Tuesday, March 11, 2014
The Sky This Week - Thursday March 13 to Thursday March 20
The Full Moon is Monday March 17. Jupiter is the brightest object in the evening sky, visible all evening. Mars becomes more prominent in the evening sky. The Moon is near Mars on the
18th. Saturn rises higher in the evening sky. The Moon is near Saturn on the 20th. Venus is bright in the morning sky. Mercury reaches its highest point in the morning sky. The asteroids Vesta and Pallas are visible in binoculars.
The Full Moon is Monday March 17.
Evening sky on Thursday March 20 looking north-west as seen from Adelaide at 21:00 pm ACDST in South Australia. Jupiter is above the north-western horizon. The inset
shows Jupiter's Moons at this time. Similar views will be seen elsewhere at the equivalent local time (click to embiggen).
Jupiter is in the constellation Gemini and is the brightest object in the evening sky. Jupiter was at opposition on the 6th of January, when it was brightest and closest to Earth, but will remain bright and easily observable in telescopes for several months.
Jupiter rises around 15:30 pm local daylight saving time, and is highest just before 20:30 pm local daylight saving time. It is high enough to begin observing telescopically in the early evening.
In the early evening it is above the northern horizon between the bright stars Castor and Pollux, the twins of Gemini, and the bright red star Betelgeuse. Jupiter is quite easy to see as the brightest object in the entire sky. Jupiter's Moons are readily visible in binoculars. On Thursday around 22:00 Ganymede goes into eclipse and between 20:00 and 22:00 Io and Io's shadow transits Jupiter's disk.
Mars rises around 21:00 pm, but is still best seen when high in the morning sky. Mars is rapidly brightening ahead of opposition next month, and is readily distinguishable as the bright red/orange object above the late evening horizon. Mars is is in the constellation of Virgo near the bright star Spica (see below). The Moon is near Mars on the 18th.
Morning sky on Sunday March 16 looking east as seen from Adelaide
at 6:00 am ACDST in South Australia. Venus is well above the
horizon. Mercury is relatively high above the horizon. The
inset show the telescopic view at this time. Similar views will be seen
elsewhere at the equivalent local time (click
to embiggen).
The morning sky is quite impressive at the moment, with Mars, Saturn, Venus and Mercury strung out across the sky.
Venus is in the morning sky, above the eastern horizon. The brightest object in the morning sky, it is now easy to see and although it is past maximum brightness, it will dominate the morning sky for some months to come. Venus rises progressively higher during the week, and is now almost a half-Moon shape.
Mercury is climbing higher in the dawn sky, and is now readily visible below Venus. It will reach its maximum elongation from the Sun on Friday 14th. Although after this it begins to return to the horizon this is still a great time to view this fleet world.
Saturn is rising higher in the evening sky, but is still best visible high above the northern horizon before dawn. Saturn is in Libra near the head of the constellation of the Scorpion. It is high enough in the early morning for decent telescopic observation. The Moon is near Saturn on the 20th.
Evening sky on Saturday March 18 looking east as seen from Adelaide at 23:00 pm ACDST in South Australia. The Moon forms a triangle with Mars and Spica. The asteroid Vesta is just below Mars, and easily visible in binoculars. Similar views will be seen elsewhere at the equivalent local time (click to embiggen).
Two bright asteroids are now visible in binoculars in the evening sky. 2 Pallas and 4 Vesta. Later in March Vesta will become bright enough to be just visible to the unaided eye win dark sky locations.While Vesta is easily seen in binoculars, you will need to watch the same patch of sky in binoculars for a couple of nights to identify it by its movement. See here for more details on seeing Vesta and here for more details on seeing Pallas. Moonlight will make seeing these asteroid more difficult later in the week.
There are lots of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. Especially with Jupiter and Venus so prominent in the sky. If you don't have a telescope, now is a good time to visit one of your local astronomical societies open nights or the local planetariums.
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.
The Full Moon is Monday March 17.
Evening sky on Thursday March 20 looking north-west as seen from Adelaide at 21:00 pm ACDST in South Australia. Jupiter is above the north-western horizon. The inset
shows Jupiter's Moons at this time. Similar views will be seen elsewhere at the equivalent local time (click to embiggen).Jupiter is in the constellation Gemini and is the brightest object in the evening sky. Jupiter was at opposition on the 6th of January, when it was brightest and closest to Earth, but will remain bright and easily observable in telescopes for several months.
Jupiter rises around 15:30 pm local daylight saving time, and is highest just before 20:30 pm local daylight saving time. It is high enough to begin observing telescopically in the early evening.
In the early evening it is above the northern horizon between the bright stars Castor and Pollux, the twins of Gemini, and the bright red star Betelgeuse. Jupiter is quite easy to see as the brightest object in the entire sky. Jupiter's Moons are readily visible in binoculars. On Thursday around 22:00 Ganymede goes into eclipse and between 20:00 and 22:00 Io and Io's shadow transits Jupiter's disk.
Mars rises around 21:00 pm, but is still best seen when high in the morning sky. Mars is rapidly brightening ahead of opposition next month, and is readily distinguishable as the bright red/orange object above the late evening horizon. Mars is is in the constellation of Virgo near the bright star Spica (see below). The Moon is near Mars on the 18th.
Morning sky on Sunday March 16 looking east as seen from Adelaide
at 6:00 am ACDST in South Australia. Venus is well above the
horizon. Mercury is relatively high above the horizon. The
inset show the telescopic view at this time. Similar views will be seen
elsewhere at the equivalent local time (click
to embiggen).The morning sky is quite impressive at the moment, with Mars, Saturn, Venus and Mercury strung out across the sky.
Venus is in the morning sky, above the eastern horizon. The brightest object in the morning sky, it is now easy to see and although it is past maximum brightness, it will dominate the morning sky for some months to come. Venus rises progressively higher during the week, and is now almost a half-Moon shape.
Mercury is climbing higher in the dawn sky, and is now readily visible below Venus. It will reach its maximum elongation from the Sun on Friday 14th. Although after this it begins to return to the horizon this is still a great time to view this fleet world.
Saturn is rising higher in the evening sky, but is still best visible high above the northern horizon before dawn. Saturn is in Libra near the head of the constellation of the Scorpion. It is high enough in the early morning for decent telescopic observation. The Moon is near Saturn on the 20th.
Evening sky on Saturday March 18 looking east as seen from Adelaide at 23:00 pm ACDST in South Australia. The Moon forms a triangle with Mars and Spica. The asteroid Vesta is just below Mars, and easily visible in binoculars. Similar views will be seen elsewhere at the equivalent local time (click to embiggen).Two bright asteroids are now visible in binoculars in the evening sky. 2 Pallas and 4 Vesta. Later in March Vesta will become bright enough to be just visible to the unaided eye win dark sky locations.While Vesta is easily seen in binoculars, you will need to watch the same patch of sky in binoculars for a couple of nights to identify it by its movement. See here for more details on seeing Vesta and here for more details on seeing Pallas. Moonlight will make seeing these asteroid more difficult later in the week.
There are lots of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. Especially with Jupiter and Venus so prominent in the sky. If you don't have a telescope, now is a good time to visit one of your local astronomical societies open nights or the local planetariums.
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.
Labels: weekly sky
Thursday, March 06, 2014
Seeing Vesta (and Ceres) in Binoculars, March 2014
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| Evening sky on Saturday March 8 looking east as seen from Adelaide at 23:00 pm ACDST in South Australia. The asteroid Vesta is just below Mars, and easily visible in binoculars. Similar views will be seen elsewhere at the equivalent local time (click to embiggen). | Higher power view of the region near Vesta whic is approximately a binoculars field of vision (see b7w map below. Ceres is visible dimly below it (click to embiggen). Use the wide field map to the left for orientation. |
Vesta (and Ceres) is now rising before midnight. Currently around magnitude 6.5, it is readily visible in binoculars (and a lot easier to spot than Pallas). Vesta is relatively easy to find, below Mars (and Ceres is in turn below Vesta, but much dimmer at magnitude 7.5, still visible in 10x50 binoculars under dark skies though). Vesta can be seen to move from night to night, brightening gradually, and reaching unaided eye threshold by the end of the month. Ceres also brightens and becomes easier to see.
Seeing both the past and current targets of the Dawn mission together is kind of fun.
Labels: 4 Vesta, asteroids, binoculars
Don't Forget Tomorrows ISS Pass
Don't forget that tomorrow (Friday March 7) sees a nice bright ISS pass near the Moon from most Australian sites.
Yopu will need to check your times again. in the intervening days the ISS orbit has changed a little bit, so it is about 30 seconds later.
Also have a look for Iridium flares, from Adelaide there is one at 20:33:29, as the ISS is rising (hat tip to Dean Male).
Tuesday, March 04, 2014
Carnival of Space #343 is Now Here!
Carnival of Space #343 is now up at the Urban Astronomer. There's the next big Super Collider, Saturn's hexagonal clouds, selling naming rights to craters on Mars and much, much more. Zap on over and have a read.
Labels: carnival of space
The Sky This Week - Thursday March 6 to Thursday March 13
The First Quarter Moon is Saturday March 8. Jupiter is the brightest object in
the evening sky, visible all evening. The Moon is near Jupiter on the 10th. Mars becomes more prominent in the evening sky. Saturn appears in the evening sky. Venus is bright in the morning sky. Mercury climbs higher the morning sky. There is a series of bright ISS passes in the evening. The asteroids Vesta and Pallas are visible in binoculars.
The First Quarter Moon is Saturday March 8. The Moon is at Apogee, furthest from the Earth, on Thursday March 13. In the evening starting from March 5 there are a series of bright International Space Station passes. In some states the Thursday and Friday passes are close to the Moon. For more details and links see here.
Evening sky on Monday March 10 looking north as seen from Adelaide
at 22:00 pm ACDST
in South Australia. Jupiter is above the northern horizon. The inset
shows Jupiter's Moons at this time. Similar views
will be seen elsewhere at the
equivalent local time
(click to embiggen).
Jupiter is in the constellation Gemini and is the brightest object in the evening sky. Jupiter was at opposition on the 6th of January, when it was brightest and closest to Earth, but will remain bright and easily observable in telescopes for several months.
Jupiter rises around 16:00 pm local daylight saving time, and is highest just before 21:00 pm local daylight saving time. It is high enough to begin observing telescopically in the early evening.
In the early evening it is above the northern horizon near between the bright stars Castor and Pollux, the twins of Gemini, and Betelgeuse. Jupiter is quite easy to see as the brightest object in the entire sky. On Monday 10th the Moon is close to Jupiter. Jupiter's Moons are readily visible in binoculars. On Sunday evening transits Jupiter around 22:00, on Thursday around 21:30 Ganymede comes out of eclipse and Io's shadow is about to exit Jupiter's disk.
Mars rises around 22:00 pm, but is still best seen when high in the morning sky. Mars is rapidly brightening ahead of opposition next month, and is readily distinguishable as the bright red/orange object above the late evening horizon. Mars is is in the constellation of Virgo near the bright star Spica (see below).
Morning sky on Sunday March 9 looking east as seen from Adelaide
at 6:00 am ACDST in
South Australia. Crescent Venus is well above the
horizon. The crescent Moon is close to Mercury low on the horizon. The
inset show the telescopic view at this time. Similar views will be seen
elsewhere at
the equivalent local time (click
to embiggen).
The morning sky is quite impressive at the moment, with Mars, Saturn, Venus and Mercury strung out across the sky.
Venus is in the morning sky, above the eastern horizon. The brightest object in the morning sky, it is now easy to see and although it is past maximum brightness, it will dominate the morning sky for some months to come. Venus rises progressively higher during the week, and is now almost a half-Moon shape.
Mercury is climbing higher in the dawn sky, and is now readily visible below Venus. It will reach its maximum elongation from the Sun next week. This is a great time to view this fleet world.
Saturn is now entering the evening sky, but is still best visible high above the northern horizon before dawn. Saturn is in Libra near the head of the constellation of the Scorpion. It is high enough in the early morning for decent telescopic observation.
Evening sky on Saturday March 8 looking east as seen from Adelaide
at 23:00 pm ACDST
in South Australia. The asteroid Vesta is just below Mars, and easily visible in binoculars. Similar views
will be seen elsewhere at the
equivalent local time
(click to embiggen).
Two bright asteroids are now visible in binoculars in the evening sky. 2 Pallas and 4 Vesta. Later in March Vesta will become bright enough to be just visible to the unaided eye win dark sky locations.While Vesta is easily seen in binoculars, you will need to watch the same patch of sky in binoculars for a couple of nights to identify it by its movement. See here for more details on seeing Vesta.
There are lots of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. Especially with Jupiter and Venus so prominent in the sky. If you don't have a telescope, now is a good time to visit one of your local astronomical societies open nights or the local planetariums.
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.
The First Quarter Moon is Saturday March 8. The Moon is at Apogee, furthest from the Earth, on Thursday March 13. In the evening starting from March 5 there are a series of bright International Space Station passes. In some states the Thursday and Friday passes are close to the Moon. For more details and links see here.
Evening sky on Monday March 10 looking north as seen from Adelaide
at 22:00 pm ACDST
in South Australia. Jupiter is above the northern horizon. The inset
shows Jupiter's Moons at this time. Similar views
will be seen elsewhere at the
equivalent local time
(click to embiggen).Jupiter is in the constellation Gemini and is the brightest object in the evening sky. Jupiter was at opposition on the 6th of January, when it was brightest and closest to Earth, but will remain bright and easily observable in telescopes for several months.
Jupiter rises around 16:00 pm local daylight saving time, and is highest just before 21:00 pm local daylight saving time. It is high enough to begin observing telescopically in the early evening.
In the early evening it is above the northern horizon near between the bright stars Castor and Pollux, the twins of Gemini, and Betelgeuse. Jupiter is quite easy to see as the brightest object in the entire sky. On Monday 10th the Moon is close to Jupiter. Jupiter's Moons are readily visible in binoculars. On Sunday evening transits Jupiter around 22:00, on Thursday around 21:30 Ganymede comes out of eclipse and Io's shadow is about to exit Jupiter's disk.
Mars rises around 22:00 pm, but is still best seen when high in the morning sky. Mars is rapidly brightening ahead of opposition next month, and is readily distinguishable as the bright red/orange object above the late evening horizon. Mars is is in the constellation of Virgo near the bright star Spica (see below).
The morning sky is quite impressive at the moment, with Mars, Saturn, Venus and Mercury strung out across the sky.
Venus is in the morning sky, above the eastern horizon. The brightest object in the morning sky, it is now easy to see and although it is past maximum brightness, it will dominate the morning sky for some months to come. Venus rises progressively higher during the week, and is now almost a half-Moon shape.
Mercury is climbing higher in the dawn sky, and is now readily visible below Venus. It will reach its maximum elongation from the Sun next week. This is a great time to view this fleet world.
Saturn is now entering the evening sky, but is still best visible high above the northern horizon before dawn. Saturn is in Libra near the head of the constellation of the Scorpion. It is high enough in the early morning for decent telescopic observation.
Two bright asteroids are now visible in binoculars in the evening sky. 2 Pallas and 4 Vesta. Later in March Vesta will become bright enough to be just visible to the unaided eye win dark sky locations.While Vesta is easily seen in binoculars, you will need to watch the same patch of sky in binoculars for a couple of nights to identify it by its movement. See here for more details on seeing Vesta.
There are lots of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. Especially with Jupiter and Venus so prominent in the sky. If you don't have a telescope, now is a good time to visit one of your local astronomical societies open nights or the local planetariums.
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.
Labels: weekly sky
Sunday, March 02, 2014
Bright International Space Station Passes Near the Moon (4-11 March 2014)
 |  |  |
| The ISS passes near the Moon, as seen from Melbourne on the evening of Friday March 7 at 21:07 AEDST. Simulated in Stellarium (the ISS will actually be a bright dot), click to embiggen. | The ISS passes near the Moon, as seen from Adelaide on the evening of Friday March 7 at 20:35:32 ACDST. Th iset shows an enlarged view of how close the two will get. Simulated in Stellarium (the ISS will actually be a bright dot), click to embiggen. | The ISS passes near the Moon, as seen from Perth on the evening of Friday March 7 at 19:37 AWST. Simulated in Stellarium (the ISS will actually be a bright dot), click to embiggen. |
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| All sky chart showing local times from Heavens Above for Friday March 7 for Melbourne. | All sky chart showing local times from Heavens Above for Friday March 7 for Adelaide. | All sky chart showing local times from Heavens Above for Friday March 7 for Perth. |
Starting Wednesday there are a series of bright evening passes of the International Space Station. For many places in Australia this series has the ISS gliding close to the Moon. For most places the best time is the evening of Friday March 7, but there are good passes on the 6th, 8th and 9th as well.
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 (I'm using Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth as examples, the view from Melbourne is different from that of Adelaide and Perth on the evening of Friday March 7).
Note that from Adelaide the ISS is VERY close to the Moon. Places a little more mort may see the ISS go directly over the Moon.
Start looking several minutes before the pass is going to start to get yourself oriented and your eyes dark adapted. Be patient, on the night there may be slight differences in the time of the ISS appearing due to orbit changes not picked up by the predictions. The ISS will be moving reasonably fast when it passes near the Moon, so you need to be alert or you will miss it.
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Southern Skywatch March, 2014 edition is now out!
The March edition of Southern Skywatch is now up.
There's a bit of planetary action this month with Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and Mars meeting the Moon.
Jupiter is easily visible in the evening sky and is well placed for telescopic observation. Jupiter is also near the Moon on the 10th.
Mars rises higher the late evening sky and the Moon comes between it and the bright star Spica on the 19th.
Saturn is close to the Moon on the morning of the 20th and 21st.
Venus is close to the crescent Moon on the 27th.
Mercury is close to the thin crescent Moon on the 29th.
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Crescent Venus and the Crescent Moon, 26 and 27 February 2014
 |  |
| Morning sky on Wednesday February 26 looking east as seen from Adelaide at 5:45 am ACDST in South Australia. Crescent Venus is well above the horizon with the crescent Moon just above. Mercury is low on the horizon. Similar views will be seen elsewhere at the equivalent local time (click to embiggen). | Morning sky on Thursday February 27 looking east as seen from Adelaide at 5:30 am ACDST in South Australia. The crescent Moon is below Venus. Similar views will be seen elsewhere at the equivalent local time (click to embiggen). |
Crescent Venus is very close to the crescent Moon on February 26, and not far from the Crescent Moon on February 27. This is an excellent opportunity for astrophotography.
Africa, India and parts of South-East Asia will see an occultation of Venus on the 26th. For India and South East Asia this will be a daytime occultation.
The Sky This Week - Thursday February 27 to Thursday March 6
The New Moon is Saturday March 1. Jupiter is the brightest object in the evening sky, visible all evening. Mars is prominent in the early morning but is visible in the evening sky. Saturn rises higher in the morning sky. Venus is bright in the morning sky and is near the crescent Moon on the 27th. Mercury enters the morning sky and is close to the crescent Moon on the 28th. The asteroids Vesta and Pallas visible in binoculars.
The New Moon is Saturday March 1. The Moon is at Perigee, closest to the Earth, on Friday February 28.
Evening sky on Saturday March 1 looking north as seen from Adelaide
at 22:00 pm ACDST
in South Australia. Jupiter is above the northern horizon. The inset
shows Jupiter's Moons at 22:00 pm when Europa is just coming out from behind Jupiter. Similar views
will be seen elsewhere at the
equivalent local time
(click to embiggen).
Jupiter is in the constellation Gemini. It is the brightest object in the evening sky. Jupiter was at opposition on the 6th of January, when it was brightest and closest to Earth, but will remain bright and easily observable in telescopes for several months.
Jupiter rises around 16:30 pm local daylight saving time, and is highest just before 21:30 pm local daylight saving time. It is high enough to begin observing telescopically in the early to mid evening.
In the early evening it is above the northern horizon near the bright stars Castor and Pollux, the twins of Gemini. Jupiter is quite easy to see as the brightest object in the entire sky. Jupiter's Moons are readily visible in binoculars. On Saturday evening Europa exits from behind Jupiter.
Mars rises around 22:00 pm, but is still best seen when high in the morning sky, and is visible well before twilight. Mars is is in the constellation of Virgo near the bright star Spica.
Morning sky on Friday February 28 looking east as seen from Adelaide
at 5:45 am ACDST in
South Australia. Crescent Venus is well above the
horizon. The crescent Moon is close to Mercury low on the horizon. The inset show the telescopic view at this time. Similar views will be seen elsewhere at
the equivalent local time (click
to embiggen).
Venus is in the morning sky, above the eastern horizon. The brightest object in the morning sky, it is now easy to see in the morning twilight, and although it is past maximum brightness, it will dominate the morning sky for some months to come. Venus rises progressively higher during the week, and is a distinct crescent shape. On the 27th the crescent Moon is below Venus.
Saturn is now entering the evening sky, but is still best visible high above the north-eastern horizon before dawn. Saturn is in Libra near the head of the constellation of the Scorpion. It is high enough in the early morning for decent telescopic observation.
Mercury returns to the morning sky. It is low to the horizon in the dawn sky, and on the 28th it is close to the thin crescent Moon.
Evening sky on Saturday March 1 looking east as seen from Adelaide
at 23:30 pm ACDST
in South Australia. The asteroid Vesta is just below Mars, and easily visible in binoculars. Similar views
will be seen elsewhere at the
equivalent local time
(click to embiggen).
Two bright asteroids are now visible in binoculars in the evening sky. 2 Pallas and 4 Vesta. Later in March Vest will become bright enough to be just visible to the unaided eye win dark sky locations.While Vesta is esily seen in binoculars, you will need to watch the same patch of sky in binoculars for a couple of nights to identify it by its movement.
There are lots of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. Especially with Jupiter and Venus so prominent in the sky. If you don't have a telescope, now is a good time to visit one of your local astronomical societies open nights or the local planetariums.
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.
The New Moon is Saturday March 1. The Moon is at Perigee, closest to the Earth, on Friday February 28.
Jupiter is in the constellation Gemini. It is the brightest object in the evening sky. Jupiter was at opposition on the 6th of January, when it was brightest and closest to Earth, but will remain bright and easily observable in telescopes for several months.
Jupiter rises around 16:30 pm local daylight saving time, and is highest just before 21:30 pm local daylight saving time. It is high enough to begin observing telescopically in the early to mid evening.
In the early evening it is above the northern horizon near the bright stars Castor and Pollux, the twins of Gemini. Jupiter is quite easy to see as the brightest object in the entire sky. Jupiter's Moons are readily visible in binoculars. On Saturday evening Europa exits from behind Jupiter.
Mars rises around 22:00 pm, but is still best seen when high in the morning sky, and is visible well before twilight. Mars is is in the constellation of Virgo near the bright star Spica.
Venus is in the morning sky, above the eastern horizon. The brightest object in the morning sky, it is now easy to see in the morning twilight, and although it is past maximum brightness, it will dominate the morning sky for some months to come. Venus rises progressively higher during the week, and is a distinct crescent shape. On the 27th the crescent Moon is below Venus.
Saturn is now entering the evening sky, but is still best visible high above the north-eastern horizon before dawn. Saturn is in Libra near the head of the constellation of the Scorpion. It is high enough in the early morning for decent telescopic observation.
Mercury returns to the morning sky. It is low to the horizon in the dawn sky, and on the 28th it is close to the thin crescent Moon.
Two bright asteroids are now visible in binoculars in the evening sky. 2 Pallas and 4 Vesta. Later in March Vest will become bright enough to be just visible to the unaided eye win dark sky locations.While Vesta is esily seen in binoculars, you will need to watch the same patch of sky in binoculars for a couple of nights to identify it by its movement.
There are lots of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. Especially with Jupiter and Venus so prominent in the sky. If you don't have a telescope, now is a good time to visit one of your local astronomical societies open nights or the local planetariums.
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.
Labels: weekly sky
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Seeing the Asteroid Pallas at Opposition
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| Location of the asteroid 2 Pallas at 9:00 pm ACDST as seen from Adelaide. The location is marked with the red cross. Similar views will be seen elsewhere at equivalent local times.You may need to wait until a little later for the sky to be dark enough to easily see the asteroid. | A black and white chart suitable for printing to use with binoculars. The circle indicates the approximate field of view of 10x50 binoculars.Use the Stellarium chart to find Alphard in Hydrus, then sweep to the right. |
The Asteroid 2 Pallas came to opposition on the 22nd of February and is magnitude 7.0. While not visible to the unaided eye, it is potentially easily visible in binoculars, and well remain so for several weeks.Now is a great time to try and spot the second asteroid ever discovered.
While reasonably bright, Pallas is located in a fairly nondescript field in Hydrus, not far from the brightest star in the rambling constellation, Alphard. So it may be the best way to identify Pallas is using the chart above, and noting which "star" moves from night to night. It becomes much easier towards the end of February, when it is closer to Alphard.
On 3 March 2 Pallas is almost on top of the otherwise nondescript magnitude 6.12 start HIP 46869.
Click to read about or order
Click to read about or order
Click to read about or order
Click to read about or order
