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Monday, November 28, 2022

 

Thursday December 1 to Thursday December 8

First Quarter Moon is Thursday December 1, Full Moon is Thursday December 8.  Jupiter is easy to see as brightest object in the evening sky aside from the Moon and is close to the waxing Moon on the 2nd. Mars is now rising well before midnight, and is at opposition, when it is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, on the 8th. Mercury and Venus climb higher in the evening twilight.

First Quarter Moon is Thursday December 1, Full Moon is Thursday December 8. 

 

Evening sky on Saturday, December 3 as seen from Adelaide at 20:45 ACDST, (30 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). Venus and Mercury are low above the horizon in the twilight. You will need a low, unobstructed horizon like the ocean to see them clearly (and possibly binoculars as well).




   

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent local time (30 minutes after sunset).

Evening sky on Thursday, December 8 as seen from Adelaide at 22:06 ACDST, 90 minutes after sunset(click to embiggen). Mars forms a triangle the bright stars Elnath and Zeta Taurii.


 

Mars is at opposition, when is at its biggest and brightest as seen from Earth. The Full Moon is The inset is the telescopic view at this time.


   

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset). 

 

Evening sky on Friday, December 2 as seen from Adelaide at 21:59 ACDST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen).

Saturn forms a line with iota, delta and gamma Capricornii with Jupiter to the north. The waxing Moon is close to Jupiter.



 

The insets are the telescopic views of Saturn and Jupiter at the same magnification at this time.

 Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset). 

 
 
Whole sky on Saturday, December 3 as seen from Adelaide at 22:00 ACDST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen). The Moon, Saturn , Jupiter and Mars are visible spanning the sky from horizon to horizon.

Scorpius is sinking in the western horizon with the teapot of Sagittarius above. The low altitude makes the clusters of Sagittarius hard to make out.

The Scorpions foe, Orion the Hunter, is rising in the east.

Between the bright star Canopus and the Southern Cross are another wealth of binocular objects to discover but the moons light interferes substantially.

 

  

 Elsewhere in Australia will see a similar view at the equivalent time (90 minutes after sunset). 

 

Mercury climbs out of the twilight.

Venus climbs out of the twilight.

Mars forms a triangle the bright stars Elnath and Zeta Taurii, the tips of the horns of the Bull, but is now moving up the horns back towards red Aldebaran. Mars is  is at opposition, when it is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, on the 8th, with the Full Moon below.

Jupiter climbs higher in the late evening sky was at opposition, when it was biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, on the 27th of September. Jupiter is visible all evening. Jupiter is close to the waxing Moon on the 2nd.

Saturn forms a line with iota, delta and gamma Capricornii. Saturn was at opposition, when it was biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, on the 15th of August. Saturn is close to the crescent Moon on the 29th.

 
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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# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 9:00 pm 0 comments

Monday, November 21, 2022

 

Thursday November 24 to Thursday December 1

The New Moon is Thursday, November 24, First Quarter Moon is Thursday December 1.  Jupiter is easy to see as brightest object in the evening sky aside from the Moon. Saturn is close to the crescent Moon on the 29th. Mars is now rising well before midnight, but is still best to see in the morning. Mars forms a triangle with the bright stars Elnath and Zeta Taurii, the tips of the horns of the Bull, but is now moving up the horns back towards red Aldebaran. Mars is at its closest to Earth on December the 1st. Mercury and Venus climb higher in the evening twilight but are difficult to see.

The New Moon is Thursday, November 24, First Quarter Moon is Thursday December 1. 

 

Evening sky on Saturday, November 26 as seen from Adelaide at 20:38 ACDST, (30 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). Venus and Mercury are low above the horizon in the twilight, with the crescent Moon above. You will need a low, unobstructed horizon like the ocean to see them clearly (and possibly binoculars as well).




   

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent local time (30 minutes after sunset).

Evening sky on Saturday, November 26 as seen from Adelaide at 22:30 ACDST, (click to embiggen). Mars forms a triangle the bright stars Elnath and Zeta Taurii.


 

Mars is rising around 20:30 am non-daylight saving time (21:00 daylight saving time) but is still best seen in the morning. The inset is the telescopic view at this time.


   

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent local time. 

 

Evening sky on Tuesday, November 29 as seen from Adelaide at 21:55 ACDST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen).

Saturn forms a line with iota, delta and gamma Capricornii with Jupiter to the north. The crescent Moon is close to Saturn.



 

The insets are the telescopic views of Saturn and Jupiter at the same magnification at this time.

 Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset). 


 
Whole sky on Saturday, November 26 as seen from Adelaide at 21:52 ACDST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen). The Moon, Saturn , Jupiter and Mars are visible spanning the sky from horizon to horizon.

Scorpius is sinking in the western horizon with the teapot of Sagittarius above. The low altitude makes the clusters of Sagittarius hard to make out.

The Scorpions foe, Orion the Hunter, is rising in the east.

Between the bright star Canopus and the Southern Cross are another wealth of binocular objects to discover.

 

  

 Elsewhere in Australia will see a similar view at the equivalent time (90 minutes after sunset). 

 

Mercury climbs out of  the twilight.

Venus climbs out of  the twilight.

Mars forms a triangle the bright stars Elnath and Zeta Taurii, the tips of the horns of the Bull, but is now moving up the horns back towards red Aldebaran. Mars is at its closest to Earth on December the 1st.

Jupiter climbs higher in the late evening sky was at opposition, when it was biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, on the 27th of September. Jupiter is visible all evening.

Saturn forms a line with iota, delta and gamma Capricornii. Saturn was at opposition, when it was biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, on the 15th of August. Saturn is close to the crescent Moon on the 29th.

 
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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# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 9:39 pm 0 comments

Tuesday, November 15, 2022

 

Thursday November 17 to Thursday November 24

The New Moon is Thursday, November 24.  Jupiter is easy to see as brightest object in the evening sky aside from the Moon. Mars is now rising before midnight, but is still best to see in the morning. Mars forms a triangle with the bright stars Elnath and Zeta Taurii, the tips of the horns of the Bull, but is now moving up the horns back towards red Aldebaran. Mercury and Venus enter the evening twilight but are nearly impossible to see.

The New Moon is Thursday, November 24. The Moon is at perigee, when it is closest to the Earth, on the 26th.

 

Evening sky on Thursday, November 24 as seen from Adelaide at 20:36 ACDST, (30 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). Venus and Mercury are low above the horizon deep in the twilight. You will need a low, unobstructed horizon like the ocean to see them (and possibly binoculars as well).




   

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent local time (30 minutes after sunset).

 

Evening sky on Saturday, November 19 as seen from Adelaide at 23:00 ACDST, (click to embiggen). Mars forms a triangle the bright stars Elnath and Zeta Taurii.


 

Mars is rising around 21:00 am non-daylight saving time (22:00 daylight saving time) but is best seen in the morning. The inset is the telescopic view at this time.


   

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent local time. 

 

Evening sky on Saturday, November 19 as seen from Adelaide at 21:42 ACDST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen).

Saturn forms a line with iota, delta and gamma Capricornii with Jupiter to the north.



 

The insets are the telescopic views of Saturn and Jupiter at the same magnification at this time.

 Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset). 


 
Whole sky on Saturday, November 19 as seen from Adelaide at 21:42 ACDST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen). The Milky Way is low above the western horizon. Saturn and Jupiter are both visible.

Scorpius is sinking in the western horizon with the teapot of Sagittarius above. The low altitude makes the clusters of Sagittarius hard to make out.

The Scorpions foe, Orion the Hunter, is rising in the east.

Between the bright star Canopus and the Southern Cross are another wealth of binocular objects to discover.

 

  

 Elsewhere in Australia will see a similar view at the equivalent time (90 minutes after sunset). 

 

Mercury climbs out of  the twilight.

Venus climbs out of  the twilight.

Mars forms a triangle the bright stars Elnath and Zeta Taurii, the tips of the horns of the Bull, but is now moving up the horns back towards red Aldebaran.

Jupiter climbs higher in the late evening sky was at opposition, when it was biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, on the 27th of September. Jupiter is visible all night.

Saturn forms a line with iota, delta and gamma Capricornii. Saturn was at opposition, when it was biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, on the 15th of August.

 
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/

Labels:


# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 10:25 pm 1 comments

Monday, November 07, 2022

 

Thursday November 10 to Thursday November 17

The Last Quarter Moon is Wednesday, November 16.  Jupiter is easy to see as brightest object in the evening sky aside from the Moon. Mars is now rising just before midnight, but is still best to see in the morning. Mars forms a triangle with the bright stars Elnath and Zeta Taurii, the tips of the horns of the Bull. On the 11th Mars, the waning Moon and Elnath form a triangle.

The Last Quarter Moon is Wednesday, November 16.

Evening sky on Friday, November 11 as seen from Adelaide at 23:30 ACDST, (click to embiggen). Mars forms a triangle the bright stars Elnath and Zeta Taurii and the waning moon joins them. This attractive conjunction will be visible into the morning on the 12th as well,


Mars is rising around 21:30 am non-daylight saving time (22:30 daylight saving time) but is best seen in the morning. The insets are the binocular and telescopic views respectively.


   

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent local time. 

 

Evening sky on Saturday, November 12 as seen from Adelaide at 21:33 ACDST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen).

Saturn forms a line with iota, delta and gamma Capricornii with Jupiter to the north.



The insets are the telescopic views of Saturn and Jupiter at the same magnification at this time.

 Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset). 


 
Whole sky on Saturday, November 12 as seen from Adelaide at 21:33 ACDST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen). The Milky Way stretches across the western hoizon. Saturn and Jupiter are both visible.

Scorpius is sinking in the western horizon with the teapot of Sagittarius above. The low altitude and brightening Moon make the clusters of Sagittarius hard to make out.

Between the bright star Canopus and the Southern Cross are another wealth of binocular objects to discover.

 

  

 Elsewhere in Australia will see a similar view at the equivalent time (90 minutes after sunset). 

 

Mercury is lost in the twilight.

Venus is lost in the twilight.

Mars forms a triangle the bright stars Elnath and Zeta Taurii, the tips of the horns of the Bull. On the 11th Mars, the waning Moon and Elnath form a triangle.

Jupiter climbs higher in the late evening sky was at opposition, when it was biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, on the 27th of September. Jupiter is visible all night.

Saturn forms a line with iota, delta and gamma Capricornii. Saturn was at opposition, when it was biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, on the 15th of August.

 
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/

Labels:


# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 9:10 pm 0 comments

Saturday, November 05, 2022

 

Twilight Total Lunar Eclipse Tuesday, November 8, 2022

 

Evening sky on Tuesday November 8 looking north-east as seen from Sydney at 21:15 AEDST as totality of the eclipse starts.  The inset shows the telescopic/binocular view at this time with Uranus. Click to embiggenEvening sky on Tuesday November 8 looking north-east as seen from Adelaide at 20:45 ACDST as totality of the eclipse starts.  The inset shows the telescopic/binocular view at this time with Uranus.  Click to embiggenEvening sky on Tuesday November 8 looking north-east as seen from Perth at 18:59 AWST at mid-totality.  The inset shows the telescopic/binocular view at this time with Uranus.  Click to embiggen

On the evening of Tuesday, November 8, there will be an excellent total eclipse of the Moon at twilight, the last Total Lunar in Australia until 2025. As a bonus, Uranus is visible 1 degree south of the eclipsed Moon (see insets above). Uranus is at opposition the next day and is easily visible in binoculars.
 
It's also a good way to demonstrate the earth is round.

You will see some sites calling this a "blood Moon", The Moon does not turn the colour of blood but will go a deep copper colour due to the refraction of red light through our atmosphere. This year in Australia, as the eclipse is during twilight the colours of the moon will be somewhat different early in the eclipse. In  the central states the moon will be yellowish where not eclipsed and ashen in the eclipsed section until the sky goes fully dark. In Western Australia the colour will likely be more ashen for most of the eclipse.

Unfortunately, the Tuesday, November 8 eclipse occurs the working week. Fortunately, it occurs in the early evening, so you don't have to stay up late and the kids can watch. Of course, for most places the eclipse is in the twilight, making for a unique experience. The further south you are the more twilight will occur during the eclipse.
 
The East coast will have the best view with the umbral part of the eclipse (when the Moon enters the deepest part of Earth's shadow) happening after moon rise but still in the twilight. The darkening will still be readily visible, totality and eclipse end occurs when the sky is fully dark. 
 
In the central states, the moon rises after the eclipse has started, but the sight of the Moon rising with a chip out of it should be spectacular (if you have a low, unobstructed horizon of course). Totality starts during late twilight but ends when the sky is fully dark. The Pleiades and Hyades below the Moon should be nicely visible. 
 
Western Australia sees the Moon rise eclipsed (the reddish/ashen  “ghost moon rising may be quite spectacular too) and the shadow slips off the Moon during twilight. 

A guide I wrote for the October 2014 lunar eclipse to taking photos of the eclipse is here. And here is a more general (and more recent) link to lunar photography with mobile phones and adapters that is useful for mobile phone imaging of the eclipse.
 
The eclipse starts low in the sky on the east coast, starts before Moon rise in the central states and the Moon rises eclipsed in WA. Despite it being low is is good viewing from almost anywhere, urban, suburban, or country. You don't need to move from your backyard unless there is a high-rise blocking your view to the east. Even if it is cloudy it is still worth watching for the changing light and the occasional glimpses of the darkening Moon.

Here I am calling “eclipse start” as when the umbra, the darkest part of the earth’s shadow touches the Moon. Technically the eclipse starts then the penumbra, the dimmer outer part of earth’s shadow, touches the moon. But the penumbral part of the eclipse will be almost impossible to see in the twilight.

New Zealand sees the whole of the eclipse,  starting late evening and ending on the morning on the 9th.

See here for a map and contact timings in Universal Time for sites outside Australia.

City Moon-rise Civil Twilight Nautical Twilight Astronomical twilight Eclipse Start Totality Start Maximum Eclipse Totality End Eclipse End
Adelaide
(ACDST)		 19:44 20:19 20:52 21:27 19:38 20:45 21:29 22:11 23:19
Alice Springs (ACST) 18:45 
19:16 19:45 20:14 18:38 19:45 20:29 21:11 22:19
Auckland (NZDST) 19:47 20:29 21:03 21:40 22:08 23:15 23:58 00:41 01:49
Brisbane (AEST) 18:01 18:36 19:06 19:37 19:08 20:15 20:58 21:41 22:49
Cairns (AEST) 18:15 18:47 19:14 19:41 19:08 20:15 20:58 21:41 22:49
Canberra (AEDST) 19:31 20:08 20:41 21:17 20:08 21:15 21:58 22:41 23:49
Christchurch (NZDST) 20:10 20:56 21:36 22:20 22:08 23:15 23:58  00:41 01:49
Darwin (ACST) 18:42 19:11 19:37 20:03 18:38 19:45 20:29 21:11 22:19
Hobart (AEDST) 19:55 21:15 21:36 21:58 20:08  21:15 21:58 
22:41 23:49
Melbourne (AEDST) 19:52 20:30 21:04 21:42 20:08 21:15 21:58 22:41 23:49
Perth (AWST) 18:44 19:14 19:45 20:19 17:45 19:10 19:19 19:28 20:53
Rockhampton (AEST) 18:05 18:39 19:07 19:36 19:08 
 20:15  
20:58 
21:41    22:49
Sydney (AEDST) 19:19 19:56 20:28 21:02 20:08 21:15 21:58 22:41 23:49
Townsville (AEST) 18:14 18:47 19:14 19:42 19:08
20:15 20:58 21:41  
22:49

Weather: 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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# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 1:29 pm 1 comments

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