Our Sun

Sunset outside the Jodrell Plank Observatory

Sunset over the harbour at Wells next the Sea Norfolk

"The other night I watched from the quayside at Wells next the Sea , as the magnificent Milky Way climbed over the North Sea and the sky was awash with starlight. Even though Norfolk County Council does not turn off the street lighting as in Suffolk, the sky was inky black with the dust clouds in the Milky Way, in and around Cygnus, sharp and defined.  I even think I managed to observe with averted vision through my small 10x40 binoculars,  the spiral galaxy Messier 33.  It occurred to me that we spend much of the time at the Observatory imaging distant stars whilst largely ignoring the G2V star (our Sun) on our doorstep. Now as we come to the end of our summer here on the UK's east coast I like to watch our life giving star set in the west" - Kurt Thrust - acting CEO and current Director of the Jodrell Plank Observatory