Tuesday, February 03, 2015
The Sky This Week - Thursday February 5 to Thursday February 12
The Last Quarter Moon is Thursday February 12. Venus is prominent in the
twilight evening
sky. Mars is just visible
in the early evening twilight and is coming closer to Venus. Jupiter is
visible in the late evening sky and is at opposition, when it is biggest and brightest in our sky, on the 7th. Saturn is in the
head of the Scorpion. Mercury becomes prominent in the morning sky.
The Last Quarter Moon is Thursday February 12. The Moon is at apogee, when it is furthest form the Earth, on the 6th.
Evening sky on Saturday February 7 looking west as seen from Adelaide
at
21:00
(9:00 pm) ACDST in South Australia. Mars is low in the twilight, with
Venus below it. Similar views will be seen
elsewhere
at the equivalent local time (click to embiggen).
Venus is easy to see low above the western horizon in the twilight. At civil twilight, half an hour after sunset, it is around one and a half hand-spans above the horizon. Venus is also a hand-span below Mars.
Mars is still seen low in the western evening sky, setting just before 10:00 pm daylight saving time (just as twilight ends). Mars is becoming harder and harder to see as it lowers deeper into the twilight.
As the week goes on Mars and Venus approach each other, the pair will be closest on the 22nd.
Evening sky on Saturday February 7 looking north-east as seen from
Adelaide
at 22:00 ACDST showing Jupiter. The inset shows
Jupiter's Moons at 22:00 on the 2nd. Jupiter is the brightest object
above the north-eastern horizon. (click
to embiggen).
Jupiter is now easily seen in the late evening sky. It is the brightest object above the north-eastern horizon when twilight ends. It is not far from the bright star Regulus in the sickle of Leo (this forms the head of the constellation of the Lion).
Jupiter is high enough for telescopic observation just before midnight, although its visibility will improve in the coming weeks. Jupiter's Moons will be putting on a good display in both binoculars and small telescopes. Jupiter is at opposition, when it is biggest and brightest in our sky, on the 7th. On the 7th Europa and its shadow transits the face of Jupiter from around the end of twilight for about an hour.
Morning sky on Thursday February 12 looking east as seen from
Adelaide
at 4:00 am ACDST . Saturn is in the head of the Scorpion, not far from Antares at this time. The Last Quarter Moon is close by. (click
to embiggen).
Saturn climbs still higher in the morning sky. It is now easily visible before twilight near the head of the constellation of the Scorpion not far from the bright red star Antares. The sight of the distinctive constellation of the Scorpion curled above the horizon, with bright Saturn in its head, is very nice indeed.
Mercury climbs hight in the morning twilight and should be reasonably easy to see a hand-span above the horizon and hour before sunrise by the end of the week under the Teapot of Sagittarius. In the coming weeks Mercury will be putting on a decent display.
There are lots of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. Especially with the comet in the early evening 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 AEST, Western sky at 10 pm AEDST. 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 Thursday February 12. The Moon is at apogee, when it is furthest form the Earth, on the 6th.
Venus is easy to see low above the western horizon in the twilight. At civil twilight, half an hour after sunset, it is around one and a half hand-spans above the horizon. Venus is also a hand-span below Mars.
Mars is still seen low in the western evening sky, setting just before 10:00 pm daylight saving time (just as twilight ends). Mars is becoming harder and harder to see as it lowers deeper into the twilight.
As the week goes on Mars and Venus approach each other, the pair will be closest on the 22nd.
Jupiter is now easily seen in the late evening sky. It is the brightest object above the north-eastern horizon when twilight ends. It is not far from the bright star Regulus in the sickle of Leo (this forms the head of the constellation of the Lion).
Jupiter is high enough for telescopic observation just before midnight, although its visibility will improve in the coming weeks. Jupiter's Moons will be putting on a good display in both binoculars and small telescopes. Jupiter is at opposition, when it is biggest and brightest in our sky, on the 7th. On the 7th Europa and its shadow transits the face of Jupiter from around the end of twilight for about an hour.
Saturn climbs still higher in the morning sky. It is now easily visible before twilight near the head of the constellation of the Scorpion not far from the bright red star Antares. The sight of the distinctive constellation of the Scorpion curled above the horizon, with bright Saturn in its head, is very nice indeed.
Mercury climbs hight in the morning twilight and should be reasonably easy to see a hand-span above the horizon and hour before sunrise by the end of the week under the Teapot of Sagittarius. In the coming weeks Mercury will be putting on a decent display.
There are lots of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. Especially with the comet in the early evening 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 AEST, Western sky at 10 pm AEDST. 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
# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 11:01 pm 
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