Saturday, September 29, 2012
Animatronic Dinosaurs (on an island)
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Carnival of Space #268 is Here!
Carnival of Space #268 is now up at at Links Through Space. There's light pollution, crowd-sourced space science research, cube-sats and much, much more, zip on over and have a read.
Labels: carnival of space
The Sky This Week - Thursday September 27 to Thursday October 4
The Full Moon is Sunday September 31. Mars, Saturn and the
star Spica form a very long triangle in the western evening sky and are joined by Mercury. In the morning skies Jupiter and Venus can be
readily seen amongst some beautiful
constellations. Venus comes close to the bright star Regulus.
Morning sky on Thursday October 4 looking north-east as seen from Adelaide at 5:00 am local
time in South Australia. Jupiter below the Hyades makes a long triangle with the red stars Betelgeuse and Aldebaran. The right inset shows the location of the Moons of Jupiter at this time.
Venus is very close to the bright star RegulusSimilar views will be seen elsewhere at the equivalent local time
(click to embiggen).
The Full Moon is Sunday September 31.
Jupiter is easily seen in the early morning sky. Jupiter is below the Hyades and stays in roughly the same position for most of the week.
With the Pleiades cluster and the constellation of Orion close by, this is a beautiful morning sight.
Jupiter's Moons are a delight any-time, but on the morning of the4th there is a transit of Io. Well worth a look in even a small telescope.
Bright white Venus is still moderately high above the eastern horizon, but continues sinking lower over the week. Venus looks like a waxing Moon when seen through even a small telescope.
Jupiter, Aldebaran and the red star Betelgeuse in Orion form a long triangle in the sky.
Venus is in the constellation of Leo, and moves towards the bright star Regulus.It is closest to Regulus on the 4th.
Mercury is returns to the evening sky, but is very low in the twilight, on the 30th it is close to the bright star Spica.
Mars is in the constellation of Libra. Mars is brightest object in the north-western sky, and its distinctive red colour makes it easy to spot. Mars sets shortly after 10:15 pm local time.
Mars was at opposition on March 4, when it was biggest and brightest as seen from Earth. Sadly, this is a poor opposition and Mars will be fairly small in modest telescopes.
Evening sky looking west as seen
from Adelaide at 7:00 pm local time on Sunday September 30. Mars, Saturn and the bright star Spica
form a long triangle, with the Mercury close to Spica. Similar views will be seen
elsewhere at the equivalent local time. Click
to embiggen.
Saturn is just above the north-western horizon, not far from the bright star Spica. Saturn is low in the twilight, which is not good for telescopic observation.
Saturn was at opposition, when it is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, on the 16th of April. Now you only have a very short viewing time before Saturn is too low to observe, and telescopic views are even more limited. Saturn sets around 8:00 pm local time
Mercury, Saturn and the bright white star Spica from an attractive triangle in the evening sky by the end of the week, although you will need a low level horizon to see them at their best.
Over the week, Mars moves closer towards the head of Scorpius the Scorpion.
There are lots of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. 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 AEST, Western sky at 10 pm AEST. For further details and more information on what's up in the sky, see Southern Skywatch.
Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.
The Full Moon is Sunday September 31.
Jupiter is easily seen in the early morning sky. Jupiter is below the Hyades and stays in roughly the same position for most of the week.
With the Pleiades cluster and the constellation of Orion close by, this is a beautiful morning sight.
Jupiter's Moons are a delight any-time, but on the morning of the4th there is a transit of Io. Well worth a look in even a small telescope.
Bright white Venus is still moderately high above the eastern horizon, but continues sinking lower over the week. Venus looks like a waxing Moon when seen through even a small telescope.
Jupiter, Aldebaran and the red star Betelgeuse in Orion form a long triangle in the sky.
Venus is in the constellation of Leo, and moves towards the bright star Regulus.It is closest to Regulus on the 4th.
Mercury is returns to the evening sky, but is very low in the twilight, on the 30th it is close to the bright star Spica.
Mars is in the constellation of Libra. Mars is brightest object in the north-western sky, and its distinctive red colour makes it easy to spot. Mars sets shortly after 10:15 pm local time.
Mars was at opposition on March 4, when it was biggest and brightest as seen from Earth. Sadly, this is a poor opposition and Mars will be fairly small in modest telescopes.
Saturn is just above the north-western horizon, not far from the bright star Spica. Saturn is low in the twilight, which is not good for telescopic observation.
Saturn was at opposition, when it is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, on the 16th of April. Now you only have a very short viewing time before Saturn is too low to observe, and telescopic views are even more limited. Saturn sets around 8:00 pm local time
Mercury, Saturn and the bright white star Spica from an attractive triangle in the evening sky by the end of the week, although you will need a low level horizon to see them at their best.
Over the week, Mars moves closer towards the head of Scorpius the Scorpion.
There are lots of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. 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 AEST, Western sky at 10 pm AEST. For further details and more information on what's up in the sky, see Southern Skywatch.
Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.
Labels: weekly sky
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Just in Case You are Looking for Elenin and Earthquakes
If you are looking for my critique of Mensur Omerbashich's Paper
Astronomical Alignments as the Cause of ~M6+ Seismicity” http://arxiv.org/abs/1104.2036 , then it's been hit with a DCMA notice again (the history of the previous DCMA attack is here) . The revised review is still here though, and I expect the original post to be reinstated soon, as it was the last time.
All material in the post has been generated by myself, with the exception of a short quote, less than one paragraph and much less than 2% of the academic work, from an academic paper of a length appropriate for
scholarly discussion.
The quote is clearly identified as such and referenced back to the paper via identification of the paper and a URL.
All material in the post has been generated by myself, with the exception of a short quote, less than one paragraph and much less than 2% of the academic work, from an academic paper of a length appropriate for
scholarly discussion.
The quote is clearly identified as such and referenced back to the paper via identification of the paper and a URL.
Labels: Pseudoscience
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Mum's Birthday Cake
At Mum's 90th Birthday Party
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Mobile Phone Rainbows (sort of)
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
The Sky This Week - Thursday September 20 to Thursday September 27
The First Quarter Moon is Sunday September 23. The Earth is also at spring Equinox on the 23rd. Mars, Saturn and the
star Spica form a very long triangle in the western evening sky. In the morning skies Jupiter and Venus can be
readily seen amongst some beautiful
constellations.
Morning sky on Sunday September 23 looking north-east as seen from Adelaide at 5:30 am local
time in South Australia. Jupiter below the Hyades makes a long triangle with the red stars Betelgeuse and Aldebaran. The right inset shows the location of the Moons of Jupiter at this time.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere at the equivalent local time
(click to embiggen).
The First Quarter Moon is Sunday September 23. The Earth is also at spring Equinox on the 23rd.
Jupiter is easily seen in the early morning sky. Jupiter is below the Hyades and stays in roughly the same position for most of the week.
With the Pleiades cluster and the constellation of Orion close by, this is a beautiful morning sight.
Jupiter's Moons are a delight any-time, but on the morning of the 27th there is a shadow transit and transit of Io. Well worth a look in even a small telescope.
Bright white Venus is still reasonably high above the eastern horizon, but continues sinking lower over the week. Venus looks like a waxing Moon when seen through even a small telescope.
Jupiter, Aldebaran and the red star Betelgeuse in Orion form a long triangle in the sky. Venus, Pollux and Procyon form another triangle.
Venus is in the constellation of Cancer the Crab, but rapidly moves towards Leo, and the bright star Regulus.
Mercury is lost in the twilight.
Mars is in the constellation of Libra. Mars is brightest object in the north-western sky, and its distinctive red colour makes it easy to spot. Mars sets shortly after 10:30 pm local time.
Mars was at opposition on March 4, when it was biggest and brightest as seen from Earth. Sadly, this is a poor opposition and Mars will be fairly small in modest telescopes.
Evening sky looking west as seen
from Adelaide at 7:30 pm local time on Saturday September 22. Mars, Saturn and the bright star Spica
form a long triangle. Similar views will be seen
elsewhere at the equivalent local time. Click
to embiggen.
Saturn is just above the north-western horizon, not far from the bright star Spica. Saturn is only high enough in the northern sky for telescopic observation for a very short time in the early evening, although not for long.
Saturn was at opposition, when it is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, on the 16th of April. Now you only have a very short viewing time before Saturn is too low to observe, and telescopic views are even more limited. Saturn sets around 8:30 pm local time
Mars, Saturn and the bright white star Spica from a long but attractive triangle in the evening sky. Over the week, the triangle becomes larger as Mars moves away from Saturn and Spica and towards the head of Scorpius the Scorpion.
There are lots of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. 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 AEST, Western sky at 10 pm AEST. For further details and more information on what's up in the sky, see Southern Skywatch.
Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.
The First Quarter Moon is Sunday September 23. The Earth is also at spring Equinox on the 23rd.
Jupiter is easily seen in the early morning sky. Jupiter is below the Hyades and stays in roughly the same position for most of the week.
With the Pleiades cluster and the constellation of Orion close by, this is a beautiful morning sight.
Jupiter's Moons are a delight any-time, but on the morning of the 27th there is a shadow transit and transit of Io. Well worth a look in even a small telescope.
Bright white Venus is still reasonably high above the eastern horizon, but continues sinking lower over the week. Venus looks like a waxing Moon when seen through even a small telescope.
Jupiter, Aldebaran and the red star Betelgeuse in Orion form a long triangle in the sky. Venus, Pollux and Procyon form another triangle.
Venus is in the constellation of Cancer the Crab, but rapidly moves towards Leo, and the bright star Regulus.
Mercury is lost in the twilight.
Mars is in the constellation of Libra. Mars is brightest object in the north-western sky, and its distinctive red colour makes it easy to spot. Mars sets shortly after 10:30 pm local time.
Mars was at opposition on March 4, when it was biggest and brightest as seen from Earth. Sadly, this is a poor opposition and Mars will be fairly small in modest telescopes.
Saturn is just above the north-western horizon, not far from the bright star Spica. Saturn is only high enough in the northern sky for telescopic observation for a very short time in the early evening, although not for long.
Saturn was at opposition, when it is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, on the 16th of April. Now you only have a very short viewing time before Saturn is too low to observe, and telescopic views are even more limited. Saturn sets around 8:30 pm local time
Mars, Saturn and the bright white star Spica from a long but attractive triangle in the evening sky. Over the week, the triangle becomes larger as Mars moves away from Saturn and Spica and towards the head of Scorpius the Scorpion.
There are lots of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. 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 AEST, Western sky at 10 pm AEST. For further details and more information on what's up in the sky, see Southern Skywatch.
Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.
Labels: weekly sky
Carnival of Space #267 is Here!
Carnival of Space #267 is now up at Supernova Condensate. There's giant launch towers, closed ecologies in space, Martian blueberries, carbon dioxide snow, orbiting rainbows and much, much more. Zap on over for a read now.
Labels: carnival of space
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Finding Near Earth Asteroid 2012 QG42
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| Location of NEO 2012 QG42 at 9 pm local time on 13 September as simulated in Stellarium | Location of NEO 2012 QG42 at 9 pm local time on 14 September |
375 metre diameter Near Earth Object 2012 QG42 will be 7.4 Earth-Moon distances from us at closest approach on September 14 at 05:08 UT (that 3 am AEST, but the asteroid will still be close after astronomical twilight in Australia).
At magnitude 14 or so (ignore the Stellarium magnitudes, they are too dim) it will not be visible in binoculars or small telescopes, you will need a 6" or more scope and dark skies to see this. However, you will be able to see the asteroid visibly move over a period of a few minutes, so it's worth a look.
In Australia it's not far from the bright star Altair in Aquila, and is a good distance above the horizon at 7:30 pm local time (around astronomical twilight), and is probably too low to image by 11 pm.
Because it so so close to earth parallax is a problem, and Stellarium positions will be out. Links to detailed ephemeris's can be found here. My previous images of the asteroid are here, here and here.
Labels: asteroids, NEO, stellarium
The International Space Station Shoots Past Saturn and Mars, 11 September 2012
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My animation of all 10 images is below (images stacked and converted to AVI with ImageJ.
Labels: animation, Astronomy, astrophotography, ISS, Mars, Satellite, Saturn
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
NEO 2012 QG42 12-09-12
They were stacked in ImageJ and a Max intensity Z project made, then despeckeled. The images have variations in brightness which may indicate it is rotating (see my previous image for a better plot). Click to embiggen.
375 metre diameter Near Earth Object 2012 QG42 continues to brighten as it heads for closest approach. It will be 7.4 Earth-Moon distances from us at closest approach on September 14 at 05:08 UT.
For my previous images and animation see here and here.
Here's my video made from my image sequence.
Labels: animation, asteroids, astrophotography, iTelescope, NEO
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
NEO 2012 QG42 11-09-12
Near Earth Object 2012 QG42 is a recently discovered relatively bright NEO. It is a 375 metre diameter rock that will be 7.4 Earth-Moon distances from us at closest approach on September 14 at 05:08 UT.
As it comes closer to Earth it appears to be moving faster. For my previous images and animation (using 120 second exposures rather than the 60 seond ones here) see here.
Here's my video made from my image sequence.
Labels: animation, asteroids, iTelescope, NEO
The Sky This Week - Thursday September 13 to Thursday September 20
The New Moon is Sunday September 16. Mars, Saturn and the
star Spica form a triangle in the western evening sky. On the18th the crescent Moon is close to Spica and Saturn. On the 19th and 20th, the Moon is close to Mars. In the morning skies Jupiter and Venus can be readily seen amongst some beautiful
constellations.
Morning sky on Sunday September 16 looking north-east as seen from Adelaide at 5:30 am local
time in South Australia. Jupiter below the Hyades makes a long triangle with the red stars Betelgeuse and Aldebaran. The right inset shows the location of the Moons of Jupiter at this time.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere at the equivalent local time
(click to embiggen).
The New Moon is Sunday September 16.
Jupiter is easily seen in the early morning sky. Jupiter is below the Hyades and stays in roughly the same position for most of the week.
With the Pleiades cluster and the constellation of Orion close by, this is a beautiful morning sight.
Jupiter's Moons are a delight any-time, but on the mornings of the 19th and 20th there is a shadow transit of Io. Well worth a look in even a small telescope.
Bright white Venus is still reasonably high above the eastern horizon, but continues sinking lower over the week. Venus looks like a waxing Moon when seen through even a small telescope.
Jupiter, Aldebaran and the red star Betelgeuse in Orion form a long triangle in the sky. Venus, Pollux and Procyon form another triangle.
Venus is in the constellation of Cancer the Crab, and starts the week is within binocular distance of the Beehive cluster.
Mercury is lost in the twilight.
Mars is in the constellation of Libra. Mars is brightest object in the north-western sky, and its distinctive red colour makes it easy to spot. Mars sets shortly after 10:30 pm local time.
At the beginning of the week of the week Mars is within binocular distance of the broad double star Zubenelgenubi (alpha2 Librae). In binoculars red Mars and the white and yellow double star will look beautiful. Mars and Zubenelgenubi are closest on the 15th.
Mars was at opposition on March 4, when it was biggest and brightest as seen from Earth. Sadly, this is a poor opposition and Mars will be fairly small in modest telescopes.
Evening sky looking west as seen
from Adelaide at 7:30 pm local time on Tuesday September 18. Mars, Saturn and the bright star Spica
form a long triangle, with the Moon close to Spica. Similar views will be seen
elsewhere at the equivalent local time. Click
to embiggen.
Saturn is above the north-western horizon, not far from the bright star Spica. Saturn is still high enough in the northern sky for telescopic observation in the early evening, although not for long.
Saturn was at opposition, when it is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, on the 16th of April, but now is still a good time for telescopic views of this ringed world in the early evening, although you will have only a very short viewing tie before Saturn is too low to observe. Saturn sets around 9:00 pm local time
Mars, Saturn and the bright white star Spica from a long but attractive triangle in the evening sky. Over the week, the triangle becomes larger as Mars moves away from Saturn and Spica and towards Zubenelgenubi (alpha2 Librae).
On the18th the crescent Moon is close to Spica and Saturn. On the 19th and 20th, the Moon is close to Mars.
There are lots of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. 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 AEST, Western sky at 10 pm AEST. For further details and more information on what's up in the sky, see Southern Skywatch.
Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.
The New Moon is Sunday September 16.
Jupiter is easily seen in the early morning sky. Jupiter is below the Hyades and stays in roughly the same position for most of the week.
With the Pleiades cluster and the constellation of Orion close by, this is a beautiful morning sight.
Jupiter's Moons are a delight any-time, but on the mornings of the 19th and 20th there is a shadow transit of Io. Well worth a look in even a small telescope.
Bright white Venus is still reasonably high above the eastern horizon, but continues sinking lower over the week. Venus looks like a waxing Moon when seen through even a small telescope.
Jupiter, Aldebaran and the red star Betelgeuse in Orion form a long triangle in the sky. Venus, Pollux and Procyon form another triangle.
Venus is in the constellation of Cancer the Crab, and starts the week is within binocular distance of the Beehive cluster.
Mercury is lost in the twilight.
Mars is in the constellation of Libra. Mars is brightest object in the north-western sky, and its distinctive red colour makes it easy to spot. Mars sets shortly after 10:30 pm local time.
At the beginning of the week of the week Mars is within binocular distance of the broad double star Zubenelgenubi (alpha2 Librae). In binoculars red Mars and the white and yellow double star will look beautiful. Mars and Zubenelgenubi are closest on the 15th.
Mars was at opposition on March 4, when it was biggest and brightest as seen from Earth. Sadly, this is a poor opposition and Mars will be fairly small in modest telescopes.
Saturn is above the north-western horizon, not far from the bright star Spica. Saturn is still high enough in the northern sky for telescopic observation in the early evening, although not for long.
Saturn was at opposition, when it is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, on the 16th of April, but now is still a good time for telescopic views of this ringed world in the early evening, although you will have only a very short viewing tie before Saturn is too low to observe. Saturn sets around 9:00 pm local time
Mars, Saturn and the bright white star Spica from a long but attractive triangle in the evening sky. Over the week, the triangle becomes larger as Mars moves away from Saturn and Spica and towards Zubenelgenubi (alpha2 Librae).
On the18th the crescent Moon is close to Spica and Saturn. On the 19th and 20th, the Moon is close to Mars.
There are lots of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. 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 AEST, Western sky at 10 pm AEST. For further details and more information on what's up in the sky, see Southern Skywatch.
Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.
Labels: weekly sky
Monday, September 10, 2012
Carnival of Space #266 is Here!
Carnival of Space #266 is now up at Venus Transit. There's the Fine Structure Constant, a Kickstarter project for a Lunar Space Elevator, Voyager 1 and much, much more. Drift on over and have a read.
Labels: carnival of space
Attention Schools - New PULSE@Parkes Observing Slots Now Open
In my email, for schools information:
We now have six new observing slots open to schools for the PULSE@Parkes
project. The dates available are:
23 Oct 2012
19 Nov 2012
11 Dec 2012
08 Feb 2013
22 Mar 2013
25 Mar 2013
Applications must be submitted online at:
The program is free to schools. Observing sessions are usually restricted
to a maximum of 24 students from Years 10-12.
If you have a smaller class please indicate if you would be willing to
share a slot with another school.
Details about the program are available at:
We are keen to fill the October session as soon as possible.
Labels: education, science communicators
Another Nice ISS Pass Coming on 11 September 2012
In the wake of tonights really cool ISS pass, there is one on Tuesday that isn't too bad as well. In Adelaide the ISS skims above Saturn and passes through the centre of the pointers. In Perth the ISS skims below Spica and then passes through the Southern Cross.
In Hobart the ISS passes through the constellation of the Scorpion. In Melbourne it skims just above Saturn and just below the pointers and in Sydney it skims pretty low to the Southern horizon. Brisbane and Darwin miss out.
You can get detailed predictions for your location from Heavens Above.
The ISS is 10 degrees above the horizon at these cities at the following local times.
Sydney: 19:32:46
Melbourne: 19:31:01
Hobart: 19:32:01
Adelaide: 18:59:23
Perth: 19:02:08
Labels: astrophotography, ISS, Mars, Satellite, Saturn
The International Space Station Shoots Past Saturn, 10 September 2012
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My animation of all 10 images is below (images stacked and converted to AVI with ImageJ.
By chance looked up the ISS passes on Heavens Above, not expecting anything, to find that tonight's pass was pretty spectacular. Looked good, and the shots didn't turn out too bad.
Labels: animation, astrophotography, ISS, Mars, Satellite, Saturn
International Space Station 9 September 2102
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Labels: animation, astrophotography, ISS, Satellite
Sunday, September 09, 2012
Morning Sky Show with Jupiter, the Moon and Saturn 10-13 September
The morning skies are a bit more attractive over the next few days, the waning Moon is between Venus and Jupiter on the 10th and 11th, and on the 12th and 13th the crescent Moon is close to Venus.
The Moon is closest to Venus on the 13th at 5 degrees away. This is also an excellent opportunity to see Venus in the daylight.
Science Guy and Kitty McScience
Mobile Phone Rainbows, washing up edition
Saturday, September 08, 2012
NEO 2012 QG42 07-09-12
Near Earth Object 2012 QG42 is a recently discovered relatively bright NEO. It is a 375 metre diameter rock that will be 7.4 Earth-Moon distances from us at closest approach on September 14 at 05:08 UT.
Here's my video made from my image sequence.
And here's Peter Lake's video sequence from the same night.
Labels: asteroids, iTelescope, NEO
Thursday, September 06, 2012
Southern Skywatch September 2012 Edition is now up.
The eastern horizon from Adelaide at 5:30 am on September 13 (similar views
will be seen elsewhere in the Southern Hemisphere at around an hour before sunrise ).
Mars forms a triangle with Saturn and the bright star Spica . Mars is close to the crescent Moon on the 20th.
Mercury is lost in the twilight.
The September edition of Southern Skywatch is now up. There's still lots of planetary action this month.
Venus is in the morning sky not far from Jupiter and is close to the crescent Moon on the 13th.
Jupiter is in the morning sky near the Hyades, on the 9th the crescent Moon and Jupiter are close (time to look for Jupiter in the daylight).
Venus is in the morning sky not far from Jupiter and is close to the crescent Moon on the 13th.
Jupiter is in the morning sky near the Hyades, on the 9th the crescent Moon and Jupiter are close (time to look for Jupiter in the daylight).
Mars forms a triangle with Saturn and the bright star Spica . Mars is close to the crescent Moon on the 20th.
Mercury is lost in the twilight.
Variable star Mira is coming down from maximum brightness.
Labels: southern skywatch
Tuesday, September 04, 2012
The Sky This Week - Thursday September 6 to Thursday September 13
The Last Quarter Moon is Saturday September 8. Mars, Saturn and the star
Spica form a triangle in the western evening sky. In the morning
skies
Jupiter and Venus can be readily seen amongst some beautiful constellations. On the 8th and 9th the waning Moon visits Jupiter, on the 12 and 13th the crescent Moon is near Venus. This is a good chance to see Venus in the daylight.
Morning sky on Thursday September 13 looking north-east as seen from Adelaide at 5:30 am local
time in South Australia. Jupiter below the Hyades makes a long triangle with the red star Betelgeuse. Venus is near the crescent Moon. The
left inset shows the location of the Moons of Jupiter at this time.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere at the equivalent local time
(click to embiggen).
The Last Quarter Moon is Saturday September 8.
Jupiter is now easily seen in the early morning sky. Jupiter is below the Hyades and stays in roughly the same position for most of the week.
With the Pleiades cluster and the constellation of Orion close by, this is a beautiful morning sight.
Jupiter's Moons are a delight any-time, but on the morning of the 13th there is a transit of Europa. Well worth a look in even a small telescope.
Bright white Venus is still high above the eastern horizon, but is sinking lower over the week. Venus looks like a waxing Moon when seen through even a small telescope.
Jupiter, Aldebaran and the red star Betelgeuse in Orion form a long triangle in the sky. Venus, Pollux and Procyon form another triangle.
Venus enters the constellation of Cancer the Crab, and by the end of the week is within binocular distance of the Beehive cluster.
On the 8th and 9th the waning Moon is close to Jupiter, being closest (5 degrees) on the morning of the 9th. After sunrise this is an excellent time to try and see Jupiter in the daylight, using the Moon as your guide.
On September 11 the Moon is between Jupiter and Venus, and on the 12th and 13th the crescent Moon is close to Venus, being closest on the 13th at 5 degrees away. This is also an excellent opportunity to see Venus in the daylight.
Mercury is lost in the twilight.
Mars is in the constellation of Libra. Mars is brightest object in the north-western sky, and its distinctive red colour makes it easy to spot. Mars sets shortly after 10:30 pm local time.
By the end of the week Mars is within binocular distance of the broad double star Zubenelgenubi (alpha2 Librae). In binoculars red Mars and the white and yellow double star will look beautiful.
Mars was at opposition on March 4, when it was biggest and brightest as seen from Earth. Sadly, this is a poor opposition and Mars will be fairly small in modest telescopes.
Evening sky looking west as seen
from Adelaide at 7:30 pm local time on Saturday September 8. Mars, Saturn and the bright star Spica
form a triangle. Similar views will be seen
elsewhere at the equivalent local time. Click
to embiggen.
Saturn is above the north-western horizon, not far from the bright star Spica. Saturn is still high enough in the northern sky for telescopic observation in the early evening, although not for long.
Saturn was at opposition, when it is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, on the 16th of April, but now is still a good time for telescopic views of this ringed world in the early evening, although you will have only a very short viewing tie before Saturn is too low to observe. Saturn sets around 9:00 pm local time
Mars, Saturn and the bright white star Spica from a long but attractive triangle in the evening sky. Over the week, the triangle becomes larger as Mars moves away from Saturn and Spica and towards Zubenelgenubi (alpha2 Librae).
There are lots of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. 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 AEST, Western sky at 10 pm AEST. For further details and more information on what's up in the sky, see Southern Skywatch.
Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.
The Last Quarter Moon is Saturday September 8.
Jupiter is now easily seen in the early morning sky. Jupiter is below the Hyades and stays in roughly the same position for most of the week.
With the Pleiades cluster and the constellation of Orion close by, this is a beautiful morning sight.
Jupiter's Moons are a delight any-time, but on the morning of the 13th there is a transit of Europa. Well worth a look in even a small telescope.
Bright white Venus is still high above the eastern horizon, but is sinking lower over the week. Venus looks like a waxing Moon when seen through even a small telescope.
Jupiter, Aldebaran and the red star Betelgeuse in Orion form a long triangle in the sky. Venus, Pollux and Procyon form another triangle.
Venus enters the constellation of Cancer the Crab, and by the end of the week is within binocular distance of the Beehive cluster.
On the 8th and 9th the waning Moon is close to Jupiter, being closest (5 degrees) on the morning of the 9th. After sunrise this is an excellent time to try and see Jupiter in the daylight, using the Moon as your guide.
On September 11 the Moon is between Jupiter and Venus, and on the 12th and 13th the crescent Moon is close to Venus, being closest on the 13th at 5 degrees away. This is also an excellent opportunity to see Venus in the daylight.
Mercury is lost in the twilight.
Mars is in the constellation of Libra. Mars is brightest object in the north-western sky, and its distinctive red colour makes it easy to spot. Mars sets shortly after 10:30 pm local time.
By the end of the week Mars is within binocular distance of the broad double star Zubenelgenubi (alpha2 Librae). In binoculars red Mars and the white and yellow double star will look beautiful.
Mars was at opposition on March 4, when it was biggest and brightest as seen from Earth. Sadly, this is a poor opposition and Mars will be fairly small in modest telescopes.
Saturn is above the north-western horizon, not far from the bright star Spica. Saturn is still high enough in the northern sky for telescopic observation in the early evening, although not for long.
Saturn was at opposition, when it is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, on the 16th of April, but now is still a good time for telescopic views of this ringed world in the early evening, although you will have only a very short viewing tie before Saturn is too low to observe. Saturn sets around 9:00 pm local time
Mars, Saturn and the bright white star Spica from a long but attractive triangle in the evening sky. Over the week, the triangle becomes larger as Mars moves away from Saturn and Spica and towards Zubenelgenubi (alpha2 Librae).
There are lots of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. 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 AEST, Western sky at 10 pm AEST. For further details and more information on what's up in the sky, see Southern Skywatch.
Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.
Labels: weekly sky
Things You Need To Do Before Announcing You have Found Niburu (or Planet X or Tyche)
Following yet another purported video of Niburu which is actually Aldebaran, (see Dave Greg's pictures here) may I suggest some things that people should do before releasing these videos/images.
1) Check to see that it s not a known object. There are lots of smartphone apps that can show you the sky from your location, with all the bright stars and planets shown.
If a smartphone app is not for you, there are a number of free planetarium programs which can show you the sky, and even simulate the field of view of you camera.
Stellarium, Sky Cafe and Cartes du Ciel are all good ones. Paper based charts are good for brighter objects.
This is the first step that comet and asteroid hunters do when they spot a possibly unknown object.
0) *Make sure you know the characteristics of your imaging system. Use a tripod for taking shots. Do some test shots of known astronomical objects (autofocus is notorious for turning stars into disks. If you can turn off autofocus and set focus to infinity, do so).
Check for hot pixels. Video cameras usually have less sensitivity than standard CCD cameras, so ostensibly bright objects may go missing in the video. Test for internal lens and camera reflections, even experienced comet hunters have been fooled (although briefly) by internal reflections of a bright star. Try masking out the bright object with a building or tree trunk to check for internal reflections. See this video for more explanation and examples, and here's another)
An unusual artefact in the STEREO H1A imager from 21-3-2011. This has been mistaken for a planet, but the object is transparent, real planets aren't transparent. It is visible only on a single frame. The
supposed illuminated crescent is on the side away from the sun, and the
object is roughly 2 degrees wide, 4 times the diameter of the sun and
moon. On 21/3/11 Venus was easily observable in the morning sky, we
would have noticed an object 4 times the size of the moon next to it.
If you are using STEREO/SOHO images, check the planets and artefacts pages (also see here where the optic assembly is explained.) to make sure it's not a known bright planet (like Mercury in this COR2B video) or artefact.
The same goes for images from Google Sky, Wiki Sky and the World Wide Telescope. These are all assembled from scans of 50+ year old Deep Sky Survey plates, and have a variety of artefacts on them.
Similarly images from Neumayer Station webcams have a variety of lens flare artefacts that are claimed to be planets (see this one where a star is shining through the "planet").
2) Get someone to independently verify your find. If someone can see the same thing from a different location you may be onto something (provided you have already eliminated Venus, Jupiter and various bright stars).
This is the second step that comet and asteroid hunters do when they spot a possibly unknown object.
3) Follow up. Is the object there the next night/morning? Has it moved? Watching an object (usually with the independent observers you recruited in step 2) over several days establishes what kind of object you are tracking. If it doesn't move with respect to known stars, then it is probably a misidentified star.
Again, follow up is an important part of comet and asteroid hunting, identification is not usually submitted until there is at least one days follow up.
These simple precautions will prevent you from the excruciating embarrassment of posting images of the Pleiades, Aldebaran and the like as "Nibiru" (see also here). As well, you will become more familiar with our beautiful sky and who knows, you might even discover an unknown comet or supernova!
* why isn't this number 1, because many people find things before they have a chance to check out the imaging system.
If a smartphone app is not for you, there are a number of free planetarium programs which can show you the sky, and even simulate the field of view of you camera.
Stellarium, Sky Cafe and Cartes du Ciel are all good ones. Paper based charts are good for brighter objects.
This is the first step that comet and asteroid hunters do when they spot a possibly unknown object.
0) *Make sure you know the characteristics of your imaging system. Use a tripod for taking shots. Do some test shots of known astronomical objects (autofocus is notorious for turning stars into disks. If you can turn off autofocus and set focus to infinity, do so).
Check for hot pixels. Video cameras usually have less sensitivity than standard CCD cameras, so ostensibly bright objects may go missing in the video. Test for internal lens and camera reflections, even experienced comet hunters have been fooled (although briefly) by internal reflections of a bright star. Try masking out the bright object with a building or tree trunk to check for internal reflections. See this video for more explanation and examples, and here's another)
If you are using STEREO/SOHO images, check the planets and artefacts pages (also see here where the optic assembly is explained.) to make sure it's not a known bright planet (like Mercury in this COR2B video) or artefact.
The same goes for images from Google Sky, Wiki Sky and the World Wide Telescope. These are all assembled from scans of 50+ year old Deep Sky Survey plates, and have a variety of artefacts on them.
Similarly images from Neumayer Station webcams have a variety of lens flare artefacts that are claimed to be planets (see this one where a star is shining through the "planet").
2) Get someone to independently verify your find. If someone can see the same thing from a different location you may be onto something (provided you have already eliminated Venus, Jupiter and various bright stars).
This is the second step that comet and asteroid hunters do when they spot a possibly unknown object.
3) Follow up. Is the object there the next night/morning? Has it moved? Watching an object (usually with the independent observers you recruited in step 2) over several days establishes what kind of object you are tracking. If it doesn't move with respect to known stars, then it is probably a misidentified star.
Again, follow up is an important part of comet and asteroid hunting, identification is not usually submitted until there is at least one days follow up.
These simple precautions will prevent you from the excruciating embarrassment of posting images of the Pleiades, Aldebaran and the like as "Nibiru" (see also here). As well, you will become more familiar with our beautiful sky and who knows, you might even discover an unknown comet or supernova!
* why isn't this number 1, because many people find things before they have a chance to check out the imaging system.
Labels: asteroids, astrophotography, comet, education, Google Sky, Pseudoscience, science communicators, Sun
Monday, September 03, 2012
Aurora happening in Tasmania NOW!
Aurora happening in Tasmania NOW! Look to the south (visible in dark sky sites despite Moon)
Labels: aurora
Carnival of Space # 265 is here!
Carnival of Space # 265 is now up at Vintage Space. There are more Neil Armstrong tributes, Lunar space elevators, more Mars goodness, 50 years of space exploration and much, much more. Catch a lift over and have a read.
Labels: carnival of space
Mars, Saturn and Tiangong 1 (2 September 2012)
Tiangong 1 is very faint, just above Arcturus (the bright star at bottom right). I've put a close up of the satellite in the upper right hand corner so you can see it better.
Saturn and Spica are underneath the rose branch, Mars above. Click to embiggen.
Labels: Mars, Satellite, Saturn
Sunday, September 02, 2012
I have the Best Family (Fathers Day Edition 2012)
After Fathers Day breakfast (croissants in bed), we borrowed a friends kayak to go with ours and went to the Onkaparinga River. We learnt that you should arrange to go to the river at peak tide, not when the tide is turning. Makes paddling a bit difficult.
Tried surfing the waves in at the river mouth, but I was pretty rubbish at it. Still, had a great day out.
Labels: home life, miscellaneous
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