Sky Watch by Geoff Burt

This month, look to the Petersphere skies to see the lovely Pleiades star cluster, the most famous in the whole night sky. Known in folklore as the ‘Seven Sisters,’ the Pleiades were of great significance to ancient civilisations and prehistoric cultures across the world. The Pleiades are part of the constellation of Taurus the Bull, ideally placed for observation from the Petersphere in November.

Bonfire Night on the 5...

October in the ‘Petersphere’ is the ideal time of year to see one of the most famous creatures in the celestial menagerie, Pegasus the Winged Horse! 

This month we'll also see the first in a sequence of three 'Supermoons' - be sure to look up on October 7th. And brilliant giant planet Jupiter rises by midnight and is visible throughout the pre-dawn hours. If you're out and about early on the 14th, look for the 'Kin...

This month is crammed with cool observations but first, let's start with a stargazing riddle! When is a planet not a planet?

And looking to the skies, our nearest neighbour in space, the Moon, has a treat in store on the 7th! That evening, there's a total lunar eclipse and the Moon will rise in Earth's shadow as seen from the Petersphere.

Listen to this month's Sky Watch and discover the wonders of our dark skies in the Peters...

August is a great month for stargazing in the ‘Petersphere’! We’re still in Summer, yet the nights have drawn out enough to allow properly dark skies between twilights. Temperatures are comfy overnight, unlike the chill of Winter, and we have a superb shooting star display coming up!

And this month we ponder an often-asked question as to whether there’s a philosophical or even spiritual element to observing ...

The 'Petersphere' is back in the holiday season, it's the height of Summer and seems as though the Earth is as close to the Sun as it can get, but it's not! Find out why in this month's Sky Watch.

Written by Petersphere resident, astronomical expert and amateur astronomer Geoff Burt, and voiced by Claire Vennis, every month Shine Radio presents a Sky Watch of our unique dark skies.

Let Shine Radio open up the wonder of Petersfield'...

Summer officially arrives this month and June is famous for the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year when the 'Petersphere' receives over 16 hours of daylight! 

This June however, Sky Watch is focussing on the Moon rather than the Sun. Listen to this month's Sky Watch to discover more.

Written by Petersphere resident, astronomical expert and amateur astronomer Geoff Burt, and voiced by Claire Vennis, every month Shine ...

By May the 'Petersphere' skies don't get dark until mid-evening. The darkest part of the sky is overhead and is ideal for observations as we head into Summer. Along with what to observe this month, Sky Watch also brings more essential tips to make the most of your observations! 

Written by Petersphere resident, astronomical expert and amateur astronomer Geoff Burt, and voiced by Claire Vennis, every month Shine Radio presents ...

The 'Petersphere' is part of an International Dark Sky Reserve inside a National Park, so our location couldn't be much better for stargazing! The question is, how do you make the most of your observations?

Listen to this month's Sky Watch to find out how. You'll also discover how the stars help decide when Easter falls.

Written by Petersphere resident, astronomical expert and amateur astronomer Geoff Burt, and voiced by Claire Ven...

Sky Watch has been airing monthly on Shine Radio for two years already, and this is our 25th episode! 

We might be focussed on the wonders of space, yet we can't ignore the passage of time. Speaking of which, how do you fancy a spot of time travel?

Find out how and discover the celestial wonder, about 600 light years distant, of the lovely Beehive Cluster.

Written by Petersphere resident, astronomical expert and amateur astron...

"Oh, be a fine girl, kiss me!", or, if you prefer, "Oh, be a fine guy, kiss me!" That may sound like a Valentine's message, but for us stargazers it's a handy mnemonic. Find out why in February's Sky Watch and take a tour of the 'Winter Hexagon' asterism.

Written by Petersphere resident, astronomical expert and amateur astronomer Geoff Burt, and voiced by Claire Vennis, every month Shine Radio presents a Sky Watch of our unique dar...

Hello, Happy New Year, and welcome to 'Sky Watch' for January!

We're accustomed to embarking on a new voyage around our local star every January, but it hasn't always been that way. Based on ecclesiastical tradition, the ‘Petersphere’ year began on the 25th of March for centuries, right up until 1752, before finally changing to the 1st of January!

The Winter night sky offers some of the best observations of the year. Listen to this...

With another orbit of the Sun nearly complete, we reach the Winter Solstice on the 21st of the month.

The shortest day, the longest night, yet with the promise that Spring and Summer are on their way.

Meanwhile, when we get some high pressure at this time of year, the skies can be crystal clear if a little chilly.

So, keep a weather eye out and, whenever we get one of those glorious transparent Winter nights, wrap up warm, have a h...

Can you name a famous event that happened during the reign of King James the First?

There is one event that everyone has heard of, and it happened in November. "Remember, remember, the 5th of November, gunpowder, treason, and plot!" 

So why is Sky Watch concerned with the Gunpowder Plot? Thereby hangs a tale of 17th century intrigue with a connection to this show!

Every month Shine Radio presents a Sky Watch of our unique dark skie...

Autumn's rich colour palette of reds, oranges, yellows and golds is at its best in the Petersphere during October. 

There's never a better time of year to appreciate our location among the South Downs, plus the new stargazing season is properly under way now so here's what's in store for this month.

Discover what you can see in the Petersphere's dark skies this month with Sky Watch.

Written by Geoff Burt and voiced by Claire Vennis...

Summer has passed in the 'Petersphere', but the consolation is that the new stargazing season begins!

Look out for the Harvest Moon on the 17th/18th, a few days before the Autumn Equinox on the 22nd. This will be the second in a sequence of 4 Supermoons this year.

This month also sees a partial lunar eclipse when the Moon glides through the Earth's outer shadow. It's an exciting time for stargazing in our international dark sky res...

It's shooting star season in the Petersphere and from mid-July until the third week of August you can view the best meteor shower of the year. 

Also later in the month, look out for the first Supermoon, in a sequence of 4 this year. This Supermoon will also be a seasonal Blue Moon, which occurs every 2-3 years.

Find out what a Blue Moon is, when to view it and why a reclining garden chair could be important this month. Tune in to S...

Discover how to view the Moon inside a teapot with the Milky Way looking like the steam coming out of the spout in this month's Sky Watch.

The month of July brings the second half of Noctilucent Cloud season and there's the chance of more Northern Lights sightings too. Tune in to Sky Watch to open up the wonder of Petersfield's night skies for magical star-gazing from your doorstep in Sky Watch.

See omnystudio.com/listener for pri...

Astronomical twilight overlaps in the Petersphere this time of year so there's no true night and with the Summer Solstice taking place on June 20th we will bask in more than sixteen and a half hours of daylight!

We find out about the 13th sign of zodiac in this month's Sky Watch and how to view noctilucent clouds too.

With the sun currently nearing the height of its 11-year activity cycle we're far enough north to get the auroras w...

Welcome to Shine Sky Watch, a monthly summary of night sky events for stargazers in and around Petersfield.

This time of year, nights in the Petersphere are distinctly shorter than the days and, officially, night only lasts for about 2 hours.

May is the best time to find the second largest constellation in the sky. Find out about Virgo the Maiden and Spica, the brightest star in Virgo, whose light began its vast journey through the...