Sky watch

This week I’d like to invite you to get out of bed a couple of hours before sunrise to embark on a pre-dawn hunt for Uranus.

When the sun sets tonight, turn your back to it. As the sky darkens you will be greeted by the marvellous sight of Saturn, the waxing gibbous moon and Jupiter rising in the eastern sky. All three...

There really is a lot of planetary action going on in the sky after sunset at the moment. This week, if you have access to an unobstructed view to the west I’d like to set you a bit of a celestial...

Saturn is directly opposite the sun just before 6pm on Monday (August 2). Astronomers call this the moment of planetary opposition. Saturn is at its brightest because it is at its closest point to...

If the sky is clear, and you are out and about after the sun sets this week, you really can’t miss Venus. The planet is putting on a stunning display in the northwestern sky. Look for a brilliant...

The southern hemisphere winter solstice occurred on Monday at 3.32pm. I was excited about this year’s solstice since it marked the end of a photography project that began on October 1 last year,...

With little more than a week to go until the winter solstice, the nights are really drawing in, writes Ian Griffin. 

What are you doing on May 14? If you are at a loose end, and the sky is clear, it may well be worthwhile heading out after dark because I think there’s an excellent chance an aurora will be visible...

A few weeks ago, I was sitting beside Hoopers Inlet, enjoying the tail end of what had been a rather beautiful auroral display, writes Ian Griffin.

As we approach the autumn equinox, the nights are lengthening. The sun is rising later each morning and setting earlier each evening. This makes astronomers very happy as there’s more time to...

Two decades ago, I had (what I then considered to be) my dream job.