THE 2016 noctilucent cloud season is drawing to a close. This year has been a disappointingly poor year for NLC, at least for Cumbrian sky watchers. While NLC watchers to our north and south have enjoyed several stunning displays, our ever-reliable awful weather hid the best ones from us, so we're all hoping to catch a really big display before the start of August. Any clear night between now and then, keep an eye on the northern sky around midnight for streaks, streamers and curls of thee beautiful, if elusive, electric blue clouds.
The International Space Station (ISS) is back in the evening sky again, now without Tim Peake onboard, of course. To see it, go out on the following dates at the time given, look to the west, and wait for a bright 'star' to rise up from the horizon, heading to the left. That's the ISS. Some of the following passes will be higher and brighter than others but all will be easily visible to the naked eye.
July 28: 23.24; July 29: 22.31; July 30: 23.14; July 31: 22.21 and again at 23.58. August 1: 23.05; August 2: 22.12 and again at 23.48. August 3: 22.52.
Remember, if the star you see rising up is flashing, it's actually an airplane. And the ISS moves, so any bright star you see just sitting there in the sky is either an actual star or a planet.
Stuart Atkinson
Eddington Astronomical Society of Kendal
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