Monday, March 18, 2019
February 20 Perigee Moon, 2019
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| Perigee (super) Moon of 20 February 2019. 25 mm eyepiece with Sony Xperia mobile phone ASA 800 1/4000 sec exposure. 4" Newtonian. Scaled full frame image. Click to embiggen. | Perigee (super) Moon of 20 February 2019 2019. 25 mm eyepiece with Sony Xepria
mobile phone 2 x Zoom, ASA 400 1/4000 sec exposure. 4" Newtonian. Scaled full frame image. Click to embiggen. |
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| Comparison of the 20 February perigee "super" Moon (bottom) with the apogee "Mini Moon" on the night of Total Lunar Eclipse of 28 July, 4:25 am. Sony Xepria 1/2000th sec exposure ASA 400. Note the clear difference in size between the two (same image scale and zoom factor) compared to the 21 January image. | Comparison of the 21 January perigee "super" Moon (bottom) with the apogee "Mini Moon" on the night of Total Lunar Eclipse of 28 July, 4:25 am. Sony Xepria 1/2000th sec exposure ASA 400. Note the small but clear difference in size between the two (same image scale and zoom factor). |
Finally go around to processing my shots of the perigee ("super") moon of 20 February, and compared them to the shots from the 21 January perigee Moon. There is a claer difference from the 28 July apogee Moon of 2018, but the difference between the two perigee Moons is more subtle but still visible when you align the carefully. Now to wait for the September 13 Apogee Moon.
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| Overlay of the Full Moons of 21/01/19 and 20/02/19 same scale, the difference is subtle but can be seen (click to embiggen) |
Labels: apogee, astrophotography, Moon, perigee
Thursday, March 14, 2019
From "Super" Moon to "Mini" Moon and back, a year of full Moons for 2019
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| Full Moon January 21, Max libration, Perigee + 14h | Full Moon February 19, Perigee - 6h | Full Moon March 21, Perigee -1d 5h |
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| Full Moon April 19, Maximum Libration +10h | Full Moon May 19, Maximum Libration -24h | Full Moon June 17, |
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| Full Moon July 17, Minimum Libration +9h | Full Moon August 15, | Full Moon September 13, Apogee - 15h |
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| Full Moon October 14, Maximum Libration +14h | Full Moon November 12, | Full Moon December 12, |
A year of full Moons showing the variation in size as the moons move from perigee to apogee. All the moons are shown at midnight on the day they are full, and although this is not the optimal time for size comparisons, you can clearly see the size difference over the year (the original scale for all is 2 degrees of field of view cropped down to about two lunar diameters width). Although the field rotation of the Moon makes it less clear, you can also see the effect of libration.
In 2019 we have three Perigee Moon is a row (although the March one really only barely scrapes in as a perigee Moon). However, as you can see the differences are subtle, and it requires a keen eye and good memory to distinguish a perigee "super" Moon from more ordinary moons, the best contrast is with the apogee "mini" moon of September 13.
That doesn't mean you shouldn't try though. Daniel Fischer has been able to see the difference, you can read his account and viewing tips here
http://earthsky.org/space/can-you-discern-supermoons-large-size-with-the-eye-an-observer-says-yes
Photographing them can be more rewarding. You can see images of perigee Moon and apogee Moon pairs from 21 Jan 2019 here and 10 August 2014 here.Tips for photographing them are here.
Labels: apogee, astrophotography, Moon, perigee, public outreach, unaided eye
Monday, March 11, 2019
The Sky This Week - Thursday March 14 to Thursday March 21
The First Quarter Moon is
Thursday, March 14 and the Full Moon Thursday 21 March. This Full Moon is also technically a perigee "Supermoon", but not as good as February's Perigee Moon. The Earth is at Autumnal Equinox on the 21st. Mars is visible low in
the evening skies and is coming closer the the Pleiades cluster.
Jupiter is high in the morning skies above Saturn
and bright Venus.
The First Quarter Moon is Thursday, March 14 and the Full Moon Thursday 21 March, The Moon is at Perigee, when it is closest to the Earth, on the 20th. The Earth is at Autumnal Equinox on the 21st. Day and night are of equal length and the Sun rises due East and Sets due west.
Morning sky on Saturday, March 16 looking east as seen from
Adelaide at 5:50 ACDST (90 minutes before sunrise). Jupiter is high in
the morning sky above Venus and Saturn. The left
upper insert inset shows the telescopic
view of Venus at this time. the lower left insert shows the telescopic
view of Jupiter at the same scale and the upper right that of Saturn.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes before sunrise).
Evening sky on Saturday, March 16 as seen looking north-west from
Adelaide
at 20:58 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset). Mars is the brightest object
above the western horizon.
The Pleiades and Hyades also grace the north-western sky. Mars comes closer to the Pleiades over the week.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
Venus is bright in the morning skies below Jupiter and Saturn.
Mercury is lost in the twilight but will return to the morning sky later in the month.
Jupiter climbs higher in the morning sky. Jupiter is now rising just before midnight in the evening sky, but is too low to see without a level, unobstructed horizon.
Mars is in Aries and is the brightest object in low in the western evening sky. Mars sets around 10:00pm. Mars will come closer to the beautiful Pleiades cluster over the week.
Saturn is climbs higher in the morning sky.
Printable PDF maps of the Eastern sky at 10 pm AEDST, Western sky at 10 pm AEDST. For further details and more information on what's up in the sky, see Southern Skywatch.
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/
The First Quarter Moon is Thursday, March 14 and the Full Moon Thursday 21 March, The Moon is at Perigee, when it is closest to the Earth, on the 20th. The Earth is at Autumnal Equinox on the 21st. Day and night are of equal length and the Sun rises due East and Sets due west.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes before sunrise).
The Pleiades and Hyades also grace the north-western sky. Mars comes closer to the Pleiades over the week.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
Venus is bright in the morning skies below Jupiter and Saturn.
Mercury is lost in the twilight but will return to the morning sky later in the month.
Jupiter climbs higher in the morning sky. Jupiter is now rising just before midnight in the evening sky, but is too low to see without a level, unobstructed horizon.
Mars is in Aries and is the brightest object in low in the western evening sky. Mars sets around 10:00pm. Mars will come closer to the beautiful Pleiades cluster over the week.
Saturn is climbs higher in the morning sky.
Printable PDF maps of the Eastern sky at 10 pm AEDST, Western sky at 10 pm AEDST. For further details and more information on what's up in the sky, see Southern Skywatch.
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
Wednesday, March 06, 2019
A Nice Series of Bright International Space Sation Passes (7- 15 March 2018)
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| The ISS passes close to the bright star Rigel, above Orion's Belt as seen from Sydney on the evening of Sunday 10 March at 20:40 AEDST. Simulated in Stellarium (the ISS will actually be a bright dot), click to embiggen. | The ISS passes near the bright star Canopus, as seen from Adelaide on the evening of Saturday 9 March at 20:58 ACDST. Simulated in Stellarium (the ISS will actually be a bright dot), click to embiggen. | The ISS passes below the bright star Canopus, as seen from Perth on the evening of Saturday 9 March at 20:02 AWST. Simulated in Stellarium (the ISS will actually be a bright dot), the inset shows the binocular view of the close pass.click to embiggen. |
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| All sky chart showing local times from Heavens Above for Sunday 10 March for Sydney. | All sky chart showing local times from Heavens Above for Saturday 9 March for Adelaide. | All sky chart showing local times from Heavens Above for Saturday 9 March for Perth. |
Over the next few days there are a series of very bright ISS passes in the evening where the ISS passes close to Canopus (Adelaide 9th, Brisbane 8th, Melbourne 7th and 10th, Sydney 11th, Darwin 13th), the Southern Cross (Adelaide 7th,10th, Brisbane 11th, Melbourne 8th, Sydney 8th and 9th), Mars (Adelaide 11th, (includes Moon)) and some other iconic stars and constellations (Orion, Sydney 10th, Darwin 15th).
The following tables are from data provided from Heavens Above.
Passes from Adelaide (ACDST)
Passes from Brisbane (AEST)
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Labels: ISS, Satellite, unaided eye
Tuesday, March 05, 2019
The Sky This Week - Thursday March 7 to Thursday March 14
The New Moon is Thursday, March 7 and the First Quarter Moon is Thursday, March 14. Mars is visible low in
the evening skies and is visited by the crescent Moon on the 11th. Jupiter is high in the morning skies above Saturn
and bright Venus. There will be a series of bright passes of the International Space Station visible around or during the weekend in the early evening.
The New Moon is Thursday, March 7 and the First Quarter Moon is Thursday, March 14.
Morning sky on Saturday, March 9 looking east as seen from
Adelaide at 5:39 ACDST (90 minutes before sunrise). Jupiter is high in
the morning sky above the pair of Venus and Saturn. The left
upper insert inset shows the telescopic
view of Venus at this time. the lower left insert shows the telescopic
view of Jupiter at the same scale and the upper right that of Saturn.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes before sunrise).
Evening sky on Monday, March 11 as seen looking north-west from
Adelaide
at 21:15 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset). Mars is the brightest object
above the western horizon. The crescent Moon is close to Mars
The Pleiades and Hyades also grace the north-western sky.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
The beginning of the week is is a good time to observe our wonderful southern sky with the Moon out of the way. Looking at the wonderful clusters and nebula of our southern skies with the unaided eye or binoculars will be a treat. The Moon interference is minimal during the weekend, so this is a good viewing time too.
Evening sky on Saturday, March 11 as seen looking South from Adelaide
at 21:15 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset).
The Milky way stretches from the Southern cross (Wilto the Eagle to the people of the Adelaide Plains) in the south to the distinctive constellation of Orion and beyond. The Milky ways' satellite dwarf galaxies, the Magellanic clouds, (between and below the bright stars Canopus and Achernar) are easily seen away from the city lights. The large Magellanic cloud is the smudge directly below Canopus and at its highest, making an excellent binocular target.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
The approximate
10x50 binocular view of the area around the Large Magellanic Cloud on Saturday, March 11 as seen
at 21:15 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset).
. The Tarantula nebula cane be seen at the top of the LMC.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. Click to embiggen.
The ISS passes close to Canopus, as seen from Adelaide on
the evening of Saturday 9 March at 20:59 AEDST. Simulated in Stellarium
(the ISS will actually be a bright dot), click to embiggen.
From around the 8th-13 of March there are a series of bright ISS passes coming close to various bright stars which should be seen from most of Australia. When and what you will see is VERY location dependent, so you need to use either Heavens Above or CalSky to get site specific predictions for your location, but there should be lots of good ISS viewing for most of Australia.
More details of the passes in this post.
Venus is bright in the morning skies below Jupiter and Saturn.
Mercury is lost in the twilight but will return to the morning sky later in the month.
Jupiter climbs higher in the morning sky.
Mars is in Pisces and is readily seen as the brightest object in the western evening sky. Mars sets around 10:30pm and is visited by the crescent Moon of the 11th.
Saturn is climbs higher in the morning sky heading away from Venus.
Printable PDF maps of the Eastern sky at 10 pm AEDST, Western sky at 10 pm AEDST. For further details and more information on what's up in the sky, see Southern Skywatch.
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/
The New Moon is Thursday, March 7 and the First Quarter Moon is Thursday, March 14.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes before sunrise).
The Pleiades and Hyades also grace the north-western sky.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
The beginning of the week is is a good time to observe our wonderful southern sky with the Moon out of the way. Looking at the wonderful clusters and nebula of our southern skies with the unaided eye or binoculars will be a treat. The Moon interference is minimal during the weekend, so this is a good viewing time too.
The Milky way stretches from the Southern cross (Wilto the Eagle to the people of the Adelaide Plains) in the south to the distinctive constellation of Orion and beyond. The Milky ways' satellite dwarf galaxies, the Magellanic clouds, (between and below the bright stars Canopus and Achernar) are easily seen away from the city lights. The large Magellanic cloud is the smudge directly below Canopus and at its highest, making an excellent binocular target.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
. The Tarantula nebula cane be seen at the top of the LMC.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. Click to embiggen.
From around the 8th-13 of March there are a series of bright ISS passes coming close to various bright stars which should be seen from most of Australia. When and what you will see is VERY location dependent, so you need to use either Heavens Above or CalSky to get site specific predictions for your location, but there should be lots of good ISS viewing for most of Australia.
More details of the passes in this post.
Venus is bright in the morning skies below Jupiter and Saturn.
Mercury is lost in the twilight but will return to the morning sky later in the month.
Jupiter climbs higher in the morning sky.
Mars is in Pisces and is readily seen as the brightest object in the western evening sky. Mars sets around 10:30pm and is visited by the crescent Moon of the 11th.
Saturn is climbs higher in the morning sky heading away from Venus.
Printable PDF maps of the Eastern sky at 10 pm AEDST, Western sky at 10 pm AEDST. For further details and more information on what's up in the sky, see Southern Skywatch.
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
Sunday, March 03, 2019
Venus and the Moon 3 March 2019
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| Venus and Moon conjunction 3/3/2019 at 6:35 ACDST (still in Nautical Twilight, just) looking east. 1/40 sec exposure at ASA 400 Canon IXUS. Click to embiggen | Same as the other image but at 3x Zoom cropped down in Gimp. |
I got up a bit late for the Venus Moon conjunction on Sunday Morning, I had got up earlier but saw only cloud. This time there was a gap in the clouds and I was bale to get some quick shoots. By the time I went to get the telescope it was clouded out again, and stayed that way for most of the morning, no daytime Venus for me. But at least I got to see the pair together, quite beautiful it was.
Labels: Conjunction, Moon, Venus
Southern Skywatch March 2019 edition is now out!
At this time Venus and the crescent Moon are close. The left upper insert inset shows the telescopic view of Venus at this time. the lower left insert shows the telescopic view of Jupiter at the same scale and the upper right that of Saturn.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes before sunrise).
The March edition of Southern Skywatch is now up.
Mercury returns to the morning sky but is too close to the horizon to see in the twilight until the end of the month.
Venus is high in the morning skies and is close to the crescent Moon on the 3rd. In even small telescopes it is a "gibbous moon"shape.
Jupiter is close to waning Moon on the 27th.
Mars is close to the crescent Moon on the 11th.
Saturn climbs higher in the morning sky leaving Venus behind.
March 3, crescent Moon near Venus.
March 2 crescent Moon close to Saturn. March 11; Mars close to the waxing Moon. March 27; waning Moon close to Jupiter. March 29-30; waning/crescent Moon close to Saturn
March 4; Moon at Apogee; March 20 Moon at perigee
Labels: southern skywatch
Thursday, February 28, 2019
Once Again, early morning action as the crescent Moon visites two bright planets (2 Mar-3 Mar)
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| Morning sky on Saturday, March 2 looking east as seen from
Adelaide at 5:35 ACDST (90 minutes before sunrise). At this time Saturn
and the crescent Moon are close.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes before sunrise). | Morning sky on Sunday, March 3 looking east as seen from
Adelaide at 5:37 ACDST (90 minutes before sunrise). At this time Venus
and the crescent Moon are close.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes before sunrise). |
The astronomical action is in the morning sky over the next two mornings (Saturday 2 March and Sunday 3 March) as the thin crescent Moon visits Saturn and Venus in turn. In both cases the Moon is less than a finger-width from the bright planets, and viewable in binoculars and wide-field telescope eye pieces. However at this magnification neither Saturn or Venus will be spectacular, but it will be interesting to see them together.
Sunday will also be a good time to view Venus in the daylight. Once you have located the Moon and venus in the twilight, watch as sunrise progresses, using safe solar technique (ie have the sun always hidden by a large object such as a building, never tlook directly at the sun), and use the Moon to guide you to Venus. it may take a while for Venus to "pop out" but once you see it you can locate it again. My guides to observing Venus in the daylight are here.
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| Approximate wide field telescope view of Venus and the crescent Moon on Saturday, March 2 looking east as seen from
Adelaide at 5:35 ACDST (90 minutes before sunrise). The field of view is
approximately that of a 25mm eyepiece on a 4" Newtonian reflector.
Venus and the Moon are approximately 57 minutes of arc from each other
(just over two lunar diameters, click to embiggen) Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time using wide-field eyepieces (90 minutes before sunrise). | Approximate wide field telescope view of Venus and the crescent Moon on
Sunday, March 3 looking east as seen from
Adelaide at 5:37 ACDST (90 minutes before sunrise). The field of view is
approximately that of a 25mm eyepiece on a 4" Newtonian reflector.
Venus and the Moon are approximately 43 minutes of arc from each other
(approximately two lunar diameters, click to embiggen) Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time using widefield eyepieces (90 minutes before sunrise). |
Labels: binocular, Conjunction, Daylight, Daytime, Moon, Saturn, telescope, unaided eye, Venus
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