Victoria Welton's Home Run

3:00pm - 4:00pm
Email
Now Playing: Shania Twain - Man I Feel Like A Woman
Listen Live

    Search

    Adrian Dening's Stars Over Somerset

    Wednesday, 30 November 2022 17:00

    Monday 5th to Sunday 11th December 2022

     

    It's a period of occultations!  Sounds like a series of sinister black magic ceremonies are going to be taking place, so I'd better explain..........

     

    In astronomical terms, an "occultation" occurs when one celestial body appears to pass in front of another, temporarily blocking it from our view.  Next week, the Moon is the culprit, with Uranus and then Mars being the victims.

     

    Firstly, between 4.50pm and 5.20pm on Monday 5th, the Moon (that will be located towards the east) will occult Uranus.  It will take about 20 seconds for the Moon's north west edge or "limb" to cover the planet and the same time for it to reappear behind the Moon's north east limb half an hour later.  In other words, the northern area of the Moon's surface will appear to hide the planet.

     

    Of course, Uranus is a small target for your telescope or binoculars, currently shining at a magnitude of only +5.6 and the Moon will be almost at its full phase, so creating a lot of light pollution.

     

    If you are up early on Thursday 8th around 4.50am and look towards the west, you can catch the Full Moon occulting Mars.  The Red Planet will take 37 seconds to disappear behind the north west limb of the Moon at 4.57am and 37 seconds to reappear from behind the south east limb a whole hour later.  Because Mars is so bright, shining at a magnitude of -1.9, the event can even be viewed with the naked eye!

     

    In a twist of fate, Mars reaches opposition, when it is at its absolute brightest, while it's behind the Moon at 5.36am that morning!

     

    Screenshots courtesy of Stellarium

    Copyright Adrian Dening and Radio Ninesprings 2022

    www.starsoversomerset.com

     

    Share

    More from Community & Charity News

    • Adrian Dening's Stars Over Somerset

      Monday 10th to Sunday 16th March 2025

    • Car Free Route

      The Curry Rivel Active Travel Group has been working for several years to create a link within the village to a planned car-free route across the Somerset Levels

    • False Fire Alarms

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

    • Fallen Leaves

      If you have fallen leaves on your property from trees in an adjoining garden, there are rules about who is responsible for cleaning them up.

    • Free Council Car Parks?

      Somerset Council has launched a review of parking charges, which could result in an end to free parking at car parks run by the Council.

    • 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.

    • Mobile Phones in Vehicles

      Somerset County Council’s road safety team is working with partners to urge drivers to keep their fixed eyes on the road.

    • Clean up our Countryside

      Two new litter-pick stations have been installed, equipped with litter pickers and reusable bags for anyone to borrow and do their own two-minute clean-up at countryside sites across South Somerset.

    Today's Weather

    • Yeovil

      Sunny intervals

      High: 9°C | Low: 1°C

    • Chard

      Sunny intervals

      High: 10°C | Low: 1°C

    • Crewkerne

      Sunny intervals

      High: 10°C | Low: 1°C

    • Somerton

      Light rain shower

      High: 8°C | Low: 1°C

    • Wincanton

      Sunny intervals

      High: 8°C | Low: 1°C

    Recently Played