Outdoors: What, when, where

If you happen to be peering through the country's largest optical telescope on 13 March, and spot a greenish disc floating in the sky, rest assured that it is probably the planet Uranus, and not a UFO. It was on 13 March 1781 that William Herschel, a musician and astronomer living in Bath, first discovered this planet using a small, home-made telescope. If you want to know more about William, meet his sister and helpmate Caroline (aka the actress Miriam Dooley) at the Old Royal Observatory in Greenwich ...

An evening with the stars, 13 March, 5pm, 6pm and 7pm; Caroline Herschel, 13-22 March 1.30pm, 2.30pm, 3.30pm. Both events at the Old Royal Observatory, Greenwich. Price pounds 5. Book in advance on 0181-312 6608.