Solent Amateur Astronomers are a local society with an observatory at Toothill. We are currently reviewing our location for our monthly meetings where we have a guest speaker. Please keep an eye on the website for up to date details before each meeting. The date will remain the same, the third Tuesday of each month. Our observatory continues to open, subject to the weather, on the first weekend of each month at 7:30pm throughout the winter. All that remains at this stage is for me to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

MERCURY will be an evening object in the west from late February into early March. Look to the west in the twilight just after sunset. VENUS will be the evening star right through this period. Any clear night, look to the west and it cannot be missed. MARS is in Leo and moves into Virgo mid January then starts its retrograde motion and enters Leo again early February. JUPITER is now past opposition and visible all evening in Aries, right on the border with Pisces which it enters December 4th for about a month before returning. SATURN is in Virgo and remains a morning object until the end of February. URANUS is visible all evening in Pisces all through this period. NEPTUNE can be seen most of the evening in Aquarius and will be lost in the twilight from the end of January. Conjunction with the Sun is on February 19th.

During this period the Moon will be Full on December 10th, January 9th and February 7th. Then New on December 24th, January 23rd and February 21st. There is one eclipse during this period. A total Lunar Eclipse will occur on December 10th. The eclipse starts at 12:45 and ends at 16:17. As the Moon rises at 15:48, we will see the tail end of the eclipse as it rises. The Winter solstice is on December 22nd at 05:30.