March 2014 sees Mars drawing close to Earth. When viewed in a telescope using high magnification the Red Planet is now easily resolved into a dusky orange disc. Eagle-eyed observers will start to spot markings on the Martian surface, along with bright white patches, particularly on th

Got my first look at Supernova SN2014J in the M82 Galaxy in Ursa Major tonight. Used a 12″ 300mm dobsonian telescope at x120 magnification to make a quick sketch of the galaxy and supernova (see below). It’s a bright one. My magnitude estimate for Supernova SN2014J tonight

A run of recent clear nights has given me the opportunity to take a real close look at Comet PanSTARRS as it climbs northwards from Cassiopeia into the constellation of Cepheus. Tonight, May 3rd, I tracked the comet down in the 12″ Orion Optics dobsonian. In the finderscope it i

Even though Comet PanSTARRS C/2011 L4 is now on its way back into the icy depths of space after its close approach with our Sun in March, it is still a fine sight in our rental telescopes. This evening, 15 April 2013, I managed to beat the incoming clouds to get a view of the comet in

Bagged my first view of Comet PanSTARRS C/2011 L4 through the 12″ Orion Optics telescope at 4am on Easter Sunday morning. I’d found the comet the previous evening, setting down in the northwestern sky through broken cloud. The forecast was for a clearing sky overnight, so

Jupiter shines brightly high up in the Southwestern sky during early February evenings this year. Managed to get a view of it last night in the 12″ dobsonian telescope before the clouds rolled in and made this sketch: Jupiter sketch details 12″ Orion Optics Dobsonian Teles

Winter and spring are a great time to track down two of the most impressive galaxies in the night sky -the spiral galaxy M81 and the irregular galaxy M82. Both galaxies are found in the constellation of Ursa Major The Great Bear and are located some 11.8 million light years from us. T

As a member of Bedford Astronomical Society (BAS) I was given the opportunity recently to talk on an astro subject close to my heart – astro sketching. It was a well attended evening with some 30+ members gathered together in our small resource room next to the Society observato