Astroblog

The Last Quarter Moon is Saturday, June 29. Mercury is visible in the evening twilight. Saturn enters the evening sky around midnight, but is still best in the morning. On the 27th there is an occultation of Saturn low on the eastern horizon near midnight. In a telescope Saturn's famous rings are almost edge on. In the morning the lineup of planets is Saturn, Mars and Jupiter. Jupiter is between the red star Aldebaran and the Pleiades cluster. The crescent Moon is near Mars on the 2nd and Jupiter on the 3rd.

The Last Quarter Moon is Saturday, June 29. The moon is at perigee, when it is closest to the Earth, on the 27th.

Western evening sky on Saturday, June 29 as seen from Adelaide at 17:42 ACST (30 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).   

Morning sky on Wednesday, July 3  as seen from Adelaide at 06:25 ACST, (60 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen). Saturn and Mars are readily visible. Jupiter is between the red star Aldebaran and the Pleiades cluster with the crescent moon close by.

 

 

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent local time (60 minutes before sunrise).

 

The Moon at 23:47pm AEST in Brisbane looking east on Thursday 27 June just as Saturn reappears. The inset shows the binocular view as Saturn reappears (click to embiggen).

Saturn is just emerging from behind the dark limb of the Moon.

Similar views will be seen from east coast, and some southern central Australia at a similar time.Detailed times and spotters charts are at my occultation site.

Whole sky on Saturday, June 29 as seen from Adelaide at 18:45 ACST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen).

Bright Sirius is still dominant low in the north-western sky in the early evening. Scorpius now well visible above the Eastern horizon. The Southern Cross is prominent in the Southern sky. Between the bright star Canopus and the Southern Cross are a wealth of binocular objects to discover. The fainter clusters are now visible with the Moon rising late.

 

 

   

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

 

 

Mercury returns to the evening twilight

Venus is lost in the twilight.

Mars is rising in the morning sky. The crescent Moon is near Mars on the 2nd.

Jupiter is rising in the the morning twilight sky. Jupiter is between the red star Aldebaran and the Pleiades cluster. The crescent Moon is near  Jupiter on the 3rd.

Saturn climbs higher in the morning sky. Saturn is occulted by the Moon on the 27th.

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: weekly sky

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 10:19 pm 0 comments

The Full Moon is Saturday, June 22. The Earth is at solstice on the 21st. By the weeks end Mercury is visible in the evening twilight. Saturn enters the evening sky around midnight, but is still best in the morning. On the 27th there is an occultation of Saturn low on the eastern horizon near midnight. In a telescope Saturn's famous rings are almost edge on. In the morning the lineup of planets is Saturn, Mars and Jupiter. Jupiter is between the red star Aldebaran and the Pleiades cluster.

The Full Moon is Saturday, June 22. The Earth is at solstice, when the night is longest, on the 21st.

Western evening sky on Thursday, June 27 as seen from Adelaide at 17:41 ACST (30 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).   

Morning sky on Saturday, June 22  as seen from Adelaide at 06:22 ACST, (60 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen). Saturn and Mars are readily visible. Jupiter is between the red star Aldebaran and the Pleiades cluster.

 

 

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent local time (60 minutes before sunrise).

 

The Moon at 23:47pm AEST in Brisbane looking east on Thursday 27 June just as Saturn reappears. The inset shows the binocular view as Saturn reappears (click to embiggen).

Saturn is just emerging from behind the dark limb of the Moon.

Similar views will be seen from east coast, and some southern central Australia at a similar time.Detailed times and spotters charts are at my occultation site.

Whole sky on Saturday, June 22 as seen from Adelaide at 18:43 ACST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen).

Bright Sirius is still dominant low in the north-western sky in the early evening. Scorpius now well visible above the Eastern horizon. The Southern Cross is prominent in the Southern sky. Between the bright star Canopus and the Southern Cross are a wealth of binocular objects to discover. The fainter clusters are lost in the light of the waxing, then Full, moon.

 

 

   

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

 

 

Mercury returns to the evening twilight

Venus is lost in the twilight.

Mars is rising in the morning sky.

Jupiter is rising in the the morning twilight sky. Jupiter is between the red star Aldebaran and the Pleiades cluster.

Saturn climbs higher in the morning sky. Saturn is occulted by the Moon on the 27th.

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: weekly sky

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 7:59 am 0 comments

The Moon at 23:07pm ACST in Adelaide looking east on Thursday 27 June just as Saturn reappears. The inset shows the binocular view as Saturn reappears (click to embiggen).	The Moon at 23:47pm AEST in Brisbane looking east on Thursday 27 June just as Saturn reappears. The inset shows the binocular view as Saturn reappears (click to embiggen).	The Moon at 23:39pm AEST in Canberra looking east on Thursday 27 June just as Saturn reappears. The inset shows the binocular view as Saturn reappears (click to embiggen).

On the evening of Thursday, June 27, between 11pm and midnight  there is an occultation of Saturn. The second of three occultations seen from Australia this year. This best as a binocular and telescope event. The Moon will have just risen, so this will be difficult for telescopes.

The path of the occultation, taken from the the IOTA site 

This occultation is visible from the eastern states from Cairns to Melbourne. and part of central Australia.

In the rest of Australia the Moon and Saturn will be very close when the Moon rises.  

Start watching about half an hour beforehand to get set up and familiar with the sky. Saturn will disappear behind the bright limb of the Moon very close to the horizon. In Cairns, Melbourne and Adelaide the Moon will rise with Saturn behind the Moon, you will need a level, unobscured horizon to see the occultation. 

Again, as the Moon is close to the horizon when ingress occurs it will be difficult to get telescopes to point that low, and binoculars will be required. By the time Saturn reappears the Moon will be higher (around 15°) so telescopes may be successful.  As Saturn reappears from behind the dark limb of the moon this should be quite dramatic.

Imaging Saturn and the Moon together will be a challenge, due to the differences in brightness, again however, as Saturn appears from behind the dark limb, some over exposure of the Moon will not really affect Saturn. You will need a high ISO (3200 to 1600) to have a short enough exposure time to stop Saturn from trailing. Try practicing the night or morning before to get an idea of your cameras/mobile phones performance. You will need a tripod for your camera or binoculars, and possibly some wy to attach the camera to binoculars or telescope (dedicated amateur astronomers will already have this kit). See this post for some examples.

Labels: binoculars, Moon, Occultation, Saturn, telescope

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 7:26 am 0 comments

The First Quarter Moon is Friday, June 14. Comet 12P Pons-Brooks is no longer visible in binoculars. Saturn enters the evening sky around midnight, but is still best in the morning. In a telescope Saturn's famous rings are almost edge on. In the morning the lineup of planets is Saturn, Mars and Jupiter. with Jupiter low on the horizon.

The First Quarter Moon is Friday, June 14. The moon is at apogee, when it is furthest from the Earth, at this time.

Eastern evening sky on Saturday, June 15 as seen from Adelaide at 18:41 ACST (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).   

Morning sky on Saturday, June 15  as seen from Adelaide at 06:22 ACST, (60 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen). Saturn and Mars are readily visible. Jupiter is below the pair and is now more visible but still low on the horizon.

 

The inset is the telescopic view of Saturn at this time.

 

 

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent local time (60 minutes before sunrise). 

 

Whole sky on Saturday, June 15 as seen from Adelaide at 18:41 ACST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen).

Bright Sirius is still dominant low in the north-western sky in the early evening. Scorpius now well visible above the Eastern horizon. Between the bright star Canopus and the Southern Cross are a wealth of binocular objects to discover. The fainter clusters will be begin to be lost as the moon waxes.

 

 

   

 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 is rising in the morning sky.

Jupiter is low the the morning twilight sky.

Saturn climbs higher in the morning 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/

Labels: weekly sky

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 11:25 pm 0 comments

The New Moon is Thursday, June 6. Comet 12P Pons-Brooks is fading, this will be the last week to view it in binoculars as it moves past Sirius in  Canis Major. In the morning the lineup of planets is now Saturn, Mars and Jupiter as Mercury is lost in the twilight.

The New Moon is Thursday, June 6.

Evening sky on Saturday, June 8 as seen from Adelaide at 18:42 ACST (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).   Comet 12P is now not far from the bright star Sirius when the sky is fully dark. The inset shows the binocular view at this time.

The comet has faded to magnitude 7, and you need strong binoculars or a telescope to see it. Over the week the comet will climb higher into darker skies fading as it goes. Updated spotters charts are here.

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

Morning sky on Saturday, June 8  as seen from Adelaide at 06:19 ACST, (60 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen). Saturn and Mars are readily visible. Jupiter joins the pair low on the horizon. Mercury is lost in the twilight.

 

The inset is the telescopic view of Saturn at this time.

 

 

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent local time (60 minutes before sunrise).

Whole sky on Saturday, June 8 as seen from Adelaide at 18:41 ACST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen).

Orion is lost to view. Bright Sirius is still dominant in the north-western sky. Scorpius now well visible above the Eastern horizon. Between the bright star Canopus and the Southern Cross are a wealth of binocular objects to discover. The fainter clusters will be be better with the moon no longer in the evening sky.

 

 

   

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

 

 

Mercury is lost in the morning twilight

Venus is lost in the morning twilight.

Mars is rising in the morning sky.

Jupiter is low the the morning twilight sky.

Saturn climbs higher in the morning 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/

Labels: weekly sky

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 6:54 am 0 comments

Morning sky on Monday, June 3  as seen from Adelaide at 06:18 ACST, (60 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen). The crescent Moon, Saturn, Mars and Mercury make an attractive lineup. The Moon is close to Mars. Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent local time.	Morning sky on Monday, June 3  as seen from Adelaide at 06:18 ACST, (60 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen). The planets positions are labeled, including the ones not visible to the unaided eye.
Morning sky on Monday, June 3  as seen from Adelaide at 06:48 ACST, (30 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen). The crescent Moon, Saturn, Mars and Mercury make an attractive lineup. Jupiter and mercury are deep in the twilight.	Morning sky on Monday, June 3  as seen from Adelaide at 06:48 ACST, (60 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen). The planets positions are labeled, including the ones not visible to the unaided eye.
Morning sky on Wednesday, June 5  as seen from Adelaide at 06:18 ACST, (60 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen). The crescent Moon, is close to Jupiter and Mercury deep in the twilight.	Morning sky on Wednesday, June 5  as seen from Adelaide at 06:18 ACST, (60 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen). The planets positions are labeled, including the ones not visible to the unaided eye.
Morning sky on Wednesday, June 5  as seen from Adelaide at 06:48 ACST, (30 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen). The crescent Moon, is close to Jupiter and Mercurydeep in the twilight.	Morning sky on Wednesday, June 5  as seen from Adelaide at 06:48 ACST, (30 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen). The planets positions are labeled, including the ones not visible to the unaided eye.

You may have see some rather breathless statements on the internet about the "planetary Parade" coming up on 3 June.  With statements such as "stunning alignment" and "solar spectacle", this vastly overplays what you will see. Yes, there will be 6 planets in a line in the morning skies from 3-5 June. But Uranus and Neptune are not visible to the unaided eye.  On the 3rd Mercury will be difficult to see as it is low in the twilight and Jupiter is too deep in the twilight to be readily seen. You will need a clear, unobstructed horizon to see Jupiter and Mercury as they are very low in the twilight.

The crescent Moon is near Mercury an Jupiter deep in the twilight. You may need binoculars to see Jupiter and Mercury (Binoculars will make for much better viewing even if you can see them).  By the time Jupiter and Mercury  have risen sufficiently to see Saturn and mars will be very difficult to see.

Nonetheless the early morning effort is worthwhile.

Labels: Jupiter, lineup, Mars, Mecury, Moon, Saturn

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 12:40 am 0 comments