October
  • Thursday 20th December
  • Thursday 21st March Cancelled
  • Thursday 16th May

In each case, the talk starts promptly at 6:45 pm, with the aim of finishing in good time for the following scheduled lecture.

The talks are generally be held in Room 6.41, Royal College, Strathclyde University.  Access is via the Montrose Street entrance, take the lift to Level 3, exit the lift (turning left) and take the 2nd (furthest away) set of steps, and go through the double glass doors.  Room 6.41 is on your left approximately half way along the corridor.  

NASA, through the http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SKYCAL/SKYCAL.html website produce a Sky Events Calendar. To quote:

"SKYCAL (Sky Events Calendar) will help you keep track of the sky by calculating the local date and time of all these celestial happenings. It displays them on a convenient calendar that you can print and hang on the wall. You can generate a calendar for a single month or for an entire year."

For the convenience of members and the public the calendar from July 2018 to December 2018 has been generated. "All SKYCAL astronomical calculations are by Fred Espenak, and he assumes full responsibility for their accuracy. Special thanks to National Space Club summer intern Sumit Dutta for his valuable assistance in developing the Sky Events Calendar (July 2007). Permission is freely granted to reproduce this data when accompanied by an acknowledgment: "Sky Events Calendar by Fred Espenak and Sumit Dutta (NASA's GSFC)"

 

Date     Local Time Event
July 2018 01  Su   Venus: 40.7° E
  04  We 06:39 Mercury-Beehive: 0.6° S
  06  Fr 08:51 Last Quarter
  06  Fr 16:59 Aphelion: 1.0167 AU
  10  Tu 00:36 Venus-Regulus: 1° N
  10  Tu 10:30 Moon-Aldebaran: 1.1° S
  12  Th 05:59 Mercury Elongation: 26.4° E
  12  Th 13:01 Moon North Dec.: 20.8° N
  13  Fr 03:48 New Moon
  13  Fr 04:01 Partial Solar Eclipse
  13  Fr 09:28 Moon Perigee: 357400 km
  14  Sa 03:50 Moon Ascending Node
  14  Sa 23:04 Moon-Mercury: 2.2° S
  15  Su 17:14 Moon-Regulus: 1.7° S
  16  Mo 04:31 Moon-Venus: 1.6° S
  19  Th 20:52 First Quarter
  21  Sa 00:57 Moon-Jupiter: 4.8° S
  25  We 07:10 Moon-Saturn: 2.2° S
  25  We 21:55 Moon South Dec.: 20.8° S
  27  Fr 06:31 Mars Opposition
  27  Fr 06:44 Moon Apogee: 406200 km
  27  Fr 21:21 Full Moon
  27  Fr 21:22 Total Lunar Eclipse
  27  Fr 23:40 Moon Descending Node
  28  Sa 09:50 Delta Aquarid Shower: ZHR = 20
August 2018 01  We   Venus: 45.1° E
  04  Sa 19:18 Last Quarter
  06  Mo 19:35 Moon-Aldebaran: 1.1° S
  08  We 23:33 Moon North Dec.: 20.8° N
  09  Th 02:59 Mercury Inferior Conj.
  10  Fr 14:40 Moon Ascending Node
  10  Fr 19:05 Moon Perigee: 358100 km
  11  Sa 10:47 Partial Solar Eclipse
  11  Sa 10:58 New Moon
  13  Mo 01:44 Perseid Shower: ZHR = 90
  14  Tu 14:35 Moon-Venus: 6.4° S
  17  Fr 11:38 Moon-Jupiter: 4.8° S
  17  Fr 16:59 Venus Elongation: 45.9° E
  18  Sa 08:49 First Quarter
  21  Tu 03:07 Mercury-Beehive: 5.9° S
  21  Tu 10:55 Moon-Saturn: 2.4° S
  22  We 03:58 Moon South Dec.: 20.8° S
  23  Th 12:23 Moon Apogee: 405700 km
  24  Fr 05:51 Moon Descending Node
  26  Su 12:56 Full Moon
  26  Su 20:59 Mercury Elongation: 18.3° W
September 2018 01  Sa 05:45 Venus-Spica: 1.2° S
  01  Sa   Venus: 45° E
  03  Mo 02:34 Moon-Aldebaran: 1.2° S
  03  Mo 03:37 Last Quarter
  05  We 07:56 Moon North Dec.: 20.8° N
  06  Th 23:42 Moon Ascending Node
  07  Fr 03:13 Moon-Beehive: 1.4° N
  07  Fr 18:19 Neptune Opposition
  08  Sa 02:21 Moon Perigee: 361400 km
  09  Su 19:01 New Moon
  14  Fr 03:21 Moon-Jupiter: 4.6° S
  17  Mo 00:15 First Quarter
  17  Mo 17:46 Moon-Saturn: 2.3° S
  18  Tu 10:35 Moon South Dec.: 20.9° S
  20  Th 01:54 Moon Apogee: 404900 km
  20  Th 10:30 Moon Descending Node
  21  Fr 02:47 Mercury Superior Conj.
  23  Su 02:54 Autumnal Equinox
  25  Tu 03:53 Full Moon
  30  Su 08:06 Moon-Aldebaran: 1.4° S
October 2018 01  Mo   Venus: 32.9° E
  02  Tu 10:45 Last Quarter
  02  Tu 14:03 Moon North Dec.: 21° N
  04  Th 04:10 Moon Ascending Node
  04  Th 10:51 Moon-Beehive: 1.3° N
  05  Fr 22:58 Moon-Regulus: 1.9° S
  05  Fr 23:29 Moon Perigee: 366400 km
  09  Tu 04:47 New Moon
  11  Th 22:21 Moon-Jupiter: 4.3° S
  15  Mo 04:01 Moon-Saturn: 2° S
  15  Mo 18:26 Moon South Dec.: 21.2° S
  16  Tu 03:32 Mercury-Venus: 6.2° N
  16  Tu 19:02 First Quarter
  17  We 13:03 Moon Descending Node
  17  We 20:16 Moon Apogee: 404200 km
  18  Th 14:01 Moon-Mars: 2.2° S
  21  Su 18:03 Orionid Shower: ZHR = 20
  24  We 01:43 Uranus Opposition
  24  We 17:45 Full Moon
  26  Fr 15:13 Venus Inferior Conj.
  27  Sa 14:04 Moon-Aldebaran: 1.6° S
  29  Mo 06:28 Mercury-Jupiter: 3.1° N
  29  Mo 18:34 Moon North Dec.: 21.3° N
  31  We 03:46 Moon Ascending Node
  31  We 15:24 Moon-Beehive: 1° N
  31  We 16:40 Last Quarter
  31  We 20:05 Moon Perigee: 370200 km
November 2018 01  Th   Venus: 10.6° W
  02  Fr 04:16 Moon-Regulus: 2.1° S
  05  Mo 17:31 South Taurid Shower: ZHR = 10
  06  Tu 14:59 Mercury Elongation: 23.3° E
  07  We 16:02 New Moon
  09  Fr 04:56 Mercury-Antares: 1.8° N
  11  Su 15:46 Moon-Saturn: 1.6° S
  12  Mo 02:21 Moon South Dec.: 21.4° S
  12  Mo 16:48 North Taurid Shower: ZHR = 15
  13  Tu 14:04 Moon Descending Node
  14  We 15:57 Moon Apogee: 404300 km
  14  We 23:23 Venus-Spica: 1.5° S
  15  Th 14:54 First Quarter
  16  Fr 04:16 Moon-Mars: 1.1° N
  17  Sa 23:05 Leonid Shower: ZHR = 15
  23  Fr 05:39 Full Moon
  23  Fr 21:11 Moon-Aldebaran: 1.7° S
  26  Mo 01:48 Moon North Dec.: 21.5° N
  26  Mo 06:25 Jupiter Conjunction
  26  Mo 12:10 Moon Perigee: 366600 km
  27  Tu 05:18 Moon Ascending Node
  27  Tu 09:10 Mercury Inferior Conj.
  27  Tu 20:57 Moon-Beehive: 0.8° N
  29  Th 09:27 Moon-Regulus: 2.4° S
  30  Fr 00:19 Last Quarter
December 2018 01  Sa   Venus: 39.9° W
  03  Mo 18:42 Moon-Venus: 3.8° S
  07  Fr 07:20 New Moon
  09  Su 05:30 Moon-Saturn: 1.2° S
  09  Su 11:12 Moon South Dec.: 21.5° S
  10  Mo 17:57 Moon Descending Node
  12  We 12:25 Moon Apogee: 405200 km
  14  Fr 12:16 Geminid Shower: ZHR = 120
  14  Fr 23:21 Moon-Mars: 3.9° N
  15  Sa 10:59 Mercury Elongation: 21.3° W
  15  Sa 11:49 First Quarter
  21  Fr 07:31 Moon-Aldebaran: 1.7° S
  21  Fr 19:49 Mercury-Jupiter: 0.8° N
  21  Fr 22:22 Winter Solstice
  22  Sa 08:03 Mercury-Antares: 6° N
  22  Sa 15:08 Jupiter-Antares: 5.2° N
  22  Sa 17:49 Full Moon
  22  Sa 21:00 Ursid Shower: ZHR = 10
  23  Su 11:48 Moon North Dec.: 21.6° N
  24  Mo 09:52 Moon Perigee: 361100 km
  24  Mo 11:54 Moon Ascending Node
  25  Tu 04:52 Moon-Beehive: 0.6° N
  26  We 16:06 Moon-Regulus: 2.5° S
  29  Sa 09:34 Last Quarter

 

 

As a member of the Society you are able to come and join us at our Darker Skies site at Mugdock Country park, just outside Glasgow.  We meet there monthly from October to March.  ASG members bring their own and the society's telescopes for use by the group.  This is a great way to learn about the different types of telescopes, and if you're thinking of buying, what better way to 'try before you buy'.

On the occasions when the skies are not clear, we have the use of the lecture theatre at Mugdock, which is very comfortable, with tea and coffee facilities and excellent AV setup to allow us to run presentations and talks on all topics of astronomy. If you're not already a member, then what are you waiting for ... join now and come along to our Mugdock sessions.

All observing night dates, including those at Murdock, are listed on the Observing Dates page, and on the ASG Calendar. You must be a logged in ASG member to view this information.