GalleryOrkney looked out for Venus transit
Local
Observers in Orkney and Shetland had the best opportunity to watch the Venue transit of June 2012, but the weather turned out to be too cloudy to see very much.
The Orcadian Sky Notes by […]
GalleryMidwinter astronomy success
Dark Skies Orkney, Festival Archive, Other Festivals
Amidst wind, rain and occasion flurries of snow, there were also several fine frosty nights for ‘Dark Skies Orkney’. The midwinter astronomy programme of events was coordinated by the Science Festival to bring together […]
GalleryBlue and lonely planet found
In the Cosmos
Astronomers have found what seems to be a planet wandering on its own through space without a parent star. The image above shows an artist’s impression of it.
Planets like the earth orbit the […]
GalleryBlack hole drives hot jets
In the Cosmos
Spiral galaxy Messier 106 is unusual. It has four spiral arms instead of the usual two. The normal pair are the ones with the string of blue towards their ends – hot young stars […]
GalleryCosmic beacon flashes out from infant stars
In the Cosmos
From across the light-years a cosmic beacon beams out from an infant star system.
The fan-like pattern to the right of the image (about one-third of the way across and two-thirds of the way […]
An observatory in the Highlands
Local
Since June 2008, the Highlands Astronomical Society has been the proud owner of a state-of-the-art observatory located near the NTS Visitor Centre at Culloden Battlefield. Two of the Society’s Committee, chairman Arthur Milnes and […]
GalleryDark Skies Orkney 2011
Dark Skies Orkney
This was a pilot event, where the Science Festival collaborated with local tourism and community groups, and there were some lively talks and outings. Amongst the wind and rain, there were some wonderful cold […]
GalleryStones & Stars
Local
he stone circles at Brodgar and Stenness form part of Orkney’s World Heritage archaeological area, and their alignmements to sun, moon and stars have been the subject of research and speculation for over a […]
GalleryTen years of Orkney Sky Notes
Local
The Orcadian’s Orkney Sky Notes column is ten years old. The column, produced by Rousay astronomer John Vetterlein, has become not only an essential guide to the Orkney night sky but also an ideal […]
GalleryMidwinter astronomy festival for Orkney
Dark Skies Orkney, Festival Archive, Other Festivals
Orkney had a midwinter astronomy festival in December 2011. Talks and stargazing took place across the mainland from Birsay to Deerness, and in Stronsay and Sanday as well.
The idea for the Festival emerged from […]
GallerySee Orkney skies on the iPad!
Dark Skies Orkney, Festival Archive
To promote the ‘Dark Skies Orkney’ event of December 2011 and Orkney astronomy generally, a new e-magazine was produced for iPad and web access.
It includes a feature on astronomy in Orkney with auroral photographs […]
