Friday, July 31, 2015
Aurora Watch (31 July-1 August) and Blue Moon
An Aurora watch and a geomagnetic alert has been issued by the Australian IPS
for 31 July to 1 August due to a coronal hole solar wind stream. This could
translate into aurora at any time during the night time of the 17th to early
morning 18th. Aurora, if they flare up, are likely to be seen only in Tasmania
(possibly Victoria).
Aurora can occur at any time after nightfall (although around midnight or just after seems to be common). Dark sky sites have the best chance of seeing anything, and always allow around 5 minutes for your eyes to become dark adapted.
As always look to the south for shifting red/green glows, beams have been reported consistently over the last few aurora and a large green "blob" has been seen.
Unfortunately, the light from the Full "Blue Moon" of 31 July will make seeing aurora hard.
The all sky aurora camera in Southern Tasmania at Cressy may be helpful.
<http://www.ips.gov.au/Geophysical/4/2>
SUBJ: IPS GEOMAGNETIC DISTURBANCE WARNING 15/30
ISSUED AT 0132UT/30 JULY 2015
BY THE AUSTRALIAN SPACE FORECAST CENTRE.
A high speed solar wind from a recurring coronal hole is expected
to raise the geomagnetic activity levels to minor storms on 31
July and 1 August.
INCREASED GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY EXPECTED
DUE TO CORONAL HOLE HIGH SPEED WIND STREAM
FROM 31 JULY 2015 TO 01 AUGUST 2015
_____________________________________________________________
GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY FORECAST
31 Jul: Quiet to minor storm
01 Aug: Minor storm declining to unsettled.
SUBJ: IPS AURORA WATCH
ISSUED AT 0139 UT ON 30 Jul 2015 BY IPS RADIO AND SPACE SERVICES
FROM THE AUSTRALIAN SPACE FORECAST CENTRE
A high speed solar wind stream from a coronal hole is expected to
impact the Earth from 31 July. There is some possibility of seeing
auroras on high latitudes on 31 July and 1 August during local night
time hours. Aurora alerts will follow should favourable space weather
activity eventuate.
Further monitoring at
http://www.ips.gov.au
Aurora can occur at any time after nightfall (although around midnight or just after seems to be common). Dark sky sites have the best chance of seeing anything, and always allow around 5 minutes for your eyes to become dark adapted.
As always look to the south for shifting red/green glows, beams have been reported consistently over the last few aurora and a large green "blob" has been seen.
Unfortunately, the light from the Full "Blue Moon" of 31 July will make seeing aurora hard.
The all sky aurora camera in Southern Tasmania at Cressy may be helpful.
<http://www.ips.gov.au/Geophysical/4/2>
SUBJ: IPS GEOMAGNETIC DISTURBANCE WARNING 15/30
ISSUED AT 0132UT/30 JULY 2015
BY THE AUSTRALIAN SPACE FORECAST CENTRE.
A high speed solar wind from a recurring coronal hole is expected
to raise the geomagnetic activity levels to minor storms on 31
July and 1 August.
INCREASED GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY EXPECTED
DUE TO CORONAL HOLE HIGH SPEED WIND STREAM
FROM 31 JULY 2015 TO 01 AUGUST 2015
_____________________________________________________________
GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY FORECAST
31 Jul: Quiet to minor storm
01 Aug: Minor storm declining to unsettled.
SUBJ: IPS AURORA WATCH
ISSUED AT 0139 UT ON 30 Jul 2015 BY IPS RADIO AND SPACE SERVICES
FROM THE AUSTRALIAN SPACE FORECAST CENTRE
A high speed solar wind stream from a coronal hole is expected to
impact the Earth from 31 July. There is some possibility of seeing
auroras on high latitudes on 31 July and 1 August during local night
time hours. Aurora alerts will follow should favourable space weather
activity eventuate.
Further monitoring at
http://www.ips.gov.au
Labels: aurora
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Comet C/2014 Q1 from Australia (30 July - 6 August 2015)
Comet C/2014 Q1 PanSTARRS is climbing higher in the sky, and is now visible after Astronomical twilight.
Unfortunately it is fading (current estimates are around magnitude 7) and the Moonlight is increasing as the Moon heads towards a blue Moon on the 31st. After this the sky will be darker, but the comet will only be accessible in telescopes.
If you try looking an hour and a half after sunset you will see it low above the horizon. After last weeks effort the skies have been covered in cloud, so I have no sightings to report.
The comet is only visible in high power binoculars or a telescope, it is currently around magnitude 7 as a fuzzy ball of light (with a short tail in small telescopes).
On the 30th sweeping right of Lambda hydra (one of the three bright stars in Hydra, just below the distinctive contellation of Crater the cup) by about two binocular fields should bring you to the comet (there are no other bright fuzzy blobs about).
As the week progresses, the comet continues to climb higher in the sky but remains near Hydra.
On the 6th the comet is within a binocular field of nu Hydra and alpha Crater (right and below) will bring you to the comet. At this time it should be around magnitude 10.
Pluto Surface Texture for Celestia
The Pluto Global Map has just been released, so I resized it (1024x512) and conveyed it to a 71 DPI png to use as a texture for Celestia.
You need to copy the texture file pluto_surface1.png to the textures/medres folder in the Celestia directory, then edit the solarsys.ssc file in the data folder (make a backup copy first) to replace the texture name in the Pluto definition section with that of the new texture, save it and you are good to go.
"Pluto:134340 Pluto" "Sol"
{
Class "dwarfplanet"
Texture "pluto_surface1.*"
SpecularTexture "pluto-lok-spec.*"
SpecularColor [ 0.135 0.12 0.08 ]
SpecularPower 9.5
Now waiting for the Charon map. Then I have to learn how to do XYZ or SPICE orbits to add in the New Horizons flyby.
Labels: celestia, Dwarf Planet, Pluto
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
The Sky This Week - Thursday July 30 to Thursday August 6
The Full Moon is Friday July 31. This is a Blue Moon. Venus
is brilliant low in
the twilight evening sky with bright Jupiter below it. Comet C/2014 Q1
PanSTARRS is visible in binoculars above Venus. Mercury Joins Venus and Jupiter late in the week. Saturn is in
the
head of the Scorpion and is easily visible in the evening.
The Full Moon is Friday July 31. This is a Blue Moon, the second full Moon in a month (the previous was July 2). The Moon is at perigee (closest to Earth) on August 2.
Early
evening sky on Wednesday August 5 looking north-west as seen from
Adelaide
at 18:15 ACST showing Venus, the star Regulus, Jupiter and Mercury forming a
triangle. Comet C/2012 Q1 PanSTARRS is visible in binoculars above. The
inset shows the telescope view of Venus and Jupiter at this time.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click to embiggen).
Mercury climbs from the twilight into the evening sky, heading for Jupiter. Early next week the pair and Regulus will be less than a finger-width apart. However, you will need a fairly level, unobstructed horizon to see them.
Mars is lost in the twilight but will return to the morning skies in the coming weeks.
Venus is becoming harder to see above the western horizon in the twilight as it rapidly falls towards the horizon. At nautical twilight, an hour after sunset, it is around a hand-spans above the horizon, although still visible at civil twilight, half an hour after sunset. Venus is a distinct thin crescent shape in small telescopes and even strong binoculars.
Venus and the bright star Regulus are drawing apart, with Jupiter below making a triangle in the sky. At the end of the week they are joined by Mercury.
The evening sky at 7:00 pm ACST looking west as seen
from Adelaide from 30 July to 6 August. The circles
show successive positions of Comet C/2014 Q1 PanSTARRS every two days. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at
equivalent local times. (click on image to embiggen).
Comet C/2014 Q1 PanSTARRS is now visible in the evening high in the twilight. Although much faded it is still sporting a nice double tail http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap150721.html.
If you try looking an hour and a half after sunset you will see it low above the horizon. It is only visible in good binoculars or a telescope. It is now around magnitude 7 and looks like a faint fuzzy ball of light in binoculars. At the beginning of the week sweeping up from Venus by about three binocular fields should bring you to the comet (there are no other fuzzy blobs about).
As the week progresses, the comet rides higher in the sky so you will need to sweep further up from Venus (see diagram above), but the comet also dims and increasing Moonlight will make it harder to find.
More details and a printable black and white map are here.
Jupiter is also becoming harder to see in the early evening twilight sky below Venus in the north-western sky. It is also near the bright star Regulus in Leo. Jupiter and Venus move further apart as the week goes on while Jupiter moves closer to Regulus.
Jupiter is no longer high enough for telescopic observation once twilight is over. Jupiter's Moons are still putting on a good display in binoculars.
Evening sky on Saturday August 1 looking at the zenith while facing west as seen from
Adelaide
at 22:00 ACST. Saturn is easily visible high above the western horizon near the zenith near the
head of the Scorpion. The
inset shows the telescopic view of Saturn at this time. Similar views
will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click
to embiggen).
Saturn is now easily visible from 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 across the zenith, with bright Saturn close to its head, is very nice indeed.
While Saturn is readily visible from the end of twilight, it is best for telescope observation from around 20:00 into the early morning hours. At 20:00 it is at it's highest above the northern horizon near the zenith (with Saturn facing west). By 22:00 Saturn is high above the western horizon. This is also a good time to scan Scorpius and Sagittarius with binoculars to reveal the clusters in and around the Scorpions tail.
There are lots of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. Especially with Jupiter, Venus and Saturn 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 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 Full Moon is Friday July 31. This is a Blue Moon, the second full Moon in a month (the previous was July 2). The Moon is at perigee (closest to Earth) on August 2.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click to embiggen).
Mercury climbs from the twilight into the evening sky, heading for Jupiter. Early next week the pair and Regulus will be less than a finger-width apart. However, you will need a fairly level, unobstructed horizon to see them.
Mars is lost in the twilight but will return to the morning skies in the coming weeks.
Venus is becoming harder to see above the western horizon in the twilight as it rapidly falls towards the horizon. At nautical twilight, an hour after sunset, it is around a hand-spans above the horizon, although still visible at civil twilight, half an hour after sunset. Venus is a distinct thin crescent shape in small telescopes and even strong binoculars.
Venus and the bright star Regulus are drawing apart, with Jupiter below making a triangle in the sky. At the end of the week they are joined by Mercury.
Comet C/2014 Q1 PanSTARRS is now visible in the evening high in the twilight. Although much faded it is still sporting a nice double tail http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap150721.html.
If you try looking an hour and a half after sunset you will see it low above the horizon. It is only visible in good binoculars or a telescope. It is now around magnitude 7 and looks like a faint fuzzy ball of light in binoculars. At the beginning of the week sweeping up from Venus by about three binocular fields should bring you to the comet (there are no other fuzzy blobs about).
As the week progresses, the comet rides higher in the sky so you will need to sweep further up from Venus (see diagram above), but the comet also dims and increasing Moonlight will make it harder to find.
More details and a printable black and white map are here.
Jupiter is also becoming harder to see in the early evening twilight sky below Venus in the north-western sky. It is also near the bright star Regulus in Leo. Jupiter and Venus move further apart as the week goes on while Jupiter moves closer to Regulus.
Jupiter is no longer high enough for telescopic observation once twilight is over. Jupiter's Moons are still putting on a good display in binoculars.
Saturn is now easily visible from 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 across the zenith, with bright Saturn close to its head, is very nice indeed.
While Saturn is readily visible from the end of twilight, it is best for telescope observation from around 20:00 into the early morning hours. At 20:00 it is at it's highest above the northern horizon near the zenith (with Saturn facing west). By 22:00 Saturn is high above the western horizon. This is also a good time to scan Scorpius and Sagittarius with binoculars to reveal the clusters in and around the Scorpions tail.
There are lots of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. Especially with Jupiter, Venus and Saturn 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 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
Monday, July 27, 2015
The ISS and Venus and Jupiter (July 27-29, 2015)
 |  |  |
| The ISS passes between Venus and Jupiter, as seen from Melbourne on the evening of Wednesday July 29 at 18:17 AEST. Simulated in Stellarium (the ISS will actually be a bright dot), click to embiggen. | The ISS passes above Venus and Jupiter, as seen from Adelaide on the evening of Tuesday July 28 at 18:39 ACST. Simulated in Stellarium (the ISS will actually be a bright dot), click to embiggen. | The ISS passes passes above Venus and Jupiter, as seen from Sydney on the evening of Monday July 27 at 18:29 AEST. Simulated in Stellarium (the ISS will actually be a bright dot), click to embiggen. |
 |  |  |
| All sky chart showing local times from Heavens Above for Wednesday July 29 for Melbourne. | All sky chart showing local times from Heavens Above for Tuesday July 28 for Adelaide. | All sky chart showing local times from Heavens Above for Monday July 27 for Sydney. |
Starting tomorrow night until the 29th there are a series of evening passes of the International Space Station that take them close to the paring of Jupiter an Venus, or even between them.
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 Sydney as examples, for example, the view from Melbourne is radically different from that of Adelaide and Sydney on the night of the 29th). Even the difference between the city centre and the suburbs can mean the difference between seeing the ISS go through Venus and Jupiter or just above 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 and Jupiter, so be alert.
Labels: ISS, Jupiter, Satellite, unaided eye, Venus
Sunday, July 26, 2015
Celestia Files for Kepler 452b (the "so called" Earth 2.0)
Friday's announcement from the Kepler mission of the discovery of Kepler 452b had the media galvanised, with some calling it "Earth 2.0".
Kepler 452b is earth-like, and in a habitable zone, but that doesn't meant that it is Earth's twin. Similarly, not being Earth's twin does not make it disappointing.
Kepler-452b is in the habitable zone of it's star, with a radius 1.6 times that of Earth (technically making it a super Earth). While there is a lot of to-do about habitable zones, it simply means the zone where liquid water can exists on a planets surface. Other factors may be involved in habitability too. Mars is in our habitable zone, but was too small to hold on to a substantial atmosphere, and is now a freezing desert.
As of this discovery there are 13 earth-like worlds orbiting stars in their habitable zomes, and Kepler-186f is one that is closer in size to Earth than Kepler 452b. However, all but Kepler-452b orbit smaller, cooler stars and most are tidally locked to their sun (Kepler-186f orbits roughly where Mercury would be in our solar system, but because its sun is a cool red dwarf, it is not baking hot).
Kepler-452b orbits a sun-like G2 star, and has a year of 385 days, failry similar to our 365 days (all the others are much shorter, as they are closer in).
We don't know if Kepler-452b is a rocky world like our own, or a water world, however, it is the first time we have found an earth-like world around a sun that is the near twin of our own. Technically, it is quite difficult for find these kinds of planets (finding planets that have short years around dim cool stars is much easier) and gives us hope that we can find more of them in the near future.
Once again I've made Celestia files for the system. One for the star (which isn't in the default files) and one for the planet.
As usual, copy the data here to plain text files (Kepler452.stc and Kepler452b.ssc), copy both of the files to the Celestia extras folder. The star is around 1400 lightyears away in Cygnus, so in the Celestia star browser, you will have to show around 500 stars to see Kepler-452 in the list. You can find the paper from which I took the data here.
===============Kepler452.stc===============================
#Kepler survey DISCOVERY AND VALIDATION OF Kepler-452b
# The Astronomical Journal 150 (2): 56. doi:10.1088/0004-6256/150/2/56
"Kepler-452:2MASS 19440088+4416392:2KOI-7016.01:KIC 8311864"
{
RA 296.0042
Dec 44.2775556
Distance 1400 # light years from published data
SpectralType "G2"
AppMag 13.4
Radius 772005 # in km, 1.11 Sun radii
}
========================================================
===============Kepler452b.ssc=========================================
"b" "Kepler-452"
# earth like, possibly water world
{
Texture "exo-class4.*"
NightTexture "exo-class4night.*"
Mass 5 # M.sin(i) = 5 Earth, from paper
Radius 10400 # 1.63 Earth radi, from paper
#InfoURL "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kepler-452b"
# The Astronomical Journal 150 (2): 56. doi:10.1088/0004-6256/150/2/56
EllipticalOrbit {
Period 1.054364
SemiMajorAxis 1.046
Eccentricity 0.02
ArgOfPericenter 267 #guess
Inclination 89.806
#MeanAnomaly 271
}
}
AltSurface "limit of knowledge" "Kepler-452/b"
{
Texture "venussurface.*"
OverlayTexture "ganymede-lok-mask.png"
}
================================================================
Labels: celestia, exoplanet, extrasolar planet
Thursday, July 23, 2015
New Ceres and Vesta textures for Celestia
 |  |
| Ceres simulated in Celestia with a surface map taken from the Dawn spacecraft (click to embiggen) | Vesta simulated in Celestia with a surface map taken from the Dawn spacecraft (click to embiggen) |
Celestia is an amazing 3Dspace simulation program. It is expandable, you can add comets, asteroids, exoplanets and more (see some examples here). I use a simulation of the STEREO spacecraft to helpd identify comets in the STEREO images.
Celestia also has a wonderful online community building a variety of different worlds. They have taken the latest surface maps from the Dawn orbiter of Ceres and Vesta and made them into textures for the respective asteroids simulated in Celestia. The Vesta and Ceres packs are here (scroll down the lists of asteroids till you come to them).
There are actually quite comprehensive and use advanced techniques. Being simple minded I just copied the texture files into the /texture/medres folder, then edited the asteroids.ssc file (after making a backup first).
"1 Ceres:Ceres:A899 OF" "Sol"
{
Class "dwarfplanet"
Texture "ceres.0center1.png"
Color [ 0.800 0.745 0.681 ]
As an example this is the edited bit of the Ceres entery in asteroids.ssc
Anyway, download the asteroid packs, add the textures, and you can zoom to the realistic versions of Vesta andd Ceres now.
Aurora Happening NOW (23 July 2015)
Aurora are Happening NOW. Unaided eye Aurora and beams have been reported in
Tasmania, from a wide variety of locations.
An Aurora Alert and a geomagnetic alert has been issued by the Australian IPS for the 23th due to an anticipated impact from a coronal mass ejection.
Currently, the Kindex is 4.
Dark sky sites have the best chance of seeing anything, and always allow around 5 minutes for your eyes to become dark adapted.
As always look to the south for shifting red/green glows, beams have been reported consistently over the last few aurora and a large green "blob" has been seen.
The all sky aurora camera in Southern Tasmania at Cressy may be helpful.
<http://www.ips.gov.au/Geophysical/4/2>
SUBJ: IPS GEOMAGNETIC DISTURBANCE WARNING 15/29
ISSUED AT 0749UT/23 JULY 2015
BY THE AUSTRALIAN SPACE FORECAST CENTRE.
A sustained period of southward IMF is resulting in mildly elevated
levels of geomagnetic activity, particularly at high latitude
regions. Further mildly elevated levels of geomagnetic activity
are possible during the remainder of 23 July.
INCREASED GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY EXPECTED
DUE TO CORONAL MASS EJECTION
FOR 23 JULY 2015
_____________________________________________________________
GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY FORECAST
23 Jul: Unsettled to active with possible minor storm periods at high
latitudes.
SUBJ: IPS AURORA ALERT HIGH LATITUDES
ISSUED AT 0720 UT ON 23 Jul 2015 BY IPS RADIO AND SPACE SERVICES
FROM THE AUSTRALIAN SPACE FORECAST CENTRE
GEOMAGNETIC STORM IN PROGRESS. AURORA MAY BE OBSERVED
DURING LOCAL NIGHT TIME HOURS IN GOOD OBSERVING CONDITIONS
AT HIGH LATITUDES.
Follow the progress of this event on the IPS web site
by following the links to the Space Weather Status Panel,
Home > Space Weather
Further monitoring at
http://www.ips.gov.au
An Aurora Alert and a geomagnetic alert has been issued by the Australian IPS for the 23th due to an anticipated impact from a coronal mass ejection.
Currently, the Kindex is 4.
Dark sky sites have the best chance of seeing anything, and always allow around 5 minutes for your eyes to become dark adapted.
As always look to the south for shifting red/green glows, beams have been reported consistently over the last few aurora and a large green "blob" has been seen.
The all sky aurora camera in Southern Tasmania at Cressy may be helpful.
<http://www.ips.gov.au/Geophysical/4/2>
SUBJ: IPS GEOMAGNETIC DISTURBANCE WARNING 15/29
ISSUED AT 0749UT/23 JULY 2015
BY THE AUSTRALIAN SPACE FORECAST CENTRE.
A sustained period of southward IMF is resulting in mildly elevated
levels of geomagnetic activity, particularly at high latitude
regions. Further mildly elevated levels of geomagnetic activity
are possible during the remainder of 23 July.
INCREASED GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY EXPECTED
DUE TO CORONAL MASS EJECTION
FOR 23 JULY 2015
_____________________________________________________________
GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY FORECAST
23 Jul: Unsettled to active with possible minor storm periods at high
latitudes.
SUBJ: IPS AURORA ALERT HIGH LATITUDES
ISSUED AT 0720 UT ON 23 Jul 2015 BY IPS RADIO AND SPACE SERVICES
FROM THE AUSTRALIAN SPACE FORECAST CENTRE
GEOMAGNETIC STORM IN PROGRESS. AURORA MAY BE OBSERVED
DURING LOCAL NIGHT TIME HOURS IN GOOD OBSERVING CONDITIONS
AT HIGH LATITUDES.
Follow the progress of this event on the IPS web site
by following the links to the Space Weather Status Panel,
Home > Space Weather
Further monitoring at
http://www.ips.gov.au
Labels: aurora
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
Seeing Comet C/2014 Q1 from Australia (23-30 July 2015)
Comet C/2014 Q1 PanSTARRS is now visible in the evening low in the twilight. It is sporting a nice double tail http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap150721.html.
If you try looking an hour after sunset you will see it very low above the horizon. I was only able to make it out at 18:40 ACST (an hour and a 10 minutes after sunset) as a faint blob in binoculars (then I had to come inside for dinner).
However, I had very poor conditions (high humidity, lots of horizon interference and street light interference. My attempt at photography was foiled by low elevation and light interference.
The comet is only visible in binoculars or a telescope, it is currently around magnitude 5.6. However, it looks quite good as a fuzzy ball of light in binoculars under dark skies. Less good under suburban skies but still obsevable as a comet.
On the 23rd and 24th sweeping west of Venus and Jupiter by about a binocular field should bring you to the comet (there are no other bright fuzzy blobs about).
As the week progresses, the comet rides higher in the darker parts of the sky so you will need to sweep up from Venus (see diagram above), on the 26th and 27th the comet is close to the relative bright star alpha Sextans, mking it easier to spot in binoculars.
However, while the comet moves out the the twilight (theoretically making it easier to see) it also dims. As well increasing Moonlight from the waxing will make it harder to find.
However, the comet is dimming more slowly than expected, so it should remain a good binocular object for those with a clear level horizon for a while.
Labels: binocular, C/2014 Q1, comet
The Sky This Week - Thursday July 23 to Thursday July 30
The First Quarter Moon is Friday July 24. Venus
is brilliant in
the twilight evening sky with bright Jupiter below it. Comet C/2014 Q1 PanSTARRS is visible in binoculars near them. Saturn is in
the
head of the Scorpion and is easily visible in the evening. The Moon is close to Saturn on the 26th
The First Quarter Moon is Friday July 24.
Early evening sky on Saturday July 25 looking north-west as seen from
Adelaide
at 18:30 ACST showing Venus,the star Regulus and Jupiter forming a triangle. Comet C/2012 Q1 PanSTARRS is visible in binoculars nearby. The inset shows the binocular view of the two at this time.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click to embiggen).
Mercury is lost in the twilight.
Mars is lost in the twilight.
Venus is still easy to see above the western horizon in the twilight. At nautical twilight, an hour after sunset, it is around three hand-spans above the horizon, and still visible at astronomical twilight. Venus is a distinct thin crescent shape in even small telescopes.
Venus and the bright star Regulus are close, with Jupiter below making a triangle in the sky.
The evening sky at 6:30 pm ACST looking west as seen
from Adelaide from 22 July to 30 July. The circles
show successive positions of Comet C/2014 Q1 PanSTARRS every two days. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at
equivalent local times. (click on image to embiggen).
Comet C/2014 Q1 PanSTARRS is now visible in the evening low in the twilight. It is sporting a nice double tail http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap150721.html. If you try looking an hour after sunset you will see it very low above the horizon. It is only visible in binoculars or a telescope, however, it looks quite good as a fuzzy ball of light in binoculars. At the beginning of the week sweeping west of Venus and Jupiter by about a binocular field should bring you to the comet (there are no other bright fuzzy blobs about).
As the week progresses, the comet rides higher in the sky so you will need to sweep up from Venus (see diagram above), but the comet also dims and increasing Moonlight will make it harder to find.
Jupiter is easily seen in the early evening sky below Venus in the north-western sky. It is also near the bright star Regulus in Leo. Jupiter and Venus move further apart as the week goes on while Jupiter moves closer to Regulus.
Jupiter is visible in the early evening, setting just before 7:30 pm. It is high enough for telescopic observation once twilight is over, and there is a very narrow window of about an hour before it is too close to the horizon for telescopic viewing. Jupiter's Moons will be putting on a good display in both binoculars and small telescopes.
Evening sky on Sunday July 26 looking at the zenith while facing west as seen from
Adelaide
at 22:00 ACST. Saturn is easily visible high above the western horizon near the zenith near the
head of the Scorpion. The
inset shows the telescopic view of Saturn at this time. Similar views
will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click
to embiggen).
Saturn is now easily visible from 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 across the zenith, with bright Saturn close to its head, is very nice indeed.
While Saturn is readily visible from the end of twilight, it is best for telescope observation from around 20:00 into the early morning hours. At 20:00 it is at it's highest above the northern horizon near the zenith (with Saturn facing west). By 22:00 Saturn is high above the western horizon. This is also a good time to scan Scorpius and Sagittarius with binoculars to reveal the clusters in and around the Scorpions tail.
There are lots of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. Especially with Jupiter, Venus and Saturn 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 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 First Quarter Moon is Friday July 24.
Early evening sky on Saturday July 25 looking north-west as seen from
Adelaide
at 18:30 ACST showing Venus,the star Regulus and Jupiter forming a triangle. Comet C/2012 Q1 PanSTARRS is visible in binoculars nearby. The inset shows the binocular view of the two at this time.Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click to embiggen).
Mercury is lost in the twilight.
Mars is lost in the twilight.
Venus is still easy to see above the western horizon in the twilight. At nautical twilight, an hour after sunset, it is around three hand-spans above the horizon, and still visible at astronomical twilight. Venus is a distinct thin crescent shape in even small telescopes.
Venus and the bright star Regulus are close, with Jupiter below making a triangle in the sky.
Comet C/2014 Q1 PanSTARRS is now visible in the evening low in the twilight. It is sporting a nice double tail http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap150721.html. If you try looking an hour after sunset you will see it very low above the horizon. It is only visible in binoculars or a telescope, however, it looks quite good as a fuzzy ball of light in binoculars. At the beginning of the week sweeping west of Venus and Jupiter by about a binocular field should bring you to the comet (there are no other bright fuzzy blobs about).
As the week progresses, the comet rides higher in the sky so you will need to sweep up from Venus (see diagram above), but the comet also dims and increasing Moonlight will make it harder to find.
Jupiter is easily seen in the early evening sky below Venus in the north-western sky. It is also near the bright star Regulus in Leo. Jupiter and Venus move further apart as the week goes on while Jupiter moves closer to Regulus.
Jupiter is visible in the early evening, setting just before 7:30 pm. It is high enough for telescopic observation once twilight is over, and there is a very narrow window of about an hour before it is too close to the horizon for telescopic viewing. Jupiter's Moons will be putting on a good display in both binoculars and small telescopes.
Saturn is now easily visible from 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 across the zenith, with bright Saturn close to its head, is very nice indeed.
While Saturn is readily visible from the end of twilight, it is best for telescope observation from around 20:00 into the early morning hours. At 20:00 it is at it's highest above the northern horizon near the zenith (with Saturn facing west). By 22:00 Saturn is high above the western horizon. This is also a good time to scan Scorpius and Sagittarius with binoculars to reveal the clusters in and around the Scorpions tail.
There are lots of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. Especially with Jupiter, Venus and Saturn 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 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
Friday, July 17, 2015
Comet C/2014 Q1 PanSTARRS visible in the Evening Twilight
Comet C/2014 Q1 PanSTARRS is visible in binoculars and telescopes low in the evening twilight. It is currently below and to the left of Jupiter. Tommorow night, on the 18th, it is to the left of and close to the crescent Moon, which will be a good sign post to comet. Start looking from around half an hour after sunset.
During the week the comet will climb higher into darker skies but will rapidly fade. A spotters chart can be found at the end of this article at Universe Today http://www.universetoday.com/121401/three-tailed-comet-q1-panstarrs-lights-up-southern-skies/#more-121401
During the week the comet will climb higher into darker skies but will rapidly fade. A spotters chart can be found at the end of this article at Universe Today http://www.universetoday.com/121401/three-tailed-comet-q1-panstarrs-lights-up-southern-skies/#more-121401
Labels: comet
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Daytime Occultation of Venus, North-Eastern Australia, July 19, 2015
On the 19th in daylight, Venus is occulted by the Moon as seen from north-eastern Australia. From Alice Spings Venus emerges from behind the Moon at 9:19 am ACST. This is very close to the horizon.
In Brisbane, Venus goes behind the Moon at 9:31 am AEST and emerges at 9:52 am AEST. Similar timings will occur for Rockhampton (9:12 am start, 9:57 am finish ), Townsville (8:52 am start, 9:54 am finish) and Cairns (8:53 am start, 9:53 am finish) and places in between.
The Sun is nearby, so only experienced observers should attempt this observation, making sure the Sun is obscured behind something big. Be VERYcareful not to accidently view the Su though you telescope of binoculars, sever eye damage or blindness may result. Venus will be the brightest object near the Moon, but will only be visible in binoculars or a small telescope. Start watching about half an hour before hand to get set up and familiar with the sky.
Labels: Daytime, Occultation, Venus
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
The Sky This Week - Thursday July 16 to Thursday July 23
The New Moon is Thursday July 16. Venus
is brilliant in
the twilight evening sky with bright Jupiter below it. On the 18th and 19th the crescent Moon is close to the pair. On the 19th a daytime occultation of Venus is seen in north-eastern Australia. Saturn is in the
head of the Scorpion and is easily visible in the evening. Mercury is
lost to view. The crescent Moon is close to the red star Aldebaran on
the 13th.
The New Moon is Thursday July 16.
Mercury is lost in the twilight.
Early evening sky on Saturday July 18 looking north-west as seen from
Adelaide
at 18:30 ACST showing the Moon, Venus and Jupiter close together. The inset shows the binocular view of the two at this time.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click to embiggen).
Mars is lost in the twilight.
Venus is easy to see above the western horizon in the twilight. At nautical twilight, an hour after sunset, it is around four hand-spans above the horizon, and still visible at astronomical twilight. Venus is a distinct crescent shape in even small telescopes.
Venus and the bright star Regulus are close, with Jupiter below making a shallow triangle in the sky. on the 18th and 19t the crescent Moon joins the trio.
The Moon at 9:52 am AEST in Brisbane on Sunday June 19 just as Venus appears from behind the Moon. Similar views will be seen at equivalent
times elsewhere in north-eastern Australia.
On the 19th in daylight, Venus is occulted by the Moon as seen from north-eastern Australia. From Alice Spings Venus emerges from behind the Moon at 9:19 am ACST. This is very close to the horizon.
In Brisbane, Venus goes behind the Moon at 9:31 am AEST and emerges at 9:52 am AEST. Similar timings will occur for Rockhampton (9:12 am start, 9:57 am finish ), Townsville (8:52 am start, 9:54 am finish) and Cairns (8:53 am start, 9:53 am finish) and places in between.
The Sun is nearby, so only experienced observers should attempt this observation, making sure the Sun is obscured behind something big. Be VERY careful not to accidently view the Su though you telescope of binoculars, sever eye damage or blindness may result. Venus will be the brightest object near the Moon, but will only be visible in binoculars or a small telescope. Start watching about half an hour before hand to get set up and familiar with the sky.
Jupiter is easily seen in the early evening sky near Venus in the north-western sky. It is also near the bright star Regulus in the sickle of Leo (this forms the head of the constellation of the Lion). Jupiter and Venus are close at the start of the week, and move further apart as the week goes on. (see Venus description above).
Jupiter is visible in the early evening, setting just before 8:00 pm. It is high enough for telescopic observation once twilight is over, and there is a narrow window of about 2 hours before it is too close to the horizon for telescopic viewing. Jupiter's Moons will be putting on a good display in both binoculars and small telescopes.
Evening sky on Saturday July 18 looking at the zenith while facing west as seen from
Adelaide
at 22:00 ACST. Saturn is easily visible high above the western horizon near the zenith near the
head of the Scorpion. The
inset shows the telescopic view of Saturn at this time. Similar views
will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click
to embiggen).
Saturn is now easily visible from 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 across the zenith, with bright Saturn close to its head, is very nice indeed.
While Saturn is readily visible from the end of twilight, it is best for telescope observation from around 20:00 into the early morning hours. At 22:00 it is at it's highest above the northern horizon near the zenith (with Saturn facing west). This is also a good time to scan Scorpius and Sagittarius with binoculars to reveal the clusters in and around the Scorpions tail.
There are lots of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. Especially with Jupiter, Venus and Saturn 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 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 New Moon is Thursday July 16.
Mercury is lost in the twilight.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click to embiggen).
Mars is lost in the twilight.
Venus is easy to see above the western horizon in the twilight. At nautical twilight, an hour after sunset, it is around four hand-spans above the horizon, and still visible at astronomical twilight. Venus is a distinct crescent shape in even small telescopes.
Venus and the bright star Regulus are close, with Jupiter below making a shallow triangle in the sky. on the 18th and 19t the crescent Moon joins the trio.
On the 19th in daylight, Venus is occulted by the Moon as seen from north-eastern Australia. From Alice Spings Venus emerges from behind the Moon at 9:19 am ACST. This is very close to the horizon.
In Brisbane, Venus goes behind the Moon at 9:31 am AEST and emerges at 9:52 am AEST. Similar timings will occur for Rockhampton (9:12 am start, 9:57 am finish ), Townsville (8:52 am start, 9:54 am finish) and Cairns (8:53 am start, 9:53 am finish) and places in between.
The Sun is nearby, so only experienced observers should attempt this observation, making sure the Sun is obscured behind something big. Be VERY careful not to accidently view the Su though you telescope of binoculars, sever eye damage or blindness may result. Venus will be the brightest object near the Moon, but will only be visible in binoculars or a small telescope. Start watching about half an hour before hand to get set up and familiar with the sky.
Jupiter is easily seen in the early evening sky near Venus in the north-western sky. It is also near the bright star Regulus in the sickle of Leo (this forms the head of the constellation of the Lion). Jupiter and Venus are close at the start of the week, and move further apart as the week goes on. (see Venus description above).
Jupiter is visible in the early evening, setting just before 8:00 pm. It is high enough for telescopic observation once twilight is over, and there is a narrow window of about 2 hours before it is too close to the horizon for telescopic viewing. Jupiter's Moons will be putting on a good display in both binoculars and small telescopes.
Saturn is now easily visible from 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 across the zenith, with bright Saturn close to its head, is very nice indeed.
While Saturn is readily visible from the end of twilight, it is best for telescope observation from around 20:00 into the early morning hours. At 22:00 it is at it's highest above the northern horizon near the zenith (with Saturn facing west). This is also a good time to scan Scorpius and Sagittarius with binoculars to reveal the clusters in and around the Scorpions tail.
There are lots of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. Especially with Jupiter, Venus and Saturn 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 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
22 Hours to Pluto
In a mere 22 hours 26 minutes as I write, New Horizons will fly past Pluto. In the past few days Pluto has grown from a dot to a world in its own right, in less that a day we will have our best view of the dwarf planet that has beguiled us for so long. You can follow the action at
http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/
http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/
Labels: Pluto
Monday, July 13, 2015
Aurora happening NOW! July 13, 10:50 pm
Aurora happening in Tasmania now, coloured moving glows are visible to the south. Should be visible all over Tasmania. Kp only 4 but good reports.
Labels: aurora
Tuesday, July 07, 2015
The Sky This Week - Thursday July 9 to Thursday July 16
The New Moon is Thursday July 16. Venus
is brilliant in
the twilight evening sky with bright Jupiter below it. The pair separate over the week. Saturn is in the
head of the Scorpion and is easily visible in the evening. Mercury is lost to view. The crescent Moon is close to the red star Aldebaran on the 13th.
The New Moon is Thursday July 16.
Early morning sky on Saturday July 11 looking east as seen from
Adelaide
at 6:30 ACST showing Mercury below the Hyades and the bright star Aldebaran and the Moon nearby. The pair are just above the
horizon. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the
equivalent local time. (click
to embiggen).
Mercury is low in the morning skies at the beginning of this week and is rapidly lost in the twilight.
While Mercury sinks from view the waning Moon comes closer to the Hyades. The crescent Moon is close to the red star Aldebaran on the 13th.
Early evening sky on Saturday July 11 looking north-west as seen from
Adelaide
at 18:30 ACST showing Venus and Jupiter close together. The inset shows the binocular view of the two at this time.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click to embiggen).
Mars is lost in the twilight.
Venus is easy to see above the western horizon in the twilight. At nautical twilight, an hour after sunset, it is around four hand-spans above the horizon, and still visible at astronomical twilight. Venus is a distinct crescent shape in even small telescopes.
Venus and Jupiter start the week close. Venus, Jupiter and the bright star Regulus make a shallow triangle in the sky. As the week goes on the planets move away from each other, with Jupiter sinking towards the horizon, and Venus closing in on Regulus. The three will be an excellent sight for quite some time.
Jupiter is easily seen in the early evening sky near Venus in the north-western sky. It is also near the bright star Regulus in the sickle of Leo (this forms the head of the constellation of the Lion). Jupiter and Venus are close at the start of the week, and move further apart as the week goes on. (see Venus description above).
Jupiter is visible in the early evening, setting just before 8:30 pm. It is high enough for telescopic observation once twilight is over, and there is a narrow window of about 2 hours before it is too close to the horizon for telescopic viewing. Jupiter's Moons will be putting on a good display in both binoculars and small telescopes.
Evening sky on Saturday July 11 looking north as seen from
Adelaide
at 22:00 ACST. Saturn is easily visible high above the northern horizon near the
head of the Scorpion. The
inset shows the telescopic view of Saturn at this time. Similar views
will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click
to embiggen).
Saturn is now easily visible from 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 close to its head, is very nice indeed.
While Saturn is readily visible from the end of twilight, it is best for telescope observation from around 20:00 into the early morning hours. At 22:00 it is at it's highest above the northern horizon. This is also a good time to scan Scorpius and Sagittarius with binoculars to reveal the clusters in and around the Scorpions tail.
There are lots of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. Especially with Jupiter, Venus and Saturn 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 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 New Moon is Thursday July 16.
Mercury is low in the morning skies at the beginning of this week and is rapidly lost in the twilight.
While Mercury sinks from view the waning Moon comes closer to the Hyades. The crescent Moon is close to the red star Aldebaran on the 13th.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click to embiggen).
Mars is lost in the twilight.
Venus is easy to see above the western horizon in the twilight. At nautical twilight, an hour after sunset, it is around four hand-spans above the horizon, and still visible at astronomical twilight. Venus is a distinct crescent shape in even small telescopes.
Venus and Jupiter start the week close. Venus, Jupiter and the bright star Regulus make a shallow triangle in the sky. As the week goes on the planets move away from each other, with Jupiter sinking towards the horizon, and Venus closing in on Regulus. The three will be an excellent sight for quite some time.
Jupiter is easily seen in the early evening sky near Venus in the north-western sky. It is also near the bright star Regulus in the sickle of Leo (this forms the head of the constellation of the Lion). Jupiter and Venus are close at the start of the week, and move further apart as the week goes on. (see Venus description above).
Jupiter is visible in the early evening, setting just before 8:30 pm. It is high enough for telescopic observation once twilight is over, and there is a narrow window of about 2 hours before it is too close to the horizon for telescopic viewing. Jupiter's Moons will be putting on a good display in both binoculars and small telescopes.
Saturn is now easily visible from 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 close to its head, is very nice indeed.
While Saturn is readily visible from the end of twilight, it is best for telescope observation from around 20:00 into the early morning hours. At 22:00 it is at it's highest above the northern horizon. This is also a good time to scan Scorpius and Sagittarius with binoculars to reveal the clusters in and around the Scorpions tail.
There are lots of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. Especially with Jupiter, Venus and Saturn 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 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
Monday, July 06, 2015
Venus, Jupiter and the International Space Station (6 July, 2015)
 |  |
| Jupiter, Venus and the ISS at 18:48-18:49 ACST, stack of 6 x 5 second exposures at 400 ASA (two planes also caught). Images stacked in Deep Sky Stacker | GIF Animation from 8 x 5 second exposures at 400 ASA (constructed in ImageJ) |
The ISS passed quite close the pair of Jupiter and Venus tonight as seen from Adelaide, the cloud got in the way a bit, but it was still brilliant to see the ISS zip past the pair while planes flew by. (Hat tip to Paul Curnow for the heads up).
There are a number of bright passes of the ISS this week, but only on 7th and the 9th are they reasonably close to Venus and Jupiter (as seen from Adelaide and Melbourne).
Check out Heavens Above for predictions for your local site.
Labels: astrophotography, ISS, Jupiter, unaided eye, Venus
Thursday, July 02, 2015
What was the Conjunction like from Jupiter (and Callisto and Ceres)?
 |  |
| Venus and Earth seen from the cloud tops of Jupiter on July 1 simulated in Stellarium (click to embiggen). | Telescopic view of Venus and Earth seen from the cloud tops of Jupiter on July 1. |
 |  |
| Jupiter about to eclipse Venus and Earth as seen from Callisto on July 1 simulated in Stellarium (click to embiggen). | Jupiter about to eclipse Venus and Earth as seen from Callisto on July 1. |
A little while ago someone on Facebook (soory, I forgot who it was), said people on Jupiter and Venus would be wondering why we were making a fuss.
Well, Venus maybe, but from the cloud tops of Jupiter Venus and the Earth are even more spectacularly close. In a telescope (should you be in a convenient balloon, or be an inquisitive balloon organism) , the crescent Earth and the "last quarter" Venus look superb, with Earth's Moon nearby.
The most spectacular view is from Callisto though. You get to see Jupiter eclipse Venus, Earth and the Moon, and before that, you get to see the various Galilean moons dance towards and away from Venus and Earth.
I'm sure there is some space rock between Earth and Ceres that is in the right spot to have a spectacular triple conjunction. I leave that as an exercise for the reader.
Labels: Conjunction, Earth, Jupiter, stellarium, Venus
A Brilliant View of Post-conjunction of Venus and Jupiter (2 July 2015)
 |  |
| Venus and Jupiter as seen at around 18:00 ACST from Largs Bay, Adelaide on 2 July. 2 second exposure at ASA400 with my Canon IXUS. Click to embiggen. | Venus and Jupiter as seen at around 18:00 ACST from Largs Bay, Adelaide on 2 July. 4 second exposure at ASA400 3x zoom with my Canon IXUS. Click to embiggen. |
Tonight's view of the conjunction (well strictly post conjunction) was brilliant, with amazingly clear skies. I was able to get some nice shots off in between organising dinner for the family (take-away chicken and chips, I am nothing f not a gourmand). The sky was gorgeous, the pair of Venus and Jupiter brilliant and close (Jupiter is the dimmer one closer to the horizon).
Compare this shot with those from July 1 and June the 28th, 21st and 20th.
My image of Jupiter and Venus taken through the 114 mm Newtonian with 32 mm eyepiece and my Canon IXUS using infinity to infinity focusing (400 ASA, 1 second exposure).Everything is over exposed as I can't go below 1 second exposure, and being an idiot I did not dial down the ASA rating (hits self on forehead).
In the eyepeice the crescent shape of Venus and the bands of Jupiter were clear. The pair also fitted into the 25 mm eyepiece FOV, but given the drift rate, I did not image them at the higher magnification. The 8" has a time drive, but with the cold and having to run in and out organising dinner the hassle of dragging it out and setting it up just didn't appeal.
 |  |
| Venus and Jupiter as seen at around 19:00 ACST from Largs Bay, Adelaide on 2 July. 4 second exposure at ASA400 with my Canon IXUS. Click to embiggen. | Venus and Jupiter as seen at around 19:00 ACST from Largs Bay, Adelaide on 2 July. 4 second exposure at ASA400 3x zoom with my Canon IXUS. Click to embiggen. |
But still, I saw it, and it was terrific! The show is still not over. Over the next few nights the pair will draw apart, and on the 18th and 19th they are joined by the thin crescent Moon.
Labels: astrophotography, Conjunction, Jupiter, telescope, unaided eye, Venus
Wednesday, July 01, 2015
My View of the Cloudy Conjunction of Venus and Jupiter (1 July 2015)
 |  |
| Venus and Jupiter as seen at around 18:30 ACST from Largs Bay, Adelaide on 1 July. 6 second exposure at ASA400 with my Canon IXUS. Click to embiggen. | Venus and Jupiter as seen at around 18:30 ACST from Largs Bay, Adelaide on 1 July. 10 second exposure at ASA400 3x zoom with my Canon IXUS. Click to embiggen. |
Most of the day was sunny with mostly blue skies and light hazy cloud, teasing me with the promise that I might just see tonight's conjunction. Right until sunset, when the cloud thickened.
There was a brief thinning of the cloud around 6:30 pm which allowed me to get these shots. You can just see Regulus if you embiggen them, with the unaided eye I could see Venus, and briefly just see Jupiter in the glow. In binoculars I could make both out before the cloud closed in.
Compare this shot with those from June the 28th, 21st and 20th.
I suppose I will just have to enjoy everyone else's pictures.
Labels: astrophotography, Conjunction, Jupiter, unaided eye, Venus
The Sky This Week - Thursday July 2 to Thursday July 9
The Last Quarter Moon is Thursday July 9. Venus
is prominent in
the twilight evening sky with bright Jupiter very close by. The pair separate over the week. Saturn is in the
head of the Scorpion and is easily visible in the evening. Mercury is below the bright star Aldebaran in the morning.
The Last Quarter Moon is Thursday July 9. The Moon is at perigee (when it is closest to the earth) on the 6th, and Earth is at aphelion, when it is furthest from the Sun, on the 7th.
Early morning sky on Saturday July 4 looking east as seen from
Adelaide
at 6:30 ACST showing Mercury below the Hyades and the bright star Aldebaran. The pair are just above the
horizon. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the
equivalent local time. (click
to embiggen).
Mercury is high in the morning skies at the begining of this week and sinks back towards the horizon.
Early evening sky on Thursday July 1 looking north-west as seen from
Adelaide
at 18:30 ACST showing Venus and Jupiter close together. The inset shows the binocular view of the two at this time.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click to embiggen).
Mars is lost in the twilight.
Venus is easy to see above the western horizon in the twilight. At nautical twilight, an hour after sunset, it is around two hand-spans above the horizon, and still visible at astronomical twilight. Venus is a distinct crescent shape in even small telescopes.
Venus and Jupiter start the week very close, around a Moon diameter apart, as the week goes on they move away from each other, with Jupiter sinking towards the horizon, but will be an excellent sight for quite some time.
Jupiter is easily seen in the early evening sky near Venus in the north-western sky. It is between the bright star Regulus in the sickle of Leo (this forms the head of the constellation of the Lion) and Pollux in Cancer. It is also not far from the rather nice Beehive cluster in Cancer, and looks very good in binoculars. Jupiter and Venus are close at the start of the week, and move further apart as the week goes on. (see Venus description above).
Jupiter is visible in the early evening, setting just after 8:30 pm, and is high enough for telescopic observation once twilight is over. Jupiter's Moons will be putting on a good display in both binoculars and small telescopes.
Evening sky on Saturday July 4 looking north as seen from
Adelaide
at 22:00 ACST. Saturn is easily visible high above the northern horizon near the
head of the Scorpion. The
inset shows the telescopic view of Saturn at this time. Similar views
will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click
to embiggen).
Saturn is now easily visible from 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 close to its head, is very nice indeed.
While Saturn is readily visible from the end of twilight, it is best for telescope observation from around 20:00 into the early morning hours. At 22:00 it is at it's highest above the northern horizon. This is also a good time to scan Scorpius and Sagittarius with binoculars to reveal the clusters in and around the Scorpions tail.
There are lots of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. Especially with Jupiter, Venus and Saturn 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 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 July 9. The Moon is at perigee (when it is closest to the earth) on the 6th, and Earth is at aphelion, when it is furthest from the Sun, on the 7th.
Mercury is high in the morning skies at the begining of this week and sinks back towards the horizon.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click to embiggen).
Mars is lost in the twilight.
Venus is easy to see above the western horizon in the twilight. At nautical twilight, an hour after sunset, it is around two hand-spans above the horizon, and still visible at astronomical twilight. Venus is a distinct crescent shape in even small telescopes.
Venus and Jupiter start the week very close, around a Moon diameter apart, as the week goes on they move away from each other, with Jupiter sinking towards the horizon, but will be an excellent sight for quite some time.
Jupiter is easily seen in the early evening sky near Venus in the north-western sky. It is between the bright star Regulus in the sickle of Leo (this forms the head of the constellation of the Lion) and Pollux in Cancer. It is also not far from the rather nice Beehive cluster in Cancer, and looks very good in binoculars. Jupiter and Venus are close at the start of the week, and move further apart as the week goes on. (see Venus description above).
Jupiter is visible in the early evening, setting just after 8:30 pm, and is high enough for telescopic observation once twilight is over. Jupiter's Moons will be putting on a good display in both binoculars and small telescopes.
Saturn is now easily visible from 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 close to its head, is very nice indeed.
While Saturn is readily visible from the end of twilight, it is best for telescope observation from around 20:00 into the early morning hours. At 22:00 it is at it's highest above the northern horizon. This is also a good time to scan Scorpius and Sagittarius with binoculars to reveal the clusters in and around the Scorpions tail.
There are lots of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. Especially with Jupiter, Venus and Saturn 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 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
Click to read about or order
Click to read about or order
Click to read about or order
Click to read about or order
