Thursday, November 30, 2017
Astrophiz Podcast 48 (Star-forming frenzy edition) is Out!
Astrophiz Podcast 48 is out now.In this fabulous extended 60min episode we feature Dr Jacinta Delhaize who is a Postdoctoral Researcher at University of Zagreb, Faculty of Science in Croatia.
Jacinta has devolved a ‘stacking technique’ to combine data to overcome the problem of detecting weak hydrogen signals from distant galaxies. She has been using data from the Parkes Dish and the Hershel instrument to helps us understand the role of hydrogen in the evolution of galaxies.
After recently moving from ICRAR in Western Australia to Croatia, her research is now looking at how black holes at the centres of galaxies can effect star formation, and is now using data from the Jansky VLA to continue this collaborative research. For observers and astrophotographers, I tell you what when and where to look for objects in the morning and evening skies over the next days and weeks, and how to best observe the imminent Geminid Meteor Shower.
In ‘ian’s tangent’ I tells you about Australia’s early eminence in Space with the 50th Anniversary of the launch of our first satellite, WRESAT
You can follow me @ianfmusgrave on Twitter and southern skywatch on facebook.
Jacinta has an excellent youtube vid and you can see her describe her research on the infrared-radio correlation of galaxies at tinyurl.com/jdelhaize
Her website is at www.jacintadelhaize.com and she also has a public twitter and instagram account. Both are @jdelhaize
In the News: Teams of Radio astronomers and optical astronomers both research the Magellanic Clouds in the Southern hemisphere, and both teams come up with exciting discoveries.
Labels: Astrophiz
Tuesday, November 28, 2017
Geminid Meteor Shower 14-15 December 2017
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| The northern horizon at 4:00 am ACDST as seen from Adelaide on Thursday December 14. The Geminid radiant is marked with a starburst. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at a similar latitude and the equivalent local time. (click to embiggen). | The northern horizon at 3:00 am AEDST as seen from Sydney on Thursday December 14. The Geminid radiant is marked with a starburst. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at a similar latitude and the equivalent local time. (click to embiggen). |
The Geminids are unusual meteor shower in that their parent body is 3200 Phaethon, an asteroid, rather than a comet. It is speculated though that Phaeton is actually a "gassed out" comet, and so the debris that makes up the Geminids may still be cometary particles.
The Geminids are a fairly reliable meteor shower and this year moonlight will not interfere. Some decent meteors rates should be seen.
Unlike the Leonids, where there is a very narrow peak of high activity, the Geminids have a broad peak and will show good activity well before and after the peak, and on the day before and after. The peak is December 14, 06h30m UT. That is 5 pm AEDST December 14 in Australia. This is in daylight in Australia, but levels should remain good in the early morning so you should get decent rates. However, the radiant doesn't rise until just before midnight (daylight saving time) in most of Australia, so you will still have to disturb your sleep for this one.
Unfortunately, both Chrome and Firefox have changed their security settings to prevent plugins from running, and the flux estimator only runs under Internet Explorer now.
You can follow the progress of the shower at the IMO Geminids Live page.
At 1.00 am in the morning AEDST (midnight, AEST) Castor (alpha Geminorum) is about two hand-spans above the horizon and 10 hand-spans to the right of due north. Pollux, the other twin, is less than a hand-span to the right again. The radiant is just below Pollux.
When you get up, allow at least 5 minutes for your eyes to adjust and become dark adapted (even if you have stumbled out of bed in the dark, here's some hints on dark adaption of your eyes so you can see meteors better) and be patient, it may be several minutes before you are rewarded with you first meteor, then a couple will come along in quick succession (a meteor every three minutes is an average, they won't turn up like a ticking clock but more or less randomly).
Predicted meteor rates for selected towns
| Town | Morning December 13 | Morning December 14 | Morning December 15 |
| Adelaide | 9 meteors/hr | 22 meteors/hr | 15 meteors/hr |
| Brisbane | 11 meteors/hr | 27 meteors/hr | 21 meteors/hr |
| Darwin | 16 meteors/hr | 41 meteors/hr | 27 meteors/hr |
| Perth | 11 meteors/hr | 26 meteors/hr | 15 meteors/hr |
| Melbourne | 8 meteors/hr | 19 meteors/hr | 13 meteors/hr |
| Hobart | 6 meteors/hr | 14 meteors/hr | 10 meteors/hr |
Choose a viewing spot where you can see a large swathe of sky without trees or buildings getting in the way, or with street lights getting in your eyes. The darker the spot the better (but do be sensible, don't choose a spot in an insalubrious park for example). While the radiant is where the meteors appear to originate from, most of the meteors will be seen away from the radiant, so don't fixate on the radiant, but keep your eye on a broad swath of sky roughly centred just above the radiant (as the radiant doesn't rise very high, looking exactly at the radiant will mean you miss some higher up).
A lawn chair or something similar will make your observing comfortable (or a picnic rug spread on the ground and a nice pillow), and having a Thermos of hot coffee, tea or chocolate to swig while watching will increase your comfort. Despite it being summer, make sure you have a jumper or something as the night can still get cold
Guides to taking meteor photos are here and here.
As well, Orion and the Hyades will be visible and bright Jupiter (and less bright Mars) will be nearby, rising an hour before sunrise. So it will be a quite nice morning for sky watching. Keep an eye out for satellites!
Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.
Here is the near-real time satellite view of the clouds (day and night) http://satview.bom.gov.au/
Labels: Meteors
The Sky This Week - Thursday November 30 to Thursday December 7
The Full Moon is Monday, December 4. This is a perigee ("super") Moon. On the 3rd the nearly full Moon is in the head of Taurus the Bull.
Mercury and Saturn sink into the twilight. Jupiter is now prominent in the morning sky and is heading towards the bright star alpha2 Librae. Mars is relatively easy to see and starts the week close to the bright Spica but soon leaves it behind as it heads towards Jupiter.
The Full Moon is Monday, December 4. This is a perigee ("super") Moon. As the Moon is closest to the Earth it is bigger and brighter than normal Full Moons, however as it will be only be around 14% larger and 30% brighter than an apogee Full Moon, you will probably need a telescope and photographic evidence to see the difference. For more detail and photography links see my Super Moon page.
Evening sky on Saturday December 2 looking west as seen from
Adelaide at 21:00 ACDST (45 minutes after sunset). Mercury is low above the
horizon and is close to Saturn.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (45 minutes after sunset). (click to embiggen).
Mercury is visible in early evening and is above the western horizon in the late twilight. Mercury and Saturn are now falling back into the twilight. Mercury is visible after civil twilight, but you need a clear level horizon to see it at its best.
Saturn is visible low in the early evening twilight near Mercury and will be effectively lost to view by the end of the week.
Morning sky on Saturday December 2 looking east as seen from Adelaide
at 5:26 ACDST (30 minutes before sunrise). Venus is lost in the
twilight. Jupiter is prominent and Mars can be seen close to the bright
star Spica.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (that is 30 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen).
Venus is lost in the twilight.
Jupiter climbs higher in the morning twilight and is now becoming prominent.
Mars is climbing higher the twilight, and is is coming closer to the bright star spica. The pair are closest on the 30th.
Evening sky on Saturday December 2 looking east as seen from
Adelaide at 22:00 ACDST. The Moon is in the head of Taurus the Bull. Similar views will be seen elsewhere at equivalent local times. (click to embiggen)
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 Monday, December 4. This is a perigee ("super") Moon. As the Moon is closest to the Earth it is bigger and brighter than normal Full Moons, however as it will be only be around 14% larger and 30% brighter than an apogee Full Moon, you will probably need a telescope and photographic evidence to see the difference. For more detail and photography links see my Super Moon page.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (45 minutes after sunset). (click to embiggen).
Mercury is visible in early evening and is above the western horizon in the late twilight. Mercury and Saturn are now falling back into the twilight. Mercury is visible after civil twilight, but you need a clear level horizon to see it at its best.
Saturn is visible low in the early evening twilight near Mercury and will be effectively lost to view by the end of the week.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (that is 30 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen).
Venus is lost in the twilight.
Jupiter climbs higher in the morning twilight and is now becoming prominent.
Mars is climbing higher the twilight, and is is coming closer to the bright star spica. The pair are closest on the 30th.
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, November 21, 2017
The Sky This Week - Thursday November 23 to Thursday November 30
The First Quarter Moon is Monday, November 27.
Mercury climbs higher in the evening twilight and is closest to Saturn low in the early evening sky on the 28th. Venus
is lost in the morning twilight while Jupiter is now prominent. Mars is close to the bright star Spica on the 30th.
The First Quarter Moon is Monday, November 27.
Evening sky on Tuesday November 28 looking north-west as seen from
Adelaide at 20:55 ACDST (45 minutes after sunset). Mercury is low above the
horizon and is closest to Saturn.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (45 minutes after sunset). (click to embiggen).
Mercury is visible in early evening and is above the western horizon in the late twilight. Mercury is quite prominent, and is well worth watching as it rises into the evening sky towards Saturn. On the 28th Mercury and Saturn are at their closest. Mercury is visible well after civil twilight, but you need a clear level horizon to see it at its best.
Saturn is visible low in the early evening twilight setting around 9:40 pm local time. Saturn is no longer a viable telescopic target, being too close to the horizon when the sky is fully dark. Saturn continues to sink into the western evening skies as the week progresses but the approach of Mercury will be interesting to watch.
The constellation of Scorpio is no longer a good guide to finding Saturn and Mercury any more as Antares is lost in the twilight. Both Mercury and Saturn will be obvious above the south western sky long before the fainter stars in the tail are visible.
Morning sky on Thursday November 30 looking east as seen from Adelaide
at 5:26 ACDST (30 minutes before sunrise). Venus is lost in the twilight. Jupiter is prominent and Mars can be seen close to the bright star Spica.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (that is 30 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen).
Venus is lost in the twilight.
Jupiter climbs higher in the morning twilight and is now becoming prominent.
Mars is climbing higher the twilight, and is is coming closer to the bright star spica. The pair are closest on the 30th.
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 Monday, November 27.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (45 minutes after sunset). (click to embiggen).
Mercury is visible in early evening and is above the western horizon in the late twilight. Mercury is quite prominent, and is well worth watching as it rises into the evening sky towards Saturn. On the 28th Mercury and Saturn are at their closest. Mercury is visible well after civil twilight, but you need a clear level horizon to see it at its best.
Saturn is visible low in the early evening twilight setting around 9:40 pm local time. Saturn is no longer a viable telescopic target, being too close to the horizon when the sky is fully dark. Saturn continues to sink into the western evening skies as the week progresses but the approach of Mercury will be interesting to watch.
The constellation of Scorpio is no longer a good guide to finding Saturn and Mercury any more as Antares is lost in the twilight. Both Mercury and Saturn will be obvious above the south western sky long before the fainter stars in the tail are visible.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (that is 30 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen).
Venus is lost in the twilight.
Jupiter climbs higher in the morning twilight and is now becoming prominent.
Mars is climbing higher the twilight, and is is coming closer to the bright star spica. The pair are closest on the 30th.
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, November 20, 2017
Astrophiz Podcast 47 (Sqaure Kilometer Array edition) is Out!
Astrophiz Podcast 47 is out now.This episode we are speaking with Dr Phil Edwards, Australia’s SKA leader from the CSIRO. He is now Head of ATNF (Australia Telescope National Facility) Science at the CSIRO and SKA Project Scientist.
Phil is originally from South Australia and did his BSc, BScHons and PhD at the University of Adelaide, and he gives some great insights on the often meandering career paths of scientists.
As well as giving us an inside look at the Square Kilometre Array (the SKA), he explains about a recent discovery of high energy neutrinos from beyond our galaxy. He is one of the Australian members of an international team that follows up some neutrino detections that came about by bugging a cubic kilometre of ice down in the Antarctica. This is big science, using monstrous detectors looking for the tiniest particles that give us new understandings of our cosmos.
For observers and astrophotographers, I tells you what when and where to look for objects in the morning and evening skies, including current meteor showers.
You can follow me @ianfmusgrave on Twitter and southern skywatch on facebook.
In the News: A newly published paper that casts further light on those mysterious FRBs
Labels: Astrophiz
Thursday, November 16, 2017
Seeing Asteroid 7 Iris from Australia (16-20 November, 2017)
Asteroid 7 Iris is the 4th brightest asteroid, and one of the main belt asteroids. Normally at opposition it is around magnitude 7.8, around the limit of strong binoculars in suburban settings, but this opposition is a favourable one, with the asteroid currently magnitude 7.3, too dim for the unaided eye, but achivable with 10x50 or stronger binoculars and small telescopes under suburban skies.
As well, the asteroid is near some obvious guide stars. The asteroid is near gamma Arietis, the dimmiest of the three bright stars in Aries. At midnight the threes will be almost due north, to the left of the distinctive triangle of the Hyades, the head of Taurus the bull.
Gamma Arietis is easily found star hopping up from the obvious Hamal to beta Areitis, then gamma. From the 16th to 20th 7 Iris is the brightest object near gamma Arietis. You may need to watch it from night to night to see it move. On the 22nd it is close to the moderately bright (in binoculars and telescopes anyway, it is just on unaided eye limit) HIP 8689, which is the emext brightest star in the field hopping up from gamma Arietis.
The asteroid is at its highest around 11:30 pm (daylight savings time) and is reasonably high for good observation.
Ephemeris of Iris Date Mag Ast Twi Rise Altitude Transit Set Ast Twi B 16 Nov 2017 7.2 21:38:35 18:21:32 +35° 35' 02" 23:27:57 04:38:30 04:23:07 17 Nov 2017 7.3 21:39:56 18:16:40 +35° 35' 39" 23:23:34 04:34:34 04:22:07 18 Nov 2017 7.3 21:41:18 18:11:51 +35° 35' 00" 23:19:13 04:30:39 04:21:09 19 Nov 2017 7.3 21:42:39 18:07:04 +35° 33' 07" 23:14:54 04:26:46 04:20:14 20 Nov 2017 7.3 21:44:00 18:02:20 +35° 30' 00" 23:10:36 04:22:55 04:19:20 21 Nov 2017 7.4 21:45:21 17:57:38 +35° 25' 41" 23:06:21 04:19:05 04:18:28 22 Nov 2017 7.4 21:46:41 17:52:58 +35° 20' 11" 23:02:08 04:15:16 04:17:38 23 Nov 2017 7.4 21:48:01 17:48:22 +35° 13' 32" 22:57:57 04:11:29 04:16:50 24 Nov 2017 7.5 21:49:19 17:43:48 +35° 05' 46" 22:53:49 04:07:44 04:16:04 25 Nov 2017 7.5 21:50:38 17:39:17 +34° 56' 55" 22:49:42 04:04:00 04:15:21 26 Nov 2017 7.5 21:51:55 17:34:48 +34° 46' 59" 22:45:38 04:00:18 04:14:39 27 Nov 2017 7.6 21:53:12 17:30:23 +34° 36' 02" 22:41:35 03:56:37 04:14:00 28 Nov 2017 7.6 21:54:27 17:26:00 +34° 24' 05" 22:37:35 03:52:58 04:13:23 29 Nov 2017 7.6 21:55:42 17:21:40 +34° 11' 10" 22:33:38 03:49:20 04:12:49 30 Nov 2017 7.6 21:56:55 17:17:23 +33° 57' 19" 22:29:42 03:45:45 04:12:17 01 Dec 2017 7.7 21:58:07 17:13:09 +33° 42' 35" 22:25:49 03:42:10 04:11:47 02 Dec 2017 7.7 21:59:18 17:08:58 +33° 27' 00" 22:21:58 03:38:37 04:11:20 03 Dec 2017 7.7 22:00:27 17:04:50 +33° 10' 35" 22:18:09 03:35:06 04:10:56 04 Dec 2017 7.8 22:01:35 17:00:45 +32° 53' 23" 22:14:22 03:31:36 04:10:34 05 Dec 2017 7.8 22:02:42 16:56:42 +32° 35' 25" 22:10:38 03:28:08 04:10:15
Labels: asteroids, binocular, telescope
Wednesday, November 15, 2017
Leonid Meteor Shower, November 17-18, 2015
The Leonids are an iconic meteor shower due to spectacular displays in 1833, 1966, 2001 and 2002. They are due to dusty debris from Comet Tempel-Tuttle slamming into Earth's atmosphere. While occasional Leonid meteors can be seen most of November, the rate rises to a peak in mid-November. However, the spectacular rates of the storm years are long gone and will not reoccur for some time, For the foreseeable future only the occasional meteor will be seen, even at the peak.
This year the peak is on Saturday, November 18, with estimates of between 10-15 ZHR (Zenithal Hourly Rate - the number of meteors you could expect to see if the radiant was at the Zenith under dark skies). However, the radiant never gets very high in Australia, and although the peak occurs 3:30 am in Australia, we expect to see far fewer meteors than the ZHR. Somewhere in the range of one meteor every 20 minutes is likely even under dark skies. However, this year the meteors are expected to be quite bright.
As well, this year there may be an early peak. The IMO is advising of possible enhanced Leonids activity on November 17 at 4 am AEDST ( November 16, 17h07m UT), this is November. A ZHR of 12 composed of brighter than usual meteors may be seen (this translates to about a meteor every 15 minutes).
While we can expect to see very few meteors, the morning will be a beautiful sight anyway.Orion the Hunter is stretched out overhead, and the Pleiades nearby. You might even see a satellite or two (but not the ISS or iridium flares). To check the weather forecast, go to the Meterology Departments forecast site, or alternately the Weather Channel.
When to look: The best time is between 3:00 am to 5:00 am daylight saving time (2-4 am standard time) on the mornings of the 17th to 18th.
Where to look: Face north-east. About five hand spans above the horizon you should see bright Saturn. A hand span to the right brings you to the bright white star Alpha Leonis, Regulus. Following down and to the left from Regulus you will see a number of fainter stars which form a sickle shape, the head of the lion. The radiant of the Leonid shower will be roughly in the center of the curve of the sickle, about one finger width up (see image above). However, the meteors can turn up almost anywhere in the eastern half of the sky, so make sure you have a spot with a fairly clear field of view, without any bright street-lights in the way. Use common sense in choosing a viewing site. Lone persons should not choose dark parks in the seedy part of town to watch the Leonids, as a mugging can ruin your entire day.
What do you need: For meteor watching, very little is needed. Basically, all you need is you. If you want to try and count the meteors, you will need a couple of sheets of paper, a pencil and a good watch. Bundle up against the pre-dawn cold, warns shoes, thick socks, sensible pants and a good jumper and possibly a blanket to wrap yourself in (I really mean this, last time I had a jumper and a windproof and I was seriously cold). Bring a reclining chair if you have one, or just a picnic chair or a good picnic blanket, and find a dark site with a wide-open view of the sky. Then just lie back, relax, and look up at the stars. Optional extras are a torch with red cellophane over the business end (otherwise you ruin your night vision everytime you turn it on), and a thermos of something warm to drink. Mosquito repellent is also a very good idea.
Give it some time: Many people wander out, look around for five minutes, see nothing and wander back in. It will take about five minutes for your eyes to become accustomed to the dark. Also, meteors tend to come in bursts, and if you wander out in a lull, you may miss lots. As well, our time perception sucks. You may think you have been watching for 10 minutes, but in reality only about 2 minutes has passed. Give it time, watch the stars, and enjoy.
IMO Leonids Live! IMO weekly meteor outlook.
Labels: Meteors
Tuesday, November 14, 2017
The Sky This Week - Thursday November 16 to Thursday November 23
The New Moon is Saturday, November 18.
Mercury climbs higher in the evening twilight and forms a line with Antares and Saturn low in the early evening sky. On the 20th Mercury, Saturn and the crescent Moon make a triangle, on the 21st The Moon, Saturn, Mercury and Antares form a line. Venus
is now very low in the morning twilight. Venus, Jupiter and the thin crescent Moon are very close on the on the
18th. Leonid meteor shower peaks this week.
The New Moon is Saturday, November 18. The Moon is at apogee, when it is furthest from the Earth, on the 22nd.
Evening sky on Monday November 20 looking north-west as seen from
Adelaide at 21:06 ACDST (60 minutes after sunset). Mercury is low above the
horizon and forms a triangle with with Saturn and the thin crescent Moon.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (60 minutes after sunset). (click to embiggen).
Mercury is visible in early evening and is above the western horizon in the late twilight. Mercury is becoming more prominent, and is well worth watching as it rises into the evening sky up the body of the Scorpion. This week it forms a line with bright star Antares in the body of the scorpion and Saturn. On the 20th Mercury, Saturn and the crescent Moon make a triangle, on the 21st The Moon, Saturn, Mercury and Antares form a line.. Mercury is visible well after civil twilight, but you need a clear level horizon to see it at its best.
Saturn is visible in the early evening setting around 10:30 pm local time. Saturn is no longer a viable telescopic target, being too close to the horizon when the sky is fully dark. Saturn continues to sink into the western evening skies as the week progresses but the line up with the crescent Moon on the21st is very nice.
The constellation of Scorpio is still a good guide to locating Saturn. The distinctive curl of Scorpio is setting but still projects above the north-western horizon, locate the bright red star, Antares, and the look to the left of that and above, the next bright object is Saturn. Antares is only briefly visible in the twilight though.
Morning sky on Saturday November 18 looking east as seen from Adelaide
at 5:33 ACDST (30 minutes before sunrise). Venus is bright just above the
horizon and forms a triangle with the thin crescent Moon and Jupiter.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (that is 30 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen).
Venus continues to lower in the morning sky. This week Venus is close to Jupiter the crescent Moon. It is becoming very difficult to see Venus in the twilight, and you will need a clear unobstructed horizon to see the Venus low in the twilight.
Jupiter climbs higher in the morning twilight and is close to Venus and the crescent Moon on 18th. You will need a clear, level unobstructed horizon, like the ocean or desert, to see this, and you will need binoculars to pick up Jupiter.
Mars is climbing higher the twilight, and is now reasonably visible in the twilight.
Morning sky looking
north-east as
seen from Adelaide at 4:00 am local daylight saving
time on Wednesday November 18 and Thursday November 189 showing Jupiter, Mars and Venus
near Leo, with the Leonid Meteor shower radiant indicated with
a starburst. Similar views will be seen
elsewhere at
the equivalent local time. Click to
embiggen.
On the morning of Saturday November 18 the Leonid Meteor shower peaks (from the point of view of Australians, that's 17 November UT), with the best time being between 3-4 am. However, there may be another peak on the morning of the 16th (16th UT)
Despite the peaks, very few meteors will be visible (maybe one every 5-10 minutes).
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, November 18. The Moon is at apogee, when it is furthest from the Earth, on the 22nd.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (60 minutes after sunset). (click to embiggen).
Mercury is visible in early evening and is above the western horizon in the late twilight. Mercury is becoming more prominent, and is well worth watching as it rises into the evening sky up the body of the Scorpion. This week it forms a line with bright star Antares in the body of the scorpion and Saturn. On the 20th Mercury, Saturn and the crescent Moon make a triangle, on the 21st The Moon, Saturn, Mercury and Antares form a line.. Mercury is visible well after civil twilight, but you need a clear level horizon to see it at its best.
Saturn is visible in the early evening setting around 10:30 pm local time. Saturn is no longer a viable telescopic target, being too close to the horizon when the sky is fully dark. Saturn continues to sink into the western evening skies as the week progresses but the line up with the crescent Moon on the21st is very nice.
The constellation of Scorpio is still a good guide to locating Saturn. The distinctive curl of Scorpio is setting but still projects above the north-western horizon, locate the bright red star, Antares, and the look to the left of that and above, the next bright object is Saturn. Antares is only briefly visible in the twilight though.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (that is 30 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen).
Venus continues to lower in the morning sky. This week Venus is close to Jupiter the crescent Moon. It is becoming very difficult to see Venus in the twilight, and you will need a clear unobstructed horizon to see the Venus low in the twilight.
Jupiter climbs higher in the morning twilight and is close to Venus and the crescent Moon on 18th. You will need a clear, level unobstructed horizon, like the ocean or desert, to see this, and you will need binoculars to pick up Jupiter.
Mars is climbing higher the twilight, and is now reasonably visible in the twilight.
On the morning of Saturday November 18 the Leonid Meteor shower peaks (from the point of view of Australians, that's 17 November UT), with the best time being between 3-4 am. However, there may be another peak on the morning of the 16th (16th UT)
Despite the peaks, very few meteors will be visible (maybe one every 5-10 minutes).
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
A year without Jack
A year ago today, sometime in the early morning, our sonJack died. A year ago, stunned, shocked, uncomprehending we flew out of
Adelaide, into Melbourne and a world without Jack. A year on, many tests later
we still do not know why he died. Something like 50% of all sudden deaths in
young healthy people never do have definitive explanations. The most likely
explanation is a rogue electrical storm seized his heart.
We have been tested for the commonest forms of heritable heart disease that can cause such lethal storms. We are all clear of them,
MiddleOne at the very least is free of these forms, and is probably no more
likely than most people to succumb to a cardiac storm.
Can you imagine what it would be like to be a teenager with
that hanging over you? Exams, career planning none of that matters when your
future could be taken from you in an instant. Now the Damocles sword has been
removed and life can move on past the year without Jack.
A year without Jack. The final anniversary in the dreadful countdown but not the end of the process. There will always be a gap, a space
where Jack was. A bus station where he will not arrive, a fencing club he will
not go to, a phone number that will not answer.
We can navigate that space now, rather than tiptoe around it
as we move into the future. Our friends and Jacks friends, our family, the Farrago community and the
Medley community have all worked together to find our paths around this gap. We
will continue to journey on. Jacks friends will branch out into the wider world,
continuing to forge their identities, facing new challenges, new successes and
failures (for how do we learn if we do not fail occasionally). Possibly wearing
pink fencing socks.
His brothers too are charting their own futures in their own
ways. They will make their own impacts, whether in music or some other sphere,
enriching the lives they touch. Not in the same way Jack enriched others’
lives, but in their own special ways. One year past Jack the future beckons.
A year without Jack, but a year with his stories. Hopefully
his stories, his beautiful powerful stories, will inspire people to continue on
the journey started by Brave Ulysses and the world will in fact not be without Jack.
Wednesday, November 08, 2017
Another good Week for ISS passes, (9 November - 16 November 2017)
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| The ISS passes below Saturn, as seen from Melbourne on the evening of Sunday 12 November at 22:23 AEST. Simulated in Stellarium (the ISS will actually be a bright dot), click to embiggen. | The ISS passes near the tail of Scorpius, as seen from Adelaide on the evening of Sunday 12 November at 22:52 ACST. Simulated in Stellarium (the ISS will actually be a bright dot), click to embiggen. | The ISS passes between the pointers and the tail of Scorpius, as seen from Perth on the evening of Sunday 12 November at 19:55 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 Sunday 12 November for Melbourne. | All sky chart showing local times from Heavens Above for Sunday 12 November for Adelaide. | All sky chart showing local times from Heavens Above for Sunday 12 November for Perth. |
Starting Thursday there are a series of bright evening passes of the International Space Station lasting around seven days. Some are low to the horizon, some rapidly enter earth's shadow, but for many places in Australia this series has the ISS gliding either close to Saturn or a series of bright stars (except Darwin, which only gets three bright evening passes low above the horizon).
The ISS passes extremely close to the bright stars alpha and Beta Centauri and Fomalhaut
during some of these passes (check your local predictions). The following tables are from data provided from Heavens Above.
Passes from Adelaide
| Date | Brightness | Start | Highest point | End | Pass type | ||||||
| (mag) | Time | Alt. | Az. | Time | Alt. | Az. | Time | Alt. | Az. | ||
| 08 Nov | -1.6 | 21:08:48 | 10° | SSW | 21:11:07 | 17° | SSE | 21:12:33 | 14° | ESE | visible |
| 08 Nov | -0.7 | 22:44:34 | 10° | WSW | 22:45:12 | 15° | WSW | 22:45:12 | 15° | WSW | visible |
| 09 Nov | -3.2 | 21:52:20 | 10° | SW | 21:55:06 | 55° | SSW | 21:55:06 | 55° | SSW | visible |
| 10 Nov | -2.7 | 21:00:20 | 10° | SSW | 21:03:27 | 35° | SE | 21:05:03 | 22° | E | visible |
| 10 Nov | -0.7 | 22:37:23 | 10° | W | 22:37:43 | 12° | W | 22:37:43 | 12° | W | visible |
| 11 Nov | -2.8 | 21:44:35 | 10° | WSW | 21:47:42 | 37° | NW | 21:47:42 | 37° | NW | visible |
| 12 Nov | -3.8 | 20:52:12 | 10° | SW | 20:55:34 | 85° | NW | 20:57:45 | 20° | NE | visible |
| 13 Nov | -1.3 | 21:37:41 | 10° | W | 21:39:30 | 14° | NW | 21:40:32 | 12° | NNW | visible |
| 14 Nov | -2.1 | 20:44:31 | 10° | WSW | 20:47:27 | 28° | NW | 20:50:22 | 10° | NNE | visible |
| 16 Nov | -0.8 | 20:38:23 | 10° | WNW | 20:39:09 | 11° | NW | 20:39:54 | 10° | NW | visible |
Passes from Brisbane
| Date | Brightness | Start | Highest point | End | Pass type | ||||||
| (mag) | Time | Alt. | Az. | Time | Alt. | Az. | Time | Alt. | Az. | ||
| 08 Nov | -0.4 | 20:42:25 | 10° | SSW | 20:42:33 | 11° | S | 20:42:33 | 11° | S | visible |
| 09 Nov | -1.1 | 19:51:30 | 10° | SSE | 19:52:27 | 11° | SSE | 19:52:27 | 11° | SSE | visible |
| 10 Nov | -1.0 | 20:33:57 | 10° | SW | 20:35:03 | 19° | SSW | 20:35:03 | 19° | SSW | visible |
| 11 Nov | -2.4 | 19:42:07 | 10° | SSW | 19:45:02 | 27° | SE | 19:45:02 | 27° | SE | visible |
| 12 Nov | -1.5 | 18:50:45 | 10° | S | 18:52:41 | 14° | SE | 18:54:35 | 10° | ESE | visible |
| 12 Nov | -1.5 | 20:26:09 | 10° | WSW | 20:27:45 | 23° | WSW | 20:27:45 | 23° | WSW | visible |
| 13 Nov | -3.9 | 19:33:46 | 10° | SW | 19:37:07 | 87° | SE | 19:37:51 | 51° | NE | visible |
| 14 Nov | -2.9 | 18:41:45 | 10° | SSW | 18:44:52 | 35° | SE | 18:47:57 | 10° | ENE | visible |
| 14 Nov | -0.9 | 20:19:44 | 10° | W | 20:20:42 | 12° | WNW | 20:20:42 | 12° | WNW | visible |
| 15 Nov | -2.0 | 19:26:06 | 10° | WSW | 19:28:58 | 27° | NW | 19:30:57 | 15° | N | visible |
Passes from Melbourne
| Date | Brightness | Start | Highest point | End | Pass type | ||||||
| (mag) | Time | Alt. | Az. | Time | Alt. | Az. | Time | Alt. | Az. | ||
| 08 Nov | -3.0 | 21:38:40 | 10° | SW | 21:41:54 | 42° | SE | 21:42:33 | 37° | ESE | visible |
| 09 Nov | -2.1 | 20:46:44 | 10° | SSW | 20:49:36 | 25° | SSE | 20:52:26 | 10° | E | visible |
| 09 Nov | -2.0 | 22:23:02 | 10° | WSW | 22:25:06 | 28° | W | 22:25:06 | 28° | W | visible |
| 10 Nov | -3.8 | 21:30:41 | 10° | SW | 21:34:03 | 77° | NW | 21:35:03 | 42° | NE | visible |
| 11 Nov | -3.3 | 20:38:32 | 10° | SW | 20:41:51 | 53° | SE | 20:45:02 | 10° | ENE | visible |
| 11 Nov | -1.2 | 22:16:08 | 10° | W | 22:17:42 | 14° | WNW | 22:17:42 | 14° | WNW | visible |
| 12 Nov | -2.2 | 21:23:03 | 10° | WSW | 21:25:59 | 28° | NW | 21:27:45 | 17° | N | visible |
| 14 Nov | -1.0 | 21:16:44 | 10° | WNW | 21:17:43 | 11° | NW | 21:18:40 | 10° | NW | visible |
Passes from Perth
Passes from Sydney
| Date | Brightness | Start | Highest point | End | Pass type | ||||||
| (mag) | Time | Alt. | Az. | Time | Alt. | Az. | Time | Alt. | Az. | ||
| 08 Nov | -1.2 | 20:12:49 | 10° | S | 20:14:18 | 12° | SSE | 20:15:12 | 11° | SE | visible |
| 08 Nov | -0.2 | 21:47:47 | 10° | SW | 21:47:52 | 11° | SW | 21:47:52 | 11° | SW | visible |
| 09 Nov | -2.1 | 20:55:40 | 10° | SW | 20:57:46 | 32° | SSW | 20:57:46 | 32° | SSW | visible |
| 10 Nov | -2.3 | 20:03:49 | 10° | SSW | 20:06:42 | 26° | SE | 20:07:43 | 22° | ESE | visible |
| 11 Nov | -2.7 | 20:47:46 | 10° | SW | 20:50:22 | 42° | W | 20:50:22 | 42° | W | visible |
| 12 Nov | -3.8 | 19:55:30 | 10° | SW | 19:58:50 | 70° | SE | 20:00:25 | 28° | ENE | visible |
| 13 Nov | -1.5 | 20:40:38 | 10° | W | 20:42:51 | 17° | NW | 20:43:12 | 16° | NW | visible |
| 14 Nov | -2.6 | 19:47:40 | 10° | WSW | 19:50:46 | 36° | NW | 19:53:23 | 13° | NNE | visible |
| 16 Nov | -1.0 | 19:40:57 | 10° | W | 19:42:29 | 13° | NW | 19:44:02 | 10° | NNW | visible |
Passes from Sydney
| Date | Brightness | Start | Highest point | End | Pass type | ||||||
| (mag) | Time | Alt. | Az. | Time | Alt. | Az. | Time | Alt. | Az. | ||
| 08 Nov | -2.0 | 21:40:25 | 10° | SSW | 21:42:33 | 30° | S | 21:42:33 | 30° | S | visible |
| 09 Nov | -2.0 | 20:48:36 | 10° | SSW | 20:51:21 | 23° | SE | 20:52:27 | 19° | ESE | visible |
| 09 Nov | -0.5 | 22:24:52 | 10° | WSW | 22:25:06 | 11° | WSW | 22:25:06 | 11° | WSW | visible |
| 10 Nov | -1.3 | 19:57:05 | 10° | S | 19:58:57 | 14° | SSE | 20:00:48 | 10° | ESE | visible |
| 10 Nov | -2.9 | 21:32:25 | 10° | SW | 21:35:03 | 49° | WSW | 21:35:03 | 49° | WSW | visible |
| 11 Nov | -3.4 | 20:40:16 | 10° | SW | 20:43:34 | 54° | SE | 20:45:02 | 28° | ENE | visible |
| 12 Nov | -1.9 | 21:24:58 | 10° | WSW | 21:27:39 | 22° | NW | 21:27:45 | 22° | NW | visible |
| 13 Nov | -3.1 | 20:32:19 | 10° | WSW | 20:35:35 | 49° | NW | 20:37:51 | 17° | NNE | visible |
| 15 Nov | -1.3 | 20:25:03 | 10° | W | 20:27:21 | 17° | NW | 20:29:38 | 10° | N | visible |
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 star 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.
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, Satellite, Saturn, unaided eye
The Sky This Week - Thursday November 9 to Thursday November 16
The Last Quarter Moon is Saturday, November 11.
Mercury climbs higher in the evening twilight and meets Antares on
the 13th. Saturn is visible in the low in the early evening sky. Venus
is now very low in the morning twilight and is close to Jupiter on the 13th. Mars is close to the Moon on the 15th, a series of bright ISS passes starts on the 9th. Leonid meteor shower peaks next week.
The Last Quarter Moon is Saturday, November 11.
Evening sky on Monday November 13 looking north-west as seen from
Adelaide at 20:45 ACDST (45 minutes after sunset). Mercury is low above the
horizon close to the star Antares with Saturn above.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (45 minutes after sunset). (click to embiggen).
Mercury is visible in early evening and is above the western horizon in the late twilight. Mercury is becoming more prominent, and is well worth watching as it rises into the evening sky up the body of the Scorpion. This week it comes close to the bright star Antares in the body of the scorpion on the 13th. This is the second of an interesting series of encounters over the coming weeks. Mercury is visible well after civil twilight, but you need a claer level hoizon to see it at its best.
Saturn is visible in the early evening setting around 10:30 pm local time. Saturn is no longer a viable telescopic target, being too close to the horizon when the sky is full dark. Saturn continues to sink into the western evening skies as the week progresses.
The constellation of Scorpio is still a good guide to locating Saturn. The distinctive curl of Scorpio is setting but still projects above the north-western horizon, locate the bright red star, Antares, and the look to the left of that and above, the next bright object is Saturn.
Morning sky on Monday November 13 looking east as seen from Adelaide
at 5:36 ACDST (30 minutes before sunrise). Venus is bright just above the
horizon and forms a line with Mars and the Moon. Jupiter is very close to Venus.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (that is 30 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen).
Venus continues to lower in the morning sky. This week Venus is close to Jupiter and forms a line with Mars and the crescent Moon. It is becoming much harder to see Venus in the twilight, and you will need a clear unobstructed horizon to see the Venus low in the twilight.
Jupiter enters the morning twilight and is close to Venus on the 13th. You will need a clear, level unobstructed horizon, like the ocean or desert, to see the, and you will need binoculars to pick up Jupiter. .
Mars is climbing higher the twilight, and is now reasonably visible in the twilight. It is visited by the crescent Moon on the 15th.
Evening sky on Sunday November 12 looking north-west as seen from
Adelaide at 20:54 ACDST . Mercury is low above the
horizon close to the star Anatres with Saturn above. The International Space Station passes next to them.
This week there are a series of bright evening passes of the International Space Station. Some are low to the horizon others pass close to bright stars. 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.
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, November 11.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (45 minutes after sunset). (click to embiggen).
Mercury is visible in early evening and is above the western horizon in the late twilight. Mercury is becoming more prominent, and is well worth watching as it rises into the evening sky up the body of the Scorpion. This week it comes close to the bright star Antares in the body of the scorpion on the 13th. This is the second of an interesting series of encounters over the coming weeks. Mercury is visible well after civil twilight, but you need a claer level hoizon to see it at its best.
Saturn is visible in the early evening setting around 10:30 pm local time. Saturn is no longer a viable telescopic target, being too close to the horizon when the sky is full dark. Saturn continues to sink into the western evening skies as the week progresses.
The constellation of Scorpio is still a good guide to locating Saturn. The distinctive curl of Scorpio is setting but still projects above the north-western horizon, locate the bright red star, Antares, and the look to the left of that and above, the next bright object is Saturn.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (that is 30 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen).
Venus continues to lower in the morning sky. This week Venus is close to Jupiter and forms a line with Mars and the crescent Moon. It is becoming much harder to see Venus in the twilight, and you will need a clear unobstructed horizon to see the Venus low in the twilight.
Jupiter enters the morning twilight and is close to Venus on the 13th. You will need a clear, level unobstructed horizon, like the ocean or desert, to see the, and you will need binoculars to pick up Jupiter. .
Mars is climbing higher the twilight, and is now reasonably visible in the twilight. It is visited by the crescent Moon on the 15th.
This week there are a series of bright evening passes of the International Space Station. Some are low to the horizon others pass close to bright stars. 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.
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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