Tuesday, May 31, 2016
The Sky This Week - Thursday June 2 to Thursday June 9
The New Moon is Sunday June 5. Jupiter is visible all evening long.
Mars is visible all night long. Saturn is at opposition. It is close to the red star Antares and forms a triangle with Mars.
Mercury climbs higher the morning sky and is close to the crescent Moon on the 3rd. Venus is
lost in the twilight. Comet C/2013 X1 PanSTARRS is visible in binoculars
in the morning sky.
The New Moon is Sunday June 5. The Moon is at perigee, where it is closest to the Earth, on June 3.
Evening sky on Saturday June 4 looking west as seen from
Adelaide
at 22:00 ACST. The inset is the telescopic view of Jupiter at 20:00 ACST. 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 is in the northern evening sky as the sun sets, and is good for telescopic observation from around 18:00 on until around 11 pm when it will be a little too close to the horizon. Jupiter's Moons will be an excellent sight all evening. On the 4th Io crosses Jupiter's face around 20:30, then its shadow follows from around 21:30.
The evening is also graced by the constellations of Orion the Hunter (which is right on the western horizon when the sky is fully dark) and Canis Major with bright Sirius, the dog star above the western horizon in the early evening.
Evening sky on Friday June looking east as seen from
Adelaide
at 22:00 ACST. Mars, Saturn and Antares form a triangle. The inset shows telescopic views of Mars and Saturn. Similar views
will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click
to embiggen).
Mars is high in the evening skies in the head of the Scorpion.
Mars spends the week in the head in front of the star Dschubba and forming a line with Dschubba and Anatres. As well Mars forms a triangle with Saturn and the red star Antares. Mars was at opposition on May 22, but Mars will still be big and bright for this week. It is visible all night long. In even small telescopes Mars will be a visible disk, and you should see its markings.
Saturn is at opposition on the 3rd, when it is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, however, Saturn's change in size and brightness is nowhere near as spectacular as Mars's, and Saturn will be a reasonable telescopic object for many weeks. reasonably high in the evening sky and is readily visible below Scorpius. Saturn forms a triangle with Mars and the red star Antares. It is now high enough for good telescopic observation in the evening. In even small telescopes its distinctive rings are obvious.
Venus is lost in the twilight.
Morning sky at 6:00 ACST facing east as seen from Adelaide on Friday June 3.Similar views
will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click
to embiggen).
Mercury climbs higher in the morning sky, and is at its higest on the 5th. On the 3rd the crescent Moon is close to Mercury.
Comet C/2013 X1 (PANSTARRS) is now high enough above the horizon murk in the morning sky to be readily visible before twilight. It is currently around magnitude 6.4. A guide to seeing it is here.
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 Sunday June 5. The Moon is at perigee, where it is closest to the Earth, on June 3.
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 is in the northern evening sky as the sun sets, and is good for telescopic observation from around 18:00 on until around 11 pm when it will be a little too close to the horizon. Jupiter's Moons will be an excellent sight all evening. On the 4th Io crosses Jupiter's face around 20:30, then its shadow follows from around 21:30.
The evening is also graced by the constellations of Orion the Hunter (which is right on the western horizon when the sky is fully dark) and Canis Major with bright Sirius, the dog star above the western horizon in the early evening.
Mars is high in the evening skies in the head of the Scorpion.
Mars spends the week in the head in front of the star Dschubba and forming a line with Dschubba and Anatres. As well Mars forms a triangle with Saturn and the red star Antares. Mars was at opposition on May 22, but Mars will still be big and bright for this week. It is visible all night long. In even small telescopes Mars will be a visible disk, and you should see its markings.
Saturn is at opposition on the 3rd, when it is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, however, Saturn's change in size and brightness is nowhere near as spectacular as Mars's, and Saturn will be a reasonable telescopic object for many weeks. reasonably high in the evening sky and is readily visible below Scorpius. Saturn forms a triangle with Mars and the red star Antares. It is now high enough for good telescopic observation in the evening. In even small telescopes its distinctive rings are obvious.
Venus is lost in the twilight.
Mercury climbs higher in the morning sky, and is at its higest on the 5th. On the 3rd the crescent Moon is close to Mercury.
Comet C/2013 X1 (PANSTARRS) is now high enough above the horizon murk in the morning sky to be readily visible before twilight. It is currently around magnitude 6.4. A guide to seeing it is here.
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, May 24, 2016
The Sky This Week - Thursday May 26 to Thursday June 2
The Last Quarter Moon is Sunday May 29. Jupiter is visible all evening long.
Mars is visible all night long. Saturn is
close to the red star Antares and forms a triangle with Mars.
Mercury climbs higher the morning sky. Venus is
lost in the twilight.Comet C/2013 X1 PanSTARRS is visible in binoculars
in the morning sky.
The Last Quarter Moon is Sunday May 29.
Evening sky on Saturday May 28 looking west as seen from
Adelaide
at 22:00 ACST. The inset is the telescopic view of Jupiter at 20:00 ACST. 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 is high in the evening sky as the sun sets, and is good for telescopic observation from around 18:00 on. Jupiter's Moons will be an excellent sight all evening. On the 28st Io crosses Jupiter's face around 19:00, then its shadow follows from around 20:00..
The evening is also graced by the summer constellations of Orion the Hunter and Canis Major with bright Sirius, the dog star above the western horizon in the early evening.
Evening sky on Saturday May 28 looking east as seen from
Adelaide
at 22:00 ACST. Mars, Saturn and Antares form a triangle. The inset shows telescopic views of Mars and Saturn. Similar views
will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click
to embiggen).
Mars is high in the evening skies in the head of the Scorpion.
Mars starts the week in the headin front of the star Dschubba and foring a line with Dschubba and Anatres. As well Mars forms a triangle with Saturn and the red star Antares. Mars was at opposition on May 22, but Mars will be big and bright for all this week. It is visible all night long. In even small telescopes Mars will be a visible disk, and you should see its markings.
Saturn is reasonably high in the evening sky and is readily visible below Scorpius. Saturn forms a triangle with Mars and the red star Antares. It is now high enough for good telescopic observation in the evening.
Venus is lost in the twilight.
Morning sky at 6:00 ACST facing east as seen from Adelaide.Similar views
will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click
to embiggen).
Mercury climbs higher in the morning sky, but is still low to the horizon.
Comet C/2013 X1 (PANSTARRS) is now high enough above the horizon murk in the morning sky to be readily visible before twilight. It is currently around magnitude 7. A guide to seeing it is here.
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 Sunday May 29.
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 is high in the evening sky as the sun sets, and is good for telescopic observation from around 18:00 on. Jupiter's Moons will be an excellent sight all evening. On the 28st Io crosses Jupiter's face around 19:00, then its shadow follows from around 20:00..
The evening is also graced by the summer constellations of Orion the Hunter and Canis Major with bright Sirius, the dog star above the western horizon in the early evening.
Mars is high in the evening skies in the head of the Scorpion.
Mars starts the week in the headin front of the star Dschubba and foring a line with Dschubba and Anatres. As well Mars forms a triangle with Saturn and the red star Antares. Mars was at opposition on May 22, but Mars will be big and bright for all this week. It is visible all night long. In even small telescopes Mars will be a visible disk, and you should see its markings.
Saturn is reasonably high in the evening sky and is readily visible below Scorpius. Saturn forms a triangle with Mars and the red star Antares. It is now high enough for good telescopic observation in the evening.
Venus is lost in the twilight.
Mercury climbs higher in the morning sky, but is still low to the horizon.
Comet C/2013 X1 (PANSTARRS) is now high enough above the horizon murk in the morning sky to be readily visible before twilight. It is currently around magnitude 7. A guide to seeing it is here.
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
Sunday, May 22, 2016
Catch a Series of Bright International Space Sation Passes (23-30 May 2016)
 |  |  |
| The ISS passes below Jupiter, as seen from Adelaide on the evening of Tuesday 24 May at 17:52 ACST. Simulated in Stellarium (the ISS will actually be a bright dot), click to embiggen. | The ISS passes below Jupiter, as seen from Brisbane on the on the evening of Wednesday 25 May at 17:33 AEST. Simulated in Stellarium (the ISS will actually be a bright dot), click to embiggen. | The ISS passes above Jupiter, as seen from Perth on the evening of Tuesday 24 May at 17:56 AWST. Simulated in Stellarium (the ISS will actually be a bright dot), click to embiggen. |
 |  |  |
| All sky chart showing local times from Heavens Above for Tuesday 24 May for Adelaide. | All sky chart showing local times from Heavens Above for Wednesday 25 May for Brisbane. | All sky chart showing local times from Heavens Above for Tuesday 24 May for Perth. |
This week there a series of bright passes of the International Space Station occurring in the early evening. In some places in Australia the ISS will pass close to Jupiter, in others there are close passes to brig stars..
Tuesday evening (24 May) sees the ISS pass close to Jupiter as seen from Perth and Adelaide. On Wednesday 25 the ISS passes close to Jupiter as seen from Brisbane.
There's lots more, although several are close to the horizon. For example, on the 23rd from Brisbane the ISS will pass close to alpha Centauri, On the 24th from Melbourne, the ISS passes through Orion's Belt.
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 Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth as examples, choosing some of the more distinctive events, but there are lots more that are perfectly nice.).
Start looking several minutes before the pass is going to start to get yourself oriented and your eyes dark adapted. Be patient, there may be slight differences in the time of the ISS appearing due to orbit changes not picked up by the predictions.
Labels: ISS, Satellite, unaided eye
Saturday, May 21, 2016
My Guide to the Opposition of Mars, May 22, 2016
Evening sky on Sunday May 22 looking east as seen from
Adelaide
at 22:00 ACST. Mars, Saturn and Antares form a triangle. The inset shows telescopic views of Mars and Saturn. Similar views
will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click
to embiggen).My guide to the opposition of Mars is here.
http://www.users.on.net/~reynella/skywatch/mars2016.htm
Labels: Mars, Opposition
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
The Sky This Week - Thursday May 19 to Thursday May 26
The Full Moon is Sunday May 22. Jupiter is visible all evening long.
Mars is at opposition on the 22nd. Saturn is
close to the red star Antares and forms a triangle with Mars. On the 22nd Mars, the Moon, Saturn and Antares from a diamond shape in the sky. Mercury returns to the morning sky. Venus is
lost in the twilight.Comet C/2013 X1 PanSTARRS is visible in binoculars in the morning sky.
The Full Moon is Sunday May 22.
Evening sky on Saturday May 21 looking west as seen from
Adelaide
at 22:00 ACST. The inset is the telescopic view of Jupiter at this
time. 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 18:00 on. Jupiter's Moons will be an excellent sight all evening. On the 21st Io crosses Jupiter's face around 18:00, then its shadow, then finally Europa at 22:00.
The evening is also graced by the summer constellations of Orion the Hunter and Canis Major with bright Sirius, the dog star above the western horizon in the early evening.
Evening sky on Sunday May 22 looking east as seen from
Adelaide
at 22:00 ACST. Mars, Saturn and Antares form a triangle. The inset shows telescopic views of Mars and Saturn. Similar views
will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click
to embiggen).
Mars is high in the evening skies in the head of the Scorpion.
Mars starts the week in the very head of the Scorpion between the stars Dschubba and Acab. Mars forms a triangle with Saturn and the red star Antares. On the 22nd Mars will be at opposition, when Mars will be biggest and brightest when seen from Earth. It is visible all night long. In even small telescopes Mars will be a visible disk, and you should see its markings. Also on the 22nd Mars, the Moon, Saturn and Antares from a diamond shape in the sky.
Saturn is reasonably high in the evening sky and is readily visible below Scorpius. Saturn forms a triangle with Mars and the red star Antares. It is now high enough for good telescopic observation in the evening.
Venus is lost in the twilight.
Morning sky at 6:00 ACST facing east as seen from Adelaide.Similar views
will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click
to embiggen).
Mercury returns to the Morning sky, and is low to the horizon.
Comet C/2013 X1 (PANSTARRS) is now high enough above the horizon murk in the morning sky to be readily visible before twilight. It is currently around magnitude 7. A guide to seeing it is here.
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 Sunday May 22.
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 18:00 on. Jupiter's Moons will be an excellent sight all evening. On the 21st Io crosses Jupiter's face around 18:00, then its shadow, then finally Europa at 22:00.
The evening is also graced by the summer constellations of Orion the Hunter and Canis Major with bright Sirius, the dog star above the western horizon in the early evening.
Evening sky on Sunday May 22 looking east as seen from
Adelaide
at 22:00 ACST. Mars, Saturn and Antares form a triangle. The inset shows telescopic views of Mars and Saturn. Similar views
will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click
to embiggen).Mars is high in the evening skies in the head of the Scorpion.
Mars starts the week in the very head of the Scorpion between the stars Dschubba and Acab. Mars forms a triangle with Saturn and the red star Antares. On the 22nd Mars will be at opposition, when Mars will be biggest and brightest when seen from Earth. It is visible all night long. In even small telescopes Mars will be a visible disk, and you should see its markings. Also on the 22nd Mars, the Moon, Saturn and Antares from a diamond shape in the sky.
Saturn is reasonably high in the evening sky and is readily visible below Scorpius. Saturn forms a triangle with Mars and the red star Antares. It is now high enough for good telescopic observation in the evening.
Venus is lost in the twilight.
Mercury returns to the Morning sky, and is low to the horizon.
Comet C/2013 X1 (PANSTARRS) is now high enough above the horizon murk in the morning sky to be readily visible before twilight. It is currently around magnitude 7. A guide to seeing it is here.
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, May 16, 2016
Seeing comet C/2013 X1 PanSTARRS from Australia (May 2016)
Comet C/2013 X1 (PANSTARRS) is now high enough above the horizon murk to be readily visible before twilight. It is currently around magnitude 7, bright enough to be seen readily in strong binoculars (the latest sighting was in 11x70mm Binoculars, but 10x50's should work as well). Over the weeks it will brighten possible to magnitude 6, where it will be (just) visible to the unaided eye under dark skies.
Comet C/2013 X1 is showing a nice double tail reminiscent of C/2013 US10 Catalina in deep telescopic imaging, but with visual observation is is more like a ball of cotton wool. It is at a suitable height from around 4 am to astronomical twilight.
The comet is in Aquarius, and is close to a number of distinctive stars which makes it easy to star hop to for most of May.
Directly above the eastern horizon is the reasonably bright star Fomalhaut. With binoculars, sweep down diagonally to the north around four binocular fields until you reach the distinctive grouping of Phi and Psi Aquarii. Phi and the double star Psi Aquarii form a distinctive triangle. Over the next few days the comet will lie between these stars.
Printable PDF maps of the spotters map, and the binocular map
For the first week the comet will be within the same binocular field as Phi and Psi Aquarii. For the next week, sweeping back up from Phi and Psi Aquarii towards Fomalhaut will bring you to the comet.
Unfortunately, while the comet is brightening, the waxing Moon set later and later, by the 19th the Moon is setting when the comet is a good hight to view. The Moon is full on the 22nd, making it hard to see the comet. While the Moon wanes after this it comes closer to the comet, and on the 29th and 30th the last quarter Moon is just under two hand-spans from the comet, so it may be difficult to spot in the Moonlight. After this the comet should be readily visible again.
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: binocular, C/2013 X1, comet
Sunday, May 15, 2016
Iridium Flare Below The Moon and Jupiter 15-05-16 (18:50)
This evening in about 40 minutes an iridium flare will occur just below the Moon and Jupiter as seen from Adelaide. The flare will only be around magnit-1, but the combination of Jupiter, the Moon and the flare will look nice. See Heavens Above http://www.heavens-above.com/
Labels: iridium flares, Satellite
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
The Sky This Week - Thursday May 12 to Thursday May 19
The First Quarter Moon is Saturday May 14. Jupiter is visible all evening long.
Venus is
lost in the twilight.
Saturn is
close to the red star Antares and forms a triangle with Mars. Mars is in
retrograde motion and enters the head of the Scorpion this week.
The First Quarter Moon is Saturday May 14. The Moon is at apogee, when it is furthest from the Earth, on the 19th.
Evening sky on Sunday May 15 looking north as seen from
Adelaide
at 22:00 ACST. The inset is the telescopic view of Jupiter at this
time. 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 19:00 on. Jupiter's Moons will be an excellent sight all evening. On the 12th Io crosses Jupiter's face then on the 14th Europa crosses Jupiter's face.
The evening is also graced by the summer constellations of Orion the Hunter and Canis Major with bright Sirius, the dog star above the western horizon in the early evening.
Evening sky on Saturday May 14 looking east as seen from
Adelaide
at 22:00 ACST. Mars, Saturn and Antares form a triangle. The inset shows telescopic views of Mars and Saturn. Similar views
will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click
to embiggen).
Mars is high in the evening skies in the head of the Scorpion.
Mars starts the week not far from the star Acab in Scorpio. Acab is one of three stars that defines the head of the Scorpion. Mars forms a triangle with Saturn and the red star Antares. By the end of the week Mars is in the very head of the Scorpion between the stars Dschubba and Acab.
Saturn is reasonably high in the evening sky and is readily visible below Scorpius. Saturn forms a triangle with Mars and the red star Antares. It is now high enough for good telescopic observation in the evening
Venus is lost in the twilight.
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 First Quarter Moon is Saturday May 14. The Moon is at apogee, when it is furthest from the Earth, on the 19th.
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 19:00 on. Jupiter's Moons will be an excellent sight all evening. On the 12th Io crosses Jupiter's face then on the 14th Europa crosses Jupiter's face.
The evening is also graced by the summer constellations of Orion the Hunter and Canis Major with bright Sirius, the dog star above the western horizon in the early evening.
Mars is high in the evening skies in the head of the Scorpion.
Mars starts the week not far from the star Acab in Scorpio. Acab is one of three stars that defines the head of the Scorpion. Mars forms a triangle with Saturn and the red star Antares. By the end of the week Mars is in the very head of the Scorpion between the stars Dschubba and Acab.
Saturn is reasonably high in the evening sky and is readily visible below Scorpius. Saturn forms a triangle with Mars and the red star Antares. It is now high enough for good telescopic observation in the evening
Venus is lost in the twilight.
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, May 09, 2016
Watch the Transit of Mercury on Streaming TV (tonight, May 9)
Transit of Mercury as seen from Australia in November 2006 at around 8:30am, click to enlarge. Mercury is the tiny dot roughly in the centre-top.Virtual Telescope Project: http://www.virtualtelescope.eu/webtv/
Global Star Party: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EX-quH2cFyw
Slooh: http://live.slooh.com/stadium/live/transit-of-mercury-2016
Sunday, May 08, 2016
Aurora Alert 8-9 May, 2016
(Yes, this is the first alert since January) The Australian Space Weather
Service (SWS ) has now issued a Geomagnetic Warning and Geomagnetic Alert for
geomagnetic storms on 8-9 January UT from a coronal hole. A G3 storm occurred
during daylight, the global Kp index is currently 6, and the Launceston Kindex
is 5. Aurora are currently visible in New Zealand. The NOAA site has a predicted G1/G2
storm for tonight. If the current conditions
persist there is a possibility we will get unaided eye visible aurora in
Tasmania and possibly the Southern mainland. Evening and morning skies are
Moon free, but currently most of Southern Australia is covered in thick cloud.
Dark sky sites have the best chance of seeing anything, and always allow around 5 minutes for your eyes to become dark adapted.
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, as well as bright
proton arcs and "picket fences".
Here is the near-real time satellite view of the clouds http://satview.bom.gov.au/
Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.
The all sky aurora camera in Northern Tasmania at Cressy may be helpful.
<http://www.ips.gov.au/Geophysical/4/2>
SUBJ: IPS AURORA ALERT HIGH LATITUDES
ISSUED AT 0620 UT ON 08 May 2016 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.
SUBJ: SWS GEOMAGNETIC DISTURBANCE WARNING 16/17
ISSUED AT 2337UT/06 MAY 2016
BY THE AUSTRALIAN SPACE FORECAST CENTRE.
The effects of high speed solar wind streams from two subsequent
coronal holes may raise the geomagnetic activity to minor storm
levels on 7, 8 and 9 May.
INCREASED GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY EXPECTED
DUE TO CORONAL HOLE HIGH SPEED WIND STREAM
FROM 07-09 MAY 2016
_____________________________________________________________
GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY FORECAST
07 May: Unsettled to minor storm
08 May: Unsettled to minor storm
09 May: Unsettled to minor storm
Further monitoring at
http://www.ips.gov.au
Here is the near-real time satellite view of the clouds http://satview.bom.gov.au/
Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.
The all sky aurora camera in Northern Tasmania at Cressy may be helpful.
<http://www.ips.gov.au/Geophysical/4/2>
SUBJ: IPS AURORA ALERT HIGH LATITUDES
ISSUED AT 0620 UT ON 08 May 2016 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.
SUBJ: SWS GEOMAGNETIC DISTURBANCE WARNING 16/17
ISSUED AT 2337UT/06 MAY 2016
BY THE AUSTRALIAN SPACE FORECAST CENTRE.
The effects of high speed solar wind streams from two subsequent
coronal holes may raise the geomagnetic activity to minor storm
levels on 7, 8 and 9 May.
INCREASED GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY EXPECTED
DUE TO CORONAL HOLE HIGH SPEED WIND STREAM
FROM 07-09 MAY 2016
_____________________________________________________________
GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY FORECAST
07 May: Unsettled to minor storm
08 May: Unsettled to minor storm
09 May: Unsettled to minor storm
Further monitoring at
http://www.ips.gov.au
Labels: aurora
Friday, May 06, 2016
Eta Aquariid meteor shower peaks 7 May, 2016 (Australia)
Don't forget, the Eta Aquariid meteor shower peaks tomorrow morning (Saturday 7 May, for Australians), although good rates will also be seen on Sunday morning (however, the weather forecast is less encouraging).
Reports for observers this morning suggested that rates will be around the predicted one very three minutes from dark sky sites. So nice bright and slow meteors were seen (and quite a few dim ones.).
More details and observing hints here.
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: Meteors
Wednesday, May 04, 2016
Southern Skywatch May, 2016 edition is now out!
The May edition of Southern Skywatch is up.
This month sees the opposition of Mars, the eta Aquariid meteor shower and still more nice planetary action.
Jupiter and Mars and Saturn are prominent in the evening sky. Mars is at opposition on the 22nd. Mars, Antares and Saturn form a triangle in the evening skies.
Jupiter sees some some nice jovian moon action.
Mars comes close to the faint globular cluster M80 and on the 22nd, the night of opposition, the Moon, Mars, Antares and Saturn form a diamond in the sky.
Saturn has a close encounters with the Moon.
Venus is low in the morning twilight and is close to the crescent Moon on the 6th. Venus disappears in the twilight after this.
Mercury, enters the morning sky late in the month
Labels: southern skywatch
Tuesday, May 03, 2016
The Sky This Week - Thursday May 5 to Thursday May 12
The New Moon is Saturday May 7. Jupiter is visible all evening long. Venus is
low above the horizon in the twilight and is close to the crescent Moon on the 6th.
Saturn is
close to the red star Antares and forms a triangle with Mars. Mars is in
retrograde motion and is within binocular distance of the faint globular cluster M80. The Eta Aquariid meteor shower peaks May 7-8.
The New Moon is Saturday May 7. The Moon is at perigee, when it is closest to the Earth, on the 6th.
Evening sky on Saturday May 7 looking north as seen from
Adelaide
at 18:30 ACST. The inset is the telescopic view of Jupiter at this
time Showing the shadow transit of Europa. 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 19:00 on. Jupiter's Moons will be an excellent sight all evening. On the 7th Europa and its shadow cross Jupiter's face.
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) just above the western horizon at the beginning of evening. Orion the Hunter and Canis Major with bright Sirius, the dog star are above it and set early in the evening.
Evening sky on Saturday May 7 looking east as seen from
Adelaide
at 22:00 ACST. Mars, Saturn and Antares form a triangle. Mars is close to the dim globular cluster M80. 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 next to the bright red star Antares in Scorpio. Mars forms a triangle with Saturn and the red star Antares. Between the 3rd and 12th of May Mars is within a binocular field of the dim globular cluster M80, being closest on the 7th.The brightness of Mars may make seeing the cluster a bit difficult though.
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 Friday May 6 looking east as seen from
Adelaide
at 6:30 am ACST showing Venus low in the twilight with the thin crescent Moon just above. 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 visited by the thin crescent Moon on the 6th, and is essentially lost to view after this.
Mercury is lost in the twilight.
Morning sky on Saturday May 7 looking east as seen from Adelaide
at 4:00 am ACST. The radiant of the eta Aquariid meteor shower is
shown. Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at equivalent
local times. (click
to embiggen).
The eta Aquariids meteor shower, the debris from Halleys comet, will peak on May 6 UT . However, the best rates will be seen from Australia on the mornings of the 7th and 8th with around one meteor every 3 minutes at dark sky sites. More details and viewing hints are at my eta Aquariid post.
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 Saturday May 7. The Moon is at perigee, when it is closest to the Earth, on the 6th.
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 19:00 on. Jupiter's Moons will be an excellent sight all evening. On the 7th Europa and its shadow cross Jupiter's face.
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) just above the western horizon at the beginning of evening. Orion the Hunter and Canis Major with bright Sirius, the dog star are above it and set early in the 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 next to the bright red star Antares in Scorpio. Mars forms a triangle with Saturn and the red star Antares. Between the 3rd and 12th of May Mars is within a binocular field of the dim globular cluster M80, being closest on the 7th.The brightness of Mars may make seeing the cluster a bit difficult though.
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 visited by the thin crescent Moon on the 6th, and is essentially lost to view after this.
Mercury is lost in the twilight.
Morning sky on Saturday May 7 looking east as seen from Adelaide
at 4:00 am ACST. The radiant of the eta Aquariid meteor shower is
shown. Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at equivalent
local times. (click
to embiggen).The eta Aquariids meteor shower, the debris from Halleys comet, will peak on May 6 UT . However, the best rates will be seen from Australia on the mornings of the 7th and 8th with around one meteor every 3 minutes at dark sky sites. More details and viewing hints are at my eta Aquariid post.
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, May 02, 2016
eta Aquariid Meteor Shower 7-9 May, 2016
The eta Aquariids meteor shower, the debris from Halleys comet, will peak on May 5 UT , which translates to 6:00am AEST on May 6 in Australia. However, the best rates will be seen from Australia on the mornings of the 7th and 8th.
This year conditions are near perfect for seeing the eta Aquariids, with the Moon a thin crescent or new. People in the suburbs should see a meteor around once every 6 minutes, and in the country about once every 3 minutes. The radiant of the shower is about five hand-spans up from the eastern horizon, and three hand-spans to the left of due east at 4 am (see spotter chart at 4 am above).
You may have read that this year the eta Aquariids have a predicted ZHR of 40 meteors. The figure ZHR is zenithal hourly rate. This is the number of meteors that a single observer would see per hour if the shower's "point of origin", or radiant, were at the zenith and the sky were dark enough for 6.5-magnitude stars to be visible to the naked eye.
In practise, you will never see this many meteors as the radiant will be some distance below the zenith. Also, unless you are out deep in the countryside, the darkness will be less than ideal. How many are you likely to see in reality? I discuss this further down, lets talk about when to see them first.
Although the actual peak is on 6th at 06:00 AEST, for Australia the best time to see the eta-Aquarids is in the early morning of the 7th, 8th and 9th. This year the thin crescent Moon will not interfere on the 6th, and the 7th is New Moon, so you should have almost ideal observing conditions if the cloud stays away.
How many will be seen on the 7th is not entirely clear (see prediction below, but they are only predictions), but good rates were seen in 2014, and dark sky sites may possibly see one meteor every three minutes or so. There were many bright ones reported with persistent trains in 2014. People in the suburbs may be will see less, but at least one every 6 minutes should be possible. Rates should be much the same on the 8th and a bit less on the 9th.
The radiant of the shower is about five hand-spans up from the eastern horizon, and three hand-spans to the left of due east at 4 am (see above for a spotter chart at 5 am). When looking, be sure to let your eyes adjust for at least 5 minutes so your eyes can be properly adapted to the dark. Don't look directly at the radiant site, because the meteors will often start their "burn" some distance from it, but around a handspan up or to the side. The best way to watch the Eta Aquariids is to let your eye rove around the entire patch of the sky above the north-east horizon, between the only two obvious bright stars in the north-east, Altair and Fomalhaut.
Be patient, although you should see an average of a meteor every six to three minutes, a whole stretch of time can go by without a meteor, then a whole bunch turn up one after the other.
Make yourself comfortable, choose an observing site that has little to obstruct the eastern horizon, have a comfortable chair to sit in (a banana lounger is best), or blankets and pillows. Rug up against the cold. A hot Thermos of something to drink and plenty of mosquito protection will complete your observing preparations. As well as meteors, keep an eye out for satellites (see Heavens Above for predictions from your site).
You need to choose 31 Eta Aquariids and remember to set the date to 6-7, 7-8 or 8-9 May 2016 and turn off daylight saving time. You can follow the progress of the shower at the IMO live Aquariid site.
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: Meteors
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