Tuesday, March 29, 2016
The Sky This Week - Thursday March 31 to Thursday April 7
The Last Quarter Moon is Friday April 1 and the New Moon is Thursday April 7. Jupiter is is visible all
night long and has some nice Moon events. Venus is
low above the horizon in the twilight.
The crescent Moon visits Venus on April 6. Saturn is
close to the red star Antares and forms a triangle with Mars which is in
on the head of the Scorpion.
The Last Quarter Moon is Friday April 1 and the New Moon is Thursday April 7.
Evening sky on Sunday April 3 looking north as seen from
Adelaide
at 23:00 ACST. The inset is the telescopic view of Jupiter at this
time, showing Io, Europa and Ganymede. Similar views
will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click
to embiggen).
Jupiter was at opposition on the March 8th, when it was biggest and brightest as seen from Earth. However, Jupiter will be an excellent telescopic target for many weeks to come.
Jupiter enters the evening sky as the sun sets, and is good for telescopic observation from around 21:00 on. Jupiter's Moons will be an excellent sight late in the evening. On April Io and its shadow cross the face of Jupiter from around 22:00 AEST, while Ganymede goes behind Jupiter. Callisto's shadow transits later.
The evening is also graced by the summer constellations of Taurus (with the V shaped cluster the Hyades forming the head of Taurus the Bull and the beautiful Pleiades cluster nearby), Orion the Hunter and Canis Major with bright Sirius, the dog star, above the western horizon at the beginning of evening.
Evening sky on Saturday April 2 looking east as seen from
Adelaide
at 23:55 ACDST. Mars Saturn and Antares for a triangle. Similar views
will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click
to embiggen).
Mars is high in the morning skies and is now rising in the evening before midnight. Mars is in the head of the Scorpion.
Mars starts the week below a triangle of stars formed by Grafias, the double star omega Scorpii and nu Scoprii. It then moves further down the body of the Scorpion. Mars also forms a triangle with Saturn and the red star Antares.
Saturn is low in the evening sky around midnight and is readily visible below Scorpius. Saturn forms a triangle with Mars and the red star Antares.
Early morning sky on Wednesday April 6 looking east as seen from
Adelaide
at 5:45 am ACST showing Venus and the crescent Moon. Similar views
will
be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click
to embiggen).
Venus is becoming harder to see as it sinks in the morning twilight. It is a distinct "gibbous Moon" shape and is nice in a small telescope.It is visited by the crescent Moon on the 6th.
Mercury is lost in the twilight.
There are lots of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. If you don't have a telescope, now is a good time to visit one of your local astronomical societies open nights or the local planetariums.
Printable PDF maps of the Eastern sky at 10 pm AEST, Western sky at 10 pm AEST. For further details and more information on what's up in the sky, see Southern Skywatch.
Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.
Here is the near-real time satellite view of the clouds (day and night) http://satview.bom.gov.au/
The Last Quarter Moon is Friday April 1 and the New Moon is Thursday April 7.
Jupiter was at opposition on the March 8th, when it was biggest and brightest as seen from Earth. However, Jupiter will be an excellent telescopic target for many weeks to come.
Jupiter enters the evening sky as the sun sets, and is good for telescopic observation from around 21:00 on. Jupiter's Moons will be an excellent sight late in the evening. On April Io and its shadow cross the face of Jupiter from around 22:00 AEST, while Ganymede goes behind Jupiter. Callisto's shadow transits later.
The evening is also graced by the summer constellations of Taurus (with the V shaped cluster the Hyades forming the head of Taurus the Bull and the beautiful Pleiades cluster nearby), Orion the Hunter and Canis Major with bright Sirius, the dog star, above the western horizon at the beginning of evening.
Mars is high in the morning skies and is now rising in the evening before midnight. Mars is in the head of the Scorpion.
Mars starts the week below a triangle of stars formed by Grafias, the double star omega Scorpii and nu Scoprii. It then moves further down the body of the Scorpion. Mars also forms a triangle with Saturn and the red star Antares.
Saturn is low in the evening sky around midnight and is readily visible below Scorpius. Saturn forms a triangle with Mars and the red star Antares.
Venus is becoming harder to see as it sinks in the morning twilight. It is a distinct "gibbous Moon" shape and is nice in a small telescope.It is visited by the crescent Moon on the 6th.
Mercury is lost in the twilight.
There are lots of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. If you don't have a telescope, now is a good time to visit one of your local astronomical societies open nights or the local planetariums.
Printable PDF maps of the Eastern sky at 10 pm AEST, Western sky at 10 pm AEST. For further details and more information on what's up in the sky, see Southern Skywatch.
Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.
Here is the near-real time satellite view of the clouds (day and night) http://satview.bom.gov.au/
Labels: weekly sky
Monday, March 28, 2016
Comet 252P in the tail of the Scorpion (morning, 26 March 2016)
 |  |
| 252P/LINEAR taken at 5:00 am AEDST 26/3/16. The image is a stack of 15x 60 second luminance exposures from iTelescope T12 at Siding Spring Observatory. MEDIAN Z projection used on the stack. Click to embiggen. | Same as before but a MAX Z projection on 8 of the 15 frames used to show the track of the comet. Click to embiggen. |
Comet 252P remains elusive for me from my home. The morning of the 26th it was just near Lesath and Shalula, the two bright stars in the sting of the Scorpions tail (and the two bright stars in the images above). However it was raining here in Adelaide. Fortunately iTelescope at Siding Spring Observatory was clear, and I was able to get these shots of comet 252P.
I used a MEDIAN Z projection registered on the comet to bring the comet out from the background stars, and a MAXIUM Z projection with the images registered on the stars to show the movement of the comet.
Labels: 252P, comet, iTelescope
Comet 252P and the Butterfly Cluster (27 March 2016)
 |  |
| 252P/LINEAR taken at 4:50 am AEDST 27/3/16. The image is a stack of 6x 60 second luminance exposures from iTelescope T12 at Siding Spring Observatory. MAX Z projection used on the stack. Click to embiggen. | Same as before but the images are SUMMED in the Z projection. Click to embiggen. |
The weather has been cloudy here, and I only got a brief glimpse of the tail of Scorpius through the cloud at 5:00 am on Easter Sunday before it really socked in. Fortunately iTelescope at Siding Spring Observatory was clear, and I was able to get these shots of comet 252P near the Butterfly Cluster. 6 x 60 second images were stacked in ImageJ and then I experimented with different Z projections to bring out the nebula and dark globules around the Butterfly Cluster (M6). On I used MAX, maximum intensity for each image and the other I simply SUMMED the images. The comet is a bit overexposed, but the surrounding territory comes out quite nicely.
Labels: 252P, comet, iTelescope
Friday, March 25, 2016
Comet 252P Amongst the Clusters of Scorpius and Ophiuchus (25 March - 1 April)
 |  |
| Location of comet 252P from 26-30 March as seen from Adelaide at 2:00 am ACDST. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at equivalent local time. Click to embiggen | Binocular scale view of comet 252P on 27 March when it is close to the Butterfly cluster (just below the comet) as seen from Adelaide at 2:00 am ACDST. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at equivalent local time. Click to embiggen |
The is good news and bad news about Comet 252P.
Good news: It has passed its closest approach to Earth and is still bright. While potentially (just) visible to the unaided eye, the bright Moonlight means that it will be a binocular or telescope object for most people.
From the 25th to 30th March 252P will be in a cluster and nebula rich region in between the Scorpion's tail and Ophiuchus. There are so many potential objects it is nearby that it would take ages to list them, and a binocular scan will bring delight at every view.
The most notable encounter is one on the 27th when the comet is within 2 degrees of the Butterfly cluster (M6) and 5 degrees from Ptolmey's cluster, with many smaller clusters closer. At this time the comet is rising around 10:30-11:30 pm in Australia, but the best time to observe is from around 2-3 am on, when the comet has cleared the murk of the horizon. In the Northern Hemisphere, the comet should now be visible above the horizon around Astronomical twilight in the morning.
Bad news: Unfortunately, while the Moon is waning (Yay) it is close the 252P for most of this time, less than 40 degrees from the the comet on the 27th, and comes closer as the days progress. It is also rising before, or just after the comet. So we get no relief from Moonlight. You will definitely need to dark adapt your eyes to have a good chance to see the comet.
The Moon is within 6 degrees (a hand-span) from the comet on the 30th and 31st. This will make the comet extraordinarily difficult, if not impossible, to see, with ordinary binoculars and telescopes.
If you have a telescope with narrowband filters imaging will probably be okay up to 29-31 March, the even though waning the Moon will be sufficiently close to significantly interfere.
 |  |
| Black and white chart of the path of comet 252P/LINEAR suitable for printing. The chart shows the view south at 3:00 am local time. The circle is the field of view of 10x50 binoculars. Click to embiggen and print. | Black and white chart of comet 252P/LINEAR on 27 March suitable for printing and for use with binoculars. Use in conjunction with the sky map to the left. The circle is the field of view of 10x50 binoculars. Click to embiggen and print. |
Printable PDF versions of the above maps, spotters chart and binocular chart at 3:00 pm ACDST. Use a red torch, or a normal torch with red cellphane over the end so as to not destroy your night vision. For more help with dark adaptation see here.
More good news: There are good guide stars now. tonight/early morning 26th the two stars that form the sting of the Scorpions tail, Lesath and Shalula, point to the comet. On the 27th the comet is above M6, the butterfly cluster, which is obvious in binoculars. On the 28th, star hopping down two from bright Theta Ophiuchus will bring you to the comet.
Labels: 252P, binocular, comet, telescope
Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Tonights Moon, Jupiter and a 22 degree Halo Arc
Labels: Moon
Don't forget, Penumbral eclipse of the Moon this Wednesday, March 23, 2016
Comparison of brightness of the Moon at 8:00 pm ACDST (left panel) and at eclipse maximum (10:47 ADST) as seen from Adelaide. Note the subtle darkening of the Moon (click to embiggen).
Just a reminder that on the evening of Wednesday 23 March there is a penumbral eclipse of the Moon, where the Moon glides through the outer segment of the shadow cast by earth.
In contrast to a total or partial lunar eclipse, where the Moon is either fully or partially immersed in Earth’s shadow, viewers will only see a subtle darkening of the southern part of the Moon’s disk. You can see an actual example of a penumbral eclipse here.
Eastern and central states get to see the whole event, for Western Australia the Moon rises with the eclipse well under way.
For the East Coast Moon the eclipse begins at 7:37 pm AEST (8:37 AEDST), maximum eclipse is at 9:47 pm (10:47 pm AEDST), the eclipse ends at 11:57 pm (00:57 March 24 AEDST).
For the Central states the eclipse begins at 7:07 pm ACST (8:07 ACDST), maximum eclipse is at 9:17 pm (10:17 pm ACDST), the eclipse ends at 11:27 pm (00:27 March 24 ACDST).
For Western Australia Moon Rise is around 6:07 pm (see twilight/sunset calculator below), the eclipse begins at 5:37 pm AWST, so the Moon rises partly eclipsed, astronomical twilight ends 8:04 pm maximum eclipse at 7:47 pm, and the eclipse finishes at 9:57 pm
See here for a map and contact timings in UT for sites outside Australia
Labels: binocular, eclipse, Moon, unaided eye
The Sky This Week - Thursday March 24 to Thursday March 31
The Last Quarter Moon is Friday April 1. Jupiter is is visible all
night long and has some nice Moon events. Venus is
low above the horizon in the twilight.
Saturn is
close to the red star Antares and forms a triangle with Mars which is in
on the head of the Scorpion. The Moon visits Mars on the 28th and Saturn of the 29th.
The Last Quarter Moon is Friday April 1. The Moon is at apogee, when it is furthest from the Earth, on the 25th.
Evening sky on Sunday March 27 looking north-east as seen from
Adelaide
at 21:15 ACDST. The inset is the telescopic view of Jupiter at this
time, showing Io, Europa and Ganymede. Similar views
will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click
to embiggen).
Jupiter was at opposition on the 8th, when it was biggest and brightest as seen from Earth. However, Jupiter will be an excellent telescopic target for many weeks to come.
Jupiter enters the evening sky as the sun sets, and is good for telescopic observation from around 21:00 on. Jupiter's Moons will be an excellent sight late in the evening. On March 27 Io and its shadow cross the face of Jupiter from around 22:15 AEDST, while Ganymede and Europa go behind Jupiter.
The evening is also graced by the summer constellations of Taurus (with the V shaped cluster the Hyades forming the head of Taurus the Bull and the beautiful Pleiades cluster nearby), Orion the Hunter and Canis Major with bright Sirius, the dog star, above the western horizon at the beginning of evening.
Evening sky on Monday March 28 looking east as seen from
Adelaide
at 23:55 ACDST. Mars is near the Moon. Similar views
will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click
to embiggen).
Mars is high in the morning skies and is now rising in the evening before midnight. Mars is in the head of the Scorpion.
Mars starts the week in a triangle of stars formed by Grafias, the double star omega Scorpii and nu Scoprii. It then moves further down the body of the Scorpion. Mars also forms a triangle with Saturn and the red star Antares. On the 28th the Moon is close to Mars.
Saturn is low in the evening sky around midnight and is readily visible below Scorpius. Saturn forms a triangle with Mars and the red star Antares. On the 29th the Moon is close to Saturn.
Early morning sky on Sunday March 27 looking east as seen from
Adelaide
at 6:30 ACDST showing Venus. Similar views
will
be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click
to embiggen).
Venus is becoming harder to see as it sinks in the morning twilight. It is a distinct "gibbous Moon" shape and is nice in a small telescope. .
Mercury is lost in the twilight.
There are lots of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. If you don't have a telescope, now is a good time to visit one of your local astronomical societies open nights or the local planetariums.
Printable PDF maps of the Eastern sky at 10 pm AEST, Western sky at 10 pm AEST. For further details and more information on what's up in the sky, see Southern Skywatch.
Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.
Here is the near-real time satellite view of the clouds (day and night) http://satview.bom.gov.au/
The Last Quarter Moon is Friday April 1. The Moon is at apogee, when it is furthest from the Earth, on the 25th.
Jupiter was at opposition on the 8th, when it was biggest and brightest as seen from Earth. However, Jupiter will be an excellent telescopic target for many weeks to come.
Jupiter enters the evening sky as the sun sets, and is good for telescopic observation from around 21:00 on. Jupiter's Moons will be an excellent sight late in the evening. On March 27 Io and its shadow cross the face of Jupiter from around 22:15 AEDST, while Ganymede and Europa go behind Jupiter.
The evening is also graced by the summer constellations of Taurus (with the V shaped cluster the Hyades forming the head of Taurus the Bull and the beautiful Pleiades cluster nearby), Orion the Hunter and Canis Major with bright Sirius, the dog star, above the western horizon at the beginning of evening.
Mars is high in the morning skies and is now rising in the evening before midnight. Mars is in the head of the Scorpion.
Mars starts the week in a triangle of stars formed by Grafias, the double star omega Scorpii and nu Scoprii. It then moves further down the body of the Scorpion. Mars also forms a triangle with Saturn and the red star Antares. On the 28th the Moon is close to Mars.
Saturn is low in the evening sky around midnight and is readily visible below Scorpius. Saturn forms a triangle with Mars and the red star Antares. On the 29th the Moon is close to Saturn.
Venus is becoming harder to see as it sinks in the morning twilight. It is a distinct "gibbous Moon" shape and is nice in a small telescope. .
Mercury is lost in the twilight.
There are lots of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. If you don't have a telescope, now is a good time to visit one of your local astronomical societies open nights or the local planetariums.
Printable PDF maps of the Eastern sky at 10 pm AEST, Western sky at 10 pm AEST. For further details and more information on what's up in the sky, see Southern Skywatch.
Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.
Here is the near-real time satellite view of the clouds (day and night) http://satview.bom.gov.au/
Labels: weekly sky
Monday, March 21, 2016
My First Visual Observation of Comet 252P (21 March)
I finally saw the comet myself this morning (21 March) at 5:00 am in 10x50 binoculars from suburban Adelaide.
I could not see it with the unaided eye. In binoculars it was very dim to my eyes but definitely there.
I had fairly good guide stars this time, as opposed to the previous morning when I tried and could not see it. I had familiarised myself with the guide stars in the evening. However, the location of the comet low to the horizon, and the sky glow from the Moon combined to make the comet invisible in the evening
By morning the comet was well above the horizon, and the Moon was sufficently low it did not interfere much. I could clearly see the Milky Way (although it was dim), and the comet pooed right out at me (although it over lapped a brightish star). Tried to estimate magnitude but there were no suitable reference starts close by.
Toning once more there are no clear guide stars in the vicinity to help me locate the comet. Sigh.
Labels: 252P, binocular, comet
Friday, March 18, 2016
Finding Comet 252P 19-25 March (NOT April)
 |  |
| Location of comet 252P from 19-25 March as seen from Adelaide at 23:00 ACDST. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at equivalent local time. Click to embiggen | Animation of the comets path through the sky from 19-25 March at 11pm. |
UPDATE: Saw the comet myself this morning (21 March) at 5:00 am in 10x50 binoculars, but not with the unaided eye from suburban Adelaide. In binoculars it was very dim to my eyes but definitely there. I had fairly good guide stars this time, as opposed to the previous morning, and I had familiarised myself with them in the evening.
Comet 252P continues to astonish with its unprecedented increase in brightness. It has been reported to be (just) visible with the unaided eye under dark sky conditions. Comet 252P/ LINEAR comes closest to Earth on March 22 at 00:15 AEDST, At this time it is very close at around 10 Earth Moon distances away, and should be at its brightest. Unfortunately the nearly full Moon will strongly interfere with seeing the comet. Especially as the comet is quite diffuse, it will be easily washed out.
As well, because it is so close to Earth, the comet is moving very fast, you should see it actually move over the course of the night. However, this means that astrophotography will be quite difficult as the comet will be hard to track.
On the night of the 19th, looking south, if you draw a line from the long axis of the Southern Cross to the star Achernar, then draw a line perpendicular to this from Canopus, the comet will be almost at the intersection of these two lines. On the 20th, the comet will be on a line drawn from alpha Centauri (Rigel Kent) to the star Achernar, closet to Rigel Kent. While the comet will be very hard to see with the unaided eye, strong binoculars or a telescopes finder-scope should pick it up.
After this, until the 25th when it reaches Scorpio, there are not really any good guide stars to the comet (but see the binocular comet chart below, okay so on the 21st and 22nd it is close to a Trianguli Australis, but this is not a very obvious star).
Over the next few days the comet get progressively lower in the evening sky, but becomes better to view in the morning. On the mornings of the 25th-28th the comet crosses the tail of the Scorpion and Sagittarius, coming close to a number of clusters and nebula. How bright the comet will be then is unknown, but hopefully it will be binocular bright as the Moon fades and its passes through the nebula. That should be spectacular.
 |  |
| Black and white chart of the path of comet 252P/LINEAR suitable for printing. The chart shows the view south at 10:00 pm local time. The circle is the field of view of 10x50 binoculars. Click to embiggen and print. | Black and white chart of the path of comet 252P/LINEAR suitable for printing and for use with binoculars. Use in conjunction with the sky map to the left. The circle is the field of view of 10x50 binoculars. Click to embiggen and print. |
Labels: 252P, binocular, comet, telescope
Thursday, March 17, 2016
Comet 252P/LINEAR close to the Large Magelleanic Cloud Tonight (17 March 2016)
Comet 252P is still brightening rapidly, with the last reported magnitudes being around 6.5. While this is just below the threshold of visual detection, the comet is diffuse and extended, and will be much harder to see than the magnitude suggests.
Last night in suburban Largs, with good visibility despite a waxing Moon, I was unable to see it with 10x50 binoculars, although it has been reported from darker skies with stronger binoculars. The Tarantula nebula was obvious though in my binoculars.
Tonight the comet is on the outer fringe of the Large Magelleanic Cloud. Despite the waxing Moon, if you have dark skies and wait until the Moon is low, then with decent binoculars or a small telescope you should see a fuzzy ball on the edge of the LMC.
Looking south, if you draw a line from the long axis of the Southern Cross to the Star Achenar, then draw a line perpendicular to this from Canopus, the comet will be around one binocular field up from the intersection of these two lines.
In binoculars or a finder scope, the fuzzy Tarantula nebula will be obvious at this location, the dimmer comet will be one or two fields to the east, near an obvious pair of stars.
Black and white chart of the path of comet 252P/LINEAR suitable for printing and for use with binoculars and finder scopes (with redlight torches). The circle is the field of view of 10x50 binoculars. Click to embiggen and print.The comet is moving very rapidly leading up to closest approach.
For those of you with ephemeris programs or programmable telescopes, the
MPEC one line ephemeris for Comet P252/ LINEAR
0252P 2016 03 15.2721 0.996074 0.673296 343.3158 190.9520 10.4233 20160402 17.5 4.0 252P/LINEAR
The comet will continue to brighten, but the rapidly brightening Moon will make it harder or see.
Labels: 252P, binocular, comet, telescope
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
The Sky This Week - Thursday March 17 to Thursday March 24
The Full Moon is Wednesday March 23. At this time there is a penumbral eclipse of the Moon. Jupiter is is visible all
night long and has some nice Moon events. It is visited by the Moon on the 22nd. Venus is
low above the horizon.
Saturn is
close to the red star Antares and forms a triangle with Mars which is in on the head of the Scorpion. Mars starts the week very close to the star
Graffias.
The Full Moon is Wednesday March 23. At this time there is a penumbral eclipse of the Moon.
Evening sky on Wednesday March 23 looking north-east as seen from
Adelaide
at 22:47 ACDST at maximum penumbral eclipse. The darkening will be much more subtle than in this simulation. Similar views
will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click
to embiggen).
On the evening of 23 March there is a penumbral eclipse of the Moon, where the Moon glides through the outer segment of the shadow cast by Earth. The Moons darkening will be much fainter than in a total or partial lunar eclipse. In eastern and central states the eclipse starts around the end of twilight, but you really won't be able to notice anything until quite late in the evening. Details of exact timings can be found here.
Evening sky on Tuesday March 22 looking north-east as seen from
Adelaide
at 22:00 ACDST. The inset is the telescopic view of Jupiter at this
time, showing Io, Europa and Ganymede. Similar views
will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click
to embiggen).
Jupiter was at opposition on the 8th, when it was biggest and brightest as seen from Earth. However, Jupiter will be an excellent telescopic target for many week to come.
Jupiter enters the evening sky as the sun sets, and is good for telescopic observation from around 21:00 on. Jupiter's Moons will be an excellent sight late in the evening. On March 18 Io and Europa and their shadows cross the face of Jupiter from around midnight.
The evening is also graced by the summer constellations of Taurus (with the V shaped cluster the Hyades forming the head of Taurus the Bull and the beautiful Pleiades cluster nearby), Orion the Hunter and Canis Major with bright Sirius, the dog star, above the north-western horizon at the beginning of evening.
Evening sky on Saturday March 19 looking east as seen from
Adelaide
at 23:55 ACDST. Mars is near the brightish star Grafias. Similar views
will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click
to embiggen).
Mars is high in the morning skies and is now rising in the evening before midnight. Mars is in the head of the Scorpion.
Mars starts the wee less than half a finger-width from the double star Graffias. In a small telescope the bright pair and Mars, showing a visible disk, will be quite nice. As the week goes on Mars enters a triangle of stars formed by Grafias, the double star omega Scorpii and nu Scoprii. Mars also forms a triangle with Saturn and the red star Antares.
Saturn is low in the evening sky around midnight and is readily visible below Scorpius. Saturn forms a triangle with Mars and the red star Antares.
Early morning sky on Sunday March 20 looking east as seen from
Adelaide
at 6:30 ACDST showing Venus. Similar views
will
be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click
to embiggen).
Venus is becoming harder to see as it sinks in the morning twilight. It is a distinct "gibbous Moon" shape and is nice in a small telescope. .
Mercury is lost in the twilight.
There are lots of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. If you don't have a telescope, now is a good time to visit one of your local astronomical societies open nights or the local planetariums.
Printable PDF maps of the Eastern sky at 10 pm AEST, Western sky at 10 pm AEST. For further details and more information on what's up in the sky, see Southern Skywatch.
Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.
Here is the near-real time satellite view of the clouds (day and night) http://satview.bom.gov.au/
The Full Moon is Wednesday March 23. At this time there is a penumbral eclipse of the Moon.
Evening sky on Wednesday March 23 looking north-east as seen from
Adelaide
at 22:47 ACDST at maximum penumbral eclipse. The darkening will be much more subtle than in this simulation. Similar views
will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click
to embiggen).On the evening of 23 March there is a penumbral eclipse of the Moon, where the Moon glides through the outer segment of the shadow cast by Earth. The Moons darkening will be much fainter than in a total or partial lunar eclipse. In eastern and central states the eclipse starts around the end of twilight, but you really won't be able to notice anything until quite late in the evening. Details of exact timings can be found here.
Jupiter was at opposition on the 8th, when it was biggest and brightest as seen from Earth. However, Jupiter will be an excellent telescopic target for many week to come.
Jupiter enters the evening sky as the sun sets, and is good for telescopic observation from around 21:00 on. Jupiter's Moons will be an excellent sight late in the evening. On March 18 Io and Europa and their shadows cross the face of Jupiter from around midnight.
The evening is also graced by the summer constellations of Taurus (with the V shaped cluster the Hyades forming the head of Taurus the Bull and the beautiful Pleiades cluster nearby), Orion the Hunter and Canis Major with bright Sirius, the dog star, above the north-western horizon at the beginning of evening.
Mars is high in the morning skies and is now rising in the evening before midnight. Mars is in the head of the Scorpion.
Mars starts the wee less than half a finger-width from the double star Graffias. In a small telescope the bright pair and Mars, showing a visible disk, will be quite nice. As the week goes on Mars enters a triangle of stars formed by Grafias, the double star omega Scorpii and nu Scoprii. Mars also forms a triangle with Saturn and the red star Antares.
Saturn is low in the evening sky around midnight and is readily visible below Scorpius. Saturn forms a triangle with Mars and the red star Antares.
Venus is becoming harder to see as it sinks in the morning twilight. It is a distinct "gibbous Moon" shape and is nice in a small telescope. .
Mercury is lost in the twilight.
There are lots of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. If you don't have a telescope, now is a good time to visit one of your local astronomical societies open nights or the local planetariums.
Printable PDF maps of the Eastern sky at 10 pm AEST, Western sky at 10 pm AEST. For further details and more information on what's up in the sky, see Southern Skywatch.
Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.
Here is the near-real time satellite view of the clouds (day and night) http://satview.bom.gov.au/
Labels: weekly sky
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Penumbral Lunar Eclipse Wednesday March 23, 2016
Comparison of brightness of the Moon at 8:00 pm ACDST (left panel) and at eclipse maximum (10:47 ADST) as seen from Adelaide. Note the subtle darkening of the Moon (click to embiggen).
On the evening of 23 March there is a penumbral eclipse of the Moon, where the Moon glides through the outer segment of the shadow cast by earth.
In contrast to a total or partial lunar eclipse, where the Moon is either fully or partially immersed in Earth’s shadow, viewers will only see a subtle darkening of the southern part of the Moon’s disk. You can see an actual example of a penumbral eclipse here.
Eastern and central states get to see the whole event, for Western Australia the Moon rises with the eclipse well under way.
For the East Coast Moon the eclipse begins at 7:37 pm AEST (8:37 AEDST), maximum eclipse is at 9:47 pm (10:47 pm AEDST), the eclipse ends at 11:57 pm (00:57 March 24 AEDST).
For the Central states the eclipse begins at 7:07 pm ACST (8:07 ACDST), maximum eclipse is at 9:17 pm (10:17 pm ACDST), the eclipse ends at 11:27 pm (00:27 March 24 ACDST).
For Western Australia Moon Rise is around 6:07 pm (see twilight/sunset calculator below), the eclipse begins at 5:37 pm AWST, so the Moon rises partly eclipsed, astronomical twilight ends 8:04 pm maximum eclipse at 7:47 pm, and the eclipse finishes at 9:57 pm
See here for a map and contact timings in UT for sites outside Australia
Labels: eclipse, Moon, penumbral
Monday, March 14, 2016
My first shot of comet 252P/LINEAR
No idea how currently bright it is, cloud here keeps me from making visual observations. but from other observers it is now apparently between 6.5 and 7.0 so still brightening.
Labels: 252P, comet, iTelescope
Comet 252P LINEAR brightens rapidly, may be visible to the uniaded eye soon
Comet 252P/ LINEAR comes very close to Earth (around 10 Earth Moon distances away) on March 21 13:15 UT (March 22 00:15 AEDST).
252P passes through Pictor, Octanis and Scorpius and has its closest approach in Apis. The comet was predicted to have a maximum brightness of around magnitude 11.
However, comet 252P/ LINEAR has been reported to be anomalously bright, with reports putting it well above its theoretical maximum of magnitude 11. A recent report from Michael Mattiazzo has it at magnitude 8.2, and a more recent report from Chris Wyatt puts it at magnitude 7(!). Terry Lovejoy has seen it with 15x70 binoculars. While at magnitude 7 it theoretically should be readily visible in 10x50 binoculars, the fuzzy nature of the comet makes it harder to pick up. The comet appears to have a diameter of 23-24 arc seconds.
Currently the comet is brightening at around 1 magnitude per day! If it follows its current brightening it could be visible to the unaided eye in a few days, however, the brightening Moon will make seeing an extended, fuzzy object like this comet more difficult. Of course there is no guarantee it will continue to brighten.
Black and white chart of the path of comet 252P/LINEAR suitable for printing and for use with binoculars. The circle is the field of view of 10x50 binoculars. Click to embiggen.The comet is moving very rapidly leading up to closest approach. On the 16th and 17th (and part of the 18th) comet 252P will be close to the Large Magellanic Cloud. This should make for interesting viewing and some mice astrophotographs, if the Moonlight doesn't interfere too much.
For those of you with ephemeris programs or programmable telescopes, the
MPEC one line ephemeris for Comet P252/ LINEAR
0252P 2016 03 15.2721 0.996074 0.673296 343.3158 190.9520 10.4233 20160402 17.5 4.0 252P/LINEAR
Labels: 252P, binocular, comet, telescope
Tuesday, March 08, 2016
The Sky This Week - Thursday March 10 to Thursday March 17
The First Quarter Moon is Wednesday March 16. Jupiter is is visible all night long and has some nice Moon events. Venus and Mercury are
low above the horizon.
Saturn is
close to the red star Antares and forms a triangle with Mars, which is
closing in on the head of the Scorpion. Mars is very close to the star Graffias.
The New Moon is Wednesday March 9 The Moon is at perigee, when it is closest to the Earth, on the 10th.
Evening sky on Friday March 11 looking north-east as seen from
Adelaide
at 23:55 ACDST. The inset is the telescopic view of Jupiter at this
time, showing Io, Europa and their shadows on Jupiter. Similar views
will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click
to embiggen).
Jupiter was at opposition on the 8th, when it was biggest and brightest as seen from Earth. However, Jupiter will be an excellent telescopic target for many week to come.
Jupiter enters the evening sky as the sun sets, and is good for telescopic observation from around 22:00 on. Jupiter's Moons will be an excellent sight late in the evening. On March 11 Io and Europa and their shadows cross the face of Jupiter from around 10:30 pm to 2:00 am on the 12th.
The evening is also graced by the summer constellations of Taurus (with the V shaped cluster the Hyades forming the head of Taurus the Bull and the beautiful Pleiades cluster nearby), Orion the Hunter and Canis Major with bright Sirius, the dog star, above the north-western horizon at the beginning of evening.
Evening sky on Wednesday March 16 looking east as seen from
Adelaide
at 23:55 ACDST. Mars is almost on top of the brightish star Grafias. Similar views
will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click
to embiggen).
Mars is high in the morning skies and is now rising in the evening before midnight. Mars is coming closer to the head of the Scorpion.
On the 16th, Mars will be less than half a finger-width from the double star Graffias. In a small telescope the bright pair and Mars, showing a visible disk, will be quite nice.
Saturn enters the evening sky and is readily visible below Scorpius. Saturn forms a triangle with Mars and the red star Antares.
Early morning sky on Tuesday March 1 looking east as seen from
Adelaide
at 6:30 ACDST showing Venus and Mercury. Similar views
will
be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click
to embiggen).
Venus is easy to see in the morning twilight. It is a distinct "gibbous Moon" shape and is nice in a small telescope. Venus is above Mercury, which is rapidly heading towards the horizon.
Mercury is low in the morning twilight ad difficult to see. This is the last week to see it before it is lost in the twilight.
There are lots of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. If you don't have a telescope, now is a good time to visit one of your local astronomical societies open nights or the local planetariums.
Printable PDF maps of the Eastern sky at 10 pm AEST, Western sky at 10 pm AEST. For further details and more information on what's up in the sky, see Southern Skywatch.
Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.
Here is the near-real time satellite view of the clouds (day and night) http://satview.bom.gov.au/
The New Moon is Wednesday March 9 The Moon is at perigee, when it is closest to the Earth, on the 10th.
Jupiter was at opposition on the 8th, when it was biggest and brightest as seen from Earth. However, Jupiter will be an excellent telescopic target for many week to come.
Jupiter enters the evening sky as the sun sets, and is good for telescopic observation from around 22:00 on. Jupiter's Moons will be an excellent sight late in the evening. On March 11 Io and Europa and their shadows cross the face of Jupiter from around 10:30 pm to 2:00 am on the 12th.
The evening is also graced by the summer constellations of Taurus (with the V shaped cluster the Hyades forming the head of Taurus the Bull and the beautiful Pleiades cluster nearby), Orion the Hunter and Canis Major with bright Sirius, the dog star, above the north-western horizon at the beginning of evening.
Mars is high in the morning skies and is now rising in the evening before midnight. Mars is coming closer to the head of the Scorpion.
On the 16th, Mars will be less than half a finger-width from the double star Graffias. In a small telescope the bright pair and Mars, showing a visible disk, will be quite nice.
Saturn enters the evening sky and is readily visible below Scorpius. Saturn forms a triangle with Mars and the red star Antares.
Venus is easy to see in the morning twilight. It is a distinct "gibbous Moon" shape and is nice in a small telescope. Venus is above Mercury, which is rapidly heading towards the horizon.
Mercury is low in the morning twilight ad difficult to see. This is the last week to see it before it is lost in the twilight.
There are lots of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. If you don't have a telescope, now is a good time to visit one of your local astronomical societies open nights or the local planetariums.
Printable PDF maps of the Eastern sky at 10 pm AEST, Western sky at 10 pm AEST. For further details and more information on what's up in the sky, see Southern Skywatch.
Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.
Here is the near-real time satellite view of the clouds (day and night) http://satview.bom.gov.au/
Labels: weekly sky
Tonight is the Opposition of Jupiter (8 March 2016)
Jupiter is at opposition tonight (8th), when it is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth. If like me, you are clouded out tonight, Jupiter will be bright and excellent viewing for many weeks to come.
To keep ypu happy, here is a list of Jupiter Moon and great Red Spot events for this month.
This table was created using The Planets 2.02 a free program available from http://www.cpac.org.uk Times are AEDST, subtract 30 minutes for ACDST and 3 hours for AWST. Subtract 1 hour for standard time. GRS = Great Red Spot. S = Shadow Transit, T = Transit Tue 8 Mar 1:00 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Tue 8 Mar 20:52 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Wed 9 Mar 6:47 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Wed 9 Mar 22:41 Cal: Disappears into Eclipse Thu 10 Mar 1:42 Cal: Reappears from Eclipse Thu 10 Mar 2:38 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Thu 10 Mar 2:48 Gan: Transit Begins T Thu 10 Mar 2:51 Gan: Shadow Transit Begins ST Thu 10 Mar 4:51 Eur: Disappears into Occultation ST Thu 10 Mar 5:55 Io : Transit Begins STT Thu 10 Mar 5:57 Io : Shadow Transit Begins SSTT Thu 10 Mar 5:58 Gan: Transit Ends SST Thu 10 Mar 6:10 Gan: Shadow Transit Ends ST Thu 10 Mar 22:30 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Fri 11 Mar 3:07 Io : Disappears into Occultation Fri 11 Mar 5:26 Io : Reappears from Eclipse Fri 11 Mar 23:19 Eur: Transit Begins T Fri 11 Mar 23:27 Eur: Shadow Transit Begins ST Sat 12 Mar 0:21 Io : Transit Begins STT Sat 12 Mar 0:25 Io : Shadow Transit Begins SSTT Sat 12 Mar 2:05 Eur: Transit Ends SST Sat 12 Mar 2:16 Eur: Shadow Transit Ends ST Sat 12 Mar 2:35 Io : Transit Ends S Sat 12 Mar 2:40 Io : Shadow Transit Ends Sat 12 Mar 4:16 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Sat 12 Mar 21:33 Io : Disappears into Occultation Sat 12 Mar 23:55 Io : Reappears from Eclipse Sun 13 Mar 0:07 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Sun 13 Mar 19:59 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Sun 13 Mar 20:15 Gan: Reappears from Eclipse ST Sun 13 Mar 20:56 Eur: Reappears from Eclipse ST Sun 13 Mar 21:01 Io : Transit Ends S Sun 13 Mar 21:09 Io : Shadow Transit Ends Mon 14 Mar 5:54 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Tue 15 Mar 1:45 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Tue 15 Mar 21:37 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Thu 17 Mar 3:23 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Thu 17 Mar 6:03 Gan: Transit Begins T Thu 17 Mar 23:15 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Fri 18 Mar 4:51 Io : Disappears into Occultation Fri 18 Mar 6:26 Cal: Transit Begins T Sat 19 Mar 1:35 Eur: Transit Begins T Sat 19 Mar 2:04 Eur: Shadow Transit Begins STT Sat 19 Mar 2:04 Io : Transit Begins STT Sat 19 Mar 2:19 Io : Shadow Transit Begins SSTT Sat 19 Mar 4:19 Io : Transit Ends SST Sat 19 Mar 4:21 Eur: Transit Ends SS Sat 19 Mar 4:34 Io : Shadow Transit Ends S Sat 19 Mar 4:52 Eur: Shadow Transit Ends Sat 19 Mar 5:01 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Sat 19 Mar 23:17 Io : Disappears into Occultation Sun 20 Mar 0:53 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Sun 20 Mar 1:49 Io : Reappears from Eclipse Sun 20 Mar 19:48 Gan: Disappears into Occultation Sun 20 Mar 20:11 Eur: Disappears into Occultation Sun 20 Mar 20:30 Io : Transit Begins T Sun 20 Mar 20:44 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Sun 20 Mar 20:47 Io : Shadow Transit Begins ST Sun 20 Mar 22:45 Io : Transit Ends S Sun 20 Mar 23:03 Io : Shadow Transit Ends Sun 20 Mar 23:30 Eur: Reappears from Eclipse Mon 21 Mar 0:14 Gan: Reappears from Eclipse Mon 21 Mar 20:18 Io : Reappears from Eclipse Tue 22 Mar 2:31 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Tue 22 Mar 22:22 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Thu 24 Mar 4:09 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Fri 25 Mar 0:00 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Fri 25 Mar 19:51 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Sat 26 Mar 3:49 Io : Transit Begins T Sat 26 Mar 3:51 Eur: Transit Begins TT Sat 26 Mar 4:13 Io : Shadow Transit Begins STT Sat 26 Mar 4:41 Eur: Shadow Transit Begins SSTT Sat 26 Mar 5:47 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Sat 26 Mar 19:35 Cal: Reappears from Eclipse Sun 27 Mar 1:01 Io : Disappears into Occultation Sun 27 Mar 1:38 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Sun 27 Mar 3:44 Io : Reappears from Eclipse Sun 27 Mar 21:29 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Sun 27 Mar 22:15 Io : Transit Begins T Sun 27 Mar 22:25 Eur: Disappears into Occultation T Sun 27 Mar 22:41 Io : Shadow Transit Begins ST Sun 27 Mar 23:06 Gan: Disappears into Occultation ST Mon 28 Mar 0:29 Io : Transit Ends S Mon 28 Mar 0:57 Io : Shadow Transit Ends Mon 28 Mar 2:03 Eur: Reappears from Eclipse Mon 28 Mar 4:12 Gan: Reappears from Eclipse Mon 28 Mar 19:28 Io : Disappears into Occultation Mon 28 Mar 22:12 Io : Reappears from Eclipse Tue 29 Mar 3:16 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Tue 29 Mar 19:25 Io : Shadow Transit Ends ST Tue 29 Mar 19:47 Eur: Transit Ends S Tue 29 Mar 20:48 Eur: Shadow Transit Ends Tue 29 Mar 23:07 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Thu 31 Mar 4:54 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian
Labels: Jupiter, Opposition
Live Webcasts of Tomorrows (March 9) Solar Eclipse.
March 9 Partial Eclipse as seen from Darwin near maximum eclipse, 10:17 am AEST. Simulated in Stellarium.Just a reminder that on the morning of March 9, there will be a Solar eclipse. From Australia though, we only get to see a partial eclipse, and then only from northern Australia.
Detailed timings and viewing hints for Australia are at this page.
However, if the weather is rubbish, you may want to try and watch a live webcast of the Total Solar Eclipse. Live webcasts are at:
Space.com http://www.space.com/32173-total-solar-eclipse-march-2016-webcasts.html
The Exploratorium (1:00–2:15 UT, 12-13:15 AEDST) http://www.exploratorium.edu/eclipse
NASA TV (from 01:00 UT; 12 pm AEDST) http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html
Slooh (23:00 UT; 10 am AEDST) http://live.slooh.com/
Stars4All (22:32 UT; 10:32 AEDST) http://www.iac.es/divulgacion.php?op1=16&id=1035&lang=en
Labels: eclipse, solar, webcam
Tuesday, March 01, 2016
The Sky This Week - Thursday March 3 to Thursday March 10
The New Moon is Wednesday March 9. There is a partial solar eclipse visible from Northern Australia at this time. Jupiter is at opposition on the 8th and is visible all night long. Venus and Mercury are close low above the horizon and are visited by the Moon on the 7th and 8th. Saturn is
close to the red star Antares and forms a triangle with Mars, which is closing in on the head of the Scorpion.
The New Moon is Wednesday March 9, there is a partial solar eclipse as seen from Australia at this time. The Moon is at perigee, when it is closest to the Earth, on the 10th.
The Partial Eclipse as seen from Darwin near maximum eclipse, 10:17 am AEST on March 9. Simulated in Stellarium. The inset shows the appearance of the Sun as seen with safe solar viewing techniques. (click to embiggen)
On the morning of March 9, there will be a Solar eclipse. From Australia though, we only get to see a partial eclipse, and then only from northern Australia. Viewers will see between 50% (Darwin) - 1% (Perth) of the Sun covered by the Moon, with northern Australia favoured (the opposite of last years annular eclipse). The partial solar eclipse occurs in the morning, but the sun will have well and truly risen by the time of the eclipse.
For more detail and timings for several cities see this page.
Evening sky on Friday March 4 looking east as seen from
Adelaide
at 22:00 ACDST. The inset is the telescopic view of Jupiter at this time, showing Io, Europa and their shadows on Jupiter. Similar views
will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click
to embiggen).
Jupiter is at opposition on the 8th, when it is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth. However, Jupiter will be an excellent telescopic target for many week to come.
Jupiter enters the evening sky as the sun sets, and is good for telescopic observation from around 22:00 on. Jupiter's Moons will be an excellent sight late in the evening. On March 4 Io and Europa and their shadows cross the face of Jupiter from around 10 pm to 11:30 pm.
The evening is also graced by the summer constellations of Taurus (with the V shaped cluster the Hyades forming the head of Taurus the Bull and the beautiful Pleiades cluster nearby), Orion the Hunter and Canis Major with bright Sirius, the dog star, above the northern horizon at the beginning of evening.
Early morning sky on Tuesday March 1 looking east as seen from
Adelaide
at 6:30 ACDST showing the Moon close to
Venus and Mercury. Similar views
will
be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click
to embiggen).
Mars is high in the morning skies and is now rising in the evening at midnight. Mars is coming closer to the head of the Scorpion.
Venus is easy to see in the morning twilight. It is a distinct "gibbous Moon" shape and is nice in a small telescope. Venus is above Mercury, which is rapidly heading towards the horizon. The crescent Moon is close to Venus on the 7th and on the 8th the thin crescent Moon forms a triangle with Venus and Mercury.
Saturn climbs higher in the morning sky. Saturn forms a triangle with Mars and the red star Antares.
Mercury is low in the morning twilight. Mercury and Venus are drawing apart as Mercury heads towards the horizon. On the 8th the thin crescent Moon forms a triangle with Venus and Mercury.
This week all five of the bright planets are visible in the morning sky.
There are lots of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. If you don't have a telescope, now is a good time to visit one of your local astronomical societies open nights or the local planetariums.
Printable PDF maps of the Eastern sky at 10 pm AEST, Western sky at 10 pm AEST. For further details and more information on what's up in the sky, see Southern Skywatch.
Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.
Here is the near-real time satellite view of the clouds (day and night) http://satview.bom.gov.au/
The New Moon is Wednesday March 9, there is a partial solar eclipse as seen from Australia at this time. The Moon is at perigee, when it is closest to the Earth, on the 10th.
The Partial Eclipse as seen from Darwin near maximum eclipse, 10:17 am AEST on March 9. Simulated in Stellarium. The inset shows the appearance of the Sun as seen with safe solar viewing techniques. (click to embiggen)On the morning of March 9, there will be a Solar eclipse. From Australia though, we only get to see a partial eclipse, and then only from northern Australia. Viewers will see between 50% (Darwin) - 1% (Perth) of the Sun covered by the Moon, with northern Australia favoured (the opposite of last years annular eclipse). The partial solar eclipse occurs in the morning, but the sun will have well and truly risen by the time of the eclipse.
For more detail and timings for several cities see this page.
Jupiter is at opposition on the 8th, when it is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth. However, Jupiter will be an excellent telescopic target for many week to come.
Jupiter enters the evening sky as the sun sets, and is good for telescopic observation from around 22:00 on. Jupiter's Moons will be an excellent sight late in the evening. On March 4 Io and Europa and their shadows cross the face of Jupiter from around 10 pm to 11:30 pm.
The evening is also graced by the summer constellations of Taurus (with the V shaped cluster the Hyades forming the head of Taurus the Bull and the beautiful Pleiades cluster nearby), Orion the Hunter and Canis Major with bright Sirius, the dog star, above the northern horizon at the beginning of evening.
Mars is high in the morning skies and is now rising in the evening at midnight. Mars is coming closer to the head of the Scorpion.
Venus is easy to see in the morning twilight. It is a distinct "gibbous Moon" shape and is nice in a small telescope. Venus is above Mercury, which is rapidly heading towards the horizon. The crescent Moon is close to Venus on the 7th and on the 8th the thin crescent Moon forms a triangle with Venus and Mercury.
Saturn climbs higher in the morning sky. Saturn forms a triangle with Mars and the red star Antares.
Mercury is low in the morning twilight. Mercury and Venus are drawing apart as Mercury heads towards the horizon. On the 8th the thin crescent Moon forms a triangle with Venus and Mercury.
This week all five of the bright planets are visible in the morning sky.
There are lots of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. If you don't have a telescope, now is a good time to visit one of your local astronomical societies open nights or the local planetariums.
Printable PDF maps of the Eastern sky at 10 pm AEST, Western sky at 10 pm AEST. For further details and more information on what's up in the sky, see Southern Skywatch.
Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.
Here is the near-real time satellite view of the clouds (day and night) http://satview.bom.gov.au/
Labels: weekly sky
Partial Solar Eclipse March 9, 2016
March 9 Partial Eclipse as seen from Darwin near maximum eclipse, 10:17 am AEST. Simulated in Stellarium.On the morning of March 9, there will be a Solar eclipse. From Australia though, we only get to see a partial eclipse, and then only from northern Australia.
Viewers will see between 50% (Darwin) - 1% (Perth) of the Sun covered by the Moon, with northern Australia favoured (the opposite of last years annular eclipse). The partial solar eclipse occurs in the morning, but the sun will have well and truly risen by the time of the eclipse.
A table showing eclipse times for more Australian cities in Universal Time is here, and an interactive map of the path is here.
Do NOT look directly at the Sun! Do not use so called filters. Over exposed film, smoked glass etc. used as filters are NOT, repeat NOT safe. Only special solar-rated viewing spectacles from astronomical suppliers should be used (for one example see here), they may cost a bit, but your eyesight is without price. Never use eyepiece filters for telescopes. These can crack at inopportune times and destroy your eyesight. At no time is it safe to view the eclipse with the unaided eye.
The easiest and cheapest way to observe this event is by making a pinhole in a stiff square of cardboard and projecting the image of the Sun onto a flat surface. You are basically making a simple pinhole camera, which will reveal the changes to the Suns outline quite satisfactorily. A card with a 1 mm hole should be projected onto a surface (eg white paper, or a white wall) about 20 cm away, a 5 mm hole should be projected onto a surface 1 to 1.5 meters away.
You need to create a reasonable sized image, so you need a fair distance between the pinhole and the surface you project the image on. This will mean the image is going to be fairly dim, so you also need some sort of sun shield to keep in image in shadow. I use the longest available postpac postal tube, with alfoil over the top (and the pinhole in the alfoil), and wide ring of stiff cardboard to ensure that the image of the sun is projected into a dark area. This link will show you several methods to make pinhole projection systems.
You can also use binocular and telescopic projection systems. This link will show you how to make safe solar viewing and telescope projection systems. Here is my step by step guide to making a binocular projection system, and a guide to aiming your binoculars or telescope when you can't actually look at the Sun. And this is the projection system I use with my refractor telescope.
Remember, do NOT look directly at the Sun, as irreparable eye damage or blindness can occur (see this video for a graphic demonstration).
| City | Eclipse Start | Mid Eclipse | Eclipse End | % Sun covered |
| Alice Springs (ACST) | 9:29 am | 10:16 am | 11:06 am | 11 |
| Broome (AWST) | 7:32 am | 8:32 am | 9:37 | 37 |
| Cairns (AEST) | 10:12 am | 11:12 am | 12:15 | 18 |
| Darwin (ACST) | 9:07 am | 10:17 am | 5:28 am | 4 |
| Perth (AWST) | 8:06 am | 8:26 am | 8:47 am | 1 |
| Rochampton (AEST) | 10:55 am | 11:16 am | 11:38 | 1 |
| Townsville (AEST) | 10:21 am | 11:12 am | 12:05 | 10 |
Click to read about or order
Click to read about or order
Click to read about or order
Click to read about or order
