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  • milandavidovic55
    • Apr 30
    • 2 min read

The Night Sky May 2024

The Whirlpool Galaxy


Almost overhead as viewed from Embsay there are two Galaxies colliding. I’ve been watching this happen for years and when I look years later they appear to be unchanged despite the years rolling by. The forces, distances and immense size of this cosmic ‘car crash’ is unimaginable, yet it gives the impression of a slow motion accident. What we know is that a galaxy, the Whirlpool Galaxy (slightly smaller than our own Milky Way) is in an interaction with a companion galaxy NGC 5195. Indeed it may have collided once already about 500 million years ago and again 50 million years ago. The gravitational interaction locking them together for many repeat encounters.

The Whirlpool Galaxy almost directly overhead on the 8th May at 10pm.

 Image: Milan Davidovic                               Embsay  April 2024

Within the Whirlpool, in September 2020 through a set of astronomical coincidences, it was possible to identify the first planet outside our own galaxy, slightly smaller than Saturn and named M51-ULS-1b. This is absolutely remarkable considering it is approximately 24 million light years away (1 light year is 5,800,000,000,000 miles!!!) I don’t think it would be a candidate for exploration as it is thought its surface is a very warm million degrees Celsius.

If I spent another $15 billion on my telescope, then I’d get the picture in this link!

 

 

 

 

 

The May Night Sky

Looking North from Embsay 8th May at 10pm


The familiar ‘W’ shape of Cassiopeia faces you as you look North this month - and to the right the Swan (Cygnus) is flying along the band of the Milky Way. The Andromeda Galaxy is marked low in the sky and this too is hurtling towards us. In about three and a half billion years, like the Whirlpool Galaxy, the two galaxies will collide. It is likely that the Earth and Sun will survive as the distances between objects in each galaxy is huge. Our position, as with everything else, will be shifted in the chaos, but this is all speculation as even the most powerful computers are unable to establish what will happen with any degree of confidence.

 

 

 

Looking South from Embsay 8th May at 10pm


Virgo, the Greek goddess of Justice faces you looking South. It is the second largest constellation in the sky so it should be easy to spot. It is one of the constellations of the zodiac, all of which are situated along the yellow line called the ecliptic. This is the apparent path of the Sun across the sky but of course it is due to the Earth’s path around the Sun.

 

This is my final article for this season. I hope you have enjoyed reading them. If you have enjoyed reading this article, don’t forget you can refer to previous ones on my blog at:

Hoping for much clearer skies soon!

Milan Davidovic

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  • milandavidovic55
    • Apr 29
    • 2 min read

The Embsay Night Sky April 2024


The Heart and the Soul Nebulae are situated in the constellation Cassiopeia and when we look at them we are seeing the light that left 7,500 years ago. At that point in time, 7,500 years ago, we had not even invented the wheel and the Bronze Age was still to emerge.  Unimaginable that the light has taken this time to reach our eyes.

These 2 Nebulae are star forming regions.

If you look at the top left of this star map you will see two red patches. This is the location of the Heart and Soul Nebulae

 

 

The Soul Nebula

Also known as the Embryo nebula, the red colour is caused by the presence of hydrogen gases and the shape is ‘carved’ by extreme solar winds. The winds are produced by the many newborn stars very much younger than our own sun.

Photo: Milan Davidovic. Embsay 2023

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Heart Nebula

This fabulous target gets its name from the shape that it resembles. It is very large but faint, and at the centre of the Heart is Melotte 15.

Photo: Milan Davidovic. Embsay 2023

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Embsay Night Sky April 2024

Looking North at 10pm on 8th April

Low in the North is the Constellation Cassiopeia -  its famous ‘W’ pattern almost tilted to form an ‘E’. Vega is shining brightly due North East on the horizon. If we are lucky to have a clear night, low in the North West on 12th April, we should see the Pleiades, Uranus, Jupiter and the recently brightened comet Pons-Brookes (see last month’s article) all aligned together.

 

 

Looking South at 10pm on 8th April

Leo is half-way up in the sky. It is easy to spot as it has a reverse shaped ‘question mark’ or Sickle as its head. In fact, Leo is one of only a few constellations that look like the real thing, a crouching lion. Hercules was said to have wrestled with it as his first (of twelve) labours. Denebola marks the end of his tail. You can also see the yellow line of the ecliptic passing through Regulus, this is the path that the planets appear to follow across the sky. Bellow the constellation quite close to Chertan are a series of small galaxies that can be spotted in a small telescope. https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-blogs/explore-night-bob-king/exploring-bright-galaxy-groups-in-leo/

 

 

 

Of course I could write about the great American Total Solar Eclipse on the 8th but unfortunately we don’t get to see it! If you are out there try to get a look!

 

Clear Skies

 

Milan Davidovic

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  • milandavidovic55
    • Apr 29
    • 2 min read

Th Night Sky March 2024

Comet Pons-Brookes

This month we will be visited by a periodic comet that orbits the sun every 71 years. This lump of ice and dust is bigger than mount Everest and over 10 miles across. Below is a diagram that shows its position in the sky over February and in to April. As the Earth swings around the Sun we will pass through its path, which will litter the sky with small dust- like particles we see as meteor showers from late November. The tail may or may not be visible to the naked eye but with binoculars and a clear night sky you may get lucky. (Looking North-West early this month, low in the sky)

For the latest information and position click the link below.


 

 

 

 

Just after the New Moon on 10th March, Jupiter climbs close to the Moon (8pm 13th March)

 

Spring Equinox 20th March

On the 20th March the Earth will be ‘bolt upright’ in our orbit around the Sun  - not tilted away or towards the Sun. This happens twice a year (March and Spetember). In previous articles you will remember that the tilt of our planet as opposed to the distance away from the Sun gives rise to warmer weather for us.

Penumbral Lunar Eclipse

Full Moon 25th March (The Moon’s reflective light will be dimmed by the Earth’s shadow in a penumbral eclipse early in the day between 5 and 9 am). Hopefully this diagram will help explain how the ‘eclipse’ will only dim the light from the moon rather than block it out totally.

 

 

 

Looking North from Embsay ( 9pm 10th March)

 


 

Jupiter is low in the West and the very bright star Vega just sits above the horizon due North. The familiar ‘W’ shape of Cassiopeia on is on its side (now looking like an E).

 

 

Looking South  from Embsay ( 9pm 10th March)

Sirius, the brightest star in the sky, is low due South (See last month’s article about this special star). The twins, Castor and Pollux, are sitting half way up the sky due South and form the constellation called Gemini. This constellation was also immortalised by the Romans in memory of Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome.( For the Greeks the twins are known as Castor and Polydeuces). In Greek legend, Castor was mortal and Polydeuces immortal and when Castor was killed Polydeuses refused to accept his immortality unless Castor could share it. Zeus allowed the two to alternate between the realms of the gods and underworld.

 

I hope you have enjoyed this article despite the clear skies being so infrequent over the past weeks.

Clear Skies,

Milan Davidovic

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