The Sky This Week - Thursday December 27 to Thursday January 3

The Last Quarter Moon is Saturday, December 29. The Earth is at Perihelion. Mars is visible low in the evening skies.  Venus is bright in the morning sky with Mercury and Jupiter below. Venus is visited by the crescent Moon on the 2nd. The Milky way  graces the evening sky.

The Last Quarter Moon is Saturday, December 29. The Earth is at Perihelion on January 3, where it is closest to the Sun.

Morning twilight sky on Wednesday, January 2 looking east as seen from Adelaide at 5:15 ACDST (45 minutes before sunrise). Venus is bright with Mercury and Jupiter low to the horizon below it. The crescent Moon is close to Venus. The left inset shows the telescopic view of Venus at this time.

Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (45 minutes before sunrise)

Evening sky on  Saturday, December 29 as seen looking west from Adelaide at 22:18 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset). Mars is the brightest object above the western horizon.

Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).

Evening sky on  Saturday, December 29 as seen looking South-east from Adelaide at 22:18 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset).



During the holidays many people will be away from the city lights. This is a perfect time to observe our wonderful southern sky. The Milky way stretches from the Southern cross in the south to the distinctive constellation of Orion and beyond. The Magellanic clouds, dwarf galaxies, are easily seen away from the city lights.

Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time. Click to embiggen.


 Venus climbs higher in the morning skies and is visited by the Moon on January 2.

Mercury  is low in the morning twilight.

Jupiter  climbs higher in the morning sky.

Mars is in Pisces and is readily seen as the brightest object in the western evening sky. Mars sets after midnight.

Saturn 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/