Wednesday, September 26, 2018
The Sky This Week - Thursday September 27 to Thursday October 4
The last Quarter Moon is Tuesday, October 2. 4 bright unaided eye
planets can be seen in the evening sky. Venus is high in the early
evening sky just below Jupiter. The pair separate over the week. Saturn and Mars are visible in the evening skies. By the end of the week Mercury can be seen low in the evening twilight below Venus.
The last Quarter Moon is Tuesday, October 2.
Evening early twilight sky on Thursday October 4 looking west as seen from
Adelaide
at 18:43 ACST (30 minutes after sunset). Mercury is just above the horizon with Venus and Jupiter above. You will need a level, unobstructed western horizon to see Mercury at its best.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
Evening twilight sky on Saturday September 29 looking west as seen from
Adelaide
at 19:42 ACST (90 minutes after sunset). Venus is high above the horizon
and below Jupiter.
The insets shows simulated telescopic views of Venus as seen with a 5mm telescopic eyepiece on Saturday September 22. Venus is a clear crescent in small telescopes.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
Brilliant Venus is visible high in the evening until well after full dark. Venus is visible to the unaided eye from before sunset, easy to see shortly after sunset and can viewed well after 90 minutes after sunset. This week Venus begins to move away from Jupiter.
Whole sky view of the evening sky on Saturday September 29 as seen from
Adelaide
at 19:42 ACST (90 minutes after sunset). Four bright
planets are visible in the evening sky.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (just after 90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
Evening
sky on Saturday September 29 as seen from
Adelaide
at 19:42 ACST (90 minutes after sunset). Saturn and Mars are
clearly visible. The
insets are simulated telescopic views of Saturn and Mars as seen with a 5mm telescopic eyepiece.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
Venus is readily visible above the horizon in the early evening. It is bright enough to be visible from just on sunset and to well past 90 minutes after sunset at full dark, when it is four hand-spans above the horizon. During the week Venus heads towards Jupiter. Venus is close to the crescent Moon on the 13th.
Mercury climbs higher in the evening skies but You will need a level, unobstructed western horizon to see Mercury at its best. 30 minutes after sunset.
Jupiter is in the early evening sky above the western horizon just above Venus. It was at Opposition on the May 9th, and is still visible during the evening. It is a good telescopic object in the early evening and is setting around 10:00 pm local time.
Mars is in Capricornius and is readily seen in the evening. Mars was at opposition on July 27th, when it was biggest and brightest as seen from Earth. This was the best opposition since 2003. However Mars will remain bright and large in even small telescopes for some time. In a telescope you may see a few features as the huge dust storm sweeping the planet continues to subside. A guide to observing Mars at the time is at my Mars Opposition page.
Saturn is now high in the northern evening sky in the early evening, and is a good telescopic object in the mid to late evening sky. It was at opposition, when Saturn is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, on June the 27th. It is within binocular range of the Trifid and Lagoon nebulae. With the Moon gone from the evening sky the nebulae are now at their best.
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 Tuesday, October 2.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
The insets shows simulated telescopic views of Venus as seen with a 5mm telescopic eyepiece on Saturday September 22. Venus is a clear crescent in small telescopes.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
Brilliant Venus is visible high in the evening until well after full dark. Venus is visible to the unaided eye from before sunset, easy to see shortly after sunset and can viewed well after 90 minutes after sunset. This week Venus begins to move away from Jupiter.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (just after 90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
Venus is readily visible above the horizon in the early evening. It is bright enough to be visible from just on sunset and to well past 90 minutes after sunset at full dark, when it is four hand-spans above the horizon. During the week Venus heads towards Jupiter. Venus is close to the crescent Moon on the 13th.
Mercury climbs higher in the evening skies but You will need a level, unobstructed western horizon to see Mercury at its best. 30 minutes after sunset.
Jupiter is in the early evening sky above the western horizon just above Venus. It was at Opposition on the May 9th, and is still visible during the evening. It is a good telescopic object in the early evening and is setting around 10:00 pm local time.
Mars is in Capricornius and is readily seen in the evening. Mars was at opposition on July 27th, when it was biggest and brightest as seen from Earth. This was the best opposition since 2003. However Mars will remain bright and large in even small telescopes for some time. In a telescope you may see a few features as the huge dust storm sweeping the planet continues to subside. A guide to observing Mars at the time is at my Mars Opposition page.
Saturn is now high in the northern evening sky in the early evening, and is a good telescopic object in the mid to late evening sky. It was at opposition, when Saturn is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, on June the 27th. It is within binocular range of the Trifid and Lagoon nebulae. With the Moon gone from the evening sky the nebulae are now at their best.
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, September 18, 2018
The Sky This Week - Thursday September 20 to Thursday September 27
The Full Moon is Tuesday, September 25. 4 bright unaided eye
planets can be seen in the evening sky. Venus is high in the early
evening sky and is at its greats brightness on the 21st. Venus and Jupiter are at their closest on the 22nd.
Saturn and Mars are visible in the evening skies. The Moon is close to Mars on the 20th. Comet 21P may be seen in
binoculars in the morning
The Full Moon is Tuesday, September 25. The Earth is at Equinox, when day and night are of equal length, on the 23rd.
Evening twilight sky on Saturday September 22 looking west as seen from
Adelaide
at 19:36 ACST (90 minutes after sunset). Venus is high above the horizon and is at its closest to Jupiter. Jupiter is now high in the western sky as
well.
The insets shows simulated telescopic views of Venus as seen with a 5mm telescopic eyepiece on Saturday September 22 and Jupiter on Friday September 21, At this time Io and its shadow are transiting Jupiter. Venus is a clear crescent in small telescopes.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
Brilliant Venus is visible high in the evening until well after full dark. Venus is visible to the unaided eye from before sunset, easy to see shortly after sunset and can viewed well after 90 minutes after sunset. This week Venus is at its closest to Jupiter on the 22nd, and at its brightest on the 21st.
Whole sky view of the evening sky on Saturday September 22 as seen from
Adelaide
at 19:36 ACST (90 minutes after sunset). Four bright
planets are visible in the evening sky.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (just after 90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
Evening
sky on Thursday September 20 looking north as seen from Adelaide
at 19:32 ACST (90 minutes after sunset). Saturn and Mars are
clearly visible. The Moon is close to Mars on the 20th. The
insets are simulated telescopic views of Saturn and Mars as seen with a 5mm telescopic eyepiece.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
Location of comet 21P Giacobini-Zinner as seen from Adelaide at
astronomical twilight (4:55 am, 90 minutes before sunrise) looking
north-east on Saturday 15 September.
The location of the comet is marked with a red cross. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes before sunrise,click to embiggen).
The comet will be visible as a fuzzy dot in binoculars.
Venus is readily visible above the horizon in the early evening. It is bright enough to be visible from just on sunset and to well past 90 minutes after sunset at full dark, when it is four hand-spans above the horizon. During the week Venus heads towards Jupiter. Venus is close to the crescent Moon on the 13th.
Mercury is returns to the evening skies but is hard to see low on the horizon 15 minutes after sunset.
Jupiter is high in the early evening sky above the western horizon. It was at Opposition on the May 9th, and is still visible most of the night. It is a good telescopic object in the early evening and is setting around 11:00 pm local time. This week Jupiter continues to move away from the bright star alpha Librae (Zubenelgenubi) and is close to the crescent Moon on the 14th.
Mars is in Capricornius and is readily seen in the evening. Mars was at opposition last month on July 27th, when it was biggest and brightest as seen from Earth. This was the best opposition since 2003. However Mars will remain bright and large in even small telescopes for some time. In a telescope you may see a few features as the huge dust storm sweeping the planet continues to subside. A guide to observing Mars at the time is at my Mars Opposition page. Mars is close to the Moon on the 20th.
Saturn is now high in the northern evening sky in the early evening, and is a good telescopic object in the mid to late evening sky. It was at opposition, when Saturn is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, on June the 27th. It is within binocular range of the Trifid and Lagoon nebulae. With the full Moon in the sky the nebulae are hard to see.
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 Tuesday, September 25. The Earth is at Equinox, when day and night are of equal length, on the 23rd.
The insets shows simulated telescopic views of Venus as seen with a 5mm telescopic eyepiece on Saturday September 22 and Jupiter on Friday September 21, At this time Io and its shadow are transiting Jupiter. Venus is a clear crescent in small telescopes.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
Brilliant Venus is visible high in the evening until well after full dark. Venus is visible to the unaided eye from before sunset, easy to see shortly after sunset and can viewed well after 90 minutes after sunset. This week Venus is at its closest to Jupiter on the 22nd, and at its brightest on the 21st.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (just after 90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
The location of the comet is marked with a red cross. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes before sunrise,click to embiggen).
The comet will be visible as a fuzzy dot in binoculars.
Venus is readily visible above the horizon in the early evening. It is bright enough to be visible from just on sunset and to well past 90 minutes after sunset at full dark, when it is four hand-spans above the horizon. During the week Venus heads towards Jupiter. Venus is close to the crescent Moon on the 13th.
Mercury is returns to the evening skies but is hard to see low on the horizon 15 minutes after sunset.
Jupiter is high in the early evening sky above the western horizon. It was at Opposition on the May 9th, and is still visible most of the night. It is a good telescopic object in the early evening and is setting around 11:00 pm local time. This week Jupiter continues to move away from the bright star alpha Librae (Zubenelgenubi) and is close to the crescent Moon on the 14th.
Mars is in Capricornius and is readily seen in the evening. Mars was at opposition last month on July 27th, when it was biggest and brightest as seen from Earth. This was the best opposition since 2003. However Mars will remain bright and large in even small telescopes for some time. In a telescope you may see a few features as the huge dust storm sweeping the planet continues to subside. A guide to observing Mars at the time is at my Mars Opposition page. Mars is close to the Moon on the 20th.
Saturn is now high in the northern evening sky in the early evening, and is a good telescopic object in the mid to late evening sky. It was at opposition, when Saturn is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, on June the 27th. It is within binocular range of the Trifid and Lagoon nebulae. With the full Moon in the sky the nebulae are hard to see.
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, September 12, 2018
Seeing comet 21P Giacobini-Zinner from Australia in September 2018
The location of the comet is marked with a red cross. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes before sunrise).
21P Giacobini-Zinner is a nice little binocular comet currently putting on a nice display in the Northern Hemisphere. It is currently cruising across the milky way, with a nice backdrop of nebulae and clusters to enhance the view.
Sadly for us in Australia it is currently too low to the horizon to see. However, by the 15th the comet is high enough to see above the horizon. It will have faded from its peak, but will still be easily visible. At this time it is close to the open cluster M35.
Printable Black and white map with the binolcar view of Comet 21P as seen from Adelaide at astronomical twilight (4:55 am, 90 minutes before sunrise). The large circle is the field of view of 10x50 binoculars. Note this is chart is in the same orientation with respect to the spotter chart above. Click to embiggen and print.
In binoculars the comet looks like a fuzzy dot. The tail is probably only realy visible in telescopes and photographs, and there is a green tint visible on colour images.
The comet is travelling against the backdrop of the milky way, and by the end of the month is within binocular distance of the cone nebula.
The comet is travelling against the backdrop of the milky way, and by the end of the month is within binocular distance of the cone nebula.
The MPC one line ephemeris is:
0021P 2018 09 10.2745 1.012906 0.710470 172.8514 195.3951 31.9980 20180323 9.0 6.0 21P/Giacobini-Zinner
Ephemeris of Comet 21P as seen from Adelaide (Pretty much the same for latitudes from Melbourne to Brisbane).
Date Mag Rise Ast Twi E Altitude Transit Set Ast Twi B 12 Sep 2018 7.0 02:24:21 19:28:29 -26° 27' 36" 06:49:42 11:17:40 04:56:23 13 Sep 2018 7.1 02:17:26 19:29:13 -25° 40' 38" 06:49:41 11:24:29 04:54:56 14 Sep 2018 7.1 02:10:41 19:29:58 -24° 50' 41" 06:49:31 11:30:52 04:53:29 15 Sep 2018 7.1 02:04:04 19:30:43 -23° 57' 56" 06:49:13 11:36:49 04:52:02 16 Sep 2018 7.1 01:57:35 19:31:29 -23° 02' 39" 06:48:47 11:42:23 04:50:34 17 Sep 2018 7.1 01:51:12 19:32:15 -22° 05' 01" 06:48:13 11:47:35 04:49:05 18 Sep 2018 7.1 01:44:55 19:33:02 -21° 05' 18" 06:47:32 11:52:27 04:47:36 19 Sep 2018 7.2 01:38:43 19:33:49 -20° 03' 43" 06:46:44 11:57:00 04:46:06 20 Sep 2018 7.2 01:32:37 19:34:37 -19° 00' 29" 06:45:49 12:01:15 04:44:36 21 Sep 2018 7.2 01:26:35 19:35:25 -17° 55' 50" 06:44:49 12:05:14 04:43:06
Tuesday, September 11, 2018
The Sky This Week - Thursday September 13 to Thursday September 20
The First Quarter Moon is Monday, September 17. 4 bright unaided eye
planets can be seen in the evening sky and are visited by the Moon in turn this week. Venus is high in the early
evening sky and is moving towards Jupiter. The crescent Moon is close to Venus on the 13th, and Jupiter on the 14th.
Jupiter is past opposition, but is still big and bright in telescopes.
Saturn and Mars are visible in the evening skies. Saturn is close to the Moon on the 17th and Mars is close to the Moon on the 20th. Comet 21P may be seen in binoculars in the morning
The First Quarter Moon is Monday, September 17. The Moon is at Apogee, when it is furthest Earth, on the 20th.
Evening twilight sky on Thursday September 13 looking west as seen from
Adelaide
at 19:29 ACST (90 minutes after sunset). Venus is high above the horizon
and is close to the crescent Moon as it heads towards Jupiter. Jupiter is now high in the western sky as
well.
The insets shows simulated telescopic views of Venus as seen with a 5mm telescopic eyepiece and Jupiter on Thursday September 13.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
Brilliant Venus is visible high in the evening until well after full dark. Venus is visible to the unaided eye from before sunset, easy to see shortly after sunset and can viewed well after 90 minutes after sunset. During the week Venus heads towards Jupiter. Venus is close to the crescent Moon on the 13th.
Whole sky view of the evening sky on Friday September 14 as seen from
Adelaide
at 19:30 ACST (90 minutes after sunset). Four bright
planets are visible in the evening sky.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (just after 90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
Evening
sky on Monday September 17 looking north as seen from Adelaide
at 19:31 ACST (90 minutes after sunset). Saturn and Mars are
clearly visible. The Moon is close to Saturn on the 15th. The
insets are simulated telescopic views of Saturn and Mars as seen with a 5mm telescopic eyepiece.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
Location of comet 21P Giacobini-Zinner as seen from Adelaide at
astronomical twilight (4:55 am, 90 minutes before sunrise) looking
north-east on Saturday 15 September.
The location of the comet is marked with a red cross. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes before sunrise,click to embiggen).
The comet will be visible as a fuzzy dot in binoculars.
Venus is readily visible above the horizon in the early evening. It is bright enough to be visible from just on sunset and to well past 90 minutes after sunset at full dark, when it is four hand-spans above the horizon. During the week Venus heads towards Jupiter. Venus is close to the crescent Moon on the 13th.
Mercury is deep in the twilight in the morning skies and very difficult to see.
Jupiter is high in the early evening sky above the western horizon. It was at Opposition on the May 9th, and is still visible most of the night. It is a good telescopic object in the early evening and is setting around 11:00 pm local time. This week Jupiter continues to move away from the bright star alpha Librae (Zubenelgenubi) and is close to the crescent Moon on the 14th.
Mars is in Capricornius and is readily seen in the evening. Mars was at opposition last month on July 27th, when it was biggest and brightest as seen from Earth. This was the best opposition since 2003. However Mars will remain bright and large in even small telescopes for some time. In a telescope you may see a few features as the huge dust storm sweeping the planet continues to subside. A guide to observing Mars at the time is at my Mars Opposition page. Mars is close to the Moon on the 20th.
Saturn is now high in the northern evening sky in the early evening, and is a good telescopic object in the mid to late evening sky. It was at opposition, when Saturn is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, on June the 27th. It is within binocular range of the Trifid and Lagoon nebulae. With the waxing Moon close to Saturn on the 17th the nebulae are hard to see.
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, September 17. The Moon is at Apogee, when it is furthest Earth, on the 20th.
The insets shows simulated telescopic views of Venus as seen with a 5mm telescopic eyepiece and Jupiter on Thursday September 13.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
Brilliant Venus is visible high in the evening until well after full dark. Venus is visible to the unaided eye from before sunset, easy to see shortly after sunset and can viewed well after 90 minutes after sunset. During the week Venus heads towards Jupiter. Venus is close to the crescent Moon on the 13th.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (just after 90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
The location of the comet is marked with a red cross. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes before sunrise,click to embiggen).
The comet will be visible as a fuzzy dot in binoculars.
Venus is readily visible above the horizon in the early evening. It is bright enough to be visible from just on sunset and to well past 90 minutes after sunset at full dark, when it is four hand-spans above the horizon. During the week Venus heads towards Jupiter. Venus is close to the crescent Moon on the 13th.
Mercury is deep in the twilight in the morning skies and very difficult to see.
Jupiter is high in the early evening sky above the western horizon. It was at Opposition on the May 9th, and is still visible most of the night. It is a good telescopic object in the early evening and is setting around 11:00 pm local time. This week Jupiter continues to move away from the bright star alpha Librae (Zubenelgenubi) and is close to the crescent Moon on the 14th.
Mars is in Capricornius and is readily seen in the evening. Mars was at opposition last month on July 27th, when it was biggest and brightest as seen from Earth. This was the best opposition since 2003. However Mars will remain bright and large in even small telescopes for some time. In a telescope you may see a few features as the huge dust storm sweeping the planet continues to subside. A guide to observing Mars at the time is at my Mars Opposition page. Mars is close to the Moon on the 20th.
Saturn is now high in the northern evening sky in the early evening, and is a good telescopic object in the mid to late evening sky. It was at opposition, when Saturn is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, on June the 27th. It is within binocular range of the Trifid and Lagoon nebulae. With the waxing Moon close to Saturn on the 17th the nebulae are hard to see.
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, September 10, 2018
Catch the ISS passing close to Venus, Jupiter and Mars (11-15 September, 2018)
 |  |  |
| The ISS passes below Jupiter and above Venus and the crescent Moon as seen from Sydney on the evening of Thursday 13 September at 18:41 AEST. Simulated in Stellarium (the ISS will actually be a bright dot), click to embiggen. | The ISS passes above Venus as seen from Adelaide on the evening of Tuesday 11 September at 19:52 ACST. Simulated in Stellarium (the ISS will actually be a bright dot), click to embiggen. | The ISS passes below Jupiter as seen from Perth on the evening of Tuesday 11 September at 19:56 AWST. Simulated in Stellarium (the ISS will actually be a bright dot) click to embiggen. |
 |  |  |
| All sky chart showing local times from Heavens Above for Thursday 13 September for Sydney. | All sky chart showing local times from Heavens Above for Tuesday 11 September for Adelaide. | All sky chart showing local times from Heavens Above for Saturday Tuesday 11 September for Perth. |
Starting tomorrow night there are a series of very bright ISS passes. Many will pass close to bright planets or shoot between the planets and the Moon. However, there are particularly close passes to Venus on the 11th (Adelaide), 12th (Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Hobart), 13th (Sydney) 14th and 17th (Darwin), 15th (Brisbane). On other days there are close passes to Jupiter (11th Hobart, 13th Melbourne, 11th,14th Perth) and Mars (11th Sydney, 12th Perth) .
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. | ||
|
Passes from Brisbane
| 10 Sep | -0.9 | 19:39:32 | 10° | SW | 19:40:08 | 14° | SW | 19:40:08 | 14° | SW | visible |
| 11 Sep | -2.8 | 18:47:53 | 10° | SSW | 18:50:52 | 31° | SE | 18:50:52 | 31° | SE | visible |
| 12 Sep | -1.6 | 19:32:22 | 10° | WSW | 19:34:28 | 26° | W | 19:34:28 | 26° | W | visible |
| 13 Sep | -3.7 | 18:40:09 | 10° | SW | 18:43:30 | 79° | NW | 18:45:30 | 22° | NE | visible |
| 14 Sep | -0.5 | 19:27:35 | 10° | WNW | 19:27:41 | 10° | NW | 19:27:46 | 10° | NW | visible |
| 15 Sep | -1.4 | 18:33:12 | 10° | WSW | 18:35:53 | 22° | NW | 18:38:33 | 10° | N | visible |
Passes from Darwin
|
Passes from Melbourne
|
Labels: ISS, Satellite, unaided eye
[Aurora Alert] Geomagnetic warning and Aurora Watch (10-11 September)
The SWS has issued a geomagnetic warning and aurora watch for 10-11 September
(UT) due to ongoing solar wind streams from a coronal hole. This anytime during
the UT day on the 10th, with activity extending out to the 11th. The SWS
predicts active conditions with the possibility of outbreaks of minor storms on
the 11th. It is not clear if the solar wind will impact during night time
hours, abut it would pay to be alert form twilight on the 11th..
If these geomagnetic events occur and result in aurora they could be seen from Tasmania weather permitting. The Moon is just past New and will not significantly interfere with seeing aurora. Be patient, as the activity may rise and fall of the magnetic polarity of the wind may fluctuate significantly.
This event is unlikely to be spectacular, but still worth a look as viewing conditions are good (the Full Moon aurora on August 26 was good for those with clear skies despite the Moonlight, as was very active despite initial predictions of not much hapening).
Dark sky sites have the best chance of seeing anything, and always allow around 5 minutes for your eyes to become dark adapted.
As always look to the south for shifting red/green glows, beams have been reported consistently over the last few aurora, as well as bright proton arcs and "picket fences". A double arc, blobs, and curtains were seen in Septembers aurora last despite the moonlight.
Here is the near-real time satellite view of the clouds http://satview.bom.gov.au/
Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.
A new aurora camera is being installed at Campania, Tasmania. A live feed of the images from this camera is still not available.
SUBJ: SWS GEOMAGNETIC DISTURBANCE WARNING 18/19
ISSUED AT 0031UT/10 SEPTEMBER 2018
BY THE AUSTRALIAN SPACE FORECAST CENTRE.
Geomagnetic activity is expected to increase to Active levels
due to the arrival of CIR and HSS associated with a recurrent
equatorial positive polarity coronal hole. A period of significant
southward Bz component could produce Minor Storm levels.
INCREASED GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY EXPECTED
DUE TO CORONAL HOLE HIGH SPEED WIND STREAM
FROM 10-11 SEPTEMBER 2018
_____________________________________________________________
GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY FORECAST
10 Sep: Quiet to Active. An isolated Minor Storm period is also possible.
11 Sep: Active to Minor Storm
_____________________________________________________________
SUBJ: SWS AURORA WATCH
ISSUED AT 0047 UT ON 10 Sep 2018 by Space Weather Services
FROM THE AUSTRALIAN SPACE FORECAST CENTRE
Effects of a coronal hole are expected to impact the Earth within the
next 24 hours, possibly resulting in Minor Storm geomagnetic activity
and visible auroras during local nighttime hours at high latitudes
such as Tasmania. Aurora alerts will follow if significant geomagnetic
activity actually occurs.
Visit the SWS Aurora webpage http://www.sws.bom.gov.au/Aurora for current
aurora viewing conditions.
Our Aurora forecasting tool, located at
http://www.sws.bom.gov.au/Aurora/3/1, may help to estimate regions
from where aurora would be visible.
If these geomagnetic events occur and result in aurora they could be seen from Tasmania weather permitting. The Moon is just past New and will not significantly interfere with seeing aurora. Be patient, as the activity may rise and fall of the magnetic polarity of the wind may fluctuate significantly.
This event is unlikely to be spectacular, but still worth a look as viewing conditions are good (the Full Moon aurora on August 26 was good for those with clear skies despite the Moonlight, as was very active despite initial predictions of not much hapening).
Dark sky sites have the best chance of seeing anything, and always allow around 5 minutes for your eyes to become dark adapted.
As always look to the south for shifting red/green glows, beams have been reported consistently over the last few aurora, as well as bright proton arcs and "picket fences". A double arc, blobs, and curtains were seen in Septembers aurora last despite the moonlight.
Here is the near-real time satellite view of the clouds http://satview.bom.gov.au/
Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.
A new aurora camera is being installed at Campania, Tasmania. A live feed of the images from this camera is still not available.
SUBJ: SWS GEOMAGNETIC DISTURBANCE WARNING 18/19
ISSUED AT 0031UT/10 SEPTEMBER 2018
BY THE AUSTRALIAN SPACE FORECAST CENTRE.
Geomagnetic activity is expected to increase to Active levels
due to the arrival of CIR and HSS associated with a recurrent
equatorial positive polarity coronal hole. A period of significant
southward Bz component could produce Minor Storm levels.
INCREASED GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY EXPECTED
DUE TO CORONAL HOLE HIGH SPEED WIND STREAM
FROM 10-11 SEPTEMBER 2018
_____________________________________________________________
GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY FORECAST
10 Sep: Quiet to Active. An isolated Minor Storm period is also possible.
11 Sep: Active to Minor Storm
_____________________________________________________________
SUBJ: SWS AURORA WATCH
ISSUED AT 0047 UT ON 10 Sep 2018 by Space Weather Services
FROM THE AUSTRALIAN SPACE FORECAST CENTRE
Effects of a coronal hole are expected to impact the Earth within the
next 24 hours, possibly resulting in Minor Storm geomagnetic activity
and visible auroras during local nighttime hours at high latitudes
such as Tasmania. Aurora alerts will follow if significant geomagnetic
activity actually occurs.
Visit the SWS Aurora webpage http://www.sws.bom.gov.au/Aurora for current
aurora viewing conditions.
Our Aurora forecasting tool, located at
http://www.sws.bom.gov.au/Aurora/3/1, may help to estimate regions
from where aurora would be visible.
Labels: aurora
Tuesday, September 04, 2018
The Sky This Week - Thursday September 6 to Thursday September 13
The New Moon is Monday, September 10. 4 bright unaided eye
planets can be seen in the evening sky. Venus is high in the early
evening sky and is moving towards Jupiter.
Jupiter is past opposition, but is still big and bright in telescopes.
Saturn and Mars are visible in the evening skies. Mars is past
opposition but is still bright and big in even small telescopes.
The New Moon is Monday, September 10. The Moon is at Perigee, when it is closest to Earth, on the 8th.
Evening twilight sky on Saturday September 8 looking west as seen from
Adelaide
at 19:26 ACST (90 minutes after sunset). Venus is high above the horizon
and is leaving Spica behind as it heads towards Jupiter. Jupiter is now high in the western sky as
well.
The insets shows simulated telescopic views of Venus as seen with a 5mm telescopic eyepiece and Jupiter on Saturday September 8.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
Brilliant Venus is visible high in the evening until well after full dark. Venus is visible to the unaided eye from before sunset, easy to see shortly after sunset and can viewed well after 90 minutes after sunset. During the week Venus moves away from the bright star Spica and heads towards Jupiter.
Whole sky view of the evening sky on Saturday September 8 as seen from
Adelaide
at 19:26 ACST (90 minutes after sunset). Four bright
planets are visible in the evening sky.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (just after 90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
Evening
sky on Saturday September 8 looking north as seen from Adelaide
at 19:26 ACST (90 minutes after sunset). Saturn and Mars are
clearly visible. The
insets are simulated telescopic views of Saturn and Mars as seen with a 5mm telescopic eyepiece.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
Binocular view of Saturn on Saturday September 8 looking east as seen from Adelaide
at 19:26 ACST (90 minutes after sunset). Saturn is in the same binocular field as the Triffid and Lagoon Nebulae.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
Venus is readily visible above the horizon in the early evening. It is bright enough to be visible from just on sunset and to well past 90 minutes after sunset at full dark, when it is four hand-spans above the horizon. During the week Venus moves away from the bright star Spica and heads towards Jupiter.
Mercury is deep in the twilight in the morning skies and very difficult to see.
Jupiter is high in the early evening sky above the western horizon. It was at Opposition on the May 9th, and is still visible most of the night. It is a good telescopic object in the early evening and is setting around 11:00 pm local time. This week Jupiter continues to move away from the bright star alpha Librae (Zubenelgenubi).
Mars is in Capricornius and is readily seen in the evening. Mars was at opposition last month on July 27th, when it was biggest and brightest as seen from Earth. This was the best opposition since 2003. However Mars will remain bright and large in even small telescopes for some time. In a telescope you may see a few features as the huge dust storm sweeping the planet continues to subside. A guide to observing Mars at the time is at my Mars Opposition page.
Saturn is now high in the northern evening sky in the early evening, and is a good telescopic object in the mid to late evening sky. It was at opposition, when Saturn is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, on June the 27th. It is within binocular range of the Trifid and Lagoon nebulae. Now that the Moon has left the evening sky this will be an excellent sight in binoculars.
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, September 10. The Moon is at Perigee, when it is closest to Earth, on the 8th.
The insets shows simulated telescopic views of Venus as seen with a 5mm telescopic eyepiece and Jupiter on Saturday September 8.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
Brilliant Venus is visible high in the evening until well after full dark. Venus is visible to the unaided eye from before sunset, easy to see shortly after sunset and can viewed well after 90 minutes after sunset. During the week Venus moves away from the bright star Spica and heads towards Jupiter.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (just after 90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
Venus is readily visible above the horizon in the early evening. It is bright enough to be visible from just on sunset and to well past 90 minutes after sunset at full dark, when it is four hand-spans above the horizon. During the week Venus moves away from the bright star Spica and heads towards Jupiter.
Mercury is deep in the twilight in the morning skies and very difficult to see.
Jupiter is high in the early evening sky above the western horizon. It was at Opposition on the May 9th, and is still visible most of the night. It is a good telescopic object in the early evening and is setting around 11:00 pm local time. This week Jupiter continues to move away from the bright star alpha Librae (Zubenelgenubi).
Mars is in Capricornius and is readily seen in the evening. Mars was at opposition last month on July 27th, when it was biggest and brightest as seen from Earth. This was the best opposition since 2003. However Mars will remain bright and large in even small telescopes for some time. In a telescope you may see a few features as the huge dust storm sweeping the planet continues to subside. A guide to observing Mars at the time is at my Mars Opposition page.
Saturn is now high in the northern evening sky in the early evening, and is a good telescopic object in the mid to late evening sky. It was at opposition, when Saturn is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, on June the 27th. It is within binocular range of the Trifid and Lagoon nebulae. Now that the Moon has left the evening sky this will be an excellent sight in binoculars.
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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