Thursday, June 29, 2017
Southern Skywatch July, 2017 edition is now out!
The July edition of Southern Skywatch is up (JUne was not done as I had to go to Brisbane to look after my mum).
This month Mars is lost to .
Jupiter is still in an good position to watch the banded world in a telescope. Jupiter is a a bit over a hand-span from the bright star Spica for most of this month. On the 1st the Moon is just below Jupiter.
Saturn climbs higher in the evening sky this month. This is a perfect time to watch this ringed wol in a telescope. On the 7th Saturn is close to the Moon.
Mercury climbs higher in the evenning sky this month, and is in an excellent position for viewing. On the 25th Mercury, regulus and the crescent Moon are close.
Venus begins lowering in the morning sky this month. The crescent Moon is close to crescent Venus and Aldebaran on the 20th.
The delta Aqauriid meteor shower is visible in the evening on the 30th.
Labels: southern skywatch
Wednesday, June 28, 2017
Another good Week for ISS passes, (28 June - 3 July)
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| The ISS passes almost over Jupiter, as seen from Melbourne on the evening of Thursday 29 July at 18:36 AEST. Simulated in Stellarium (the ISS will actually be a bright dot), click to embiggen. | The ISS psses below Jupiter, as seen from Adelaide on the evening of Thursday 29 July at 18:o5 ACST. Simulated in Stellarium (the ISS will actually be a bright dot), click to embiggen. | The ISS passes below Jupiter and the Moon, as seen from Perth on the evening of Thursday 29 July at 18:06 AWST. Simulated in Stellarium (the ISS will actually be a bright dot), click to embiggen. |
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| All sky chart showing local times from Heavens Above for Thursday 29 July for Melbourne. | All sky chart showing local times from Heavens Above for Thursday 29 July for Adelaide. | All sky chart showing local times from Heavens Above for Thursday 29 July for Perth. |
Starting tomorrow night there are a series of bright evening passes of the International Space Station lasting around five days. Some are low to the horizon, but for many places in Australia this series has the ISS gliding either close to Jupiter, the waxing Moon or a series of bright stars (except Darwin, which only gets one bright evening pass on the 28th).
The most spectacular is on the 29th when the ISS passes close to Jupiter with the waxing mostly crescent Moon nearby. Melbourne has the best view with the ISS almost passing directly over Jupiter.
On the 3rd, the ISS passes close to Sirius, and from Adelaide it almostgoes in front of the bright star.
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 a Jupiter or 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.
The Sky This Week - Thursday June 29 to Thursday July 6
The First Quarter Moon is Saturday, July 1. Mars is lost in the twilight. Mercury reappears in the evening sky towards the end of the week. Jupiter and the bright star Spica are nearby in the evening sky. The Moon visits Jupiter on July 1. Saturn is visible all night in the heart of the Milky Way. Venus dominates the morning sky and heads towards the bright star Aldebaran. This week sees a series of bright ISS passes in the evening.
The First Quarter Moon is Saturday, July 1. The Moon is at apogee, when it is furthest from the Earth on the 6th.
Evening sky on Saturday July 1 looking north as seen from Adelaide at 18:30 ACST (when Jupiter is highest in the sky). Jupiter is above the horizon between the bright star Spica and the relatively bright star Porrima. Jupiter is now closer to Porrima than Spica. The First Quarter Moon is below Jupiter. The inset shows the telescopic view of Jupiter on Sunday July 2 at this time as Io transits Jupiter.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click to embiggen).
Jupiter is rising before dusk and is now high above the northern horizon in the early evening this week. It is in between the bright star Spica, the brightest star in the constellation of Virgo, and the relatively bright star Porrima. Jupiter is now closer to Porrima than Spica. On the first the first quarter Moon is a binocular width below Jupiter.
Opposition, when Jupiter is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, was on April the 8th. Jupiter is rising before the sun sets and is visible until the early morning. Jupiter is a good telescopic target from astronomical twilight on, and the dance of its Moons is visible even in binoculars. The following Jupiter events are in AEST.
Mercury returns to the evening sky by by mid-week. By the end of the week it should be readily visible above the western horizon half an hour after sunset.
Evening sky on Saturday July 1 looking east as seen from Adelaide at 18:45 ACST, an hour and a half after sunset. 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, an hour and a half after sunset. (click to embiggen).
Saturn was at opposition on the 15th, when it was biggest and brightest in the sky as seen from earth. Saturn is visible all night long. Saturn is a good telescopic target from 9 pm on. It is poised above the dark rifts in the Milky Way and is in a good area for binocular hunting. It continues to climb into the evening skies as the week progresses. Saturn's rings are visible even in small telescopes and are always good to view.
The constellation of Scorpio is a good guide to locating Saturn. The distinctive curl of Scorpio is easy to see above the north-eastern horizon, locate the bright red star, Antares, and the look below that towards the horizon, the next bright object is Saturn.
Morning sky on Saturday July 1 looking east as seen from Adelaide at 5:53 ACST (90 minutes before sunrise). Venus is dazzling and moves towards the bright star Aldebaran during the week. 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 90 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen).
Venus climbs higher in the morning sky and is visible in telescopes as a "half-Moon". During the Week Venus moves towards the bright star Aldebaran passing between the Pleiades and Hyades clusters.
The evening sky facing East at 18:05 pm on Thursday 29 June. Melbourne gets to see the ISS pass almost over Jupiter. This week sees a series of bright International space station passes in the evening visible from most parts of Australia. More details here. 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
Mars 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/
The First Quarter Moon is Saturday, July 1. The Moon is at apogee, when it is furthest from the Earth on the 6th.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click to embiggen).
Jupiter is rising before dusk and is now high above the northern horizon in the early evening this week. It is in between the bright star Spica, the brightest star in the constellation of Virgo, and the relatively bright star Porrima. Jupiter is now closer to Porrima than Spica. On the first the first quarter Moon is a binocular width below Jupiter.
Opposition, when Jupiter is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, was on April the 8th. Jupiter is rising before the sun sets and is visible until the early morning. Jupiter is a good telescopic target from astronomical twilight on, and the dance of its Moons is visible even in binoculars. The following Jupiter events are in AEST.
Thu 29 Jun 2017 01:02 Viewing Suspended - Jupiter Sets Fri 30 Jun 2017 00:59 Viewing Suspended - Jupiter Sets Fri 30 Jun 2017 17:13 Viewing Resumed - Sun Sets Fri 30 Jun 2017 21:15 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Sat 1 Jul 2017 00:05 Io : Transit Begins T Sat 1 Jul 2017 00:55 Viewing Suspended - Jupiter Sets Sat 1 Jul 2017 17:13 Viewing Resumed - Sun Sets Sat 1 Jul 2017 21:20 Io : Disappears into Occultation Sun 2 Jul 2017 00:49 Io : Reappears from Eclipse Sun 2 Jul 2017 00:51 Viewing Suspended - Jupiter Sets Sun 2 Jul 2017 17:14 Viewing Resumed - Sun Sets Sun 2 Jul 2017 18:33 Io : Transit Begins T Sun 2 Jul 2017 19:49 Io : Shadow Transit Begins ST Sun 2 Jul 2017 19:57 Eur: Disappears into Occultation ST Sun 2 Jul 2017 20:45 Io : Transit Ends S Sun 2 Jul 2017 22:00 Io : Shadow Transit Ends Sun 2 Jul 2017 22:26 Eur: Reappears from Occultation Sun 2 Jul 2017 22:30 Eur: Disappears into Eclipse Sun 2 Jul 2017 22:54 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Sun 2 Jul 2017 23:01 Gan: Transit Begins T Mon 3 Jul 2017 00:48 Viewing Suspended - Jupiter Sets Mon 3 Jul 2017 17:14 Viewing Resumed - Sun Sets Mon 3 Jul 2017 18:45 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Mon 3 Jul 2017 19:18 Io : Reappears from Eclipse Tue 4 Jul 2017 00:44 Viewing Suspended - Jupiter Sets Tue 4 Jul 2017 17:15 Viewing Resumed - Sun Sets Tue 4 Jul 2017 17:20 Eur: Shadow Transit Begins S Tue 4 Jul 2017 19:44 Eur: Shadow Transit Ends Wed 5 Jul 2017 00:33 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Wed 5 Jul 2017 00:41 Viewing Suspended - Jupiter Sets Wed 5 Jul 2017 17:15 Viewing Resumed - Sun Sets Wed 5 Jul 2017 20:24 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Thu 6 Jul 2017 00:37 Viewing Suspended - Jupiter Sets Thu 6 Jul 2017 17:16 Viewing Resumed - Sun Sets Thu 6 Jul 2017 18:31 Gan: Disappears into Eclipse Thu 6 Jul 2017 20:43 Gan: Reappears from Eclipse
Mercury returns to the evening sky by by mid-week. By the end of the week it should be readily visible above the western horizon half an hour after sunset.
The inset shows the telescopic view of Saturn at this time. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time, an hour and a half after sunset. (click to embiggen).
Saturn was at opposition on the 15th, when it was biggest and brightest in the sky as seen from earth. Saturn is visible all night long. Saturn is a good telescopic target from 9 pm on. It is poised above the dark rifts in the Milky Way and is in a good area for binocular hunting. It continues to climb into the evening skies as the week progresses. Saturn's rings are visible even in small telescopes and are always good to view.
The constellation of Scorpio is a good guide to locating Saturn. The distinctive curl of Scorpio is easy to see above the north-eastern horizon, locate the bright red star, Antares, and the look below that towards the horizon, the next bright object is Saturn.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (that is 90 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen).
Venus climbs higher in the morning sky and is visible in telescopes as a "half-Moon". During the Week Venus moves towards the bright star Aldebaran passing between the Pleiades and Hyades clusters.
Mars 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
Wednesday, June 21, 2017
The ISS between Venus and the Moon (June 21, 2017)
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| Animation of the ISS passing between the crescent Moon and Venus, Wednesday morning 21 June,5:13 am as seen from Adelaide (click to embiggen) | Single frame of the ISS between the Moon and Venus (click to embiggen) |
This morning the line up of the crescent Moon and Venus was enhanced for us Adelaideans by the ISS shooting between them, true, it did occur at 5:13 in the morning, but it was well worth it. I set up my camera CANON IXUS at ASA 400 with i second exposure, 10 shots automatically taken, but that was too few, so I had to do the rest Manually, hence a bit of wobble in the last few images.
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| overlay of all frames in the animation (Moon is over exposed). | ISS just below Venus. (click to embiggen) |
The Sky This Week - Thursday June 22 to Thursday June 29
The New Moon is Saturday, June 24. Mars and Mercury are lost in the twilight. Jupiter and the bright
star Spica are nearby in the evening sky. Saturn is at opposition on the
15th, when it as biggest and brightest as seen from Earth. It is
visible all night in the heart of the Milky Way. Venus climbs higher in
the morning sky and is very close to the crescent Moon on the 21st.
The New Moon is Saturday, June 24. The Moon is at perigee, when it is closest to the Earth on the 23rd.
Evening sky on Saturday June 24 looking north as seen from Adelaide at
18:57 ACST (when Jupiter is highest in the sky). Jupiter is above the
horizon between the bright star Spica and the relatively bright star
Porrima. Jupiter is now closer to Porrima than Spica. 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 is rising before dusk and is now high above the northern horizon in the early evening this week. It is in between the bright star Spica, the brightest star in the constellation of Virgo, and the relatively bright star Porrima. Jupiter is now closer to Porrima than Spica.
Opposition, when Jupiter is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, was on April the 8th. Jupiter is rising before the sun sets and is visible until the early morning. Jupiter is a good telescopic target from astronomical twilight on, and the dance of its Moons is visible even in binoculars. The following Jupiter events are in AEST.
Evening sky on Saturday June 24 looking east as seen from Adelaide at
18:43 ACST, an hour and a half after sunset. 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, an hour and a half after sunset. (click to embiggen).
Saturn was at opposition on the 15th, when it was biggest and brightest in the sky as seen from earth. Saturn is visible all night long. Saturn is a good telescopic target from 9 pm on it is poised above the dark rifts in the Milky Way and is in a good area for binocular hunting. It continues to climb into the evening skies as the week progresses. Saturn's rings are visible even in small telescopes and are always good to view.
The constellation of Scorpio is a good guide to locating Saturn. The distinctive curl of Scorpio is easy to see above the north-eastern horizon, locate the bright red star, Antares, and the look below that towards the horizon, the next bright object is Saturn.
Morning sky on Wednesday June 24 looking east as seen from Adelaide at 5:53 ACST (90 minutes before sunrise). Venus is dazzling and the
crescent Moon is very close by. 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 90 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen).
Venus climbs higher in the morning sky and is visible in telescopes as a "half-Moon". on the 21st the Crescent Moon is a finger-width from Venus.
Mercury is lost in the twilight by mid-week.
Mars 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/
The New Moon is Saturday, June 24. The Moon is at perigee, when it is closest to the Earth on the 23rd.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click to embiggen).
Jupiter is rising before dusk and is now high above the northern horizon in the early evening this week. It is in between the bright star Spica, the brightest star in the constellation of Virgo, and the relatively bright star Porrima. Jupiter is now closer to Porrima than Spica.
Opposition, when Jupiter is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, was on April the 8th. Jupiter is rising before the sun sets and is visible until the early morning. Jupiter is a good telescopic target from astronomical twilight on, and the dance of its Moons is visible even in binoculars. The following Jupiter events are in AEST.
Thu 22 Jun 2017 17:10 Viewing Resumed - Sun Sets Fri 23 Jun 2017 00:35 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Fri 23 Jun 2017 00:58 Io : Disappears into Occultation Fri 23 Jun 2017 01:24 Viewing Suspended - Jupiter Sets Fri 23 Jun 2017 17:11 Viewing Resumed - Sun Sets Fri 23 Jun 2017 20:27 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Fri 23 Jun 2017 22:12 Io : Transit Begins T Fri 23 Jun 2017 22:48 Eur: Transit Begins TT Fri 23 Jun 2017 23:26 Io : Shadow Transit Begins STT Sat 24 Jun 2017 00:23 Io : Transit Ends ST Sat 24 Jun 2017 01:19 Eur: Transit Ends S Sat 24 Jun 2017 01:21 Viewing Suspended - Jupiter Sets Sat 24 Jun 2017 17:11 Viewing Resumed - Sun Sets Sat 24 Jun 2017 19:26 Io : Disappears into Occultation Sat 24 Jun 2017 22:54 Io : Reappears from Eclipse Sun 25 Jun 2017 01:17 Viewing Suspended - Jupiter Sets Sun 25 Jun 2017 17:11 Viewing Resumed - Sun Sets Sun 25 Jun 2017 17:24 Eur: Disappears into Occultation T Sun 25 Jun 2017 17:55 Io : Shadow Transit Begins ST Sun 25 Jun 2017 18:52 Io : Transit Ends S Sun 25 Jun 2017 19:07 Gan: Transit Begins ST Sun 25 Jun 2017 19:53 Eur: Reappears from Occultation ST Sun 25 Jun 2017 19:55 Eur: Disappears into Eclipse ST Sun 25 Jun 2017 20:06 Io : Shadow Transit Ends T Sun 25 Jun 2017 21:39 Gan: Transit Ends Sun 25 Jun 2017 22:06 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Sun 25 Jun 2017 22:18 Eur: Reappears from Eclipse Mon 26 Jun 2017 00:20 Gan: Shadow Transit Begins S Mon 26 Jun 2017 01:13 Viewing Suspended - Jupiter Sets Mon 26 Jun 2017 17:11 Viewing Resumed - Sun Sets Mon 26 Jun 2017 17:23 Io : Reappears from Eclipse Mon 26 Jun 2017 17:57 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Tue 27 Jun 2017 01:10 Viewing Suspended - Jupiter Sets Tue 27 Jun 2017 17:12 Viewing Resumed - Sun Sets Tue 27 Jun 2017 23:45 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Wed 28 Jun 2017 01:06 Viewing Suspended - Jupiter Sets Wed 28 Jun 2017 17:12 Viewing Resumed - Sun Sets Wed 28 Jun 2017 19:36 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Thu 29 Jun 2017 01:02 Viewing Suspended - Jupiter Sets
The inset shows the telescopic view of Saturn at this time. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time, an hour and a half after sunset. (click to embiggen).
Saturn was at opposition on the 15th, when it was biggest and brightest in the sky as seen from earth. Saturn is visible all night long. Saturn is a good telescopic target from 9 pm on it is poised above the dark rifts in the Milky Way and is in a good area for binocular hunting. It continues to climb into the evening skies as the week progresses. Saturn's rings are visible even in small telescopes and are always good to view.
The constellation of Scorpio is a good guide to locating Saturn. The distinctive curl of Scorpio is easy to see above the north-eastern horizon, locate the bright red star, Antares, and the look below that towards the horizon, the next bright object is Saturn.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (that is 90 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen).
Venus climbs higher in the morning sky and is visible in telescopes as a "half-Moon". on the 21st the Crescent Moon is a finger-width from Venus.
Mercury is lost in the twilight by mid-week.
Mars 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
Tuesday, June 13, 2017
See the ISS skim the Moon and Venus from Adelaide (Wedensday 21 June)
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| The ISS passes close to the crescent Moon and Venus on the morning of Wednesday 21st June at 5:13 am. View looking East from Adelaide. Simulated in Stellarium (the ISS will actually be a bright dot), (click to embiggen) | All-sky chart showing local times from Heavens Above for Wednesday 21st June for Adelaide. (Click to embiggen) |
This week there is a series of bright ISS passes in the morning, while you may not be a fan of getting up in the dark during winter, for those of use in South Australia The Morning of Wednesday 21 June will be special, as the ISS will exit earths shadow and pass very close to the crescent Moon and Venus.
In some areas the ISS might even cross in front of the Moon. 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 . Even the difference between the city centre and the suburbs can mean the difference between seeing the ISS go over the Moon or just next to it.
Start looking several minutes before the pass is going to start to get yourself oriented and your eyes dark adapted. Be patient, on the night there may be slight differences in the time of the ISS appearing due to orbit changes not picked up by the predictions. The ISS will be moving reasonably fast when it exits Earth's shadow before passing near the Moon.
The Sky This Week - Thursday June 15 to Thursday June 22
The Last Quarter Moon is Saturday, June 17. Earth is at solstice on the 21st. Mars and Mercury are lost in the twilight. Jupiter and the bright star Spica are nearby in the evening sky. Saturn is at opposition on the 15th, when it as biggest and brightest as seen from Earth. It is visible all night in the heart of the Milky Way. Venus climbs higher in the morning sky and is very close to the crescent Moon on the 21st.
The Last Quarter Moon is Saturday, June 17. Earth is at solstice on the 21st when the day is shortest.
Evening sky on Saturday June 17 looking north as seen from Adelaide at 18:39 ACST (when Jupiter is highest in the sky). Jupiter is above the horizon between the bright star Spica and the relatively bright star Porrima. Jupiter is now closer to Porrima than Spica. 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 is rising before dusk and is now high above the horizon in the early evening this week. It is in between the bright star Spica, the brightest star in the constellation of Virgo, and the relatively bright star Porrima. Jupiter is now closer to Porrima than Spica.
Opposition, when Jupiter is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, was on April the 8th. Jupiter is rising before the sun sets and is visible until the early morning. Jupiter is a good telescopic target from astronomical twilight on, and the dance of its Moons is visible even in binoculars.
Evening sky on Saturday June 17 looking east as seen from Adelaide at 18:41 ACST, an hour and a half after sunset. Saturn is reasonably high above the horizon. The Full Moon is below Saturn
The inset shows the telescopic view of Saturn at this time. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time, an hour and a half after sunset. (click to embiggen).
Saturn is at opposition on the 15th, when it is beggest and brightest in the sky as seen from earth. Saturn visible all night long. Saturn is a good telescopic target from 9 pm on it is poised above the dark rifts in the Milky Way and is in a good area for binocular hunting. It continues to climb into the evening skies as the week progresses. Saturn's rings are visible even in small telescopes and are always good to view.
The constellation of Scorpio is a good guide to locating Saturn. The distinctive curl of Scorpio is easy to see above the north-eastern horizon, locate the bright red star, Antares, and the look below that towards the horizon, the next bright object is Saturn.
Morning sky on Wednesday June 21 looking east as seen from Adelaide at 6:21 ACST (60 minutes before sunrise). Venus is dazzling and the crescent Moon is very close by. Uranus is above Venus. The inset shows the telescopic view of Venus at this time.
On the 21st, at 5:13 am in Adelaide, the ISS passes very close to the crescent Moon and Venus
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (that is 60 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen).
Venus climbs higher in the morning sky and is visible in telescopes as a "half-Moon". on the 21st the Crescent Moon is a finger-width from Venus.
Mercury is lost in the twilight by mid-week.
Mars 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/
The Last Quarter Moon is Saturday, June 17. Earth is at solstice on the 21st when the day is shortest.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click to embiggen).
Jupiter is rising before dusk and is now high above the horizon in the early evening this week. It is in between the bright star Spica, the brightest star in the constellation of Virgo, and the relatively bright star Porrima. Jupiter is now closer to Porrima than Spica.
Opposition, when Jupiter is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, was on April the 8th. Jupiter is rising before the sun sets and is visible until the early morning. Jupiter is a good telescopic target from astronomical twilight on, and the dance of its Moons is visible even in binoculars.
Evening sky on Saturday June 17 looking east as seen from Adelaide at 18:41 ACST, an hour and a half after sunset. Saturn is reasonably high above the horizon. The Full Moon is below Saturn
The inset shows the telescopic view of Saturn at this time. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time, an hour and a half after sunset. (click to embiggen).
Saturn is at opposition on the 15th, when it is beggest and brightest in the sky as seen from earth. Saturn visible all night long. Saturn is a good telescopic target from 9 pm on it is poised above the dark rifts in the Milky Way and is in a good area for binocular hunting. It continues to climb into the evening skies as the week progresses. Saturn's rings are visible even in small telescopes and are always good to view.
The constellation of Scorpio is a good guide to locating Saturn. The distinctive curl of Scorpio is easy to see above the north-eastern horizon, locate the bright red star, Antares, and the look below that towards the horizon, the next bright object is Saturn.
On the 21st, at 5:13 am in Adelaide, the ISS passes very close to the crescent Moon and Venus
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (that is 60 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen).
Venus climbs higher in the morning sky and is visible in telescopes as a "half-Moon". on the 21st the Crescent Moon is a finger-width from Venus.
Mercury is lost in the twilight by mid-week.
Mars 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
Sunday, June 04, 2017
The Sky This Week - Thursday June 8 to Thursday June 15
The Full Moon is Friday, June 9. Earth is at Perihelion on the 4th. Mars is lost in the twilight. Jupiter and the bright star Spica are nearby in the evening sky and are visited by the Moon on the 4th. Saturn is in the evening sky in the heart of the Milky Way. Venus climbs higher in the morning sky, with Mercury below it. Venus is close to Uranus on the 3rd and 4th. Comet C/2015 V2 Johnson may be visible in binoculars in the northern sky.
The Full Moon is Friday, June 9. Earth is at Perihelion (where it is furthest from the Sun) on the 4th. The Moon is at apogee (where it is furthest from the Earth) on the 8th. That means this full Moon is a micro-Moon.
Evening sky on Saturday June 10 looking north as seen from Adelaide at 19:51 ACST (when Jupiter is highest in the sky). Jupiter is above the horizon between the bright star Spica and the relatively bright star Porrima. Jupiter is now closer to Porrima than Spica. The inset shows the telescopic view of Jupiter at 18:00 ACST of Friday June 3.
Comet C/2015 V2 is moderately high above the horizon near Arcturus.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click to embiggen).
Jupiter is rising before dusk and is now reasonably high above the horizon in the early evening this week. It is in between the bright star Spica, the brightest star in the constellation of Virgo, and the relatively bright star Porrima. Jupiter is now closer to Porrima than Spica.
Opposition, when Jupiter is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, was on April the 8th. Jupiter is rising before the sun sets and is visible until the early morning. Jupiter is a good telescopic target from astronomical twilight on, and the dance of its Moons is visible even in binoculars. The following Jupiter events are in AEST.
Evening sky on Saturday June 10 looking east as seen from Adelaide at 18:41 ACST. Saturn is reasonably high above the horizon. The Full Moon is below Saturn
The inset shows the telescopic view of Saturn at this time. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click to embiggen).
Saturn is visible in the evening skies this week. Saturn is a good telescopic target from 10 pm on. It continues to climb into the evening skies as the week progresses. It is within binocular distance of the Triffid and Lagoon nebula and makes a very nice sight in binoculars. This week the light of the Moon washes ourt the nebula and clusters.
Saturn is at opposition next week, but watching the rings over the coming week should see them brighten ahead of the planet,
The constellation of Scorpio is a good guide to locating Saturn. The distinctive curl of Scorpio is easy to see above the north-eastern horizon, locate the bright red star, Antares, and the look below that towards the horizon, the next bright object is Saturn.
Comet C/2015 V2 is in a good position to view at the moment, it is dimmer than predicted at around magnitude 8, while with good binoculars and under dark skies it should be visible as a fuzzy dot. The bright star Arcturus is readily visible and you can star hop from it down to the comet. For more details off how to view the comet see here. The light of the waxing Moon will make the comet harder to spot.
Mars 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/
The Full Moon is Friday, June 9. Earth is at Perihelion (where it is furthest from the Sun) on the 4th. The Moon is at apogee (where it is furthest from the Earth) on the 8th. That means this full Moon is a micro-Moon.
Evening sky on Saturday June 10 looking north as seen from Adelaide at 19:51 ACST (when Jupiter is highest in the sky). Jupiter is above the horizon between the bright star Spica and the relatively bright star Porrima. Jupiter is now closer to Porrima than Spica. The inset shows the telescopic view of Jupiter at 18:00 ACST of Friday June 3.Comet C/2015 V2 is moderately high above the horizon near Arcturus.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click to embiggen).
Jupiter is rising before dusk and is now reasonably high above the horizon in the early evening this week. It is in between the bright star Spica, the brightest star in the constellation of Virgo, and the relatively bright star Porrima. Jupiter is now closer to Porrima than Spica.
Opposition, when Jupiter is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, was on April the 8th. Jupiter is rising before the sun sets and is visible until the early morning. Jupiter is a good telescopic target from astronomical twilight on, and the dance of its Moons is visible even in binoculars. The following Jupiter events are in AEST.
Mon 8 May 1:04 Io : Disappears into Occultation Mon 8 May 2:33 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Mon 8 May 3:57 Io : Reappears from Eclipse Mon 8 May 18:56 Eur: Transit Begins T Mon 8 May 20:20 Eur: Shadow Transit Begins ST Mon 8 May 21:22 Eur: Transit Ends S Mon 8 May 22:21 Io : Transit Begins ST Mon 8 May 22:24 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Mon 8 May 22:47 Eur: Shadow Transit Ends T Mon 8 May 23:02 Io : Shadow Transit Begins ST Tue 9 May 0:32 Io : Transit Ends S Tue 9 May 1:13 Io : Shadow Transit Ends Tue 9 May 18:15 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Tue 9 May 19:31 Io : Disappears into Occultation Tue 9 May 22:26 Io : Reappears from Eclipse Wed 10 May 4:11 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Wed 10 May 17:31 Io : Shadow Transit Begins ST Wed 10 May 17:36 Eur: Reappears from Eclipse ST Wed 10 May 18:58 Io : Transit Ends S Wed 10 May 19:42 Io : Shadow Transit Ends Thu 11 May 0:02 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Thu 11 May 19:54 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Sat 13 May 1:41 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Sat 13 May 21:15 Gan: Transit Begins T Sat 13 May 21:32 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Sat 13 May 23:33 Gan: Transit Ends Sun 14 May 0:25 Gan: Shadow Transit Begins S Sun 14 May 2:44 Gan: Shadow Transit Ends Sun 14 May 2:55 Eur: Disappears into Occultation Sun 14 May 17:23 GRS: Crosses Central Meridian Mon 15 May 2:51 Io : Disappears into Occultation Mon 15 May 3:19 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. (click to embiggen).
Saturn is visible in the evening skies this week. Saturn is a good telescopic target from 10 pm on. It continues to climb into the evening skies as the week progresses. It is within binocular distance of the Triffid and Lagoon nebula and makes a very nice sight in binoculars. This week the light of the Moon washes ourt the nebula and clusters.
Saturn is at opposition next week, but watching the rings over the coming week should see them brighten ahead of the planet,
The constellation of Scorpio is a good guide to locating Saturn. The distinctive curl of Scorpio is easy to see above the north-eastern horizon, locate the bright red star, Antares, and the look below that towards the horizon, the next bright object is Saturn.
Comet C/2015 V2 is in a good position to view at the moment, it is dimmer than predicted at around magnitude 8, while with good binoculars and under dark skies it should be visible as a fuzzy dot. The bright star Arcturus is readily visible and you can star hop from it down to the comet. For more details off how to view the comet see here. The light of the waxing Moon will make the comet harder to spot.
Mars 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
Friday, June 02, 2017
Astrophiz Podcast 35 is Out
Our feature interview is with Dr Jean-Pierre Macquart –
Senior research fellow at Curtin University node of the International
Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), Perth, Australia.
He explains new discoveries about the mysterious FRBs (Fast Radio Bursts) and his team's use of the CSIRO ASKAP array to use the latest FRB discoveries to better understand the properties of the intergalactic medium.
For astrophotographers and naked-eye and binocular observers, I tell you what to look for in the night sky this month, and include an update on the recent impact of an object on Jupiter, and the 'apogee moon'.
He explains new discoveries about the mysterious FRBs (Fast Radio Bursts) and his team's use of the CSIRO ASKAP array to use the latest FRB discoveries to better understand the properties of the intergalactic medium.
For astrophotographers and naked-eye and binocular observers, I tell you what to look for in the night sky this month, and include an update on the recent impact of an object on Jupiter, and the 'apogee moon'.
In the news:
NASA's Parker Solar probe, Citizen Scientists Identify
Prehistoric Supernova and astrophysicists solve mystery of how most
anti-matter in the Milky Way forms.
Labels: Astrophiz
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