Astronomy in Edinburgh
Come along to one of our meetings, hear interesting talks, find out about what’s in the sky this month and meet other astronomers.
We meet monthly, usually on the first or second Friday of the month at 7:30pm, and are always happy to see new faces at our meetings. See below for the next meeting date.
The Astronomical Society of Edinburgh (ASE) has been holding meetings in Edinburgh to inform members and the general public about astronomy since 1924.
Observing forecast for Edinburgh
A green block indicates a clear sky, orange partially clear, red cloudy. Blue blocks show cloud level – darker blue is clearer. Click on the chart for hourly detail and ISS passes.
Forecast provided by clearoutside.com
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Featured news
Observe the Open Clusters of Autumn
Open Clusters are beautiful, varied and relatively simple to observe and image. There are a number of good ones well-placed at this time of year. Have a look at some of them.
September 2018 Meeting report
We had a good start to the new season of ASE monthly meetings on Friday 7th September, with a fascinating talk by Dr. John Lightfoot of the ROE on Hubble's Variable Nebula.
More News
Have you ever observed Neptune?
Neptune is higher in the Sky from Edinburgh than the other major planets and is an interesting challenge to set yourself if you've never seen it before.
Scotland’s Sky in September 2018
You can now find the latest Scotland Sky Diary for September by Alan Pickup in the ASE Journal.
Full Moon observing
Full Moon is only a few days away but don't let it stop you doing astronomy. Yes it's very bright and blots out most of the fainter objects in the sky, but it has a beauty and interest all of its own.
It’s Globular cluster season
The summer twilight is receding and the globular clusters are again well placed for viewing. Go outside and have a look at these beautiful objects.
Albireo is not a true binary star
So it turns out that everyone's favourite double star, Albireo, is not a true binary system. The components are about 60 light years apart and simply an optical alignment.
Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner UPDATED finder chart and ephemeris
Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner is now brightening and expected to reach a peak magnitude of 7.1 on 05 Sep 2018. It should be easy to observe from Edinburgh.
Ask an Astronomer
Is there something you always wanted to know about our universe?
How to observe a planet? Take a photo of the stars? Which telescope to buy? Why is space black? …
Well here’s your chance: just ask your question in the form and we’ll try and get back to you with an answer. The answer may just be: “we have no idea” – but that’s the beauty of astronomy!