Astroblog

The First Quarter Moon is Thursday October 30. The Full Moon is Wednesday November 5.  This a perigee ("super") Full Moon. Mercury is rising in the evening twilight and is close to delta Scorpii on the 1st and 2nd.  Saturn is past opposition, and is close to the waxing moon on the 2nd. Jupiter is visible in the morning sky near the bright star Pollux. Comet C/2025 R2 (Swan) is visible in binoculars in Aquarius. 

The First Quarter Moon is Thursday October 30. The Full Moon is Wednesday November 5.  This a perigee ("super") Full Moon. Perigee is November 6.

North-eastern twilight sky on the morning of Saturday, November 1 as seen from Adelaide at 05:15 ACDST (60 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen).

Jupiter is passing through Gemini and is near the bright star Pollux. Jupiter forms a slightly battered line with the bright stars Castor, Pollux and Procyon.

The inset is the telescopic view Jupiter at this time. 

 

 

 

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

 

North-western sky on Sunday, November 2  as seen from Adelaide at 21:20 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).  Saturn is close to the waxing Moon.  Comet C/2025 R2 (Swan) is near alpha Aquairii (Sadalmelik). 

 

The insets shows the telescopic view of Saturn and the binocular view of the comet at this time.  

 

Comet C/2025 R2 (Swan) is around magnitude 6 (binoculars only), but it is well placed near some very bright guide stars. It will will start to fade and the waxing moon will make it harder to see.

 

More information and printable charts here. https://astroblogger.blogspot.com/2025/10/comet-c2025-r2-swan-is-now-at-its.html

 

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

 

Western sky on the evening of Saturday, November 1 as seen from Adelaide at 20:45 ACDST (60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).

Mercury is is close to delta Scorpii  and is easily seen in the late twilight. Mars is below.

  

   

 

 

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (60 minutes after sunset).

 

Northern sky on the evening of Wednesday November 5 as seen from Adelaide at 23:49 ACDST  at the moment of Full Moon. Exact Perigee is on the 6th 09:30 ACDST +9h from full.

 

A full Moon at perigee has been called a "Super Moon", this is not an astronomical term (the astronomical term is perigee syzygy, but that doesn't trip off the tongue so nicely), but an astrological one first coined in 1979 (see here).

The differences are in Full Moon size are subtle.  

It requires a keen eye and good memory to distinguish a perigee "super" Moon from more ordinary moons, the best contrast is with the apogee "mini" moon of April 13.

Still, it is a good excuse to get people out and looking at the Moon, which will be beautiful . Make sure you are not fooled by the Moon Illusion. 
 

The inset shows the telescopic view at this time. 

 

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

Whole sky on Saturday, Saturday, November 1 as seen from Adelaide at 21:19 ACDST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen).

Mercury is in the north-west. Saturn is in the north

 

Bright Achernar is rising from the Southern horizon. Scorpius is setting in the west and the galactic core is in th western sky.

 

The Southern Cross is sinking in the Southern sky.  The moon is waxing and the fainter clusters and nebula are becoming harder to see.    

 

 

   

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

Labels: weekly sky

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 9:50 pm 0 comments

The First Quarter Moon is Thursday October 30.  Mercury is rising in the evening twilight and has climbed past Mars. The thin crescent Moon forms a triangle with Mars and Mercury on the 23rd. Saturn is past opposition, but is still visible the entire night. Jupiter is visible in the morning sky near the bright star Pollux. Comet C/2025 R2 (Swan) is at its brightest (still only binocular visible) in the northwest. The Orioind meteor shower is visible on the 23rd.

First Quarter Moon is Thursday October 30.

North-eastern twilight sky on the morning of Saturday, October 254 as seen from Adelaide at 05:23 ACDST (60 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen).

Jupiter is passing through Gemini and is near the bright star Pollux. Jupiter forms a slightly battered line with the bright stars Castor, Pollux and Procyon.

The inset is the telescopic view Jupiter at this time. 

 

 

 

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

 

North-western sky on Saturday, October 25  as seen from Adelaide at 21:10 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).  Comet C/2025 R2 (Swan) is near Capricorn. 

 

Comet C/2025 R2 (Swan) is around magnitude 6 (binoculars only), but it is well placed near some very bright guide stars (not far from the obvious pair of alpha and beta Capricornii) so it will be easy to find. It will will start to fade and the waxing moon will make it harder to see by the end of the week.

 

More information and printable charts here. https://astroblogger.blogspot.com/2025/10/comet-c2025-r2-swan-is-now-at-its.html

 

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

 

Western sky on the evening of Thursday, October 23 as seen from Adelaide at 20:36 ACDST (60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).

Mercury is climbing above Mars and is easily in the late twilight. Mars and mercury form a triangle with the thin crescent Moon.

  

 

 

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (60 minutes after sunset).

 

Morning sky as seen from Adelaide facing north at 4:54 am ACDST on 23 October (90 minutes before sunrise), the Orionid radiant is indicated with a starburst.

 

for timing. viewing hints and rates for several Australian cities see my Orionid site.  https://astroblogger.blogspot.com/2025/10/orionid-meteor-shower-morning-21-23.html

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at an equivalent local time. Click to embiggen. 

 

North-eastern sky on the evening of Saturday, October 25 as seen from Adelaide at 21:10 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).

 

Saturn is past opposition, when it was biggest and brightest as seen from Earth. Saturn is visible all night long. 

 

The inset shows the telescopic view at this time. 

  

 

 

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

Whole sky on Saturday, Saturday, October 25 as seen from Adelaide at 21:10 ACDST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen).

Mars is in the north-west. Saturn is in the east

 

Bright Achernar is rising from the Southern horizon. Scorpius is setting in the west and the galactic core is coming off the Zenith.

 

The Southern Cross is sinking in the Southern sky.  The moon is waxing and the fainter clusters and nebula are becoming harder to see.    

 

 

   

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

Labels: weekly sky

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 10:26 pm 0 comments

North-western sky on Tuesday, October 21 as seen from Adelaide at 21:05 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). Comet C/2025 R2 (Swan) is between the handle of the teapot of Sagittarius and the bright star Altair. The inset is the approximate binocular view of the comet at the time.	North-western sky on Sunday, October 26 as seen from Adelaide at 21:11 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). Comet C/2025 is close to the moderately bright star epsilon Aquarii not far from the obvious pair of alpha and beta Capricorni. The inset is the approximate binocular view of the comet at the time.	North-western sky on Wednesday, October 22 as seen from Adelaide at 21:05 ACST (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). The track of the comet every three nights is shown the comet starts at aroun magnitude 6 and will slowly fade, and the waxing Moon will make it harder to see.

Comet C/2025 R2 (Swan) is is now at its brightest, around magnitude 6 (binoculars only), but it is well placed near some reasonably bright guide stars so it will be easy to find. It is currently a fuzzy disk in 10x50 binoculars. Although it is ~ magnitude 6, and theoretically visible to the unaided eye, it is still best in binoculars or a telescope. It has climbed high enough into dark skis to make spotting relatively easy.  

 The comet is now setting after midnight, so you have plenty of time to observe. at the beginning of the week the comet is between the handle of the teapot of Sagittarius and the obvious bright star Altair. Sart hopping along the line of brightish stars from the handle of the teapot towards the obvious bright star Altair should bring to the the comet. By the 24th it is just under the obvious part of stars alpha and beta Capricorni and within a binocular field of  alpha Capricorni. By the 26th it is within a binocular field of the moderately bright star epsilon Aquarii. On the 29th and 30th it is within a binocular field of the moderately bright star beta Aquarii. The on 2 November it s almost on to of the brightish star alpha Aquarii (see the printable charts below).

more information can be found at  https://www.aerith.net/comet/catalog/2025R2/2025R2.html see also https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/MPEph/MPEph.html for an ephemeris (type C/2025 R2 in the ephemeris box).

Black and White printable chart of the western sky starting Tuesday, October 21 as seen from Adelaide at 21:05 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen and print). The track of the comet over successive nights is shown (the comet starts around magnitude 6 and will fade over the month but still will be binocular visible).	Black and White printable chart suitable for binoculars of the comet for October 21 to October 24. (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen and print). Use in conjunction with the spotters chart.	Black and White printable chart suitable for binoculars of the comet for October 24 to October 30. (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen and print). Use in conjunction with the spotter chart.

Labels: binocular, C/2025 R2, comet

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 7:49 pm 0 comments

Morning sky as seen from Darwin facing north at 5:05 am ADST on 22 October (90 minutes before sunrise), the Orionid radiant is indicated with a starburst. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at an equivalent local time. Click to embiggen.	Morning sky as seen from Brisbane facing north at 3:43 am AEST on 22 October (90 minutes before sunrise), the Orionid radiant is indicated with a starburst. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at an equivalent local time. Click to embiggen.	Morning sky as seen from Adelaide facing north at 4:54 am ACDST on 22 October (90 minutes before sunrise), the Orionid radiant is indicated with a starburst. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at an equivalent local time. Click to embiggen.

The Orionids are a worthwhile shower that somewhat favours the Southern Hemisphere, best seen between 2-5 am, the radiant, the point where meteors appear to originate from, being just under Betelgeuse, the bright red star in Orion. The maps above show the views from Darwin, Brisbane and Adelaide at astronomical twilight (90 minutes before sunrise). Similar views will be seen at the equivalent local time at similar latitudes (Adelaide stands in for Melbourne, Sydney and Perth)

If you draw an imaginary line between Procyon and Aldebaran, then drop another imaginary line from Betelgeuse to the horizon, the radiant is just next to the intersection of those two lines.

The Orionids are the debris from Halley's comet. The Orionids maximum is on October 21 UT (October 22 Australian time).

This year the Moon won't interfere with the shower.

The best viewing is the morning of the 22nd, when between 3-5 am under dark skies you should see about a meteor every 4-5 minutes, although reasonable rates will be seen the mornings before and after (see table below).

You can find out the predicted rates for your location using the NASA meteor flux estimator (use 8 Orionids and make sure you set the dates to 21-22 October 2022).

Unfortunately, both Chrome and Firefox have changed their security settings to prevent plugins from running, and the flux estimator only runs under Edge in Internet Explorer mode now (an you now have to turn on IE mode manually in settings).

You can follow the progress of the shower at the IMO Orionids live page.

If you decide to get up, allow at least 5 minutes for your eyes to adjust, and be patient, it may be several minutes before you are rewarded with you first meteor, then a couple will come along in quick succession.

Choose a viewing spot where you can see a large swathe of sky without trees or buildings getting in the way, or with street-lights getting in your eyes. The darker the spot the better (but do be sensible, don't choose a spot in an unsalubrious park for example). Look to the north-east, and the distinctive red star Betelgeuse below the saucepan will be easy to spot with bright Jupiter  below it. The meteors should originate just below Betelgeuse. However, let your eyes roam a bit to pick up meteors that begin their "burn" a fair distance from the radiant.

A lawn chair or something similar will make your observing comfortable (or a picnic rug spread on the ground and a nice pillow), and having a Thermos of hot coffee, tea or chocolate to swig while watching will increase your comfort. (Here's some hints on dark adaption of your eyes so you can see meteors better).

The following table shows the predicted peak rates at around the peak maximum local time (roughly 2 hours before local sunrise on the mornings of the 21st, 22nd and 23rd of October for a number of cities under dark sky conditions (rates under suburban or city light conditions will be lower). Rates will be similar at the same latitude as these cities, and rates will be intermediate at spots between these cities.

Labels: Meteors, Orionids, unaided eye

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 8:04 pm 0 comments

The Last Quarter Moon is Tuesday October 14.  Mercury is low in the evening twilight climbing towards Mars. Mars is in Libra and is close to the bright star apha2 Librae on the 14th. Saturn is past opposition, but is still visible the entire night. Jupiter is visible in the morning sky near the bright star Pollux.  On the 14th the crescent Moon, Jupiter and Pollux form a triangle. Occultation of the star 69 Geminorum.

The Last Quarter Moon is Tuesday October 14. 

North-eastern twilight sky on the morning of Tuesday, October 14 as seen from Adelaide at 05:39 ACDST (60 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen).

Jupiter is passing through Gemini and is near the bright star Pollux. The crescent Moon, Jupiter and Pollux form a triangle. Occultation of the star 69 Geminorum is about to occur (5:44 ACDST).

The insets are the telescopic view Jupiter at this time and the occultation of 69 Geminorum at 5:44 ACDST. 

 

 

 

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

 

Western sky on Saturday, October 11  as seen from Adelaide at 20:54 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).  Comet C/2025 R2 (Swan) is near Scorpius heading for a close approach to Asteroid Vesta. The inset is the approximate binocular view of the comet at the time. 

 

Comet C/2025 R2 (Swan) is a (very) recently discovered comet that is around magnitude 7 (binoculars only), but it is well placed near some very bright guide stars so it will be easy to find. It will brighten a bit as it climbs higher into the dark skies, but will not really reach visual magnitude.

 

More information and printable charts here. https://astroblogger.blogspot.com/2025/09/how-to-see-new-comet-c2025-r2-swan-from.html

 

 

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

Western sky on the evening of Saturday, October 11 as seen from Adelaide at 20:23 ACDST (60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).

Mercury is climbing closer to Mars low in the twilight. Mars is coming closer to the bright star apha2 Librae.

  

 

 

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (60 minutes after sunset).

 

North-eastern sky on the evening of Saturday, October 11 as seen from Adelaide at 20:54 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).

 

Saturn is just past at opposition, when it is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth. Saturn is visible all night long. Saturn is close to the waxing Moon (and also on the 6th).

 

The inset shows the telescopic view at this time. 

  

 

 

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

Whole sky on Saturday, Saturday, October 11 as seen from Adelaide at 20:54 ACDST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen).

Mars is in the north-west. Saturn is in the east

 

Bright Achernar is rising from the Southern horizon. Scorpius is setting in the west and the galactic core is coming off the Zenith.

 

The Southern Cross is sinking in the Southern sky.  The moon is waning and the fainter clusters and nebula are becoming easier to see.    

 

 

   

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

Labels: weekly sky

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 6:00 pm 0 comments