The Rambling Astronomer

It is 100 years since this bright nova was discoverd in the constellation of Hercules. It was one of the brightest nova of the 20th century..

It was grim day up north on December 12th 1891. In a snowstorm at Turf Moor Stadium Burnley are playing Blackburn Rovers in a first Division match. It says much about the Victorian period that the Match kicked off at all. I the second half the weather conditions worsen, and peoples resolve weakens. The Blackburn Rovers players revolt, walking of the pitch and feeling numb it is too cold to play. Only the Rovers goalkeeper herby Arthur remains. The match descends into farce, to derisive cries from the crowd Arthur successfully appeal for offside when one Burnley player passes to another. What can the referee do? With no one to pass to , Arthur engages in a lengthy period of time wasting until the bemused referee is forced to abandon the game 39  minutes before time.  Burnley win 3-0.

The full moon on December 15th is known as the Before Yule Moon. The feast of Yule occurs on the night of December 21st which is the day of the year when the Sun is at its lowest in the sky and produces the shortest period of daylight of the year. This date can vary from year to year by a day or so.   A long time ago people watched for the full moon in December; they then had from that date until the feast of Yule to chop down a Yule log from the forest in readiness to burn it from the feast of Yule for twelve nights. Today of course the Yule log has turned from firewood into a cake!!

Probably the most spectacular meteor shower of the year., the Geminids can be seen at their best on the night of December 14/15. The only problem this year it that Moon is full on the 15th making the sky appear bright. This means that the fainter geminids might be missed. If you do see one don't forget to make a wish!

In 1933 Percy Show of Halifax in Yorkshire invented the Cat's eye one of the most important road safely features of the 20th century. In 1786 William Herschel discovered the first planetary nebula in space. Today this nebula is called the Cat'e eye nebuls.

An eclipse of the Sun in1133 was supposed to foretell of the anarchy that would come in England in 1135 following the death of King Heny I

The Andromedids meteors shower was the remnains of comet Biela which had been seen by astroonmer in the 19th century to separate into two pieces. It was totrally unexpected but it allowed astronomerd to get a better understandngbetween comest and meteors

The TV show Wolf Hall depicting King Henry VIII, Thomas Cromwell and the disolution of the Monasteries was set at a time when the climate was much colder than it is today. This period known as the Little Ice Age although there were some variations it  lasted form around 1300 until 1750

Join me, Martin Lunn MBE tonight and every Monday evening from 7.00 pm-9.00 pm on the Astronomy Show on Drystone Radio, probably the only regular astronomy show on any radio station in the country.  

I will take my weekly look at the night sky and look at all the latest news in astronomy. There will be the astronomical anniversaries this week plus the latest news from the astronomical societies in the north of England.

  The Astronomy Show every Monday evening only on Drystone Radio live online at www.drystoneradio.com DAB radio in Bradford and East Lancashire, or 102 and 103.5 FM .

Join me, Martin Lunn MBE tonight and every Monday evening from 7.00 pm-9.00 pm on the Astronomy Show on Drystone Radio, probably the only regular astronomy show on any radio station in the country.  
I will take my weekly look at the night sky and look at all the latest news in astronomy. There will be the astronomical anniversaries this week plus the latest news from the astronomical societies in the north of England.  
 The Astronomy Show every Monday evening only on Drystone Radio live online at www.drystoneradio.com DAB radio in Bradford and East Lancashire, or 102 and 103.5 FM