Tuesday, July 30, 2019
The Sky This Week - Thursday August 1 to Thursday August 8
The New Moon is Thursday, August 1, the first quarter Moon is Thursday, August 8. Mars is lost in the twilight but dedicated viewers may see it with binoculars close to the Moon on the 2nd. Jupiter is easily visible as the brightest object in the evening skies. Saturn, just past opposition, is high in the late evening skies.
The New Moon is Thursday, August 1, the first quarter Moon is Thursday, August 8. The Moon is at perigee, when it is closest to Earth, on the 2nd.
Evening sky on Friday, August 2 as seen looking north-west from
Adelaide at 18:02 ACST (30 minutes after sunset). Mars is close to the
horizon with the thin crescent Moon close by. You will need a clear level horizon and binoculars to see Mars, using the Moon as a signpost.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
Sky at 19:02 ACST (90 minutes after sunset) on Saturday, August 3 looking east as seen from Adelaide. Jupiter is past opposition, and high above the eastern horizon. Saturn is below and just past opposition.
The left upper insert inset shows the telescopic view of Jupiter at this time. The left lower insert is the telescopic view of Saturn at the same magnification.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia 90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen.
The whole sky at 22:00 ACST on Saturday, August 3 as seen from Adelaide.
The Southern Cross is beginning to leave the zenith. However, the galactic core (and the celestial emu) is at the zenith and there are
numerous clusters and nebula high in the sky in the tail of the Scorpion and the lid of the teapot of Sagittarius that will be a
delight to explore while the Moon is new.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time, click to embiggen.
Venus is lost in the morning twilight and will return to the evening sky in September.
Mercury is lost in the twilight returning to the morning sky next month.
Jupiter Jupiter is now well past opposition. However, it is still well worth observing. Jupiter is easily visible as the brightest object in the north-eastern/northern sky (aside from the Moon) and is located just below the distinctive constellation of Scorpius and the bright red star Antares. It is visible all evening long and is a good telescope target in the evening, being highest above the northern horizon around 8:30 pm local time.
Mars is lost in the twilight. However, on the 2nd it is close to the thin crescent moon, and those with a clear level horizon can spot it in binoculars.
Saturn was at opposition on July 10th, when it was visible all night long. Saturn is below Jupiter and just below the "handle" of the "teapot of Sagittarius. It is best for telescopic viewing from just around 9 pm local time until the early morning and is highest above the northern horizon when it is ideal for telescopic imaging, around 10:30 pm local time.
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 Thursday, August 1, the first quarter Moon is Thursday, August 8. The Moon is at perigee, when it is closest to Earth, on the 2nd.
Evening sky on Friday, August 2 as seen looking north-west from
Adelaide at 18:02 ACST (30 minutes after sunset). Mars is close to the
horizon with the thin crescent Moon close by. You will need a clear level horizon and binoculars to see Mars, using the Moon as a signpost.Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
The left upper insert inset shows the telescopic view of Jupiter at this time. The left lower insert is the telescopic view of Saturn at the same magnification.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia 90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen.
The whole sky at 22:00 ACST on Saturday, August 3 as seen from Adelaide.
The Southern Cross is beginning to leave the zenith. However, the galactic core (and the celestial emu) is at the zenith and there are
numerous clusters and nebula high in the sky in the tail of the Scorpion and the lid of the teapot of Sagittarius that will be a
delight to explore while the Moon is new.Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time, click to embiggen.
Venus is lost in the morning twilight and will return to the evening sky in September.
Mercury is lost in the twilight returning to the morning sky next month.
Jupiter Jupiter is now well past opposition. However, it is still well worth observing. Jupiter is easily visible as the brightest object in the north-eastern/northern sky (aside from the Moon) and is located just below the distinctive constellation of Scorpius and the bright red star Antares. It is visible all evening long and is a good telescope target in the evening, being highest above the northern horizon around 8:30 pm local time.
Mars is lost in the twilight. However, on the 2nd it is close to the thin crescent moon, and those with a clear level horizon can spot it in binoculars.
Saturn was at opposition on July 10th, when it was visible all night long. Saturn is below Jupiter and just below the "handle" of the "teapot of Sagittarius. It is best for telescopic viewing from just around 9 pm local time until the early morning and is highest above the northern horizon when it is ideal for telescopic imaging, around 10:30 pm local time.
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, July 24, 2019
Southern Delta Aquariid Meteor Shower 29-31 July, 2019
 |  |
| Evening sky looking east from Adelaide at 10 pm local time in South Australia. The starburst marks the radiant (the point where the meteors appear to originate from) of the Southern Delta Aquariids. Similar views will be seen elsewhere at the equivalent local time (click to embiggen). | Evening sky looking east from Adelaide at 2:24 am local time on July 30th in South Australia. The starburst marks the radiant (the point where the meteors appear to originate from) of the Southern Delta Aquariids. Similar views will be seen elsewhere at the equivalent local time (click to embiggen). |
The Southern Delta-Aquarids meteor shower runs from from 12 July to 23rd August, peaking on Sunday July the 30th. The number of meteors you will see depends on how high the radiant is above the horizon, and how dark your sky is. This shower is fairly faint, with the highest rate of around a meteor every 4 minutes (more detail below).
The ZHR for Southern Delta Aquariids is 16 meteors per hour. The figure ZHR is zenithal hourly rate. This is the number of meteors that a single observer would see per hour if the shower's "point of origin", or radiant, were at the zenith and the sky were dark enough for 6.5-magnitude stars to be visible to the naked eye.
In practise, you will never see this many meteors as the radiant will be some distance below the zenith. Also, unless you are out deep in the countryside, the darkness will be less than ideal. As well, moonlight will significantly reduce rates. How many are you likely to see in reality? I discuss this further down, lets talk about when to see them first.
At 10 pm, face east, and look 4 hand spans and two finger widths above the horizon. One finger width right is the 4th magnitude star delta Aquarii. The radiant is just above this star. This meteor shower should be visible from 10.00 pm until dawn. The Moon will not interfere this year, being almost New. The best rates will be at 2:24 am in the morning of the 30th. The radiant will be at its highest then and due north, close to the Zenith near the bright star Fomalhaut.
At 2 am people in the suburbs should see a meteor around once every 8 minutes, and in the country about once every 4 minutes at 2 am in the morning of the 30th.
When looking, be sure to let your eyes adjust for at least 5 minutes so your eyes can be properly adapted to the dark. Don't look directly at the radiant site, because the meteors will often start their "burn" some distance from it, but around a hand-span up or to the side. Be patient, although you should see an average of a meteor every six to four minutes, a whole stretch of time can go by without a meteor, then a whole bunch turn up one after the other.
Make yourself comfortable, choose an observing site that has little to obstruct the eastern horizon, have a comfortable chair to sit in (a banana lounger is best), or blankets and pillows. Rug up against the cold. A hot Thermos of something to drink and plenty of mosquito protection will complete your observing preparations. As well as meteors, keep an eye out for satellites (see Heavens Above for predictions from your site).
The sky will also be particularly beautiful, with the Milky Way stretching over the sky and constellation of Scorpius, Jupiter and Saturn gracing the western sky.
Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.
Labels: Meteors, unaided eye
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
The Sky This Week - Thursday July 25 to Thursday August 1
The New Moon is Thursday, August 1. Mars is lost in the twilight.
Jupiter is easily visible as the brightest object in the evening skies. Saturn, just past opposition, is
high in the late evening skies. Southern Delta Aquarids meteor shower peaks July 30.
The New Moon is Thursday, August 1.
Sky at 18:58 ACST (90 minutes after sunset) on Saturday, July 27 looking east as seen from
Adelaide. Jupiter is past opposition, and high above the eastern horizon
with the Moon nearby. Saturn is below the pair and just past
opposition.
The left upper insert inset shows the telescopic
view of Jupiter at this time. The left lower insert is the telescopic view of Saturn at the same magnification.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia 90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen.
Sky at 20:00 ACST on Saturday, July 27 looking South as seen from
Adelaide. The Southern Cross is beginning to leave the zenith. However there are numerous clusters and nebula still high in the sky that will be a delight to explore while the Moon is new.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time, click to embiggen.
Evening sky looking east from Adelaide at 10 pm local time in South
Australia. The starburst marks the radiant (the point where the meteors
appear to originate from) of the Southern Delta Aquariids. Similar views
will
be seen elsewhere at the equivalent local time (click to embiggen).
The Southern Delta-Aquarids meteor shower runs from from 12 July to 23rd August, peaking on Wednesday July the 30th. The number of meteors you will see depends on how high the radiant is above the horizon, and how dark your sky is. This shower is fairly faint, with the highest rate of around a meteor every 4 minutes. This year the shower occurs when the Moon is almost new so good rates should be seen.
At 10 pm, face east, and look 4 hand spans and two finger widths above the horizon. One finger width right is the 4th magnitude star delta Aquarii. The radiant is just above this star. This meteor shower should be visible from 10.00 pm until dawn. The best rates will be at 3 am in the morning of the 31st.
Use the NASA meteor shower flux estimator for an estimate of what the shower will be like from your location. You need to choose 5 Southern Delta Aquariids and remember to set the date to 29-30 July or 30-31 July 2019 and turn off daylight saving time. 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. For more details see my meteor shower page.
Venus is lost in the morning twilight and will return to the evening sky in September.
Mercury is lost in the twilight returning to the morning sky next month.
Jupiter Jupiter is now well past opposition. However, it is still well worth observing. Jupiter is easily visible as the brightest object in the north-eastern/northern sky (aside from the Moon) and is located just below the distinctive constellation of Scorpius and the bright red star Antares. It is visible all evening long and is a good telescope target in the evening, being highest above the northern horizon around 9:00 pm local time.
Mars is lost in the twilight.
Saturn was at opposition on the 10th, when it was visible all night long. Saturn is below Jupiter and just below the "handle" of the "teapot of Sagittarius. It is best for
telescopic viewing from just around 9 pm local time until the early morning and is highest above the northern horizon when it is ideal for telescopic imaging, around 11 pm local time.
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 Thursday, August 1.
Sky at 18:58 ACST (90 minutes after sunset) on Saturday, July 27 looking east as seen from
Adelaide. Jupiter is past opposition, and high above the eastern horizon
with the Moon nearby. Saturn is below the pair and just past
opposition.The left upper insert inset shows the telescopic
view of Jupiter at this time. The left lower insert is the telescopic view of Saturn at the same magnification.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia 90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time, click to embiggen.
The Southern Delta-Aquarids meteor shower runs from from 12 July to 23rd August, peaking on Wednesday July the 30th. The number of meteors you will see depends on how high the radiant is above the horizon, and how dark your sky is. This shower is fairly faint, with the highest rate of around a meteor every 4 minutes. This year the shower occurs when the Moon is almost new so good rates should be seen.
At 10 pm, face east, and look 4 hand spans and two finger widths above the horizon. One finger width right is the 4th magnitude star delta Aquarii. The radiant is just above this star. This meteor shower should be visible from 10.00 pm until dawn. The best rates will be at 3 am in the morning of the 31st.
Use the NASA meteor shower flux estimator for an estimate of what the shower will be like from your location. You need to choose 5 Southern Delta Aquariids and remember to set the date to 29-30 July or 30-31 July 2019 and turn off daylight saving time. 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. For more details see my meteor shower page.
Venus is lost in the morning twilight and will return to the evening sky in September.
Mercury is lost in the twilight returning to the morning sky next month.
Jupiter Jupiter is now well past opposition. However, it is still well worth observing. Jupiter is easily visible as the brightest object in the north-eastern/northern sky (aside from the Moon) and is located just below the distinctive constellation of Scorpius and the bright red star Antares. It is visible all evening long and is a good telescope target in the evening, being highest above the northern horizon around 9:00 pm local time.
Mars is lost in the twilight.
Saturn was at opposition on the 10th, when it was visible all night long. Saturn is below Jupiter and just below the "handle" of the "teapot of Sagittarius. It is best for
telescopic viewing from just around 9 pm local time until the early morning and is highest above the northern horizon when it is ideal for telescopic imaging, around 11 pm local time.
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, July 16, 2019
The Sky This Week - Thursday July 18 to Thursday July 25
The Last Quarter Moon is Thursday, July 25. 50th anniversary of Apollo Moon landings, Saturday, July 20. Mars is just visible low in the evening twilight at the beginning of the week then is lost in the twilight.
Jupiter is easily visible as the brightest object in the evening skies. Saturn, just past opposition, is
high in the late evening skies.
The Last Quarter Moon is Thursday, July 25. The Moon is at apogee, when it is furthest from the Earth, on the 21st.
Sky at 18:54 ACST (90 minutes after sunset)on Saturday, July 20 looking east as seen from
Adelaide. Jupiter is past opposition, and high above the eastern horizon
with the Moon nearby. Saturn is below the pair and just past
opposition.
The left upper insert inset shows the telescopic
view of Jupiter at this time. Europa is about to transit the disk of Jupiter. The left lower insert is the telescopic view of Saturn at the same magnification.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia 90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen.
Sky at 20:00 ACST on Saturday, July 20 looking east as seen from
Adelaide.The Moon is reasonably high above the horizon. As this is the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing try looking for the apollo 11 landing site.
The inset is the telescopic/binocular view at this time. The Apollo landing site is indicated with a star, near a promontory not far from an obvious crater chain.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time, click to embiggen.
Venus is lost in the morning twilight and will return to the evening sky in September.
Mercury is lost in the twilight returning to the morning sky next month.
Jupiter Jupiter is now well past opposition. However, it is still well worth observing. Jupiter is easily visible as the brightest object in the north-eastern/northern sky (aside from the Moon) and is located just below the distinctive constellation of Scorpius and the bright red star Antares. It is visible all evening long and is a good telescope target in the evening, being highest above the northern horizon around 9:30 pm local time.
Mars is in Cancer and very close to the horizon at the beginning of the week then is lost in the twilight.
Saturn climbs was at opposition on the 10th, when it was visible all night long. Saturn is below Jupiter and just below the "handle" of the "teapot of Sagittarius. It is best for
telescopic viewing from just around 9 pm local time until the early morning and is highest above the northern horizon, when it is idea for telescopic imaging, shortly after midnight.
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 Thursday, July 25. The Moon is at apogee, when it is furthest from the Earth, on the 21st.
The left upper insert inset shows the telescopic
view of Jupiter at this time. Europa is about to transit the disk of Jupiter. The left lower insert is the telescopic view of Saturn at the same magnification.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia 90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen.
The inset is the telescopic/binocular view at this time. The Apollo landing site is indicated with a star, near a promontory not far from an obvious crater chain.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time, click to embiggen.
Venus is lost in the morning twilight and will return to the evening sky in September.
Mercury is lost in the twilight returning to the morning sky next month.
Jupiter Jupiter is now well past opposition. However, it is still well worth observing. Jupiter is easily visible as the brightest object in the north-eastern/northern sky (aside from the Moon) and is located just below the distinctive constellation of Scorpius and the bright red star Antares. It is visible all evening long and is a good telescope target in the evening, being highest above the northern horizon around 9:30 pm local time.
Mars is in Cancer and very close to the horizon at the beginning of the week then is lost in the twilight.
Saturn climbs was at opposition on the 10th, when it was visible all night long. Saturn is below Jupiter and just below the "handle" of the "teapot of Sagittarius. It is best for
telescopic viewing from just around 9 pm local time until the early morning and is highest above the northern horizon, when it is idea for telescopic imaging, shortly after midnight.
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
Don't forget: Twilight Partial Lunar Eclipse on the Morning of July 17th
On the morning of July 17, there is a partial eclipse of the Moon. This is a reasonable partial eclipse which favours Western Australia and the Central states, and though you have to get up early in the morning to see it. Eastern Australians may wish to stay in bed as it is a weekday and most of the eclipse is in twilight for them.
For more details, timings and charts, see my partial lunar eclipse page.
Labels: eclipse, Moon, unaided eye
Tuesday, July 09, 2019
Twilight Partial Lunar Eclipse (Morning July 17th)
 |  |  |
| Western horizon as seen from Melbourne on 17 July at 7:02 am AEST. The eclipse is 30 minutes from maximum extent. The inset shows the telescopic/binocular view at this time. Click to embiggen | Western horizon as seen from Adelaide on 17 July at 7:00 am ACST. The eclipse is at maximum extent. The inset shows the telescopic/binocular view at this time. Click to embiggen | Western horizon as seen from Perth on 17 July at 5:30 am AWST. The eclipse is at maximum extent. The inset shows the telescopic/binocular view at this time. Click to embiggen |
On the morning of Wednesday 17 July there will be the a twilight partial eclipse of the Moon.
The 17 July eclipse starts after twilight has begun in the eastern states, with maximum eclipse after sunrise and the Moon low to the horizon. In the central states the eclipse starts just before astronomical twilight when the sky is fully dark, with maximal eclipse just before civil twilight and the Moon low to the western horizon. In Western Australia most of the eclipse occurs when the sky is quite dark and the Moon is reasonably high for most f the eclipse as well . See timings table below.
Although the eclipse is only partial around half the Moon is covered in the deepest shadow. In the eastern and central states a lot of the eclipse is in twilight, but even twilight eclipses look amazing.
You don't need special filters or fancy equipment to watch the lunar eclipse, you just need your eyes and somewhere comfortable to sit and watch. Watching earth's shadow creep across the Moons face, as the stars begin to appear again is quite beautiful. The moon is very obvious to the west. Binoculars or a telescope are a plus, but not necessary.
A guide I wrote for the October 2014 lunar eclipse to taking photos of the eclipse is here.
See here for a map and contact timings in Universal Time for sites outside Australia
| States | Astronomical twilight (approx) | Nautical twilight (approx) |
Civil Twilight | Eclipse Start | Maximum Eclipse | Sunrise | Moonset | Eclipse End |
| Eastern | 5:59 am | 6:30 am | 7:02 am | 6:00 am | 7:31 am | 7:31 am | 7:38 am | 9:00 am |
| Central | 5:51 am | 6:22 am | 6:53 am | 5:31 am | 7:01 am | 7:20 am | 7:27 am | 8:30 am |
| Western | 5:49 am | 6:18 am | 6:48 am | 4:01 am | 5:31 am | 7:15 am | 7:34 am | 07:00 am |
Labels: eclipse, Moon, unaided eye
The Sky This Week - Thursday July 11 to Thursday July 18
The Full Moon is Wednesday, July 17. There is a partial lunar eclipse on the morning of the 17th. Mars is visible low in the evening twilight with Mercury below it briefly before Mercury vanishes in the twilight. Jupiter is easily visible as the brightest object in the evening skies and is visited by the Moon on the 13th. Saturn, just past opposition, is high in the late evening skies and is visted by the Moon on the 16th. Venus is lost in the twilight glow.
The Full Moon is Wednesday, July 17. There is a partial lunar eclipse on the morning of the 17th.
Evening sky on Saturday, July 13 as seen looking north-west from Adelaide at 18:20 ACST (60 minutes after sunset). Mars is close to the horizon. Mercury is lost in the twilight.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
Sky at 20:00 ACST on Saturday, July 13 looking east as seen from Adelaide. Jupiter is past opposition, and high above the eastern horizon with the Moon nearby. Saturn is below the pair and just past opposition.
The left upper insert inset shows the telescopic
view of Jupiter at this time. Europa is about to transit the disk of Jupiter. The left lower insert is the telescopic view of Saturn at the same magnification.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time, click to embiggen.
Morning sky on July 17 looking east as seen from Adelaide at 07:00
ACST, at maximum eclipse. Similar views will be seen elsewhere
in Australia at the equivalent local time. (click to embiggen). The
darkening of the Moon will be readily visible.
On the morning of July 17, there is a partial eclipse of the Moon. This is a reasonable partial eclipse which favours western Australia and the Central states, and though you have to get up early in the morning to see it, so Eastern Australians may wish to stay in bed as it is a week day and most of the eclipse is in twilight for them.
For more details, timings and charts, see my partial lunar eclipse page.
Venus is lost in the morning twilight and will return to the evening sky in September.
Mercury is lost in the twilight.
Jupiter Jupiter is now well past opposition. However, it is still well worth observing. Jupiter is easily visible as the brightest object in the north-eastern/northern sky (aside from the Moon) and is located just below the distinctive constellation of Scorpius and the bright red star Antares. It is visible all evening long and is a good telescope target in the evening, being highest above the northern horizon around 10:00 pm local time.The Moon is close to Jupiter on the 13th
Mars is in Cancer and very close to the horizon.
Saturn climbs was at opposition on the 10th, when it was visible all night long. Saturn is below Jupiter and just below the "handle" of the "teapot of Sagittarius. It is best for
telescopic viewing from just around 9 pm local time until the early morning and is highest above the northern horizon, when it is idea for telescopic imaging, shortly after midnight.
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 Wednesday, July 17. There is a partial lunar eclipse on the morning of the 17th.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
The left upper insert inset shows the telescopic
view of Jupiter at this time. Europa is about to transit the disk of Jupiter. The left lower insert is the telescopic view of Saturn at the same magnification.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time, click to embiggen.
On the morning of July 17, there is a partial eclipse of the Moon. This is a reasonable partial eclipse which favours western Australia and the Central states, and though you have to get up early in the morning to see it, so Eastern Australians may wish to stay in bed as it is a week day and most of the eclipse is in twilight for them.
For more details, timings and charts, see my partial lunar eclipse page.
Venus is lost in the morning twilight and will return to the evening sky in September.
Mercury is lost in the twilight.
Jupiter Jupiter is now well past opposition. However, it is still well worth observing. Jupiter is easily visible as the brightest object in the north-eastern/northern sky (aside from the Moon) and is located just below the distinctive constellation of Scorpius and the bright red star Antares. It is visible all evening long and is a good telescope target in the evening, being highest above the northern horizon around 10:00 pm local time.The Moon is close to Jupiter on the 13th
Mars is in Cancer and very close to the horizon.
Saturn climbs was at opposition on the 10th, when it was visible all night long. Saturn is below Jupiter and just below the "handle" of the "teapot of Sagittarius. It is best for
telescopic viewing from just around 9 pm local time until the early morning and is highest above the northern horizon, when it is idea for telescopic imaging, shortly after midnight.
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, July 01, 2019
Live Wecasts/streaming of the Total Solar eclipse July 2, 2019
While Australia will not see this there are a number of webcams and live sterams you can watch it on.
The ESO live stream from LaSilla begins 19:15 UT (5:15 am AEST July 3) almost one and a half hours before totality.
https://www.eso.org/public/events/astro-evt/solareclipse2019/
The exploratorium will webcast from Chile at a similar time
https://www.exploratorium.edu/video/total-solar-eclipse-live-july-2-2019
Time and date will livestream the eclipse on YouTube beginning at 1900 UT (5:00 am AEST July 3)
The the Space.com home page will also have live eclipse views.SO you have a lot to pick from to view as you enjoy your morning coffee.
Labels: eclipse, live-stream, public outreach, solar, webcam
The Sky This Week - Thursday July 4 to Thursday July 11
The First Quarter Moon is Tuesday July 9. Mars is
visible low in
the evening twilight with Mercury above it. On July 4 the thin
crescent Moon is close to Mars, forming a triangle with Mercury.
Jupiter is easily visible as the brightest object in
the evening skies. Mercury falls back towards the horizon and is close to Mars on the 8th. Saturn
climbs higher in the late evening
skies and is at opposition on the 10th. Venus is lost in the twilight glow.
The First Quarter Moon is Tuesday July 9.The Moon is at perigee, when it is closest to Earth, on the 5th.
Evening sky on Thursday, July 4 as seen looking north-west from
Adelaide
at 18:12 ACST (60 minutes after sunset). Mars is close to the thin crescent Moon, making a triangle with Mercury.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
Sky at 20:00 ACST on Wednesday, July 10 looking east as seen from
Adelaide. Jupiter is just after opposition, and high above
the eastern horizon with Saturn below. Saturn is at opposition on this date.
The left upper insert inset shows the telescopic view of Jupiter at this time. Io is crossing the face of Jupiter. The left lower insert is the telescopic view of Saturn at the same magnification.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time, click to embiggen.
Venus is lost in the morning twilight and will return to the evening sky in September.
Mercury sinks towards the horizon in the evening twilight, heading towards Mars, but is still best seen with a level, clear horizon. On July 4 Mercury makes a thin triangle with Mars and the thin crescent Moon. On the 8th Mars and Mercury are at their closest.
Jupiter Jupiter was at opposition, when it was biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, on June the 11th. However it is well worth observing for some time after opposition. Jupiter is easily visible as the brightest object in the north-eastern/northern sky (aside from the Moon) and is located just below the distinctive constellation of Scorpius and the bright red star Antares. It is visible all evening long and is a good telescope target in the evening, being highest above the northern horizon around 10:30 pm local time.
Mars is in Cancer below brighter Mercury, during the week Mercury comes closer to Mars being closest on the 8th. On July 4 Mars is close to the thin crescent Moon, making a triangle with Mercury. Mars and the Moon will be visible together in wide field telescopic eyepieces if your scope can poit close to the horizon.
Saturn climbs higher in the evening sky, and is at opposition on the 10th, when it is visible all night long. Saturn is below Jupiter and just below the "handle" of the "teapot of Sagittarius. It is best for telescopic viewing from just around 9 pm local time until the early morning and is highest above the northern horizon, when it is idea for telescopic imaging, shortly after midnight.
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 Tuesday July 9.The Moon is at perigee, when it is closest to Earth, on the 5th.
Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).
The left upper insert inset shows the telescopic view of Jupiter at this time. Io is crossing the face of Jupiter. The left lower insert is the telescopic view of Saturn at the same magnification.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time, click to embiggen.
Venus is lost in the morning twilight and will return to the evening sky in September.
Mercury sinks towards the horizon in the evening twilight, heading towards Mars, but is still best seen with a level, clear horizon. On July 4 Mercury makes a thin triangle with Mars and the thin crescent Moon. On the 8th Mars and Mercury are at their closest.
Jupiter Jupiter was at opposition, when it was biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, on June the 11th. However it is well worth observing for some time after opposition. Jupiter is easily visible as the brightest object in the north-eastern/northern sky (aside from the Moon) and is located just below the distinctive constellation of Scorpius and the bright red star Antares. It is visible all evening long and is a good telescope target in the evening, being highest above the northern horizon around 10:30 pm local time.
Mars is in Cancer below brighter Mercury, during the week Mercury comes closer to Mars being closest on the 8th. On July 4 Mars is close to the thin crescent Moon, making a triangle with Mercury. Mars and the Moon will be visible together in wide field telescopic eyepieces if your scope can poit close to the horizon.
Saturn climbs higher in the evening sky, and is at opposition on the 10th, when it is visible all night long. Saturn is below Jupiter and just below the "handle" of the "teapot of Sagittarius. It is best for telescopic viewing from just around 9 pm local time until the early morning and is highest above the northern horizon, when it is idea for telescopic imaging, shortly after midnight.
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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