Thursday, October 31, 2019
Southern Skywatch November 2019 edition is now out!
The crescent Moon is very close to Saturn. (similar views will be seen similar views will be seen Australia wide 60 minutes minutes after sunset (click to embiggen).
The November edition of Southern Skywatch is now up.
Mercury leaves the evening sky this month and returns to the morning sky late in the month.
Venus climbs higher in the evening twilight and meets Jupiter on 23-24 November.
Mars climbs higher in the morning sky but is only really visible in the end of the month.
Jupiter is low in the western evening sky.
Saturn is above the western horizon
November 2; crescent Moon close to Saturn. 4 November; Venus is between Delta and Beta Scorpii. Venus comes close to the globular cluster M80 on the 7th. November 12; Asteroid Vesta at opposition. November 23; Moon at perigee. November 23-24, Venus and Jupiter close. November 25, Mars, the thin crescent Moon and Mercury form a triangle in the twilight. November 28, Moon and Jupiter close with Venus above. November 30; Moon and Saturn close.
November 7; Moon at Apogee, November 23; Moon at perigee.
Labels: southern skywatch
Monday, October 28, 2019
The Sky This Week - Thursday October 31 to Thursday November 7
The First Quarter Moon is Monday November 4. Venus climbs higher in the evening twilight and Mercury begins to sink towards the horizon. Jupiter is easily
visible in the western evening skies Saturn is near Jupiter, is high in the western evening skies and is very close to the Moon on the 2nd. Asteroid Vesta visible in binoculars.
The First Quarter Moon is Monday November 4. The Moon is at apogee, when it is furthest from the Earth, on the 7th.
Sky at 20:40 ACDST on Saturday 2 November (60 minutes after sunset)
looking west as seen from Adelaide. Jupiter is above the western
horizon. Mercury is above the western horizon and is below Venus.
The crescent Moon is very close to Saturn.
The left upper insert shows the telescopic view of Jupiter at 20:54, Ganymede is above to exit the disk of Jupiter and Io about to cross it. The lower right is that of Saturn at the same magnification.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia 60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen.
Sky at 20:40 ACDST on Monday 4 November (60 minutes after sunset)
looking west as seen from Adelaide. Jupiter is above the western
Mercury is low above the western horizon and is well below Venus.
Venus is between beta and delta Scorpii
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (60 minutes after sunset), click to embiggen.
The North-east horizon as seen in Adelaide at 11 pm local daylight
saving time (10:00 pm non-daylight saving time) showing the location of
Vesta (click to embiggen) on Saturday 2 November. The inset is the binocular view of Vesta and the two prominent guide stars.
while not the largest asteroid, Vest occasionally becomes bright enough to see with the unaided eye, but is now easily visible in binoculars. Vest is currently easy to find, near the two brightish stars that form the foreleg of Taurus the bull.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time, click to embiggen. A spotter guide with printable charts is here.
Venus is higher above the western horizon in the late evening twilight. Venus is now readily seen over 60 minutes after sunset.Venus passes between the bright stars beta and delta Scorpii on the 4th
Mercury is low above the western horizon in the late evening twilight and is sinking rapidly towards the horizon.
Jupiter is now well past opposition. However, it is still well worth observing in the early evening. Jupiter is easily visible in the western sky and is located beside the distinctive constellation of Scorpius and not far from the bright red star Antares. It sets around 11:00 local time and is a good telescope target in the early evening.
Mars is lost in the twilight.
Saturn is to the east of Jupiter and near the "handle" of the "teapot of Sagittarius. It is best for telescopic viewing from just around astronomical twilight local time until the early morning.On the 2nd the crescent Moon is close to Saturn and the may may be seen together in wide field telescope lenses.
Printable PDF maps of the Eastern sky at 10 pm AEDST, Western sky at 10 pm AEDST. 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 First Quarter Moon is Monday November 4. The Moon is at apogee, when it is furthest from the Earth, on the 7th.
The crescent Moon is very close to Saturn.
The left upper insert shows the telescopic view of Jupiter at 20:54, Ganymede is above to exit the disk of Jupiter and Io about to cross it. The lower right is that of Saturn at the same magnification.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia 60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen.
Mercury is low above the western horizon and is well below Venus.
Venus is between beta and delta Scorpii
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (60 minutes after sunset), click to embiggen.
while not the largest asteroid, Vest occasionally becomes bright enough to see with the unaided eye, but is now easily visible in binoculars. Vest is currently easy to find, near the two brightish stars that form the foreleg of Taurus the bull.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time, click to embiggen. A spotter guide with printable charts is here.
Venus is higher above the western horizon in the late evening twilight. Venus is now readily seen over 60 minutes after sunset.Venus passes between the bright stars beta and delta Scorpii on the 4th
Mercury is low above the western horizon in the late evening twilight and is sinking rapidly towards the horizon.
Jupiter is now well past opposition. However, it is still well worth observing in the early evening. Jupiter is easily visible in the western sky and is located beside the distinctive constellation of Scorpius and not far from the bright red star Antares. It sets around 11:00 local time and is a good telescope target in the early evening.
Mars is lost in the twilight.
Saturn is to the east of Jupiter and near the "handle" of the "teapot of Sagittarius. It is best for telescopic viewing from just around astronomical twilight local time until the early morning.On the 2nd the crescent Moon is close to Saturn and the may may be seen together in wide field telescope lenses.
Printable PDF maps of the Eastern sky at 10 pm AEDST, Western sky at 10 pm AEDST. 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
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
Seeing Vesta at Opposition (November 2019)
 |  |
| The north-east horizon as seen in Adelaide at 11 pm local daylight saving time (10:00 pm non-daylight saving time) showing the location of Vesta on 26 October. The inset is the binocular view of Vesta and the two prominent guide stars. (click to embiggen, similar views will be seen elsewhere at the equivalent local time). | The north-east horizon as seen in Adelaide at 10 pm local daylight saving time (9:00 pm non-daylight saving time) showing the location of Vesta on 12 November at opposition. The inset is the binocular view of Vesta and the two prominent guide stars. (click to embiggen, similar views will be seen elsewhere at the equivalent local time). |
The Asteroid 4 Vesta is one of the iconic minor planets, and one of two orbited by the Dawn spacecraft. At favourable oppositions Vesta is bright enough to be seen with the unaided eye under dark sky conditions. Sadly this year it doesn't get that bright, but it will be easily visible in binoculars (getting up to magnitude 6.5, just below unaided eye visibility at dark sky sites).
Alternatively, here is downloadable Black and white PDF binocular chart suitable for printing. The large circle represents the field of view of 10x50 binoculars. Use the horizon chart above for orientation first.
This year is a reasonable opposition of Vesta, when it will reach a magnitude of 6.5 at its brightest. Vesta is at opposition on November 12. the ext bright opposition is 22 August in 2022 (magnitude 5.8) but there will be fewer good guide stars.
Vesta is however easily visible in binoculars, but you may
need to watch it over several nights to see it move and confirm its
identity.
This year Vesta has some excellent
signposts to it, just before and just after opposition Vest is withig binocular distance of the easily recognisable pair of omicron Tauri and xi Tauri (o and x on the printable charts) which form the foreleg of Taurus the Bull. The distinctive arrow shape of the head of Taurus , with bright red Alderbaran as its eye is easily seen above the north-eastern horizon, the ttip of the arrow points to the the next bright star (Lambda ƛ tau in the printable chart), from there sweep up and to the north (left) and the pair of omicron Tauri and xi Tauri are obvious. from there finding Vesta with the charts should be easy.
Sadly around opposition itself, the waxing Moon / full Moon will interfere significantly (although you should still be able to just see it in binoculars. However, there are several days before and after opposition where Vesta is bright and easily seen. 3-5 November may be best.
Sadly around opposition itself, the waxing Moon / full Moon will interfere significantly (although you should still be able to just see it in binoculars. However, there are several days before and after opposition where Vesta is bright and easily seen. 3-5 November may be best.
Labels: 4 Vesta, binocular, telescope
Monday, October 21, 2019
The Sky This Week - Thursday October 24 to Thursday October 31
The New Moon is Monday October 28. Venus and Mercury climb higher in the evening twilight. The thin crescent Moon forms a line with Venus and Mercury on the 29th, then on the 30th forms a triangle with them. Mercury and Venus are closest on the 31st. Jupiter is easily
visible in the western evening skies and is close to the Moon on the 30th. Saturn is near Jupiter, is high in the western evening skies.The Variable star Mira peaks in brightness around 24 October. Asteroid Vesta visible in binoculars.
The New Moon is Monday October 28. The Moon is at perigee, when it is closest to the Earth, on the 26th.
Sky at 20:40 ACDST on Wednesday 30 October (60 minutes after sunset) looking west as seen from Adelaide. Jupiter is above the western horizon. Mercury is well above the western horizon and is close to Venus with the crescent Moon forming a triangle with them
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia 60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen.
Sky at 20:40 ACDST on Thursday 31 October (60 minutes after sunset) looking west as seen from Adelaide. Jupiter is above the western horizon with the crescent Moon close by.
Mercury is well above the western horizon and is at its closest to Venus.
The left upper insert shows the telescopic view of Jupiter at 20:54.The lower right that of Saturn at the same magnification.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (60 minutes after sunset), click to embiggen.
Cetus looking north-west at 10:00 pm ACDST on 24 October, Mira is indicated by the circle.
Mira (omicron ceti), a star in the constellation of Cetus the whale, is a long period pulsating red giant and changes brightness from below naked eye visibility to a peak of round magnitude 2 (roughly as bright as beta Crucis in the Southern Cross) in around 330 days.
Mira is predicted to peak with maximum of 3.4 around 24 October. Mira may be seen above the north-eastern horizon from around 10 pm local time. Mira is currently visible just to the unaided eye and will brighten noticeably over October.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time, click to embiggen.
The North-east horizon as seen in Adelaide at 11 pm local daylight
saving time (10:00 pm non-daylight saving time) showing the location of
Vesta (click to embiggen) on 26 October. The inset is the binocular view of Vesta and the two prominent guide stars.
while not the largest asteroid, Vest occasionally becomes bright enough to see with the unaided eye, but is now easily visible in binoculars. Vest is currently easy to find, near the two brightish stars that form the foreleg of Taurus the bull.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time, click to embiggen.
Venus is higer above the western horizon in the late evening twilight. Venus is now readily seen over 60 minutes after sunset. Mercury is above Venus in the late evening twilight. The pair come closer over the week and are closest on the 31st. on the 29th the thin crescent moon forms a line with Venus and Mercury,then on the 30th forms a triangle with them.
Mercury is high above the western horizon in the late evening twilight and is visible for at least an hour after sunset an may be seen into full darkness. The pair come closer over the week and are closest on the 31st.
Jupiter is now well past opposition. However, it is still well worth observing in the early evening. Jupiter is easily visible in the western sky and is located beside the distinctive constellation of Scorpius and not far from the bright red star Antares. It sets around 11:30 local time and is a good telescope target in the early evening. The crescent Moon is close t Jupiter on the 31st.
Mars is lost in the twilight.
Saturn is to the east of Jupiter and near the "handle" of the "teapot of Sagittarius. It is best for telescopic viewing from just around astronomical twilight local time until the early morning.
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 Monday October 28. The Moon is at perigee, when it is closest to the Earth, on the 26th.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia 60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen.
Sky at 20:40 ACDST on Thursday 31 October (60 minutes after sunset) looking west as seen from Adelaide. Jupiter is above the western horizon with the crescent Moon close by.
Mercury is well above the western horizon and is at its closest to Venus.
The left upper insert shows the telescopic view of Jupiter at 20:54.The lower right that of Saturn at the same magnification.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (60 minutes after sunset), click to embiggen.
Mira (omicron ceti), a star in the constellation of Cetus the whale, is a long period pulsating red giant and changes brightness from below naked eye visibility to a peak of round magnitude 2 (roughly as bright as beta Crucis in the Southern Cross) in around 330 days.
Mira is predicted to peak with maximum of 3.4 around 24 October. Mira may be seen above the north-eastern horizon from around 10 pm local time. Mira is currently visible just to the unaided eye and will brighten noticeably over October.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time, click to embiggen.
while not the largest asteroid, Vest occasionally becomes bright enough to see with the unaided eye, but is now easily visible in binoculars. Vest is currently easy to find, near the two brightish stars that form the foreleg of Taurus the bull.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time, click to embiggen.
Venus is higer above the western horizon in the late evening twilight. Venus is now readily seen over 60 minutes after sunset. Mercury is above Venus in the late evening twilight. The pair come closer over the week and are closest on the 31st. on the 29th the thin crescent moon forms a line with Venus and Mercury,then on the 30th forms a triangle with them.
Mercury is high above the western horizon in the late evening twilight and is visible for at least an hour after sunset an may be seen into full darkness. The pair come closer over the week and are closest on the 31st.
Jupiter is now well past opposition. However, it is still well worth observing in the early evening. Jupiter is easily visible in the western sky and is located beside the distinctive constellation of Scorpius and not far from the bright red star Antares. It sets around 11:30 local time and is a good telescope target in the early evening. The crescent Moon is close t Jupiter on the 31st.
Mars is lost in the twilight.
Saturn is to the east of Jupiter and near the "handle" of the "teapot of Sagittarius. It is best for telescopic viewing from just around astronomical twilight local time until the early morning.
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
Friday, October 18, 2019
Another Set of Early Evening Bright International Space Sation Passes (18- 25 October, 2019)
 |  |  |
| The ISS passes close to Jupiter as seen from Sydney on the evening of Saturday 19 October at 20:33 AEDST. 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 Friday 18 October at at 20:49 ACDST. Simulated in Stellarium (the ISS will actually be a bright dot), click to embiggen. | The ISS passes close to Saturn, as seen from Perth on the evening of Friday 18 October at 19:52 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 Saturday 19 October for Sydney. | All sky chart showing local times from Heavens Above for Friday 18 October for Adelaide. | All sky chart showing local times from Heavens Above for Friday 18 October 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 Jupiter or Saturn. For most cities the best passes are on the 18th (Jupiter, Saturn) or the 21st (Jupiter, Mercury and Venus). For Brisbane and Sydney the 19th and 20th are best. Some are in twilight but the passes are very bright and will be well worth watching for.
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. | ||
| 17 Oct | -3.1 | 04:56:57 | 19° | SW | 04:59:12 | 57° | SE | 05:02:34 | 10° | ENE | visible |
| 17 Oct | -1.3 | 21:35:43 | 10° | WNW | 21:36:37 | 17° | WNW | 21:36:37 | 17° | WNW | visible |
| 18 Oct | -1.4 | 04:11:52 | 24° | ESE | 04:11:52 | 24° | ESE | 04:13:40 | 10° | ENE | visible |
| 18 Oct | -2.4 | 05:44:53 | 12° | W | 05:47:09 | 21° | NW | 05:49:48 | 10° | N | visible |
| 18 Oct | -3.8 | 20:47:12 | 10° | NW | 20:50:31 | 64° | NE | 20:52:15 | 26° | ESE | visible |
| 19 Oct | -2.2 | 05:00:19 | 24° | N | 05:00:19 | 24° | N | 05:01:55 | 10° | NNE | visible |
| 19 Oct | -3.0 | 19:59:01 | 10° | NNW | 20:02:02 | 32° | NE | 20:05:06 | 10° | ESE | visible |
| 19 Oct | -1.3 | 21:36:02 | 10° | W | 21:38:48 | 23° | SSW | 21:40:25 | 17° | S | visible |
| 20 Oct | -2.2 | 20:46:57 | 10° | WNW | 20:50:07 | 38° | SW | 20:53:20 | 10° | SSE | visible |
| 21 Oct | -3.4 | 19:58:09 | 10° | NW | 20:01:31 | 71° | SW | 20:04:54 | 10° | SE | visible |
| 21 Oct | -0.5 | 21:37:34 | 10° | SW | 21:38:46 | 11° | SSW | 21:39:59 | 10° | S | visible |
| 22 Oct | -0.8 | 20:47:43 | 10° | WSW | 20:49:58 | 16° | SSW | 20:52:13 | 10° | SSE | visible |
| 23 Oct | -1.3 | 19:58:22 | 10° | W | 20:01:13 | 25° | SSW | 20:04:05 | 10° | SSE | visible |
| 25 Oct | -0.7 | 19:59:44 | 10° | SW | 20:01:09 | 12° | SSW | 20:02:34 | 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. | ||
| 17 Oct | -3.8 | 04:29:33 | 10° | SW | 04:32:57 | 70° | NW | 04:36:19 | 10° | NE | visible |
| 17 Oct | -3.5 | 19:30:03 | 10° | NW | 19:33:22 | 66° | SW | 19:33:34 | 64° | SSW | visible |
| 18 Oct | -3.0 | 03:41:52 | 16° | SSW | 03:44:24 | 53° | SE | 03:47:44 | 10° | NE | visible |
| 18 Oct | -3.7 | 18:41:34 | 10° | NNW | 18:44:50 | 54° | NE | 18:48:09 | 10° | SE | visible |
| 18 Oct | -0.4 | 20:20:42 | 10° | SW | 20:21:48 | 11° | SW | 20:22:15 | 11° | SSW | visible |
| 19 Oct | -1.1 | 02:57:16 | 19° | E | 02:57:16 | 19° | E | 02:58:44 | 10° | ENE | visible |
| 19 Oct | -2.1 | 04:30:19 | 11° | W | 04:32:20 | 17° | NW | 04:34:39 | 10° | N | visible |
| 19 Oct | -1.0 | 19:30:34 | 10° | W | 19:33:04 | 19° | SW | 19:35:35 | 10° | S | visible |
| 20 Oct | -1.7 | 03:46:06 | 16° | N | 03:46:06 | 16° | N | 03:47:01 | 10° | NNE | visible |
| 20 Oct | -2.0 | 18:41:18 | 10° | WNW | 18:44:24 | 35° | SW | 18:47:32 | 10° | SSE | visible |
| 22 Oct | -0.5 | 18:42:45 | 10° | WSW | 18:44:12 | 12° | SW | 18:45:40 | 10° | SSW | visible |
Passes from Hobart (AEDST)
| Date | Brightness | Start | Highest point | End | Pass type | ||||||
| (mag) | Time | Alt. | Az. | Time | Alt. | Az. | Time | Alt. | Az. | ||
| 17 Oct | -2.1 | 03:53:58 | 31° | E | 03:53:58 | 31° | E | 03:55:58 | 10° | ENE | visible |
| 17 Oct | -2.3 | 05:26:57 | 13° | W | 05:29:04 | 20° | NW | 05:31:39 | 10° | N | visible |
| 18 Oct | -2.4 | 04:41:52 | 25° | N | 04:41:52 | 25° | N | 04:43:45 | 10° | NNE | visible |
| 18 Oct | -2.8 | 21:20:04 | 10° | NW | 21:22:14 | 33° | NNW | 21:22:14 | 33° | NNW | visible |
| 19 Oct | -2.8 | 20:31:55 | 10° | NNW | 20:34:52 | 29° | NE | 20:37:25 | 13° | E | visible |
| 19 Oct | -2.0 | 22:08:15 | 10° | W | 22:10:25 | 31° | WSW | 22:10:25 | 31° | WSW | visible |
| 20 Oct | -3.4 | 21:19:31 | 10° | WNW | 21:22:53 | 65° | SSW | 21:25:03 | 20° | SE | visible |
| 20 Oct | -0.5 | 22:57:23 | 10° | WSW | 22:58:01 | 13° | WSW | 22:58:01 | 13° | WSW | visible |
| 21 Oct | -3.8 | 20:30:56 | 10° | NW | 20:34:18 | 77° | NE | 20:37:44 | 10° | ESE | visible |
| 21 Oct | -1.6 | 22:08:26 | 10° | WSW | 22:11:20 | 25° | SSW | 22:12:11 | 23° | S | visible |
| 22 Oct | -2.0 | 21:19:30 | 10° | W | 21:22:37 | 32° | SSW | 21:25:46 | 10° | SE | visible |
| 22 Oct | -0.7 | 22:57:35 | 10° | SW | 22:58:57 | 16° | SSW | 22:58:57 | 16° | SSW | visible |
| 23 Oct | -2.6 | 20:30:39 | 10° | WNW | 20:33:55 | 45° | SSW | 20:37:15 | 10° | SE | visible |
| 23 Oct | -1.2 | 22:08:42 | 10° | SW | 22:11:17 | 20° | S | 22:12:34 | 16° | SSE | visible |
| 24 Oct | -1.3 | 21:19:45 | 10° | WSW | 21:22:29 | 22° | SSW | 21:25:15 | 10° | SE | visible |
| 24 Oct | -0.8 | 22:57:27 | 10° | SW | 22:58:56 | 17° | SSW | 22:58:56 | 17° | SSW | visible |
| 25 Oct | -1.6 | 20:30:47 | 10° | WSW | 20:33:44 | 26° | SSW | 20:36:41 | 10° | SE | visible |
| 25 Oct | -1.3 | 22:08:46 | 10° | SW | 22:11:17 | 19° | S | 22:12:18 | 17° | SSE | visible |
| 26 Oct | -1.2 | 21:19:57 | 10° | SW | 21:22:27 | 19° | S | 21:24:58 | 10° | SE | visible |
| 26 Oct | -1.0 | 22:57:01 | 10° | SW | 22:58:29 | 19° | SSW | 22:58:29 | 19° | SSW | visible |
Passes from Melbourne (AEDST)
| Date | Brightness | Start | Highest point | End | Pass type | ||||||
| (mag) | Time | Alt. | Az. | Time | Alt. | Az. | Time | Alt. | Az. | ||
| 17 Oct | -0.9 | 03:53:59 | 19° | ESE | 03:53:59 | 19° | ESE | 03:55:35 | 10° | E | visible |
| 17 Oct | -3.5 | 05:26:57 | 14° | WSW | 05:29:41 | 46° | NW | 05:32:58 | 10° | NNE | visible |
| 17 Oct | -1.8 | 20:32:20 | 10° | NNE | 20:33:33 | 14° | NE | 20:33:33 | 14° | NE | visible |
| 18 Oct | -3.3 | 04:41:51 | 55° | NE | 04:41:51 | 55° | NE | 04:44:36 | 10° | NE | visible |
| 18 Oct | -3.9 | 21:18:43 | 10° | NW | 21:22:05 | 85° | NE | 21:22:15 | 79° | ESE | visible |
| 19 Oct | -1.6 | 05:30:19 | 13° | NNW | 05:30:19 | 13° | NNW | 05:31:06 | 10° | NNW | visible |
| 19 Oct | -3.4 | 20:30:22 | 10° | NNW | 20:33:34 | 44° | NE | 20:36:51 | 10° | ESE | visible |
| 19 Oct | -1.3 | 22:07:41 | 10° | W | 22:10:25 | 23° | SSW | 22:10:25 | 23° | SSW | visible |
| 20 Oct | -2.1 | 21:18:37 | 10° | W | 21:21:45 | 34° | SSW | 21:24:54 | 10° | SE | visible |
| 21 Oct | -3.1 | 20:29:46 | 10° | WNW | 20:33:06 | 58° | SW | 20:36:29 | 10° | SE | visible |
| 21 Oct | -0.6 | 22:08:45 | 10° | SW | 22:10:26 | 13° | SSW | 22:12:09 | 10° | S | visible |
| 22 Oct | -0.8 | 21:19:16 | 10° | WSW | 21:21:37 | 17° | SSW | 21:23:59 | 10° | SSE | visible |
| 23 Oct | -1.3 | 20:30:01 | 10° | W | 20:32:51 | 24° | SSW | 20:35:43 | 10° | SSE | visible |
| 24 Oct | -0.5 | 21:20:46 | 10° | SSW | 21:21:40 | 11° | SSW | 21:22:36 | 10° | S | visible |
| 25 Oct | -0.8 | 20:31:00 | 10° | SW | 20:32:49 | 14° | SSW | 20:34:37 | 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. | ||
| 17 Oct | -2.4 | 03:59:56 | 13° | SSW | 04:02:42 | 41° | SE | 04:05:57 | 10° | ENE | visible |
| 17 Oct | -1.9 | 19:03:12 | 10° | NNE | 19:05:06 | 14° | NE | 19:06:37 | 11° | E | visible |
| 17 Oct | -1.3 | 20:38:23 | 10° | WNW | 20:39:40 | 20° | W | 20:39:40 | 20° | W | visible |
| 18 Oct | -1.1 | 03:14:52 | 21° | ESE | 03:14:52 | 21° | ESE | 03:16:51 | 10° | E | visible |
| 18 Oct | -2.7 | 04:47:53 | 10° | WSW | 04:50:44 | 26° | NW | 04:53:35 | 10° | N | visible |
| 18 Oct | -3.7 | 19:49:36 | 10° | NW | 19:52:57 | 76° | SW | 19:55:16 | 19° | SE | visible |
| 19 Oct | -2.8 | 04:03:21 | 35° | N | 04:03:21 | 35° | N | 04:05:34 | 10° | NNE | visible |
| 19 Oct | -3.6 | 19:01:10 | 10° | NNW | 19:04:25 | 51° | NE | 19:07:43 | 10° | SE | visible |
| 19 Oct | -0.6 | 20:39:21 | 10° | WSW | 20:41:23 | 15° | SSW | 20:43:24 | 10° | S | visible |
| 20 Oct | -1.3 | 19:49:51 | 10° | W | 19:52:39 | 24° | SW | 19:55:28 | 10° | SSE | visible |
| 21 Oct | -2.3 | 19:00:46 | 10° | WNW | 19:03:58 | 42° | SW | 19:07:13 | 10° | SSE | visible |
| 22 Oct | -0.3 | 19:52:02 | 10° | SW | 19:52:35 | 10° | SSW | 19:53:08 | 10° | SSW | visible |
| 23 Oct | -0.8 | 19:01:36 | 10° | WSW | 19:03:46 | 16° | SSW | 19:05:57 | 10° | S | visible |
Passes from Sydney (AEDST)
| Date | Brightness | Start | Highest point | End | Pass type | ||||||
| (mag) | Time | Alt. | Az. | Time | Alt. | Az. | Time | Alt. | Az. | ||
| 18 Oct | -3.9 | 04:41:52 | 42° | SW | 04:42:53 | 79° | NW | 04:46:17 | 10° | NE | visible |
| 18 Oct | -2.4 | 19:43:16 | 10° | N | 19:45:54 | 21° | NE | 19:48:33 | 10° | ESE | visible |
| 18 Oct | -1.7 | 21:19:29 | 10° | W | 21:22:15 | 29° | SW | 21:22:15 | 29° | SW | visible |
| 19 Oct | -0.9 | 03:57:16 | 13° | ENE | 03:57:16 | 13° | ENE | 03:57:40 | 10° | ENE | visible |
| 19 Oct | -1.7 | 05:30:19 | 12° | WNW | 05:30:42 | 12° | NW | 05:32:00 | 10° | NNW | visible |
| 19 Oct | -3.0 | 20:30:34 | 10° | WNW | 20:33:52 | 53° | SW | 20:37:12 | 10° | SE | visible |
| 20 Oct | -3.8 | 19:41:57 | 10° | NW | 19:45:18 | 78° | NE | 19:48:41 | 10° | SE | visible |
| 20 Oct | -0.6 | 21:20:42 | 10° | WSW | 21:22:24 | 13° | SSW | 21:24:08 | 10° | S | visible |
| 21 Oct | -1.0 | 20:31:03 | 10° | W | 20:33:37 | 20° | SSW | 20:36:12 | 10° | SSE | visible |
| 22 Oct | -1.8 | 19:41:51 | 10° | WNW | 19:44:55 | 32° | SW | 19:48:01 | 10° | SSE | visible |
| 24 Oct | -0.7 | 19:42:55 | 10° | WSW | 19:44:47 | 14° | SSW | 19:46:40 | 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
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
The Sky This Week - Thursday October 17 to Thursday October 24
The Last Quarter Moon is Monday October 21. Venus and Mercury climb higher in the evening twilight. Jupiter is easily
visible as the brightest object in the western evening skies. Saturn is near Jupiter, is high in the north-western evening skies.The Orionid meteor shower peaks 21-22 October, the Variable star Mira peaks in brightness around 24 October.
The Last Quarter Moon is Monday October 21.
Sky at 20:30 ACDST on Saturday 19 October (60 minutes after sunset) looking west as seen from Adelaide. Jupiter is above the western horizon. Mercury is well above the western horizon with Venus low on the horizon below it
The left upper insert shows the telescopic view of Jupiter at 20:54.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia 90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen.
The whole sky at 20:30 ACDST on Saturday 19 October. (60 minutes after sunset) as seen from Adelaide.4 bright planets and Antares form a line in the evening sky.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (30 minutes after sunset), click to embiggen.
Morning sky facing north-east at 3:00 pm ACDST as seen from Adelaide on 22 October, the Orionid radiant is indicated with a star burst.
The Orionids are a worthwhile shower, best seen between 2-4 am, the radiant being just under Betelgeuse, the bright red star in Orion. This year the Last Quarter Moon will reduce rates. The best viewing is the mornings of the 21st and 22nd, when between 3-5 am under dark skies you should see about a meteor every 5 minutes.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time, click to embiggen.
Cetus looking north-west at 10:00 pm ACDST on 24 October, Mira is indicated by the circle.
Mira (omicron ceti), a star in the constellation of Cetus the whale, is a long period pulsating red giant and changes brightness from below naked eye visibility to a peak of round magnitude 2 (roughly as bright as beta Crucis in the Southern Cross) in around 330 days.
Mira is predicted to peak with maximum of 3.4 around 24 October. Mira may be seen above the north-eastern horizon from around 10 pm local time. Mira is currently visible just to the unaided eye and will brighten noticeably over October.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time, click to embiggen.
Venus is low above the western horizon in the evening twilight. Venus is now readily seen up to 60 minutes after sunset. Mercury is above Venus in the late evening twilight.
Mercury is climbing higher above the western horizon in the evening twilight and is at its higest on the 20th. Mercury is visible for at least an hour after sunset an may be seen into full darkness.
Jupiter is now well past opposition. However, it is still well worth observing in the early evening. Jupiter is easily visible as the brightest object in the western sky (aside from the Moon) and is located beside 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 early evening.
Mars is lost in the twilight.
Saturn is to the east of Jupiter and near the "handle" of the "teapot of Sagittarius. It is best for telescopic viewing from just around astronomical twilight local time until the early morning.
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 Monday October 21.
The left upper insert shows the telescopic view of Jupiter at 20:54.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia 90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen.
The whole sky at 20:30 ACDST on Saturday 19 October. (60 minutes after sunset) as seen from Adelaide.4 bright planets and Antares form a line in the evening sky.Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (30 minutes after sunset), click to embiggen.
The Orionids are a worthwhile shower, best seen between 2-4 am, the radiant being just under Betelgeuse, the bright red star in Orion. This year the Last Quarter Moon will reduce rates. The best viewing is the mornings of the 21st and 22nd, when between 3-5 am under dark skies you should see about a meteor every 5 minutes.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time, click to embiggen.
Mira (omicron ceti), a star in the constellation of Cetus the whale, is a long period pulsating red giant and changes brightness from below naked eye visibility to a peak of round magnitude 2 (roughly as bright as beta Crucis in the Southern Cross) in around 330 days.
Mira is predicted to peak with maximum of 3.4 around 24 October. Mira may be seen above the north-eastern horizon from around 10 pm local time. Mira is currently visible just to the unaided eye and will brighten noticeably over October.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time, click to embiggen.
Venus is low above the western horizon in the evening twilight. Venus is now readily seen up to 60 minutes after sunset. Mercury is above Venus in the late evening twilight.
Mercury is climbing higher above the western horizon in the evening twilight and is at its higest on the 20th. Mercury is visible for at least an hour after sunset an may be seen into full darkness.
Jupiter is now well past opposition. However, it is still well worth observing in the early evening. Jupiter is easily visible as the brightest object in the western sky (aside from the Moon) and is located beside 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 early evening.
Mars is lost in the twilight.
Saturn is to the east of Jupiter and near the "handle" of the "teapot of Sagittarius. It is best for telescopic viewing from just around astronomical twilight local time until the early morning.
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, October 09, 2019
The Sky This Week - Thursday October 10 to Thursday October 17
The Full Moon is Monday October 14. Venus and Mercury climb higher in the evening twilight. Jupiter is easily
visible as the brightest object in the western evening skies. Saturn is near Jupiter, is high in the north-western evening skies.
The Full Moon is Monday October 14. The Moon is at apogee, when it is furthest form the Earth, on the 11th.
Sky at 20:54 ACDST on Saturday 12 October (90 minutes after sunset) looking west as seen from Adelaide. Jupiter is above the western horizon. Saturn is high above the north-western horizon. Mercury is low above the western horizon
The left upper insert shows the telescopic view of Jupiter at 20:54. 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 20:54 Saturday 12 October (30 minutes after sunset) as seen from Adelaide. Mercury and Venus are now clearly visible above the horizon .
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia 30 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen.
The whole sky at 20:23 ACST on Saturday 12 October. (60 minutes after sunset) as seen from Adelaide. All 4 bright planets and Antares form a line in the evening sky.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (30 minutes after sunset), click to embiggen.
Venus is low above the western horizon in the evening twilight. Venus is now readily seen 30 minutes after sunset. Mercury is above Venus in the evening twilight.
Mercury is climbing higher above the western horizon in the evening twilight as is visible for at least an hour after sunset..
Jupiter is now well past opposition. However, it is still well worth observing in the early evening. Jupiter is easily visible as the brightest object in the western sky (aside from the Moon) and is located beside 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 early evening.
Mars is lost in the twilight.
Saturn is to the east of Jupiter and near the "handle" of the "teapot of Sagittarius. It is best for telescopic viewing from just around astronomical twilight local time until the early morning.
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 Monday October 14. The Moon is at apogee, when it is furthest form the Earth, on the 11th.
The left upper insert shows the telescopic view of Jupiter at 20:54. 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 after sunset, click to embiggen.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (30 minutes after sunset), click to embiggen.
Venus is low above the western horizon in the evening twilight. Venus is now readily seen 30 minutes after sunset. Mercury is above Venus in the evening twilight.
Mercury is climbing higher above the western horizon in the evening twilight as is visible for at least an hour after sunset..
Jupiter is now well past opposition. However, it is still well worth observing in the early evening. Jupiter is easily visible as the brightest object in the western sky (aside from the Moon) and is located beside 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 early evening.
Mars is lost in the twilight.
Saturn is to the east of Jupiter and near the "handle" of the "teapot of Sagittarius. It is best for telescopic viewing from just around astronomical twilight local time until the early morning.
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, October 03, 2019
iTelescope ALERT! comet C/2018 W2 (Africano) near Neptune (4 Oct UT)
 |  |
| C/2018 W2 (Africano) seen at Astronomical Twilight 0n the evening of 3 October (local time) from Mayhill, New Mexico. The comet is around 1 degree from Neptune. The large rectangle is the field of view of T14/T20 and the small that of T5Click to embiggen. | C/2018 W2 (Africano) seen at Astronomical Twilight on the evening from 3 October (local time)from from Siding Springs, Australia. The comet is close to Neptune on the 4th. The large rectangle is the field of view of T12. Click to embiggen. |
C/2018 W2 (Africano) has a close approach to the planet Neptune on the 4th of October UT. Both the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere have good views at Astronomical twilight. In the Southern Hemisphere the pair get higher as the evening goes on, but the comet moves further away from Neptune.
The pair are closest at 4:25 UT on the 4th (UT). They are close to phi Aquarii, which makes a handy guide to find them. (H/T Dave Friend via comet images)
The MPC one line ephemeris is:
CK18W020 2019 09 05.7286 1.454687 1.000777 157.9721 181.8498 116.6157 20190825 9.5 4.0 C/2018 W2 (Africano)
Ephemeris of comet C/2018 W2 Africano from SSO on 4 October Time Geo R.A. Geo Dec Altitude 19:47:00 23h 07m 37.9s -06° 10' 03" +42° 24' 55" 20:47:00 23h 07m 22.9s -06° 16' 32" +52° 35' 05" 21:47:00 23h 07m 07.9s -06° 23' 01" +59° 42' 28" 22:47:00 23h 06m 52.9s -06° 29' 28" +61° 20' 04" 23:47:00 23h 06m 37.9s -06° 35' 55" +56° 38' 48" 00:47:00 23h 06m 23.0s -06° 42' 21" +47° 44' 12" 01:47:00 23h 06m 08.1s -06° 48' 45" +36° 45' 30" 02:47:00 23h 05m 53.2s -06° 55' 09" +24° 51' 30" 03:47:00 23h 05m 38.4s -07° 01' 32" +12° 37' 31" 04:47:00 23h 05m 23.6s -07° 07' 55" +00° 43' 12"
Ephemeris of comet C/2018 W2 Africano from Mayhill on 3 October (4 Oct UT) Time Geo R.A. Geo Dec Altitude 19:11:00 23h 09m 40.9s -05° 16' 58" +30° 51' 50" 20:11:00 23h 09m 25.6s -05° 23' 34" +40° 47' 52" 21:11:00 23h 09m 10.3s -05° 30' 09" +48° 10' 21" 22:11:00 23h 08m 55.1s -05° 36' 44" +51° 25' 54" 23:11:00 23h 08m 39.9s -05° 43' 18" +49° 32' 45" 00:11:00 23h 08m 24.7s -05° 49' 51" +43° 08' 12" 01:11:00 23h 08m 09.6s -05° 56' 23" +33° 45' 13" 02:11:00 23h 07m 54.5s -06° 02' 54" +22° 40' 19" 03:11:00 23h 07m 39.4s -06° 09' 24" +10° 40' 57" 04:11:00 23h 07m 24.4s -06° 15' 53" -01° 55' 44"
Labels: comet, Conjunction, iTelescope, Neptune, telescope
Wednesday, October 02, 2019
iTelescope ALERT! comet C/2018 W2 (Africano)
 |  |
| C/2018 W2 (Africano) seen at Astronomical Twilight in the evening from 2 October from Mayhill, New Mexico. The comet is in Piscies then moves through Aquarius towards Fomalhaut. Click to embiggen. | C/2018 W2 (Africano) seen at Astronomical Twilight in the evening from 2 October from from Siding Springs, Australia. The comet is in Piscies then moves through Aquarius towards Fomalhaut. Click to embiggen. |
C/2018 W2 (Africano) is currently magnitude 9 and is fading. However it is still an excellent imaging target. See the images here and here. The comet is currently Piscies then moves through Aquarius towards Fomalhaut.
C/2018 W2 (Africano) is visible from the Northern hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere just after astronomical twilight in the evening. As October continues the Southern hemisphere will be favoured.
On the 11th the comet will be 31' from the Helix nebula (Mag 7). On the 14th it will be 33' from the Atom for Peace galaxy (Mag 11).
The MPC one line ephemeris is:
CK18W020 2019 09 05.7286 1.454687 1.000777 157.9721 181.8498 116.6157 20190825 9.5 4.0 C/2018 W2 (Africano)
Ephemeris of comet C/2018 W2 Africano SSO Date Ast Twi Rise Top R.A. Transit Top Dec Set Ast Twi End 02 Oct 2019 19:27:25 16:38:54 +52° 59' 37" 22:39:34 23h 25m 54.9s +01° 45' 13" 04:47:18 04:19:50 03 Oct 2019 19:28:11 16:21:49 +54° 18' 25" 22:29:16 23h 19m 13.5s -01° 08' 33" 04:43:43 04:18:27 04 Oct 2019 19:28:57 16:05:15 +55° 13' 41" 22:19:16 23h 12m 49.1s -03° 55' 13" 04:40:09 04:17:04 05 Oct 2019 19:29:43 15:49:13 +55° 45' 57" 22:09:31 23h 06m 41.7s -06° 33' 59" 04:36:36 04:15:41 06 Oct 2019 19:30:30 15:33:43 +55° 56' 46" 22:00:04 23h 00m 51.3s -09° 04' 16" 04:33:05 04:14:18 07 Oct 2019 19:31:18 15:18:44 +55° 48' 32" 21:50:52 22h 55m 17.6s -11° 25' 49" 04:29:34 04:12:55 08 Oct 2019 19:32:07 15:04:15 +55° 24' 05" 21:41:56 22h 50m 00.3s -13° 38' 34" 04:26:05 04:11:32 09 Oct 2019 19:32:56 14:50:16 +54° 46' 23" 21:33:15 22h 44m 59.1s -15° 42' 39" 04:22:36 04:10:09 10 Oct 2019 19:33:46 14:36:45 +53° 58' 19" 21:24:50 22h 40m 13.4s -17° 38' 19" 04:19:08 04:08:46 11 Oct 2019 19:34:36 14:23:43 +53° 02' 24" 21:16:38 22h 35m 42.8s -19° 25' 56" 04:15:42 04:07:24 12 Oct 2019 19:35:28 14:11:07 +52° 00' 50" 21:08:41 22h 31m 26.7s -21° 05' 54" 04:12:16 04:06:02 13 Oct 2019 19:36:20 13:58:58 +50° 55' 23" 21:00:57 22h 27m 24.7s -22° 38' 42" 04:08:50 04:04:40 14 Oct 2019 19:37:12 13:47:13 +49° 47' 28" 20:53:25 22h 23m 36.1s -24° 04' 47" 04:05:26 04:03:18 15 Oct 2019 19:38:06 13:35:52 +48° 38' 12" 20:46:06 22h 20m 00.4s -25° 24' 37" 04:02:02 04:01:57 16 Oct 2019 19:39:00 13:24:54 +47° 28' 25" 20:38:58 22h 16m 37.0s -26° 38' 41" 03:58:39 04:00:36 17 Oct 2019 19:39:55 13:14:17 +46° 18' 45" 20:32:02 22h 13m 25.4s -27° 47' 24" 03:55:17 03:59:15 18 Oct 2019 19:40:51 13:04:01 +45° 09' 41" 20:25:16 22h 10m 25.0s -28° 51' 13" 03:51:55 03:57:55 19 Oct 2019 19:41:47 12:54:06 +44° 01' 32" 20:18:40 22h 07m 35.4s -29° 50' 29" 03:48:34 03:56:36 20 Oct 2019 19:42:44 12:44:29 +42° 54' 32" 20:12:14 22h 04m 56.0s -30° 45' 35" 03:45:14 03:55:16 21 Oct 2019 19:43:42 12:35:10 +41° 48' 51" 20:05:58 22h 02m 26.4s -31° 36' 52" 03:41:54 03:53:58 22 Oct 2019 19:44:41 12:26:08 +40° 44' 35" 19:59:50 22h 00m 06.0s -32° 24' 38" 03:38:35 03:52:40 23 Oct 2019 19:45:40 12:17:22 +39° 41' 46" 19:53:50 21h 57m 54.5s -33° 09' 09" 03:35:17 03:51:22 24 Oct 2019 19:46:40 12:08:52 +38° 40' 28" 19:47:59 21h 55m 51.4s -33° 50' 43" 03:31:59 03:50:06 25 Oct 2019 19:47:41 12:00:37 +37° 40' 39" 19:42:15 21h 53m 56.4s -34° 29' 32" 03:28:42 03:48:50 26 Oct 2019 19:48:43 11:52:36 +36° 42' 19" 19:36:38 21h 52m 09.0s -35° 05' 50" 03:25:25 03:47:34 27 Oct 2019 19:49:45 11:44:48 +35° 45' 25" 19:31:08 21h 50m 28.8s -35° 39' 49" 03:22:10 03:46:20 28 Oct 2019 19:50:48 11:37:13 +34° 49' 56" 19:25:45 21h 48m 55.7s -36° 11' 40" 03:18:54 03:45:06 29 Oct 2019 19:51:52 11:29:50 +33° 55' 50" 19:20:28 21h 47m 29.2s -36° 41' 33" 03:15:40 03:43:53 30 Oct 2019 19:52:56 11:22:39 +33° 03' 02" 19:15:18 21h 46m 08.9s -37° 09' 36" 03:12:26 03:42:41 31 Oct 2019 19:54:01 11:15:38 +32° 11' 31" 19:10:13 21h 44m 54.8s -37° 35' 59" 03:09:13 03:41:30 Ephemeris of comet C/2018 W2 Africano Mayhill
Date Ast Twi Rise Transit Top R.A. Top Dec Set Ast Twi End 02 Oct 2019 19:07:23 16:36:18 22:30:35 23h 21m 08.9s -00° 18' 51" 04:38:48 04:34:47 03 Oct 2019 19:06:03 16:33:10 22:20:29 23h 14m 39.5s -03° 07' 41" 04:21:24 04:35:29 04 Oct 2019 19:04:44 16:30:00 22:10:40 23h 08m 27.1s -05° 48' 49" 04:04:34 04:36:12 05 Oct 2019 19:03:26 16:26:50 22:01:08 23h 02m 31.8s -08° 21' 36" 03:48:17 04:36:54 06 Oct 2019 19:02:08 16:23:39 21:51:51 22h 56m 53.2s -10° 45' 42" 03:32:33 04:37:36 07 Oct 2019 19:00:51 16:20:28 21:42:51 22h 51m 31.2s -13° 01' 01" 03:17:22 04:38:19 08 Oct 2019 18:59:35 16:17:16 21:34:06 22h 46m 25.3s -15° 07' 35" 03:02:42 04:39:01 09 Oct 2019 18:58:20 16:14:04 21:25:36 22h 41m 35.1s -17° 05' 40" 02:48:33 04:39:43 10 Oct 2019 18:57:06 16:10:52 21:17:20 22h 37m 00.2s -18° 55' 35" 02:34:54 04:40:25 11 Oct 2019 18:55:53 16:07:40 21:09:19 22h 32m 40.0s -20° 37' 43" 02:21:43 04:41:07 12 Oct 2019 18:54:40 16:04:27 21:01:31 22h 28m 33.9s -22° 12' 33" 02:09:00 04:41:50 13 Oct 2019 18:53:29 16:01:15 20:53:56 22h 24m 41.4s -23° 40' 32" 01:56:44 04:42:32 14 Oct 2019 18:52:19 15:58:02 20:46:33 22h 21m 02.0s -25° 02' 08" 01:44:52 04:43:14 15 Oct 2019 18:51:09 15:54:50 20:39:22 22h 17m 35.1s -26° 17' 50" 01:33:26 04:43:56 16 Oct 2019 18:50:01 15:51:38 20:32:22 22h 14m 20.1s -27° 28' 04" 01:22:22 04:44:39 17 Oct 2019 18:48:54 15:48:25 20:25:33 22h 11m 16.5s -28° 33' 15" 01:11:40 04:45:21 18 Oct 2019 18:47:48 15:45:13 20:18:55 22h 08m 23.8s -29° 33' 48" 01:01:20 04:46:04 19 Oct 2019 18:46:43 15:42:01 20:12:26 22h 05m 41.5s -30° 30' 05" 00:51:20 04:46:47 20 Oct 2019 18:45:39 15:38:50 20:06:07 22h 03m 09.1s -31° 22' 26" 00:41:38 04:47:30 21 Oct 2019 18:44:37 15:35:38 19:59:56 22h 00m 46.0s -32° 11' 11" 00:32:15 04:48:13 22 Oct 2019 18:43:35 15:32:27 19:53:54 21h 58m 32.0s -32° 56' 37" 00:23:10 04:48:56 23 Oct 2019 18:42:35 15:29:16 19:48:00 21h 56m 26.5s -33° 39' 01" 00:14:21 04:49:39 24 Oct 2019 18:41:36 15:26:05 19:42:14 21h 54m 29.1s -34° 18' 36" 00:05:47 04:50:23 25 Oct 2019 18:40:39 15:22:55 19:36:35 21h 52m 39.5s -34° 55' 37" 23:49:25 04:51:07 26 Oct 2019 18:39:42 15:19:45 19:31:04 21h 50m 57.3s -35° 30' 15" 23:41:34 04:51:51 27 Oct 2019 18:38:47 15:16:36 19:25:39 21h 49m 22.2s -36° 02' 42" 23:33:56 04:52:35 28 Oct 2019 18:37:54 15:13:26 19:20:20 21h 47m 53.8s -36° 33' 08" 23:26:31 04:53:19 29 Oct 2019 18:37:01 15:10:18 19:15:08 21h 46m 31.7s -37° 01' 42" 23:19:17 04:54:03 30 Oct 2019 18:36:10 15:07:09 19:10:01 21h 45m 15.8s -37° 28' 33" 23:12:14 04:54:48 31 Oct 2019 18:35:21 15:04:01 19:05:00 21h 44m 05.7s -37° 53' 49" 23:05:21 04:55:33
Labels: comet, iTelescope
Tuesday, October 01, 2019
International Observe the Moon Night, Saturday October 5, 2019
Saturday, 5 October is International Observe the Moon night which is an opportunity to go out and investigate the Moon with some of its best craters visible. The best viewing is along the line between night and day (the Lunar Terminator) where the shadow bring out the craters to best effect. Don't worry if you don't have a telescope. The Moon will look lovely and is just below Saturn. In binoculars or a small telescope the it will be brilliant. The sea of tranquillity, where humans first set foot on the Moon, is readily visible to the unaided eye.
Sky at 19:47 ACST on Saturday, October 5 (90 minutes after sunset)
looking west as seen from Adelaide. Jupiter is above the western
horizon. Saturn is high above the north-western horizon and near the
nearly first quarter Moon.
Even in binoculars the caters are obvious and a small telescope will bring out many more.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia 90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen.
If you have a telescope lying around dust it off and have a look at the Moon, if you have a mobile phone you can use it to take images of the Moon, see my guide here. Or you can check out one of the local astronomical societies to see if they are putting on a viewing night. For those of you in Melbourne there is a public event on the Princes Bridge St. Kilda 7:30 to 10:30 pm.
You can see more of my Moon images during the 100 hours of Astronomy here.
Even in binoculars the caters are obvious and a small telescope will bring out many more.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia 90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen.
 |  |
| Binocular or wide-field telescope view of the Moon on the 5th (click to embiggen) | Close-up of the lunar terminator |
If you have a telescope lying around dust it off and have a look at the Moon, if you have a mobile phone you can use it to take images of the Moon, see my guide here. Or you can check out one of the local astronomical societies to see if they are putting on a viewing night. For those of you in Melbourne there is a public event on the Princes Bridge St. Kilda 7:30 to 10:30 pm.
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| Last quarter moon imaged with my 4" Newtonian, 25 mm eyepiece and mobile phone. The craters and the seas of serenity (large dark area next to terminator) and of tranquillity (where Apollo 11 landed 50 years ago and just above the sea of serenity) are readily visible. | Last quarter moon imaged with my 4" Newtonian, 10 mm eyepiece and mobile phone. The craters Hipparchus (middle) and Albategnius (just below centre) are prominent on the terminator. |
You can see more of my Moon images during the 100 hours of Astronomy here.
Labels: binocular, Moon, public outreach, telescope, unaided eye
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