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Magical journeys at Shaftesbury
THE characters in Shaftesbury Arts Centre youth theatre’s December double bill are all on journeys. In Magic Fairy in a Microwave by Dara Murphy, Sarah is on a chaotic journey into her own overactive imagination. In The Clearing (by Jennifer Reif) a group of teenagers find themselves on strange, moving paths into a mysterious wood.
The two one-act plays, Delightful Dramatic Diversions, are being staged at the arts centre on Saturday 9th December at 2.30pm and 6.30pm.
Magic Fairy in a Microwave won the Overall Best In Fringe award this year’s Shaftesbury Fringe 2023, and the same cast will be playing again. It’s the story of Sarah Williams and her overactive imagination – after a series of events, she eventually becomes trapped deep in her own mind … or has she been trapped by the narrators?
It is a fast-paced physical extravaganza with guns, knives and blood. Kittens will be harmed, and we discover what happens should a fairy ever become locked in a microwave.
The second play, The Clearing, is a collection of ten vignettes. In early autumn a group of teenagers find themselves in a clearing in the woods. Some are searching, some are hiding, some are lost and others found. Each vignette is witty, sweet and poignant – woven together they make for a magical and refreshingly good-natured play.
- For tickets and more information telephone 01747 854321 or visit shaftesburyartscentre.org.uk
It’s panto season (Oh yes it is!)
Poisoned apples, dashing princes, magic lamps or talking cats – which pantomime should YOU choose this Christmas?
ALL the major theatres in the area have their pantomimes ready for your cheering, booing and it’s-behind-you-ing, and now the choice is between distance, cost and which stars you most want to see. In the ten shows in (relatively easy) distance, audiences have a choice of three Snow Whites and 21 dwarfs, two Cinderellas, one Aladdin, one Dick Whittington, one Goldilocks, one Peter Pan and one Sleeping Beauty, so most of the big panto stories are covered!
The cost of living crisis has really hit most of us in recent months, and travel may feel even more difficult this year. But it’s still important to take your children to see live performances of these traditional stories in an atmosphere that can’t be captured on film.
It’s the only theatre where audience noise is actively encouraged, with lots of chances to hiss, boo, cheer and generally join in – and it’s also an opportunity to dress up in your finery. Kids at pantomimes often look as colourful and glittery as the fairy princesses on stage.
Most of us get our first experience of live theatre at the pantomime, and if it weaves its colourful magic effectively, it can set a path for the rest of your theatre-going life.
The best loved pantomime of all is Cinderella, the story of a kind child whose mother has died and whose father has remarried, saddling her with a selfish stepmother and two ghastly and ugly sisters. When she is invited to Prince Charming’s ball, the sisters tear up her invitation. Of course, being panto, it all comes out right in the end.
This year the ever-popular duo of Gordon Cooper and Jack Glanville lead the Evolution show’s move from the traditional Octagon setting to Westlands, while the town centre venue awaits its refit. The panto opens on 8th December and runs to 31st, with several matinees and morning shows as well as evening performances.
The other Cinders is at Wimborne Tivoli, where the show is on from 15th December to 1st January and the stars are Luke Atwood and Brandon Nicholson as the sisters, Lucia-Jade Barker as Cinderella, Courtney Jackson as the Fairy Godmother and Lee Redwood as Buttons.
Dick Whittington
This is the earliest show – it started on 25th November and is running to 7th January at Salisbury Playhouse – and Will Carey takes the title role. While pantomime is often the first experience of live theatre for a child, sometimes it is the professional debut for young actors, too; that is the case for Olivia Hewitt-Jones who is playing the feisty heroine, Alice Fitzwarren. But while Dick Whittington will be her first pro panto, Olivia is no stranger to the traditional Christmas show – her father Brian was a pantomime producer for years and her mother, actress Amanda Bairstow, acted in them. Alongside Will and Olivia are Lindo Shinda as Cosmo the Cat, Will Jennings as King Percy Rat and David Rumelle as Sarah the Cook.
Snow White
Another orphaned child pursued by a wicked stepmother, Snow White is saved by the efforts of seven dwarfs. It will be on stage at Bournemouth Pavilion (2nd to 31st December) and Weymouth Pavilion (13th to 31st December) and also at Southampton Mayflower, probably the biggest and grandest theatre in the region, from 9th to 31st December, where the stars are Salisbury-born Christopher Biggins and Ashley Banjo and Diversity.
Bournemouth’s show has Su Pollard, Noel Brodie and Jamie Steen in the leading roles, and at Weymouth you can see George Sampson and Jamie Riding.
Aladdin
Poole’s pantomime is Aladdin, starring the popular Chris Jarvis as Widow Twankey, with the eagerly-awaited return of Andrew Pollard and Alim Javardi, (who were named as the UK’s best pantomime duo for last year’s Nadine and Doris) and also Melinda Messenger as the Spirit of the Ring.
Bath and Bristol
Neil McDermott joins the experienced duo of Jon Monie and Nick Wilton in Sleeping Beauty at Bath’s beautiful Theatre Royal from 7th December to 7th January. At another grand old Victorian theatre, Bristol Hippodrome, see David Suchet as Captain Hook in Peter Pan from 2nd to 31st December – it also stars Andy Ford and Faye Tozer.
Book your tickets and get your glad rags on and prepare to shout IT’S BEHIND YOU at the tops of your voices.
Hunting humans for fun
Lifelong kennelman Jeremy Whaley’s hunting narrative shifts from tradition to innovation, prioritising the hounds’ skill over the hunt’s end
‘I was deeply anti-hunting,’ says Jeremy Whaley – not the conversation opener expected from a lifelong huntsman and hunt master.
‘But as a child I loved my pony, and I really loved dogs. At the yard where I kept my pony there were children who hunted, and I’d see them come back muddy and tired – but they always had that look in their eye that said they’d had the best day.
‘Eventually they persuaded me to give it a try – and I was just fortunate that I was out with the huntsman Jim Bennett and the Old Berkeley pack. It was a spectacle! The horses, the chaps in their mustard coats … but most of all, I instantly recognised that one of these men had a magical – and I mean that literally – bond with all these dogs. They were all looking at the huntsman and listening to him, it was spellbinding. Then we moved off and I watched that man working all those dogs, off leads, running around barking … and yet, they were still under full control. I was hooked.
‘I was an academic and sporting failure – horses and hunting became my mental life saver.
‘Jim was a professional huntsman, and I was lucky enough to hunt regularly with him throughout the rest of my childhood and my early adult years. He taught me and showed me that it was hound work, and the relationship with his hounds, that was important to him, not killing foxes.
‘Just as, for a farmer, raising animals is a passion and the killing of those animals is merely a necessity for feeding humans. It was only ever about his love of hounds, never a passion to kill a fox. That was what set me on the path to 23 years hunting with foxhounds – like Jim, I loved the hounds, but I never enjoyed killing the fox. I was Master and Huntsman of The New Forest, then The Chiddingfold Leconfield and Cowdray, and then The Berwickshire Foxhounds in Scotland. Then the law changed and the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002 came into force which, due to loopholes in the legislation, allowed an unlimited number of dogs to ‘flush foxes to guns’.
I’d not seen anything like it before, I couldn’t stomach it.
‘So I looked for alternatives. Drag, or trail, hunting is too artificial for me. There’s no challenge in what is effectively following a railway line of scent. Then I saw Nic Wheeler from Coakham Bloodhounds, one of the oldest bloodhound packs in the UK. I went out with them, loved it, and realised it was my answer.’
The hounds come too
Hunting humans with bloodhounds is referred to as hunting the clean boot.
‘It’s not fox hunting by another name. They’re completely different sports. Just as someone who’s good at squash may not enjoy tennis, clean boot hunting with bloodhounds is a sport in its own right, with its own skills and challenges,’ says Jeremy.
‘The point is, the hunting of most wild animals with hounds is illegal. It doesn’t matter if it was bad law – it is what it is, it is not going to change and, if we want hound sports to survive, we need to not only move on and hunt within the law, but do so in a way that seeks to impress and educate the average, tolerant, man, woman or any other of the myriad genders that currently exist on the Clapham omnibus.
‘I started the Borders Bloodhounds Hunt in 2002 – and the more I learned, the more I loved it.
Due to a change in circumstances I had to move back south, so I found a kennels to rent and brought the hounds with me. I started the South Downs Bloodhounds (SDB) in 2004, on an absolute shoestring budget!
‘One day we had 126 riders turn up we realised we really needed to set up a booking system! We usually average about 30 riders a hunt now, and most simply pay a cap to attend for the day.
All images © Sharon T Photography
Tub hunting
We start in August with tub hunting (because the quarries are a bit tubby that early in the season …), and we do four or five hunts of around a mile each in a day to get the quarry, the hounds and the horses fit. We have the formal opening meet in the middle of October, and by then we will have three or four longer hunts of two to three miles; up to five miles if I can manage it.
‘The routes are mapped in advance, and I try to always vary them, even if we’ve been to the same place before. The hounds learn a route very quickly, so we always try and make each one different.
‘We’ll go anywhere – Hampshire, Wiltshire, Dorset, Somerset … we’ve just been up to Fife in Scotland! In fact, the Fife and the Lauderdale Hunts are both now converted to a bloodhound hunt.
‘Hunting human quarry with bloodhounds has all the vagaries of the proper chase – you can see them working the trail out. It’s not just a case of the quarry running as fast as they can along the route that’s given to them, it’s far more complex.
‘Last week we had six quarry out as a group, and really that’s too many. The hounds just flew without checking. Obviously there were some who enjoyed a fast ride, but for me it’s far better to make life difficult for the hounds. Just two quarries, and let the hounds struggle a little.
‘We used to hunt a policeman, he was really good. One time we came up into a really big stubble field and I knew the quarry should have gone half way down before turning right. But the hounds flew along confidently, shooting past where the quarry should have turned. We made it to the end of the field, and the hounds checked. I watched them casting about, and started to wonder if the quarry had got lost somehow. Then, just one individual hound, Subtle, started to move her way back up the line. I called the rest of the pack, and they followed her – half way back across the field they roared off in the right direction.
‘I spoke to the policeman afterwards, and he said he’d decided to cause us some problems – he ran all the way to the end of the field, doubled back to re-trace his own steps up the line, and then cut left across the field as planned. Brilliant!’
A hound is a hound
How big is the South Downs Bloodhounds pack?
‘I normally have 18 couple in kennels,’ says Jeremy. ‘And I take 12 to 13 couple to hunt.’
A pack of hounds is always counted in couples. Two hounds are a couple and one hound is one hound – unless he is with others, when he is, naturally, half a couple. It is traditional for a huntsman to take an odd number of hounds out for a day’s hunting, so he might take 20½ couple – or 41 hounds.
‘Everyone is welcome to join the South Downs Bloodhounds. Riders must book ahead via the website, but anyone is welcome to attend the meets on foot and follow, or to become quarry. The SDB hunt is renowned for being welcoming to newcomers and isn’t overly concerned about the ‘right’ hunting dress, or people understanding hunting terms. There are always hunt members to buddy up with, whether you’re riding for the first time, or watching on foot. You do not need references to join the SDB. Details are all published on the website, and Jeremy encourages anyone to come and experience it for themselves.
‘To be honest, we take the piss out of each other a lot. And that’s not accidental. We really want people who will come along, muck in and have fun. We’re not frightfully grand, and we’re not there to impress anyone. We’re just ordinary people who love our animals, enjoying our sport.’
- southdownsbloodhounds.com
Jeremy is always looking for new places to hunt; if you would like to see these hounds hunting humans across your land, he’d be delighted to hear from you – [email protected]
With thanks to equestrian photographer Sharon T Photography for the use of all images.
Letters to the Editor December 2023
Last Christmas I saw a Tweet by someone hunting for some specific items – and for whatever reason, it stayed with me. She wanted suggestions on where to find the perfect crumble dish, a soft blanket large enough for a 6’ man asleep on a sofa, and a specific set of pink vintage tumblers to match a jug. The list has lived on in my head ever since – it’s such a perfect, thoughtful, careful list of gifts.
Did her sister know that the list writer thought her crumble was the best, and worthy of a very special dish of its own? Did the man who nods off on the sofa appreciate the big-enough blanket? Did she ever find and replace the broken glassware?
I’ll never know. But I do know I try and create my own version of this list every time I buy a gift. What does my person truly love, want or need? Gifts are an offer of your love and respect. A ‘that’ll do’ present, bought in haste, is neither lovely to give or thrilling to receive. The very best thing about giving a gift is seeing the other person’s face light up, letting you know you got it just right.
As we all face another winter of climbing bills and narrowing bank accounts, it’s not a bad thing to focus on the small, thoughtful things that somehow always end up meaning the most. Think back – I’m willing to bet that your most treasured gifts weren’t the expensive ones. They were the thoughtful ones.
As you’d expect, there’s a lot about Christmas gift buying in this issue – and we’ve covered as many local producers, crafters, makers, growers and servers as we possibly could.
Do please click their links, visit their shops, have a browse. If we all do just a little, if each of us buys just one or two thoughtful items from local businesses, or even simply like and share their social media posts, together we really can make a lot of difference.
Lastly, it’s good to remember at this time of year that Christmas is a terrific amplifier – love gets lovelier, hurt gets hurtier, loss gets lossier, lonely gets lonelier and family gets crazier.
Thank you for a wonderful, frantic, ridiculous year – we’re off to light the fire, warm some wine, eat a mince pie or three, and enjoy having a full nest for the first time in a year as our biggest ones come home from America.
Have a wonderful, wonderful month.
Laura and Courtenay x
PS don’t forget we’ll be out later in January – were taking Christmas off. We rather think we’ve earned it.
On the Blandford/Pimperne planning decision
Dorset Council should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves. So much brownfield land available and housing stock unused. Given the state of the housing market I rather suspect however that it might be mothballed by the developer, as homes are struggling to get sold!
Bridgette Browne, Facebook
Great news for all the local people who just can’t get on the housing ladder in Blandford as house prices are so over inflated in the area due to people living longer.
It’s £50-£70k cheaper to live in Shaftesbury/Gillingham areas than it is in Blandford forcing those who have family and family links to Blandford outside of their town as they can’t afford or find somewhere to buy.
All this nonsense about destroying the AONB is just pure nimbyism by the very people who want to protect their over valued houses price.
While there is a lack of infrastructure within Blandford this isn’t a local issue, it’s a national issue that central government isn’t addressing. However the lack of housing and affordable housing is critical in this area and these houses will go towards easing that pressure
John Hart, Facebook
I think there is a clear case for the application to be called in for review by the secretary of state.
It is clearly a breach of an adopted local plan, and even if the Dorset Council has not agreed their structure plan the previous plan is the agreed guidance. The perceived benefits are just smoke and mirrors.
I can only praise the Pimperne parish chairman for standing up for his Parish the AONB and against a clumsy planning decision.
Kevin Maitland-Gleed, Facebook
Insulted of Gillingham
For 80 years I’ve lived on this Earth
Most of them filled with mirth,
I’ve had a good life, a jolly good time
And like to mark occasions with a rhyme.
And now I’m told I’ll be rewarded for living so long
With an increase in pension – this must be wrong?
25p a week is the amount I will receive
Surely my eyes do deceive?!!
This sum hasn’t been significant since it was 5 bob
Back in the 60’s when I first had a job.
For 45 years I’ve worked – often 12 hours a day
Only to be insulted in such a way!!
Barb Dimmack, Gillingham
Appalled in Blandford
I’m just catching up on the October issue, and I wanted to send a note of horrified solidarity to editor Laura on the subject of The Cheese Incident (Letter From The Editor, Oct 23). Firstly – butter has no place on a cheese plate. What were they thinking? Of course you didn’t expect it, it had no right to be there!
Secondly – I suspect we’ve all done it …
Mary White, Blandford
(Thank you for your support at this difficult time, Mary. Needless to say it’s more than I received from C – Ed)
The night sky
I had no request to send Rob Nolan for his Christmas picture – I don’t know enough about space objects to ask for one by name. His images are always worth stopping to appreciate, but I wanted to thank him for his stargazing notes. I have developed a new bedtime routine of checking the clouds before I lock the back door, and if its clear I’ll pop out into the garden for a few minutes and look up. I make note of the special dates, confidently point out various planets and look for meteor showers with my grandchildren – they think I’m a wise old woman who understands the stars, but I’m just repeating what Rob says.
Thank you Rob!
Pauline White, Sherborne
On the willow ships
I’m just sending a thank you for your continued BV magazine and the BV podcasts. I found the recent article about willow coffins very interesting (mentioned in November’s BV, and then there was a fascinating follow-up interview with Cath on the Podcast here – Ed) , particularly the part about ashes departing on a Viking ship and being set alight at sea! My sister lives in Ipswich and has told me many times over the years about the Sutton Hoo treasures and the Viking ship discovered inside a burial mound there.
The idea of using a Willow shopping trolley amused me though – I’m old enough to remember little old ladies using them. It always used to make us laugh; I’d love to see a Uni student wheeling their books to lectures using one!
Sheila Lockyer, by email
Gillingham Walking Festival needs you
Once again, this event was very successful, with approximately 150 walkers taking part in September’s Gillingham Walking Festival. This year we had 15 walks, of varying lengths and difficulty,
to various locations around Gillingham. Some involved public/minibus transport, some
included a stop for refreshments, and some followed a route included in the new pack of
eight circular walks from Gillingham Station, which was launched on the first day of the
festival (free printed copies can be obtained from the Station, Gillingham Library, and other venues
around the town., and a digital version is on the website here.
The festival was begun in 2014 as part of the Gillingham Walkers Are Welcome initiative. For
the last few years, it has been run by a committee of helpers, each with their own role, and co-
ordinated by Sheila Messer. Enormous thanks are due to Sheila for her enthusiasm in facilitating walking in Gillingham.
Now, however, Sheila has decided it is time for her to step down and to hand the reins to a new coordinator – provided one can be found. The current committee are happy to continue their work but are unable to take on the co-ordinator role. Could you, or someone you know, step into this role to ensure the future of the festival? If you would like to find out more, please contact Sheila on 01747 821269 or email her on
[email protected].
Penny Peat, Festival committee member
This week, I learned about Dutch supermarkets introducing ‘chat checkout’ lanes, allowing for leisurely conversations between customers and cashiers. This popular initiative, now in 200 stores, is similar to the French Carrefour’s ‘Blablabla Caisses’. While self-checkout is convenient for quick visits, I’ve noticed many, particularly older people, struggle with it. They seem to miss human interaction, a necessity often overlooked in our fast-paced society. Introducing these conversation-friendly checkouts is a compassionate response to the human need for connection, particularly for the elderly. I hope UK supermarkets adopt this approach, a small but impactful change for improving life quality, especially for our older community members.
Daniel Forth, Wimborne
Kickstart Christmas with RSPB Arne’s Pull a Pine weekend
This year’s Pull a Pine event will be held over two days on RSPB Arne; Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd December, 10am to 3pm (last entry 2pm).
The family friendly event is one of the biggest conservation events in the country. Visitors have the opportunity to get their wellies on, dig out their hats and scarves and join in a wonderful festive day in nature to pick their own sustainable, home-grown Christmas tree – and to help save one of Dorset’s rarest habitats at the same time.
The Pull a Pine event features an entire suite of entertainment, including live music from Quinns Quinney on Saturday 2nd and Sixteen String Jack on Sunday 3rd. There will be refreshments, hot tasty food, and mulled cider. There will also be Christmas crafting activities and in the Arne Café Garden a Christmas Fayre, featuring stalls for locally-made artisans and festive gifts, plus carol singing.
Most important is the opportunity to do your bit for nature. Pine trees from commercial forestry plantations, which now dominate areas of Dorset’s heathland, spread quickly onto rare lowland heath. If left unchecked, they will out-compete important native heathland plants. Lesley Gorman, Visitor Lesley Gorman, operations manager at RSPB Arne, said: ‘Our visitors have a great day out and get to choose a lovely wonky Christmas tree with character.
And in return, it would take staff and volunteers weeks, if not months, to achieve what’s done in a single weekend at Pull-a-Pine.
‘Last year’s event saw more than 15,000 small pine trees removed over a weekend – a huge effort which allows this special place to maintain a healthy mix of landscapes and wildlife.’
- Pre-booking is essential here: bit.ly/PullaPine23
Chamber Choir to lead the St Peter’s carol service
University Music Chamber Choir will be coming to Dorchester to lead the Advent Carol Service at St Peter’s Church on Saturday 2nd December at 4.30pm.
The choir is formed of students from Bournemouth University and Arts University Bournemouth, all of whom continue to develop their musical skills to an incredibly high level while also completing their varied degree courses.
The service incorporates beautiful choral settings from composers including Judith Weir, James MacMillan, John Tavener, Philip Stopford and Benjamin Britten alongside much-loved advent hymns.
It begins in candlelight as the readings, liturgy and music move from darkness to light.
This is the choir’s first visit to Dorchester and provides the local community with a wonderful opportunity to listen to and support this talented next generation of singers.
The Advent Carol Service is a free event, and everyone is very welcome to come along.
Come raise the roof in a poignant farewell carol service for GMC
All are welcome at Gillingham Methodist Church (GMC) for a very special Carols by Candlelight service at 7pm on Thursday 14th December. There will be the traditional Carols and Lessons, along with some lovely organ and piano music. Admission is free and the service will be followed by mince pies and refreshments.
It will be an especially poignant service, as it will be GMC’s last, says organiser Gordon Amery: ‘The building is being purchased by the local catholic church, so our wonderful Sweetland organ is safe, but Gillingham Methodist Church Society will be closing, as will Music at GMC.
‘Since it was formed in 2004 to fund the restoration of the organ, Music at GMC has held more than 200 concerts and these have greatly benefited numerous charities as well as church funds. Our concert last year in aid of the DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal was probably the most ambitious, since it featured four famous organists, a concert pianist and a celebrity trumpeter – and we raised more than £5,500 for the appeal.’
A long-held dream
‘Over the years we have been honoured by visits from many famous faces in the organ world, including Ian Tracey (Liverpool Cathedral and City Organist), Thomas
Trotter (Birmingham City Organist), Thomas Heywood and David Briggs (International Concert Organists) and of course not forgetting the late, great Carlo Curley.
‘Our recent hosting of a performance of Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius featuring David Briggs taking the part of the orchestra was certainly a highlight for me personally – it was the realisation of a long-held dream.
‘We are hoping to make our last Carol Service particularly special and we invite everyone to please join us. It would be good to go out on a high, with a large congregation to raise the roof during the Carol singing!
‘It just remains for me to thank everyone for their loyal support of our Music at GMC concerts over the last 19 years. I have thoroughly enjoyed planning, organising and attending every single one of them and also ensuring that our amazing Sweetland organ has been heard around the world.’
What do you see?
Astrophotographer Rob Nolan captures a nebula’s chilling skull-shaped visage and suggests we wrap up for winter’s finest stargazing
As we rapidly approach Christmas and the temperatures have suddenly started to drop below the double digits, it’s all too easy to stay indoors in the warm. But when the temperatures dip to near zero, that’s when we get some of our crispest, clearest skies – so wrap up warm and get outside for some amazing stargazing this month!
Last month I asked what BV readers would like to see in this month’s image, but unfortunately I didn’t have enough time to acquire any data on the suggestions you sent. I will give them a go soon, I promise!
So, instead, I’ve chosen a region of space that I haven’t shared before – the NGC 7822, otherwise aptly known as ‘the question mark nebula’. It’s also known as the skull; in this image you can clearly make out a quite disconcerting shape of a skull, complete with teeth! Had the image been a slightly wider field of view, a small dot shape nebula would have been visible further down, completing the shape of a giant question mark in space (hence my appropriate image title!).
It’s amazing what shapes we impose onto these objects in space from our own world’s recognisable patterns. NGC 7822 is a young star forming complex emission nebula in the constellation of Cepheus. Some 3,000 light years away, it’s a violent, chaotic, deep-sky region where young stars are still being born, their powerful radiation ionising the surrounding gas and causing it to glow. I only captured Hydrogen Alpha data on this object, hence its predominant red glow. It’s an area of the sky I’d like to revisit to capture the full question mark object with full narrowband data.
- This image was taken in August this year. It is approximately three hours of data, shot in HaLRGB, with my smaller 70mm refractor telescope at 350mm focal length.
The night sky, December 2023 – Rob’s guide for your stargazing this month:
This year, December certainly feels like the celestial advent calendar of Christmas presents bestowed upon our night skies … providing we get some clear nights, of course! With a surprise second meteor shower appearing this month, it really could be Christmas come early for astronomers!
We kick the month off straight away on the night of 1st/2nd, and 2nd/3rd when we might be treated to a rare display and return to our skies of the Andromedids. We’ve not seen them with the naked eye for many decades, so this could be a real treat! The meteors in this display originate from the now-obliterated Biela’s Comet, which broke up in 1846. In early December we’ll cross paths with the debris that it shed in 1649!
We could see up to 200 meteors per hour, so this is definitely one to get outside and watch in the moonless hours. The meteors generally appear to originate in the constellation of Andromeda, as the name of the shower suggests, but due to its age and diffusion, meteors may appear to come from the neighbouring constellations, such as Pisces, Triangulum and Cassiopeia.
On 10th December, if you’re up before dawn, you’ll be treated to a view of the thinnest crescent Moon, with Venus (the Morning Star) hanging above.
On the night of the 13th/14th, we’re treated to the second meteor shower of the month! The annual Geminids may prove to be the best annual show this year of these natural celestial fireworks.
They’ll be unspoilt by moonlight, so should hopefully produce a bright display. These meteors are actually caused by an asteroid called Phaethon, instead of the usual comets.
On the 17th, Saturn shines brightly above the Moon. The Winter Solstice occurs on the 22nd at 03:37am, at which point the Sun reaches its southernmost point in our skies, making the shortest day and longest night in the northern hemisphere.
On the night of the 22nd, the brilliant shining star near to the Moon will be the gas giant Jupiter.
I’d like to take a moment to thank all the BV readers for their support and interest in the night sky articles I’ve written this year. I hope they have inspired you, at whatever age, to go outside and look up in wonder – or perhaps a little more knowledge. Maybe Father Christmas will be delivering your first telescope this year!
I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and New Year. Until next time, clear skies!
Find Rob on Facebook as RPN Photography here – RPNphotographyDorset
