Moving heaven and earth to make the stars come out
Political and planetary manoeuvrings will dominate the start of the week. Neil Hudson looks at these and other stories which will be making the headlines this week
Did you get up early enough to see the Blood Moon? For those who did, the eclipse was visible over most of the UK as the Earth’s satellite entered our shadow just after 2.30am, the maximum eclipse occurring just before 5.15am and ending completely at 7.48am. It may be a portent for a bloody week in Westminster, beginning today.
Sticking with supernal dramas for the time being, tomorrow will also see another celestial event with the close approach of both Venus and Jupiter, the two brightest stars in our solar system as seen from earth. Venus in particular will appear especially bright (assuming there is no cloud cover or snow), rising in the south east at about 5am, although the gathering dawn will have vanquished the Bright Morning Star by around 7.30am.
Meanwhile, a different kind of star, in the form of Chris Evans, will also be rising, as he begins his new breakfast show on Virgin Radio.
ARRIVING STARS
Tomorrow will see the National Television Awards at the O2 in London. Hosted by Dermot O’Leary. Expect glitz and glamour as stars make their way down the red carpet for what is traditionally an eminently entertaining evening. Yorkshire’s Jodie Whittaker is up for an award as the new Doctor Who, while other strong contenders include Love Island and The Bodyguard.
Across the pond in America, this year’s Oscar nominations will be announced for the 91st Academy Awards on the same day.
STELLAR INTERVIEW
The Duke of Cambridge will conduct an Interview Sir David Attenborough at World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland tomorrow. His Royal Highness will take part in a conversation with Sir David on-stage at the forum.
They will discuss Sir David’s decades of work highlighting the importance of the natural world and the urgent challenges that will face the next generation. Sir David will be honoured as one of the winners of the annual Crystal Award, which is given for acts of philanthropy.
NEWS ROUND-UP
On Thursday, prepare for a touch of hyperbole as the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists reveals the time on its ‘Doomsday Clock for 2019’, baring in mind it was set at two minutes to midnight in 2018. The clock allegedly represents how close the world is to ‘man-made destruction’, otherwise known as nuclear armageddon, mainly based (at the moment at least) on variants such as Donald Trump.
Friday is Burns’ Night (1759), and Sunday is Holocaust Memorial Day.
AND FINALLY...
We tried (we really did) to get through this column without mentioning the B-word (notwithstanding the veiled reference at the beginning) but sadly it’s not possible. The road becomes ever more rocky for the driverless Brexit bus, which will this week need to navigate Theresa May’s Plan B, backbench motions aimed at scuppering any hopes Brexiteers may yet harbour of pushing for a No Deal and doubtless layer upon excruciating layer of political punditry as everyone and their dog has a go at staring into the crystal ball...
Expect to hear the phrase ‘crash out’ rather a lot. Oh, and Tony Blair might be doing the rounds (again). On Wednesday, Jacob Rees-Mogg will address the euro-sceptic think tank The Bruges Group at 1pm, and later the same day, as the yang to Brexit’s yin, there will be some online filming and a chance to meet this year’s crop of British contenders for the Eurovision Song Contest, which apparently the UK is still a part of and which will be provide some light relief in May.