Thursday, June 01, 2023
Southern Skywatch June 2023 edition is now out!
The June edition of Southern Skywatch is now up.
The planetary action is now now mostly in the morning skies, although Venus and Mars remain prominent and bright in the evening skies and have some nice encounter with the Beehive cluster. The Moon occults Delta Scorpii. Mercury is prominent in the morning twilight below Jupiter at the begining of this month but will be lost to view from mid month. Saturn climbs higher in the morning sky and is now rising before midnight, as Jupiter also climbs higher in the morning sky.
June 1-3; Mars crosses the Beehive cluster. June 3; the bright star delta Scorpius in the head of the scorpion is occulted by the Moon in the early evening just on Nautical twilight. June 4; Full Moon. June 7; Moon at perigee. June 10; the waning moon near Saturn in the morning twilight. June 11; Last Quarter Moon. June 13-14, Venus close to the Beehive cluster. June 14; the waning Moon close to Jupiter. June 18; New Moon. June 21; the crescent Moon forms a line with Venus and Mars. June 22; the crescent Moon is close to Venus in the evening forming a triangle with Mars. June 22; the Earth is at Solstice. June 23; the crescent Moon forms a line with Mars and Venus. June 23; apogee Moon. June 26; First Quarter Moon.
Mercury is still prominent in the morning sky early in the month. It is easily visible above the eastern horizon an hour before sunrise, below Jupiter. As the month wears on Mercury heads towards the horizon and is lost in the twilight.
Venus continues to climb higher in the evening sky this month and now is easily visible from shortly until over an hour after astronomical twilight when the sky is fully dark. Venus is at its greatest distance from the Sun on the 4th but remains high in the evening sky for the rest of the month. Venus also increases in brilliance and goes from a half moon shape to a clear crescent shape in telescopes.
Venus has two notable close encounters this month: From the 13th to 14th, Venus skims past the open cluster M44, the beehive cluster, providing an excellent sight in binoculars.
Venus comes closer to Mars, but never quite catches up to it. On the 22nd, Venus Mars and the crescent moon form an attractive triangle. On the 21st and 23rd the trio form a line.
Earth is at Solstice on the Thursday 22nd, when the day is shortest.
Mars although well past opposition, is still easily visible It passes through Cancer and enters Leo late in the Month. On the 1st, Mars can be found on the outskirts of the Beehive cluster M44. And on the 2nd and 3rd Mars is in the heart of the beehive, a great binocular and telescope vista (also good in dark sky locations)
On the 22nd, Venus Mars and the crescent moon form an attractive triangle.
Jupiter climbs higher in the morning sky, at the beginning of the month bright Mercury is below it, but Mercury is less prominent as the month progresses. On the 14th Jupiter will be 5 degrees from the waning crescent moon.
Saturn continues to climb higher in the morning skies and becomes visible in the late evening, although it remains best in the morning skies. On the 10th, Saturn is near to the waning Moon in the morning skies.Labels: southern skywatch
Wednesday, May 31, 2023
Thursday June 1 to Thursday June 8
The Full Moon is Sunday, June 4. The Moon occults the moderately bright star Delta Scorpii (Dschubba) in the twilight on the early evening of the 3rd. Saturn is now rising just after local midnight and is high in the morning sky above the pair of Jupiter and Mercury. Venus is prominent from the evening twilight to early evening. On June 1 Mars is on the outskirts of the Beehive open cluster, on the 2nd and 3rd it is in the heart of the Beehive. At this time Venus forms a line with the bright stars Castor and Pollux.
The Full Moon is Sunday, June 4. The Moon occults the moderately bright star Delta Scorpii in the twilight on the early evening of the 3rd. The Moon is at Perigee, when it is closest to the Earth, on the 7th.
Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent
local time (90 minutes before sunrise).
Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent
local time (60 minutes after sunset).
Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent
local time (90 minutes after sunset).
Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the roughly the equivalent
local time.
Between the bright star
Canopus and the Southern Cross are another wealth of binocular objects to
discover. However the Moons light is washing them out.
Elsewhere in Australia will see a similar view at the equivalent time (90 minutes after sunset).
Mercury is heading towards the horizon in the morning twilight, and is below Jupiter. As the week goes on Mercury leaves Jupiter behind in the morning twilight.
Venus climbs still higher in the twilight. On the 2nd-3rd Venus forms a line with the bright stars Castor and Pollux.
Mars On June 1 Mars is on the outskirts of the Beehive open cluster. On the 2nd-3rd it is in the heart of the cluster.
Jupiter is prominent in the morning sky, with Mercury below it. As the week goes on Jupiter climbs higher in the morning twilight leaving Mercury behind .
Saturn climbs higher in the morning skies and is rising just after local midnight.
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
Occultation of Delta Scorpii, June 3, 2023
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| Evening sky on Saturday, June 3 looking east as seen from Adelaide at 17:59 ACST showing the Moon and Delta Scorpii, just as the Moon is about to cover it. The inset shows the telescopic view of The Moon at 18:52, as the Moon moves off delta Scorpii. Click to embiggen | Evening sky on Saturday, June 3 looking east as seen from Melbourne at 18:33 AEST showing the Moon and Delta Scorpii, just as the Moon is about to cover it. The inset shows the telescopic view of The Moon at 19:29, as the Moon moves off delta Scorpii. Click to embiggen | Evening sky on Saturday, June 3 looking east as seen from Sydney at 18:26 AEST showing the Moon and Delta Scorpii, just as the Moon is about to cover it. The inset shows the telescopic view of The Moon at 19:28, as the Moon moves off delta Scorpii. Click to embiggen |
On the evening of June 3, the bright star delta Scorpii (Dschubba) in the head of the Scorpion is occulted by the Moon in the early evening just on Nautical twilight. Ingress is low to the horizon and will be hard telescopically, but reappearance an hour later should be viewable.
The occultation occurs with the Moon low above the horizon at the start for the eastern states, although higher the further north you are. South Australia has a reasonable view but Darwin and Perth miss out, although delta Scorprii will be seen near by the Moon. Disappearance and appearance times are given in the table below.
While the occultation is visible to the unaided eye, the sight will be better in binoculars or a small telescope (the low hight above the horizon may make it difficult for telescopes to point down that low). Set up ahead of time so that you can be sure everything is working well and you can watch the entire event comfortably. delta Scorpii will be clearly visible to the unaided eye near the Moon.
Delta Scorpii (Dschubba) reappears about an hour later, when the Moon is much higher and better for telescopic viewing.
To the west, Venus forms a line with the bright stars Castor and Pollux and Mars is in the heart of the Beehive cluster.
| Place | Moon rise | Disappears Dark Limb | Reappears Bright Limb | Astronomical Twilight | Sunset |
| Adelaide ACST | 16:16 | 17:59 | 18:52 | 18:42 | 17:12 |
| Brisbane AEST | 16:05 | 18:18 | 19:17 | 18:24 | 17:00 |
| Canberra AEST | 16:02 | 18:28 | 19:28 | 18:29 | 16:59 |
| Darwin ACST | 17:35 | - | - | 19:44 | 18:28 |
| Hobart AEST | 15:47 | 18:42 | 19:38 | 18:27 | 16:45 |
| Melbourne AEST | 16:12 | 18:33 | 19:29 | 18:42 | 17:09 |
| Perth AWST | 16:27 | - | - | 18:46 | 17:20 |
| Sydney AEST | 15:57 | 18:26 | 19:28 | 18:22 | 16:54 |
Labels: binoculars, Moon, Occultation, telescope, unaided eye
Monday, May 29, 2023
Mars Crosses the Beehive cluster 1-3 June, 2023
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| Evening sky on Thursday, June 1 as seen from Adelaide at 18:44 ACST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen). Mars is on the outskirts of the Beehive cluster (M44). The inset is the binocular view of Mars and the cluster. Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset). | Mars and M44 on 2 June, 18:42 ACST. 10 degree field of view. Simulated in Stellarium. | Mars and M44 on 3 June, 18:42 ACST. 10 degree field of view. Simulated in Stellarium. |
From Thursday 1 June to Saturday 3 June, Mars crosses the Beehive cluster (M44). Under dark skies this delightful open cluster looks like a faint nebulous patch, but binoculars or a telescope will reveal it's wonderful starry mass.
While in principle seeing Mars in the heart of the beehive is possible with the unaided eye, This is far better seen with binoculars or a small telescope, On the 1st Mars on on the outskirts of the cluster, and on the 2nd and 3rd it is in the heart of the cluster. The cluster fits neatly into medium power telescope eyepiece fields. On the days leading up to the crossing and a couple of days after, Mars and the cluster are in the same binocular field.
The sight is best at Astronomical twilight, and hour and a half after sunset, much later than this and the beehive gets too close to the horizon to be seen clearly. Mars is not so bright that it will drown out the clusters dimmer starts, so this will be a nice opportunity for some astrophotography.
Labels: Beehive cluster, binocular, Mars, telescope
Tuesday, May 23, 2023
Thursday May 25 to Thursday June 1
The First Quarter Moon is Sunday, May 28. Saturn is now rising just after local midnight and is high in the morning sky above the pair of Jupiter and Mercury. Venus is prominent in the late evening twilight. On the 25th Venus, Mars and the crescent Moon form a line. On the 30th Venus forms a line with the bright stars Castor and Pollux. On June 1 Mars is on the outskirts of the Beehive open cluster.
The First Quarter Moon is Sunday, May 28. The Moon is at Apogee, when it is furthest from the Earth, on the 26th.
Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent
local time (90 minutes before sunrise).
Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent
local time (90 minutes after sunset).
Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent local time (80 minutes after sunset).
Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent
local time (90 minutes after sunset).
Between the bright star
Canopus and the Southern Cross are another wealth of binocular objects to
discover.
Elsewhere in Australia will see a similar view at the equivalent time (90 minutes after sunset).
Mercury climbs higher in the morning twilight, and is just below Jupiter. As the week goes on the pair climb higher in the morning twilight.
Venus climbs still higher in the twilight. On the 25th Venus, Mars and the crescent Moon form a line. On the 30th Venus forms a line with the bright stars Castor and Pollux.
Mars On the 25th Venus, Mars and the crescent Moon form a line. On June 1 Mars is on the outskirts of the Beehive open cluster.
Jupiter is prominent in the morning sky, with Mercury below it. As the week goes on the pair climb higher in the morning twilight.
Saturn climbs higher in the morning skies and is rising just after local midnight.
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
Monday, May 15, 2023
Thursday May 18 to Thursday May 25
The New Moon is Saturday, May 20. Saturn is now high in the morning sky above the pair of Jupiter and Mercury. The thin crescent Moon forms a triangle with Jupiter and Mercury in the morning sky on the 18th. Venus is prominent in the late evening twilight. On the 23rd Venus and the thin crescent Moon are close. Bright Mars forms a line with the bright stars Castor and Pollux at the beginning of the week. On the 24th Venus, the crescent Moon and Mars form a triangle. On the 25th Venus, Mars and the crescent Moon form a line.
The New Moon is Saturday, May 20.
Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes before sunrise).
Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent
local time (60 minutes before sunrise).
Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent local time (60 minutes after sunset).
Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset).
Between the bright star
Canopus and the Southern Cross are another wealth of binocular objects to
discover.
Elsewhere in Australia will see a similar view at the equivalent time (90 minutes after sunset).
Mercury returns to the morning twilight, The thin crescent Moon forms a triangle with Jupiter and Mercury in the morning sky on the 18th. As the week goes on the pair climb higher in the morning twilight.
Venus climbs higher in the twilight. On the 23rd Venus and the thin crescent Moon are close. On the 24th Venus, the crescent Moon and Mars form a triangle. On the 25th Venus, Mars and the crescent Moon form a line.
Mars forms a line with the bright stars Castor and Pollux at the beginning of the week. On the 24th Venus, the crescent Moon and Mars form a triangle. On the 25th Venus, Mars and the crescent Moon form a line.
Jupiter returns to the morning twilight. The thin crescent Moon forms a triangle with Jupiter and Mercury in the morning sky on the 18th. As the week goes on the pair climb higher in the morning twilight.
Saturn climbs higher in the morning skies.
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
Monday, May 08, 2023
Thursday May 11 to Thursday May 18
The Last Quarter Moon is Friday, May 12. Saturn is climbing in the morning sky and is close to the waning moon on the 14th. The thin crescent Moon forms a triangle with Jupiter and Mercury in the morning sky on the 18th. Venus is prominent in the evening twilight. Venus leaves Taurus and enters Gemini, and is close to eta Geminorum on the 17th. Bright Mars forms a line with the bright stars Castor and Pollux.
The Last Quarter Moon is Friday, May 12.The moon is at perigee, when it is closest to the earth, on the 11th.
Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes before sunrise).
Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent
local time (60 minutes before sunrise).
Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent local time (60 minutes after sunset).
Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset).
Between the bright star
Canopus and the Southern Cross are another wealth of binocular objects to
discover.
Elsewhere in Australia will see a similar view at the equivalent time (90 minutes after sunset).
Mercury returns to the morning twilight, The thin crescent Moon forms a triangle with Jupiter and Mercury in the morning sky on the 18th.
Venus climbs higher in the twilight. Venus leaves Taurus and enters Gemini, and is close to eta Geminorum on the 17th.
Mars forms a line with the bright stars Castor and Pollux.
Jupiter returns to the morning twilight. The thin crescent Moon forms a triangle with Jupiter and Mercury in the morning sky on the 18th.
Saturn climbs higher in the morning skies and is close to the waning moon on the 14th.
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
Thursday, May 04, 2023
Penumbral Lunar Eclipse, May 5-6 2023.
Morning
sky on Saturday May 6 looking west as seen from
Adelaide at 02:52 ACST. Similar views
will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click
to embiggen). Note the subtle darkening of the Moon in the inset.
On the morning of May 6 there is a penumbral eclipse of the Moon,
where the Moon glides through the outer segment of the shadow cast by
Earth. There will be a faint, but visible, darkening of the Moons
northern regions.
Unfortunately, this all occurs in the early morning,
so you will need to get up in the early hours to see it. However, to
eclipse aficionados the subtle darkening of the Moons bright light to a
pearly glow is quiet beautiful. It is also the morning of the eta Aquariid meteor shower peak, so you can combine the two events if your
are careful about your night vision.
The table below shows the time of the eclipse from Eastern, Central and
Western Australia.
| Penumbral Eclipse Begins | Maximum Eclipse | Penumbral Eclipse Ends |
| 1:12 am AEST 6 May | 03:23 am AEST 6 May | 05:34 am AEST6 May |
| 12:42 am ACST 6 May | 02:53 am ACST 6 May | 05:04 am AEST 6 May |
| 11:23 pm AWST 5 May | 01:23 am AWST 6 May | 03:34 am AWST 6 May |
For other regions, see here for UT timings.
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