Cumbrian Sky

 

On the evening of Friday November 16th - weather permitting! - members of Kendal's astronomical society, the "Eddington Astronomical Society", will be holding a special "skywatch" event at Kendal Castle, to show members of the public a new comet that is now visible in the sky and exciting amateur and professional skywatchers across the world.

 

Before October 24th Comet Holmes was so faint it could only be seen in a telescope. Then, overnight, it brightened, and since then it has been easily visible to the naked eye, even from towns like Kendal which suffer from light pollution.

 

From 7pm on Friday evening - weather permitting! - members of the Eddington AS will be up at Kendal Castle to show people the comet, explain what has happened to it, and show close-up views of it through their telescopes. We'll also be answering any questions people might have about space and astronomy, and pointing out some of the many other exciting sights visible in the night sky at this time of year.

 

And for people who can stay until fairly late in the evening, we'll be able to show them the Moon and the planet Mars through our telescopes, and also point out the star around which astronomers recently discovered a new planet, a planet that might have moons capable of supporting life...

 

The event is completely free and is suitable for everyone, regardless of age or level of experience in looking at the night sky - but is also obviously completely dependant on the weather. If it is cloudy no event will take place.

 

More details will appear here nearer the time.