Email me at jocelyn@wardle.demon.co.uk
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
IT basics (page under construction)
ASTRONOMICAL NOTES
Much of this information is taken from the excellent Heavens Above website (the link is set up here for Rochdale but you can change your location to anywhere in the world).
See this Heavens Above page for a map of the sky from Rochdale right now, showing exactly where the planets are. Mars rises at 7 p.m. and is visible low in the east for the rest of the night. It is slightly pink and very bright (to the right of the twin stars of Gemini). Saturn rises at half past midnight and is visible low in the east until sunrise (lower than Mars and to the left). Venus rises at 3 a.m., lower than Saturn and to the left. And Mercury rises at 5.30 a.m. further down in the same line. So, in the mornings at the moment, you can see 4 planets! Venus is by far the brightest; Mars and Mercury are about the same as each other; Saturn is slightly fainter.
You can also see a comet at the moment - it's so bright it's visible with the naked eye. It's in the constellation of Perseus, which is hard to describe but easy to recognise once you know what it looks like! If you can find the "W" of Cassiopeia it's just to the left of that. Or go up from the Pleiades if you can find them. The comet looks slightly fuzzy. (It's called Comet Holmes.) Orion is now visible for most of the night - low in the east from 9.30 p.m., and getting higher in the sky throughout the rest of the night. Jupiter is not visible at the moment.
Phases of the Moon
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION (ISS) - see this Heavens Above page for up to date viewing info for Rochdale. The ISS looks like a bright star that moves right across the sky very slowly over a few minutes.
BRIGHT IRIDIUM FLARES - see this Heavens Above page for up to date viewing info for Rochdale. An iridium flare looks like a star that appears from nowhere, gets very bright, then disappears, in the space of a minute or two.
UK FILM RELEASE DATES - last checked 10-11-07
The links below are to information pages for each film, at the Internet Movie Database, from which these release dates were taken.
The Golden Compass - 5th December 2007
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street - 25th January 2008
Cloverfield - 1st February 2008
Indiana Jones 4 - 22nd May 2008
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - 21st November 2008
Star Trek XI - 26th December 2008
Coraline - no UK date listed yet, US date is just listed as 2008
Jurassic Park 4 - no UK date listed yet, US date is listed as 2008.
Superman: The Man of Steel - no UK date listed yet, US date is listed as June 2009.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - no date listed yet but likely to be 2010