Thursday, February 23, 2017
Astrophiz Podcast 28 is Out
Our feature interview is with Fiona Panther who is a PhD student and the Joan Duffield Scholar at the Australian National University's Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics in Canberra, Australia. Fiona is using computational astrophysics and working on using peculiar supernova to try and understand how positions are created in excess in our Galaxy. Fiona also explains Fermi Bubbles
In ‘What’s up Doc?’ I tell you what to look for in the night sky this week using naked eye, binoculars or telescopes, and all the action is currently down near the horizon.
In the news:
NASA, working with Spitzer, Hubble and the ESO’s VLT, have just announced that 7 exoplanets have been discovered, three of them in the habitable zone around TRAPPIST-1, a dwarf star only 39 light years away.
Labels: Astrophiz
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
The Sky This Week - Thursday February 23 to Thursday March 2
The New Moon is Monday February 27. Venus
is bright low in the
twilight sky.
Mars is just above
Venus. Mars is close to Uranus on the 27th. The Moon forms a triangle with Mars and Venus on March 1. Jupiter and
the bright star Spica
are
close in the late evening
skies. Saturn is high in the morning sky.
The New Moon is Monday February 27.
Evening sky on Wednesday March 1 looking west as seen from Adelaide
at
20:18 ACDST (30 minutes after sunset). Venus, Mars and the crescent Moon form a triangle . The inset shows the telescopic view of Venus at this time.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (that is 30 minutes after local sunset, click to embiggen).
Venus is low in the dusk sky although intensely bright. After being a feature of the evening sky for so long, it is now rapidly heading towards the horizon and will soon be lost in the twilight.
It can be seen easily from somewhat before half an hour after sunset to just after half an hour after sunset. It is dazzlingly brilliant above the horizon in the early twilight and is a distinct crescent shape.
On the 28th the thin crescent Moon is nearby Venus, but will be hard to see in the twilight. The Moon forms a triangle with Mars and Venus on March 1. and the Moon is above Mars forming a line with Venus and Mars on the 2nd.
Mars is in the western evening skies in Pisces. Mars remains in a star poor area but on the 26th and 27th Mars and Uranus are closer than a finger-with apart and easily seen together in binoculars and in medium power telescope eye-pieces. Unfortunately Mars and Uranus are getting close to the horiozn, so you will need to look around an hour after sunset, before the sky is fully dark. Still, Uranus is bright enough to spot as a dot in binoculars, although you will really need a telescope to bring out the blue-green colour of Uranus next to the red of Mars.
Mars was at opposition on May 22, 2016 and is still visibly dimming. While still brighter than any of the nearby stars, it is much faded and not immediately obvious, It is no longer a modest telescope object. Mars is visible most of the evening setting before midnight. In small telescopes Mars will be a visible, but tiny, gibbous disk, however you are unlikely to see its markings.
Late evening sky on Saturday February 25 looking east as seen from
Adelaide at 23:30 ACDST. Jupiter is now rising before midnight.
It is close to the bright star Spica. The inset shows the telescopic
view of Jupiter at 1:12 am as Europa is about to disappear nto eclipse. Similar
views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent
local time. (click
to embiggen).
Jupiter is rising just before midnight, but remains low to the horizon this week and is still better in the early morning. It is close to the bright star Spica, the brightest star in the constellation of Virgo. Jupiter is a good telescopic target from around 1 am, and the dance of its Moons is visible even in binoculars. The following Jupiter events are in AEDST.
Morning sky on Saturday February 25 looking east as seen from
Adelaide at 5:34 ACDST (90 minutes before sunrise). Saturn is
reasonably high above the horizon.
The inset shows the telescopic view of Saturn at this time. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes before sunrise). (click to embiggen).
Saturn rises higher in darker morning skies this week. Saturn is now high enough above eastern horizon to see easily. It continues to climb into darker skies as the week progresses.
The constellation of Scorpio is a good guide to locating Saturn. The distinctive curl of Scorpio is easy to see above the eastern horizon, locate the bright red star, Antares, and the look below that towards the horizon, the next bright object is Saturn.
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 New Moon is Monday February 27.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (that is 30 minutes after local sunset, click to embiggen).
Venus is low in the dusk sky although intensely bright. After being a feature of the evening sky for so long, it is now rapidly heading towards the horizon and will soon be lost in the twilight.
It can be seen easily from somewhat before half an hour after sunset to just after half an hour after sunset. It is dazzlingly brilliant above the horizon in the early twilight and is a distinct crescent shape.
On the 28th the thin crescent Moon is nearby Venus, but will be hard to see in the twilight. The Moon forms a triangle with Mars and Venus on March 1. and the Moon is above Mars forming a line with Venus and Mars on the 2nd.
Mars is in the western evening skies in Pisces. Mars remains in a star poor area but on the 26th and 27th Mars and Uranus are closer than a finger-with apart and easily seen together in binoculars and in medium power telescope eye-pieces. Unfortunately Mars and Uranus are getting close to the horiozn, so you will need to look around an hour after sunset, before the sky is fully dark. Still, Uranus is bright enough to spot as a dot in binoculars, although you will really need a telescope to bring out the blue-green colour of Uranus next to the red of Mars.
Mars was at opposition on May 22, 2016 and is still visibly dimming. While still brighter than any of the nearby stars, it is much faded and not immediately obvious, It is no longer a modest telescope object. Mars is visible most of the evening setting before midnight. In small telescopes Mars will be a visible, but tiny, gibbous disk, however you are unlikely to see its markings.
Jupiter is rising just before midnight, but remains low to the horizon this week and is still better in the early morning. It is close to the bright star Spica, the brightest star in the constellation of Virgo. Jupiter is a good telescopic target from around 1 am, and the dance of its Moons is visible even in binoculars. The following Jupiter events are in AEDST.
Thu 23 Feb 2:41 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Thu 23 Feb 6:03 Eur: Shadow Transit Begins S Thu 23 Feb 22:32 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Fri 24 Feb 5:43 Gan: Shadow Transit Begins S Sat 25 Feb 1:12 Eur: Disappears into Eclipse Sat 25 Feb 4:19 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Sat 25 Feb 5:23 Eur: Reappears from Occultation Sun 26 Feb 0:10 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Sun 26 Feb 23:29 Eur: Transit Ends Mon 27 Feb 5:05 Io : Shadow Transit Begins S Mon 27 Feb 5:57 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Mon 27 Feb 5:57 Io : Transit Begins ST Mon 27 Feb 22:19 Gan: Reappears from Eclipse Mon 27 Feb 23:31 Gan: Disappears into Occultation Tue 28 Feb 1:27 Gan: Reappears from Occultation Tue 28 Feb 1:48 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Tue 28 Feb 2:12 Io : Disappears into Eclipse Tue 28 Feb 5:14 Io : Reappears from Occultation Tue 28 Feb 23:33 Io : Shadow Transit Begins S
Wed 1 Mar 00:23 Io : Transit Begins ST Wed 1 Mar 01:45 Io : Shadow Transit Ends T Wed 1 Mar 02:33 Io : Transit Ends Wed 1 Mar 23:41 Io : Reappears from Occultation Thu 2 Mar 03:26 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian
The inset shows the telescopic view of Saturn at this time. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes before sunrise). (click to embiggen).
Saturn rises higher in darker morning skies this week. Saturn is now high enough above eastern horizon to see easily. It continues to climb into darker skies as the week progresses.
The constellation of Scorpio is a good guide to locating Saturn. The distinctive curl of Scorpio is easy to see above the eastern horizon, locate the bright red star, Antares, and the look below that towards the horizon, the next bright object is Saturn.
Mercury is lost in the twilight.
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
Thursday, February 16, 2017
Mira nears Maximum
 |  |
| Westen horizon at 22:00 ACDST showing Mira and the other bright stars of Cetus. Stack of 9x15 second exposers 400 ASA, Canon IXUS. Stacked in Deep Sky Stacker. | Stellaium view of the western horizon at astronomical twilight, the location of Mira is indicated by the circle. |
Mira (omicron ceti), a star in the constellation of Cetus the whale, is a long period pulsating red giant and changes brightness from below naked eye visibility to a peak of round magnitude 2 (roughly as bright as beta Crucis in the Southern Cross) in around 330 days. Mira is predicted to peak with maximum of 3.4 around 23 February.
This image is the first time I've been able to capture Mira this cycle. Mira, bespite being low to the horizon, is already quite bright, around at least magnitude 3.7 (close to the brightness of Baten Kaitos, zeta (ζ) Ceti. Unfortunately, as it approaches peak brightness on the 23rd, it comes closer to the horizon.
Labels: variable star
Wednesday, February 15, 2017
The Sky This Week - Thursday February 16 to Thursday February 23
The Last Quarter Moon is Sunday February 19. Venus
is prominent in the
twilight sky in the star poor regions of Pisces.
Mars is just above
Venus. Jupiter and
the bright star Spica
are
close in the late evening
skies. Saturn is high in the morning sky and is close to the crescent Moon on the 21st..
The Last Quarter Moon is Sunday February 19. The Moon is at apogee (when it is furthest from the Earth) at this time.
Evening sky on Saturday February 18 looking west as seen from Adelaide
at
21:09 ACDST (60 minutes after sunset). Venus and (now dim) Mars form a
line. The inset shows the telescopic view of Venus at this time.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (that is 60 minutes after local sunset, click to embiggen).
Venus is high in the dusk sky and intensely bright. After being a feature of the evening sky for so long, it is now rapidly heading towards the horizon.
It can be seen easily from somewhat before half an hour after sunset to an hour after sunset. It is dazzlingly brilliant above the horizon in the late twilight. Venus has been mistaken for flares or landing aeroplanes it is so bright now.
Venus is in a very star poor field in Pisces and is a distinct crescent shape in telescopes.
Mars is in the western evening skies in Pisces. Mars remains in a star poor area.
Mars was at opposition on May 22, 2016 and is still visibly dimming. While still brighter than any of the nearby stars, it is much faded and not immediately obvious, It is no longer a modest telescope object. Mars is visible most of the evening setting before midnight. In small telescopes Mars will be a visible, but tiny, gibbous disk, however you are unlikely to see its markings.
Sky on Saturday February 18 looking east as seen from
Adelaide at 23:30 ACDST. Jupiter is now rising before midnight.
It is close to the bright star Spica. The inset shows the telescopic view of Jupiter at 2:32 am as Erupa appears from behind Jupiter. Similar
views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent
local time. (click
to embiggen).
Jupiter is rising just before midnight, but remains low to the horizon this week and is still better in the early morning. It is close to the bright star Spica, the brightest star in the constellation of Virgo. Jupiter is a good telescopic target from around 1 am, and the dance of its Moons is visible even in binoculars. The following Jupiter events are in AEDST.
Morning sky on Tuesday February 21 looking east as seen from
Adelaide at 5:17 ACDST (90 minutes before sunrise). Saturn is
reasonably high above the horizon and close to the Moon. The inset
shows the telescopic view of Saturn at this time. Similar
views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent
local time (90 minutes before sunrise). (click
to embiggen).
Saturn rises higher in darker morning skies this week. Saturn is now high enough above eastern horizon to see easily. It continues to climb into darker skies as the week progresses.
The constellation of Scorpio is a good guide to locating Saturn. The distinctive curl of Scorpio is easy to see above the eastern horizon, locate the bright red star, Antares, and the look below that towards the horizon, the next bright object is Saturn. The crescent Moon is close to Saturn on Tuesday February 21.
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 Sunday February 19. The Moon is at apogee (when it is furthest from the Earth) at this time.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (that is 60 minutes after local sunset, click to embiggen).
Venus is high in the dusk sky and intensely bright. After being a feature of the evening sky for so long, it is now rapidly heading towards the horizon.
It can be seen easily from somewhat before half an hour after sunset to an hour after sunset. It is dazzlingly brilliant above the horizon in the late twilight. Venus has been mistaken for flares or landing aeroplanes it is so bright now.
Venus is in a very star poor field in Pisces and is a distinct crescent shape in telescopes.
Mars is in the western evening skies in Pisces. Mars remains in a star poor area.
Mars was at opposition on May 22, 2016 and is still visibly dimming. While still brighter than any of the nearby stars, it is much faded and not immediately obvious, It is no longer a modest telescope object. Mars is visible most of the evening setting before midnight. In small telescopes Mars will be a visible, but tiny, gibbous disk, however you are unlikely to see its markings.
Jupiter is rising just before midnight, but remains low to the horizon this week and is still better in the early morning. It is close to the bright star Spica, the brightest star in the constellation of Virgo. Jupiter is a good telescopic target from around 1 am, and the dance of its Moons is visible even in binoculars. The following Jupiter events are in AEDST.
Thu 16 Feb 1:56 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Thu 16 Feb 3:28 Eur: Shadow Transit Begins S Thu 16 Feb 5:35 Eur: Transit Begins ST Thu 16 Feb 5:58 Eur: Shadow Transit Ends T Fri 17 Feb 1:45 Gan: Shadow Transit Begins S Fri 17 Feb 4:18 Gan: Shadow Transit Ends Fri 17 Feb 6:05 Gan: Transit Begins T Sat 18 Feb 3:02 Eur: Reappears from Occultation Sat 18 Feb 3:34 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Sat 18 Feb 23:25 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Sun 19 Feb 5:50 Io : Disappears into Eclipse Mon 20 Feb 3:11 Io : Shadow Transit Begins S Mon 20 Feb 4:10 Io : Transit Begins ST Mon 20 Feb 5:12 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Mon 20 Feb 5:23 Io : Shadow Transit Ends T Mon 20 Feb 6:20 Io : Transit Ends Tue 21 Feb 0:19 Io : Disappears into Eclipse Tue 21 Feb 1:03 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Tue 21 Feb 3:27 Io : Reappears from Occultation Tue 21 Feb 22:37 Io : Transit Begins ST Tue 21 Feb 23:52 Io : Shadow Transit Ends T Wed 22 Feb 0:47 Io : Transit Ends Wed 22 Feb 6:50 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Thu 23 Feb 2:41 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Thu 23 Feb 6:03 Eur: Shadow Transit Begins S Thu 23 Feb 22:32 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian
Saturn rises higher in darker morning skies this week. Saturn is now high enough above eastern horizon to see easily. It continues to climb into darker skies as the week progresses.
The constellation of Scorpio is a good guide to locating Saturn. The distinctive curl of Scorpio is easy to see above the eastern horizon, locate the bright red star, Antares, and the look below that towards the horizon, the next bright object is Saturn. The crescent Moon is close to Saturn on Tuesday February 21.
Mercury is lost in the twilight.
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, February 13, 2017
My Images of the Occultation of Regulus (11 February, 2017)
 |  |
| Occultation of Regulus, showing Regulus getting closer to the Moon from 11:20:44 until 11:42:37 ACSDT, just before disappearance. I had to overexpose the Moon to see image Regulus clearly, and have overlain a normally exposed image of the Moon for reference. Click to embiggen. | Animation of the frames in the previous panel, click to embiggen. |
 |  |
| The Moon and Regulus at 11:43:20 I have zoomed in compared to the images above (click to embiggen as Regulus is harder to see due to the Moons light) | The Moon and Regulus at 11:43:38 with Regulus just touching the Moon's surface. (click to embiggen as Regulus is harder to see due to the Moons light) |
After a disappointing morning, where comet 45P was completely clouded out, I was resigned to the occulataion of Regulus being clouded out. With intermittent cloud coming over, I set up the 4" Newtonian with my Canon IXUS in infinity to infinity mode of a 20 mm eyepiece (rather than the 8" with time drive and CCD cam).
Despite the cloud I was able to get images of almost up to Regulus going behind the Moon (it was just touching) before the cloud came over and blocked my view. Given the cloud, I didn't hang around for egress but went to bed. While my recorded almost occulataion time was 11:43:38 and the predicted time was 11:42:40 my camera clock is not accurate enough for this kind of timing.
So a successful occultation campaign. Let's hope the May 4 occultation of Regulus is clear.
Labels: astrophotography, Moon, Occultation, star, telescope
Wednesday, February 08, 2017
The Sky This Week - Thursday February 9 to Thursday February 16
The Full Moon is Saturday February 11, it occults the bright star Regulus at this time. Venus
is prominent in the
twilight and early evening sky in the star poor regions of Pisces.
Mars is just above
Venus. Jupiter and
the bright star Spica
are
close in the late evening
skies. Saturn is high in the morning sky with Mercury close to the horizon below. Comet 45P may be visible in binoculars.
The Full Moon is Saturday February 11, it occults the bright star Regulus at this time.
The North-eastern horizon as seen from Adelaide at 23:00 ACDST, the bright star Regulus is close to the Moon just before it is occuted. Similar views will be seen elswhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. Click to embiggen.
On the late evening of Saturday 11 February the bright star Regulus is occulted by the Moon as seen from the most of Australia. This is the first of two occultations of Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation of Leo the lion, this year. The Moon is a very obvious signpost for where to look and Regulus will be the brightest object near the Moon. Further details, viewing hints and timings for major cities can be found here.
Evening sky on Saturday February 11 looking west as seen from Adelaide
at
21:17 ACDST (60 minutes after sunset). Venus and (now dim) Mars form a line. The inset shows the telescopic view of Venus at this time.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (that is 60 minutes after local sunset, click to embiggen).
Venus is high in the dusk sky and intensely bright. It can be seen easily from somewhat before half an hour after sunset to two hours after sunset. It stays dazzlingly brilliant above the horizon in truly dark skies well into the evening. Venus has been mistaken for flares or landing aeroplanes it is so bright now.
Venus is in a very star poor field in Pisces. Venus is a distinct "waning Moon" shape in telescopes.
Mars is in the western evening skies in Pisces. Mars remains in a star poor area.
Mars was at opposition on May 22, 2016 and is still visibly dimming. While still brighter than any of the nearby stars, it is much faded and not immediately obvious, It is no longer a modest telescope object. Mars is visible most of the evening setting before midnight. In small telescopes Mars will be a visible, but tiny, gibbous disk, however you are unlikely to see its markings.
The
North-east horizon as seen in Australia at 22:00 pm ACDST (an hour and a
half after sunset) showing the location of Vesta
on Saturday February 4 (similar views will be seen elsewhere at the
equivalent local time, and hour and a half after sunset, click to
embiggen).
Jupiter rises even higher into the morning skies this week. It is now well above the eastern horizon and is easy to see as the brightest object above the northern horizon from around an hour and a half before sunrise. It is also riging just before midnight, but remains low to the horizon this week. It is close to the bright star Spica, the brightest star in the constellation of Virgo. Jupiter is a good telescopic target from around 1 am, and the dance of its Moons is visible even in binoculars. The following Jupiter events are in AEDST.
Morning sky on Saturday February 4 looking east as seen from
Adelaide at 5:33 ACDST (60 minutes before sunrise). Saturn is
reasonably high above the horizon with Mercury just below it . The inset shows the telescopic view of Saturn at this time. Similar
views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent
local time (60 minutes before sunrise). (click
to embiggen).
Saturn rises higher in darker morning skies this week. Saturn is now high enough above eastern horizon to see easily. It continues to climb into darker skies as the week progresses.
The constellation of Scorpio is a good guide to locating Saturn and Mercury. The distinctive curl of Scorpio is easy to see above the eastern horizon, locate the bright red star, Antares, and the look below that towards the horizon, the next bright object is Saturn, followed by Mercury.
Mercury is slowly returning towards the horizon, this week is the last that it will be easily visible, by the end of the week it will be lost in the twilight.
Comet 45P on February 11 facing north-east at astronomical twilight in
the morning as seen for most of Australia. Click to embiggen.
Comet 45P is around magnitude 6.5 and is visible in binoculars and small telescopes in the early morning sky. It is currently showing as a small fuzzy patch with no hint of a tail.
On February 11 the comet will be closest to Earth and the comet may be seen to move visibly during the morning skies.
For more details and printable charts see 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 Saturday February 11, it occults the bright star Regulus at this time.The North-eastern horizon as seen from Adelaide at 23:00 ACDST, the bright star Regulus is close to the Moon just before it is occuted. Similar views will be seen elswhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. Click to embiggen.
On the late evening of Saturday 11 February the bright star Regulus is occulted by the Moon as seen from the most of Australia. This is the first of two occultations of Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation of Leo the lion, this year. The Moon is a very obvious signpost for where to look and Regulus will be the brightest object near the Moon. Further details, viewing hints and timings for major cities can be found here.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (that is 60 minutes after local sunset, click to embiggen).
Venus is high in the dusk sky and intensely bright. It can be seen easily from somewhat before half an hour after sunset to two hours after sunset. It stays dazzlingly brilliant above the horizon in truly dark skies well into the evening. Venus has been mistaken for flares or landing aeroplanes it is so bright now.
Venus is in a very star poor field in Pisces. Venus is a distinct "waning Moon" shape in telescopes.
Mars is in the western evening skies in Pisces. Mars remains in a star poor area.
Mars was at opposition on May 22, 2016 and is still visibly dimming. While still brighter than any of the nearby stars, it is much faded and not immediately obvious, It is no longer a modest telescope object. Mars is visible most of the evening setting before midnight. In small telescopes Mars will be a visible, but tiny, gibbous disk, however you are unlikely to see its markings.
The asteroid Vesta is just past opposition, and this is a excellent time
to see one of the biggest asteroids in the solar system. At magnitude
6.8 it is easily viewable in binoculars. It is above the north-eastern horizon, and the bright stars of
Gemini, Castor and Pollux, form a triangle with it. Over the next few nights it will be between to kappa (𝛋) Geminorium and upsilon (𝜐) Geminorium making Vesta very easy of find. Kappa (𝛋) Geminorium is the next
brightest star in almost a line with Castor and Pollux, which makes it a
easy telescopic signpost. You may need to watch
night to night as the asteroid moves to be sure of its identity. For more details and a printable map see this page.
Sky on Wednesday February 15 looking east as seen from
Adelaide at midnight ACDST. Jupiter is now rising before midnight.
It is close to the bright star Spica and the waning Moon. The inset shows 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 rises even higher into the morning skies this week. It is now well above the eastern horizon and is easy to see as the brightest object above the northern horizon from around an hour and a half before sunrise. It is also riging just before midnight, but remains low to the horizon this week. It is close to the bright star Spica, the brightest star in the constellation of Virgo. Jupiter is a good telescopic target from around 1 am, and the dance of its Moons is visible even in binoculars. The following Jupiter events are in AEDST.
Thu 9 Feb 0:54 Eur: Shadow Transit Begins S Thu 9 Feb 1:10 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Thu 9 Feb 3:10 Eur: Transit Begins ST Thu 9 Feb 3:24 Eur: Shadow Transit Ends T Thu 9 Feb 5:31 Eur: Transit Ends Fri 10 Feb 0:22 Gan: Shadow Transit Ends Fri 10 Feb 2:27 Gan: Transit Begins T Fri 10 Feb 4:28 Gan: Transit Ends Sat 11 Feb 0:38 Eur: Reappears from Occultation Sat 11 Feb 2:48 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Sat 11 Feb 6:50 Io : Shadow Transit Begins S Sun 12 Feb 3:57 Io : Disappears into Eclipse Mon 13 Feb 1:18 Io : Shadow Transit Begins S Mon 13 Feb 2:22 Io : Transit Begins ST Mon 13 Feb 3:30 Io : Shadow Transit Ends T Mon 13 Feb 4:27 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Mon 13 Feb 4:32 Io : Transit Ends Tue 14 Feb 0:18 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Tue 14 Feb 1:39 Io : Reappears from Occultation Tue 14 Feb 22:59 Io : Transit Ends Wed 15 Feb 6:05 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Thu 16 Feb 1:56 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Thu 16 Feb 3:28 Eur: Shadow Transit Begins S Thu 16 Feb 5:35 Eur: Transit Begins ST Thu 16 Feb 5:58 Eur: Shadow Transit Ends T
Saturn rises higher in darker morning skies this week. Saturn is now high enough above eastern horizon to see easily. It continues to climb into darker skies as the week progresses.
The constellation of Scorpio is a good guide to locating Saturn and Mercury. The distinctive curl of Scorpio is easy to see above the eastern horizon, locate the bright red star, Antares, and the look below that towards the horizon, the next bright object is Saturn, followed by Mercury.
Mercury is slowly returning towards the horizon, this week is the last that it will be easily visible, by the end of the week it will be lost in the twilight.
Comet 45P is around magnitude 6.5 and is visible in binoculars and small telescopes in the early morning sky. It is currently showing as a small fuzzy patch with no hint of a tail.
On February 11 the comet will be closest to Earth and the comet may be seen to move visibly during the morning skies.
For more details and printable charts see 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, February 07, 2017
Comet 45P is closest to Earth of February 11, 2017
Comet 45P is around magnitude 6.5 and is visible in binoculars and small telescopes in the early morning sky.
It is currently showing as a small fuzzy patch with no hint of a tail.
On February 11 the comet will be closest to Earth and the comet may be seen to move visibly during the morning skies. The comet will be in between the bright star Arcturus and the bright planet Saturn close to the north-eastern horizon just a binocular field below the brightish star ß Herculis (see chart below). On the 13th it will almost be in the centre of the distinctive curved constellation of Corona Borealis
It rapidly fades after the 11th and by the end of February it is visible in telescopes only.
A B&W printable spotters map is available here . A B&W printable map suitable for binoculars is available here, the large circle is the approximate field of view of 10x50 binoculars.
The Moon Occults Regulus (11 February-12 February 2017)
 |  |
| The North-eastern horizon as seen from Adelaide at 23:00 ACDST, the bright star Regulus is close to the Moon just before it os occuted. Similar views will be seen elswhere is Australia at the equivalent local time. Click to embiggen. | The Moon at 23:43 pm ACDST in Adelaide on Saturday 11 February just before the Moon covers Regulus. |
On the late evening of Saturday 11 February the bright star Regulus is occulted by the Moon as seen from the most of Australia. This is the first of two occultations of Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation of Leo the lion, this year. The Moon is a very obvious signpost for where to look and Regulus will be the brightest object near the Moon. Start watching about half an hour before hand to get set up and become familiar with the sky. Although this event is easily seen with the unaided eye, given the brightness of the Moon the occultation is best seen in a small telescope or binoculars.
Regulus will appear to "wink out" as it goes behind the bright limb of the Moon, reappearance will be harder to see as you have to be looking just at the right moment. The "Dark" limb of the Moon isn't particularly dark as the Moon is full.
The occultation occurs in the late evening 11th/just past midnight into the 12th (see table below), the Moon will be reasonably high above the north-eastern horizon. The Moon is easily visible and a ready signpost to Regulus.
If using a telescope, it is advisable to set up and practise on the Moon a day or so before the event, so you are familiar with your telescope set-up. Set up at least half an hour ahead of time so that you can be sure everything is working well and you can watch the entire event comfortably (trying to focus your telescope moments before the occultation will cause a lot of unnecessary stress). Regulus will be clearly visible with the unaided eye, binoculars or in a telescope near the Moon before the occultataion. Here's some images from an occultation of Spica back in 2013, so you know what to expect.
| Place | Disappears Bright Limb | Reappears Dark Limb |
| Adelaide ACDST | 23:43 | 01:05 (12th) |
| Brisbane AEST | 23:41 | 00:50 (12th) |
| Canberra AEDST | 00:34 (12th) | 01:50 (12th) |
| Darwin ACST | 22:40 (graze) | - |
| Hobart AEDST | 00:37 (12th) | 01:58(12th) |
| Melbourne AEDST | 00:28 (12th) | 01:51(12th) |
| Perth AWST | 20:39 | 21:50 |
| Sydney AEDST | 00:37 (12th) | 01:58 (12th) |
Labels: Moon, Occultation
Monday, February 06, 2017
Southern Skywatch February, 2017 edition is now out!
The February edition of Southern Skywatch is up (still late again, sorry, but better).
This month starts with Venus and Mars lined up close in the evening sky.
Jupiter enters the evening sky, and is less than a hand-span from the bright star Spica for this month. On the 15th it is not far from the Moon.
Saturn climbs higher in the morning sky during the month. On the 21st it is close to the crescent Moon.
Mercury, sinks back towards the horizon and is lost to view by mid month.
The asteroid Vesta is visible in binoculars in the latter half of the month.
The Moon occults the star Regulus on the 11th.
Comet 45P is closest to the Earth of the 11th as well.
The maximum of the variable star Mira is in late February.
Labels: southern skywatch
Wednesday, February 01, 2017
The Sky This Week - Thursday February 2 to Thursday February 9
The First Quarter Moon is Saturday February 4. Venus
is prominent in the
twilight and early evening sky in the star poor regions of Aquarius.
Mars is just above
Venus. The crescent Moon forms a line with Venus and Mars on
February 2. Jupiter and
the bright star Spica
are
close in the morning
skies with Saturn and Mercury close to the horizon below. Asteroid Vesta visible in binoculars.
The First Quarter Moon is Saturday February 4. The Moon is at perigee, when it is closest to the Earth, on the 6th.
Evening sky on Thursday February 2 looking west as seen from Adelaide
at
21:25 ACDST (60 minutes after sunset). Venus and (now dim) Mars form a line with the crescent Moon.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (that is 60 minutes after local sunset, click to embiggen).
Venus is high in the dusk sky and intensely bright. It can be seen easily from somewhat before half an hour after sunset to two hours after sunset. It stays dazzlingly brilliant above the horizon in truly dark skies well into the evening. Venus has been mistaken for flares or landing aeroplanes it is so bright now.
Venus is in a very star poor field in Aquarius. Venus is a distinct "half Moon" shape in telescopes. On the 2nd Venus, Mars and the crescent Moon form a line.
Mars is in the western evening skies in Aquarius, close to the Aquarius/Pisces border. Mars remains in a star poor area.
Mars was at opposition on May 22, 2016 and is still visibly dimming. While still brighter than any of the nearby stars, it is much faded and not immediately obvious, It is no longer a modest telescope object. Mars is visible most of the evening setting before midnight. In small telescopes Mars will be a visible, but tiny, gibbous disk, however you are unlikely to see its markings.
The
North-east horizon as seen in Australia at 22:00 pm ACDST (an hour and a
half after sunset) showing the location of Vesta
on Saturday February 4 (similar views will be seen elsewhere at the
equivalent local time, and hour and a half after sunset, click to
embiggen).
Jupiter rises even higher into the morning skies this week. It is now well above the eastern horizon and is easy to see as the brightest object above the northern horizon from around an hour and a half before sunrise. It is also riging just before midnight, but remains low to the horizon this week. It is close to the bright star Spica, the brightest star in the constellation of Virgo. Jupiter is a good telescopic target from around 1 am, and the dance of its Moons is visible even in binoculars. The following Jupiter events are in AEDST.
Morning sky on Saturday February 4 looking east as seen from
Adelaide at 5:33 ACDST (60 minutes before sunrise). Saturn is
reasonably high above the horizon with Mercury just below it . Similar
views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent
local time (60 minutes before sunrise). (click
to embiggen).
Saturn rises higher in darker morning skies this week. Saturn is now high enough above eastern horizon to see easily. It continues to climb into darker skies as the week progresses.
The constellation of Scorpio is a good guide to locating Saturn and Mercury. The distinctive curl of Scorpio is easy to see above the eastern horizon, locate the bright red star, Antares, and the look below that towards the horizon, the next bright object is Saturn, followed by Mercury.
Mercury is slowly returning towards the horizon but is still readily visible this week.
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 February 4. The Moon is at perigee, when it is closest to the Earth, on the 6th.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (that is 60 minutes after local sunset, click to embiggen).
Venus is high in the dusk sky and intensely bright. It can be seen easily from somewhat before half an hour after sunset to two hours after sunset. It stays dazzlingly brilliant above the horizon in truly dark skies well into the evening. Venus has been mistaken for flares or landing aeroplanes it is so bright now.
Venus is in a very star poor field in Aquarius. Venus is a distinct "half Moon" shape in telescopes. On the 2nd Venus, Mars and the crescent Moon form a line.
Mars is in the western evening skies in Aquarius, close to the Aquarius/Pisces border. Mars remains in a star poor area.
Mars was at opposition on May 22, 2016 and is still visibly dimming. While still brighter than any of the nearby stars, it is much faded and not immediately obvious, It is no longer a modest telescope object. Mars is visible most of the evening setting before midnight. In small telescopes Mars will be a visible, but tiny, gibbous disk, however you are unlikely to see its markings.
The asteroid Vesta is just past opposition, and this is a excellent time
to see one of the biggest asteroids in the solar system. At magnitude
6.5 it is easily viewable in binoculars. It is above the north-eastern horizon, and the bright stars of
Gemini, Castor and Pollux, point to it. Over the next few nights it will be very close to kappa (𝛋) Geminorium,
making Vesta very easy of find. Kappa (𝛋) Geminorium is the next
brightest star in almost a line with Castor and Pollux, which makes it a
easy telescopic signpost. You may need to watch
night to night as the asteroid moves to be sure of its identity. For more details and a printable map see this page.
Sky on Saturday February 4 looking east as seen from
Adelaide at midnight ACDST. Jupiter is now rising before midnight.
It is close to the bright star Spica. The inset shows Itelescopic view of Jupiter at this time. Similar
views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent
local time. (click
to embiggen).
Jupiter rises even higher into the morning skies this week. It is now well above the eastern horizon and is easy to see as the brightest object above the northern horizon from around an hour and a half before sunrise. It is also riging just before midnight, but remains low to the horizon this week. It is close to the bright star Spica, the brightest star in the constellation of Virgo. Jupiter is a good telescopic target from around 1 am, and the dance of its Moons is visible even in binoculars. The following Jupiter events are in AEDST.
Thu 2 Feb 2017 03:05 Eur: Transit Ends Fri 3 Feb 2017 00:47 Gan: Transit Ends Fri 3 Feb 2017 06:12 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Sat 4 Feb 2017 02:03 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Sat 4 Feb 2017 04:56 Io : Shadow Transit Begins S Sat 4 Feb 2017 06:06 Io : Transit Begins ST Sun 5 Feb 2017 02:04 Io : Disappears into Eclipse Sun 5 Feb 2017 05:23 Io : Reappears from Occultation Mon 6 Feb 2017 00:33 Io : Transit Begins ST Mon 6 Feb 2017 01:37 Io : Shadow Transit Ends T Mon 6 Feb 2017 02:44 Io : Transit Ends Mon 6 Feb 2017 03:41 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Mon 6 Feb 2017 23:32 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Mon 6 Feb 2017 23:51 Io : Reappears from Occultation Tue 7 Feb 2017 06:46 Eur: Disappears into Eclipse Wed 8 Feb 2017 05:19 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Thu 9 Feb 2017 00:54 Eur: Shadow Transit Begins S Thu 9 Feb 2017 01:10 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian
Morning sky on Saturday February 4 looking east as seen from
Adelaide at 5:33 ACDST (60 minutes before sunrise). Saturn is
reasonably high above the horizon with Mercury just below it . Similar
views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent
local time (60 minutes before sunrise). (click
to embiggen). Saturn rises higher in darker morning skies this week. Saturn is now high enough above eastern horizon to see easily. It continues to climb into darker skies as the week progresses.
The constellation of Scorpio is a good guide to locating Saturn and Mercury. The distinctive curl of Scorpio is easy to see above the eastern horizon, locate the bright red star, Antares, and the look below that towards the horizon, the next bright object is Saturn, followed by Mercury.
Mercury is slowly returning towards the horizon but is still readily visible this week.
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
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