The West Yorkshire town of Halifax was dominated by textile mills in the 19th century. Crossley Carpets made carpets which were exported around the world. What is less well known is that Edward Crossley and his employed assistant astronomer Joseph Gledhill had an observatory with the largest reflecting telescope in England. The two astronomers made massive contributions to the study of astronomy and after their deaths, Crossley’s two big telescopes, the 36 inch Crossley reflector and the 9.3 inch Cooke refractor, continued to be used in astronomical research around the world.

This year 2025 is the 320th aniiversary in 1705 of the predicted return of Halley's comet

On a foggy January day in 1941 the experienced pilot Amy Johnson took off for a routine flight nver to be seen again. What happened?

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

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

If you think of great band music in the 1930s and 1940s you will probably think of Glen Miller with hits like Moonlight Serenade, Chattanooga Choo Choo and In the Mood. This is the 80th anniversary of his disappearance. It is strange that someone so well-known at the time and so well remembered has a large mystery attached to his last journey.

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!!