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
 |  |
| 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.
Saturday, February 22, 2014
My Occultation of Saturn
Friday, February 21, 2014
After the ISS Chat
Marc from the Air League will be talking to Ashley Walsh on 891 ABC radio tomorrow (Saturday) morning at 7:30 am about the ISS experience.
Which was fantastic. There was a lot of setting up and testing at the South Australian Air Museum, the kids ran through their questions as we tracked the progress of the ISS via computer projection, the Governor of South Australia arrived and then the ISS was upon us.
And then it was over. The kids had 10 minutes of Austronaut time and they were stoked.
I was on after the tea break, following an actual astronaut is a hard act, but I think I pulled it off.
I spoke about seeing the ISS, but I looked at the number of ways you can see it. I started from the point that I was born a year before the first satellite was launched, when I was the same age as most of the Air Cadets, Space stations were science fiction, like Stanley Kubrics Space Station V.
The ISS had its 15th birthday last year, that means for most of the air cadets, there was never a time in their lives whe there was not a fully manned space station circling above their heads. For these kids, my science fiction was their reality.
I then talked about the contrasts of the space stations of our imagination and realty, comparing the spare, white station of Kubric with the messy human habitat that is the ISS. I added in the ISS as portrayed in the Big Bang Theory and Gravity, and how the ISS is seen through outreach programs.
Finally I talked about how to see the ISS in the sky. Then we all packed up an it was over.
As I walked home under the stars, with Jupiter shining brightly I wondered if someday one of those kids would be standing where I stood, maybe talking about space elevators, where their science fiction has become reality.
Labels: ISS, public outreach
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Aurora Alert - Confirmed Aurora Sightings Thursday Feb 20
There are confirmed aurora sighting from Tasmania and Victoria. Unfortunately
bad weather has clouded out many sites, but even with the Moon rising it may be
worthwhile looking during the gaps in the cloud. Current
Bz -7 nT and Kindex 4
UPDATE: Still going strong. K index of 5 in Hobart
UPDATED UPDATE: Seen as far north as Jervis Bay NSW!!!
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152303512809048&set=gm.745962158772003&type=1
Visible camera only in Wagga Wagga
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10203194240326609&set=gm.745962882105264&type=1
Images here
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152294687434238&set=gm.745940795440806&type=1
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=727316890641870&set=gm.745936685441217&type=1
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151948685036466&set=gm.745917852109767&type=1
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152225833208360&set=gm.745942562107296&type=1
Bz -7 nT and Kindex 4
UPDATE: Still going strong. K index of 5 in Hobart
UPDATED UPDATE: Seen as far north as Jervis Bay NSW!!!
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152303512809048&set=gm.745962158772003&type=1
Visible camera only in Wagga Wagga
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10203194240326609&set=gm.745962882105264&type=1
Images here
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152294687434238&set=gm.745940795440806&type=1
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=727316890641870&set=gm.745936685441217&type=1
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151948685036466&set=gm.745917852109767&type=1
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152225833208360&set=gm.745942562107296&type=1
Labels: aurora
Will the Kids of the Air League Chat with the ISS be on NASA TV?
I don't know if the conversation of kids of the SA branch of the Australian Air League with ISS astronaut Koichi Wakata on this Friday will be broadcast live on NASA TV, but it may be worthwhile watching the live NASA videostream at around 7:08 pm ACDST (7:38 AEDST) just in case they are. http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/iss_ustream.html
Labels: ISS, public outreach
Globe at Night Light Pollution Survey for February 19-28, 2014
Northern sky at 10 pm local daylight saving time in Australia showing Orion.Globe at Night, the international light pollution survey, is running its second survey this year from February 19-28.
This year they are running the survey every month!
Visit their new, revamped website for easy to follow instructions and charts to estimate how dark your sky is.
Basically, an hour or so after sunset (8-10 pm) head out, look to the north to find Orion (for everybody) then check how many stars are visible, and report your observations. It's a great excuse to get outdoors and look at the sky. You might even see the International Space Station or an Iridium flare.
You can submit your results via a smart phone or tablet. To do this, you can use the web application at www.globeatnight.org/webapp/. Globe at Night is also on Facebook and Twitter.
Basically, an hour or so after sunset (8-10 pm) head out, look to the north to find Orion (for everybody) then check how many stars are visible, and report your observations. It's a great excuse to get outdoors and look at the sky. You might even see the International Space Station or an Iridium flare.
You can submit your results via a smart phone or tablet. To do this, you can use the web application at www.globeatnight.org/webapp/. Globe at Night is also on Facebook and Twitter.
There is also a whole range of resources and activity guides. There is also a dark sky meter app.
Labels: globe at night, light pollution
Rainbow Through my Window
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
The South Australian Air League talks to the International Space Station
The ISS link was set up as part of the 80th anniversary celebrations of the founding of the Air League.
The folks at the Air League, and the kids of the Air League have worked very hard for this, and it will be a fantastic reward for them when the ISS passes over and the kids get to ask questions of Koichi. Sadly, the ISS will not be visible from Australia at this time, but this Friday you can still look up and be astonished that there are people in outer space taking to kids in Australia.
(You can read about my talks to The SA branch of the AAL here and here)
Labels: ISS, public outreach
Carnival of Space #341 is Here!
Carnival of Space #341 is now up at Photospace. There's Water on Mars (again), microwaves for spacecraft propulsion, space ignorance, one way journeys to Mars, and lots more. Beam on over and have a read.
Labels: carnival of space
The ISS passes Venus (11 February 2014 - yes, I know this is late)
 |  |
| The International Space Station zips below Venus on the morning of 11 February 2014. Stack of 10 x 5 second exposures at 400 ASA with my Canon IXUS. Images stacked with ImageJ. Click to embiggen | Animation of the same stack of 10 images in Image J, with contrast cranked up. The ISS passes behind cloud. Click to Embiggen. |
The ISS had a series of bright passes near Venus last week, but I could only catch one due to cloud. Then a whole bunch of work and family stuff took me away from the computer, so I am only now getting this posted.
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
The Sky This Week - Thursday February 20 to Thursday February 27
The Last Quarter Moon is Sunday February 23. Jupiter is the brightest object
in the evening sky, visible all evening. Mars is prominent in the early
morning but now enters the evening sky. Saturn rises higher in
the morning sky. There is a daytime occultation of Saturn on the morning of Saturday February 22. Venus is bright in the morning sky.
The Last Quarter Moon is Sunday February 23.
Evening sky on Saturday February 22 looking north as seen from Adelaide
at 22:00 pm ACDST
in South Australia. Jupiter is above the northern horizon. The inset shows Jupiters Moons at 22:18 pm when Europa is just coming out of eclipse. 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 17:00 pm local daylight saving time, and is highest just before 10:00 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 eclipse at 23:27 AEDST, 22:18 ACDST and 20:27 AWST.
Mars rises just before midnight, 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 Saturday February 22 looking east as seen from Adelaide at 5:30 am ACDST in
South Australia. Saturn is near the head of the
constellation of the Scorpion. The Moon is very close to Saturn, and there will be a daytime occultation in the late morning (see this link for detailed times). Crescent Venus is well above the
horizon. The inset show the telescopic views 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 fro some months to come. Venus rises progressively higher during the week, and is a distinct crescent shape.
Saturn is visible above the 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.
Morning sky looking north as seen from Adelaide at 9:10 am ACDST on Saturday February 22. The Moon is about to occult Saturn.
The inset shows the telescopic view of Saturn at this time. Click to embiggen.
On the morning of Saturday 22 February the Moon passes in front of Saturn during the late morning. For detailed times of the occultation and viewing hints, see this page.
Mercury is lost in the twilight.
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 Last Quarter Moon is Sunday February 23.
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 17:00 pm local daylight saving time, and is highest just before 10:00 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 eclipse at 23:27 AEDST, 22:18 ACDST and 20:27 AWST.
Mars rises just before midnight, 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 fro some months to come. Venus rises progressively higher during the week, and is a distinct crescent shape.
Saturn is visible above the 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.
The inset shows the telescopic view of Saturn at this time. Click to embiggen.
On the morning of Saturday 22 February the Moon passes in front of Saturn during the late morning. For detailed times of the occultation and viewing hints, see this page.
Mercury is lost in the twilight.
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
Occultation of Saturn by the Moon February 22, 2014
The Moon at 9:10 am ACDST in Adelaide on Saturday February 22 just before the Moon covers Saturn. Similar views will be seen at equivalent times before Saturn disapears (see table below for timings for major cities)
On the morning of Saturday February 22 Saturn is occulted by the Moon as seen from the most of Australia. This is a daylight occultation (the other two this year are at night time) and requires binoculars or at least a small telescope to see.
The occultation occurs in the mid morning with the Moon quite high above the north-west horizon and easily visible in daylight. Saturn will only be visible in strong binoculars or a telescope just above the illuminated part of the Moon. The further south you location is, the further north Saturn will be from the centre of the Moon.
It is advisable to set up and practise on the Moon a day or so before the event, so you are familiar with your telescope set-up. Set up at least half an hour ahead of time so that you can be sure everything is working well and you can watch the entire event comfortably (trying to focus you telescope on Saturn moments before the occultation will cause a lot of unnecessary stress). Saturn will be visible in a telescope or binoculars near the Moon, but will be very washed out, see these images of the daytime occultation of Jupiter to get a feeling for what the event will look like.
Be sure to set up with the Sun behind a wall or building that is solid so that it will not be possible to accidentally pass you scope or binoculars over the Sun. Exposing your eyes directly to the glare of the Sun can be very dangerous and you could potentially lose your sight.
| Place | Disappears Bright Limb | Reappears Dark Limb |
| Adelaide ACDST | 9:15 | 10:29 |
| Brisbane AEST | 9:12 | 10:14 |
| Canberra AEDST | 9:59 | 11:07 |
| Darwin ACST | - | - |
| Hobart AEDST | 9:53 | 10:55 |
| Melbourne AEDST | 9:52 | 11:02 |
| Perth AWST | 5:58 | 7:23 |
| Sydney AEDST | 10:02 | 11:10 |
More cities can be found at the IOTA site (UT times only).
Labels: Daylight, Daytime, Moon, Occultation, Saturn
Friday, February 14, 2014
Off with the family
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
The Sky This Week - Thursday February 13 to Thursday February 20
The Full Moon is Saturday February 15. Jupiter is the brightest object in the evening sky, visible all evening. Mars is prominent in the early morning but now enters the evening sky. Mars is close to the Moon and the bright star Spica on Wednesday February 19. Saturn rises higher in the morning sky. Venus is at its brightest in the morning sky. Some bright morning passes of the ISS near Venus early this week
The Full Moon is Saturday February 15.
Evening sky on Wednesday February 19 looking east as seen from Adelaide at 23:30 pm ACDST
in South Australia. the Moon, Mars and the bright star Spica form a triangle. In the early hours of the morning to the 20th the Moon passes between the two. 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 15:30 pm local daylight saving time, and is highest just before 10:30 pm local daylight saving time. It is high enough to begin observing telescopically in the early to mid evening. 4
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.
Mars rises just before midnight, 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.On the 19th and early morning of the 20th the waxing moon comes between Mars and Spica.
Morning sky on Saturday February 15 looking east as seen from Adelaide at 5:30 am ACDST in
South Australia. Saturn is near the head of the
constellation of the Scorpion. Crescent Venus is well 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).
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 reaches maximum brightness on Saturday the 15th. Venus rises progressively higher during the week, and is a distinct crescent shape.
There are some bright ISS passes in the morning this week, some of them near Venus. See here for more details.
Saturn is visible above the 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 is lost in the twilight.
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 Saturday February 15.
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 15:30 pm local daylight saving time, and is highest just before 10:30 pm local daylight saving time. It is high enough to begin observing telescopically in the early to mid evening. 4
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.
Mars rises just before midnight, 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.On the 19th and early morning of the 20th the waxing moon comes between Mars and 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 reaches maximum brightness on Saturday the 15th. Venus rises progressively higher during the week, and is a distinct crescent shape.
There are some bright ISS passes in the morning this week, some of them near Venus. See here for more details.
Saturn is visible above the 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 is lost in the twilight.
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 09, 2014
Bright International Space Station Passes Near Venus (11-14 February 2014)
 |  |  |
| The ISS passes near Venus, as seen from Melbourne on the morning of Tuesday February 11 at 6:18 AEDST. Simulated in Stellarium (the ISS will actually be a bright dot), click to embiggen. | The ISS passes near Venus, as seen from Adelaide on the morning of Tuesday February 11 at 5:47 ACDST. Simulated in Stellarium (the ISS will actually be a bright dot), click to embiggen. | The ISS passes near Venus, as seen from Perth on the morning of Tuesday February 11 at 4:49 AWST. Simulated in Stellarium (the ISS will actually be a bright dot), click to embiggen. |
 |  |  |
| All sky chart showing local times from Heavens Above for Tuesday February 11 for Melbourne. | All sky chart showing local times from Heavens Above for Tuesday February 11 for Adelaide. | All sky chart showing local times from Heavens Above for Tuesday February 11 for Perth. |
Starting Tuesday morning there are a series of bright morning passes of the International Space Station. For many places in Australia this series has the ISS gliding close to Venus. For most places the best time is the morning of Tuesday February 11, but there are good passes on the 13th and 14th 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 morning of the 11th). Even the difference between the city centre and the
suburbs can mean the difference between seeing the ISS go through Venus or just above or below it.
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 Venus, so you need to be alert or you will miss it.
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 Venus, so you need to be alert or you will miss it.
Coming Events: A Year of Southern Astronomy for 2014
Significant Astronomical events that can be seen with the unaided eye or minimal equipment in 2014 in Australia (and to some degree elsewhere in the Southern Hemisphere, ocultations and eclipses are very region specific).
While I've written of the high profile events of this year for ABC science online (see here) there's a lot more on offer.
Special events are bolded. April has both a lunar eclipse and a partial solar eclipse.
| Date | Event |
| 6 January 2014; | Jupiter at opposition |
| 15 January 2014; | Moon Near Jupiter |
| 23 January 2014; | Moon Near Mars |
| 26 January 2014; | Moon Near Saturn |
| 29 January 2014; | Moon Near Venus |
| 11 February 2014; | Moon Near Jupiter |
| 19 February 2014; | Moon Near Mars |
| 22 February 2014; | Moon Near Saturn |
| 22 February 2014; | Ocultation of Saturn (daytime) |
| 26 February 2014; | Moon Near Venus |
| 28 February 2014; | Moon Near Mercury |
| 10 March 2014; | Moon close to Jupiter |
| 18 March 2014; | Moon close to Mars |
| 20-21 March 2014; | Moon close to Saturn |
| 27-28 March 2014; | Moon close to Venus |
| 29 March 2014; | Moon close to Mercury |
| 7 April 2014; | Moon close to Jupiter |
| 9 April 2014; | Mars at opposition |
| 14 April 2014; | Moon close to Mars |
| 15 April 2014; | Total Lunar Eclipse |
| 17 April 2014; | Moon close to Saturn |
| 26 April 2014; | Moon close to Venus |
| 29 April 2014; | Annular eclipse of the Sun |
| 4 May 2014; | Moon and Jupiter close together. |
| 7 May 2014; | Eta Aquarid meter shower. |
| 11 May 2014; | Moon and Mars close together. |
| 11 May 2014; | Opposition of Saturn. |
| 14 May 2014; | Moon and Saturn close. |
| 14 May 2014; | Occultation of Saturn. |
| 26 May 2014; | Moon close to Venus |
| 1 June 2014; | Crescent Moon and Jupiter close together. |
| 7-8 June 2014; | Moon and Mars close together. |
| 10 June 2014; | Moon and Saturn close. |
| 25 June 2014; | Crescent Moon and Venus close. |
| 26 June 2014; | Crescent Moon near Mercury. |
| 29 June 2014; | Crescent Moon near Jupiter. |
| 6 July 2014; | Moon, Spica and Mars close. |
| 8 July 2014; | Moon and Saturn close. |
| 13 July 2014; | Mars and star Spica closest. |
| 24 July 2014; | Venus and crescent Moon close. |
| 25 July 2014; | Mercury and crescent Moon close. |
| 3 August 2014; | Mars and waxing Moon close. |
| 4 August 2014; | Occultation of Saturn by Moon. |
| 18 August 2014; | Venus and Jupiter close. |
| 24 August 2014; | Venus and crescent Moon close. |
| 25 August 2014; | Mars and Saturn close. |
| 27 August 2014; | Mercury and crescent Moon close. |
| 31 August 2014; | Saturn and Moon close. |
| September: | Comets C/2012 K1 PanSTARRS and C/2103 V5 Oukaimaden (just) visible to the unaided eye |
| 1 September 2014; | Moon close to Mars. |
| 20 September 2014; | Mercury and Spica close. |
| 20-21 September 2014; | Moon close to Jupiter. |
| 26 September 2014; | Crescent Moon close to Mercury and Spica. |
| 28 September 2014; | Moon and Saturn close. |
| 29 September 2014; | Moon and Mars close. |
| October: | Comets C/2012 K1 PanSTARRS and C/2103 V5 Oukaimaden (just) visible to the unaided eye, comet 2013 A1 Siding Spring comes close to Mars |
| 8 October 2014; | Total Eclipse of the Moon. |
| 18 October 2014; | Moon close to Jupiter. |
| 22 October 2014; | Orionid meteor shower. |
| 28 October 2014; | Mars close to crescent Moon. |
| 15 November 2014; | Moon close to Jupiter. |
| 26 November 2014; | Moon close to Mars. |
| 17 November 2014; | Leonid Meteor Shower. |
| 11-12 December 2014; | Moon close to Jupiter. |
| 15 December 2014; | Geminid Meteor shower. |
| 20 December 2014; | Crescent Moon close to Saturn. |
| 23 December 2014; | Crescent Moon close to Venus and Mercury. |
Labels: comet, eclipse, Jupiter, Mars, Moon, Occultation, Saturn, solar
Saturday, February 08, 2014
New Comet C/2014 C2 STEREO (congratulations Comet Al)
 |  |
| Comet C/2014 C2 in the STEREO H1 A instrument on 2/2/14, arrowed. The vertical lines are instrument artefacts. Click to embiggen | animation of 24 images from 2/2/14 to3/2/14 showing the rapid motion of the comet, click to embiggen. |
Unfortunately, the comet will now only be visible from the northern hemisphere, and will be very low above the horizon at astronomical twilight from around February 14. It will probably be very faint, around magnitude 13 or less. This makes it a very difficult target.
The comet was visible in the southern hemisphere in the evening, but was low on the horizon around astronomical twilight from January 1, and may have been too faint to observe. But Australian observers should check their images from this time.
MPEC one line Ephermeris
CK14C020 2014 02 18.6577 0.508074 1.000000 57.5181 283.3470 135.3097 18.5 8.0 C/2014 C2 (STEREO)
Orbital elements:
C/2014 C2 (STEREO)
T 2014 Feb. 18.65769 TT MPC
q 0.5080744 (2000.0) P Q
Peri. 57.51809 -0.45953242 -0.56620958
Node 283.34701 -0.84240966 +0.52195234
e 1.0 Incl. 135.30975 +0.28138215 +0.63794394
From 77 observations 2014 Feb. 1-4.
Labels: comet, Comet Al, iTelescope, Stereo Satellite
Friday, February 07, 2014
Southern Skywatch February, 2014 edition is now out!
Morning sky looking north as seen from Adelaide at 9:10 pm ACDST on Saturday February 22. The Moon is about to occult Saturn.
The inset shows the telescopic view of Saturn at this time. Similar views will be seen elsewhere at the equivalent local times. Click to embiggen.
So, after many trials and tribulations Southern Skywatch is back (only got upload access again a few days ago)!
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 11th.
Mars enters 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 22nd, and there is a daytime occultation.
Venus is close to the crescent Moon on the 26th.
Mercury is close to the thin crescent Moon on the 28th.
Labels: southern skywatch
Wednesday, February 05, 2014
Astronomy with the Gawler Air League
It was fantastic, the kids were so enthusiastic and full of questions. Some bought along their own telescopes too. The night went all too fast, but the sky was clear and dark even with the nearly first quarter moon. We watched the Moon and Jupiter.
The image is the moon in my 4" reflector taken with my mobile phone.
Tuesday, February 04, 2014
My Radio Interview Rises from The Past (the wonders of podcasts)
As I posted last Sunday, I was on ABC local radio (Adelaide 891 AM) with Ashley Walsh starting 11:40 am ACDST. However, I didn't post until AFTER the show, so people who might have been interested missed out (so much for self-promotion).
Well, it turns out they recorded the session, and it is up on the Weekends Blog. If you wish to hear me try an explain what is up in the sky this year, identify night sky objects and give frustratingly non-specific advice on buying telescopes, you can listen along or download the pod-cast for playing later.
Also, after listening to the podcast, you might be interested in my reflections on talking on radio.
Well, it turns out they recorded the session, and it is up on the Weekends Blog. If you wish to hear me try an explain what is up in the sky this year, identify night sky objects and give frustratingly non-specific advice on buying telescopes, you can listen along or download the pod-cast for playing later.
Also, after listening to the podcast, you might be interested in my reflections on talking on radio.
Labels: public outreach, Radio, science communicators
Carnival of Space #339 is Here!
Carnival of Space #339 is now up at The Venus Transit. There is honouring the memories of lost astronauts, memories of the Clementine mission, spacecraft imaging spacecraft, water on Ceres, hydrogen flow and much more. Drift on over and have a read.
Labels: carnival of space
The Sky This Week - Thursday February 6 to Thursday February 13
The Last Quarter Moon is Friday February 7. Jupiter is
the brightest object in the evening sky, visible all night. Jupiter is close to the Moon on Tuesday February 11. Mars is
prominent in the early morning but now enters the evening sky.
Saturn rises higher in the morning sky. Venus is bright low in the morning sky.
The Last Quarter Moon is Friday February 7. The Moon is at apogee, furthest from the Earth, on Februrary 11.
Evening sky on Tuesday February 11 looking north as seen from
Adelaide at 21:30 pm ACDST
in South Australia. The inset shows the view of Jupiter through a
telescope at this time. All the Moons are lined up on one side of 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 18:00 pm local daylight saving time, and is highest just before 11 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 north-eastern 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.
February 11 has an interesting patten of Jovian Moons, with all the Moons lined up on one side of Jupiter. On February 14, at 12:30 am AEDST, midnight ACDST and 9:00 pm on the 13th AWST Europa and its shadow are on the face of Jupiter.
Morning sky on Sunday February 9 looking east as seen from Adelaide at 5:30 am ACDST in
South Australia. Mars is near the bright star Spica, Saturn is near the head of the
constellation of the Scorpion. Crescent Venus is 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).
Venus is in the morning sky, low above the eastern horizon. it is now easy to see in the morning twilight, and reaches maximum brightness next week. Venus rises progressively higher during the week, and is a distinct crescent shape.
Mars rises just before midnight, 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.
Saturn is visible above the 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 is lost in the twilight.
There are lots of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. Especially with 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 Last Quarter Moon is Friday February 7. The Moon is at apogee, furthest from the Earth, on Februrary 11.
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 18:00 pm local daylight saving time, and is highest just before 11 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 north-eastern 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.
February 11 has an interesting patten of Jovian Moons, with all the Moons lined up on one side of Jupiter. On February 14, at 12:30 am AEDST, midnight ACDST and 9:00 pm on the 13th AWST Europa and its shadow are on the face of Jupiter.
Venus is in the morning sky, low above the eastern horizon. it is now easy to see in the morning twilight, and reaches maximum brightness next week. Venus rises progressively higher during the week, and is a distinct crescent shape.
Mars rises just before midnight, 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.
Saturn is visible above the 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 is lost in the twilight.
There are lots of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. Especially with 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 02, 2014
Aurora Alert Sunday 2 Feb - Morning 3 Feb 2014
A Coronal Mass Ejection is likely to hit in the next 24 hours.
Expected arrival time is 9-12 UT (20-23 AEDT) +/- 7 hours. Isolated
minor storms are predicted for high latitudes (Tasmania, Southern New
Zealand, Australian Antarctic Territories) and possibly coastal
Victoria tonight or tomorrow morning.
NOAA has listed a G1 alert and the Australian IPS has issued an aurora watch. Look to the south from astronomical twilight (sunset +1hr 30 mins). As always dark sky sites have the best chance of seeing anything.
NOAA has listed a G1 alert and the Australian IPS has issued an aurora watch. Look to the south from astronomical twilight (sunset +1hr 30 mins). As always dark sky sites have the best chance of seeing anything.
SUBJ: IPS AURORA WATCH ISSUED AT 2335 UT ON 01 Feb 2014 BY IPS RADIO AND SPACE SERVICES FROM THE AUSTRALIAN SPACE FORECAST CENTRE A Coronal Mass Ejection is expected to impact the Earth within the next 24 hours, possibly resulting in moderate space weather activity and visible auroras during local nighttime hours at Tasmania, possibly the coastline of Victoria and similar latitudes. Aurora alerts will follow should favourable space weather activity eventuate.
Labels: aurora
Giant Sunspot AR1944 Returns (as AR 1967)
Giant sunspot AR1944 has rotated back onto the face of the Sun, and has been renamed AR1967. It is still big enough to be seen with simple eclipse glasses and no magnification (no pictures, at 43 degrees C I'm not going to get my scope out).
The sunspot is still active, and may yet hurl some geoeffective coronal mass ejections towards us.
The sunspot is still active, and may yet hurl some geoeffective coronal mass ejections towards us.
Labels: Solar flare, Sun, sunspot
On the Radio at 11:40 am
I'll be on 891 ABC local radio at 11:40 am (20 min) talking about what's coming up in 2014, it is streamed for non Adelaide folks
Comet C/2012 X1 LINEAR 28 January 2018
Comets C/2013 R1 Lovejoy and C/2012 X1 LINEAR are coming closer together in the early morning sky. The will be closest aroun February 6, and I am trying to make a mosaic. Weather is not helping. This image of C/2012 X1 was supposed to be panel 1 of a 2 panel mosaic, but the weather had other ideas.
Still, not bad, I cropped out the open cluster in the upper part of the image to focus on the comet.
Labels: comets, Conjunction, iTelescope
Click to read about or order
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