Monday, September 30, 2019
Southern Skywatch October 2019 edition is now out!
The October edition of Southern Skywatch is now up.
Mercury is at its best in the evening sky this month .
Venus climbs higher in the evening twilight.
Mars is returns to the morning sky at the end of October.
Jupiter is still prominent in the western evening sky.
Saturn is high above the western horizon
October 4; Moon close to Jupiter. October 5-6; waxing Moon close to Saturn. October 29 thin crescent Moon forms line with Mercury and Venus. October 30 thin crescent Moon forms triangle Mercury and Venus. October 31 crescent Moon close to Jupiter.
October 11 Moon at Apogee, October 26 Moon at perigee.
Labels: southern skywatch
Friday, September 27, 2019
[Aurora Alert] Aurora Watch and Geomagnetic warning (27 September- 28 September)
The The SWS has issued a geomagnetic warning and aurora watch for 27 September- 28
September due to the effects of a large coronal hole. Currently geomagnetic
conditions are quiet, but may reach minor storm levels late on the evening of
the 27th or on September the 28th. Aurora could be seen in Southern Australia
under dark sky conditions. Tasmania and Southern Victoria should see something
if aurora occur.
The Space Weather Prediction Service predicts G1 -G2 storms will occur between 4 am to sunrise on the 28th and may continue into the early evening of the 28th. However they may arrive earlier or late
The Moon almost 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 WATCH
ISSUED AT 2331 UT ON 25 Sep 2019 by Space Weather Services
FROM THE AUSTRALIAN SPACE FORECAST CENTRE
Effects of a coronal hole are expected to impact the Earth within the
next 48 hours, possibly resulting in significant geomagnetic activity
and visible auroras during local nighttime hours. 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 Space Weather Prediction Service predicts G1 -G2 storms will occur between 4 am to sunrise on the 28th and may continue into the early evening of the 28th. However they may arrive earlier or late
The Moon almost 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 WATCH
ISSUED AT 2331 UT ON 25 Sep 2019 by Space Weather Services
FROM THE AUSTRALIAN SPACE FORECAST CENTRE
Effects of a coronal hole are expected to impact the Earth within the
next 48 hours, possibly resulting in significant geomagnetic activity
and visible auroras during local nighttime hours. 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 24, 2019
The Sky This Week - ThursdaySeptember 26 to Thursday October 3
The New Moon is Sunday September 29. Venus and Mercury climb higher in the evening twilight. Mercury is close the bright star Spica on the 29th. On the 30th Venus, Spica, Mercury and the thin Crescent Moon are close together in the evening twilight. Jupiter is easily
visible as the brightest object in the north-western evening skies. Saturn is near Jupiter, is high in the evening skies.
The New Moon is Sunday September 29. The Moon is at Perigee, when it is closest to Earth, on the 28th.
Sky at 19:41 ACST on Saturday, 28 September (90 minutes after sunset) looking west as seen from Adelaide. Jupiter is high
above the western horizon. Saturn is high above the northern horizon.
The left upper insert shows the telescopic view of Jupiter at 19:35. 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 western horizon at 18:41 ACST on Monday, 30 September (30 minutes after sunset) as seen from Adelaide. Mercury and Venus are above the horizon and you will need a flat, clear horizon such as the desert or ocean to see them at their best.
Mercury is close to the bright star Spica, which may become clearer if you wait 5 -10 minutes more for the sky to darken. The thin crescent Moon shines close to the trio making an excellent evening sight.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia 90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen.
The whole sky at 19:41 ACST on Saturday, 28 September (90 minutes after sunset) as seen from Adelaide.
The Southern Cross is nearing the horizon. However, the
galactic core (and the celestial emu) is near 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 (90 minutes after sunset), click to embiggen.
The area around Saturn in Sagittarius on Saturday, 28 September (90 minutes after sunset) as seen from Adelaide.
This chart is suitable for binocular viewing. The bright star Albadah and the planet Saturn point to the
beautiful globular cluster M22, indicated by brackets (well worth binocular exploration) and below
that is the lagoon and triffid nebulae.
(Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia, 90 minutes after sunse click to embiggen).
Venus is low above the western horizon in the evening twilight. You will need a level clear horizon like the desert or ocean to see it at its best. On the 30th Venus, Spica, Mercury and the thin Crescent Moon are close together in the evening twilight.
Mercury is above the western horizon in the evening twilight. On the 30th Venus, Spica, Mercury and the thin Crescent Moon are close together in the evening twilight.
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.
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 7:00 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 Sunday September 29. The Moon is at Perigee, when it is closest to Earth, on the 28th.
The left upper insert shows the telescopic view of Jupiter at 19:35. 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.
Mercury is close to the bright star Spica, which may become clearer if you wait 5 -10 minutes more for the sky to darken. The thin crescent Moon shines close to the trio making an excellent evening sight.
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 (90 minutes after sunset), click to embiggen.
(Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia, 90 minutes after sunse click to embiggen).
Venus is low above the western horizon in the evening twilight. You will need a level clear horizon like the desert or ocean to see it at its best. On the 30th Venus, Spica, Mercury and the thin Crescent Moon are close together in the evening twilight.
Mercury is above the western horizon in the evening twilight. On the 30th Venus, Spica, Mercury and the thin Crescent Moon are close together in the evening twilight.
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.
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 7:00 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, September 18, 2019
iTelescope ALERT! extrasolar comet C/2019 Q4 (Borisov)
 |  |
| C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) as seen at Astronomical Twilight in the morning on 19 September from Mayhill, New Mexico. The Comet is between iota Cancerii and Kappa Leo then moves towards Regulus. Click to embiggen. | C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) as seen at Nautical twilight in the morning on 19 September from Siding Springs, Australia. The Comet is between iota Cancerii and Kappa Leo then moves towards Regulus. Click to embiggen. |
Putative interstellar comet C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) unlike 'Oumuamua, was found well before it passed the sun, so there is an excellent opportunity to observe this fascinating comet. Also unlike 'Oumuamua there is clear signs of cometary activity, with a coma and tail already visible. We also have the first spectrum of our visitor, and it resembles solar system comets.
C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) is currently magnitude 18 but will brighten up to magnitude 15.6, a reasonable target for amateurs with serious equipment and long exposures. The comet is at perihelion on 7 December, 2019 and has its closest approach to the Earth on 29 December at around 2AU.The comet is currently in Cancer heading towards Leo.
C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) is visible from the Northern hemisphere just before astronomical twilight in the morning.In the Southern hemisphere it is too low above the horizon at nautical twilight to image. Soon it will be too close to the sun to image from any hemisphere This will change towards the end of October early December when the Southern hemisphere is favoured.
The MPC one line ephemeris is:
CK19Q040 2019 12 08.1199 2.024442 3.431584 208.7126 308.3073 43.8899 20190427 11.0 4.0 C/2019 Q4 (Borisov)
Ephemeris of comet C/2019 Q4 Borisov SSO Date Ast Twi Rise Transit Top R.A. Top Dec Set Ast Twi End 19 Sep 2019 04:46:27 04:53:11 09:30:26 09h 04m 27.3s +27° 41' 20" 14:08:11 19:33:36 21 Sep 2019 04:43:27 04:46:25 09:26:16 09h 08m 09.8s +26° 59' 45" 14:06:36 19:35:12 23 Sep 2019 04:40:26 04:39:39 09:22:06 09h 11m 53.4s +26° 16' 57" 14:05:05 19:36:49 25 Sep 2019 04:37:22 04:32:51 09:17:57 09h 15m 36.9s +25° 33' 00" 14:03:35 19:38:29 27 Sep 2019 04:34:18 04:26:01 09:13:47 09h 19m 20.1s +24° 47' 53" 14:02:06 19:40:12 29 Sep 2019 04:31:13 04:19:09 09:09:37 09h 23m 02.9s +24° 01' 35" 14:00:39 19:41:57 01 Oct 2019 04:28:08 04:12:15 09:05:27 09h 26m 45.4s +23° 14' 02" 13:59:13 19:43:44 03 Oct 2019 04:25:01 04:05:19 09:01:16 09h 30m 27.6s +22° 25' 15" 13:57:48 19:45:35 05 Oct 2019 04:21:55 03:58:20 08:57:05 09h 34m 09.3s +21° 35' 10" 13:56:25 19:47:28 07 Oct 2019 04:18:48 03:51:20 08:52:54 09h 37m 50.6s +20° 43' 47" 13:55:04 19:49:24 09 Oct 2019 04:15:42 03:44:17 08:48:42 09h 41m 31.6s +19° 51' 04" 13:53:44 19:51:22 11 Oct 2019 04:12:36 03:37:12 08:44:30 09h 45m 12.0s +18° 56' 59" 13:52:25 19:53:24 13 Oct 2019 04:09:30 03:30:04 08:40:17 09h 48m 52.1s +18° 01' 31" 13:51:08 19:55:29 15 Oct 2019 04:06:26 03:22:53 08:36:04 09h 52m 31.7s +17° 04' 37" 13:49:53 19:57:36 17 Oct 2019 04:03:23 03:15:40 08:31:50 09h 56m 10.8s +16° 06' 17" 13:48:39 19:59:47 19 Oct 2019 04:00:21 03:08:25 08:27:36 09h 59m 49.5s +15° 06' 29" 13:47:28 20:02:02 21 Oct 2019 03:57:21 03:01:06 08:23:21 10h 03m 27.7s +14° 05' 12" 13:46:18 20:04:19 23 Oct 2019 03:54:24 02:53:44 08:19:06 10h 07m 05.4s +13° 02' 25" 13:45:10 20:06:40 25 Oct 2019 03:51:28 02:46:20 08:14:50 10h 10m 42.6s +11° 58' 08" 13:44:05 20:09:03 27 Oct 2019 03:48:36 02:38:52 08:10:34 10h 14m 19.2s +10° 52' 18" 13:43:01 20:11:30 29 Oct 2019 03:45:46 02:31:21 08:06:17 10h 17m 55.2s +09° 44' 57" 13:42:00 20:14:00 31 Oct 2019 03:43:00 02:23:46 08:02:00 10h 21m 30.5s +08° 36' 03" 13:41:00 20:16:32 02 Nov 2019 03:40:18 02:16:08 07:57:42 10h 25m 05.3s +07° 25' 37" 13:40:04 20:19:06 04 Nov 2019 03:37:39 02:08:26 07:53:23 10h 28m 39.4s +06° 13' 38" 13:39:09 20:21:43 06 Nov 2019 03:35:05 02:00:40 07:49:04 10h 32m 12.8s +05° 00' 08" 13:38:18 20:24:22 08 Nov 2019 03:32:36 01:52:50 07:44:44 10h 35m 45.6s +03° 45' 07" 13:37:29 20:27:02 10 Nov 2019 03:30:12 01:44:56 07:40:23 10h 39m 17.7s +02° 28' 37" 13:36:43 20:29:44 12 Nov 2019 03:27:53 01:36:58 07:36:01 10h 42m 49.1s +01° 10' 38" 13:36:00 20:32:26 14 Nov 2019 03:25:41 01:28:55 07:31:39 10h 46m 19.8s -00° 08' 46" 13:35:20 20:35:09 16 Nov 2019 03:23:34 01:20:47 07:27:17 10h 49m 49.8s -01° 29' 35" 13:34:44 20:37:53
Ephemeris of comet C/2019 Q4 Borisov Mayhill
Date Ast Twi Rise Transit Top R.A. Top Dec Set Ast Twi End 19 Sep 2019 04:25:21 01:54:21 09h 05m 44.2s +27° 27' 05" 09:15:25 16:35:43 19:25:37 21 Sep 2019 04:26:50 01:52:38 09h 09m 26.7s +26° 45' 07" 09:11:14 16:29:06 19:22:43 23 Sep 2019 04:28:18 01:50:57 09h 13m 10.3s +26° 01' 56" 09:07:05 16:22:28 19:19:51 25 Sep 2019 04:29:45 01:49:18 09h 16m 53.6s +25° 17' 35" 09:02:56 16:15:48 19:17:01 27 Sep 2019 04:31:12 01:47:40 09h 20m 36.7s +24° 32' 04" 08:58:46 16:09:06 19:14:13 29 Sep 2019 04:32:38 01:46:03 09h 24m 19.4s +23° 45' 20" 08:54:36 16:02:22 19:11:27 01 Oct 2019 04:34:04 01:44:28 09h 28m 01.8s +22° 57' 22" 08:50:25 15:55:37 19:08:44 03 Oct 2019 04:35:29 01:42:54 09h 31m 43.8s +22° 08' 08" 08:46:15 15:48:49 19:06:03 05 Oct 2019 04:36:54 01:41:21 09h 35m 25.4s +21° 17' 37" 08:42:03 15:42:00 19:03:26 07 Oct 2019 04:38:19 01:39:49 09h 39m 06.6s +20° 25' 46" 08:37:52 15:35:08 19:00:51 09 Oct 2019 04:39:43 01:38:19 09h 42m 47.4s +19° 32' 35" 08:33:40 15:28:14 18:58:20 11 Oct 2019 04:41:07 01:36:50 09h 46m 27.7s +18° 38' 01" 08:29:27 15:21:18 18:55:53 13 Oct 2019 04:42:32 01:35:22 09h 50m 07.6s +17° 42' 04" 08:25:14 15:14:19 18:53:29 15 Oct 2019 04:43:56 01:33:56 09h 53m 47.0s +16° 44' 40" 08:21:01 15:07:18 18:51:09 17 Oct 2019 04:45:21 01:32:31 09h 57m 26.0s +15° 45' 50" 08:16:47 15:00:15 18:48:54 19 Oct 2019 04:46:47 01:31:08 10h 01m 04.6s +14° 45' 32" 08:12:33 14:53:09 18:46:43 21 Oct 2019 04:48:13 01:29:47 10h 04m 42.6s +13° 43' 44" 08:08:18 14:46:00 18:44:37 23 Oct 2019 04:49:39 01:28:28 10h 08m 20.1s +12° 40' 26" 08:04:03 14:38:49 18:42:35 25 Oct 2019 04:51:07 01:27:10 10h 11m 57.1s +11° 35' 37" 07:59:47 14:31:35 18:40:39 27 Oct 2019 04:52:35 01:25:54 10h 15m 33.5s +10° 29' 16" 07:55:30 14:24:18 18:38:47 29 Oct 2019 04:54:03 01:24:40 10h 19m 09.3s +09° 21' 22" 07:51:13 14:16:58 18:37:01 31 Oct 2019 04:55:33 01:23:27 10h 22m 44.4s +08° 11' 57" 07:46:56 14:09:34 18:35:21 02 Nov 2019 04:57:02 01:22:17 10h 26m 19.0s +07° 00' 59" 07:42:37 14:02:08 18:33:46 04 Nov 2019 04:58:33 01:21:09 10h 29m 52.8s +05° 48' 29" 07:38:18 13:54:37 18:32:17 06 Nov 2019 05:00:04 01:20:03 10h 33m 26.0s +04° 34' 27" 07:33:59 13:47:04 18:30:54 08 Nov 2019 05:01:36 01:19:00 10h 36m 58.6s +03° 18' 55" 07:29:38 13:39:26 18:29:36 10 Nov 2019 05:03:08 01:17:58 10h 40m 30.4s +02° 01' 54" 07:25:18 13:31:45 18:28:26 12 Nov 2019 05:04:40 01:17:00 10h 44m 01.6s +00° 43' 26" 07:20:56 13:24:00 18:27:21 14 Nov 2019 05:06:13 01:16:04 10h 47m 32.1s -00° 36' 28" 07:16:34 13:16:11 18:26:23 16 Nov 2019 05:07:46 01:15:11 10h 51m 01.8s -01° 57' 45" 07:12:10 13:08:17 18:25:31
Labels: comet, iTelescope
Monday, September 16, 2019
The Sky This Week - ThursdaySeptember 19 to Thursday September 26
The Last Quarter Moon is Sunday September 22. Earth is at spring equinox on the 23rd. Jupiter is easily
visible as the brightest object in the north-western evening skies. Saturn is near Jupiter, is high in the evening skies.Venus and Mercury climb higher in the evening twilight.
The Last Quarter Moon is Sunday September 22. Earth is at spring equinox on the 23rd, at this time the sun rises due east and sets due west and day and night are equal length. Get ready for Adelaide and Melbourne Henge.
Sky at 19:35 ACST on Saturday, 21 September (90 minutes after sunset) looking west as seen from Adelaide. Jupiter is high
above the western horizon. Saturn is high above the northern horizon.
The left upper insert shows the telescopic view of Jupiter at 19:35. 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 western horizon at 18:36 ACST on Saturday, 21 September (30 minutes after sunset) as seen from Adelaide. Mercury and Venus are just above the horizon and you will need a flat, clear horizon such as the desert or ocean to see them.
You may also need binoculars to pick out Mercury, it may become clearer if you wait 5 -10 minutes more for the sky to darken.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia 90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen.
Earth is at spring equinox on the 23rd, at this time the sun rises due east and sets due west and day and night are equal length. Many Australian cities are oriented on an "east west" grid, so theoretically we should be able to see the sunset down these major east-west road with the city scape forming a henge like canyon. However, our street are only approximately east west, the Adelaide city CBD streets are aligned to 263 degrees west, so the "henge" effect won't be seen until 6 October. For Melbourne the streets are aligned 250 degrees west, and their henge, best seen from the steps of Parliament of Spring Street, is on 3-4 November. This gives you a bit of time to prepare. Do the streets of your town align east west? why not find if you will have a "city Henge" effect.
Venus is low above the western horizon in the evening twilight. You will need a level clear horizon like the desert or ocean to see it.binoculars to see it
Mercury is low above the western horizon in the evening twilight. You may need binoculars to see it initially in the twilight glow.
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 5:30 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 7:30 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 Sunday September 22. Earth is at spring equinox on the 23rd, at this time the sun rises due east and sets due west and day and night are equal length. Get ready for Adelaide and Melbourne Henge.
Sky at 19:35 ACST on Saturday, 21 September (90 minutes after sunset) looking west as seen from Adelaide. Jupiter is high
above the western horizon. Saturn is high above the northern horizon.The left upper insert shows the telescopic view of Jupiter at 19:35. 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.
You may also need binoculars to pick out Mercury, it may become clearer if you wait 5 -10 minutes more for the sky to darken.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia 90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen.
Earth is at spring equinox on the 23rd, at this time the sun rises due east and sets due west and day and night are equal length. Many Australian cities are oriented on an "east west" grid, so theoretically we should be able to see the sunset down these major east-west road with the city scape forming a henge like canyon. However, our street are only approximately east west, the Adelaide city CBD streets are aligned to 263 degrees west, so the "henge" effect won't be seen until 6 October. For Melbourne the streets are aligned 250 degrees west, and their henge, best seen from the steps of Parliament of Spring Street, is on 3-4 November. This gives you a bit of time to prepare. Do the streets of your town align east west? why not find if you will have a "city Henge" effect.
Venus is low above the western horizon in the evening twilight. You will need a level clear horizon like the desert or ocean to see it.binoculars to see it
Mercury is low above the western horizon in the evening twilight. You may need binoculars to see it initially in the twilight glow.
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 5:30 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 7:30 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
Labels: weekly sky
Saturday, September 14, 2019
Images of the September 13 perigee Moon
 |  |
| Perigee Full Moon February 19 left, apogee Moon September 13 right | overlay of February perigee moon (top) and September apogee Moon (bottom) |
After a foggy, foggy morning the evening sky cleared and I had a wonderful view of the Friday September 13 apogee (mini) Moon. I set up the telescope a bit after true apogee (which was 23:03 ACST) due to watching Aquaman with the family (a good bad movie). But I got some nice shots with my Xperia mobile phone mounted on my 4" unguided Newtonian scope.
In the images above I contrast this apogee Moon with the perigee full Moon of February 19. In the scope there was a very clear distinction, but I was unable to tell the difference visually, mostly because I couldn't remember what the February Moon looked like. Some people can. I have used an overlay as well to show the contrast. It might be a bit exaggerated by eyepiece distortion becuase the Moon was not exactly centred.
However, comparing it to the predicted contrast shows the effect of eyepiece distortion is relatively minor.
On the 19th at 21:50 (when my image was taken) the Moon was 33' 40.9" wide and 354,659 Km away. Last night at 23:14, when the image was taken, it was 29' 48.8" wide and 400,666.9 Km away.
The September full Moon will actually occur tonight, just off apogee, but it will still be smaller than the February perigee Moon. So go out toniht an have a look!
You can see previous apogee/perigee pairs here and here
Thursday, September 12, 2019
Apogee (mini) Full Moon September 13-14, 2019
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| Full Moon September 14, Apogee - 15h | Full Moon February 19, Perigee - 6h |
The Moon is at apogee on midnight, Friday, September 13, making the September Full Moon a mini-Moon. The Moon is officially full on the 14th at 3pm, but the Moon does not rise until 5:11 pm, so it will be a little bigger than a proper apogee full Moon. It will nice to compare this with the 20 February perigee "super" Moon (telescopic simulation above, but you can see previous apogee/perigee pairs here and here.)
Tuesday, September 10, 2019
The Sky This Week - ThursdaySeptember 12 to Thursday September 19
The Full Moon is Saturday September 14 (apogee or mini-Moon). Jupiter is easily
visible as the brightest object in the north-western evening skies. Saturn is near Jupiter, is high in the evening skies.Venus and Mercury (just) return to the evening twilight.
The Full Moon is Saturday September 14. The Moon is at apogee on Friday September 13, making this a mini-Moon.
Sky at 19:30 ACST on Saturday, 14 September (90 minutes after sunset) looking west as seen from Adelaide. Jupiter is high
above the western horizon. Saturn is high above the northen horizon.
The left upper insert shows the telescopic view of Jupiter at 19:30. 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 western horizon at 18:30 ACST on Sunday 15 September (30 minutes after sunset) as seen from Adelaide. Mercury and Venus are just above the horizon and you will need a flat, clear horizon such as the desert or ocean to see them. You will also need binoculars to pick out Mercury.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia 90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen.
The Moon is at apogee on midnight, Friday September 13, making the September Full Moon a mini-Moon. The Moon is officially full on the 14th at 3pm, but the Moon does not rise until 5:11 pm, so it will be a litlle bigger than a proper apogee full Moon. It will nice to compare this with the the 20 February perigee "super" Moon (telescopic simulation above, but you can see previous apogee/perigee pairs here and here.)
Venus returns to the evening sky low above the western horizon.
Mercury returns to the evening sky low above the western horizon. You will need binoculars to see it initally in the twilight glow.
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 6:00 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 8:00 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 Saturday September 14. The Moon is at apogee on Friday September 13, making this a mini-Moon.
The left upper insert shows the telescopic view of Jupiter at 19:30. 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 90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen.
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| Full Moon September 14, Apogee - 15h | Full Moon February 19, Perigee - 6h |
The Moon is at apogee on midnight, Friday September 13, making the September Full Moon a mini-Moon. The Moon is officially full on the 14th at 3pm, but the Moon does not rise until 5:11 pm, so it will be a litlle bigger than a proper apogee full Moon. It will nice to compare this with the the 20 February perigee "super" Moon (telescopic simulation above, but you can see previous apogee/perigee pairs here and here.)
Venus returns to the evening sky low above the western horizon.
Mercury returns to the evening sky low above the western horizon. You will need binoculars to see it initally in the twilight glow.
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 6:00 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 8:00 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
Labels: weekly sky
Tuesday, September 03, 2019
Southern Skywatch September 2019 edition is now out!
On the evening of 8 September to te morning of 9 September Saturn is occulted by the waxing Moon as seen from north of a line from Perth to Rockhampton.
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 September 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.
September 6; Moon close to Jupiter. September 8-9; waxing Moon close to Saturn. September 8-9, an occultation of Saturn. September 30 thin crescent Moon near Mercury and Venus.
September 13 Moon at Apogee (apogee Moon), September 28 Moon at perigee.
Labels: southern skywatch
Monday, September 02, 2019
The Sky This Week - ThursdaySeptember 5 to Thursday September 12
The First Quarter Moon is Friday September 6.
The left upper insert shows the telescopic view of Jupiter at 21:50. Europa will pass behind Jupiter then. 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.
From the north-west of Australia Saturn is occulted by the Moon around midnight. The rest of Australia sees the Moon and Saturn very close.
Timings and spotter charts can be found at my occultation site.
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 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. The Moon is close to Jupiter on the 6th
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. Saturn is close to the Moon on the 8-9th and is occulted in north-western 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.
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
Occultation of Saturn, Sunday-Monday, 8-9 September 2019.
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| The Moon at 00:02am ACST in Alice Springs on Monday 9 September just before Saturn disappears. The inset shows the telescopic view as just before Saturn disappears behind the Moon (click to embiggen). | The Moon at 00:50 am AEST in Cairns on Monday 9 September just before Saturn disappears. The inset shows the telescopic view as just before Saturn disappears behind the Moon (click to embiggen). | The Moon at 22:00pm AWST in Perth on Sunday 8 September just before Saturn disappears. The inset shows the telescopic view as just before Saturn disappears behind the Moon (click to embiggen). |
On the late evening of Sunday 8 September to early morning 9 September Saturn is occulted by the waxing Moon as seen from northern Australia north of of a line from Perth to north of Rockhampton.
The Moon, above the western horizon, is a very obvious signpost for where to look. From most locations the occultation starts around midnight, with central and eastern locations occurring on the morning of the 9th, and western on the late evening of the 8th.
Saturn may be hard to spot visually against the glare of the Moon but is readily visible in telescopes and binoculars. In some locations titan is occulted as well (Alice Springs 00:09, Broome 22:32, Cairns, 00:53, Darwin 00:05, Perth 22:03, Townsville 00:57). 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 hard to see as you have to be looking just at the right moment.
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. In Rockhampton Saturn will just miss 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 |
| Alice Springs ACST | 00:07 | 1:02 |
| Brisbane AEST | - | - |
| Broome AWST | 22:16 | 23:38 |
| Carins AEST | 00:52 | 1:44 |
| Canberra AEST | - | - |
| Darwin ACST | 00:06 | 01:19 |
| Hobart AEST | - | - |
| Melbourne AEST | - | - |
| Perth AWST | 22:01 | 23:02 |
| Sydney AEST | - | - |
| Rockhampton AEST | - | - |
| Townsville AEST | 00:55 | 01:38 |
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