Astronomy in Edinburgh
Because of Covid-19 all our meetings are now online – and we’re doing more of them. Stay involved and keep an eye open here, on Facebook and Twitter. Visitors please join us on our YouTube channel.
We’re aiming to have something happening online at least twice a month – often on Fridays at 7:30pm. We also have the monthly Imaging & Observing Group meetings for ASE members on the Wednesday after the first monthly meeting.
The priority for the ASE is the health and safety of our members and the public but we also want to continue engaging with you all through our love of astronomy.
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
Follow our Facebook page and Twitter feed for more up-to-the-minute observing ideas, information and results.
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Featured news
Here come the Geminids – and no Moon!
The reliable Geminids peak on the night of 13/14 December and the Moon won't get in the way. We can expect rates of up to 50 meteors per hour.
Scotland’s Sky in December 2020
Jupiter and Saturn in their closest meeting since 1623
Meeting report: Edinburgh to Hawai’i – the short astronomical career of John Walter Nichol
Thank you to Dr Rebekah Higgitt of NMS for this fascinating historical talk. The links to Edinburgh added even more local interest.
More News
Meeting report: Looking for life on Mars with the Rosalind Franklin rover
A very engaging and very well attended talk from Professor Andrew Coates on Looking for life on Mars and also the Sky in November from Alan Pickup.
Explore Auriga the Charioteer
As winter approaches we look forward to seeing the likes of Orion, Gemini and Taurus, but in late autumn Auriga is worth a look and it's already getting high in the eastern sky.
Choosing a telescope
Mark Phillips gave us a talk on what to consider when choosing a telescope as well as examples of different types and options.
International Observe the Moon Night 2020 live stream
Thank you to everyone who joined us for the live stream on International Observe the Moon Night 2020. You can watch the video on YouTube. Because the Moon was so [...]
18 Sept 2020 meeting report
ASE member John Murrell gave us a fascinating insight into the Gaia second data release.
Imaging & Observing Group
At our recent September meeting we announced that the Imaging Group would become the Imaging & Observing Group (IOG). This is not a change of focus but to more accurately reflect what we do and be as inclusive as possible.
Fast Radio Bursts talk and meeting report
We had an fascinating talk Professor Duncan Lorimer live from West Virginia on Zoom and YouTube about Fast Radio Bursts.
Get ready for Mars 2020
For most of the rest of 2020 Mars is going to be a prominent evening object and the best placed object to observe, so don't miss out on seeing it at this favourable apparition.
End-of-term report
The first part of our lockdown season of talks came to end on Friday and what an amazing time we've had. Featuring practical, historical, entertaining and superb keynote talks.
The Sky in August 2020 presentation
ASE member Mark Phillips told us about the things to view in the night sky during August, including the Perseids meteor shower, Mars and several objects in our ASE-24 list.
Get ready for the Perseid meteor shower August 2020
The Perseids, one of the best meteor showers of the year, coincides with a waning Moon in 2020 when the shower reaches its peak on the night of August 12-13.
Intro to Astro-imaging Part 5 online
The fifth part of our Intro to Astro-imaging course covered imaging for science projects at our online Zoom meeting, also broadcast on YouTube.
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!