Saturday, October 29, 2016
The ISS Zips past the Line-up of Venus, Antares and Saturn (28 October, 2016)
 |  |
| The International Space Station zips over the trio of Anatres (left) Venus (brightest object centre) and Saturn (right). Stack of 10 x 5 second images taken with a Canon IXUS at 400 ASA stacked in Deep Sky Stacker (which dropped a couple of frames, hence gap in the middle) click to embiggen | Animation of the ISS pass (Animation done in ImageJ using all 10 frames, click to embiggen). |
 |  |
| The Line-up, stack of 10 x 15 second images taken with a Canon IXUS at 400 ASA stacked in Deep Sky Stacker Click to embiggen | Single 15 second image showing the Line-up, the reflection of Venus in the ocean, and the reflcetion of the trio in a tidal pool on the beach. Click to embiggen |
After a somewhat mildly hectic afternoon spent in doctors waiting rooms, I finally got out to see the evening sky was startlingly clear. Forgoing the charms of "The Good Dinosaur" I headed down the beach to catch images of the line-up (oh, and actually look at it).
The line-up of Venus, Saturn and Antares was very bit as impressive as the days leading up to it promised. Set against the curl of Scorpio, with the Milky Way above, it was gorgeous.
Photographing it was another thing entirely. The sodium fog lights messed up the images, so I had to go all the way to the actual shoreline to get away from the light. By then the ISS was about to come over, and I had jsut enough time to get set up for it.
And boy did it look good zooming over the trio. A bit dim at first but soon brightened up, certainly well worth it. Also got the reflection of the line-up in a tidal pool at the shore line. All in all a spectacular night, not clouded out at all.
Labels: astrophotography, Conjunction, ISS, Saturn, unaided eye, Venus
Wednesday, October 26, 2016
ISS Passes Aquilla (26 October, 2016)
Venus, Saturn and Antares (26 October, 2016)
Labels: Saturn, unaided eye, Venus
The Sky This Week - Thursday October 27 to Thursday November 3
The New Moon is Monday October 31. This is a "Blue" New Moon. Venus is between
Antares and Saturn on Friday the 28th, and many places will see the ISS pass by the trio. The crescent Moon visits Venus and Saturn on the November 3rd. Mars heads towards Capricorn. The thin crescent Moon is close to Jupiter on October 28.
The New Moon is Monday October 31. This is a "Blue" New Moon, the second New Moon of the month. The Moon is at apogee, when it is furthest from the Earth, on November the 1st.
Evening sky on Thursday October 28 looking west as seen from
Adelaide at 21:14 ACDST. Venus is between Antares and Saturn at this
time with the International Space Station passing close by. Similar views
(without the space station) will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time. Viewing times for the ISS can be found here (click
to embiggen).
Venus continues to rise into darker skies this week. Venus is high in the dusk sky and can be seen easily from somewhat before half an hour to a bit after an hour and a half after sunset, staying visible after twilight is over low above the horizon in truly dark skies.
Venus starts the week is close the pair of Antares and Saturn. On Friday it is between them in a spectacular line-up. On Friday as well the International Space Station makes a close pass to line-up seen from many locations in Australia. Times and viewing charts are detailed here.
After the 28th Venus begins to move way from the pair of Antares and Saturn towards Sagittarius. On November 2 and 3 the crescent Moon is close to Saturn and Venus.
Evening sky on Thursday November 3 looking west as seen from
Adelaide at 21:00 ACDST. Mars is heading towards Capricornius and the thin crescent Moon forms a diamond shape with Venus, Antars and Saturn. Similar views
will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click
to embiggen).
Mars is in the western evening skies between the "teapot" of Sagittarius and Capricornius. During the week Mars moves away from Sagittarius towards Capricornius.
Mars was at opposition on May 22, and is still visibly dimming, but is still a modest telescope object. It is visible all evening long. In even small telescopes Mars will be a visible, but gibbous, disk, and you may even be able to see its markings.
Saturn was at opposition on the 3rd of June. 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. Saturn is readily visible next to Antares in Scorpius. Saturn is still high enough for good telescopic observation in the early evening, setting abut midnight daylight saving time. In even small telescopes its distinctive rings are obvious.
In the early evening the line-up of Venus, Saturn and Mars under dark skies will look very good.
Mercury is low in the morning twilight but never rises far above the horizon.
Morning sky on Friday October 28 looking east as seen from
Adelaide at 5:45 ACDST. Jupiter is low in the twilight glow near the thin crescent Moon.
Jupiter emerges from the twilight into the morning skies this week. You will need an unobstructed, level eastern horizon to see it around half an hour before sunrise. On the 28th the thin crescent Moon is a signpost to the banded world.
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 Monday October 31. This is a "Blue" New Moon, the second New Moon of the month. The Moon is at apogee, when it is furthest from the Earth, on November the 1st.
Venus continues to rise into darker skies this week. Venus is high in the dusk sky and can be seen easily from somewhat before half an hour to a bit after an hour and a half after sunset, staying visible after twilight is over low above the horizon in truly dark skies.
Venus starts the week is close the pair of Antares and Saturn. On Friday it is between them in a spectacular line-up. On Friday as well the International Space Station makes a close pass to line-up seen from many locations in Australia. Times and viewing charts are detailed here.
After the 28th Venus begins to move way from the pair of Antares and Saturn towards Sagittarius. On November 2 and 3 the crescent Moon is close to Saturn and Venus.
Mars is in the western evening skies between the "teapot" of Sagittarius and Capricornius. During the week Mars moves away from Sagittarius towards Capricornius.
Mars was at opposition on May 22, and is still visibly dimming, but is still a modest telescope object. It is visible all evening long. In even small telescopes Mars will be a visible, but gibbous, disk, and you may even be able to see its markings.
Saturn was at opposition on the 3rd of June. 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. Saturn is readily visible next to Antares in Scorpius. Saturn is still high enough for good telescopic observation in the early evening, setting abut midnight daylight saving time. In even small telescopes its distinctive rings are obvious.
In the early evening the line-up of Venus, Saturn and Mars under dark skies will look very good.
Mercury is low in the morning twilight but never rises far above the horizon.
Jupiter emerges from the twilight into the morning skies this week. You will need an unobstructed, level eastern horizon to see it around half an hour before sunrise. On the 28th the thin crescent Moon is a signpost to the banded world.
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
The ISS Meets the Line-Up of Saturn Venus and Antares (28 October, 2016)
 |  |  |
| The ISS passes near Venus, Saturn and Antares as seen from Adelaide on the evening of Friday 28 October at 21:14 ACDST. Simulated in Stellarium (the ISS will actually be a bright dot), click to embiggen. | The ISS passes almost over Saturn as seen from Brisbane on the evening of Friday 28 October at 19:09 AEST. Simulated in Stellarium (the ISS will actually be a bright dot), click to embiggen. | The ISS passes almost over Venus as seen from Perth on the evening of Friday 28 October at 20:16 AWST. Simulated in Stellarium (the ISS 0will actually be a bright dot), click to embiggen. |
 |  |  |
| All sky chart showing local times from Heavens Above for Friday 28 Octoberr for Adelaide. | All sky chart showing local times from Heavens Above for Friday 28 October for Brisbane. | All sky chart showing local times from Heavens Above for Friday 28 October for Perth. |
If you have been following Venus's rise towards the Scorpion, you will have been waiting for Friday the 28th of October when Venus, Saturn and Antares form a straight line, capping off a month of nice planetary encounters.
For most of Australia this line-up is made doubly special by a visit from the International Space Station. From some sites the ISS will pass very close to Venus, from others close to Saturn. There are also some nice passes close to the pointers and Crux.
Most of the major cites (Adelaide 21:14 ACDST, Brisbane 19:09 AEST, Canberra 21:45 AEDST, Sydney 21:45 AEDST, Melbourne 21:46 AEDST, Perth 20:16 AWST, Hobart 21:47 AEDST) see the ISS pass by the trio. Hobasrt see a very wide pass, and Canberra and Sydney's pass is very clse to the horizon and needs a clear, level western horizon.
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, a small difference in location can mean the difference between the ISS passing over Venus (or Saturn) and missing it completely.
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. Use the most recent prediction for your site.
Most of the major cites (Adelaide 21:14 ACDST, Brisbane 19:09 AEST, Canberra 21:45 AEDST, Sydney 21:45 AEDST, Melbourne 21:46 AEDST, Perth 20:16 AWST, Hobart 21:47 AEDST) see the ISS pass by the trio. Hobasrt see a very wide pass, and Canberra and Sydney's pass is very clse to the horizon and needs a clear, level western horizon.
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, a small difference in location can mean the difference between the ISS passing over Venus (or Saturn) and missing it completely.
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. Use the most recent prediction for your site.
Labels: ISS, Saturn, unaided eye, Venus
Tuesday, October 25, 2016
Aurora Happening NOW! (25 October 9:08pm AEDST)
Unaided eye aurora are being reported from multiple Tasmanian sites including
Hobart, Cygnet, Seven Mile, Howrah and Margate NOW. The indexes are good although Kindex is rubbish (Velocity: 502 km/sec
Bz: -14.0 nT
Density = 8.0 p/cc but Kindex is still 3) but people are
reporting aurora including beams! It is expected that the magnetic field
polarity will swing back and forth during the night, so there may be out busts
of aurora then it dying down before flaring up again. Weather and clouds are a
bit ordinary too.
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.
Further monitoring at
http://www.ips.gov.au
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.
Further monitoring at
http://www.ips.gov.au
Labels: aurora
Aurora Watch and Geomagnetic Warning (25-27 October)
The Australian Space Weather Service (SWS ) has issued an Aurora Watch and a geomagnetic Warning for 25 - 27 October UT from a high speed solar wind stream
from a large coronal hole.Evening skies are Moon free, but cloud is problematic. The waning moon rises early in the morning. It is possible aurora may be seen in Tasmania and Victoria if storms eventuate.
Current conditions in Australia are marginal (Velocity: 431 km/sec Bz: -8.0 nT Density = 28.0 p/cc with Kindex of 3), although if the solar speed and density picks up the strong negative field is promising. G2 storm conditions have been predicted and the planetary Kindex is 5, However, conditions are expected to fluctuate rapidly through the evening so be on the lookout if cloud clears. At this stage it seems more likely that geomagnetic storms will occur early morning on the 26th.
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 is being upgraded and is not yet online.
SUBJ: SWS GEOMAGNETIC DISTURBANCE WARNING 16/42
ISSUED AT 2336UT/24 OCTOBER 2016
BY THE AUSTRALIAN SPACE FORECAST CENTRE.
Expect the geomagnetic activity to increase over the next three
days due to an increase in the solar wind speed associated with
a large coronal hole. Activity will very between Unsettled and
Major Storm conditions during this period.
INCREASED GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY EXPECTED
DUE TO CORONAL HOLE HIGH SPEED WIND STREAM
FROM 25-27 OCTOBER 2016
_____________________________________________________________
GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY FORECAST
25 Oct: Unsettled to Major Storm
26 Oct: Unsettled to Major Storm
27 Oct: Unsettled to Major Storm
===================================================================
SUBJ: SWS AURORA WATCH
ISSUED AT 2348 UT ON 24 Oct 2016 by Space Weather Services
FROM THE AUSTRALIAN SPACE FORECAST CENTRE
A large positive polarity coronal hole extending from the solar north
pole across the equatorial region into the southern hemisphere of the
Sun will likely become geoeffective tonight, resulting in an increase
in geomagnetic activity. There is a possibility of visible auroras
during local nighttime hours. Aurora alerts will follow should
favourable space weather activity eventuate.
Further monitoring at
http://www.ips.gov.au
Labels: aurora
Thursday, October 20, 2016
Mars and M22 in Hydrogen Alpha Light (9 October 2016)
Labels: cluster, imageJ, iTelescope, Mars
Carnival of Space #479 is Here!
Carnival of Space #479 is now up at The Urban Astronomer.
There is a new dwarf planet, more adventures of the Opportunity Rover, so many stars in the univers and much, much more. Zip on over and have a read.
Labels: carnival of space
Astrophiz Podcast 15 is Out
Glen Nagle describes how the Canberra Deep Space Communications Complex listens to and sends commands to 40 spacecraft actively on missions throughout our solar system and beyond.
In 'What's Up Doc?' I tell you what to look for up in the sky this week, auroras and astrophotography of the moon.
In the news this week;
1.Successful ESA Mars Exo mission orbit insertion, TGO spacecraft sciencing successfully but possible LOS for Schiaparelli lander
2. Congratulations to Chinese Taikonauts for successful docking with their new space station
3. There are at least 10 times more galaxies than we thought
The number of galaxies in the observable universe is 2 x 10^12 galaxies. This is roughly a factor of ten more than previous estimates and This also implies that we have yet to detect a large population of faint distant galaxies.
4. ESO’s VISTA finds a dozen ancient RR Lyrae stars at the heart of the Milky Way that were previously unknown, and indicates that remnants of ancient globular clusters are scattered within the centre of the Milky Way’s bulge, firming our understanding of galaxy evolution
5. There are at least 10 times more galaxies than we thought and the number of galaxies in the observable universe is 2 x 10^12 galaxies. This is roughly a factor of ten more than previous estimates and also implies that we have yet to detect a large population of faint distant galaxies.
Labels: Astrophiz
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
Venus in the head of the Scorpion (19 October, 2016)
 |  |
| Venus in the head of the Scorpion, mosaic showing Saturn and Mars as well. Mosaic of 3, 1 x10 second, 400 ASA exposures with my Canon IXUS taken at 8:57 ACDST. Click to embiggen | Same as before but with labels added. |
The weather has been somewhat uncooperative of late, but tonight I finally got a shot of Venus in the head of the Scorpion. There was still some thin high cloud about, so the image quality isn't the greatest, and matching the separate frames in the mosaic didn't work out as well as I hoped, but I still captured the full sweep from Venus up through Saturn and Antares to Mars above the handle of the "teapot" of Sagittarius.
Venus is just below the star Dschubba (whose name means Claw) in the head of the Scorpion. Venus will be at its closest to Dschubba tomorrow night.
Labels: astrophotography, Conjunction, Mars, Saturn, unaided eye, Venus
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
The Sky This Week - Thursday October 20 to Thursday October 27
The Last Quarter Moon is Sunday October 23. Venus climbs higher in
the evening sky, leaving the head of the Scorpion and comes close to Antares and Saturn by the end of the week. Mars leaves the Teapot of Sagittarius behind.The Orionid meteor shower is washed out by moonlight.
The Last Quarter Moon is Sunday October 23.
Evening sky on Thursday October 27 looking west as seen from
Adelaide at 21:00 ACDST. Venus, Mars, Saturn, and Antares form a nice
trail in the sky. Venus is almost between Antares and Saturn at this
time. Similar views
will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time. (click
to embiggen).
Venus continues to rise into darker skies this week. Venus is high in the dusk sky and can be seen easily from somewhat before half an hour to a bit after an hour and a half after sunset, staying visible after twilight is over low above the horizon in truly dark skies.
Venus starts the week is close to the star Dschubba in the head of the Scorpion then climbs towards the pair of Antares and Saturn. By the end of the Week it is almost between them.
Jupiter is lost in the twilight.
Evening sky on Saturday October 22 looking west as seen from
Adelaide at 22:00 ACDST. Mars is leaving behind the "teapot" of Sagittarius. Similar views
will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click
to embiggen).
Mars is in the western evening skies above the "teapot" of Sagittarius.
It starts the week above the bright star Nunki, in the "handle" of the "teapot" of Sagittarius. During the week Mars moves away from Sagittarius towards Capricornius.
Mars was at opposition on May 22, and is still visibly dimming, but is still a modest telescope object. It is visible all evening long. In even small telescopes Mars will be a visible, but gibbous, disk, and you may even be able to see its markings.
Saturn was at opposition on the 3rd of June. 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. Saturn is readily visible next to Antares in Scorpius. Saturn is still high enough for good telescopic observation in the early evening, setting abut midnight daylight saving time. In even small telescopes its distinctive rings are obvious.
In the early evening the line-up of Venus, Saturn and Mars under dark skies will look very good.
Mercury is low in the morning twilight but never rises far above the horizon.
The Orionid meteor shower peaks on the early morning of Saturday October 22. The radiant is just below the bright red star Betelgeuse, however, this year the Moon is just below the radiant, so it is not really worth getting up at 3-4 am as the few meteors will all be washed out by bright moonlight (in the countryside you might see one every 10 minutes).
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 October 23.
Venus continues to rise into darker skies this week. Venus is high in the dusk sky and can be seen easily from somewhat before half an hour to a bit after an hour and a half after sunset, staying visible after twilight is over low above the horizon in truly dark skies.
Venus starts the week is close to the star Dschubba in the head of the Scorpion then climbs towards the pair of Antares and Saturn. By the end of the Week it is almost between them.
Jupiter is lost in the twilight.
Mars is in the western evening skies above the "teapot" of Sagittarius.
It starts the week above the bright star Nunki, in the "handle" of the "teapot" of Sagittarius. During the week Mars moves away from Sagittarius towards Capricornius.
Mars was at opposition on May 22, and is still visibly dimming, but is still a modest telescope object. It is visible all evening long. In even small telescopes Mars will be a visible, but gibbous, disk, and you may even be able to see its markings.
Saturn was at opposition on the 3rd of June. 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. Saturn is readily visible next to Antares in Scorpius. Saturn is still high enough for good telescopic observation in the early evening, setting abut midnight daylight saving time. In even small telescopes its distinctive rings are obvious.
In the early evening the line-up of Venus, Saturn and Mars under dark skies will look very good.
Mercury is low in the morning twilight but never rises far above the horizon.
The Orionid meteor shower peaks on the early morning of Saturday October 22. The radiant is just below the bright red star Betelgeuse, however, this year the Moon is just below the radiant, so it is not really worth getting up at 3-4 am as the few meteors will all be washed out by bright moonlight (in the countryside you might see one every 10 minutes).
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, October 17, 2016
Carnival of Space #478 is Here!
Carnival of Space #478 is now up at The Next Big Future.
There is the direct fusion drives, Cepheid variables, citizen science and much more. Fly on over and have a read.
Labels: carnival of space
Astrophiz Podcast 14 is Out
Our feature interview is from the Australian Space Research Conference where we spoke with Dr Alina Donea from Monash University who is using maths and solar satellite data to detect sun quakes and using phase shifting can accurately predict the appearance of active regions appearing around the eastern limb of our sun as it rotates.
In ‘What’s Up Doc?’ this week, I tell you about viewing Venus, Mars and Saturn, a brief report on the Orionid Meteor Shower and in ‘Ian’s Tangent’ I tell you about using photometry to do meaningful research on variable stars.
In the news this week:
1. The Max Planck Institute releases a paper and stunning images of a protoplanetary disk captured by the Atacama Large Millimeter/ submillimeter Array (ALMA), which has profound implications for our understanding of planet formation around young stars
2. The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) uses ALMA to explore the Hubble Ultra Deep Field and also releases amazing images and uncovers insights into the 'Golden Age' of Galaxy Formation 10 billion years ago
3. ESO and The International Centre for Radio Astronomy in Perth have shared their revolutionary NGAS data management system with the giant 500m FAST radio telescope facility in China to manage the petabytes of data it generates each year.
4. We describe how the construction of the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) is completed with a unique 8000 square metre radio telescope design which is investigating the key mysteries of dark energy.
5. We report on the NASA Mars 2020 Rover’s MOXIE instrument which will produce Oxygen on the Red Planet and will be launched atop an Atlas V booster, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida in July 2020.
And yes, this is late as I have been in Perth for research.
Labels: Astrophiz
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
The Sky This Week - Thursday October 13 to Thursday October 20
The Full Moon is Sunday October 16. Venus climbs higher in
the evening sky and is closest to Dschubba in the head of the Scorpion on October 20. Mars is in the "handle" of the Teapot of Sagittarius and close
to the star Nunki on the 15th.
The Full Moon is Sunday October 16. The Moon is at Perigee, when it is closest to the Earth, on the 17th.
Evening sky on Thursday October 20 looking west as seen from
Adelaide at 21:00 ACDST. Venus, Mars, Saturn, and Antares form a nice trail in the sky. Venus is closest to Dschubba in the head of the Scorpion at this
time. Similar views
will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time. (click
to embiggen).
Venus continues to rise into darker skies this week. Venus is high in the dusk sky and can be seen easily from somewhat before half an hour to a bit after an hour and a half after sunset, staying visible after twilight is over low above the horizon in truly dark skies.
Venus climbs towards the head of the Scorpion this week and by the end of the week is close to the star Dschubba in the head of the Scorpion.
Jupiter is lost in the twilight.
Evening sky on Saturday October 15 looking west as seen from
Adelaide at 22:00 ACDST. Mars is close to the star Nunki in the "handle of the "teapot" of Sagittarius. Similar views
will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click
to embiggen).
Mars is in the western evening skies in the "teapot" of Sagittarius.
It starts the week within a binocular field of the bright globular cluster M22. Detailed printable charts are available here.During the week Mars draws away from M22 and approaches the bright star Nunki, in the "handle" of the "teapot" of Sagittarius, and is closest on the 15th. Mars then moves way from Sagittarius towards Capricornius.
Mars was at opposition on May 22, and is still visibly dimming, but is still a modest telescope object. It is visible all evening long. In even small telescopes Mars will be a visible, but gibbous, disk, and you may even be able to see its markings.
Saturn was at opposition on the 3rd of June. 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. Saturn is readily visible next to Antares in Scorpius. Saturn is still high enough for good telescopic observation in the early evening, setting abut midnight daylight saving time. In even small telescopes its distinctive rings are obvious.
In the early evening the line-up of Venus, Saturn and Mars under dark skies will look very good.
Mercury is low in the morning twilight but never rises far above the horizon.
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 October 16. The Moon is at Perigee, when it is closest to the Earth, on the 17th.
Venus continues to rise into darker skies this week. Venus is high in the dusk sky and can be seen easily from somewhat before half an hour to a bit after an hour and a half after sunset, staying visible after twilight is over low above the horizon in truly dark skies.
Venus climbs towards the head of the Scorpion this week and by the end of the week is close to the star Dschubba in the head of the Scorpion.
Jupiter is lost in the twilight.
Mars is in the western evening skies in the "teapot" of Sagittarius.
It starts the week within a binocular field of the bright globular cluster M22. Detailed printable charts are available here.During the week Mars draws away from M22 and approaches the bright star Nunki, in the "handle" of the "teapot" of Sagittarius, and is closest on the 15th. Mars then moves way from Sagittarius towards Capricornius.
Mars was at opposition on May 22, and is still visibly dimming, but is still a modest telescope object. It is visible all evening long. In even small telescopes Mars will be a visible, but gibbous, disk, and you may even be able to see its markings.
Saturn was at opposition on the 3rd of June. 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. Saturn is readily visible next to Antares in Scorpius. Saturn is still high enough for good telescopic observation in the early evening, setting abut midnight daylight saving time. In even small telescopes its distinctive rings are obvious.
In the early evening the line-up of Venus, Saturn and Mars under dark skies will look very good.
Mercury is low in the morning twilight but never rises far above the horizon.
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
Wednesday, October 05, 2016
Mars Amongst the Clusters of the Teapot
 |  |
| Evening sky on Thursday October 6 looking west as seen from Adelaide at 21:00 ACDST. Venus, Mars, Saturn, Antares and the Moon form a stunning trail in the sky. Mars is close to Kaus Boralis and is beginning its trek through the clusters in the lid of the celestial teapot. Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time. (click to embiggen). | A simulated binocular view of Mars near Kaus Borealis (the Lid of the Celestial Teapot) showing the globular clusters M28 and M22. (click to embiggen). |
In early October Mars is in the “Teapot” of Sagittarius. Sagittarius lies across the heart of our galaxy, so as Mars moves through the “lid” of the teapot, it comes close to several bright stars and several bright globular clusters.
On the 5th and 6th Mars is close to the magnitude 6 globular cluster M28, on the 7th it is closest (at just half a lunar diameter) from Kaus Borealis, the star that forms the lid of the Celestial teapot. This is best seen in binoculars.
On the 8th it is closest (almost on top of) to the 9th magnitude globular cluster NGC 6638 (best in telescopes) and on the 9th and 10th it is closest to the iconic magnitude 5 globular cluster M22. Although this is potentially visible to the unaided eye in dark sky sites, with the waxing Moon, binoculars or telescopes are best to see the pairing.
The clusters and Mars are high enough from Astronomical twilight in the evening (roughly an hour and a half after sunset) until around 11 pm local time for viewing (and astroimaging) before they become too low.
There will be several challenges imaging these clusters and Mars. Mars's brightness will prevent long exposures, and the waxing Moon is close by, a mere 6 degrees on the 9th, making even narrow-band imaging a challenge.
Labels: astrophotography, cluster, Mars
Astrophiz Podcast 13 is Out
In this week’s fabulous show Dr Caroline Foster tells us about the SAMI galaxy survey using spectrographs, voids in space and how science corrects mistakes and misconceptions
Dr Nadeshzda Cherbakov tells us about the discovery of Rosetta’s Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in 1969 by Klim Churyumov and Svetlana Gerasimenko
In 'What's Up Doc?' where I tell you what to look for in the sky this week, and in 'Ian's Tangent' I tell you more about Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, and for astrophotographers, how to use a CCD webcam for astrophotography.
In the news: The podcast summarises the scientific achievements of the Rosetta/Philae Mission by the European Space Agency.
Labels: Astrophiz
The Sky This Week - Thursday October 6 to Thursday October 13
The Last Quarter Moon is Sunday October 9. Venus climbs higher in
the evening sky and is closest to alpha Libra on October 6. The crescent Moon is close to Saturn on the 6th.
The line up of Venus, The Moon, Saturn, and Mars on the 6th will look beautiful. Mars is in the "lid" of the Teapot of Sagittarius and close to the star Kaus Borealis on the 7th, and the globular cluster M22 on the 9th and 10th.
The Last Quarter Moon is Sunday October 9.
Evening sky on Thursday October 6 looking west as seen from
Adelaide at 21:00 ACDST. Venus, Mars, Saturn, Antares and the Moon form a stunning trail in the sky. Venus is closest to alpha Librae at this time. Similar views
will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time. (click
to embiggen).
Venus continues to rise into darker skies this week. Venus is high in the dusk sky and can be seen easily. From somewhat before half an hour to a bit after an hour and a half after sunset, Venus is easily seen, staying visible after twilight is over low above the horizon in truly dark skies.
At the start of the week Venus is closest to the bright star Alpha Librae. it then leaves this star behind and climbs towards the head of the Scorpion.
Jupiter is lost in the twilight.
Evening sky on Saturday October 8 looking west as seen from
Adelaide at 22:00 ACDST. Mars is close to the Moon, Kaus Borealis and M22. Similar views
will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click
to embiggen).
Mars is in the western evening skies in the "teapot" of Sagittarius.
It starts the week within a binocular field of the bright star that forms the"lid" of the "teapot" Kaus Borealis, and the bright globular cluster M22. On the 7th Mars and Kaus Borealis are a spectacular 17 arc minutes apart (around half the diameter of the Moon). On the 9th and 10 Mars is closest to M22. Mars and M22 are easily seen in the the same binocular field, and may also be seen in wide filed telescope eye pieces. Detailed printable charts are available here.
Mars was at opposition on May 22, and is still visibly dimming, but is still a modest telescope object. It is visible all evening long. In even small telescopes Mars will be a visible, but gibbous, disk, and you may even be able to see its markings.
Saturn was at opposition on the 3rd of June. 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. Saturn is readily visible next to Antares in Scorpius. Saturn is still high enough for good telescopic observation in the early evening, setting abut midnight daylight saving time. In even small telescopes its distinctive rings are obvious.
On the 6th the crescent Moon is close Saturn, and in the early evening the line-up of Venus, Saturn, the crescent Moon and Mars under dark skies will look very good.
Mercury is low in the morning twilight but never rises far above the horizon.
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 October 9.
Venus continues to rise into darker skies this week. Venus is high in the dusk sky and can be seen easily. From somewhat before half an hour to a bit after an hour and a half after sunset, Venus is easily seen, staying visible after twilight is over low above the horizon in truly dark skies.
At the start of the week Venus is closest to the bright star Alpha Librae. it then leaves this star behind and climbs towards the head of the Scorpion.
Jupiter is lost in the twilight.
Mars is in the western evening skies in the "teapot" of Sagittarius.
It starts the week within a binocular field of the bright star that forms the"lid" of the "teapot" Kaus Borealis, and the bright globular cluster M22. On the 7th Mars and Kaus Borealis are a spectacular 17 arc minutes apart (around half the diameter of the Moon). On the 9th and 10 Mars is closest to M22. Mars and M22 are easily seen in the the same binocular field, and may also be seen in wide filed telescope eye pieces. Detailed printable charts are available here.
Mars was at opposition on May 22, and is still visibly dimming, but is still a modest telescope object. It is visible all evening long. In even small telescopes Mars will be a visible, but gibbous, disk, and you may even be able to see its markings.
Saturn was at opposition on the 3rd of June. 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. Saturn is readily visible next to Antares in Scorpius. Saturn is still high enough for good telescopic observation in the early evening, setting abut midnight daylight saving time. In even small telescopes its distinctive rings are obvious.
On the 6th the crescent Moon is close Saturn, and in the early evening the line-up of Venus, Saturn, the crescent Moon and Mars under dark skies will look very good.
Mercury is low in the morning twilight but never rises far above the horizon.
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/
Tuesday, October 04, 2016
Aurora Happening NOW! (4 October 9:15pm AEDST)
Unaided eye aurora are being reported from multiple Tasmainian sites including
Dodges Ferry, Howra, West Hobart and The Channel NOW. The indexes
are currently all rubbish but people are reporting aurora. It is expected that
the magnetic field polarity will swing back and forth during the night, so there
may be out busts of aurora then it dying down before flaring up again. Weather
and clouds are a bit ordinary too.
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.
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.
Labels: aurora
Monday, October 03, 2016
Southern Skywatch October, 2016 edition is now out!
The October edition of Southern Skywatch is up.
This month starts three bright planets in the evening sky still doing an entrancing planet dance. The line-up of the 6th of Venus, Saturn, Moon and Mars will be outstanding.
Mars is close to the Moon, on the 8th. Mars rattles around in the "lid" of the "teapot" early in the month, with its stand-out meeting with M22 on the 9th and 10th.
Saturn has a close encounter with the Moon on the 6th, and Venus on the 28th .
Venus climbs higher in the evening sky and comes close to some bright stars. It finishes off the month by shooting between Antares and Saturn on the 28th.
Mercury,is lost in the twlight.
Jupiter is too close to the Sun to see for most of the month, but on the 28th it is visible low in the morning skies not far from the crescent Moon.
Labels: southern skywatch
Click to read about or order
Click to read about or order
Click to read about or order
Click to read about or order
