Rare daytime eclipse coming to Eastbourne

Mercury will travel across the sun on Monday, November 11 – an event that won’t happen again until 2032.

The planet, the smallest in our solar system and closest to the sun, will travel across our skies in a passage which can only be seen with specialist equipment being provided by Eastbourne Astronomical Society.

The society will be on hand at The Redoubt between 12.30pm-2pm that day with solar filters for a telescopic view of its epic journey across our closest star.

It is among the free monthly events being held in a ‘stellar’ lineup this year – featuring galaxies of up to 2.5 million lightyears away.

The first instalment is on Saturday, November 2, from 5–7pm and makes a return to the dark gun platform of The Redoubt.

Stargazers can expect to see the Apollo 11, 16 and 17 lunar landing sites through the society’s powerful telescopes, as well as a glimpse of Saturn, Jupiter, Andromeda and one of the Milky Way’s oldest inhabitants – the M13 globular cluster in Hercules, all subject to weather conditions.

On Saturday, November 30, from 5–7pm, stargazers can prepare to see the Seven Sisters – but not as they know it. The Pleiades cluster, given the nickname the Seven Sisters, will be visible in the night sky.

Andromeda also makes a return appearance along with Uranus, Saturn and the lunar landing sites. The closest galaxy to our own Milky Way, Andromeda is 2.5 million light years away, with a trillion stars.

At the beginning of both evenings, keen astronomers can join a fascinating talk in one of the fortress’s casemates and pick up a free pocket guide to the night sky.

Stargazing continues in 2020 at its alternative location on the Western Lawns, while the Redoubt undergoes planned works, with more dazzling displays on January 4, February 1 and 29 and March 28.

All stargazing events are free and family-friendly, and keen star spotters are welcome to take a peek through the telescopes provided or settle down in a quiet spot with their own. Visitors should wrap up warm.

After some stellar star spotting, stargazers can warm up with hot drinks at The Outpost café (November only) or Lansdowne Hotel (Western Lawns events).

For more information visit www.visiteastbourne.com/events.