Hardly any media coverage. If this was NASA it would be everywhere

WATCH: China launches crewed spacecraft Shenzhou-12 in a historic mission https://t.co/nhVqLvYnJ7 pic.twitter.com/jlUvnhhls8

— Reuters Science News (@ReutersScience) June 17, 2021

Hubble seems to be shutting down. 

https://phys.org/news/2021-06-hubble-space-telescope-science-halted.html.

Forced Windows 10 updates  

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An enormous ‘mega comet’ that will reach the orbit of Saturn by 2031 is possibly the largest body from the outer reaches of our solar system ever found to make such a close approach to the sun. https://t.co/BAomWelssC pic.twitter.com/67VQ1wRzKO

— New Scientist (@newscientist) June 24, 2021

"Astronomers have discovered a comet so big, it might actually be a minor planet. The object, named 2014 UN271, is falling toward the sun for a "close approach" outside the orbit of Saturn in early 2031. Promising signs of outgassing have already been detected"

https://spaceweather.com/ 

Roger

Astronomy Photographer of the Year: shortlist announced - stunning!
https://www.rmg.co.uk/national-maritime-museum/astronomy-photographer-year-2021-shortlist-images

Roger

"FIRST X-FLARE IN 4 YEARS: A new sunspot emerged during the early hours of July 3rd and promptly exploded, producing the first X-class solar flare since Sept. 2017. X-flares are the most powerful kind, and this one caused a strong shortwave radio blackout over the Atlantic Ocean."

Updates to this developing story will be posted throughout the weekend:

https://spaceweather.com/ 

Roger

How do people see the Milky Way?

I'm 49 and have never, ever seen it - even when I've been in some places with minimal light pollution. I'm off to the Trossachs next month so light pollution should be low. Can you see it with the naked eye?

You can see it with the naked eye given a decent dark sky, but don't expect the same quality you get from good astro-photography, Saint. Places like Keilder Forest are good - well away from light. I've seen it well in out of the way places. A useful article here:

https://www.countryfile.com/how-to/outdoor-skills/stargazing-guide-britains-dark-sky-locations-best-places-to-stargaze-plus-how-to-get-started/

Roger

Thanks, Roger. I've been to a few of those places but never got even a hint of the milky way in the skies.

The secret is to lie face up and not face down when you are pissed, Saint!

Actually - the real secret is to know where to look in the sky.

My preferred references are Stellarium or Paul Money's monthly website Astrospace.

https://stellarium-web.org/

or

http://www.astrospace.co.uk/Astrospace/monthly-sky/monthlynightsky.html

Roger

I think a lot of it Martin is in the camera you use and how you process the images. More so than you might think.

Post-processing is a big part of astrophotography, because your camera will capture a low-contrast sky that needs some work as this article describes. I've yet to try it. The moon is an easy subject though and far less work.

https://photographylife.com/landscapes/how-to-photograph-the-milky-way

Damn! Knew there was something amiss.

Thanks for the links; will check them out

Cheers. My interest isn't really to photograph it, but just to see what it looks like. By all accounts, you should be able to see it with the naked eye if the light pollution is absent - or have I got that wrong?

Anywhere well away from extraneous lighting should easily make the Milky Way visible. Believe it or not when I was a lad I could see it OK from our back garden in SE London but no chance these days

I stayed in a lodge in the middle of Capitol Reef National Park in the USA  a couple of years ago and the view of the stars and the Milky Way was absolutely fantastic. Unfortunately it was absolutely pitch black and I then walked into a rock on my way back indoors !

Here's another Space phenomenon that's difficult to observe, Saint....Zodiacal Light

NASA's Juno spacecraft has made a surprising discovery. Mars appears to be leaking dust, filling a huge volume of interplanetary space with glowing debris. We can see the resulting cloud with our naked eyes; it's called "Zodiacal Light."

See:
A Big Glowing Cloud of Marsdust
https://spaceweather.com/

Roger

Something else I'll not be able to see 

I have the Sky Safari app on my phone that I've used in the past. Best places I've used it (it terms of minimal light pollution) are the Yorkshire Dales and semi-rural Spain. The view of stars was hugely improved in both cases, but didn't see the Milky Way, as I've said.

Here's something to aim for, Saint! Well beyond me. Wow!

Your pictures on the theme of 'under the stars'
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-57864019

Roger

Excellent news

It's been got going again

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-57885865

Great! 

In a move that pours cold water on the dreams of a few billionaire space explorers, the US has tightened its definition of the word "astronaut".

Jeff Bezos and Sir Richard Branson not yet astronauts, US says

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-57950149 

Roger

But they are arseholes

They could have paid to vaccinate the whole world against Covid and still had some change left over