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Monday, October 25, 2021

 

Thursday October 28 to Thursday November 4

The Last Quarter Moon is Friday, October 29.  Three bright planets are seen in the early evening sky. Venus is readily visible in the early evening sky, leaving the Scorpion and and entering Sagittarius. Venus is in binocular range of the Triffid nebula on the 4th.  Saturn and Jupiter are visible in the evening sky with Jupiter dominating once Venus has set.The shadow of Saturn on its rings are spectacular at this time.

The Last Quarter Moon is Friday, October 29.

 

Evening sky on Saturday, October 30 looking west as seen from Adelaide at 21:16 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset).  Venus is close to the globular cluster M19.

 

The inset shows 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 Saturday, October 30 showing the north-western sky as seen from Adelaide at 21:16 pm ACDST (90 minutes after sunset). Saturn and Jupiter form a line in the evening sky with the waxing 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 showing Jupiter, Saturn and Venus on Saturday October 30, 21:16 ACDST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen). 

 

 

 

 Elsewhere in Australia will see a similar planetary line up that the equivalent time (90 minutes after sunset). 

 

 Mercury  is lost in the twilight

 
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 3 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 northern horizon. Venus is climbing the body of the Scorpion making a rather beautiful sight in the early evening. in binocular range of the Triffid nebula on the 4th, this is binocular only and the relativity dim Triffid nebula may be hard to make out with bright Venus nearby. On the 30th Venus will be at its greatest elongation from the Sun.

Mars is lost in the twilight.
   
Jupiter is 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 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. On the 30th the Sun-Earth Saturn angle will be 90 degrees, the shadow of Saturn on its rings are spectacular at this 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 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, October 20, 2021

 

Images from International Observer the Moon Night (16 October, 2021)

International Space Station zooms between Venus  (obvious brightest sky object) and the Scorpion and Saturn (out of frame to right). Canon Ixus, ISO 3200, 10 x 1 second exposures stacked in Deep Sky Stacker.
Moon taken through my 8" Newtonian, 25 mm Plossl, lens, 2 x Barlow. Video taken with my Xperia mobile phone, converted to AVI with PIPP than stacked with Registax 6.
Moon featuring Copernicus crater taken through my 8" Newtonian, 12.5 mm Plossl, lens, 2 x Barlow. Video taken with my Xperia mobile phone, converted to AVI with PIPP than stacked with Registax 6. Moon featuring Sinus iridium taken through my 8" Newtonian, 12.5 mm Plossl, lens, 2 x Barlow. Video taken with my Xperia mobile phone, converted to AVI with PIPP than stacked with Registax 6.
Copernicus crater taken through my 8" Newtonian, 2 x Barlow, modified ToUcam webcam and Vega. AVI stacked in Registax 6 then brightness and contrast adjusted in GIMP. large central black blob is guff on the CCD chip.
Sinus iridium taken through my 8" Newtonian, 2 x Barlow, modified ToUcam webcam and Vega. AVI stacked in Registax 6 then brightness and contrast adjusted in GIMP. large central black blob is guff on the CCD chip.


International Observe the Moon Night was on Saturday October 16. The early cloud cleared up in time to see the ISS zoom between Venus, Jupiter and Saturn and the Moon. Despite a lot of atmospheric turbulence I got some decent shots of the Moon (had to discard lots of frames). Didn't bother with Jupiter or Saturn due to the atmospheric shenanigans. 

Web cam shots of Sinus Irium are neat and all, but misses out on a lot of interesting surrounding territory.  The problem with higher magnification is it also magnifies the atmospheric turbulence, so even stacking with wavelets doesn't help as much as I would like. 

software used (Vega seems to have vanished from the web)

Registax

PIPP

GIMP

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Monday, October 18, 2021

 

Thursday October 21 to Thursday October 28

The Full Moon is Thursday, October 21.  Three bright planets are seen in the early evening sky. Venus is readily visible in the early evening sky and is climbing the Scorpion. Venus is close to the globular cluster M19 on the 23rd.  Saturn and Jupiter are visible in the evening sky with Jupiter dominating once Venus has set.

The Full Moon is Thursday, October 21. The Moon is at apogee, when it is furthest from the earth, on the 25th.

Evening sky on Saturday, October 23 looking west as seen from Adelaide at 21:07 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset).  Venus is close to the globular cluster M19.

 

 The inset shows the telescopic view of Venus at this time, and the binocular view of Venus and M19. Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).

Evening sky on Saturday, October 23 showing the north-western sky as seen from Adelaide at 21:07 pm ACDST (90 minutes after sunset). Saturn and Jupiter form a line in the evening sky with the waxing 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 showing Jupiter, Saturn and Venus on Saturday October 23rd, 21:07 ACDST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen). 

 

 

 

 Elsewhere in Australia will see a similar planetary line up that the equivalent time (90 minutes after sunset).

 

 Mercury  is lost in the twilight

 
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 3 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 northern horizon. Venus is climbing the body of the Scorpion making a rather beautiful sight in the early evening. Venus is close to the globular cluster M19 on the 23rd, this is binocular or telescope only and the relativity dim M19 may be hard to make out with bright Venus nearby. 

Mars is lost in the twilight.
   
Jupiter is 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 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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Tuesday, October 12, 2021

 

Bright ISS Passes Near Bright Planets and International Observe the Moon night (14-19 October, 2021)

The ISS as seen from Brisbane  on the evening of Saturday 16 October at 18:48 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  Saturday 16 October at 20:53 ACDST. 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  Saturday 16 October at 19:56 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 Saturday 16 October for Brisbane.All sky chart showing local  times from Heavens Above for Saturday 16 October for Adelaide.All sky chart showing local times from Heavens Above for  Saturday 16 October 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, Saturn and Venus on some occasions. On the 16th, which is International Observe the Moon night, most locations except Alice Springs and Darwin see the ISS pass close to the lineup of Venus, Saturn, Jupiter and the Moon. 17th sees a close pass to Jupiter from Adelaide. 16th a close pass to Saturn from Hobart. 15th a close pass to Venus from Perth and Saturn from Sydney.

The following tables are from data provided from Heavens Above. Particularly impressive passes are highlighted in yellow.

Passes from Adelaide (ACDST)
Date Brightness Start Highest point End Pass type
(mag) Time Alt. Az. Time Alt. Az. Time Alt. Az.
12 Oct-0.404:08:2510°SSE04:08:5910°SSE04:09:3210°SSEvisible
12 Oct-3.005:43:0210°SW05:46:2656°SE05:49:4810°ENEvisible
13 Oct-1.904:56:0512°SSW04:58:5732°SE05:02:0310°ENEvisible
14 Oct-1.104:11:3421°SE04:11:3421°SE04:14:0410°Evisible
14 Oct-3.205:45:0410°WSW05:48:1939°NW05:51:3010°NNEvisible
14 Oct-2.520:49:1510°NNW20:51:1426°N20:51:1426°Nvisible
15 Oct-3.905:00:3466°WSW05:00:5677°NW05:04:2010°NEvisible
15 Oct-2.220:02:3610°N20:05:0319°NE20:07:3110°Evisible
15 Oct-1.921:38:2810°WNW21:40:5932°WSW21:40:5932°WSWvisible
16 Oct-1.605:50:0511°NW05:50:0511°NW05:51:0810°NNWvisible
16 Oct-3.320:50:4610°NW20:54:1064°SW20:57:1113°SEvisible
17 Oct-3.720:03:2010°NW20:06:4367°NE20:10:0810°SEvisible
17 Oct-0.721:41:4210°WSW21:43:5015°SSW21:45:5810°Svisible
18 Oct-1.220:53:2510°W20:56:1123°SSW20:59:0010°SSEvisible
19 Oct-2.020:05:2610°WNW20:08:3635°SW20:11:4910°SSEvisible
20 Oct-0.520:57:2710°SW20:58:2811°SSW20:59:2910°Svisible
21 Oct-0.820:08:3610°WSW20:10:4415°SSW20:12:5310°Svisible


Passes from Brisbane (AEST)
Date Brightness Start Highest point End Pass type
(mag) Time Alt. Az. Time Alt. Az. Time Alt. Az.
13 Oct-2.904:29:2610°SSW04:32:4853°SE04:36:0710°NEvisible
13 Oct-1.319:30:3710°NNW19:31:1615°NNW19:31:1615°NNWvisible
14 Oct-1.603:42:1910°SSW03:45:1927°SE03:48:1610°ENEvisible
14 Oct-2.718:43:4210°N18:46:3727°NE18:48:0719°Evisible
14 Oct-0.420:20:5410°W20:21:1412°W20:21:1412°Wvisible
15 Oct-0.802:57:3016°SSE02:57:4616°SE02:59:5810°Evisible
15 Oct-3.004:31:3010°WSW04:34:3733°NW04:37:4210°NNEvisible
15 Oct-2.019:32:4510°WNW19:35:5133°SW19:37:5318°SSEvisible
16 Oct-3.903:46:5966°W03:47:1571°NW03:50:3810°NEvisible
16 Oct-3.318:45:0110°NW18:48:2366°SW18:51:4810°SEvisible
17 Oct-0.419:36:5410°SW19:38:0111°SW19:39:0910°SSWvisible
18 Oct-0.818:47:5410°W18:50:2319°SW18:52:5310°Svisible


Passes from Darwin (ACT)

Date Brightness Start Highest point End Pass type
(mag) Time Alt. Az. Time Alt. Az. Time Alt. Az.
12 Oct-2.919:41:4310°N19:44:2930°NE19:44:2930°NEvisible
13 Oct-0.405:37:4810°SSE05:38:5611°SE05:40:0510°ESEvisible
13 Oct-1.220:31:2610°W20:33:5920°SW20:34:2420°SWvisible
14 Oct-2.519:43:2010°NW19:46:3343°SW19:49:4710°SSEvisible
15 Oct-2.805:37:3710°SSW05:40:5650°SE05:44:1210°NEvisible
16 Oct-1.304:50:4310°S04:53:2823°SE04:56:1310°ENEvisible
17 Oct-0.204:06:5011°ESE04:06:5011°ESE04:07:1010°ESEvisible
17 Oct-2.705:39:5711°WSW05:42:4226°NW05:45:3510°Nvisible
18 Oct-2.404:56:4530°NNE04:56:4530°NNE04:58:3810°NNEvisible

Passes from Hobart (AEDST) 


Date Brightness Start Highest point End Pass type
(mag) Time Alt. Az. Time Alt. Az. Time Alt. Az.
12 Oct-0.203:04:5811°ESE03:04:5811°ESE03:05:0510°ESEvisible
12 Oct-3.104:37:5825°SW04:39:4356°SSE04:43:0710°ENEvisible
13 Oct-2.003:53:0433°ESE03:53:0433°ESE03:55:3010°Evisible
13 Oct-3.005:26:0611°WSW05:29:0134°NW05:32:0910°NNEvisible
14 Oct-3.704:41:3456°NW04:41:4057°NW04:45:0210°NEvisible
15 Oct-0.903:57:3011°ENE03:57:3011°ENE03:57:4210°ENEvisible
15 Oct-1.705:30:3513°NW05:30:3613°NW05:32:0910°NNWvisible
15 Oct-2.220:35:2710°N20:37:5319°NE20:37:5319°NEvisible
16 Oct-3.921:23:3210°NW21:26:5884°NE21:27:1275°Evisible
17 Oct-3.520:36:1310°NW20:39:3350°NE20:42:5510°ESEvisible
17 Oct-1.722:13:2210°W22:15:5829°SW22:15:5829°SWvisible
18 Oct-2.521:25:3710°W21:28:5542°SSW21:31:1617°SEvisible
18 Oct-0.323:03:4710°SW23:04:1712°SW23:04:1712°SWvisible
19 Oct-3.220:37:5810°WNW20:41:2262°SSW20:44:4910°SEvisible
19 Oct-1.422:15:5710°WSW22:18:4221°S22:19:1421°Svisible
20 Oct-1.521:28:0610°WSW21:31:0225°SSW21:33:5610°SEvisible
20 Oct-0.423:06:0510°SW23:06:5514°SSW23:06:5514°SSWvisible
21 Oct-1.920:40:1610°W20:43:2331°SSW20:46:3210°SEvisible
21 Oct-1.222:18:2510°SW22:20:5819°S22:21:2818°SSEvisible


Passes from Melbourne (AEDST)

Date Brightness Start Highest point End Pass type
(mag) Time Alt. Az. Time Alt. Az. Time Alt. Az.
12 Oct-1.304:37:5814°SSW04:39:5722°SSE04:42:4310°Evisible
13 Oct-0.603:53:0416°SE03:53:0416°SE03:54:3710°ESEvisible
13 Oct-3.805:26:0610°SW05:29:3488°NW05:32:5910°NEvisible
14 Oct-3.004:41:3446°S04:42:0752°SE04:45:2810°ENEvisible
14 Oct-1.321:20:3710°NNW21:21:1414°NNW21:21:1414°NNWvisible
15 Oct-0.603:57:3011°E03:57:3011°E03:57:4410°Evisible
15 Oct-2.705:30:3424°WNW05:31:2026°NW05:34:1410°Nvisible
15 Oct-2.720:33:4110°N20:36:3426°NE20:37:5320°Evisible
15 Oct-0.922:10:0910°W22:10:5915°W22:10:5915°Wvisible
16 Oct-1.104:46:5912°NNE04:46:5912°NNE04:47:1710°NNEvisible
16 Oct-3.021:22:2510°WNW21:25:4653°SW21:27:1230°SSEvisible
17 Oct-3.820:34:5310°NW20:38:1887°NE20:41:4610°SEvisible
17 Oct-0.922:13:1310°WSW22:15:3116°SSW22:15:5916°SSWvisible
18 Oct-1.221:25:0410°W21:27:5222°SSW21:30:4010°SSEvisible
19 Oct-1.920:37:0710°W20:40:1532°SSW20:43:2510°SEvisible
19 Oct-0.422:17:1510°SSW22:17:5510°SSW22:18:3510°Svisible
20 Oct-0.621:28:3010°SW21:30:0913°SSW21:31:4710°Svisible
21 Oct-0.820:40:0710°WSW20:42:2416°SSW20:44:4210°SSEvisible


Passes from Perth (AWST)

Date Brightness Start Highest point End Pass type
(mag) Time Alt. Az. Time Alt. Az. Time Alt. Az.
12 Oct-2.304:46:4410°SSW04:50:0140°SE04:53:1510°ENEvisible
13 Oct-1.303:59:3810°SSW04:02:3024°SE04:05:2010°Evisible
14 Oct-0.703:14:3715°SSE03:14:5415°SSE03:17:0110°ESEvisible
14 Oct-3.504:48:3510°SW04:51:5650°NW04:55:1410°NNEvisible
14 Oct-3.419:51:3010°NNW19:54:2048°NNE19:54:2048°NNEvisible
15 Oct-3.704:03:3947°SW04:04:3280°SE04:07:5610°NEvisible
15 Oct-2.719:04:3310°N19:07:2927°NE19:10:2610°ESEvisible
15 Oct-1.320:41:2910°W20:44:0422°SW20:44:0422°SWvisible
16 Oct-0.703:20:0511°ENE03:20:0511°ENE03:20:1910°ENEvisible
16 Oct-1.904:53:1213°WNW04:53:3514°NW04:55:2210°NNWvisible
16 Oct-2.319:53:3010°WNW19:56:4338°SW19:59:5810°SSEvisible
17 Oct-3.519:05:5010°NW19:09:1473°SW19:12:4010°SEvisible
18 Oct-0.619:56:5210°WSW19:58:5115°SSW20:00:5210°Svisible
19 Oct-1.119:08:2710°W19:11:1222°SW19:14:0010°SSEvisible


Passes from Sydney (AEDST)

Date Brightness Start Highest point End Pass type
(mag) Time Alt. Az. Time Alt. Az. Time Alt. Az.
12 Oct-1.004:39:0610°SSW04:41:4219°SSE04:44:1710°Evisible
13 Oct-0.603:53:0412°S03:54:0513°SSE03:55:5010°ESEvisible
13 Oct-3.805:27:5110°SW05:31:1780°NW05:34:4110°NEvisible
14 Oct-3.004:41:3419°SSW04:43:5153°SE04:47:1210°ENEvisible
14 Oct-1.719:46:2010°NNE19:47:4512°NE19:48:0712°ENEvisible
14 Oct-0.821:20:5110°WNW21:21:1412°WNW21:21:1412°WNWvisible
15 Oct-1.403:57:3024°ESE03:57:3024°ESE03:59:2610°Evisible
15 Oct-2.405:30:3411°W05:33:0121°NW05:35:3910°Nvisible
15 Oct-3.920:33:2010°NW20:36:4584°NE20:37:5340°SEvisible
16 Oct-2.504:46:5927°N04:46:5927°N04:48:5410°NNEvisible
16 Oct-3.319:46:0710°NNW19:49:2142°NE19:52:3810°ESEvisible
16 Oct-1.121:23:4810°W21:26:1919°SSW21:27:1217°SSWvisible
17 Oct-1.720:35:4110°W20:38:4329°SW20:41:4710°SSEvisible
18 Oct-2.719:47:5110°WNW19:51:1050°SW19:54:3310°SEvisible
19 Oct-0.620:39:1710°WSW20:40:5513°SSW20:42:3410°Svisible
20 Oct-0.919:50:4410°W19:53:1419°SSW19:55:4610°SSEvisible

 

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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Monday, October 11, 2021

 

Thursday October 14 to Thursday October 21

The Full Moon is Thursday, October 21.  Three bright planets are seen in the early evening sky. Venus is readily visible in the early evening sky and is climbing the Scorpion. Venus is close to bright star Antares on the 17th.  Saturn and Jupiter are visible in the evening sky with Jupiter dominating once Venus has set. The waxing Moon is close to Jupiter on the 15th. The waxing Moon forms a line with Jupiter and Saturn on the 16th, which is International Observe the Moon Night. The International Space station passes between Venus and the lineup from many states at this time.

The Full Moon is Thursday, October 21.

Evening sky on Sunday, October 17 looking west as seen from Adelaide at 20:52 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset).  Venus is close to the bright star Antares, the brightest star in Scorpius.

 

 

The inset shows 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 Friday, October 15 showing the north-western sky as seen from Adelaide at 20:58 pm ACDST (90 minutes after sunset). Saturn and Jupiter form a line in the evening sky with the waxing Moon close to Jupiter. 

 The insets shows the telescopic views of Jupiter and Saturn at this time. Ganymede is behind Jupiter and will emerge around 22:16 ACDST. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset), click to embiggen.

 

Whole sky showing the Moon, Jupiter, Saturn, The International Space Station and Venus on international Observe the Moon night, Saturday October 16th, 20:53 ACDST, 82 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen). 

 

 Elsewhere in Australia will see a similar planetary line up that the equivalent time (82 minutes after sunset). You will need a specific prediction for your site for the ISS (eg from Heavens above

 

 Mercury  is lost in the twilight

 
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 3 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 climbing the body of the Scorpion making a rather beautiful sight in the early evening. Venus is close to bright star Antares, the brightest star in Scorpius, on the 17th.

Mars is lost in the twilight.
   
Jupiter is 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. The waxing Moon is close to Jupiter on the 15th. The waxing Moon forms a line with Jupiter and Saturn on the 16th, which is International Observe the Moon Night.
 
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 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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Sunday, October 10, 2021

 

International Observe the Moon Night, Saturday October 16, 2021

 Moon, Jupiter, Saturn, The International Space Station and Venus on international Observe the Moon night, Saturday October 16th, 20:53 ACDST, 82 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen). 

 

 

Elsewhere in Australia will see a similar planetary line up that the equivalent time (82 minutes after sunset). You will need a specific prediction for your site for the ISS (eg from Heavens above)  

International Observe the Moon Night is on Saturday October 16. Although the moon is past last quarter, which is good for crater viewing, there is a lot to see with the unaided eye or binoculars. As well, on the 16th the waxing moon forms a line with Jupiter and Saturn. 

For most of Australia there is a spectacular addition as the international space station shoots between Venus and the other planets in the late twilight. The time and exact location will be different for each site, so you will need a specific prediction for your site for the ISS (eg from Heavens above)

At this time the Moon is at maximum libration, with Mare Humboldtanium now visible in binoculars or telescopes.While the moon keeps on face towards the earth, changes in perspective form the Earth and Moons relative positions in their orbits means that sometimes we can see bits of the Moon normally hidden, this is libration

Other features visible are the very obvious Copernicus crater, Gassendi crater right on the dark/light boundary and Sinus Iridium. See the map to the left, click to embiggen.

There are many ways to observe the Moon. Unaided eye, binoculars, telescope. No matter what approach you choose, it will be well worth it to go out and just look up. 


Average view of the Moon
Maximum libration on October 16, showing Mare Humboldtanium at the edge of the Moon (click to embiggen for a clearer view)


In the week  leading up to international Observe the Moon night on the 16th the Moon is rather beautiful as it dances amongst the planets. On the 10th (tonight) Venus, the crescent Moon and the bright star Antares from a triangle.  The First Quarter Moon forms a line with Jupiter and Saturn on the 13th and the waxing Moon is close to Saturn on the 14th. Then the waxing Moon is close to Jupiter on the 15th. On the 15th the waxing moon is close to Jupiter and the pair fit into the FOV of 10x50 binoculars. So happy Moon viewing all!

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