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.
Wednesday, May 03, 2023
Southern Skywatch May 2023 edition is now out!
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.
The May edition of Southern Skywatch is now up.
The planetary action is now shifting to the morning skies, although Venus and Mars are prominent and bright in the evening skies. Mercury returns to the morning twilight but will be good viewing this month. Saturn climbs higher in the morning sky. Jupiter climbs higher the morning twilight late in the month. Eta Aquariid meteor shower and penumbral eclipse of the Moon.
May 6; Full Moon (penumbral eclipse) and eta Aquariid meteor shower in the morning. May 8-10, Venus close to open cluster M35. May 11; Moon at perigee. May 12; Last Quarter Moon. May 14; the crescent moon near Saturn in the morning twilight. May 16 - 17; Venus is very close to the star epsilon Geminorum. May 18; Mercury, the thin crescent Moon and Jupiter from a triangle. May 20; New Moon. May 23; the crescent Moon is close to Venus in the evening. May 24; the crescent Moon forms a triangle with Venus and Mars. May 25; the Moon is near Mars. May 26; apogee Moon. May 28; First Quarter Moon. May 31; Mars is on the outskirts of the Beehive cluster.
Mercury enters the morning sky and is best seen from mid-month. On the 18th Mercury, the thin crescent Moon and Jupiter from a triangle. On the 29th it is at its furthest from the sun, and will be easy to see above the eastern horizon an hour before sunrise, below Jupiter.
Venus climbs yet higher in the evening sky this month; the low angle of the ecliptic means it never gets really high but it is now prominent at astronomical twilight, when the sky is full dark. Venus has two close encounters this month. Venus moves from Taurus into Gemini this month. From the 9th to 10th Venus is close to the open cluster M35, an excellent sight in binoculars. On the 16th and 17th Venus is very close to the star epsilon Geminorum. On the 23rd Venus will be just 3° from the crescent moon, making a nice binocular sight. On the 30th Venus is only 20 arc minutes from the double star Kappa Geminorum. Venus currently looks like a half Moon.
Mars is well past opposition this Month but is easily visible, Mars is shrinking in telescopic view, Mars now leaves Gemini and enters Cancer, on the 31st Mars is on the outskirts of the Beehive cluster M44, a very nice binocular sight. On the 24th Mars, Venus and the waxing moon form a triangle.
Jupiter climbs higher the morning twilight but will be best seen from around mid-month. On the 18th Mercury, the thin crescent Moon and Jupiter from a triangle.
Saturn climbs higher in the morning skies and is now readily visible an hour and a half before sunrise. On the 14th Saturn is 3 degrees from crescent moon in the morning skies. On the 28th the maximum amount of shadow will be cast on Saturn’s rings, giving them a 3D appearance.
Labels: southern skywatch
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