Bath Astronomers

24/08/2026

There's a partial lunar eclipse visible in the early morning of Friday 28th August. The Umbral part of the eclipse starts around 03:30 in the morning looking south west.

The International Space Station will be overhead at 04:01 to keep you entertained and then again at 05:38.

The Moon will still be partially eclipsed when it sets at 06:25

24/08/2026

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is due to launch to space on Sunday 30th August at 12:26pm on top of a Falcon Heavy. It is the true successor to the Hubble Space Telescope.

Named after NASA’s first chief astronomer, the ‘mother of the Hubble Space Telescope,’ Nancy Grace Roman, the telescope will have a field of view at least 100 times larger than the Hubble Space Telescope, potentially measuring light from a billion galaxies in its lifetime.

This observatory will also be able to block starlight to directly see exoplanets and planet-forming disks, complete a statistical census of planetary systems in our galaxy, and settle essential questions in the areas of dark energy, exoplanets, and infrared astrophysics. It is going to be busy.

More information:

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will settle essential questions in the areas of dark energy, exoplanets, and astrophysics.

21/08/2026

It's International Observe the Moon Night on Saturday 19th September.

From Bath, the Moon rises at 4:25pm and reaches it's highest point due south at 7:45pm. You'll see it nearly 60% illuminated, a day after First Quarter.

Grab yourself a pair of binoculars or a telescope to get a closer look.

21/08/2026

The annual 100 Hours of Astronomy will run from Thursday 1st to Sunday 4th October.

It is a great way to get people to pause and look up to the sky. The activities on https://100hours.online guide people to discover more about the planets and stars in an easy and intuitive manner.

Thanks to Go Stargazing for partnering with the IAU OAO National Outreach Coordinator team to make it all possible. Find out more at https://www.jennyshipway.com/100-hours-of-astronomy/

17/08/2026

The new observing season is just around the corner.

Here's a handy lookup to find the phases of the Moon and some of the bigger meteor showers.

16/08/2026

So exciting to get invited to a show in and around Bath. This time it was Marshfield Horticultural Show and Village Day. Lots of things to do and great food and drink.

The Sun even blessed us so we could show off the solar telescopes including the DWARF LABs DWARF 3 and DWARF mini. Lots of interest in Smart Scopes amongst the crowds. Rocket Roger was on the launch pad as well so hundreds of paper rockets zoomed into the air as well.

15/08/2026

Having a great day at Marshfield Hoticultural Show & Village Day with the Bath Astronomers outreach team this afternoon.

Rocket launching, dressing up, and telescopes.

14/08/2026

The DWARF 3 and DWARF mini telescopes by DWARF LAB proved to be invaluable during the partial solar eclipse to not only capture the event but share it with everyone else through live displays on phones and tablets.

14/08/2026

It was great having astronomy, Bath and Bath Astronomers appear in the media in the lead up to and during the partial solar eclipse.

BBC Somerset - Fri 31st Jul
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjrvn0wez48o

Radio Bath - Mon 10th Aug

BBC Points West - Tue 11th Aug

Greatest Hits Radio - Tue 11th Aug

BBC Radio Somerset - Wed 12th Aug

Sky News - Wed 12th Aug
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcARrAIo56s&t=6700s

BBC Somerset - Wed 12th Aug
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cre4p97rn37o

More than 90% of the sun was obscured by the moon for the first time since the total eclipse in 1999.