The Rambling Astronomer

The full moon on December 15th is known as the Before Yule Moon. The feast of Yule occurs on the night of December 21st which is the day of the year when the Sun is at its lowest in the sky and produces the shortest period of daylight of the year. This date can vary from year to year by a day or so.   A long time ago people watched for the full moon in December; they then had from that date until...

Probably the most spectacular meteor shower of the year., the Geminids can be seen at their best on the night of December 14/15. The only problem this year it that Moon is full on the 15th making the sky appear bright. This means that the fainter geminids might be missed. If you do see one don't forget to make a wish!

In 1933 Percy Show of Halifax in Yorkshire invented the Cat's eye one of the most important road safely features of the 20th century. In 1786 William Herschel discovered the first planetary nebula in space. Today this nebula is called the Cat'e eye nebuls.

An eclipse of the Sun in1133 was supposed to foretell of the anarchy that would come in England in 1135 following the death of King Heny I

The Andromedids meteors shower was the remnains of comet Biela which had been seen by astroonmer in the 19th century to separate into two pieces. It was totrally unexpected but it allowed astronomerd to get a better understandngbetween comest and meteors

The TV show Wolf Hall depicting King Henry VIII, Thomas Cromwell and the disolution of the Monasteries was set at a time when the climate was much colder than it is today. This period known as the Little Ice Age although there were some variations it  lasted form around 1300 until 1750

Join me, Martin Lunn MBE tonight and every Monday evening from 7.00 pm-9.00 pm on the Astronomy Show on Drystone Radio, probably the only regular astronomy show on any radio station in the country.   I will take my weekly look at the night sky and look at all the latest news in astronomy. There will be the astronomical anniversaries this week plus the latest news from the astronomical societies in...

Join me, Martin Lunn MBE tonight and every Monday evening from 7.00 pm-9.00 pm on the Astronomy Show on Drystone Radio, probably the only regular astronomy show on any radio station in the country.   I will take my weekly look at the night sky and look at all the latest news in astronomy. There will be the astronomical anniversaries this week plus the latest news from the astronomical societies in...

Edward Piggot one  of the Fathers of Variable Star Astronomy was the first person to discover a comet in Yorkshire on Novmeber 19th 1783

He was one of Australia's most important astronomers. Although an amateur astonomer John Tebbutt was respected by astronomers both professional and and amateur in Australia in the 19th century. 

The story of how plantation slaves in the southern states of America escaped to the north and Canada by using their knowledge of the stars and the plough in particular  to navigate their way to safety.

One of the early pioneers of astronomical spectroscopy.

The first astronomer to photograph a star.

Join me, Martin Lunn MBE tonight and every Monday evening from 7.00 pm-9.00 pm on the Astronomy Show on Drystone Radio, probably the only regular astronomy show on any radio station in the country.   I will take my weekly look at the night sky and look at all the latest news in astronomy. There will be the astronomical anniversaries this week plus the latest news from the astronomical societies in...

Sirius the Dog Star, the brightest star in the night sky, it looks white in colour today, but was it ever red in colour. There are lots of old report that suggest that it might have been. So what was going on?

This eclipse which was believed by Edmund Halley to have been total in London, it wasn't , was seen by many people as the path of totality cut across the midlands and the home counties

Another unknown British astronomer, he came from Cockermouth in Cumbria the birthplace of William Wordsworth. He would have a short life due to ill health, this is a brief outline of the work he undertook in South Africa

Charles Burckhalter was an amateur astronomer who in the 19th century who promoted astronomy to the general public as well as encouraging co operation between amateur and professional astronomers. He was the first secretary of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific.

One of the most imporatnt women astronomers at Harvard in the USA in the late 19th century. Williamina Fleming's job title was a computer. This was a title given to women who examind the photographic glass plates that were taken at the time.

Join me, Martin Lunn MBE tonight and every Monday evening from 7.00 pm-9.00 pm on the Astronomy Show on Drystone Radio, probably the only regular astronomy show on any radio station in the country.   I will take my weekly look at the night sky and look at all the latest news in astronomy. There will be the astronomical anniversaries this week plus the latest news from the astronomical societies in...

Tycho Brahe was the last of the great pre telescopic astronomers. Amongst the many things he did was to observe the supernova of 1572. This is a little look at his story

If you think of Haworth, you naturally think of the Bronte sisters, and Wuthering Heights, possibly the steam engines going through Haworth Station, and all the film crews there for numerous films and shows. But would you associate Haworth as a moon landing site. Well NASA certainly is.

Join me, Martin Lunn MBE tonight and every Monday evening from 7.00 pm-9.00 pm on the Astronomy Show on Drystone Radio, probably the only regular astronomy show on any radio station in the country.   I will take my weekly look at the night sky and look at all the latest news in astronomy. There will be the astronomical anniversaries this week plus the A-Z of Constellations. The Astronomy Show ever...

Join me, Martin Lunn MBE tonight and every Monday evening from 7.00 pm-9.00 pm on the Astronomy Show on Drystone Radio, probably the only regular astronomy show on any radio station in the country.   I will take my weekly look at the night sky and look at all the latest news in astronomy. There will be the astronomical anniversaries this week plus the A-Z of Constellations   The Astronomy Show eve...

Join me, Martin Lunn MBE tonight and every Monday evening from 7.00 pm-9.00 pm on the Astronomy Show on Drystone Radio, probably the only regular astronomy show on any radio station in the country.   I will take my weekly look at the night sky and look at all the latest news in astronomy. There will be the astronomical anniversaries this week plus the A-Z of Constellations.  The Astronomy Show eve...