Astroblog

The Last Quarter Moon is Friday February 21. Venus, Jupiter and Mars are visible all together (briefly) in the evening sky.   Jupiter is past opposition and is visible all evening long. Mars is rising in the early evening sky, and is visible all night long. Mercury and Saturn are lost in the twilight. 

The Last Quarter Moon is Friday February 21. 

Western evening sky on Saturday, February 22 as seen from Adelaide at 20:59 ACDST (60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).   

Venus is readily visible from early twilight to just after nautical twilight. You will need a clear, level horizon to see Venus.  Venus is a thin crescent in telescopes.

Saturn is lost in the twilight.

The inset is  the telescopic view of Venus at this time.

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent local time (60 minutes after sunset).

 

North-western evening sky on Saturday, February 22 as seen from Adelaide at 21:31 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset), Jupiter is in the north-west near  the red star Aldebaran.

 

The inset is the telescope view of  Jupiter at this time.  (click to embiggen). Another new storm has broken out on Jupiter near the first one and may become visible in small telescopes.

 

 

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset).

Northern sky on Saturday, February 22 as seen from Adelaide at 21:31 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). Mars forms a triangle with Castor and Pollux. 

 

The inset is the telescope view of  Mars at this time.  (click to embiggen).

   

 

 

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset).

 

Whole sky on Saturday, Saturday, February 22 as seen from Adelaide at 21:31 ACDST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen).

Venus has set.  Jupiter is in the north-west.  Mars is in the north. 

 

Orion  the hunter is high in the north.

 

The Southern Cross is rising in the Southern sky.  The moon is waning from full and the fainter clusters and nebula will start to become more visible.     

 

 Elsewhere in Australia will see a similar view at the equivalent time (90 minutes after sunset).

 

 

Mercury is lost in the evening twilight.

Venus is lowering in the evening twilight and is readily visible in the late twilight. 

Mars is rising in the evening sky. Mars was at opposition, when it is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, on January the 16th and is visible all night long. 

Jupiter is high in the the north-western evening sky when the sky is fully dark.

Saturn is lost in the twilight.

Printable PDF maps of the Eastern sky at 10 pm AEST, Western sky at 10 pm AEST. For further details and more information on what's up in the sky, see Southern Skywatch.


 

Star Map via Virtual sky. Use your mouse to scroll around and press 8 when your pointer is in the map to set to the current time.

Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.

Here is the near-real time satellite view of the clouds (day and night) http://satview.bom.gov.au/

Labels: weekly sky

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 10:59 pm 0 comments

The Last Quarter Moon is Friday February 21. Saturn, Venus, Jupiter and Mars are visible all together (briefly) in the evening sky.  Venus is at it greatest brilliance on the 15th.  Jupiter is past opposition and is visible all evening long. Mars is rising in the early evening sky, and is visible all night long. Mercury is lost in the twilight. 

The Full Moon is Wednesday February 12. The Last Quarter Moon is Friday February 21. The Moon is at apogee, when it is furthest from the Earth, on Tuesday the 18th.

Western evening sky on Saturday, February 15 as seen from Adelaide at 21:08 ACDST (60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).   

Venus is readily visible from early twilight to just before the sky is fully dark. You will need a clear, level horizon to see Venus.  Venus is at its greatest brilliance and is a thin crescent in telescopes.

Saturn is only briefly visible before it disappears into the horizon murk.

The insets are the telescopic views of Venus at this time.

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent local time (60 minutes after sunset).

 

North-western evening sky on Saturday, February 15 as seen from Adelaide at 21:41 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset), Jupiter is in the north-west near  the red star Aldebaran.

 

The inset is the telescope view of  Jupiter at this time.  (click to embiggen). Another new storm has broken out on Jupiter near the first one and may become visible in small telescopes.

 

 

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset).

Northern sky on Saturday, February 15 as seen from Adelaide at 21:41 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). Mars forms a triangle with Castor and Pollux. 

 

The inset is the telescope view of  Mars at this time.  (click to embiggen).

   

 

 

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset).

 

Whole sky on Saturday, Saturday, February 15 as seen from Adelaide at 21:41 ACDST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen).

Venus us just setting and will be hard to see.  Jupiter is in the north-west.  Mars is in the north. The Moon is just rising in the east.

 

Orion  the hunter is high in the north.

 

The Southern Cross is rising in the Southern sky.  The moon is waning from full and the fainter clusters and nebula will start to become more visible.     

 

 Elsewhere in Australia will see a similar view at the equivalent time (90 minutes after sunset).

 

 

Mercury is lost in the evening twilight.

Venus is lowering in the evening twilight and is readily visible in the late twilight. 

Mars is rising in the evening sky. Mars was at opposition, when it is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, on January the 16th and is visible all night long. 

Jupiter is high in the the evening sky when the sky is fully dark.

Saturn is lowering in the evening sky. Saturn is soon lost in the twilight.

Printable PDF maps of the Eastern sky at 10 pm AEST, Western sky at 10 pm AEST. For further details and more information on what's up in the sky, see Southern Skywatch.


 

Star Map via Virtual sky. Use your mouse to scroll around and press 8 when your pointer is in the map to set to the current time.

Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.

Here is the near-real time satellite view of the clouds (day and night) http://satview.bom.gov.au/

Labels: weekly sky

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 11:04 pm 0 comments

The Full Moon is Wednesday February 12. Saturn, Venus, Jupiter and Mars are visible all together (briefly) in the evening sky and lined up with the Moon. The Moon is near Jupiter on the 6th and 7th, then Mars on the 9th and 10th. Jupiter is past opposition and is visible all evening long. Mars is rising in the evening sky, and is visible all night long. Mercury is lost in the twilight. Fading Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) is still visible in binoculars.

The Full Moon is Wednesday February 12.

Western evening sky on Saturday, February 8 as seen from Adelaide at 21:16 ACDST (60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).   

Venus is readily visible from early twilight to when the sky is fully dark, although its sets shortly after. You will need a clear, level horizon to see Venus when the sky becomes fully dark. Venus is drawing away to Saturn, which is becoming harder to see in the horizon murk.

The insets are the telescopic views of Venus and Saturn at this time.

Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) is visible in binoculars in the evening twilight above Saturn and Venus. While the nucleus has disintegrated the tail is still visible but a shadow of its former self. For more details and spotter charts see my Comet C/2025 G3 page.

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent local time (60 minutes after sunset).

 

Northern evening sky on Friday, February 7 as seen from Adelaide at 21:51 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset), Jupiter is in the north near with the waxing Moon forming a line with it and the red star Aldebaran.

 

The inset is the telescope view of  Jupiter at this time.  (click to embiggen). Another new storm has broken out on Jupiter near the first one and may become visible in small telescopes.

 

 

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset).

North-eastern sky on Sunday, February 9 as seen from Adelaide at 21:49 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). Mars forms a triangle with Castor and Pollux. The moon is close to the triangle.

 

The inset is the telescope view of  Mars at this time.  (click to embiggen).

   

 

 

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset).

 

Whole sky on Saturday, February 8 as seen from Adelaide at 21:50 ACDST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen).

Four bright classical planets are visible between Nautical and Astronomical twilight. Saturn is low above the western horizon and near to Venus. Saturn and Venus are just setting.  Jupiter is in the north.  Mars is in the north-east. The planets are outlined so you can see where Uranus and Neptune are in the lineup but not visible to the unaided eye. Pluto is deep in the twilight. 

 

Orion  the hunter is high in the north.

 

The Southern Cross is rising in the Southern sky.  The moon is waxing to full and the fainter clusters and nebula are hard to see.     

 

 Elsewhere in Australia will see a similar view at the equivalent time (90 minutes after sunset).

 

 

Mercury is lost in the morning twilight.

Venus is lowering in the evening twilight and is readily visible. In the evening Venus is drawing away from Saturn.

Mars is rising in the evening sky. Mars was at opposition, when it is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, on January the 16th and is visible all night long. The Moon is near Mars on the 9th and 10th.

Jupiter is high in the the evening sky when the sky is fully dark. It is close near the waxing moon on the 6th and 7th.

Saturn is lowering in the evening sky drawing away from Venus.Saturn is soon lost in the twilight.

Printable PDF maps of the Eastern sky at 10 pm AEST, Western sky at 10 pm AEST. For further details and more information on what's up in the sky, see Southern Skywatch.


 

Star Map via Virtual sky. Use your mouse to scroll around and press 8 when your pointer is in the map to set to the current time.

Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.

Here is the near-real time satellite view of the clouds (day and night) http://satview.bom.gov.au/

Labels: weekly sky

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 7:09 am 0 comments

The Lunar X and V (indicated) as visible in telescopic views. Click to embiggen for a clearer view.	Western evening sky on Wednesday February 5 as seen from Adelaide at 21:43 ACDST	Western evening sky on Wednesday February 5 as seen from Brisbane at 20:19 AEST

The Lunar X (also known as the Werner X) and the Lunar V will be visible this Wednesday as the moon reaches Firt Quarter. The Lunar X is a chiaroscuro effect in which strong contrasts of light and shadow create the appearance of a letter 'X' on the rim of the Lunar craters Blanchinus, La Caille and Purbach and a letter V from the rim of the crater Ukert, along with several smaller craters. 

The X and V are seen at first quarter, visible on the lunar surface for about 4 hours. However, the Moon is not always above the horizon from a given vantage point when this happens. This month is good for Australian observers

Lunar X occurs on Wednesday February 5, 08:13 UT, 21:13 AEDST,  20:13 AEST, 20:43 ACDST, 19:43 ACST, 16:13 AWST). This is later than official first Quarter which occurs at 18:32 ACDST.

This is a telescope (and maybe good binoculars) only event. For the west coast the start of the Lunar X occurs when the sun is up, but the X is still visible 3 hours later in the deep twilight, with the Moon being 34° above the horizon, central states see it at 22° above the horizon, and for the east coast at 20° above the horizon.

Upcoming Lunar X' s are shown below:

Dates and time Lunar X and V are visible. Typically visible from about 4hours from the starting time, times in colour are daylight saving times.

Labels: Lunar X, Moon, telescope

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 9:56 pm 0 comments

Black and White chart suitable for downloading and printing (click to embiggen and print). Uranus is at magnitude 5.7 and is visible under dark sky conditions to the unaided eye, but still best in binoculars. Looking North bight Jupiter and Aldebaran are easily visible, below and to the west the Pleiades cluster is also easily seen. Two binocular distances west is the brightish star  delta Arietis and an a distinct triangular formation of stars. Uranus is in the same binocular field as  delta Arietis and the triangle. The circle is the file of view of 10x50 binoclars	Stellarium simulation of the sky appearance of the area covered by the black and white chart. Click to embiggen.	One of my photographs of the area labeled to show Uranus n relation to Aldebaran, Jupiter, the Pleaides, delta Arietis and the triangle.  Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra 5x zoom, ƒ/2.4 13seconds exposure, 7.9 mm, ISO1600. Click to embiggen.

The current planetary lineup (Planetary parade), has four easily seen classical planets (Saturn, Venus, Jupiter and Mars. And two difficult to see planets (Uranus, Neptune).

You would need a telescope to see Neptune in the sky under normal circumstance, but it is low in the horizon murk, and not accessible to telescopes at the moment.

Uranus is at magnitude 5.7 and is potentially visible under dark sky conditions to the unaided eye (as humans can see down to magnitude 6.0 with decent eyesight and dark skies), if you know where to look. Binoculars (or a telescope) are still best to find this planet.  

At the moment, the iconic Pleiades cluster is and excellent signpost to Uranus, just two binocular widths away.. See the charts above for guidance. If you are in a dark sky site, the abundance of faint stars may make it confusing to poick up Uranus initially, but the triangle asterism is a good further guide. You my need to consult the printable map a couple of time to pin Uranus down.

Uranus will not move much over the month, so these maps will be a good guide for all of February.

Labels: binocular, lineup, Uranus

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 6:01 pm 0 comments

The First Quarter Moon is Wednesday February 5. Saturn, Venus, Jupiter and Mars are visible all together (briefly) in the evening sky and are visited by the Moon in turn (as are Uranus and Neptune, but you can't see them with the unaided eye). The crescent Moon is between Saturn and Venus on the 1st, then lines up with Venus and Saturn on the 2nd, then is near Jupiter on the 6th. Jupiter is past opposition and is visible all evening long. Mars is rising in the evening sky, and is visible all night long.. Mercury is lost in the twilight. Fading Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) is still good in binoculars.

The First Quarter Moon is Wednesday February 5. The moon is at perigee, when it is closest to the Earth, on February 2nd. you will be able to see the Lunar X on February 5.

 

Western evening sky on Saturday, February 1 as seen from Adelaide at 21:23 ACDST (60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).   

Venus is readily visible from early twilight to when the sky is fully dark. Although it may need a clear, level horizon to see Venus when the sky becomes dark. Venus is drawing away to Saturn, which is becoming harder to see in the horizon murk. The crescent Moon is between Saturn and Venus.

The insets are the telescopic views of Venus and Saturn at this time.

Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) is visible in binoculars in the evening twilight in line with Saturn and Venus. The nucleus has disintegrated  but the tail is still visible but is fading. For more details and spotter charts see my Comet C/2025 G3 page.

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent local time (60 minutes after sunset).

 

Western evening sky on Sunday, February 2 as seen from Adelaide at 21:23 ACDST (60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).   

Venus is readily visible from early twilight to when the sky is fully dark. The crescent Moon forms a line with Venus and Saturn.

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent local time (60 minutes after sunset).

Northern evening sky on Thursday, February 6 as seen from Adelaide at 21:53 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset), Jupiter is in the north near the waxing Moon.

 

The inset is the telescope view of  Jupiter at this time.  (click to embiggen). Another new storm has broken out on Jupiter near the first one and may become visible in small telescopes.

 

 

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset).

North-eastern sky on Saturday, February 1 as seen from Adelaide at 21:59 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). Mars forms a triangle with Castor and Pollux. 

 

The inset is the telescope view of  Mars at this time.  (click to embiggen).

   

 

 

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset).

Whole sky on Saturday, February 1 as seen from Adelaide at 21:59 ACDST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen).

Four bright classical planets are visible between Nautical and Astronomical twilight. Saturn is  low above the western horizon and near to Venus. Saturn and Venus are just setting.  Jupiter is in the north.  Mars is in the north-east. The planets are outlined so you can see where Uranus and Neptune are in the lineup but not visible to the unaided eye. Pluto is deep in the twilight. 

 

Orion  the hunter is high in the north-east.

 

The Southern Cross is rising in the Southern sky.  The moon is waxing to first quarter and the fainter clusters and nebula become less visible. 

    

 

 Elsewhere in Australia will see a similar view at the equivalent time (90 minutes after sunset).

 

 

Mercury is lost in the morning twilight.

Venus is lowering in the evening twilight and is readily visible. In the evening Venus is drawing away from Saturn. The crescent Moon is between Saturn and Venus on the 1st, then lines up with Venus and Saturn on the 2nd.

Mars is rising in the evening sky. Mars was at opposition, when it is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, on January the 16th and is visible all night long.

Jupiter is high in the the evening sky when the sky is fully dark. It is close near the waxing moon on the 6th.

Saturn is lowering in the evening sky drawing away from Venus. The crescent Moon is between Saturn and Venus on the 1st, then lines up with Venus and Saturn on the 2nd.

Printable PDF maps of the Eastern sky at 10 pm AEST, Western sky at 10 pm AEST. For further details and more information on what's up in the sky, see Southern Skywatch.


 

Star Map via Virtual sky. Use your mouse to scroll around and press 8 when your pointer is in the map to set to the current time.

Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.

Here is the near-real time satellite view of the clouds (day and night) http://satview.bom.gov.au/

Labels: weekly sky

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 10:55 am 0 comments

Chart showing location of the comet on the 29th of January, it is visible in binoculars from 60 minutes after sunset and (just) with the unaided eye by 90 minutes, you may need averted vision to see it. In binoculars, sweep over from Venus and Saturn just past bright Fomalhaut. The comet will be just above a distinct “W” (or "U")shaped asterism for the next few nights, near the trail of stars from Grus. Click to embiggen.

Black and white printable spotters map to help with finding the comet. Venus and Saturn are good signposts to the location of the comet. I have not indicated magnitudes as I have no reliable magnitude predictions. The comet is fading but as of yesterday was just visible to the unaided eye with averted vision and easily visible in binoculars. The comet is also heading into darker skies and so is likely to be visible for a while. Click to embiggen and print.

Zoomed in binocular view showing location of the comet on the 29th of January. In binoculars, sweep over from Venus and Saturn just past bright Fomalhaut. The comet will be just above the distinct “W” (or "U") shaped asterism you can see near the bottom of the image for the next few nights, near the trail of stars from Grus. the asterism is very clear in binoculars. Click to embiggen.

Black and white printable binocular map to help with finding the comet. Venus and Saturn are good signposts to the location of the comet. As is the tail of stars from the bright pair that are the main stars of Grus. If you run into them, you have swept too far south, move west by a binocular field and search around. As the days go n yu will locate the comet by sweeping up from this asterism. The circle is the approximate field of view of 10x50 binoculars. Click to embiggen and print.

Despite the nucleus of Comet C/2024 G3 having disintegrated, it is still putting a nice display and should be visible from a few more days to the unaided eye, depending on how much light pollution you have, and much longer in binoculars as it heads higher into darker skies away from the horizon murk. Although fading, it is still visible (just) to the unaided eye from around 90 minutes after sunset, and readily visible in  binoculars. There is still around 6 degrees of tail visible, and the comet is pale but marvelous in binoculars. You will need a clear, level horizon for good views (and an absence of clouds). 

Comet C/2025 G3 at 10:30 pm AEDST Wednesday 22 January, 30 second exposure at ISO 3200 with my Samsung S24 (23 mm F1.7). Venus and Saturn are to the far right. (click to embiggen)	Comet imaged on Tuesday 28 January at 22:10 ADST 15 seconds exposure showing the comet head in the "W" asterism, and a few faint satellites.Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra ƒ/3.4 15s 18.6 mm ISO3200 (click to embiggen)

Labels: binocular, C/2024 G3, comet, unaided eye

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 10:07 am 1 comments

The New Moon is Wednesday January 29. In the evening Venus is drawing away from Saturn, but the pair are still close. Saturn, Venus and Mars are visible all together (briefly) in the evening sky (as are Uranus and Neptune, but you can't see them with the unaided eye).  Jupiter is past opposition and is visible all evening long. Mars is rising in the evening sky, and was at opposition, when it is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, on the 16th. Mercury is low in the morning twilight. Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) is just visible in the evening twilight, still good in binoculars, but is fading.

The New Moon is Wednesday January 29.

Western evening sky on Saturday, January 25 as seen from Adelaide at 21:30 ACDST (60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).   

Venus is readily visible from early twilight to when the sky is fully dark. Venus is drawing away to Saturn.

The insets are the telescopic views of Venus and Saturn at this time.

Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) is just visible in the evening twilight in line with Saturn and Venus, but it seems to have disintegrated. The tail is still visible but is fading and in many places is binocular only. For more details and spotter charts see my Comet C/2025 G3 page.

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent local time (60 minutes after sunset). 

Northern evening sky on Saturday, January 25 as seen from Adelaide at 22:06 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset), Jupiter is in the north.

 

The inset is the telescope view of  Jupiter at this time.  (click to embiggen). A new storm has broken out on Jupiter and may become visible in small telescopes.

 

 

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset).

North-eastern sky on Saturday, January 25 as seen from Adelaide at 22:06 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). Mars is coming closer to Castor and Pollux and forms a triangle with them. 

 

The inset is the telescope view of  Mars at this time.  (click to embiggen).

  

 

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset).

 

Eastern sky on Saturday, January 25 as seen from Adelaide at 5:50 ACDST (45 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen). Mercury is low to the horizon below Scorpius.

 

 

 

 

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (45 minutes before sunrise).

Whole sky on Saturday, January 25 as seen from Adelaide at 22:06 ACDST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen).

Four bright classical planets are visible between Nautical and Astronomical twilight. Saturn is  low above the western horizon and near to Venus. Saturn and Venus are just setting. Saturn is now above the western horizon and close to Venus. Venus is just setting. Jupiter is in the north.  Mars is rising in the east. Uranus and Neptune are in the lineup. The planets are outlined so you can see where Uranus and Neptune are in the lineup. Pluto is deep in the twilight. 

 

 Orion  the hunter is high in the north-east. The planets are outlined so you can see where

 

The Southern Cross is rising in the Southern sky.  The moon is New and the fainter clusters and nebula readily visible. 

    

 

 Elsewhere in Australia will see a similar view at the equivalent time (90 minutes after sunset).

 

 

Mercury is low in the morning twilight.

Venus is high in the evening twilight and is readily visible in the evening twilight. In the evening Venus is drawing away from Saturn.

Mars is rising in the evening sky. Mars was at opposition, when it is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, on the 16th and is visible all night long.

Jupiter is high in the the evening sky when the sky is fully dark.

Saturn is lowering in the evening sky drawing away from Venus.

Printable PDF maps of the Eastern sky at 10 pm AEST, Western sky at 10 pm AEST. For further details and more information on what's up in the sky, see Southern Skywatch.


 

Star Map via Virtual sky. Use your mouse to scroll around and press 8 when your pointer is in the map to set to the current time.

Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.

Here is the near-real time satellite view of the clouds (day and night) http://satview.bom.gov.au/

Labels: weekly sky

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 6:00 am 0 comments