Mark Thompson's Astronomy Blog

Follow my posts on all things Astronomy flavoured.

Twitter Space Quiz

August 9th, 2011 No Comments

Register now for the UKs first space quiz on twitter by tweeting the hashtag #SpaceQuiz. It will take place on 16th August and there are some great prizes up for grabs.

Read more »

---

Help to spot Mercury tonight!

June 30th, 2011 No Comments

Mercury is a tricky little blighter to spot. Its the closest planet to the Sun at an average distance of 57.9 million km. Due to its proximity to the Sun it can be somewhat challenging to find as its always low in the morning sky just before sunrise or evening sky just after sunset. Fortunately tonight, help is at hend. Read more »

---

Incoming…Asteroid buzzes Earth

June 29th, 2011 1 Comment

I was watching yet another re-run of Armageddon the other night when the heroic Bruce Willis and his motley crew of oil drillers-turned-astronauts saved Earth from certain asteroid doom. Yet we are forced to consider our delicate position in very real terms when the Lincoln Near Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) project discovered an asteroid called 2011 MD. It was heading straight toward us and we only had four days notice. Read more »

---

Look out for Noctilucent Clouds

June 17th, 2011 No Comments

According to NASA, they’re like great “Geophysical Light Bulbs” — turning on every year in late spring and can be seen many evenings during the summer months. To the unwary sky watcher they could be mistaken for just another strange cloud formation, but their true nature is much more puzzling.

Read more »

---