Space
Over the last month there has been two space related events which are particularly notable. From the 25th to the 28th of February 2025 there was an alignment of seven planets – Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Venus, Neptune, Mercury and Saturn. This is the last time this phenomenon will be seen so clearly until 2040. Four of the planets – Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and Mars – could be seen with the naked eye. I had a great view from where I stay, despite the level of light pollution. I couldn’t make out Saturn as it was setting at the same time as the Sun and was too low in the horizon, obscuring my view. I read there was only a couple of minutes to catch a glimpse. The same applied to Mercury during this brief window, and I can’t say with any certainty whether what I saw was in fact the planet itself. A telescope was required for Uranus and Neptune. Conditions during the week were good so I managed to catch a glimpse on a couple of nights of Venus, Jupiter and Mars. Of these three planets, I see Venus regularly from my window at this time of year and have a fantastic, unrestricted view of it.
On the 14th of March there was a lunar eclipse. This occurs when the Earth moves between the Sun and the Moon, which blocks the sunlight and casts a shadow across the Moon’s surface. I was up a little earlier than usual and had a great view from my window of the event, though was unable to see its true maximum as the moon had already set below the horizon which was typical for most of the UK. The clouds stayed away except for a brief minute when a stray one drifted past and did block my view, but other than that it was ideal conditions. It was really cool to watch and I managed to catch most of it. I’ve read that the next one will be on the 7th September 2025, so I’m looking forward to that.
The Fiction Factory 