The Moon

Last Quarter --- on the 4th, up from 01:06 to 12:24
New --- on the 12th, up from 04:09 to 21:59
First Quarter --- on the 19th, up from 13:48 to 00:34
Full --- on the 26th, up from 21:50 to 04:17

The Sun barely gets below the northern horizon during high summer, so twilight doesn’t really end. You can watch it as it passes from west through north to east through the night.
There is a Partial Lunar Eclipse on the 26th, but as it’s our daytime in Doncaster, we’ll not see it.
However, this is when we can start to see Noctilucent clouds in the north, beautiful silvery clouds soon after sundown. Very photogenic.

Planets

Saturn is still the best placed to observe, rings very edge-on but moons more easily seen in good seeing. It has crossed the border from Leo into Virgo. By the end of the month it’ll be setting soon after midnight, so look for it while you can.
Mars is also well placed, getting smaller but still worth a look. Much smaller than Saturn but just as bright, located under the rear end of Leo. It’ll set at midnight on the 30th so get to your telescope early, though it’ll be easily seen in twilight, as will Saturn, and moon Titan too, the others will need a darker sky.
Venus is the most easily seen of the planets though, a very bright mag –4, white beacon in the west, unmistakable, easily seen throughout twilight to midnight at the start of the month and 11pm at the end. It has a 79° phase, which you may be able to discern in binoculars.
Out in the east we’ll see the other planets. First is Neptune, rising soon after 2am on the 1st and two hours earlier by the 30th, but still only a small blue disc that’ll need binoculars at the least. A tiny mag 7.9, 2arcsec blue disc, and at both ends of the month it’ll have to compete with a bright Moon close by, less of a problem at other times.
Next up will be blue Uranus at mag 5.9 and 3arcsec and yellow Jupiter at mag –2.4 and 39arcsec, within a degree of each other on the 1st, and parting slightly to 2° by the 30th, but they’ll change places during the month and on the 9th will be half a degree apart. They’ll rise at 2.40am on the 1st, and at 12.45an on the 30th, so will soon be worth detailed observing. The moons of both planets will be of interest, but those of Uranus will need a reasonably sized telescope whereas those of Jupiter can be seen with good binoculars.
Mercury rises at 4.15am on the 1st, half an hour before the Sun. Bright, at mag 0.2, but in brightening twilight so look carefully with binoculars. It can be seen each morning, edging closer to the Sun till the 11th at the latest, still up 30mins before the Sun, but too close to search with binoculars. On that morning the very thin crescent Moon will be within 4° and so will the Pleiades. That’s worth a photograph, but watch for the Sun.

Comets. C/2009 R1 McNaught is binocular bright, circum-polar, and can be seen skirting the northern horizon when the sky is darkest. Tail ? Photograph it and send it to me please.

Meteors. Several showers this month but none with an expected Zenith Hourly Rate of more that 6 or 7, except the Arietids, with a ZHR of 50+, but the radiant, in Aries, rises just before the Sun, so will be swamped by direct sunlight, or at best in bright twilight. Unfortunately, the Moon will also be in the way, boxing the radiant between it and the Sun. So, all in all, not a good month for meteor showers.

If you'd like detailed sky charts of any of the above see us at www.donastro.org.uk

Satellites

ISS
23rd -- mag -2.4 at 23:52 Hrs starts in SW to 26° up in E
25th -- mag –2.4 at 23:03 Hrs starts in SW to 26° up in E
26th -- mag –3.0 at 23:26 Hrs starts in WSW to 42° up in E
27th -- mag –2.3 at 22:15 Hrs starts in SW to 26° up in E
27th -- mag –3.4 at 23:49 Hrs starts in WSW to 57° up in E
28th -- mag –3.0 at 22:38 Hrs starts in WSW to 42° up in E

Iridium Flares

2nd -- mag -8 at 23:46:46 Hrs 45° up in WSW
3rd -- mag -1 at 23:40:47 Hrs 43° up in WSW
6th -- mag -7 at 23:31:50 Hrs 41° up in WSW
10th -- mag -7 at 23:16:53 Hrs 37° up in W
11th -- mag -1 at 23:10:53 Hrs 38° up in W
13th -- mag -6 at 23:07:59 Hrs 34° up in W

Check www.heavens-above.com for more.