Latest news with #RobertMassey
Daily Mirror
23-04-2025
- Science
- Daily Mirror
Exact time to see tonight's 'fireball' meteor shower with dazzling shooting stars
If you're a fan of stargazing then be sure to look up because you won't want to miss this celestial marvel - although do check the weather and set your alarm for the best sights Meteor showers are a common occurrence throughout the year, but few promise to be as mesmerising as this beautiful display that only appears in the month of April. On an average clear enough night at any time of the year and without any light pollution, you might see a shooting star across the sky, but at this precise time of this month, there are more overhead than usual. Known as the Lyrid meteor showe r, it runs from April 16 and lasts until April 25, but there is a peak time to catch it. Also nicknamed 'Lyrid fireballs', there is a chance to see up to an incredible 18 meteors per hour at the peak. "With the Lyrids you'll be looking for a little flurry of short-lived streaks of light – what you might popularly call shooting stars," explained Dr Robert Massey, deputy executive director at the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS). The Lyrids have been observed and reported since 687 BC – and no other modern shower has been recorded as far back in time. "We think they're the earliest meteor shower ever seen by humans – more than 2,700 years ago, right back in the 7th century BC," Dr Massey added. What is the Lyrid meteor shower? It's an annual event that takes place each April, falling on the same dates each year, and we're about to hit the best times. The radiant of the meteor shower is located in the constellation Lyra, near its brightest star, Vega, hence it's unusual naming. How can you watch the Lyrid meteor shower? The meteor shower will technically be visible across the UK now, though to see this phenomenon you'll need clear skies. More importantly, you will need to position yourself far away from light pollution. Any artificial light will dilute the stars in the sky. The shower will officially peak just before dawn on April 24 - between about 3-5am - so set your alarms, wrap up and head outside somewhere remote to catch the intergalactic show. Luckily, you won't need a telescope either - it's all visible with the naked eye. What exactly is a meteor shower? A meteor shower is when the Earth passes through the debris stream of a comet - icy, rocky bodies left over from the formation of the solar system. When this happens, the bits of comet debris, most no larger than a grain of sand, create streaks of light in the night sky as they burn up in Earth's atmosphere, creating multiple meteors racing across the sky at, or near, the same time. Interestingly, despite sometimes being called shooting stars, they're not actually stars and can range in size from anything larger than a marble. This size allows them to produce a fireball as the enter the atmosphere, giving them their bright look as mis-titled name of shooting stars. If you're a keen stargazer, then don't miss these other dazzling sky events - Lyrids (Apr 17-26) Eta Aquariids (Apr 19-May 28) Alpha Capricornids (Jul 3-Aug 15) Delta Aquariids (Jul 12-Aug 23) Perseids (Jul 17-Aug 24) Draconids (Oct 6-10) Orionids (Oct 2-Nov 7) Taurids (Oct 20-Dec 10) Leonids (Nov 6-30) Geminids (Dec 4-20) Ursids (Dec 17-26)
Daily Mail
21-04-2025
- Science
- Daily Mail
Lyrid Meteor Shower peaks tonight with up to 15 shooting stars flying overhead every hour - here's the best time to see the celestial display
If you're a fan of stargazing, make sure you have an eye to the skies this evening. The Lyrid Meteor Shower peaks tonight, with up to 15 'shooting stars' soaring overhead every hour. However, it might be wise to stock up on coffee if you want to stay awake for it. The shower will officially peak just before dawn - between about 3-5am. Thankfully, you won't need a telescope to see the Lyrid Meteor Shower, although you'll have a better chance of spotting the meteors if you opt for an area that's free of artificial lights. 'With the Lyrids you'll be looking for a little flurry of short-lived streaks of light – what you might popularly call shooting stars,' explained Dr Robert Massey, deputy executive director at the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS). The Lyrids have been observed and reported since 687 BC – and no other modern shower has been recorded as far back in time. 'We think they're the earliest meteor shower ever seen by humans – more than 2,700 years ago, right back in the 7th century BC,' Dr Massey added. A meteor shower happens when Earth passes through the path of a comet – icy, rocky bodies left over from the formation of the solar system. When this happens, the bits of comet debris, most no larger than a grain of sand, create streaks of light in the night sky as they burn up in Earth's atmosphere. These streaks are known as shooting stars, even though they are not stars at all – which is why some astronomers object to this term. The Lyrids specifically are caused by Earth passing through the dusty trail left by Comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher, a comet that orbits the sun roughly every 415 years. 'As these comet particles burn up in our atmosphere, they produce bright streaks of light, what we see as meteors,' said Dr Shyam Balaji, a physicist at King's College London. 'Lyrid meteors are known for being bright and fast, often leaving glowing trails in the sky that linger for a few seconds.' To view the shower, look to the northeast sky during the late evening and find the star Vega in the Lyra constellation, as this is where they will appear to originate. 'However, you don't need to look directly at Lyra – meteors can appear in all parts of the sky,' added Dr Balaji. With the Lyrids you'll be looking for a little flurry of short-lived streaks of light. Pictured, the Lyrids over Tissington, Derbyshire, April 2021 Because meteors can be quite faint, it is best to look out for them in a dark sky, free of moonlight and artificial lights with a wide an unobstructed view of the sky. 'As with almost every shower, try and find a wide open space, as far from city lights as possible and fill your view with as much of the night sky as possible,' said Dr Greg Brown, public astronomy officer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich. 'Lying down on a deckchair is a great way to do this while being comfortable. 'And while the temperatures are still climbing it can still get quite cold in the early hours of the morning when these showers are best seen, so don't forget to wrap up warm.' It's worth bearing in mind that although the peak is tonight, the Lyrids will be visible through until Saturday (April 26). Unfortunately, the weather forecast paints a rather bleak picture for this evening. The Met Office predicts that there will be heavy showers this afternoon with hail and thunder for some - although this should mostly clear by the evening. 'Rain will clear eastwards this evening, then it will be dry overnight with lengthy clear spells. A few fog patches developing, with temperatures falling close to freezing in the countryside,' it explained. Throughout the year, there are usually 12 meteor shower, but only one has already happened and the biggest one is still to come. The Eta Aquariids is visible from about April 19 to about May 28 each year with peak activity in 2025 on May 5. Eta Aquariids are known for their impressive speed, traveling at about 148,000mph (66 km/s) into Earth's atmosphere. Another significant shower is the Delta Aquariids in July (25 meteors per hour) followed by the Perseids in August (150 shooting stars per hour). In December, the Geminids peak around the middle of December and send up to 150 bright shooting stars whizzing through the sky per hour. Aside from its high rate of shooting stars, the Geminids are special because the meteors are multi-coloured – mainly white, some yellow and a few green, red and blue.
Telegraph
29-03-2025
- Science
- Telegraph
Partial solar eclipse draws crowds across UK
A partial solar eclipse drew crowds outside across the UK, with part of the Sun obscured by the Moon between 10am and noon on Saturday. The phenomenon, which occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, peaked in London at 11am. Because the star, the planet and its satellite are not perfectly aligned, only part of the Sun is obscured in such an eclipse. Speaking from Lewes in Sussex, at around 11am, Robert Massey, deputy executive director of the Royal Astronomical Society, said: 'There's a really nice crowd of people, everybody's really excited, there's people wearing eclipse glasses, looking through the telescopes we've got set up. 'We're loving it and it's a lot of fun. It's a great public atmosphere, it's a really nice event. There's a huge amount of enthusiasm about it.' He added: 'As expected, the Moon started moving in front of the Sun about an hour ago; it's got a bit under an hour to go and it's blocking out some of the Sun.' He added: 'It's not like the landscape or the light looks different if you're not looking at the eclipse, but if you're looking through a telescope then you see this really obvious bite. 'One of my colleagues here has a colander and through that, you can see little pinholes of the Sun with the bite out of it as well. 'I think you could guess it's running into the tens of thousands watching with events like this, there's local astronomy groups across the UK who are doing it.' Imo Bell, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, said: 'There's been nothing unexpected, but that's the cool thing, we've known this has been coming for a very long time. 'We have the technology and the understanding of space now to predict these things almost to the second.' Speaking at 11.13am from Oxford it said he was watching 'with thousands of people' and the eclipse had 'reached a bit more than 30 per cent obscurity of the Sun' at that time. He added: 'I've heard a lot of people in the UK where they have higher obscurity have bad cloud coverage, though. If you've got good weather, you're pretty lucky.' The Met Office said earlier on Saturday that southern and eastern areas of the UK would have the best viewing conditions, with cloudier skies in the North and West. The next partial solar eclipse visible in the UK will be in August 2026, and is expected to reach 90 per cent obscurity.
The Guardian
29-03-2025
- Science
- The Guardian
Skygazers gather across northern hemisphere to glimpse partial solar eclipse
People across the northern hemisphere have gathered to catch a glimpse of the partial solar eclipse. The eclipse peaked in London at about 11am on Saturday and was visible in parts of the UK between about 10am and noon. The phenomenon occurs when the moon passes between the Sun and the Earth. As the three are not completely aligned, only 30-40% of the Sun was obscured when viewed from the UK. Robert Massey, the deputy executive director of the Royal Astronomical Society, speaking from the town of Lewes, Sussex, said: 'There's a really nice crowd of people, everybody's really excited. There's people wearing eclipse glasses, looking through the telescopes we've got set up. 'We're loving it and it's a lot of fun. It's a great public atmosphere, it's a really nice event. There's a huge amount of enthusiasm about it.' Massey added: 'As expected, the moon started moving in front of the Sun about an hour ago; it's got a bit under an hour to go and it's blocking out some of the Sun.' Skygazers across a broad swathe of the northern hemisphere had a chance to see the moon appear to take a bite out of the sun as the eclipse swept from eastern Canada to Siberia. Imo Bell, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, said at 11.15am: 'There's been nothing unexpected, but that's the cool thing, we've known this has been coming for a very long time. 'We have the technology and the understanding of space now to predict these things almost to the second.' 'I've heard a lot of people in the UK where they have higher obscurity have bad cloud coverage, though. If you've got good weather, you're pretty lucky.' Jake Foster, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory, said: 'These eclipses, whether they be partial or total, it is effectively watching the clockwork of the solar system in action.' The Met Office said earlier on Saturday that southern and eastern areas of the UK would have the best viewing conditions, with cloudier skies in the north and west. The partial eclipse, which is the first of the year and the 17th this century, lasted about four hours from 8.50am GMT to 12.43pm GMT. The next partial solar eclipse visible in the UK will be in August 2026, which is expected to reach 90% obscurity. However, it will be visible as a total solar eclipse across much of Europe, including parts of Spain. The next total solar eclipse visible from the UK is in 2090.
The Independent
29-03-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Pictures show stunning glimpse of partial solar eclipse across the UK
People across the UK looked to the skies on Saturday to witness a partial solar eclipse. The celestial event, which happens when the Moon partially obscures the Sun as it passes between the Sun and Earth, was visible in parts of the country between 10am and noon. The eclipse reached its peak in London around 11am. The Met Office said earlier on Saturday that southern and eastern areas of the UK would have the best viewing conditions, with cloudier skies in the north and west. The next partial solar eclipse visible in the UK will be in August 2026, which is expected to reach 90% obscurity. Speaking from the town of Lewes, Sussex, at around 11am, Robert Massey, deputy executive director of the Royal Astronomical Society, said: 'There's a really nice crowd of people, everybody's really excited, there's people wearing eclipse glasses, looking through the telescopes we've got set up. 'We're loving it and it's a lot of fun. It's a great public atmosphere, it's a really nice event. There's a huge amount of enthusiasm about it. 'As expected, the Moon started moving in front of the Sun about an hour ago; it's got a bit under an hour to go and it's blocking out some of the Sun.' He added: 'It's not like the landscape or the light looks different if you're not looking at the eclipse, but if you're looking through a telescope then you see this really obvious bite. 'One of my colleagues here has a colander and through that, you can see little pinholes of the sun with the bite out of it as well. 'I think you could guess it's running into the tens of thousands watching with events like this, there's local astronomy groups across the UK who are doing it.' Astronomer Imo Bell, at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, said at 11.15am: 'There's been nothing unexpected, but that's the cool thing, we've known this has been coming for a very long time. 'We have the technology and the understanding of space now to predict these things almost to the second. 'I, along with thousands of people, are watching. I'm in Oxford right now, we reached a bit more than 30% obscurity of the Sun. 'I've heard a lot of people in the UK where they have higher obscurity have bad cloud coverage, though. If you've got good weather, you're pretty lucky.'
