Thursday, August 29, 2019
[Aurora Alert] Geomagnetic Disturbance Warning (31 August- 1 September 2019)
The SWS has issued an geomagnetic alert for warning for 31 August due to the
arrival of a corotating interaction region and high-speed solar wind streams
associated with the recurrent trans-equatorial coronal hole. Currently
geomagnetic conditions are quiet, but may reach minor storm levels late on the
evening of the 31st or early morning on September the 1st. Aurora could be seen
in Southern Australia under dark sky conditions. Tasmania sand Southern Victoria
should see something if aurora occur.
The Moon is just past new will not interfere with seeing aurora. Be patient, as the activity may rise and fall of the magnetic polarity of the wind may fluctuate significantly.
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".
Here is the near-real time satellite view of the clouds http://satview.bom.gov.au/
Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.
======================================================================
SUBJ: SWS GEOMAGNETIC DISTURBANCE WARNING 19/19
ISSUED AT 2354UT/28 AUGUST 2019
BY THE AUSTRALIAN SPACE FORECAST CENTRE.
In the second half of UT day 31 August, global geomagnetic activity
may reach Active and Minor Storm levels due arrival of corotating
interaction region and high-speed solar wind streams associated
with the recurrent trans-equatorial coronal hole.
INCREASED GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY EXPECTED
DUE TO CORONAL HOLE HIGH SPEED WIND STREAM
FOR 31 AUGUST 2019
_____________________________________________________________
GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY FORECAST
31 Aug: Quiet to Minor Storm
====================================================================
SUBJ: SWS AURORA OUTLOOK
ISSUED AT 0139 UT ON 29 Aug 2019 by Space Weather Services
FROM THE AUSTRALIAN SPACE FORECAST CENTRE
Effects of a coronal hole are expected to impact the Earth on 31
August and 1 September, possibly resulting in significant geomagnetic
activity and visible auroras during local nighttime hours from
Tasmania and Coastline of Victoria. 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.
The Moon is just past new will not interfere with seeing aurora. Be patient, as the activity may rise and fall of the magnetic polarity of the wind may fluctuate significantly.
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".
Here is the near-real time satellite view of the clouds http://satview.bom.gov.au/
Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.
======================================================================
SUBJ: SWS GEOMAGNETIC DISTURBANCE WARNING 19/19
ISSUED AT 2354UT/28 AUGUST 2019
BY THE AUSTRALIAN SPACE FORECAST CENTRE.
In the second half of UT day 31 August, global geomagnetic activity
may reach Active and Minor Storm levels due arrival of corotating
interaction region and high-speed solar wind streams associated
with the recurrent trans-equatorial coronal hole.
INCREASED GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY EXPECTED
DUE TO CORONAL HOLE HIGH SPEED WIND STREAM
FOR 31 AUGUST 2019
_____________________________________________________________
GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY FORECAST
31 Aug: Quiet to Minor Storm
====================================================================
SUBJ: SWS AURORA OUTLOOK
ISSUED AT 0139 UT ON 29 Aug 2019 by Space Weather Services
FROM THE AUSTRALIAN SPACE FORECAST CENTRE
Effects of a coronal hole are expected to impact the Earth on 31
August and 1 September, possibly resulting in significant geomagnetic
activity and visible auroras during local nighttime hours from
Tasmania and Coastline of Victoria. 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
Monday, August 26, 2019
The Sky This Week - Thursday August 29 to Thursday September 5
The New Moon is Friday August 30. Jupiter is easily
visible as the brightest object in the north-western evening skies. Saturn,
near Jupiter, is high in the evening skies. Globe at night world
wide light pollution survey ends.
The New Moon is Friday August 30. The Moon is at Perigee, when it is closest to the Earth, on the 31st.
Sky at 22:00 ACST on Saturday, August 31
looking west as seen from Adelaide. Jupiter is high
above the western horizon. Saturn is to the east.
The left upper insert shows the telescopic view of Jupiter at this time. Io will pass behind jupiter at around 23:00. The left lower inset shows the telescopic view of Saturn at the same time and scale
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time , click to embiggen.
The area around the Southern Cross and pointers on August 31 at 19:20 ACST (90 minutes after
sunset). This chart is suitable for binocular viewing. While the whole area is well worth binocular exploration the jewel in the crown is omega (ω) Centauri. This is a magnificent globular cluster, readily visible to the unaided eye as a fuzzy dot in dark sky sites.
If you draw and imaginary line between Hadar (ß Centauri) and Mimosa (ß Crucis), then draw another imaginary line perpendicular to this out on one and a half Hadar -Mimosa distances, you will be at omega (ω) Centauri. (Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia, click to embiggen).
The whole sky at 19:20 ACST (90 minutes after sunset) on Saturday,
August 31 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 out of the way. The binocular chart
above will help you explore the area around the Southern Cross.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset) , click to embiggen.
Globe at night world wide light pollution Survey finishes August 31 https://www.globeatnight.org/about.php
Venus is lost in the morning twilight and will return to the evening sky in mid-September.
Mercury is lost in the twilight and will return to the evening sky mid-September near Venus.
Jupiter is now well past opposition. However, it is still well worth observing. Jupiter is easily visible as the brightest object in the north-western/western 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 6:30 pm local time.
Mars is lost in the twilight.
Saturn was at opposition on July 10th, when it was visible all night long. Saturn is to the east of Jupiter and just below the "handle" of the "teapot of Sagittarius. It is best for telescopic viewing from just around astronomical twilight local time until the early morning and is highest above the northern horizon when it is ideal for telescopic imaging, around 8:30 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.
Star Map via Virtual sky. Use your mouse to scroll around and press 8 when your pointer is in the map to set to current time.
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 Friday August 30. The Moon is at Perigee, when it is closest to the Earth, on the 31st.
The left upper insert shows the telescopic view of Jupiter at this time. Io will pass behind jupiter at around 23:00. The left lower inset shows the telescopic view of Saturn at the same time and scale
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time , click to embiggen.
If you draw and imaginary line between Hadar (ß Centauri) and Mimosa (ß Crucis), then draw another imaginary line perpendicular to this out on one and a half Hadar -Mimosa distances, you will be at omega (ω) Centauri. (Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia, click to embiggen).
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset) , click to embiggen.
Globe at night world wide light pollution Survey finishes August 31 https://www.globeatnight.org/about.php
Venus is lost in the morning twilight and will return to the evening sky in mid-September.
Mercury is lost in the twilight and will return to the evening sky mid-September near Venus.
Jupiter is now well past opposition. However, it is still well worth observing. Jupiter is easily visible as the brightest object in the north-western/western 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 6:30 pm local time.
Mars is lost in the twilight.
Saturn was at opposition on July 10th, when it was visible all night long. Saturn is to the east of Jupiter and just below the "handle" of the "teapot of Sagittarius. It is best for telescopic viewing from just around astronomical twilight local time until the early morning and is highest above the northern horizon when it is ideal for telescopic imaging, around 8:30 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.
Star Map via Virtual sky. Use your mouse to scroll around and press 8 when your pointer is in the map to set to current time.
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, August 21, 2019
Tonights ISS pass (21 August 2019)
However it is cautionary tale about not trying to image while cooking diner. I had set the camera up beforehand, and in rushing out to image the pass accidentally reset everything.
Trying to reset it as the ISS approached I ended up only getting 3 images before the ISS entered Earth's shadow. Still I saw it, and it was very nice even if I was struggling with my camera most of the time. There are still more good passes to come.
Labels: ISS, Satellite, unaided eye
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
More Early Evening Bright International Space Sation Passes (21-26 August, 2019)
 |  |  |
| The ISS passes close to Jupiter as seen from Melbourne on the evening of Friday 23 August at 18:22 AEST. Simulated in Stellarium (the ISS will actually be a bright dot), click to embiggen. | The ISS passes above Jupiter as seen from Adelaide on the evening of Thursday 22 August at at 18:39 ACST. Simulated in Stellarium (the ISS will actually be a bright dot), click to embiggen. | The ISS passes between the Pointers and the Southern Cross, as seen from Perth on the evening of Thursday 22 August at 18:42 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 Friday 23 August for Melbourne. | All sky chart showing local times from Heavens Above for Thursday 22 August for Adelaide. | All sky chart showing local times from Heavens Above for Thursday 22 August for Perth. |
Over the next few days there are a series of very bright ISS passes in the early evening or twilight where the ISS passes close to between the Pointers and the Southern Cross (Adelaide 21st, Brisbane, 21st, Perth 22nd, Sydney 22nd 23rd) or close to Jupiter (Adelaide 22nd,Hobart 22nd 25th,Melboure 22nd, 23rd, Sydney 21st) or other iconic contellations. Some are in twilight but the passes are very bright and will be well worth watching for. There are a number of other relatively bright satellites about at this time which you may see close to the ISS.
The following tables are from data provided from Heavens Above.
Passes from Adelaide (ACDST)
| Date | Brightness | Start | Highest point | End | Pass type | ||||||
| (mag) | Time | Alt. | Az. | Time | Alt. | Az. | Time | Alt. | Az. | ||
| 20 Aug | -2.5 | 18:37:33 | 10° | N | 18:40:25 | 26° | NE | 18:41:56 | 19° | E | visible |
| 20 Aug | -0.5 | 20:14:09 | 10° | W | 20:14:51 | 14° | W | 20:14:51 | 14° | W | visible |
| 21 Aug | -2.9 | 19:24:58 | 10° | WNW | 19:28:14 | 46° | SW | 19:28:42 | 42° | SSW | visible |
| 22 Aug | -3.8 | 18:36:04 | 10° | NW | 18:39:27 | 89° | SW | 18:42:25 | 13° | SE | visible |
| 22 Aug | -0.4 | 20:14:58 | 10° | SW | 20:15:19 | 11° | SW | 20:15:19 | 11° | SW | visible |
| 23 Aug | -1.4 | 19:25:07 | 10° | WSW | 19:27:36 | 19° | SSW | 19:28:55 | 15° | S | visible |
| 24 Aug | -2.0 | 18:35:39 | 10° | W | 18:38:39 | 29° | SW | 18:41:41 | 10° | SSE | visible |
| 26 Aug | -1.0 | 18:36:13 | 10° | WSW | 18:38:03 | 14° | SSW | 18:39:54 | 10° | S | visible |
Passes from Brisbane (AEST)
| Date | Brightness | Start | Highest point | End | Pass type | ||||||
| (mag) | Time | Alt. | Az. | Time | Alt. | Az. | Time | Alt. | Az. | ||
| 20 Aug | -1.7 | 19:08:37 | 10° | W | 19:11:22 | 23° | SW | 19:11:56 | 22° | SSW | visible |
| 21 Aug | -2.7 | 18:19:18 | 10° | WNW | 18:22:33 | 44° | SW | 18:25:47 | 10° | SSE | visible |
| 23 Aug | -1.0 | 18:19:53 | 10° | WSW | 18:21:52 | 15° | SW | 18:23:52 | 10° | S | visible |
Passes from Hobart (AEST)
| Date | Brightness | Start | Highest point | End | Pass type | ||||||
| (mag) | Time | Alt. | Az. | Time | Alt. | Az. | Time | Alt. | Az. | ||
| 20 Aug | -1.8 | 19:10:28 | 10° | NNW | 19:11:56 | 19° | N | 19:11:56 | 19° | N | visible |
| 21 Aug | -1.7 | 18:22:45 | 10° | NNE | 18:24:42 | 15° | NE | 18:25:47 | 13° | ENE | visible |
| 21 Aug | -1.1 | 19:57:38 | 10° | WNW | 19:58:42 | 19° | WNW | 19:58:42 | 19° | WNW | visible |
| 22 Aug | -3.8 | 19:08:54 | 10° | NW | 19:12:15 | 65° | NE | 19:12:25 | 64° | NE | visible |
| 23 Aug | -3.0 | 18:20:24 | 10° | NNW | 18:23:33 | 37° | NE | 18:26:01 | 15° | ESE | visible |
| 23 Aug | -1.4 | 19:57:07 | 10° | W | 19:58:55 | 25° | WSW | 19:58:55 | 25° | WSW | visible |
| 24 Aug | -3.1 | 19:08:04 | 10° | WNW | 19:11:25 | 52° | SSW | 19:12:25 | 36° | SSE | visible |
| 25 Aug | -3.7 | 18:19:10 | 10° | WNW | 18:22:34 | 83° | SW | 18:25:49 | 11° | SE | visible |
| 25 Aug | -1.3 | 19:56:52 | 10° | WSW | 19:58:43 | 20° | SW | 19:58:43 | 20° | SW | visible |
| 26 Aug | -2.1 | 19:07:40 | 10° | W | 19:10:41 | 29° | SSW | 19:12:02 | 22° | SSE | visible |
| 27 Aug | -2.6 | 18:18:30 | 10° | W | 18:21:44 | 38° | SSW | 18:24:58 | 10° | SE | visible |
| 27 Aug | -1.1 | 19:56:36 | 10° | SW | 19:58:10 | 17° | SSW | 19:58:10 | 17° | SSW | visible |
| 28 Aug | -1.7 | 19:07:24 | 10° | WSW | 19:10:03 | 21° | S | 19:11:22 | 17° | SSE | visible |
| 29 Aug | -1.9 | 18:18:09 | 10° | WSW | 18:21:01 | 24° | SSW | 18:23:52 | 10° | SE | visible |
| 29 Aug | -1.1 | 19:56:01 | 10° | SW | 19:57:25 | 16° | SSW | 19:57:25 | 16° | SSW | visible |
Passes from Melbourne (AEST)
| Date | Brightness | Start | Highest point | End | Pass type | ||||||
| (mag) | Time | Alt. | Az. | Time | Alt. | Az. | Time | Alt. | Az. | ||
| 20 Aug | -3.0 | 19:08:50 | 10° | NNW | 19:11:56 | 36° | NE | 19:11:56 | 36° | NE | visible |
| 21 Aug | -2.1 | 18:20:48 | 10° | N | 18:23:20 | 20° | NE | 18:25:46 | 11° | E | visible |
| 21 Aug | -1.7 | 19:56:38 | 10° | WNW | 19:58:42 | 29° | W | 19:58:42 | 29° | W | visible |
| 22 Aug | -3.6 | 19:07:40 | 10° | WNW | 19:11:02 | 71° | SW | 19:12:25 | 33° | SE | visible |
| 23 Aug | -3.6 | 18:18:56 | 10° | NW | 18:22:17 | 61° | NE | 18:25:39 | 10° | ESE | visible |
| 23 Aug | -1.3 | 19:56:44 | 10° | WSW | 19:58:55 | 19° | SW | 19:58:55 | 19° | SW | visible |
| 24 Aug | -2.0 | 19:07:19 | 10° | W | 19:10:17 | 27° | SSW | 19:12:25 | 15° | SSE | visible |
| 25 Aug | -2.7 | 18:18:07 | 10° | WNW | 18:21:23 | 44° | SW | 18:24:41 | 10° | SE | visible |
| 25 Aug | -0.8 | 19:57:33 | 10° | SW | 19:58:43 | 12° | SSW | 19:58:43 | 12° | SSW | visible |
| 26 Aug | -1.1 | 19:07:40 | 10° | WSW | 19:09:44 | 15° | SSW | 19:11:48 | 10° | SSE | visible |
| 27 Aug | -1.5 | 18:18:03 | 10° | WSW | 18:20:41 | 20° | SSW | 18:23:20 | 10° | SSE | visible |
Passes from Perth (AWST)
| Date | Brightness | Start | Highest point | End | Pass type | ||||||
| (mag) | Time | Alt. | Az. | Time | Alt. | Az. | Time | Alt. | Az. | ||
| 20 Aug | -3.2 | 18:39:36 | 10° | NNW | 18:42:47 | 40° | NE | 18:44:52 | 18° | ESE | visible |
| 20 Aug | -0.3 | 20:17:19 | 10° | WSW | 20:17:47 | 12° | WSW | 20:17:47 | 12° | WSW | visible |
| 21 Aug | -2.0 | 19:27:45 | 10° | W | 19:30:44 | 28° | SW | 19:31:37 | 24° | S | visible |
| 22 Aug | -3.0 | 18:38:35 | 10° | WNW | 18:41:54 | 52° | SW | 18:45:13 | 10° | SE | visible |
| 23 Aug | -0.9 | 19:28:49 | 10° | SW | 19:30:11 | 12° | SSW | 19:31:34 | 10° | S | visible |
| 24 Aug | -1.3 | 18:38:43 | 10° | W | 18:41:11 | 19° | SW | 18:43:41 | 10° | SSE | visible |
Passes from Sydney (AEST)
| Date | Brightness | Start | Highest point | End | Pass type | ||||||
| (mag) | Time | Alt. | Az. | Time | Alt. | Az. | Time | Alt. | Az. | ||
| 20 Aug | -3.3 | 19:08:51 | 10° | NW | 19:11:56 | 62° | WSW | 19:11:56 | 62° | WSW | visible |
| 21 Aug | -3.7 | 18:20:08 | 10° | NW | 18:23:28 | 61° | NE | 18:25:46 | 18° | ESE | visible |
| 21 Aug | -0.3 | 19:58:25 | 10° | WSW | 19:58:42 | 11° | WSW | 19:58:42 | 11° | WSW | visible |
| 22 Aug | -1.7 | 19:08:45 | 10° | W | 19:11:31 | 23° | SW | 19:12:25 | 20° | S | visible |
| 23 Aug | -2.5 | 18:19:26 | 10° | WNW | 18:22:37 | 38° | SW | 18:25:50 | 10° | SSE | visible |
| 24 Aug | -0.8 | 19:10:02 | 10° | SW | 19:11:01 | 11° | SSW | 19:12:00 | 10° | S | visible |
| 25 Aug | -1.1 | 18:19:45 | 10° | WSW | 18:21:58 | 16° | SSW | 18:24:12 | 10° | S | 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 planets or missing it completely. As always, 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, unaided eye
Monday, August 19, 2019
The Sky This Week - Thursday August 22 to Thursday August 29
The last Quarter Moon is Saturday August 24. Jupiter is easily
visible as the brightest object in the northern evening skies. Saturn, near Jupiter, is high in the late evening skies. Globe at night world wide light pollution survey begins.
The last Quarter Moon is Saturday August 24.
Sky at 19:15 ACST (90 minutes after sunset) on Saturday, August 24
looking north as seen from Adelaide. Jupiter is high
above the northern horizon. Saturn is to the east.
The left upper insert shows the telescopic view of Jupiter at this time. The left lower inset shows the telescopic view of Saturn at the same time and scale
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia 90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen.
The hook of Scorpios on August 24 at 19:15 ACST (90 minutes after sunset). This chart is suitable for binocular viewing. The false comet is at the top of the image an cluster of stars and gas that, well looks like a comet. The bright pair of stars Lesath and Shaula point to the beautiful open cluster M7 well worth binocular exploration) and below that is the Butterfly cluster.
(Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia, click to embiggen).
The whole sky at 19:10 ACST (90 minutes after sunset) on Saturday, August 24 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 out of the way. The binocular chart above will help you explore the tail of Scorpios as a start.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset) , click to embiggen.
Globe at night world wide light pollution Survey starts August 22 https://www.globeatnight.org/about.php
Venus is lost in the morning twilight and will return to the evening sky in September.
Mercury is lost inb the twilight and will return to the evening sky next month.
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 7:00 pm local time.
Mars is lost in the twilight.
Saturn was at opposition on July 10th, when it was visible all night long. Saturn is to the east of Jupiter and just below the "handle" of the "teapot of Sagittarius. It is best for telescopic viewing from just around astronomical twilight local time until the early morning and is highest above the northern horizon when it is ideal for telescopic imaging, around 9:30 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.
Star Map via Virtual sky. Use your mouse to scroll around and press 8 when your pointer is in the map to set to current time.
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 August 24.
The left upper insert shows the telescopic view of Jupiter at this time. The left lower inset shows the telescopic view of Saturn at the same time and scale
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia 90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen.
(Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia, click to embiggen).
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset) , click to embiggen.
Globe at night world wide light pollution Survey starts August 22 https://www.globeatnight.org/about.php
Venus is lost in the morning twilight and will return to the evening sky in September.
Mercury is lost inb the twilight and will return to the evening sky next month.
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 7:00 pm local time.
Mars is lost in the twilight.
Saturn was at opposition on July 10th, when it was visible all night long. Saturn is to the east of Jupiter and just below the "handle" of the "teapot of Sagittarius. It is best for telescopic viewing from just around astronomical twilight local time until the early morning and is highest above the northern horizon when it is ideal for telescopic imaging, around 9:30 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.
Star Map via Virtual sky. Use your mouse to scroll around and press 8 when your pointer is in the map to set to current time.
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
Thursday, August 15, 2019
Bennu Mappers needs you!
If you have cloudy nights and want to help out with mapping the terrain of asteroid Bennau, the OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission needs your
help. The original CosmoQuest Bennu Mappers program has been
extended. If you would like to help mapping craters, boulders, and rocks on asteroid Bennu why not join the cosmoquest campaign? See here
for details: https://bennu.cosmoquest.org/
Labels: asteroids, public outreach
Monday, August 12, 2019
The Sky This Week - Thursday August 15 to Thursday August 22
The full Moon is Thursday August 15. Jupiter is easily
visible as the brightest object in the northern evening skies. Saturn, below Jupiter, is high in the late evening skies.Mercury is visible briefly in the morning twilight.
The full Moon is Thursday August 15.The Moon is at apogee, when it is furthest from the Earth, on the 17th.
Sky at 19:10 ACST (90 minutes after sunset) on Saturday, August 17
looking north as seen from Adelaide. Jupiter is past opposition,
and high
above the north-eastern horizon. Saturn is below and just past
opposition.
The left upper insert shows the telescopic view of Jupiter at this time just as Io is about to disappear behind Jupiter. The left lower inset shows the telescopic view of Saturn at the same time and scale
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia 90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen.
The sky looking north-east in Adelaide on the morning of August 17 at 6:28 ACST,
half an hour before sunrise. Mercury is above the horizon but difficult to see in the twilight.
(Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia 30 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen).
The whole sky at 19:10 ACST (90 minutes after sunset) on Saturday, August 17 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 out of the way.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset) , click to embiggen.
Venus is lost in the morning twilight and will return to the evening sky in September.
Mercury is visible briefly in the morning twilight. But you will need a level, unobstructed horizon to see it. It then rapidly leaves the sky to return to the evening sky next month.
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 7:30 pm local time.
Mars is lost in the twilight.
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 astronomical twilight local time until the early morning and is highest above the northern horizon when it is ideal for telescopic imaging, around 9:30 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.
Star Map via Virtual sky. Use your mouse to scroll around and press 8 when your pointer is in the map to set to current time.
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 Thursday August 15.The Moon is at apogee, when it is furthest from the Earth, on the 17th.
The left upper insert shows the telescopic view of Jupiter at this time just as Io is about to disappear behind Jupiter. The left lower inset shows the telescopic view of Saturn at the same time and scale
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia 90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen.
(Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia 30 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen).
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset) , click to embiggen.
Venus is lost in the morning twilight and will return to the evening sky in September.
Mercury is visible briefly in the morning twilight. But you will need a level, unobstructed horizon to see it. It then rapidly leaves the sky to return to the evening sky next month.
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 7:30 pm local time.
Mars is lost in the twilight.
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 astronomical twilight local time until the early morning and is highest above the northern horizon when it is ideal for telescopic imaging, around 9:30 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.
Star Map via Virtual sky. Use your mouse to scroll around and press 8 when your pointer is in the map to set to current time.
Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.
Here is the near-real time satellite view of the clouds (day and night) http://satview.bom.gov.au/
Labels: weekly sky
Sunday, August 11, 2019
Look up now, Jupiter the Moon and Saturn are lined up (Sunday 11 August)
I you go out now and look north-west you will see a beautiful line-up of Jupiter, the Moon and Saturn. So lovely after all the cloud and torrential rain. Also presages tomorrow nights occultation of Saturn.
Don't forget Occultation of Saturn, Monday, 12 August 2019.
Don't forget, Monday eveing (tomorrow) Saturn is occulted by the Moon in the early evening as seen from the east coast of Australia just around astronomical twilight.
The rest of Australia sees the Moon and Saturn very closetogether
Accurate timings of the occultation and spotter charts can be found at my occultation site.
Labels: binocular, Moon, Occultation, Saturn, telescope
Australian Perseid Meteor Shower - Morning August 12-14, 2019
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| Perseid radiant as seen from Darwin at 5:00 am local time, August the 13th, looking north. Click to embiggen. | Perseid radiant as seen from Brisbane at 5:00 am local time, August the 13th, looking north. Note how much lower the radiant is than in Darwin. |
The Perseid meteor shower is a reliable and good northern hemisphere shower, and hundreds of meteors may be seen under the very best condition, this year the rates will be around usual, nice but not spectacular. From Australia though things will be a bit disappointing.
The Perseid Meteor Shower runs from July 17–August 24, and peaks in the early morning between Saturday August 12 - Sunday August 14 AEST. The midpoint is August 13, 02h UT to 13, 15 h UT (12 pm on the 13th AEST-12am AEST on the 14th). See the International Meteor Calendar for 2018 for further details.
Despite this being a quite reasonable meteor shower in the northern hemisphere, for most of Australia the radiant is below the horizon, and only the very occasional meteor will be seen shooting up from the northern horizon. Only observers in northern Australia (at the latitude of Brisbane or further north) will have decent rates.
This is a poor year, the peak occurs after sunrise in Australia, and is over well before radiant maximum height, this years peak is about usual (with a ZHR of 110 meteors per hour predicted) but the Moon is near full and will significantly interfere.
However, these ZHR predictions are ideal rates for sites with the meteor radiant directly overhead, under the darkest possible skies with nothing obscuring the sky. From Australia, we will see much lower rates than these ideal ones. Anyone south of Brisbane will see only the occasional meteor, say maybe one or two per hour (or less), the further north of Brisbane you are, the more meteors you will see.
People around the latitude of Darwin have the best chance of seeing meteors, possibly as many as one every 3 minutes at the peak (see table below). At the latitude of Alice Springs you will see around a meteor every 6 minutes, Cairns is intermediate between Darwin and Alice Springs. At the latitude of Brisbane you will see a meteor every 10 minutes (again, see table below).
To see the meteors, you will need to be up from around 3:30 am local time on the morning of the 12th, 13th or 14th (yes, a really horrible hour of the morning), with best views 4:00 am-5:30 am on the 13th. The meteor shower will be located due North, with the radiant just above the northern horizon (see charts above). Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.
When you get up, allow at least 5 minutes for your eyes to adjust, 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. 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 unsalubrious park for example).
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. (Here's some hints on dark adaptation of your eyes so you can see meteors better).
The following table show the predicted peak rates at around 5 am local time on the mornings of the 12th, 13 and 14th of August for a number of cities under dark sky conditions. Rates will be similar at the same latitude as these cities, and rates will be intermediate at spots between these cities.
| Town | Morning August 12 | Morning August 13 | Morning August 14 |
| Alice Springs | 6 meteors/hr | 9 meteors/hr | 11 meteors/hr |
| Brisbane | 3 meteors/hr | 5 meteors/hr | 6 meteors/hr |
| Darwin | 13 meteors/hr | 22 meteors/hr | 24 meteors/hr |
Rates on the morning of the 15th are lower that of the 12th. Note, those of you who have Stellarium, in version 13 they have added meteor shower radiants (rates set in the planets dialogue, F4). However while the radiants are shown, the simulated meteors come from random points in the sky, not the radiants.
Labels: Meteors
Tuesday, August 06, 2019
The Sky This Week - Thursday August 8 to Thursday August 15
The first quarter Moon is Thursday,
August 8, the full Moon is Thursday August 15. Jupiter is easily
visible as the brightest object in the northern evening skies. On the 10th the Moon is close to Jupiter. Saturn, just past
opposition, is high in the late evening skies. On the 12th the Moon occults (passes in front of) Saturn as seen from the east coast.
The first quarter Moon is Thursday, August 8, the full Moon is Thursday August 15.
Sky at 19:02 ACST (90 minutes after sunset) on Saturday, August 10 looking northe-east as seen from Adelaide. Jupiter is past opposition, and high
above the north-eastern horizon. Saturn is below and just past opposition.
The left upper insert inset shows the telescopic view of Jupiter at 21:00 just as Io reappears from Jupiter's Shadow.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia 90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen.
The Moon at 18:08pm AEST in Brisbane on Thursday 12 August just as Titan
disappears. The left inset shows the telescopic view as Titan
disappears behind the Moon and the right-hand as Saturn reappears at
19:34 AEST (click to embiggen).
From the east coast of Australia Saturn is occulted by the Moon in the early evening just around astronomical twilight. The rest of Australia sees the Moon and Saturn very close.
Timings and spotter charts can be found at my occultation site.
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 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 8:00 pm local time. Jupiter is close to the Moon on the 10th
Mars is lost in the twilight.
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 8:30 pm local time until the early morning and is highest above the northern horizon when it is ideal for telescopic imaging, around 10:00 pm local time. On the 12th the Moon occults (passes in front of) Saturn as seen from the east coast and is very close from the rest of Australia.
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 Thursday, August 8, the full Moon is Thursday August 15.
The left upper insert inset shows the telescopic view of Jupiter at 21:00 just as Io reappears from Jupiter's Shadow.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia 90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen.
From the east coast of Australia Saturn is occulted by the Moon in the early evening just around astronomical twilight. The rest of Australia sees the Moon and Saturn very close.
Timings and spotter charts can be found at my occultation site.
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 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 8:00 pm local time. Jupiter is close to the Moon on the 10th
Mars is lost in the twilight.
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 8:30 pm local time until the early morning and is highest above the northern horizon when it is ideal for telescopic imaging, around 10:00 pm local time. On the 12th the Moon occults (passes in front of) Saturn as seen from the east coast and is very close from the rest of Australia.
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
Occultation of Saturn, Monday, 12 August 2019.
 |  |  |
| The Moon at 18:08pm AEST in Brisbane on Thursday 12 August just as Titan disappears. The left inset shows the telescopic view as Titan disappears behind the Moon and the right-hand as Saturn reappears at 19:34 AEST (click to embiggen). | The Moon at 19:13pm AEST in Cairns on Thursday 12 August just as Saturn reappears (click to embiggen). Saturn disappears in the twilight and will be difficult to view even telescopically | The Moon at 18:32pm AEST in Canberra on Thursday 12 August just as Titan disappears. The left inset shows the telescopic view as Titan disappears behind the Moon and the right-hand as Saturn reappears at 19:13 AEST (click to embiggen). |
On the evening of Monday 12 August Saturn is occulted by the waxing Moon as seen from eastern Australia north of Canberra.
Although the east coast gets a good look, the best views are from New Zealand and Polynesia, everyone else misses out.
The Moon, above the eastern horizon, is a very obvious signpost for where to look. From most locations the occultation starts between nautical and astronomical twilight, although Saturn may be harder to spot visually it should be readily visible in telescopes and binoculars.
In some locations the Moon titan is occulted first, but will be much harder to see in the twilight (Brisbane 18:08, Canberra 18:32, Sydney, 18:25). For timings of Titan disappearances and Saturn grazes from NZ and Australia, see here.
In the rest of Australia the Moon and Saturn will be very close. In southern Australia the Moon and Saturn will be visible together in telescopic eyepieces. Albury and Merimbula should see Saturn graze the edge of the Moon.
Start watching about half an hour beforehand to get set up and familiar with the sky. Saturn will disappear behind the dark limb of the Moon at a reasonable height for telescopic observation.
Reappearance will be harder to see as you have to be looking just at the right moment.
| Place | Disappears Dark Limb | Reappears Bright Limb |
| Adelaide ACST | - | - |
| Brisbane AEST | 18:16 | 19:43 |
| Carins AEST | -twilight | 19:13 |
| Canberra AEST | 18:41 | 19:13 |
| Darwin ACST | - | - |
| Hobart AEST | - | - |
| Melbourne AEST | - | - |
| Perth AWST | - | - |
| Sydney AEST | 18:35 | 19:23 |
| Rockhampton AEST | 18:06 | 19:28 |
| Townsville AEST | - twilight | 19:17 |
More cities in Australia and New Zealand cities can be found at the IOTA site (UT times only).
Labels: binocular, Occultation, Saturn, telescope
Monday, August 05, 2019
[Aurora Alert] Aurora happening NOW. Aurora and Geomagnetic Alert and Aurora Watch (5 August, 2019)
UPDATE to UPDATE: G2 storm now, Kindex 6, but Velocity: 660 km/sec
Bz: 3.0 nT
Density = 4.0 p/cc.
UPDATE: aurora have been spotted in STAWELL Victoria, reasonably far inland. Go and look people.
Aurora are currently visible in Tasmania (Exeter, South Arm) and Port Campbell Victoria The SWS has issued an aurora and geomagnetic alert for now (G1 storm in progress) and aurora watch for tonight 5 August due to impacts from slow moving coronal mass ejections.
UPDATE: aurora have been spotted in STAWELL Victoria, reasonably far inland. Go and look people.
Aurora are currently visible in Tasmania (Exeter, South Arm) and Port Campbell Victoria The SWS has issued an aurora and geomagnetic alert for now (G1 storm in progress) and aurora watch for tonight 5 August due to impacts from slow moving coronal mass ejections.
Currently the local Kindex is 5, and the solar parameters are good for aurora, Velocity: 575 km/sec Bz: -10.0 nT Density = 7.0 p/cc.
If these conditions persist aurora may continue to be be seen in Southern Australia under dark sky conditions.
The Moon is waxing but is an early crescent and will not really interfere with seeing aurora. Be patient, as the activity may rise and fall of the magnetic polarity of the wind may fluctuate significantly.
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.
SUBJ: SWS AURORA ALERT HIGH LATITUDES
ISSUED AT 0923 UT ON 05 Aug 2019 BY SPACE WEATHER SERVICES
FROM THE AUSTRALIAN SPACE FORECAST CENTRE
GEOMAGNETIC STORM IN PROGRESS. AURORA MAY BE OBSERVED
DURING LOCAL NIGHT TIME HOURS IN GOOD OBSERVING CONDITIONS
AT HIGH LATITUDES.
Follow the progress of this event on the SWS web site
by following the links to the Space Weather Status Panel,
Home > Space Weather
SWS would appreciate any feedback from people observing an
aurora giving details of location and time. Please provide
details at: http://www.sws.bom.gov.au/Geophysical/2/5Previous reports of observed aurora are archived under
http://www.ips.gov.au/mailman/listinfo/ips-aurora-sightings=========================================================
SUBJ: SWS GEOMAGNETIC DISTURBANCE ALERT
ISSUED AT 1000 UT ON 05 AUG 2019 BY SPACE WEATHER SERVICES
FROM THE AUSTRALIAN SPACE FORECAST CENTRE
MINOR (G1 - MINOR) GEOMAGNETIC DISTURBANCE IN PROGRESS (K OF 5 REACHED)
PRELIMINARY AUSTRALIAN REGION K INDICES FOR 05 08 19: 1345 ----
FOLLOW THE PROGRESS OF THIS EVENT ON THE SWS SPACE WEATHER STATUS PANEL,
HTTP://WWW.SWS.BOM.GOV.AU > SPACE WEATHER
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.
http://www.sws.bom.gov.au/Space_Weather
Labels: aurora
Thursday, August 01, 2019
Southern Skywatch August 2019 edition is now out!
On the evening of Monday 12 August Saturn is occulted by the waxing Moon as seen from eastern Australia north of Canberra.
Saturn will disappear behind the dark limb of the Moon at a reasonable height for telescopic observation. In southern Australia the Moon and Saturn will be very close and visible together in telescopic eyepieces. (click to embiggen).
The August edition of Southern Skywatch is now up.
Mercury returns to the morning sky in the middle of this month. but is very difficult to see After the 15th it is lost in the twilight.
Venus is lost in the twilight.
Mars is close to the crescent Moon on the 2nd, low in the twilight, after this it is lost to view
Jupiter was at opposition on June the 11th, when it was brightest and biggest as seen from Earth. Jupiter is still excellent for telescopic viewing. Jupiter is close to waxing Moon on the 10th.
Saturn was at opposition on July the 10th. The waxing Moon close to Saturn on the 12th. and and eastern Australia sees an occultation of Saturn.
August 2; Mars close to the crescent Moon. August 10; Moon close to Jupiter. August 12; waxing Moon close to Saturn. August 12, an occultation of Saturn.
August 2 Moon at perigee, August 17 Moon at Apogee.
Labels: southern skywatch
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