Stuart Clark
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Astronomer, journalist, author, lecturer. Beneath the Night (Faber). Writes Starwatch for Guardian. Runs Expanded Universe Ltd. Guitarist for @stormdevaband
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Articles by Stuart Clark
Maximizing Your Microsoft Defender Investment with KnowBe4 Defend
When organizations deploy Microsoft 365, security leaders face a fundamental question: Is native Microsoft Defender protection enough? Microsoft recently evaluated real-world telemetry from live enterprise tenants running seven ICES add-ons on top of Microsoft Defender. The result? KnowBe4 Defend ranked #1 across every single metric reported, catching 3.7x more dangerous emails that Microsoft Defender missed than the field average, with the lowest overlap.
Starwatch: Count these stars to find out how dark the sky is where you are
This week, we are going to locate the Great Square of Pegasus and count stars to see how dark your sky is. The chart shows the view looking south from London at 2000 GMT on 9 November. High in the sky is the Great Square of Pegasus, a distinctive pattern of four stars that marks the body of the mythical winged horse. The four corner stars – Alpheratz, Scheat, Markab and Algenib – are bright enough to be visible even from suburban locations.
Starwatch: Count these stars to find out how dark the sky is where you are
The view looking south from London at 8pm on Monday. High in the sky is the Great Square of Pegasus. Illustration: Guardian Design This week, we are going to locate the Great Square of Pegasus and count stars to see how dark your sky is. The chart shows the view looking south from London at 2000 GMT on 9 November. High in the sky is the Great Square of Pegasus, a distinctive pattern of four stars that marks the body of the mythical winged horse.
Key appointments by hub North as operations continue to expand
Hub North Scotland has announced two key appointments as its operations continue to grow. John Edwards, who has been with the business since March 2023, has been appointed to the new role of Place & Development Director with immediate effect.
Starwatch: Catch the striking trifecta of Venus, the moon and Spica at break of dawn
Early risers have a beautiful sight to look forward to this week as brilliant Venus joins the waning crescent moon and the star Spica in the morning sky. The chart shows the view looking east-south-east from London at 0600 GMT on 7 November. Venus will be the easiest object to identify, shining brilliantly. Next to it will be Spica, the brightest star in the constellation of Virgo, the virgin, situated about 250 light years from Earth. The tiny sliver of the waning moon completes the tableau.
Starwatch: Catch the striking trifecta of Venus, the moon and Spica at break of dawn
At 6am on 7 November the view looking east-south-east from London will show Venus, Spica and the moon. Illustration: Guardian Graphics Early risers have a beautiful sight to look forward to this week as brilliant Venus joins the waning crescent moon and the star Spica in the morning sky. The chart shows the view looking east-south-east from London at 0600 GMT on 7 November. Venus will be the easiest object to identify, shining brilliantly.
Starwatch: Bright stars of Pegasus make this distinctive constellation easy to see
This week we will track down Pegasus, one of the most distinctive constellations in the autumn sky. Pegasus was one of the 48 constellations listed by Ptolemy in the second century. In Greek mythology, it represents the magnificent winged horse ridden by the hero Bellerophon. The easiest part of the constellation to recognise is the Great Square of Pegasus, a large pattern of four moderately bright stars. The chart shows the view looking high in the southern sky from London at 10pm on 26 October.
Starwatch: Bright stars of Pegasus make this distinctive constellation easy to see
This week we will track down Pegasus, one of the most distinctive constellations in the autumn sky. Pegasus was one of the 48 constellations listed by Ptolemy in the second century. In Greek mythology, it represents the magnificent winged horse ridden by the hero Bellerophon. The easiest part of the constellation to recognise is the Great Square of Pegasus, a large pattern of four moderately bright stars. The chart shows the view looking high in the southern sky from London at 10pm on 26 October.
Starwatch: Catch the Orionid meteor shower streak across the night sky
Starwatch: Catch the Orionid meteor shower streak across the night sky Mon, 19 October 2026 at 5:00 am UTC Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. The meteor shower is expected to peak during the night over 21-22 October.Illustration: Guardian Graphics The annual Orionid meteor shower reaches its peak this week, offering the chance to see fragments of the most famous comet of all streaking across the night sky.
Starwatch: Catch the Orionid meteor shower streak across the night sky
The annual Orionid meteor shower reaches its peak this week, offering the chance to see fragments of the most famous comet of all streaking across the night sky. The Orionids occur every October as Earth passes through a stream of dust left behind by Halley's comet. As these tiny particles plunge into Earth's atmosphere at about 66 kilometres per second, they heat the surrounding air and produce the fleeting streaks of light that we call meteors.
Starwatch: Catch the Orionid meteor shower streak across the night sky
The meteor shower is expected to peak during the night over 21-22 October. Illustration: Guardian Graphics The annual Orionid meteor shower reaches its peak this week, offering the chance to see fragments of the most famous comet of all streaking across the night sky. The Orionids occur every October as Earth passes through a stream of dust left behind by Halley’s comet.
Starwatch: Catch the Orionid meteor shower streak across the night sky
The annual Orionid meteor shower reaches its peak this week, offering the chance to see fragments of the most famous comet of all streaking across the night sky. The Orionids occur every October as Earth passes through a stream of dust left behind by Halley’s comet. As these tiny particles plunge into Earth’s atmosphere at about 66 kilometres per second, they heat the surrounding air and produce the fleeting streaks of light that we call meteors.
Starwatch: Mars signposts the beautiful Beehive cluster
The view looking east from London at 0200 BST on 13 October, with Mars near the Beehive cluster in the constellation Cancer. Illustration: Guardian Graphics The red planet, Mars, sails through the beautiful cluster of stars known as the Beehive this week. Catalogued as Messier 44, the cluster lies in the constellation Cancer. It has been known since antiquity, when its hazy appearance earned it the Latin name Praesepe, meaning a manger or crib.
Starwatch: Mars signposts the beautiful Beehive cluster
The red planet, Mars, sails through the beautiful cluster of stars known as the Beehive this week. Catalogued as Messier 44, the cluster lies in the constellation Cancer. It has been known since antiquity, when its hazy appearance earned it the Latin name Praesepe, meaning a manger or crib. Although it is one of the brightest star clusters in the night sky, it can be surprisingly difficult to locate because Cancer contains no bright stars to guide the eye towards it.
Starwatch: how to spot Saturn as it makes it closest approach to Earth this year
This week offers an excellent opportunity to track down Saturn. The giant planet, situated about 10 times further from the sun than the Earth, reached opposition on 4 October. In this configuration, Earth is passing almost directly between the planet and the sun. This makes opposition an excellent time to see a planet: the distant world rises as the sun sets, remains visible throughout the night and sets around sunrise. It is also at about its closest point to Earth for the year.
Happy New Year, Mars! The Red Planet is turning 39
The Red Planet in enhanced colour, pictured using data from ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft. Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin/G. Michael. Mars is celebrating New Year on 30 September. There are no fireworks, no champagne and (as far as we know) no Martians singing ‘Auld Lang Syne’. But there is a surprisingly good story behind why the Red Planet is only turning 39. Just like Earth, Mars has days, seasons and years. The trouble is that none of them quite matches ours.
Happy New Year, Mars! The Red Planet is turning 39
The Red Planet in enhanced colour, pictured using data from ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft. Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin/G. Michael. Mars is celebrating New Year on 30 September. There are no fireworks, no champagne and (as far as we know) no Martians singing ‘Auld Lang Syne’. But there is a surprisingly good story behind why the Red Planet is only turning 39. Just like Earth, Mars has days, seasons and years. The trouble is that none of them quite matches ours.
Starwatch: Tracking down the faint stars of Pisces
This week we will track down Pisces, the fishes. Despite being one of the largest zodiacal constellations, it can be surprisingly difficult to identify because it contains no bright stars. The chart shows the view looking east from London at 10pm on Monday. As the week progresses, the bright waning moon will rise later and later in the evening, allowing the faint stars of Pisces to be more easily seen. Start by finding the Great Square of Pegasus.
Starwatch: Autumnal equinox in northern hemisphere, spring in the south Original
The September or autumnal equinox takes place this week. It marks the astronomical beginning of autumn in the northern hemisphere and spring in the southern hemisphere. This year, the precise moment of the equinox falls at 01.05 BST on 23 September. It is commonly said the equinox is when day and night are equal, because the name derives from the Latin for "equal night", but in practice that is not quite true.
Turf cutting ceremony marks official start of Forres Academy works
Pupils, staff and officials took part in a turf cutting ceremony to mark the start of works for the new £88 million Forres Academy. Hus North Scotland is delivering the new school on behalf of Moray Council with Balfour Beatty as the main contractor and JM Architects as the architect. Site preparation works are already well under way and pupils from the current Forres Academy were joined by pupils from its feeder primary schools to celebrate the landmark moment.
Starwatch: A Venus-spotting challenge with a beautiful reward Original
This week's Starwatch is a challenge but a beautiful reward awaits for anyone who succeeds. The question is: how early in the evening can we find Venus? On Monday, the bright planet has a close encounter with a young crescent moon. The moon will be just over three days old with about 14% of its visible surface illuminated. Unfortunately for UK observers, the two make their closest approach during daylight, passing within a moon's width of one another around lunchtime.
3I/ATLAS was born in the deep freeze
This figure illustrates the different distributions of dust (blue), gas (green) and ions (red) in 3I/Atlas. Credit: Lea Ferellec (CC BY 4.0) The more astronomers learn about interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, the colder its birthplace appears to have been. New observations made with the William Herschel Telescope (WHT) on La Palma in the Canary Islands have revealed unusually large quantities of nitrogen in the comet’s gasseous plasma tail.
3I/ATLAS was born in the deep freeze
This figure illustrates the different distributions of dust (blue), gas (green) and ions (red) in 3I/Atlas. Credit: Lea Ferellec (CC BY 4.0) The more astronomers learn about interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, the colder its birthplace appears to have been. New observations made with the William Herschel Telescope (WHT) on La Palma in the Canary Islands have revealed unusually large quantities of nitrogen in the comet’s gasseous plasma tail.
Starwatch: Waning crescent moon gets close to brilliant beacon of Jupiter
Starwatch: Waning crescent moon gets close to brilliant beacon of Jupiter Mon, September 7, 2026 at 5:00 a.m. UTC Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Illustration: The Guardian Those already out and about at 5am this week will be rewarded with a beautiful waning crescent moon approaching Jupiter, while Mars watches on from a little further away. The chart shows the view looking east from London at 5am on Tuesday.
Starwatch: Waning crescent moon gets close to brilliant beacon of Jupiter
Those already out and about at 5am this week will be rewarded with a beautiful waning crescent moon approaching Jupiter, while Mars watches on from a little further away. The chart shows the view looking east from London at 5am on Tuesday. The waning moon will be easily visible with about 10% of its visible surface illuminated. The brilliant beacon of Jupiter will be close by.
Starwatch: Waning crescent moon gets close to brilliant beacon of Jupiter
Those already out and about at 5am this week will be rewarded with a beautiful waning crescent moon approaching Jupiter, while Mars watches on from a little further away. The chart shows the view looking east from London at 5am on Tuesday. The waning moon will be easily visible with about 10% of its visible surface illuminated. The brilliant beacon of Jupiter will be close by.
Starwatch: Waning crescent moon gets close to brilliant beacon of Jupiter
Starwatch: Waning crescent moon gets close to brilliant beacon of Jupiter Mon, 7 September 2026 at 5:00 am UTC Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Illustration: The Guardian Those already out and about at 5am this week will be rewarded with a beautiful waning crescent moon approaching Jupiter, while Mars watches on from a little further away. The chart shows the view looking east from London at 5am on Tuesday.
Starwatch: Sagitta’s arrow shape makes it easy to see against a dark sky Original
We are on the hunt for another small, northern summer constellation this week: Sagitta, the arrow. Although it consists of just a handful of faint stars, Sagitta's distinctive shape (it really does look like an arrow) makes it easy to identify against a dark sky. The chart shows the view looking up towards the zenith while facing south from London at 22.30 BST on Monday.
Roman Space Telescope launches on mission to survey the Universe Original
The Roman Space Telescope launches. Credit: NASA/SpaceX. Roman lifted off aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 07:26 local time (12:26 BST) on 30 August. Roman separated from the rocket’s upper stage at 12:58 BST, successfully completing the launch and beginning its journey into deep space. The launch came around nine months ahead of NASA’s original schedule, an unusual achievement for a major space observatory.
Starwatch: Lunar eclipse to reward early risers in UK and Europe
The early hours of Friday 28 August will reward very early risers in the UK, Europe and Africa with a fine lunar eclipse. Though not quite a total eclipse, it will transform the moon into a dramatic sight as dawn approaches. The partial eclipse begins at 3.33am BST, when the moon's familiar full disc begins to disappear behind the shadow of the Earth. By the time the eclipse reaches its greatest extent, shortly after 5.10am, only a thin sliver of the moon will remain in direct sunlight.
JWST’s ‘impossible’ early galaxies may be even more massive than we thought Original
These nine massive, mature galaxies ceased many more relatively small stars than previously thought. Credit: Chloe Cheng. The James Webb Space Telescope has already found distant galaxies that seem uncomfortably large for the young Universe they are seen in. Now astronomers have discovered evidence that such galaxies may contain even more mass in stars than previously estimated, deepening the mystery. The problem comes from estimating a galaxy’s population of small, faint stars such as red dwarfs.
Starwatch: Lunar eclipse to reward early risers in UK and Europe
The early hours of Friday 28 August will reward very early risers in the UK, Europe and Africa with a fine lunar eclipse. Though not quite a total eclipse, it will transform the moon into a dramatic sight as dawn approaches. The partial eclipse begins at 3.33am BST, when the moon’s familiar full disc begins to disappear behind the shadow of the Earth. By the time the eclipse reaches its greatest extent, shortly after 5.10am, only a thin sliver of the moon will remain in direct sunlight.
Starwatch: Vega the bright star will light the way to the constellation of Lyra
We turn our attention this week to one of the sky’s smallest constellations. High overhead from the UK after darkness falls, Lyra, the lyre, is easy to find thanks to the brilliant white star of Vega. The chart shows the view facing south and looking up towards the zenith from London at 22:30 BST on 17 August. As the fifth-brightest star in the night sky, Vega forms one corner of the summer triangle, with Deneb in Cygnus, the Swan, and Altair in Aquila, the Eagle, marking the other two.
Starwatch: Deep partial solar eclipse in UK to precede the Perseids Original
The annual Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak this week on the night of 12-13 August, and this year comes with an added bonus. Earlier on 12 August, a deep partial solar eclipse will be visible across the UK. The partial solar eclipse begins shortly after 6pm BST and reaches its maximum at around 7.13pm. From much of the country, about 90% of the sun's diameter will be obscured, making this the deepest solar eclipse visible here since 1999.
Falcon 9 lunar impact: More than a new crater Original
The Artemis II astronauts captured this image of the Moon during their lunar flyby in April 2026. Credit: NASA. Humans have been deliberately crashing spacecraft into the Moon for more than 65 years, while nature has been targeting our natural satellite for billions. What makes today’s collision significant is the changing role of the Moon itself. In the near future, astronauts and landers, bases and even observatories will begin to occupy the lunar surface.
Starwatch: Mercury to reach farthest point from the sun
This week offers one of the better opportunities of the year to catch a glimpse of the solar system’s innermost world. Trapped in its small orbit, Mercury never strays far from the sun, meaning it is usually lost to the light of dawn or dusk. On Sunday, however, the planet reached its greatest western elongation, meaning it appeared at its greatest apparent distance from the sun in the morning sky.
The summer triangle returns to the northern sky
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Starwatch: The summer triangle returns to the northern sky
In the northern hemisphere we know that summer is truly upon us when the summer triangle appears overhead. Although not an official constellation, it is one of the easiest patterns to find in the northern summer sky. The chart shows the view looking high in the south-east from London at 11pm UK time on 27 July, although the view remains essentially unchanged all week, with the triangle climbing higher as the evening goes on. The brightest of its three stars is Vega, in Lyra, the lyre.
Euclid opens a new window on the first billion years of cosmic history
This artist’s impression shows a quasar: a brief period of life for a big, bright galaxy during which large quantities of material spiral into its central supermassive black hole, releasing energetic light as it does so. Credit: ESA. One of the biggest mysteries in modern astronomy is how the Universe managed to grow enormous black holes so quickly. Less than a billion years after the Big Bang, the Universe already contained quasars powered by supermassive black holes consuming vast amounts of gas.
Starwatch: Identifying the Scorpion, mythical adversary of Orion
Mon, 20 July 2026 at 5:00 am UTC The red-orange star Antares marks the heart of Scorpius.Illustration: Guardian Design This week we will take the opportunity to identify Scorpius, the Scorpion, one of the famous zodiacal constellations. In mythology, Scorpius is the creature sent to kill Orion, the hunter. The two constellations are therefore on opposite sides of the sky from one another, so that when Scorpius rises, Orion has already departed.
Young crescent moon to meet Venus in evening twilight
Two celestial beauties line up on Friday when the young crescent moon meets brilliant Venus in the evening twilight. It will be one of the prettiest naked-eye sights of the month, so long, of course, as the clouds behave. The chart shows the view looking west from London at 10pm BST. By that time the sun will have set but the sky will still be bright with summer twilight. Venus will be shining as a brilliant white point low above the horizon.
Waning crescent moon pairs up with the Seven Sisters
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Starwatch: Waning crescent moon pairs up with the Seven Sisters
In the early hours of 11 July, the waning crescent moon will be gliding past the beautiful Pleiades star cluster, which is also known as M45 or the Seven Sisters. The chart shows the view looking east-north-east from London at 3am BST. By then, the sky will getting ready to start brightening for the coming day, so a clear, low horizon will be essential to see the pairing.
Starwatch: Ophiuchus the serpent bearer, straddling the celestial equator Original
This week we will look for another large but faint constellation: Ophiuchus, the serpent bearer. One of the original 48 constellations listed by Ptolemy in the 2nd century, it sits in the sky on the opposite side to Orion, the hunter. The chart shows the view looking south from London at 11pm BST on 29 June 2026. Although the view will remain essentially unchanged all week, on this particular evening a nearly full moon sits squarely in the teapot asterism of Sagittarius, the archer.
Turn Account Takeover Into Real-Time Security Coaching
Account takeover is one of the most common ways organizations get breached and one of the hardest to train users on. Not because users don't care, but because usually training happens in unrealistic scenarios, long before or long after the moment it would actually matter.
Starwatch: how to spot Hercules the hero, jewel of the summer skies
Stuart Clark Mon, June 22, 2026 at 5:00 a.m. UTC 1 min read Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Illustration: Guardian graphic Hercules, the hero, is a jewel of the summer skies but one that requires a little bit of sleuthing to track down. The chart shows the view looking high in the southern sky from London at 11pm on Monday. The view, however, remains essentially unchanged all week.
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