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Monday, September 27, 2021

 

Thursday September 30 to Thursday October 7

The New Moon is Wednesday, October 6.  Four bright planets are seen in the early evening sky. Venus and Mercury are readily visible in the early evening sky at the beginning of the week but Mercury is rapidly lost to view.  Saturn and Jupiter are visible in the evening sky with Jupiter dominating once Venus has set. 

The New Moon is Wednesday, October 6.   

Evening twilight sky on Saturday, October 2 looking west as seen from Adelaide at 19:15 ACST (60 minutes after sunset). 


 

 

The inset shows the telescopic view of Venus and Mercury at this time. Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).

 

Evening sky on Saturday, October 2 showing the north-eastern sky as seen from Adelaide at 19:45 pm ACST (90 minutes after sunset). Saturn and Jupiter form a line in the  evening sky. 

 

 

 The insets shows the telescopic views of Jupiter and Saturn at this time. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset), click to embiggen.

Whole sky at 19:45 ACST  (90 minutes after sunset), on Saturday, October 2 as seen from Adelaide.  Three bright planets can be seen in the sky.

 

 

 

Similar views will be seen elsewhere at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset). 

 

 Mercury  is lowering in the twilight and will be difficult to see by the weeks end

 
Venus is visible in the early evening when the sky is fully dark.  I have been able to see Venus from just after sunset and it is easily seen over 2 hours after sunset, longer if you have a clear western horizon.  When the sky is fully dark you can see Venus above the western horizon and bright Jupiter above the north-eastern horizon. Venus is below the head of the Scorpion making a rather beautiful sight in the early evening.

Mars is lost in the twilight.
   
Jupiter is now rising before sunset and is readily visible when the sky is fully dark. Saturn and Jupiter form a line in the sky. Jupiter was at Opposition, when it was biggest and brightest as seen from Earth on August the 19th, and is still excellent in even small telescopes.
 
Saturn is now rising well before sunset. Saturn was at opposition, when it is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, on August 2nd. But it is still is an excellent time for telescopic observation.
 
Printable PDF maps of the Western 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 the 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/

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Tuesday, September 21, 2021

 

Thursday September 23 to Thursday September 30

The Last Quarter Moon is Wednesday, September 29.  Four bright planets are seen in the early evening sky. Venus and Mercury are readily visible in the evening sky. Mercury, the bright star Spica and Venus from a line in the late evening twilight. Venus is close to the bright double star α2 Librae (Zubenelgenubi) on the 24th. Saturn and Jupiter are visible in the evening sky with Jupiter dominating once Venus has set. 

The Last Quarter Moon is Wednesday, September 29. The moon is at apogee, when it is furthest from the earth, on the 27th.

Evening twilight sky on Friday, September 24 looking west as seen from Adelaide at 19:38 ACST (90 minutes after sunset). Venus is close to the bright double star α2 Librae (Zubenelgenubi) with Mercury below near to the bright star Spica.  


The inset shows the telescopic view of Venus and Mercury at this time, and a binocular view of Venus and α2 Librae. Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).

Evening sky on Saturday, September 25 showing the north-eastern sky as seen from Adelaide at 19:38 pm ACST (90 minutes after sunset). Saturn and Jupiter form a line in the  evening sky. 

 

 

 The insets shows the telescopic views of Jupiter and Saturn at this time. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset), click to embiggen.

Whole sky at 19:38 ACST  (90 minutes after sunset), on Saturday, September 25 as seen from Adelaide.  Four bright planets can be seen in the sky.

 

 

 

Similar views will be seen elsewhere at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset). 

 

 Mercury  is now high in the twilight. Spica, Mercury and Venus make a line in the late evening twilight with mercury just above Spica. 

 
Venus is visible in the early evening when the sky is fully dark.  I have been able to see Venus from just after sunset and it is easily seen over 2 hours after sunset, longer if you have a clear western horizon.  When the sky is fully dark you can see Venus above the western horizon and bright Jupiter above the eastern horizon. Venus is close to the bright double star α2 Librae (Zubenelgenubi) on the 24th. Venus and the paired stars are easily visible in binoculars together.

Mars is lost in the twilight.
   
Jupiter is now rising before sunset and is readily visible when the sky is fully dark. Saturn and Jupiter form a line in the sky. Jupiter was at Opposition, when it was biggest and brightest as seen from Earth on August the 19th, and is still excellent in even small telescopes.
 
Saturn is now rising now rising well before sunset. Saturn was at opposition, when it is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, on August 2nd. But it is still is an excellent time for telescopic observation.
 
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 the 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/




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Wednesday, September 15, 2021

 

Thursday September 16 to Thursday September 23

The Full Moon is Tuesday, September 21.  Earth is at Equinox on the 23rd. Four bright planets are seen in the early evening sky. Venus and Mercury are readily visible in the evening sky. Mercury, the bright star Spica and Venus from a line in the late evening twilight. Saturn and Jupiter are visible in the evening sky with Jupiter dominating once Venus has set. The Moon is between Saturn and Jupiter on the 17th and close to Jupiter on the 18th.

The Full Moon is Tuesday, September 21. Earth is at Equinox on the 23rd, where day and night are nearly equal.

 

Evening twilight sky on Tuesday, September 21 looking north-west as seen from Adelaide at 19:06 ACST (60 minutes after sunset). Venus is high above the horizon with Mercury below close to the bright star Spica. 


The inset show the telescopic view of Venus and Mercury at this time. Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).

 

Evening sky on Saturday, September 18 showing the north-eastern sky as seen from Adelaide at 19:33 pm ACST(90 minutes after sunset). The waxing Moon, Saturn and Jupiter form a line in the  evening sky with the Moon close to Jupiter. 

 

 The insets shows the telescopic views of Jupiter and Saturn at this time. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset), click to embiggen.

 

Whole sky at 19:33 ACST  (90 minutes after sunset), on Saturday, September 18 as seen from Adelaide.  Four bright planets can be seen in the sky.

 

 

 

Similar views will be seen elsewhere at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset). 

 

 Mercury  is now high in the twilight. Mercury, Spica and Venus make a line in the late evening twilight and mercury comes closer to Spica. Mercury is closest to Spica on the 21st.

Venus is visible in the early evening when the sky is fully dark.  I have been able to see Venus from just after sunset and it is easily seen over 2 hours after sunset, longer if you have a clear western horizon.  When the sky is fully dark you can see Venus above the western horizon and bright Jupiter above the eastern horizon.

Mars is lost in the twilight.
   
Jupiter is now rising before sunset and is readily visible when the sky is fully dark. Saturn and Jupiter form a line in the sky. Jupiter was at Opposition, when it was biggest and brightest as seen from Earth on August the 19th, and is still excellent in even small telescopes. On the 18th the Moon is close to Jupiter
 
Saturn is now rising around  well before sunrise. Saturn was at opposition, when it is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, on August 2nd. But it is still is an excellent time for telescopic observation. On Thursday 17th the waxing Moon is between Saturn and Jupiter.
 
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 the 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/


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Monday, September 06, 2021

 

Thursday September 9 to Thursday September 16

The First Quarter Moon is Tuesday, September 14.  Four bright planets are seen in the early evening sky. Venus and Mercury are readily visible in the evening sky. Mercury, the bright star Spica and Venus from a line in the late evening twilight. Venus is close  to the thin crescent Moon on the 10th. Saturn and Jupiter are visible in the evening sky with Jupiter dominating once Venus has set. Venus is seen in the west and Jupiter in the east when the sky is fully dark.

The First Quarter Moon is Tuesday, September 14. The Moon is at perigee, when it is closest to the Earth, on the 11th.

 
Evening twilight sky on Friday, September 10 looking north-west as seen from Adelaide at 19:27 ACST (90 minutes after sunset). Venus is high above the horizon close to the crescent moon with Mercury below. Mercury, Venus and the bright star Spica are from a line.


The inset show the telescopic view of Venus at this time. Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).

Evening sky on Thursday, September 16 showing the north-eastern sky as seen from Adelaide at 19:32 pm ACST(90 minutes after sunset). The waxing Moon, Saturn and Jupiter form a line in the  evening sky. 

 

 

The insets shows the telescopic views of Jupiter and Saturn at this time. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset), click to embiggen.

Whole sky at 19:28 ACST  (90 minutes after sunset), on Saturday, September 11 as seen from Adelaide.  For bright planets can be seen in the sky.

 

 

 

 

Similar views will be seen elsewhere at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset). 

 Mercury  continues to climb rapidly in the twilight. Mercury, Spica and Venus make a line in the late evening twilight. Mercury is close to the Moon on the 9th.

Venus is visible in the early evening when the sky is fully dark.  I have been able to see Venus from just after sunset and it is easily seen over 2 hours after sunset, longer if you have a clear western horizon.  When the sky is fully dark you can see Venus above the western horizon and bright Jupiter above the eastern horizon. On the 10th Venus is close to the the crescent Moon. The pair fit into the field of view of a 10x50 binoculars.

Mars is lost in the twilight.
   
Jupiter is now rising before sunset and is readily visible when the sky is fully dark. Saturn and Jupiter form a line in the sky. Jupiter was at Opposition, when it was biggest and brightest as seen from Earth on August the 19th, and is still excellent in even small telescopes.
 
Saturn is now rising around  well before sunrise. Saturn was at opposition, when it is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, on August 2nd. But it is still is an excellent time for telescopic observation.On Thursday 16th the waxing Moon, Saturn and Jupiter form a line in the  evening sky.
 
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 the 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/


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Wednesday, September 01, 2021

 

Bright ISS Passes Near bright Planets (3-10 September, 2021)




The ISS as seen from Brisbane  on the evening of  Wednesday 7 September at 18:18 AEST. Simulated in Stellarium (the ISS will actually be a bright dot), the white line is the path of the ISS, the other lines are paths of other satellites. Click to embiggen.The ISS  as seen from Adelaide on the evening of  Tuesday 6 September at 18:33 ACST. Simulated in Stellarium (the ISS will actually be a bright dot), the white line is the path of the ISS, the other lines are paths of other satellites. Click to embiggen.The ISS as seen from Perth on the evening of  Tuesday 6 September at 18:37 AWST. Simulated in Stellarium (the ISS will actually be a bright dot), the white line is the path of the ISS, the other lines are paths of other satellites. Click to embiggen.

All sky chart showing local times from Heavens Above for Wednesday 7 September for Brisbane.All sky chart showing local  times from Heavens Above for Tuesday 6 September for Adelaide.All sky chart showing local times from Heavens Above for  Tuesday 6 September for Perth.

If it is not bucketing down rain where you are, over the next few days there are a series of  bright ISS passes in the late evening twilight/early evening. The ISS passes close to the the bright planets Jupiter and Saturn and not far from Venus on some occasions. With some bright passes through the heart of the Milky Way. There are also some bright passes where it "winks out" as the ISS enters Earth's shadow. As well there a number of passes close to bright stars. 

The following tables are from data provided from Heavens Above. Particularly impressive passes are highlighted in yellow, passes entering the shadow in blue.

Passes from Adelaide (ACST)
 
Date Brightness Start Highest point End Pass type
(mag) Time Alt. Az. Time Alt. Az. Time Alt. Az.
01 Sep-1.219:12:0610°S19:13:1011°SSE19:13:1011°SSEvisible
02 Sep-1.120:00:1910°SSW20:01:1416°SSW20:01:1416°SSWvisible
03 Sep-2.319:13:3210°SSW19:16:2324°SSE19:16:2324°SSEvisible
04 Sep-1.718:26:5310°SSW18:29:0916°SSE18:31:2310°ESEvisible
04 Sep-1.620:02:5210°SW20:04:3927°WSW20:04:3927°WSWvisible
05 Sep-3.819:15:4610°SW19:19:1271°SE19:20:0147°ENEvisible
06 Sep-3.118:28:4910°SSW18:32:0439°SE18:35:1810°ENEvisible
06 Sep-1.120:06:2310°W20:08:3417°NW20:08:3417°NWvisible
07 Sep-1.919:18:4010°WSW19:21:4230°NW19:24:1613°Nvisible
08 Sep-3.118:31:1910°SW18:34:4157°NW18:38:0110°NNEvisible
10 Sep-0.818:34:4910°W18:37:0016°NW18:39:1010°NNWvisible


Passes from Brisbane (AEST)

Date Brightness Start Highest point End Pass type
(mag) Time Alt. Az. Time Alt. Az. Time Alt. Az.
04 Sep-1.419:00:3510°S19:01:3815°S19:01:3815°Svisible
05 Sep-1.518:14:3510°SSE18:15:5312°SE18:16:5910°SEvisible
05 Sep-0.519:49:3610°SW19:50:0113°SW19:50:0113°SWvisible
06 Sep-3.619:02:2810°SW19:05:3264°S19:05:3264°Svisible
07 Sep-3.018:15:3610°SSW18:18:4635°SE18:21:1315°ENEvisible
07 Sep-0.419:53:4410°W19:54:1611°WNW19:54:1611°WNWvisible
08 Sep-1.619:05:3110°WSW19:08:2024°NW19:10:0916°Nvisible
09 Sep-2.818:18:0010°SW18:21:1950°NW18:24:3610°NNEvisible

Passes from Darwin (ACT)

Date Brightness Start Highest point End Pass type
(mag) Time Alt. Az. Time Alt. Az. Time Alt. Az.
08 Sep-2.320:11:1910°SSW20:13:1331°SSW20:13:1331°SSWvisible
09 Sep-2.919:24:3110°SSW19:27:3631°SE19:29:2019°ENEvisible
10 Sep-1.120:14:3910°WSW20:17:0619°NW20:18:4314°NNWvisible

Passes from Hobart (AEST) 

Date Brightness Start Highest point End Pass type
(mag) Time Alt. Az. Time Alt. Az. Time Alt. Az.
01 Sep-2.919:40:3010°SW19:43:1047°SSW19:43:1047°SSWvisible
02 Sep-3.118:53:3010°SW18:56:4943°SSE18:58:1427°Evisible
02 Sep-0.520:30:3310°WSW20:31:1414°W20:31:1414°Wvisible
03 Sep-2.919:43:1610°WSW19:46:2346°NW19:46:2346°NWvisible
04 Sep-3.718:56:0810°WSW18:59:3579°NNW19:01:3822°NEvisible
05 Sep-1.319:46:4010°W19:49:0017°NW19:50:0115°NNWvisible
06 Sep-1.818:59:0510°WSW19:02:0428°NW19:05:0110°NNEvisible
07 Sep-2.618:11:4510°WSW18:15:0445°NW18:18:2110°NEvisible


Passes from Melbourne (AEST)

Date Brightness Start Highest point End Pass type
(mag) Time Alt. Az. Time Alt. Az. Time Alt. Az.
01 Sep-1.819:41:1810°SSW19:43:1021°S19:43:1021°Svisible
02 Sep-1.818:54:3110°SSW18:56:5818°SSE18:58:1415°SEvisible
02 Sep-0.520:30:4210°SW20:31:1414°SW20:31:1414°SWvisible
03 Sep-3.119:43:3910°SW19:46:2348°SSW19:46:2348°SSWvisible
04 Sep-3.018:56:4210°SW18:59:5738°SE19:01:3722°Evisible
04 Sep-0.520:33:5710°W20:34:3914°W20:34:3914°Wvisible
05 Sep-2.619:46:2710°WSW19:49:4037°NW19:50:0136°NNWvisible
06 Sep-3.518:59:1310°SW19:02:3969°NW19:05:3214°NEvisible
07 Sep-0.719:50:4110°WNW19:51:5812°NW19:53:1410°NNWvisible
08 Sep-1.219:02:2510°W19:05:0220°NW19:07:3810°Nvisible

Passes from Perth (AWST)

Date Brightness Start Highest point End Pass type
(mag) Time Alt. Az. Time Alt. Az. Time Alt. Az.
02 Sep-0.720:04:0810°SSW20:04:1511°SSW20:04:1511°SSWvisible
03 Sep-1.719:17:3210°S19:19:2417°SSE19:19:2417°SSEvisible
04 Sep-1.418:31:2310°S18:32:4012°SSE18:33:5610°SEvisible
04 Sep-1.220:06:2810°SW20:07:4020°SW20:07:4020°SWvisible
05 Sep-3.619:19:2710°SW19:22:4951°SE19:23:0350°ESEvisible
06 Sep-2.618:32:3610°SSW18:35:3929°SE18:38:3411°Evisible
06 Sep-1.120:09:4610°WSW20:11:3719°WNW20:11:3719°WNWvisible
07 Sep-2.419:22:1010°WSW19:25:2237°NW19:27:1819°Nvisible
08 Sep-3.618:34:5410°SW18:38:1976°NW18:41:4210°NEvisible
09 Sep-0.319:27:2510°WNW19:27:3810°NW19:27:5010°NWvisible
10 Sep-0.918:38:1110°W18:40:4019°NW18:43:0910°Nvisible


Passes from Sydney (AEST)

Date Brightness Start Highest point End Pass type
(mag) Time Alt. Az. Time Alt. Az. Time Alt. Az.
02 Sep-1.518:56:3910°S18:58:1415°SSE18:58:1415°SSEvisible
03 Sep-1.318:10:4310°SSE18:11:2510°SSE18:12:0510°SEvisible
03 Sep-1.119:45:2410°SW19:46:2318°SW19:46:2318°SWvisible
04 Sep-3.018:58:2810°SSW19:01:3836°SE19:01:3836°SEvisible
05 Sep-2.218:11:4310°SSW18:14:3023°SE18:16:5912°Evisible
05 Sep-1.319:48:1810°WSW19:50:0123°W19:50:0123°Wvisible
06 Sep-3.319:00:5810°SW19:04:2160°NW19:05:3235°NNEvisible
07 Sep-3.718:13:5110°SW18:17:1770°SE18:20:4010°NEvisible
08 Sep-0.919:04:3010°W19:06:4316°NW19:08:5410°NNWvisible
09 Sep-1.718:16:4310°WSW18:19:4529°NW18:22:4410°NNEvisible

When and what you will see is VERY location dependent, so you need to use  Heavens Above  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 planet 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.

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