Adrian Dening's Stars Over Somerset

    Monday 7th to Sunday 13th November 2022

    I'm going to suggest a little adventure for telescope users, but you will need to be up around 5am on Monday 7th. The reward for such an early start is the chance to observe a collection of distant galaxies and the dwarf planet Ceres which is the largest object in the Asteroid Belt.

    First find the constellation of Leo the Lion towards the south east. Then locate the bright star Chertan which is in the vicinity of the lion's bottom! A little below Chertan is a group of three galaxies, known as the "Leo Triplet".

    These three spiral galaxies are named M65, M66 and NGC3628. They have magnitudes between +9.0 and +10.0 because they are over 35 million light years away! If you look at them in your telescope, you are seeing these deep sky objects how they were 35 million years ago because their light has taken that long to reach us!

    If you imagine these three galaxies as marking three corners of a square, dwarf planet Ceres will be marking the 4th corner, shining at a similar magnitude.

    There is a further opportunity to observe two of Jupiter's moons, Europa and Ganymede, transiting across the face of the planet between midnight and 1.30am on the morning of Thursday 10th. At that time, Jupiter will be located towards the south west.

    Finally, a couple of dates for your diary. As my last astronomy lectures at Ham Hill sold out so fast, I have managed to agree two further evenings on 27th January and 17th February next year.

    Screenshots courtesy of Stellarium

    Copyright Adrian Dening and Radio Ninesprings 2022

    More from Community & Charity News

    • Adrian Dening's Stars Over Somerset

      Monday 28th April to Sunday 4th May 2025

    • Connor Hyde meets Tim Rice

      Radio Ninesprings arranged for Connor Hyde of Yeovil to meet Sir Tim Rice during his recent appearance at the Westlands Entertainment Venue.

    • New High Sheriff

      A new High Sheriff has been appointed to the role in Somerset.

    • Adrian Dening's Stars Over Somerset

      Monday 21st to Sunday 27th April 2025

    • Battery Fires

      Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service has been dealing with an increase in fires caused by lithium-ion batteries, especially in e-bikes and e-scooters.

    • Domestic Abuse

      Avon and Somerset Police, in collaboration with Somerset’s Domestic Abuse Service and Somerset Council, have launched a new initiative to improve the support given to domestic abuse victims.

    • False Fire Alarms

      Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service says it’s dealing with an increase in false alarm calls.

    • Dog DNA

      Avon and Somerset Police are encouraging dog owners to protect their pets from theft by entering their details into a DNA doggy database.

    Today's Weather

    • Yeovil

      Light rain

      High: 16°C | Low: 6°C

    • Chard

      Light rain

      High: 15°C | Low: 6°C

    • Crewkerne

      Light rain

      High: 15°C | Low: 6°C

    • Somerton

      Light rain

      High: 16°C | Low: 7°C

    • Wincanton

      Light rain

      High: 16°C | Low: 6°C

    Recently Played