Reaching For Heaven

Happy New Year!

It's been great to have some time off over Christmas, and I've been feeling really creative. This is one of the pieces I have completed this week; trees reaching towards a nebula.

2015 didn't prove to be a great star gazing year for me, I didn't see any of the meteor showers due to clouds or the moon, and it was raining on the day that Birthday Star light was visible.  The Solar Eclipse was also hidden behind the clouds, but I did see the Lunar Eclipse and that was breath taking. Leaving a New Year party on Friday morning however, I looked up just in time to see a meteor shoot through the sky so hopefully I will have more luck this year!

I tweet regular updates about the night sky and what you will be able to see in the sky, so follow me at @herwhitehart 

Stargazing: The Moon

The Moon is essentially a large chunk of rock that orbits the earth. It is the second brightest object in the sky. If you go outside after dark and look at the sky you can see it with the naked eye, unless it is a new moon or you live in England in which case you will be lucky to see it three times in a year.

The Moon will be full at 1.45 tomorrow morning, and this time it's technically a Blue Moon. There are two types of Blue Moon; the proper type, which is two full moon's in a month, or this type which is when four full moon's fall in a season (in this case between the June solstice and September equinox). Also, the Moon will not actually be blue, let's just make that clear.

If you have the chance to look at it through astronomy binoculars or a telescope I would highly recommend it, it's magical. The light of the Moon is quite unlike anything else, and seeing all the craters and shadows in detail with your own eyes is incredible.